This Day in History
October 12

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
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What happened in history on this day: October 12?

On October 12 in ...

  • 638 - Honorius I ends his reign as Catholic Pope.
  • 642 - John IV ends his reign as Catholic Pope.
  • 1285 - 180 Jews refuse baptism in Munich Germany, they are set on fire.
  • 1492 - Christopher Colombus lands on Guanahani Island, Bahamas (San Salvador).
  • 1518 - Having been called to the offices of Cardinal Thomas Cajetan, Martin Luther refuses to retreat from the positions taken in his 95 theses on indulgences.
  • 1524 - Hernando Cortez of Spain begins trip from Mexico City to Honduras, with 100 Spanish horsemen, 50 infantry, 3000 Mexican soldiers.
  • 1537 - Birth of Edward VI king of England (1547-53).
  • 1576 - Death of Maximilian II in Regensburg, Germany; Holy Roman Emperor (1546-).
  • 1694 - Matsuo Basho greatest Japanese haiku poet, dies.
  • 1702 - Tsar Peter of Russia captures Schlüsselburg.
  • 1776 - British Brigade begins guarding Throgg Necks Road in the Bronx.
  • 1798 - Birth of Pedro I, first emperor of Brazil (1822-31), king of Portugal.
  • 1822 - Second eruption of Galunggung (Java) destroys summit of mountain.
  • 1840 - Birth of Helena Modjeska in Poland; Shakespearian actress (Juliet)/anti-Russian.
  • 1844 - Birth of George W Cable; American writer (Northampton Years).
  • 1853 - John Morrissey wins boxing title, when Yankee Sullivan leaves ring after 36th round to slug Morrissey's fans.
  • 1855 - Birth of Arthur Nikisch in Szent-Miklós, Hungary; conductor (Berlin Philharmonic).
  • 1860 - Birth of Elmer A Sperry; inventor (gyrocompass).
  • 1860 - British and French troops capture Peking.
  • 1860 - Sir Henry G W Smith, leader of British-Indian forces, dies at age 73.
  • 1861 - Confederate ironclad Manassas attacks USA's Richmond on Mississippi River.
  • 1862 - Major General Earl Van Dorn assumes command of Confederate troops in Missisippi, CSA.
  • 1864 - Roger Taney, US Supreme Court Chief Justice, dies at age 87.
  • 1866 - Birth of Ramsay MacDonald; British Prime Minister (Liberal, 1924, 1929-35).
  • 1870 - Robert E Lee, General of the Confederate Army, dies at age 63.
  • 1872 - Birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams in Down Ampney, England; composer (Hugh the Drover).
  • 1886 - Hurricane and sea surge kill 250 at Indianola, Texas, USA.
  • 1891 - Astronomical Society of France is inaugurated.
  • 1894 - Birth of Dr Charles Hodge in California, USA; NYU professor (Answers for Americans).
  • 1896 - Birth of Eugenio Montale in Italy; poet/translator (Xenia - Nobel Prize 1975).
  • 1899 - Civil war breaks out in Colombia.
  • 1900 - Birth of Jane Ace in Kansas City, Kansas, USA; actress (Easy Aces radio show).
  • 1906 - Birth of Joe Cronin; American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Most Valuable Player 1930, American League President).
  • 1907 - Chicago Cubs beat Detroit Tigers four games to 0 with one tie in fourth World Series.
  • 1915 - English nurse Edith Cavell is executed by firing squad by Germans in Belgium.
  • 1915 - Theodore Roosevelt criticizes US citzens with dual nationalities.
  • 1916 - Boston Red Sox beat Brooklyn Dodgers, four games to one in 13th World Series.
  • 1918 - First use of iron lung (Boston's Children Hospital).
  • 1918 - Cloquet, Minnesota, USA and 25 other communities destroyed by forest fire, 559 die.
  • 1920 - Cleveland Indians beat Brooklyn Dodgers, five games to two in 17th World Series.
  • 1920 - Man O' War's last horse race and win.
  • 1921 - Birth of Jaroslav Drobny in Czechoslovakia; hockey (Olympics-gold-1948), tennis (Wimbeldon-1954).
  • 1923 - Birth of Jean Nidetch in Brooklyn, New York, USA; founded Weight Watchers.
  • 1923 - New York Giants' Casey Stengel's home run beats New York Yankees 1-0 in the World Series (#20).
