What happened on January 12? There are more than 329 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About January 12
January 12 is the 12th day of the year 2024. There are 354 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday. This day falls under the 2nd week of the year 2024.
On this day in Scandia, Kansas 66966 sunrise occured at 07:49 AM and sunset occured at 05:28 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Capricorn. The modern birthstone for this month is Garnet while the mystical birthstone is Emerald.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 29 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (February 10, 2024).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 28 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For January 12
- 475Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople.
- 1528Gustav I of Sweden crowned king of Sweden.
- 1539Treaty of Toledo signed by King Francis I of France and Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
- 1773The first public Colonial American museum opens in Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1777Mission Santa Clara de Asís is founded in what is now Santa Clara, California.
- 1808The organizational meeting that led to the creation of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
- 1848The Palermo rising takes place in Sicily against the Bourbon kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
- 1866The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.
- 1872Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.
- 1875Kwang-su becomes emperor of China.
- 1895The National Trust is founded in the United Kingdom.
- 1898Ito Hirobumi begins his third term as Prime Minister of Japan.
- 189913 crew members and 5 apprentices are rescued from the stricken schooner Forest Hall by the Lynmouth Lifeboat when it floundered off the coast of Devon, England.
- 1906Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman’s cabinet (which included amongst its members H. H. Asquith, David Lloyd George, and Winston Churchill) embarks on sweeping social reforms after a Liberal landslide in the British general election.
- 1908A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time.
- 1911The University of the Philippines College of Law is formally established; three future Philippine presidents are among the first enrollees.
- 1915The Rocky Mountain National Park is formed by an act of U.S. Congress.
- 1915The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposal to give women the right to vote.
- 1918Finland’s “Mosaic Confessors” law went into effect, making Finnish Jews full citizens.
- 1921Acting to restore confidence in baseball after the Black Sox Scandal, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is elected as Major League Baseball’s first commissioner.
- 1926Original Sam ‘n’Henry aired on Chicago radio later renamed Amos ‘n’Andy in 1928.
- 1932Hattie W. Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.
- 1942World War II: President Franklin Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.
- 1964Rebels in Zanzibar begin a revolt known as the Zanzibar Revolution and proclaim a republic.
- 1966Lyndon B. Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
- 1967Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.
- 1970Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian civil war.
- 1971The Harrisburg Seven: The Reverend Philip Berrigan and five others are indicted on charges of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and of plotting to blow up the heating tunnels of federal buildings in Washington, D.C.
- 1976The UN Security Council votes 11-1 to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).
- 1986Space Shuttle program: Congressman Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61C as a Mission Specialist.
- 1991Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.
- 1998Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
- 2001Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.
- 2004The world’s largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.
- 2005Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta 2 rocket.
- 2006A stampede during the Stoning the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.
- 2006The French warship Clemenceau reaches Egypt and is barred access to the Suez Canal. Greenpeace activists board the ship.
- 2007Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) reaches perihelion becoming the brightest comet in more than 40 years.
- 2010The 2010 Haiti earthquake occurs killing an estimated 316,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince.
Who Were Born On January 12?
