April 12

Events

• 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
• 1557 - Cuenca is founded in Ecuador.
• 1606 - The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of Great Britain.
• 1633 - The formal inquest of Galileo Galilei by the Inquisition begins.
• 1776 - American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.
• 1820 - Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece.
• 1861 - American Civil War: The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.
• 1864 - American Civil War: The Fort Pillow massacre: Confederate forces kill most African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
• 1865 - American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.
• 1877 - The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.
• 1917 - World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.
• 1927 - April 12 Incident: Chiang Kai-shek orders the CPC members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.
• 1934 - The strongest surface wind gust in the world at 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, US.
• 1934 - The US Auto-Lite Strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.
• 1935 - First flight of the Bristol Blenheim.
• 1937 - Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft at Rugby, England.
• 1945 - US President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies while in office; vice-president Harry Truman is sworn in as the 33rd President.
• 1955 - The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
• 1961 - Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space in Vostok 3KA-2 (Vostok 1).
• 1963 - The Soviet nuclear powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.
• 1968 - Nerve gas accident at Skull Valley, Utah.
• 1980 - Samuel Doe takes control of Liberia in a coup d'etat, ending over 130 years of national democratic presidential succession.
• 1980 - Terry Fox begins his "Marathon of Hope" at St. John's, Newfoundland.
• 1981 - The first launch of a Space Shuttle: Columbia launches on the STS-1 mission.
• 1990 - Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
• 1992 - Disneyland Resort Paris opens in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France.
• 1994 - Canter & Siegel post the first commercial mass Usenet spam.
• 1998 - An earthquake in Slovenia, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale occurs near the town of Bovec.
• 1999 - US President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
• 2002 - Pedro Carmona becomes interim President of Venezuela during the military coup against Hugo Chávez.
• 2002 - Palestinian suicide bomber (female) kills 7 and injures 104 (among them 9 Arabs) at the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem.

