Famous Events For January 12 – Today In History

January 12: Today in History – Historical Events

Early Centuries – January 12 Historic Events – Before the 1700s

1. 12th Jan 1493: This day was the last day for the Jews to leave Sicily.
2. 12th Jan 1528: Father of the nation, Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden.
3. 12th Jan 1552: Heavy storm strikes the Dutch west coast killing hundreds of people.
4. 12th Jan 1583: Holland adopted the Gregorian calendar and started using it.
5. 12th Jan 1616: Captain Major Francisco-Branco founded the Brazilian city Belem(the entrance gate to the Amazon).

18th Century – What Happened on January 12 – The 1700s

6. 12th Jan 1701: Parts of Netherlands, Frisia, and Groningen adopt the Gregorian calendar.
7. 12th Jan 1755: The first Russian University was established by Tsarina Elisabeth.
8. 12th Jan 1773: The United States established its first public museum in Charlestown, South California.

19th Century – January 12 This Day That Year – The 1800s

9. 12th Jan 1806: The French evacuate Vienna.
10. 12th Jan 1807: A gunpowder ship explodes in Leiden in the Netherlands. The explosion killed 150 people.
11. 12th Jan 1809: The British take Cayenne in French Guiana from the French.
12. 12th Jan 1812: New Orleans gets its first cargo by steam from Natchez.

13. 12th Jan 1816: France decrees that the Bonaparte family be excluded from the country forever.
14. 12th Jan 1820: The Royal Astronomical Society was formed in England.
15. 12th Jan 1839: Anthracite coal was used for the first time to smelt iron, in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania.
16. 12th Jan 1842: Missionary work in the Netherland Antilles began by the Franciscan nuns.
17. 12th Jan 1861: During the US Civil War, Florida State Troops demanded the surrender of Fort Pickens.
18. 12th Jan 1863: The “State of Confederacy” address was delivered by President Davis.
19. 12th Jan 1865: Union fleet bombs Fort Fisher in North Carolina.
20. 12th Jan 1866: On this day the Royal Aeronautical Society was formed in London.
21. 12th Jan 1872: The first imperial coronation takes place in the city of Axum in Ethiopia in 200 years. Yohannes IV was crowned Emperor of Ethiopia.
22. 12th Jan 1875: Kwang-su becomes the Emperor of China.
23. 12th Jan 1879: The invasion of Zululand by Lt .-General Chelmsford marks the beginning of the British Zulu War.
24. 12th Jan 1896: First X-ray photo in the United States by Dr. Henry Smith, Davidson, North Carolina.
25. 12th Jan 1898: Itō Hirobumi assumes office as Prime Minister of Japan for the third term.
26. 12th Jan 1899: Eighteen people were rescued from the stricken schooner Forest Hall off the coast of Devon by Lynmouth Lifeboat.

20th Century – Important Events On This Day January 12th – The 1900s

27. 12th Jan 1903: Magician and Escape Artist Harry Houdini, performs at Rembrandt Theater, Amsterdam.
28. 12th Jan 1904: The uprising of Southwest Africa under Samuel Maherero against the German garrison.
29. 12th Jan 1906: Forward pass in football was legalized by the Football Rules Committee.
30. 12th Jan 1906: The beginning of social reforms by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman’s cabinet. The cabinet included H.H. Asquith, David Lloyd George, and Winston Churchill.
31. 12th Jan 1908: A long-distance radio was sent for the first time from the Eiffel Tower.
32. 12th Jan 1911: The College of Law was formally established by the University of the Philippines. Among the first enrollees were three of the future Presidents of the Philippines.
33. 12th Jan 1912: President William Howard Taft of the United States requested a sum of $ 5 million from Congress for the completion of the Panama Canal.
34. 12th Jan 1912: Washta in Iowa records its lowest temperature of -40°C on this day.
35. 12th Jan 1913: After using various pseudonyms Josef Dzhugashvili signs himself as Stalin meaning man of steel, in a letter to the paper the Social Democrat.
36. 12th Jan 1915: The proposal to give women the right to vote was rejected by the US House of Representatives.
37. 12th Jan 1916: On this day the islands of Gilbert and Ellice were proclaimed by the British as their Colonies in the Pacific.

