This Day in History
September 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: September 12?

On September 12 in ...

  • 1609 - Henry Hudson discovers Hudson River.
  • 1649 - Drogheda, Ireland falls to Puritan troops; inhabitants massacred.
  • 1683 - Austrian, Polish and German troops successfully defend Vienna and defeat the attacking Turks.
  • 1695 - New York Jews petition governor Dongan for religious liberties.
  • 1720 - Birth of Frederick Philipse III New York City, land owner (Bronx, Westchester and Putnam).
  • 1758 - Charles Messier observes the Crab Nebula and begins catalog.
  • 1788 - Birth of Alexander Campbell; founded Disciples of Christ.
  • 1814 - Battle of North Point fought near Baltimore, Maryland during War of 1812; American citizens repel about 5000 British troops.
  • 1818 - Birth of Richard Jordan Gatling; American inventor (hand-cranked machine gun) (dies 1903).
  • 1829 - Birth of Charles Dudley in Warner, Massachusetts, USA; newspaperman/author (Being a Boy).
  • 1844 - Antonio López de Santa Anna resigns (8th time) as President of Mexico.
  • 1848 - The Swiss Federal Constitution, patterned on the US Constitution, enters into force, creating a federal republic and one of the first modern democratic states in Europe.
  • 1852 - Birth of H. H. Asquith; British Prime Minister (Liberal, 1908-16).
  • 1857 - Sidewheel steamer SS Central America, en route from Havana, Cuba, to New York, sinks off Cape Romain, South Carolina, USA in a hurricane. 426 passengers and crew drown, with 153 rescued. 3 tons of US gold coins and ingots are taken to the bottom.
  • 1871 - Birth of Prince Friedrich of Liechtenstein, in Romania.
  • 1880 - Birth of Henry L Mencken in Baltimore, Maryland, USA; newspaperman/critic (Prejudices) (dies 1956).
  • 1885 - Highest score (35) recorded in any first-class soccer match is set.
  • 1888 - Birth of Maurice Chevalier in Paris, France; actor (Gigi).
  • 1892 - Birth of Alfred A Knopf; American publisher (1966 Alexander Hamilton Medal) (dies 1984).
  • 1894 - Birth of Billy Gilbert in Louisville, Kentucky, USA; actor (Great Dictator, His Gal Friday).
  • 1895 - Defender (US) beats Valkyrie III (England) in 10th America's Cup.
  • 1898 - Birth of Ben Shahn; painter (1964 Arts and Letters).
  • 1901 - Arabs attack Gedara Palestine.
  • 1901 - Birth of Ben Blue in Montreal, Quebec, Canada; actor (Accidental Family, Frank Sinatra Show).
  • 1909 - Birth of Spud Chandler; baseball player (American League Most Valuable Player 1943).
  • 1913 - Birth of Jesse Owens; US track star, spoiled Hitler's 1936 Olympics with four gold (dies 1980).
  • 1915 - Birth of Billy Daniels in Jacksonville, Florida, USA; singer (Billy Daniels Show).
  • 1918 - US forces launch an attack on German-occupied Saint Mihiel.
  • 1920 - Games of the VII Olympiad close in Antwerp, Belgium.
  • 1920 - Birth of Irene Daily; actress (Liz - Another World, Grissom Gang).
  • 1921 - Birth of Amílcar Cabral; worked for independence of Portuguese Africa.
  • 1921 - Birth of Frank McGee in Monroe, Louisiana, USA; news anchor (NBC Evening News).
  • 1921 - Birth of Stanislaw Lem in Poland; science-fiction writer (Solaris).
  • 1923 - Britain takes over Southern Rhodesia from British South Africa Co.
  • 1924 - Birth of Howard Curtis Nelson; American politician (Representative-Republican-Utah).
  • 1925 - Birth of Dickie Moore in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Expert, Oliver Twist, Little Men).
  • 1931 - Birth of George Jones; American country music singer and songwriter ("White Lightning", "He Stopped Loving Her Today", "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair").
  • 1931 - Birth of Ian Holm in Ilford, Essex, England; British actor (Himmler - Holocaust).
  • 1932 - Brooklyn Dodgers' Johnny Frederick hits his record 6th pinch-hit home run.
  • 1933 - Leó Szilárd, waiting for a red light on Southampton Row in Bloomsbury, conceives the idea of the nuclear chain reaction.
  • 1934 - Baltic Pact signed by Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.
  • 1934 - Birth of Gunther Gebel-Williams; lion tamer (Ringling Bros Circus).
  • 1935 - Birth of Richard H Hunt in Chicago, Illinois, USA; sculptor (Pyramidal Construction).
  • 1938 - German Chancellor Adolf Hitler says the Sudeten problem is an internal matter to the German minority in Bohemia and the Czechoslovak government.