  • 1924 - Sokolnicheskaya Radio begins broadcasting from Moscow.
  • 1925 - Birth of William Steinkraus; American equestrian jumper (Olympic-gold-1968).
  • 1926 - Birth of Hans Liebold in Germany; auto racer (Nardo, Italy).
  • 1927 - Hermann Gorner of Germany raises 24 men weighing 4,123 pounds on a plank with the soles of his feet.
  • 1927 - Birth of Antonia Rey; actress (Who's the Boss, Secret Storm).
  • 1928 - An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
  • 1929 - Birth of Robert Coles in Milton, Massachusetts, USA; author (Pulitzer Prize 1973).
  • 1931 - First International Conference on Calendar Reform is held.
  • 1932 - Birth of Dick Gregory; comedian/political activist/dietician (Bahamian Diet).
  • 1932 - Birth of Dusan Makavejev in Belgrade, Yugoslavia; director (Man is Not a Bird).
  • 1932 - Birth of Jake Garn; American politician (Senator-Republican-Utah), astronaut (STS 51D).
  • 1933 - Alcatraz becomes a federal prison (unofficially).
  • 1933 - John Dillinger escapes from the Allen County, Ohio, jail.
  • 1935 - Birth of Luciano Pavarotti in Modena, Italy; operatic tenor (Yes, Giorgio).
  • 1935 - Birth of Sam Moore; singer (Sam and Dave).
  • 1936 - Birth of Tony Kubek; shortstop (New York Yankees)/sportscaster (NBC-TV).
  • 1941 - Russian government moves from Moscow to Volga as Germans close in on Moscow.
  • 1942 - US navy defeats Japanese in Battle of Cape Esperance.
  • 1947 - Birth of Chris Wallace in Chicago, Illinois, USA; newscaster (NBC Weekend News, Fox News Sunday).
  • 1948 - Birth of Rick Parfitt; rocker (Status Quo - "The Wanderer").
  • 1948 - Casey Stengel takes over as New York Yankees' manager.
  • 1950 - CBS-TV debuts The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.
  • 1950 - Birth of Susan Anton in Oak Glen, California, USA; actress-singer (Golden Girl, Spring Fever, Baywatch, Stop Susan Williams).
  • 1951 - Birth of Bernie Ruoff in Federal Republic of Germany; Canadian Football League kicker (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Hamilton Tiger Cats).
  • 1957 - Little Richard tosses four diamond rings into the Hunter River in Sydney, Australia, to prove that he is giving up rock-n-roll for his faith in God.
  • 1957 - First commercial flight between California and Antarctica.
  • 1958 - Ed Hinton, actor (Henderson - I Lived Three Lives), dies at age 30.
  • 1960 - Nikita Khrushchev pounds his shoe at United Nations General Assembly session.
  • 1960 - ABC begins airing the Naked City crime drama TV show in 60-minute episodes.
  • 1962 - Birth of Carlos Bernard; actor (24, Sunset Beach).
  • 1962 - Birth of Claude McKnight; rhythm-and-blues singer (Take 6).
  • 1962 - Birth of Sid Fernandez in Hawaii, USA; pitcher (New York Mets).
  • 1962 - US/USSR sign joint space effort in telecommunications and meteorology.
  • 1963 - Archaeological digs begin at Masada, Israel.
  • 1964 - Birth of Jo Ann Willette; actress (Constance - Just 10 of Us, Real Genius).
  • 1964 - Launch of Voskhod 1, first three man crew (Komarov, Feokistov, Yegorov).
  • 1965 - Death of Paul Hermann Müller in Basel, Switzerland. chemist (1948 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the chemical DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane)).
  • 1967 - Saint Louis Cardinals beat Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3 in 64th World Series as Lou Brock steals a record 7 bases in one World Series.
  • 1968 - (to October 27) The Games of the XIX Olympiad are held in Mexico City, Mexico.
  • 1968 - Birth of Adam Rich in New York City; actor (Nicholas - Eight is Enough, Code Red, Gun Shy).
  • 1968 - Birth of Hugh Jackman; actor (Viva Laughlin, Making the Grade).
  • 1968 - Rio Muni and Fernando Po unite to form Republic of Equatorial Guinea, independent from Spain.
  • 1968 - Norma Enriqueta Basilio Satelo lights Olympic flame.