38. 12th Jan 1918: Finnish Jews became full citizens when the “Mosaic Confessors” law of Finland went into effect on this day.
39. 12th Jan 1924: On this day History of Science Society was organized in Boston.
40. 12th Jan 1924: Fire broke out in the Virginia Rubber and Tire Company. The estimated loss is $500,000.
41. 12th Jan 1932: This day saw the fall of France’s Laval government.
42. 12th Jan 1933: The independence of the Philippines was recognized by the US Congress.
43. 12th Jan 1940: Cities in Finland were bombed by the Soviets.
44. 12th Jan 1942: As one of the wartime efforts the US decided to create a synthetic rubber. This was primarily intended for the manufacture of tires for military purposes and limited civilian use.
45. 12th Jan 1942: China launches offensive in Chungking and surrounding areas. Chinese armies were victorious over Japan. Japan was engaged in war against the Philippines, Malaya, and the Dutch East.
46. 12th Jan 1942: On this day President Roosevelt created a twelve-member wartime labor board. One of the major responsibilities was to deal with labor disputes during the war.

47. 12th Jan 1944: A two-day wartime conference began in Marrakesh between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French President Charles de Gaulle.
48. 12th Jan 1945: In the Battle of Bulge the German forces in Belgium retreat.
49. 12th Jan 1945: In the battle of the South China Sea, US Task Force 38 destroys 41 Japanese ships.
50. 12th Jan 1948: On this day the Supreme Court ruled that all white law school at the University of Oklahoma must immediately provide training to black students that are equal to the education given to whites.
51. 12th Jan 1948: Marks the opening of the first Supermarket in the UK.
52. 12th Jan 1948: Pacifist and Spiritual Leader Mahatma Gandhi begins his final fast.
53. 12th Jan 1950: A Swedish tanker rams into a British submarine Truculent in the Thames. This mishap leaves 64 dead.
54. 12th Jan 1950: The death penalty for treason, espionage, and sabotage was re-introduced in the USSR.

55. 12th Jan 1952: On this day the first student was admitted to the University of Tennessee.
56. 12th Jan 1954: A worst-ever avalanche strikes Austria. The first avalanche kills 200 people and a second just 9 hours later kills another 115 people.
57. 12th Jan 1954: Queen of the United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II opens New Zealand parliament.
58. 12th Jan 1961: The U.N. genocide pact takes effect on this day.
59. 12th Jan 1964: The Sultan of Zanzibar was overthrown in a revolution just one month after independence.
60. 12th Jan 1964: Cigarette stocks fell. The lowering of the stock started when two doctors reported that the death rate in certain age groups in men who smoke is higher than among those who do not.
61. 12th Jan 1966: US President Lyndon B Johnson said that war troops should continue to stay in Vietnam for as long as necessary.
62. 12th Jan 1966: Marked the end of a 12-day transit strike in New York City.
63. 12th Jan 1970: On this day Boeing 747 made its maiden voyage.
64. 12th Jan 1970: On this day Biafra surrenders to Nigeria ending the Biafran War.

65. 12th Jan 1971: Reverend Philip Berrigan and five others including two priests and one nun were indicted by the Federal grand jury on charges of plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger.
66. 12th Jan 1974: On this day an announcement was made by Libya and Tunisia stating that they were merging as the “Islamic Arab Republic”.
67. 12th Jan 1975: The first car rebates offered by Chrysler Corporation.
68. 12th Jan 1977: The release of Abu Daoud by France triggers an anti-French revolution in Israel. He was responsible for the 1972 massacre of Israeli athletes in Munich.
69. 12th Jan 1982: Mark Thatcher, son of British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher went missing with his co-driver and mechanic, in the Sahara desert while participating in the Paris-Daker race. However, they were discovered safe and well after six days.
70. 12th Jan 1984: Restoration of the great Pyramids of Egypt was a struggle. However, when restorers adopted the use of the old technique of interlocking blocks as the ancient Egyptians did, the work progressed much more smoothly.