  • 1938 - Birth of Tatiana Troyanos in New York City, New York, USA; mezzo-soprano (Octavian - Der Rosenleavalier).
  • 1939 - The official German News Bureau in East Silesia issues a special report saying that "Removal of the Polish Jewish population from the European domain would ... bring a solution of the Jewish question in Europe nearer.".
  • 1940 - Cave paintings are discovered in Lascaux, France.
  • 1940 - 49 die and 200 injured when Hercules Powder Company plant explodes (New Jersey, USA).
  • 1940 - Birth of Linda Gray in Santa Monica, California, USA; actress (Sue Ellen Ewing - Dallas).
  • 1940 - Birth of Mickey Lolich; Detroit Tigers' pitcher (won 25 in 1971).
  • 1940 - Birth of Stephen J Solarz; American politician (Representative-Democrat-New York).
  • 1940 - Birth of Susan Sennett in Santa Monica, California, USA; actress (Big Bad Mama).
  • 1941 - First German ship in World War II captured by US ship (Busko).
  • 1943 - (1400 hours) Eight German gliders land at Campo Imperiale Hotel in the Abruzzi, Italy. Seventy parachutists and Waffen-SS commandos take over, and rescue Benito Mussolini. The operation is over within twenty minutes.
  • 1943 - Birth of Maria Muldaur in Greenwich Village, New York, USA; singer ("Midnight at the Oasis").
  • 1944 - Birth of Barry White in Galveston, Texas, USA; singer ("Love's Theme").
  • 1945 - Birth of John Mauceri in New York City, New York, USA; conductor (Washington DC Opera).
  • 1947 - Pittsburgh Pirates' player Ralph Kiner hits his record 8th home run in four games.
  • 1949 - Birth of Irina Rodnina in the USSR; pairs figure skater (Olympic-gold-1972, 1976, 1980).
  • 1950 - British and North Korean troops battle west of Taegu.
  • 1951 - Birth of Joe Pantoliano; actor (The Finelli Boys).
  • 1952 - Birth of Gerry Beckley; rock vocalist/guitarist (America - "Daisy Jane").
  • 1953 - Birth of John Williams; American archer (Olympic-gold-1972).
  • 1953 - Lewis Stone, actor (Prisoner of Zenda), dies at age 73 of a heart attack.
  • 1953 - Nikita Khrushchev becomes first Secretary of USSR Communist Party.
  • 1954 - Birth of Peter Scolari in New Rochelle, New York, USA; actor (Jerry - Newhart).
  • 1954 - Cleveland Indians sweep New York Yankees at Municipal Stadium; largest American League crowd (86,563).
  • 1954 - CBS-TV airs the first episode of TV show Lassie.
  • 1955 - Birth of Nina Blackwood in Massachusetts, USA; actress / VJ (MTV, Solid Gold, Vice Squad).
  • 1957 - Birth of Rachel Ward in Cornwell Manor, England; actress (The Thorn Birds).
  • 1958 - Birth of Wilfredo Benitez in Puerto Rico; boxer (world champion at 17 years 176 days).
  • 1958 - At Texas Instruments in the USA, Jack Kilby demonstrates the world's first integrated circuit, containing five components on a piece of germanium half an inch long and thinner than a toothpick.
  • 1958 - The ABC TV network premieres the Walt Disney Presents TV show.
  • 1959 - NBC premieres the Bonanza 60-minute western TV show, marking the first regularly-scheduled TV program presented in color.
  • 1959 - Luna 2 launched by USSR; first spacecraft to impact on the Moon.
  • 1962 - Washington Senators' Tom Cheney strikes out record 21 Baltimore Orioles in 16-inning game.
  • 1963 - The last episode of TV show Leave it to Beaver airs.
  • 1964 - First football game at Shea Stadium: New York Jets defeat Denver Broncos 30-6.
  • 1964 - Ralph Boston of the US sets long jump record at 27 feet 4.5 inches.
  • 1964 - Typhoon Gloria strikes Taiwan killing 330, causing $17.5 million damage.
  • 1965 - In Los Angeles, California, the 17th Annual Emmy Awards are presented, hosted by Sammy Davis Junior and Danny Thomas.
    • Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment - Actors and Performers:
  • Dick Van Dyke for The Dick Van Dyke Show
  • Lynn Fontanne for episode "The Magnificent Yankee" of Hallmark Hall of Fame
  • Alfred Lunt for episode "The Magnificent Yankee" of Hallmark Hall of Fame
  • Leonard Bernstein for the New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts series
  • Barbra Streisand for My Name Is Barbra
    • Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment
  • Directors: Paul Bogart for episode "The 700 Year Old Gang" of The Defenders
  • Lighting Directors: Phil Hyms for episode "The Magnificent Yankee" of Hallmark Hall of Fame
  • Cinematographer: William W. Spencer for 12 O'Clock High
  • Art Directors and Set Decorators: Warren Clymer for The Holy Terror
  • Musicians: Peter Matz for My Name Is Barbra
  • Color Consultant: Edward P. Ancona Junior for Bonanza
  • Writers: David Karp for episode "The 700 Year Old Gang" of The Defenders
    • Individual Achievements in News, Documentaries and Sports - Musicians: Norman Dello Joio for 'Golden Prison': The Louvre, 'A'
    • Outstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment:
  • Carl Reiner for The Dick Van Dyke Show
  • George Schaefer for episode "The Magnificent Yankee" of Hallmark Hall of Fame
  • Richard Lewine for My Name Is Barbra
  • Roger Englander for Young People's Concerts: What Is Sonata Form?

  • 1965 - Hurricane Betsy strikes Florida and Louisiana; kills 75.
  • 1966 - CBS airs the first episode of the sitcom Family Affair.
  • 1966 - NBC-TV debuts the TV show The Roger Miller Show.
  • 1966 - NBC premieres The Monkees 30-minute comedy TV show.
  • 1966 - Gemini XI is launched, the penultimate mission of NASA's Gemini program, and the current human altitude record holder (except for the Apollo lunar missions).
  • 1966 - In Truckee, California, a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurs. Minor but extensive fractures in the ground, dams, pipelines, bridges, highways, rail lines.
  • 1970 - CBS airs the last The Jackie Gleason Show TV show.
  • 1970 - USSR launches Luna 16.
  • 1971 - CBS airs the final episode of TV show Lassie, after running 17 years.
  • 1972 - Lord Michael Killanin succeeds Avery Brundage as head of Olympics.
  • 1972 - Death of William Boyd at age 77 of Parkinson's and heart failure; actor (Hopalong Cassidy in movies, on radio, and on TV).
  • 1972 - CBS TV airs the first episode of TV show Maude.
  • 1973 - Two bettors win the largest US Daily Double (US$19,909.60 in Detroit, Michigan).
  • 1974 - Coup overthrows Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia.
  • 1976 - Seattle Seahawks play first regular-season game (Saint Louis 30, Seattle 24).
  • 1976 - Chicago White Sox player Minnie Minoso at age 53 hits a single.
  • 1977 - Birth of James Louis McCartney; son of Paul and Linda McCartney.
  • 1977 - Steven Biko, South African black student leader, dies in police custody.
  • 1978 - ABC airs the first episode of TV show Taxi.
  • 1979 - Pietro Mennea of Italy sets the 200m record (19.72) in Mexico City.
  • 1979 - In West Irian region, 1000km north of Australia, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurs. Extensive damage on Yapen island.
  • 1979 - Boston Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski gets his 3,000th hit off New York Yankees' pitcher Jim Beattie.
  • 1979 - Hurricane Frederic makes landfall at 10:00 p.m. on Alabama's Gulf Coast.
  • 1980 - Lillian Randolph, actress (Roots, Amos n Andy), dies at age 65.
  • 1980 - Kenan Evren stages a military coup in Turkey.
  • 1981 - Death of Eugenio Montale, Italian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1896).
  • 1981 - In Kashmir, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake occurs. At least 220 people killed, 2,500 injured, and extensive damage and landslides in the Gilgit area.
  • 1981 - Elizabeth Ward (Arkansas) is crowned Miss America.
  • 1981 - Death of Chief Dan George AKA Teswahno at age 82; Chief of the Squamish Band (1951-63), actor (Cariboo Country TV show (1961), (The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (1967), The Beachcombers TV show (1971)).
  • 1983 - Albert Rizzo treads water at sea for 108 hours 9 minutes.
  • 1983 - Security guard Victor Gerena robs West Hartford company of US$7 million.
  • 1983 - USSR vetoes United Nations resolution deploring its shooting down of Korean plane.
  • 1984 - New York Mets' Dwight Goodin sets rookie strike out record at 251.
  • 1985 - In Canada, the Lotto 6/49 lottery expands to two weekly draws, with the first Wednesday evening draw.
  • 1986 - The 3-D film Captain Eo, starring Michael Jackson, opens in the Magic Eye Theater in EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World. It cost over US$17 million to produce, making it the most costly movie to date, at about US$1 million per minute. Lucasfilm provided more than 150 special effects for the 17-minute movie.
  • 1986 - Frank Nelson, actor (Ralph - I Love Lucy, Jack Benny Show), dies at age 75.
  • 1986 - US professor Joseph Cicippio is kidnapped and held hostage in Beirut, Lebanon.
  • 1986 - Death of photojournalist, Ernst Haas, in New York (born in Vienna, Austria).