  • 1969 - Birth of Kimberly Ann Grimm in Mount Lake Park, Maryland, USA; Miss Maryland-America (1991).
  • 1969 - Soyuz 7 is launched.
  • 1969 - Birth of Garfield Bright; rhythm-and-blues singer (Shai).
  • 1969 - Birth of Martie Maguire; country musician (The Dixie Chicks).
  • 1970 - Birth of Kimberly Hoskins in Yuma, Arizona, USA; Miss Arizona-America (1991).
  • 1970 - Birth of Kirk Cameron in Panorama City, California, USA; actor (Mike - Growing Pains).
  • 1971 - Death of Gene Vincent at age 36 of a ruptured stomach ulcer; rockabilly pioneer ("Be-Bop-a-Lula" (1956)).
  • 1972 - 46 sailors injured in race riot on US aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk.
  • 1972 - Goalie Billy Harris fails in first New York Islanders' penalty shot.
  • 1972 - Mariner 9 takes pictures of Martian north pole.
  • 1973 - US President Richard Nixon nominates Gerald Ford to replace Spiro Agnew as Vice President.
  • 1974 - Birth of Marie Wilson in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; actress (As the World Turns, General Hospital, Port Charles).
  • 1974 - First time Washington Capitals are shut out as they are beat 6-0 by Minnesota North Stars.
  • 1975 - Archbishop Oliver Plunkett becomes first Irish-born saint in seven centuries.
  • 1975 - NASA launches space vehicle S-195.
  • 1976 - Hua Guo-feng succeeds Mao Tse-tung as chairman of China's Communist Party.
  • 1977 - "Throwaway Game" Catfish Hunter loses World Series 6-1 resting New York Yankees' pitchers.
  • 1977 - 4th test of the space shuttle Enterprise.
  • 1977 - Psychic Romark attempts to drive blindfolded, smashes into cop van.
  • 1977 - US Supreme Court hears arguments in "reverse discrimination" case of Allan Bakke, white student denied admission to University of California Medical School.
  • 1979 - Zambia recognizes the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
  • 1982 - 38.6 cm (15.2 inches) of rainfall, Angoon, Alaska (state record).
  • 1982 - Milwaukee Brewers' Paul Molitor gets World Series record five hits (World Series #79).
  • 1983 - Japan's former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka is found guilty of taking a $2 million bribe from Lockheed, and sentenced to four years in jail.
  • 1984 - The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonates a bomb at the Tory party conference at the Brighton Grand Hotel. Five people are killed. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is unhurt.
  • 1984 - Death of Sir Anthony Berry, British politician (bombing) (born 1925).
  • 1984 - Jon-Erik Hexum, TV actor (Cover-Up), dies of accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound from a blank cartridge.
  • 1985 - Death of Ricky Wilson at age 32 of AIDS; drummer (B-52s - "Love Shack", "Rock Lobster").
  • 1985 - International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War receives Nobel Prize.
  • 1985 - Death of Johnny Olsen of a cerebral hemhorrage at age 75; TV game show announcer (The Price is Right).
  • 1986 - California Angels, within one pitch of pennant victory lose to Boston Red Sox.
  • 1986 - The Golden Horseshoe Revue show closes in Disneyland. It is the longest running show in history, at nearly 50,000 performances.
  • 1986 - Birth of Marcus T. Paulk; actor (Moesha, Proud Family).
  • 1986 - Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit the People's Republic of China.
  • 1987 - Alfred M Landon, former Kansas Governor, dies at his Topeka home at 100.
  • 1987 - Minnesota Twins beat Detroit Tigers for American League pennant.
  • 1987 - Philleo Nash, US Bureau of Indian Affairs (1961-67), dies at age 77.
  • 1988 - NeXT launches its first public debut of the NeXT Computer at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, California.
  • 1988 - Israel and China sign trade deal, plan diplomatic relations.
  • 1988 - Two Victoria Police officers are gunned down, execution style, in Australia.
  • 1989 - Herschel Walker is traded from Dallas Cowboys to Minnesota Vikings for 12 players.
  • 1989 - Death of Jay Ward at age 79 of cancer; animation producer (Rocky and His Friends).
  • 1991 - Askar Akayev, previously chosen President of Kyrgyzstan by its Supreme Soviet, is confirmed president in an uncontested poll.
  • 1991 - The Nashville Network debuts the Statler Brothers Show.
