This Day in History
July 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: July 12?

On July 12 in ...

  • 526 - Saint Felix IV begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
  • 1450 - Jack Cade slain in a revolt against British King Henry VI.
  • 1543 - England's King Henry VIII weds Catherine Parr (6th and last wife).
  • 1642 - English Parliament appoints Earl of Essex as Lord General.
  • 1690 - Orangeman's yearly celebration (The battle of the Orange) - Actually "Battle of the Boyne" (1 July 1690), when Protestant had victory in Ireland.
  • 1691 - Battle of Aughrim (Aghrim) England, William III beats James II.
  • 1730 - Birth of Josiah Wedgewood England, pottery designer/manufacturer.
  • 1774 - Citizens of Carlisle, Penn. pass a declaration of independence.
  • 1812 - US forces led by General Hull invade Canada (War of 1812).
  • 1817 - First flower show held (Dannybrook, County Cork, Ireland).
  • 1849 - Birth of William Osler; Canadian physician/author (circulatory system).
  • 1854 - Birth of George Eastman in Waterville, New York, USA; invented Kodak camera.
  • 1859 - Paper bag manufacturing machine patented by William Goodale, Massachusetts.
  • 1862 - US Congress authorizes the Medal of Honor, highest award for gallantry under fire.
  • 1866 - Prussian army crushes Austrians at Koniggratz.
  • 1868 - Birth of Stefan George in Germany; lyric poet (Algabal).
  • 1874 - Ontario Agricultural College founded.
  • 1876 - Paul Henry discovers asteroid #164 Eva.
  • 1882 - First ocean pier in US completed, Washington, DC.
  • 1884 - Birth of Amedeo Modigliani in Italy; painter/sculptor (Reclining Nude).
  • 1895 - Birth of Oscar Hammerstein II in New York City, New York, USA; lyricist/songwriter (with Richard Rodgers, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song, The Sound of Music).
  • 1895 - Birth of R Buckminster Fuller; architect (invented geodesic dome).
  • 1900 - 114 degrees F (46 degrees C), Basin, Wyoming (state record).
  • 1904 - Birth of Pablo Neruda in Chile; poet (Residence on Earth - Nobel Prize 1971).
  • 1908 - Birth of Milton Berlinger AKA Milton Berle in Harlem, New York City, USA; American comedian/actor (Texaco Star Theater, "Uncle Miltie", "Mr Television").
  • 1909 - US 16th Amendment approved (power to tax incomes).
  • 1909 - Birth of Joey Faye in New York City, New York, USA; comedian (Joey Faye's Follies).
  • 1909 - Birth of Joe DeRita AKA Joseph Wardell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Curly - The Three Stooges (1958-)).
  • 1910 - J Helffrich discovers asteroid #701 Oriola.
  • 1912 - First foreign feature film exhibited in US - Queen Elizabeth - in New York City.
  • 1914 - Babe Ruth makes his baseball debut, pitching for the Boston Red Sox.
  • 1917 - Birth of Andrew Wyeth; US painter (Christina's World).
  • 1920 - US Presidential Proclamation declares Panama Cana officially open, as required in Panama Canal Act of 1912.
  • 1920 - Birth of Pierre Berton in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; journalist, editor, broadcaster, author (Front Page Challenge).
  • 1920 - Birth of Keith Andes in Ocean City, New Jersey, USA; actor (Farmer's Daughter, Away All Boats).
  • 1920 - Lithuania and USSR sign peace treaty, Lithuania becomes independent republic.
  • 1922 - Birth of Mark O Hatfield; American politician (Senator-Republican-Oregon).
  • 1923 - K Reinmuth discovers asteroids #997 Priska and #3682.
  • 1924 - American forces leave the Dominican Republic.
  • 1928 - First televised tennis match.
  • 1930 - Birth of Gordon Pinsent in Newfoundland, Canada; actor (Due South, Red Green Show, Street Legal).
  • 1931 - Chicago Cubs and Saint Louis Cardinals hit a record 23 doubles in a game (second game of designated hitter).
  • 1931 - Death of Nathan Söderblom Swedish archbishop, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (born 1866).
  • 1933 - US Congress establishes the first minimum wage law at 33 cents per hour.
  • 1934 - Birth of Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Junior in Louisiana, USA; pianist (Tchaikovsky 1958).
  • 1934 - US Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz Island abandoned.
  • 1936 - Birth of Jan Nemec in Prague, Czechoslovakia; director (Diamonds of the Night).
  • 1937 - Birth of Bill Cosby in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; actor/comedian (I Spy, Cosby, Cosby Show, Leonard Part 6).
  • 1937 - Don Budge wins Davis Cup of tennis by defeating Baron Gottfried von Cramm.
  • 1941 - Great Britain and the USSR sign a mutual assistance pact.
  • 1942 - Birth of Richard Stoltzman in Omaha, Nebraska, USA; clarinetist (Tashi).