  • 1987 - Vince Coleman steals his 100th base for third straight year.
  • 1987 - The last episode of The Ellen Burstyn Show airs.
  • 1987 - The Fox TV network airs the last episode of Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
  • 1988 - First NFL regular-season game played in Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas Cowboys beat Arizona Cardinals.
  • 1988 - Alan Bible, American politician (Senator-Democrat-Nevada, 1954-74), dies at age 78.
  • 1988 - Hurricane Gilbert, strongest ever (160 mph), devastates Jamaica.
  • 1988 - Lauris Norstad, NATO commander/CEO Corning Fiberglass, dies at age 71.
  • 1988 - Death of Roger Hargreaves, author of the Mr. Men series (born 1935).
  • 1989 - Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki announces to parliament the Polish economy would undergo a shock therapy, including privitization of state industry, creation of a stock exchange, shift from heavy industry to consumer goods, and budget cuts.
  • 1989 - Death of John Qualen at age 89 of heart failure; character actor (The Odd Couple, Mister Ed, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Yancy Derringer).
  • 1990 - US, England, France, USSR, German Democratic Republic, and Federal Republic of Germanys sign the Treaty on the Final Settlement With Respect to Germany in Moscow, allowing the two Germanys to merge.
  • 1991 - Regis Toomey, actor (You're in the Army Now), dies at age 93.
  • 1991 - Space shuttle STS 48 (Discovery 14) is launched.
  • 1992 - NASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-47, the 50th shuttle mission.
  • 1992 - Death of Anthony Perkins; American actor (Norman Bates - Psycho (1960) (born 1932).
  • 1992 - The CBS TV network airs the first show of Disney's The Little Mermaid, entitled Whale of a Tail.
  • 1992 - The ABC TV network begins airing episodes of Goof Troop.
  • 1992 - The CBS TV network begins airing the animated TV series Raw Toonage.
  • 1992 - The NBC TV network airs the last episode of The Golden Girls.
  • 1993 - Death of Raymond Burr at age 76; actor (Fort Laramie radio show, Perry Mason TV show (1957-66, two Emmy awards), Ironside TV show (1967-75)).
  • 1994 - Disney's syndicated TV show Judge for Yourself first airs.
  • 1994 - Death of Boris Yegorov, cosmonaut (born 1937).
  • 1995 - Death of Jeremy Brett of a heart attack at age 59; actor (Sherlock Holmes - films for UK and US TV).
  • 2002 - U.S. President George W. Bush addresses the United Nations, and challenges its members to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq, or stand aside as the United States and likeminded nations act.
  • 2002 - A cargo vessel off South Africa burns and spills oil and chemicals.
  • 2003 - Death of Johnny Cash at age 71 of complications from diabetes that resulted in respiratory failure; country singer (Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two - "I Walk the Line" (1956), "Ring of Fire", "A Boy Named Sue", "Folsom Prison Blues").
  • 2005 - The Norwegian parliamentary election results in a victory for the red-green-coalition. The new prime-minister is Jens Stoltenberg from the Labour Party.
  • 2005 - The English cricket team draws the final match to win The 2005 Ashes.
  • 2005 - In Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong Disneyland park opens.
  • 2006 - Apple Computer announces the iTunes movie store, initially with 75 Disney company movies for download. Prices range from US$10 to 16 per film.
  • 2006 - A stampede at a rally in Yemen leaves 41 dead.
  • 2006 - Pope Benedict XVI gives a lecture in Germany; he quotes a criticism of the Islamic faith, sparking mass protest.
  • 2006 - A meteor streaks across the sky in New Zealand, creating a sonic boom at about 40,000kph, turning into a fireball and depositing rocks on the ground.
  • 2007 - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov and his entire cabinet resign. President Vladimir Putin announces his replacement will be Viktor Zubkov.
  • 2007 - In Manila, Philippines, the Sandiganbayan court finds former President Joseph Estrada guilty beyond reasonable doubt on the charges of plunder but acquitted on the charges of perjury. He is sentenced to life imprisonment.
  • 2007 - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces his resignation, to be effective September 19.
  • 2007 - US dollar falls to new low versus euro: $1.39.
  • 2008 - A Metrolink train collides head-on into a freight train in Los Angeles, California, killing 25 and injuring 130.
  • 2009 - A 6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of Venezuela, 110km west of Caracas, knocking out power in the capital, causing minor damage and injuries.
  • 2011 - Approximately 100 people die after a petrol pipeline explodes in Nairobi.
  • 2014 - Death of Atef Ebeid, Egyptian politician, 47th Prime Minister of Egypt (born 1932).
  • 2014 - Death of Ian Paisley, British politician and First Minister of Northern Ireland (born 1926).
  • 2022 - Death of Ramsey Lewis at age 87; jazz pianist (Grammy award winner).

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