  • 1992 - Expo 1992 closes in Seville, Spain.
  • 1992 - In the Dominican Republic, Pope John Paul II congregates to celebrate the 500th anniversary on the meeting of two cultures.
  • 1992 - In Egypt, a magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurs. At least 552 people killed, more than 9,929 injured and 8,300 buildings damaged or destroyed in the Cairo area. Estimate of damage about US$300 million.
  • 1992 - French engineer Professor Jean Kerisel and assistants examine the underground chamber and passageways of the Great Pyramid. Using ground-penetrating radar and microgravimetry, they detect anomalies that could be corridors and shafts.
  • 1992 - Death of John Hancock at age 51 of a heart attack while filming sitcom Love and War; actor (LA Law).
  • 1993 - Death of Leon Ames at age 91 of a stroke; actor (Life with Father, Father of the Bride, Mr. Ed).
  • 1994 - NASA loses radio contact with the Magellan spacecraft as the probe descends into the thick atmosphere of Venus (the spacecraft presumably burns up in the atmosphere either October 13 or October 14).
  • 1995 - Walt Disney World in Florida welcomes its 500-millionth guest.
  • 1997 - Birth of Prince Boris of Bulgaria, second in line to the Bulgarian throne.
  • 1997 - Death of John Denver at age 53 when his plane crashes into Monterey Bay in Northern California; singer/songwriter ("Rocky Mountain High", "Take Me Home, Country Roads").
  • 1997 - Sidi Daoud massacre in Algeria: 43 are killed at a fake roadblock.
  • 1998 - The Congress of the United States passes the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
  • 1999 - Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attempts to dismiss Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf and install ISI director Khwaja Ziauddin in his place. Senior Army generals refuse to accept the dismissal. Musharraf, who was out of the country, attempts to return in a commercial airliner. Sharif orders the Karachi airport to not allow the plane to land. The generals lead a coup d'état, ousting Sharif's administration and taking over the airport. The plane lands with only a few minutes of fuel to spare, and Musharraf takes control of the government.
  • 1999 - World population reaches six billion people, as the six billionth person (according to the United Nations) is born in Sarajevo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • 1999 - Death of Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player (born 1936).
  • 2000 - In Aden, Yemen, the USS Cole is badly damaged by two suicide bombers, who placed a small boat laden with explosives along-side the United States Navy destroyer, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39.
  • 2000 - Death of Arthur Goldberg at age 59, of bone marrow failure. Goldberg was an attorney, CEO of Bally Entertainment.
  • 2002 - Massive bombs are detonated in two nightclubs in Kuta, Bali, killing 202 and injuring over 300.
  • 2002 - Death of Ray Conniff from a stroke at age 85; orchestra leader/arranger and choral director; (Columbia Records house band backed singers Johnnie Ray, Frankie Laine, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Mathis, Marty Robbins, Guy Mitchell, "Somewhere My Love", "S'wonderful").
  • 2003 - Death of Willie Shoemaker, American jockey (born 1931).
  • 2003 - Michael Schumacher wins the 2003 FIA Formula One World Championship in Suzuka, Japan, beating Kimi Räikkönen to the title.
  • 2003 - American author Susan Sontag is presented the Peace Prize of the Frankfurt Book Fair.
  • 2005 - The second Chinese spacecraft, Shenzhou 6, is launched, carrying Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng for five days in orbit.
  • 2005 - In San Jose, California, Disney Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger announces the availability of Disney- and ABC-owned TV show episodes through Apple Computer's online iTunes store. Certain TV shows will be available for download for US$1.99 one day after initial airing on broadcast TV.
  • 2007 - Oracle announces a hostile bid of US$6.7 billion for BEA company.
  • 2007 - A dedication ceremony is held for the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum, Birmingham, Staffordshire, England.
  • 2008 - The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft launches from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. On board is US space tourist Richard Garriott, who paid about USS%15 million for the 10-day trip to the International Space Station. Richard's father, Owen Garriott, spent 60 days on a US space station in 1973.
  • 2017 - The United States announces its decision to withdraw from UNESCO, and is immediately followed by Israel.
  • 2019 - Typhoon Hagibis makes landfall in Japan, the biggest storm to hit the region in decades, with over seven million people urged to evacuate.
  • 2020 - Death of Litokwa Tomeing, 4th President of the Marshall Islands (born 1939).

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