  • 1943 - Birth of Christie McVie; rocker (Fleetwood Mac - "Got A Hold on Me").
  • 1943 - Birth of Ernie Anastos in Nashua, New Hampshire, USA; news anchor (WCBS, WABC).
  • 1943 - In the Kursk battle, German SS Panzer Corp with 400 tanks reaches Prokhorovka Station. Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army under P.A. Rotmistrov with 800 tanks counterattacks. By the end of the day, 320 German tanks and over 400 Soviet tanks are destroyed.
  • 1943 - Birth of Paul Silas; NBA player (Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics).
  • 1944 - Birth of Denise Nicholas in Detroit, Michigan, USA; actress (In the Heat of the Night, Room 222, Baby I'm Back).
  • 1944 - (evening) Soviet forces commence a great new summer offensive against German Army Group North, opening a huge gap in the German front line.
  • 1946 - Vance Dinges hits the only Philadelphia Phillies' pinch hit inside-the-park home run.
  • 1948 - Birth of Jay Thomas; actor (Cheers, Murphy Brown).
  • 1948 - First jets to fly across the Atlantic (6 RAF de Havilland Vampires).
  • 1948 - Birth of Richard Simmons; exercise guru (Deal-a-Meal).
  • 1948 - Birth of Walter Egan; rocker (Not Shy, Fundamental Roll).
  • 1949 - American League beats National League 11-7 in 16th All Star Game, National League makes a record five errors.
  • 1949 - Baseball owners agree to erect warning paths before each fence.
  • 1950 - Birth of Eric Carr; drummer (Kiss - "Beth").
  • 1950 - ILTF re-admits Germany and Japan in Davis Cup, Poland and Hungary withdraw.
  • 1951 - Birth of Cheryl Ladd in Huron, South Dakota, USA; actress (Charlie's Angels, Purple Hearts, Las Vegas).
  • 1951 - New York Yankees' Allie Reynolds no-hits Cleveland Indians, 8-0.
  • 1954 - Major League Baseball Players Association founded.
  • 1955 - National League beats American League 6-5 (12 innings) in 22nd All Star Game (Milwaukee).
  • 1956 - Birth of Mel "Mary Ellen" Harris in Bethlehm, Pennsylvania, USA; actress (Hope - Thirty Something).
  • 1957 - Birth of Mel Harris; actress (thirtysomething).
  • 1957 - First American President to fly in helicopter-Dwight Eisenhower.
  • 1957 - Birth of Buddy Foster; actor (Hondo, Mayberry RFD).
  • 1962 - Birth of Dan Murphy; rock guitarist (Soul Asylum).
  • 1962 - First time two manned crafts in space (USSR).
  • 1962 - Rock music group Rolling Stones' first performance (Marquee Club, London).
  • 1964 - Birth of Judi Evans in California, USA; actress (Guiding Light, Adrienne - Days of Our Lives).
  • 1965 - Birth of Robin Wilson; singer (Gin Blossoms).
  • 1966 - 26.70 cm (10.51 inches) of rainfall in Sandusky, Ohio (state record).
  • 1966 - National League beats American League 2-1 (10 innings) in 37th All Star Game (Busch, Saint Louis).
  • 1966 - Race riot in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
  • 1967 - 5th Mayor's Trophy Game, New York Mets beat New York Yankees 4-0.
  • 1967 - Blacks in Newark, New Jersey riot; 26 killed, 1500 injured and over 1000 arrested.
  • 1969 - Birth of Lisa Nicole Carson; actress (Ally McBeal).
  • 1975 - Saint Thomas and Prince Islands (Sao Tomé e Príncipe) gains independence.
  • 1976 - Death of Ted Mack at age 72; radio/TV host (Original Amateur Hour).
  • 1976 - The TV game show Family Feud premieres with Richard Dawson as the host.
  • 1977 - First free flight test of space shuttle Enterprise.
  • 1977 - Ed Holmes, actor (Growing Paynes, Once Upon a Tune), dies at age 66.
  • 1978 - Birth of Topher Grace; American actor (That '70s Show).
  • 1978 - Birth of Michelle Rodriguez; American actress (Lost).
  • 1979 - Kiribati (Gilbert and Ellice Islands) gains independence from Britain.
  • 1979 - A Disco Demolition Night publicity stunt goes awry at Comiskey Park, forcing the Chicago White Sox to forfeit their game against the Detroit Tigers.
  • 1979 - Death of Minnie Riperton of cancer at age 31; pop singer ("Lovin' You").
  • 1979 - Carmine Galante, boss of the Bonanno crime family, is assassinated.
  • 1979 - A fire at a hotel in Saragossa, Spain leaves 72 dead. Worst hotel fire in Europe in decades.
  • 1980 - John W Davis, President (West Virginia State college), dies at age 92.
  • 1982 - Checker Motors Corporation ceases production of automobiles.
  • 1983 - Death of Chris Wood at age 39 of liver failure in London, England; saxophone and flute player (Traffic - "John Barleycorn Must Die" album (1970)).