71. 12th Jan 1986: 24th space shuttle (61-C) mission-Columbia 7 was launched.
72. 12th Jan 1987: Britain’s Prince Edward resigns from his Royal Marines training.
73. 12th Jan 1989: Marks the expulsion of Idi Amin from Zaire.
74. 12th Jan 1990: Romania bans the communist party. It was the first Warsaw Pact member to do so.
75. 12th Jan 1991: Congress votes to authorize the use of military force against Iraq to end its occupation of Kuwait.
76. 12th Jan 1991: Melvin Stewart creates a new world record in 200M butterfly stroke swimming. He swam the distance in 1:55.69.
77. 12th Jan 1992: Marks the demolition of the last building in the Gateway area in Cleveland.
78. 12th Jan 1992: Christopher Bowman wins the U.S. Male Figure Skating championship.
79. 12th Jan 1992: Algeria cancels its General Elections after strong gains for the Islamic Salvation Front in the first round.
80. 12th Jan 1995: Major earthquake strikes Kobe, Japan killing more than 5000 people.
81. 12th Jan 1995: Quabilah Shabazz, daughter of Malcolm X was arrested for being a part of a conspiracy to kill King Louis Farrakhan. Her defense was that she believed that the King was responsible for the killing of her father in 1995.
82. 12th Jan 1996: Russian troops arrive in Bosnia for a joint operation with the US.
83. 12th Jan 1997: Space STS 81 (Atlantis 18) launched into space.

21st Century – January 12 This Day In History – The 2000s

84. 12th Jan 2005: A deep impact space craft was launched in Cape Canaveral.
85. 12th Jan 2006: A stampede broke out on the access ramps to the Jamarat Bridge during the Stoning of the Devil which is part of the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The Stamp killed 363 people.
86. 12th Jan 2009: The Mumbai-based movie “Slumdog Millionaire” bagged four Golden Globe awards.
87. 12th Jan 2009: Tension gripped France as weekend protests against the military action of Israel in Gaza. The second attack on a synagogue by French Hamas supporters further increased the tension.
88. 12th Jan 2010: A massive earthquake of magnitude 7.0 strikes Haiti with its epicenter about 25 KM west of Port-au-Price. The death toll was estimated between 100,000 to 250,000. There was heavy damage to the infrastructure. This earthquake is the 4th deadliest earthquake on record.
89. 12th Jan 2010: Following a major hacking attempt from hackers based in China, which affected thousands of E-mail accounts, Google announced on this day that it would pull out of China after discovering what it referred to as a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on its infrastructure.
90. 12th Jan 2011: The World Health Organization launches a plan to prevent the spread of artemisinin-resistant malaria.
91. 12th Jan 2011: Four people were killed after being struck by lightning during a storm near Buenos Aires in Argentina.
92. 12th Jan 2011: Haiti commemorates the first anniversary of the 2010 earthquake.
93. 12th Jan 2012: Karen rebels and the Burmese government signed a ceasefire agreement.

94. 12th Jan 2012: North Korean government announced that the body of its former leader Kim Jong-il would lie in state permanently next to his father Kim II-sung at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang.
95. 12th Jan 2012: Israel’s Supreme Court upholds the law banning Palestinians who marry Israelis from gaining citizenship.
96. 12th Jan 2013: Air pollution levels in Beijing China reach levels deemed hazardous to human health.
97. 12th Jan 2013: On this day the US government responded to the petition to build the Death Star the super laser from, the Star Wars movie. In its response, the government said that the government does not support blowing up planets and the $850 quadrillion price tag was just too high.
98. 12th Jan 2014: Indonesia introduces a ban on the export of raw minerals. The proponents of the ban argued that it would help keep more mining profits in the country. The opponents argued that it would only result in job loss. Some concessions were however made to two of the largest mining companies.
99. 12th Jan 2014: Pope Francis announces that on Feb 22nd he will hold a Consistory and create 19 new Cardinals from 12 countries. The names of the Cardinals were released during the Holy Father’s announcement.
100. 12th Jan 2015: Divers retrieved one of the black boxes from Air Asia Flight 8501 which crashed on Dec 28th during its flight from Indonesia to Singapore. The second black box was located nearby.

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