- 1483Henry III of Nassau-Breda, German nobleman (d. 1538)
- 1562Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy (d. 1630)
- 1576Petrus Scriverius, Dutch writer (d. 1660)
- 1577Jan Baptist van Helmont, Flemish chemist (d. 1644)
- 1580Lord Alexander Ruthven, Scottish nobleman (d. 1600)
- 1588John Winthrop, English-born governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (d. 1649)
- 1591José Ribera, Spanish painter (d. 1652)
- 1597François Duquesnoy, French sculptor (d. 1643)
- 1628Charles Perrault, French folklorist (d. 1703)
- 1715Jacques Duphly, French composer (d. 1789)
- 1716Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general (d. 1795)
- 1721Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, Prussian general (d. 1792)
- 1723Samuel Langdon, American college educator (d. 1797)
- 1729Edmund Burke, Irish statesman and philosopher (d. 1797)
- 1737John Hancock, American merchant, statesman, & Founding Father; 4th & 13th President of the Continental Congress; and 1st & 3rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1793)
- 1746Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, Swiss pedagogue (d. 1827)
- 1751King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies (d. 1825)
- 1772Count Mikhail Speransky, Russian reformer (d. 1839)
- 1786Sir Robert Inglis, Bt, English politician (d. 1855)
- 1792Johan August Arfwedson, Swedish chemist (d. 1841)
- 1797Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician (d. 1873)
- 1810King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies (d. 1859)
- 1822Étienne Lenoir, French engineer (d. 1900)
- 1837Adolf Jensen, German pianist, composer (d. 1879)
- 1849Jean Béraud, French painter (d. 1935)
- 1856John Singer Sargent, American artist (d. 1925)
- 1863Swami Vivekananda, Indian philosopher (d. 1902)
- 1873Spiridon Louis, Greek marathon runner (d. 1940)
- 1876Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, Italian composer (d. 1948)
- 1876Fevzi Çakmak, Turkish Field Marshal and Prime Minister (d. 1950)
- 1876Jack London, American author (d. 1916)
- 1877Frank J. Corr, American politician (d. 1934)
- 1878Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian writer (d. 1952)
- 1879Anton Uesson, Estonian politician and engineer (d. 1942)
- 1879Ray Harroun, American race car driver (d. 1968)
- 1882Milton Sills, American actor (d. 1930)
- 1884Texas Guinan, American actress (d. 1933)
- 1889Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, 2nd Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and 2nd successor to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (d. 1965)
- 1892Mikhail Gurevich, Russian aircraft designer (d. 1976)
- 1893Alfred Rosenberg, German Nazi official (d. 1946)
- 1893Hermann Göring, German Nazi official (d. 1946)
- 1894Georges Carpentier, French boxer (d. 1975)
- 1895Leo Aryeh Mayer, Israeli professor and scholar of Islamic art (d. 1959)
- 1896David Wechsler, American psychologist (d. 1981)
- 1899Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1965)
- 1899Pierre Bernac, French baritone (d. 1979)
- 1903Igor Kurchatov, Russian physicist (d. 1960)
- 1904Fred McDowell, American blues musician (d. 1972)
- 1905James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist (d. 1997)
- 1905Tex Ritter, American country singer and actor (d. 1974)
- 1906Emmanuel Levinas, French philosopher (d. 1995)
- 1907Sergei Korolev, Russian rocket scientist (d. 1966)
- 1908Clement Hurd, American illustrator (d. 1988)
- 1908Jean Delannoy, French film director (d. 2008)
- 1910Luise Rainer, German actress
- 1910Patsy Kelly, American actress (d. 1981)
- 1915Joseph-Aurèle Plourde, Catholic archbishop of Ottawa
- 1915Paul Jarrico, American writer (d. 1997)
- 1916Jay McShann, American musician (d. 2006)
- 1916P. W. Botha, South African politician (d. 2006)