  • 1984 - In San Francisco, the Democratic National Convention nominates Walter F. Mondale for U.S. President, and Geraldine Ferraro for Vice President.
  • 1987 - Philadelphia Phillies' Kent Tekulve pitches his 900th game in relief.
  • 1988 - Birth of Melissa O'Neil, Canadian Idol TV show winner, season 3.
  • 1988 - USSR launches Phobos II for Martian orbit.
  • 1989 - New York Yankees' pitching great Ron Guidry retires (170-91 .651, 3.29 ERA).
  • 1990 - Nintendo releases the Final Fantasy video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US.
  • 1990 - Chicago White Sox player Melido Perez no-hits the New York Yankees 8-0 in a rain.
  • 1990 - CBS airs the first episode of TV show Northern Exposure.
  • 1990 - Death of Bill Burrud at age 65 of a heart attack; child actor, producer/host (Safari to Adventure TV show, The Challenging Sea TV show, Animal World TV show).
  • 1991 - Birth of Erik Per Sullivan; American actor (Malcolm in the Middle).
  • 1993 - A magnitude 7.8 earthquake off Hokkaido, Japan launches a devastating tsunami up to 30 metres in height, killing 202 on the small island of Okushiri, Hokkaido.
  • 1994 - The German Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgericht) judges that German troops may participate outside of Germany in security missions.
  • 1994 - American president Bill Clinton visits Berlin and states to the Berliners, "America stands at your side - now and forever."
  • 1995 - (to July 16) Serbs round up and execute over 8000 male Muslims in Srebrenica.
  • 1996 - Death of John Chancellor at age 68 of stomach cancer; NBC correspondent/anchor (Today, Nightly News).
  • 1996 - Death of Jonathan Melvoin at age 34 of an overdose of drugs and alcohol in a New York hotel; backup musician with the Smashing Pumpkins.
  • 1998 - In Kitchener, Ontario, Canada a meteorite falls harmlessly to the ground.
  • 1998 - France defeats Brazil 3-0 to win the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
  • 1998 - Death of Jimmie Driftwood at age 91 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; folk singer and songwriter ("The Battle of New Orleans").
  • 2000 - Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 5.5 for Windows. It adds improved support for Cascading Style Sheets, Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language, and dynamic HTML.
  • 2001 - Death of Paul Magloire, President of Haiti (born 1907).
  • 2002 - The USA cable network premiers the Monk TV show.
  • 2003 - Death of Benny Carter at age 95 in Los Angeles, California, USA; alto saxophone player, composer, instrumentalist, orchestra leader, arranger, performed with or wrote music for Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987.
  • 2004 - Death of Betty Oliphant, co-founder of National Ballet of Canada (born 1918).
  • 2005 - Terrorists kill five people and wound 90 in a crowded mall in Netanya, Israel. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for attack.
  • 2006 - Israeli troops invade Lebanon in response to Hezbollah kidnapping two Israeli soldiers and killing three. Hezbollah declares open war against Israel two days later.
  • 2007 - Queen Elizabeth II visits the world's largest Commonwealth war grave in Ypres, Belgium to pay respects to fallen soldiers of the Battle of Passchendaele.
  • 2007 - Rio Tinto mining firm offers US$38.1 billion for Canada's Alcan company.
  • 2007 - Death of Mr. Butch, American homeless man living on the streets of Boston, also known as "King of Kenmore Square" (born 1951).
  • 2008 - In Monterey, California, Mid America Auctions sells a 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer motorcycle for a world record US$520,000 at the Inaugural Monterey Motorcycle Auction.
  • 2008 - Death of former US White House press secretary Tony Snow, at age 53, of cancer.
  • 2009 - In Nurburgring, Germany, round 9 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship is won by Mark Webber.
  • 2010 - The Church of England's General Synod ruling body decides that women bishops should be allowed.
  • 2010 - Italian military police general Giampaolo Ganzer is jailed for 14 years for drug smuggling and organising fake anti-drug operations between 1991 and 1997. 13 other people are also convicted in the case.
  • 2016 - The Philippines wins the arbitration case they filed at the Permanent Court of Arbitration regarding the legality of China's "Nine-Dash Line" claim over the South China Sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
  • 2019 - A car bomb and a gun attack kill at least 26 people, including two prominent journalists and nine foreigners, in Kismayo, Somalia. Islamist group al-Shabaab claims responsibility.
  • 2019 - Turkey acquires Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system.
  • 2020 - Poland presidential run-off election won by Andrzej Duda.
  • 2020 - Death of Hassan Abshir Farah, 9th Prime Minister of Somalia (born 1945).
  • 2021 - Heavy rain causes flooding in the border region of Germany and Belgium, resulting in 229 deaths, including 184 in Germany, 42 in Belgium, and 2 in Romania.
  • 2022 - The US military makes a drone strike in Syria, killing Maher al-Agal, a leader of the Islamic State group.

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