Births

• 599 BC - Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism (d. 527 BC)
• 812 - Muhammad at-Taqi, Muslim Shia Imam (d. 835)
• 1484 - Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect (d. 1546)
• 1500 - Joachim Camerarius, German classical scholar (d. 1574)
• 1526 - Muretus, French humanist (d. 1585)
• 1550 - Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English politician (d. 1604)
• 1577 - Christian IV of Denmark (d. 1648)
• 1705 - William Cookworthy, English chemist (d. 1780)
• 1713 - Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French writer (d. 1796)
• 1722 - Pietro Nardini, Italian composer (d. 1793)
• 1724 - Lyman Hall, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1790)
• 1726 - Charles Burney, English music historian (d. 1814)
• 1748 - Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist (d. 1836)
• 1777 - Henry Clay, American statesman (d. 1852)
• 1794 - Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician (d. 1847)
• 1796 - George N. Briggs, 19th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1861)
• 1799 - Henri Druey, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 1855)
• 1823 - Alexandr Ostrovsky, Russian dramatist (d. 1886)
• 1839 - Nikolai Przhevalsky, Russian explorer (d. 1888)
• 1848 - José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican poet (d. 1880)
• 1852 - Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician (d. 1939)
• 1856 - William Martin Conway, English art critic and mountaineer (d. 1937)
• 1868 - Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese naval commander (d. 1918)
• 1869 - Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (d. 1922)
• 1871 - Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and dictator (d. 1941)
• 1883 - Dally Messenger, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 1959)
• 1884 - Otto Meyerhof, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (d. 1951)
• 1884 - Tenby Davies, Welsh world champion runner (d. 1932)
• 1887 - Harold Lockwood, American actor (d. 1918)
• 1888 - Heinrich Neuhaus, Soviet musician (d. 1964)
• 1892 - Johnny Dodds, American musician (d. 1940)
• 1893 - Robert Harron, American actor (d. 1920)
• 1894 - Francisco Craveiro Lopes, 13^th President of Portugal (d. 1964)
• 1898 - Lily Pons, American soprano (d. 1976)
• 1901 - Lowell Stockman, American representative (d. 1962)
• 1902 - Louis Beel, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1977)
• 1903 - Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
• 1907 - Felix de Weldon, Austrian-born sculptor (d. 2003)
• 1907 - Hardie Gramatky, American author and animator (d. 1979)
• 1908 - Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American Air Force pilot (d. 2006)
• 1911 - Mahmoud Younis, Suez Canal nationalization Engineer (d. 1976)
• 1912 - Walt Gorney, American actor (d. 2004)
• 1912 - Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, Second Vice President of Indonesia (d. 1988)
• 1914 - Armen Alchian, American economist
• 1916 - Beverly Cleary, American writer
• 1916 - Benjamin Libet, American scientist (d. 2007)
• 1917 - Helen Forrest, American singer (d. 1999)
• 1919 - Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (d. 1991)
• 1921 - Robert Cliche, Quebec politician and magistrate (d. 1978)
• 1923 - Ann Miller, American actor and dancer (d. 2004)
• 1924 - Raymond Barre, French politician and Prime Minister (d. 2007)
• 1924 - Peter Safar, Austrian physician (d. 2003)
• 1928 - Hardy Krüger, German actor
• 1928 - Jean-François Paillard, French conductor
• 1930 - Manuel Neri, American artist
• 1930 - Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician (d. 2006)
• 1931 - Leonid Derbenyov, Russian poet-songwriter (d. 1995)
• 1932 - Dennis Banks, American activist
• 1932 - Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan politician (d. 2005)
• 1932 - Tiny Tim, American musician (d. 1996)
• 1933 - Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano
• 1934 - Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer
• 1939 - Alan Ayckbourn, English writer
• 1939 - Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league footballer
• 1940 - Herbie Hancock, American musician and composer
• 1940 - John Hagee, American pastor and televangelist
• 1941 - Bobby Moore, English footballer (d. 1993)
• 1942 - Carlos Reutemann, Argentine racing driver and politician
• 1944 - John Kay, German-born musician
• 1945 - Lee Jong-wook, Korean Director-General of the WHO (d. 2006)
• 1946 - Ed O'Neill, American actor
• 1947 - Tom Clancy, American author
• 1947 - Woody Johnson, sports team owner
• 1947 - Antonin Kratochvil photographer
• 1947 - David Letterman, American talk show host
• 1948 - Jeremy Beadle, English television presenter (d. 2008)
• 1948 - Joschka Fischer, Foreign Minister of Germany
• 1948 - Sandra "Lois" Reeves, American singer
• 1949 - Scott Turow, American writer
• 1950 - Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman and F1 team principal (Renault F1)
• 1950 - David Cassidy, American singer and actor
• 1950 - Kari Palaste, Finnish architect
• 1952 - Ralph Wiley, American sports journalist (d. 2004)
• 1952 - Reuben Gant, American professional football player
• 1954 - Pat Travers, Canadian musician
• 1956 - Andy Garcia, Cuban-born actor
• 1956 - Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer
• 1957 - Vince Gill, American musician
• 1958 - Will Sergeant, English musician
• 1958 - Howard Stableford, English actor and host
• 1960 - Ron MacLean, Canadian sportscaster
• 1961 - Lisa Gerrard, Australian musician
• 1961 - Magda Szubanski, Australian actress
• 1962 - Art Alexakis, American musician
• 1962 - Takada Nobuhiko, Japanese wrestler
• 1964 - Amy Ray, American musician
• 1965 - Tom O'Brien, American actor-producer
• 1967 - Sarah Cracknell, English singer
• 1967 - Mellow Man Ace, Afro-Cuban rapper
• 1969 - Lucas Radebe, South African footballer
• 1970 - Nick Hexum, American musician
• 1971 - Nicholas Brendon, American actor
• 1971 - Shannen Doherty, American actor
• 1972 - Sebnem Ferah, Turkish singer
• 1972 - Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player
• 1972 - Dimitrios Kokotis, Greek high jumper
• 1973 - J. Scott Campbell, American comic book artist
• 1973 - Antonio Osuna, Mexican baseball player
• 1973 - Claudia Jordan, American model
• 1974 - Belinda Emmett, Australian actor(d. 2006)
• 1974 - Roman Hamrlik, Czech ice hockey player
• 1974 - Marley Shelton, American actor
• 1974 - Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer
• 1976 - Brad Miller, American basketball player
• 1977 - Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1977 - Glenn Rogers, Scottish Cricket Player
• 1977 - Sarah Jane Morris, American actor
• 1977 - Jordana Spiro, American actor
• 1978 - Guy Berryman, British musician
• 1978 - Riley Smith, American actor
• 1979 - Claire Danes, American actor
• 1979 - Elena Grosheva, Olympic gymnast
• 1979 - Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer
• 1979 - Jennifer Morrison, American actress and model
• 1979 - Paul Nicholls, English actor
• 1979 - Jordan De Jong, American baseball player
• 1980 - Brian McFadden, Irish Singer
• 1980 - Erik Mongrain, Canadian musician
• 1981 - Nicolás Burdisso, Argentine footballer
• 1981 - Jaspreet Singh, businessman
• 1981 - Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist
• 1982 - Deen, Bosnian singer
• 1983 - Jelena Dokić, Yugoslav/Australian tennis player
• 1985 - Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer
• 1985 - Jeisa Chiminazzo, Brazilian supermodel
• 1985 - Ted Ginn, American football player
• 1985 - Paul Murphy, Irish footballer
• 1985 - Olga Seryabkina, Russian singer
• 1986 - Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer
• 1987 - Brendon Urie, American musician (Panic at the Disco)
• 1994 - Saoirse Ronan, Irish actress
• 1994 - Airi Suzuki, Japanese singer