- 1916William Pleeth, British cellist (d. 1999)
- 1917Jimmy Skinner, Canadian hockey coach (d. 2007)
- 1917Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Indian spiritualist (d. 2008)
- 1917Walter Hendl, American conductor (d. 2007)
- 1920James L. Farmer, Jr., American activist (d. 1999)
- 1920Prof Jerzy Zubrzycki, Polish-born Australian sociologist (d. 2009)
- 1922Tadeusz Żychiewicz, Polish journalist and art historian (d. 1994)
- 1923Ira Hayes, US Marine (d. 1955)
- 1924Grethe Holmer, Danish actress (d. 2004)
- 1924Olivier Gendebien, Belgian racing driver (d. 1998)
- 1925Bill Burrud, American television host (d. 1990)
- 1925Bodil Udsen, Danish actress (d. 2008)
- 1925Scottie MacGregor, American actress
- 1926Morton Feldman, American composer (d. 1987)
- 1926Ray Price, American singer
- 1928Lloyd Ruby, American race car driver (d. 2009)
- 1928Ruth Brown, American singer (d. 2006)
- 1929Alasdair MacIntyre, Scottish-born American philosopher
- 1930Glenn Yarborough, American singer
- 1930Tim Horton, Canadian hockey player (d. 1974)
- 1932Des O'Connor, British television presenter
- 1932Tzeni Karezi, Greek actress (d. 1992)
- 1933Michael Aspel, English broadcaster
- 1934Mick Sullivan, English rugby league footballer
- 1935Kreskin, American mentalist
- 1935Tomiko Ishii, Japanese actress
- 1936Raimonds Pauls, Latvian Composer
- 1937Marie Dubois, French actress
- 1937Shirley Eaton, British actress
- 1937Vicente Sardinero, Spanish baritone (d. 2002)
- 1938Lewis Fiander, Australian actor
- 1941Long John Baldry, British blues singer (d. 2005)
- 1942Bernardine Dohrn, former leader of the radical leftist organization Weather Underground
- 1944Carlos Villagrán, Mexican actor
- 1944Hans Henning Atrott, Prussian euthanasia advocate
- 1944Joe Frazier, American boxer (d. 2011)
- 1944Viktoria Postnikova, Russian pianist
- 1944Vlastimil Hort, Czechoslovakian chess player
- 1945Maggie Bell, Scottish singer (Stone the Crows)
- 1946Cynthia Robinson, American musician (Sly & the Family Stone)
- 1946George Duke, American musician
- 1946Lady Cosgrove, Scottish judiciary figure
- 1947Tom Dempsey, American football player
- 1948Anthony Andrews, English actor
- 1948Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia
- 1948Kenny Allen, English footballer
- 1948Khalid Abdul Muhammed, American Nation of Islam spokesman (d. 2001)
- 1948William Nicholson, English writer
- 1949Haruki Murakami, Japanese novelist
- 1949Kentarō Haneda, Japanese composer (d. 2007)
- 1949Michael W. Vannier, American radiologist
- 1949Ottmar Hitzfeld, German football manager
- 1949Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-born American film director
- 1950Bob McEwen, American politician
- 1950Dorrit Moussaieff, First Lady of Iceland
- 1950Göran Lindblad, Swedish politician
- 1950Ricky Ray Rector, American murderer (d. 1992)
- 1950Sheila Jackson Lee, American politician
- 1951Ann Althouse, American law professor
- 1951Drew Pearson, American football player
- 1951Kirstie Alley, American actress
- 1951Rush Limbaugh, American radio personality, author and political commentator
- 1952Charles Faulkner, American motivational speaker and author
- 1952John Walker, New Zealand middle distance runner
- 1952Walter Mosley, American author
- 1953Mary Harron, Canadian screenwriter
- 1954Howard Stern, American radio personality and author
- 1955Rockne S. O'Bannon, American screenwriter
- 1957John Lasseter, American animation director
- 1958Christiane Amanpour, American news anchor
- 1958Curt Fraser, American ice hockey coach
- 1959Blixa Bargeld, German singer and musician (Einstürzende Neubauten, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
- 1959Nick Nairn, British celebrity chef
- 1959Per Gessle, Swedish songwriter and musician (Roxette)
- 1960Dominique Wilkins, American basketball player
- 1960Jorge Pupo, Cuban American actor
- 1960Oliver Platt, Canadian actor
- 1962Luna Vachon, Canadian professional wrestler (d. 2010)
- 1963François Girard, French-Canadian film director and screenwriter
- 1963Nando Reis, Brazilian singer and composer
- 1964Clare Holman, British actress
- 1964Jeff Bezos, American entrepreneur
- 1964Laura Gildemeister, Argentine tennis player
- 1965Mark Moore, British record producer
- 1965Rob Zombie, American musician and film director (White Zombie, Solo)
- 1966Olivier Martinez, French actor
- 1967Vendela Kirsebom, Swedish supermodel
- 1968Heather Mills, British activist and model
- 1968Junichi Masuda, Japanese composer
- 1968Keith Anderson, American country music singer-songwriter
- 1968Mauro Silva, Brazilian footballer
- 1968Rachael Harris, American actress
- 1969Margaret Nagle, American screenwriter and TV producer
- 1969Robert Prosinečki, Croatian footballer
- 1970Mig Ayesa, Australian musician
- 1970Raekwon, American rapper
- 1970Zack de la Rocha, American musician (Rage Against the Machine)
- 1971Scott Burrell, American basketball player
- 1972Espen Knutsen, Norwegian ice hockey player
- 1972Jason Sklar, American comedian
- 1972Priyanka Gandhi, daughter of Rajiv Gandhi
- 1972Randy Sklar, American comedian
- 1973Dan Haseltine, American singer (Jars of Clay)
- 1973Hande Yener, Turkish singer
- 1973Matthew Wong, American musician (Reel Big Fish)
- 1974Claudia Conserva, Chilean television presenter
- 1974Melanie Chisholm, British singer (Spice Girls)
- 1974Tor Arne Hetland, Norwegian cross-country skier
- 1975Jason Freese, American musician (Green Day)
- 1975Jocelyn Thibault, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1976Miki Nakatani, Japanese actress and singer
- 1977Cade McNown, American football player
- 1977Piolo Pascual, Filipino actor
- 1977Yoandy Garlobo, Cuban baseball player
- 1978Bonaventure Kalou, Ivorian footballer
- 1978Jeremy Camp, American musician
- 1978Kim Sa-rang, Korean actress
- 1978Kris Roe, American musician (The Ataris)
- 1978Luis Ayala, Mexican baseball pitcher
- 1978Maurizio Zaffiri, Italian rugby player
- 1979David Zabriskie, American cyclist
- 1979Grzegorz Rasiak, Polish footballer
- 1979Lee Bo-young, South Korean actress and model
- 1979Marián Hossa, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1980Bobby Crosby, American baseball player
- 1981Amerie, American singer
- 1981Angus Macdonald, New Zealand All Black rugby player
- 1981Dan Klecko, American football player
- 1981João Paulo, Brazilian footballer
- 1982Chris Ray, American baseball player
- 1982Dimitrios Tsiamis, Greek triple jumper
- 1982Dontrelle Willis, American baseball player
- 1982Hans Van Alphen, Belgian decathlete
- 1982Paul-Henri Mathieu, French tennis player
- 1982Sherzod Abdurahmonov, Uzbek boxer
- 1984Daniel Sepulveda, American football player
- 1984Scott Olsen, American baseball player
- 1985Artem Milevskiy, Ukrainian footballer
- 1985Gerard Lawson, American football player
- 1985Yohana Cobo, Spanish actress
- 1986Gemma Arterton, English actress
- 1986Kehoma Brenner, Greman rugby player
- 1986Kieron Richardson, English actor
- 1986Miguel Ángel Nieto, Spanish footballer
- 1986Pablo Daniel Osvaldo, Italian Argentine footballer
- 1987Naya Rivera, American actress
- 1987Salvatore Sirigu, Italian footballer
- 1987Will Rothhaar, American actor
- 1988Andrew Lawrence, American actor
- 1988Chris Casement, Irish footballer
- 1988Claude Giroux, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988Ytalo, Brazilian footballer
- 1990Sergey Karjakin, Ukrainian chess player
- 1991Pixie Lott, English singer
- 1992Mao Kobayashi, Japanese gravure idol
- 1993Aika Mitsui, Japanese singer
- 1993Zayn Malik, Member of British/Irish boy band One Direction
- 1995Laurel McGoff, American reality show contestant
- 1998Nathan Gamble, American actor
Who Died On January 12?
- 690Benedict Biscop, saint (b. 628)
- 1167Ailred of Rievaulx, saint (b. 1110)
- 1321Maria of Brabant, wife of Philip III of France (b. 1256)
- 1519Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)
- 1665Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (b. 1601)
- 1674Giacomo Carissimi, Italian composer (b. 1605)
- 1700Marguerite Bourgeoys, saint (b. 1620)
- 1705Luca Giordano, Italian artist (b. 1634)
- 1732John Horsley, British archaeologist (b. 1685)
- 1735John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)
- 1759Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1709)
- 1765Johann Melchior Molter, German composer (b. 1696)
- 1777Hugh Mercer, American Revolutionary War officer (mortally wounded in battle) (b. 1726)
- 1781Richard Challoner, English Catholic prelate (b. 1691)
- 1829Friedrich von Schlegel, German poet (b. 1772)
- 1833Marie-Antoine Carême, French chef (b. 1784)
- 1834William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
- 1856Ľudovít Štúr, Slovak politician, author of Slovak language, (b. 1815)
- 1861Václav Hanka, Czech philologist, (b. 1791)
- 1892William Reeves, bishop, antiquarian (b. 1815)
- 1897Isaac Pitman, British inventor (Pitman Shorthand) (b. 1813)
- 1899Hiram Walker, American distiller (b. 1816)
- 1909Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (b. 1864)
- 1921Gervase Elwes, English tenor (b. 1866)
- 1926Sir Austin Chapman, Australian politician (b. 1864)
- 1934Paul Kochanski, Polish violinist, composer and arranger (b. 1887)
- 1938Gösta Ekman, Swedish actor (b. 1890)
- 1940Edward Smith, English soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross (b. 1899)
- 1943Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and writer (b. 1902)
- 1944Lance C. Wade, American pilot (b. 1915)
- 1956Norman Kerry, American actor (b. 1894)
- 1958Charles Mallory Hatfield, U.S. rainmaker (b. 1875)
- 1960Nevil Shute, English writer (b. 1899)
- 1962Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian writer and feminist (b. 1869)
- 1965Lorraine Hansberry, American writer (b. 1936)
- 1974Princess Patricia of Connaught (b. 1886)
- 1976Agatha Christie, English writer (b. 1890)
- 1977Henri-Georges Clouzot, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
- 1983Nikolai Podgorny, President of the USSR (b. 1903)
- 1983Rebop Kwaku Baah, Ghanaian percussionist (b. 1944)
- 1988Connie Mulder, South African politician (b. 1925)
- 1990Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-born educator and writer (b. 1919)
- 1991Mary Francis Shura, American writer (b. 1923)
- 1996Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician (b. 1926)
- 1997Charles B. Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1901)
- 1997Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (b. 1936)
- 1999Betty Lou Gerson, American voice actress (b. 1914)
- 1999Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1961)
- 2000Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
- 2000Marc Davis, American animator (b. 1913)
- 2001Affirmed, American racehorse (b. 1975)
- 2001Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
- 2001William Hewlett, American engineer and businessman (b. 1913)
- 2002Cyrus Vance, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1917)
- 2002Stanley Unwin, South African comedian (b. 1911)
- 2003Alan Nunn May, English physicist and Soviet spy (b. 1911)
- 2003Dean Amadon, American ornithologist (b. 1912)
- 2003Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese director (b. 1930)
- 2003Leopoldo Galtieri, dictator of Argentina (b. 1926)
- 2003Maurice Gibb, British singer, songwriter, and musician (Bee Gees) (b. 1949)
- 2004Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician (b. 1921)
- 2004Randy VanWarmer, American singer and songwriter (b. 1955)
- 2005Alessia di Matteo, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (b. 2003)
- 2005Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932)
- 2005Edmund S. Valtman, Estonian-born cartoonist (b. 1914)
- 2007Alice Coltrane, American jazz musician (b. 1937)
- 2007Sir James Killen, Australian politician (b. 1925)
- 2009Arne Næss, Norwegian philosopher (b. 1912)
- 2009Claude Berri, French movie director (b. 1934)
- 2010Daniel Bensaid, French philosopher (b. 1946)
- 2010Hasib Sabbagh, Palestinian businessman and philanthropist, co-founder of Consolidated Contractors Company (b. 1920)
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