Deaths

• 45 BC - Gnaeus Pompeius, the Younger, Roman general
• 65 - Seneca the Younger, Roman philosopher, statesman and dramatist
• 238 - Gordian I, Roman Emperor (suicide)
• 238 - Gordian II, heir to the Roman Empire (killed in battle)
• 352 - St. Julius I, 35th Pope
• 434 - Archbishop Maximianus of Constantinople
• 1125 - Vladislaus I of Bohemia
• 1443 - Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1550 - Claude, Duke of Guise, French soldier (b. 1496)
• 1555 - Juana of Castile, wife of Philip I of Castile (b. 1479)
• 1675 - Richard Bennett, British Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1609)
• 1687 - Ambrose Dixon, Virginia Colony pioneer
• 1704 - Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and writer (b. 1627)
• 1748 - William Kent, English architect
• 1782 - Metastasio, Italian poet and librettist (b. 1698)
• 1788 - Carlo Antonio Campioni, French-born composer (b. 1719)
• 1795 - Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (b. 1710)
• 1814 - Charles Burney, English music historian (b. 1726)
• 1850 - Adoniram Judson, American Baptist missionary (b. 1788)
• 1872 - Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer (b. 1795)
• 1878 - William Marcy Tweed, aka Boss Tweed, American politician (b. 1823)
• 1898 - Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Roman catholic archbishop of Quebec (b. 1820)
• 1902 - Marie Alfred Cornu, French physicist (b. 1842)
• 1912 - Clara Barton, American nurse and Red Cross advocate (b. 1821)
• 1938 - Feodor Chaliapin, Russian bass (b. 1873)
• 1945 - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (b. 1882)
• 1962 - Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Indian politician and engineer (b. 1861)
• 1962 - Ron Flockhart, Scottish racing driver (b. 1923)
• 1968 - Heinrich Nordhoff, German automobile engineer and Volkswagen director (b. 1899)
• 1971 - Igor Tamm, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
• 1971 - Ed Lafitte, American baseball player (b. 1871)
• 1971 - Wynton Kelly, American jazz pianist (b. 1931)
• 1975 - Josephine Baker, American dancer (b. 1906)
• 1977 - Phil Wrigley, American manufacturer and baseball executive (b. 1894)
• 1980 - Clark McConachy, New Zealand billiards and snooker player (b. 1895)
• 1980 - William R. Tolbert, Jr., President of Liberia (b. 1913)
• 1981 - Joe Louis, American boxer (b. 1914)
• 1983 - Carl Morton, American baseball player (b. 1944)
• 1986 - Valentin Kataev, Russian writer (b. 1897)
• 1987 - Mike Von Erich, American wrestler
• 1988 - Alan Paton, South African writer (b. 1903)
• 1989 - Gerald Flood, British actor (b. 1927)
• 1989 - Abbie Hoffman, American political leader (b. 1936)
• 1989 - Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (b. 1921)
• 1999 - Boxcar Willie, American singer (b. 1931)
• 2001 - Harvey Ball, American inventor (b. 1921)
• 2003 - Cecil H. Green, American manufacturer (b. 1900)
• 2006 - Dr. Rajkumar, Kannada language film actor/singer (India)(b. 1929)
• 2006 - Puggy Pearson, American poker player (b. 1929)
• 2007 - Kevin Crease, Australian TV anchor (b. 1936)
• 2008 - Paddy Hillery, 6th President of Ireland, EEC Commissioner and Irish Minister (b. 1923)
• 2008 - Cecilia Colledge, British ice skater and Olympian (b. 1920)
• 2008 - Jerry Zucker, Israeli-born American businessman (b. 1949)

Holidays and observances

• The Roman holiday of Cerealia begins.
• Yuri's Night, an international celebration of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin; in Russia (and formerly in USSR), the Cosmonautics Day.

The Feast of St. Basil the Confessor in the Greek Orthodox Church. In the Roman Catholic Church:

• Saint Damian
• Saint Erkembode
• Saint Julius I
• Saint Zeno of Verona
• Saint Alferius
• Blessed Angelo Carletti di Chivasso
• Saint Constantine
• Saint Sabas
• Saint Victor
• Saint Wigbert

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada