January 12Birthdays & History

On this day: January 12 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 475Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.EuropeMiddle East
2. 1528Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already reigned since his election in June 1523.Europe
3. 1554Bayinnaung, who would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, is crowned King of Burma.Asia
4. 1616The city of Belém, Brazil is founded on the Amazon River delta by Portuguese captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco.Latin AmericaEurope
5. 1792Federalist Thomas Pinckney appointed first U.S. minister to Britain.North AmericaEurope
6. 1808John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church, Reculver, founded in 669, from coastal erosion is abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture.Europe
7. 1808The organizational meeting leading to the creation of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.Europe
8. 1848The Palermo rising takes place in Sicily against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.Europe
9. 1866The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.Europe
10. 1872Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.Africa
11. 1895The National Trust is founded in the United Kingdom.Europe
12. 1911The University of the Philippines College of Law is established.Asia
13. 1915The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposed constitutional amendment to require states to give women the right to vote.North America
14. 1916Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann become the first German aviators to earn the Pour le Mérite, receive the German Empire's highest military award, for achieving eight aerial victories each over Allied aircraft.Europe
15. 1918The Minnie Pit Disaster coal mining accident occurs in Halmer End, Staffordshire, in which 155 men and boys die.Europe
16. 1932Hattie Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.North America
17. 1933Casas Viejas incident: 22 peasants killed by the Security and Assault Corps in Casas Viejas, Spain.Europe
18. 1942World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.North America
19. 1945World War II: The Red Army begins the Vistula–Oder Offensive.Europe
20. 1955A Martin 2-0-2 and Douglas DC-3 collide over Boone County, Kentucky, killing 15 people.North America
21. 1962Vietnam War: Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission and first American helicopter assault in the war, takes place.AsiaNorth America
22. 1964Rebels in Zanzibar begin a revolt known as the Zanzibar Revolution and proclaim a republic.Africa
23. 1966Lyndon B. Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.North AmericaAsia
24. 1967Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.North America
25. 1969The New York Jets of the American Football League defeat the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League to win Super Bowl III in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.North America
26. 1970Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian Civil War.Africa
27. 1971The Harrisburg Seven: Rev. Philip Berrigan and five other activists 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.North America
28. 1976The United Nations Security Council votes 11–1 to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).Middle East
29. 1986Space Shuttle program: Congressman and future NASA Administrator Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a payload specialist.North America
30. 1990A seven-day pogrom breaks out against the Armenian civilian population of Baku, Azerbaijan, during which Armenians were beaten, tortured, murdered, and expelled from the city.Europe
31. 1991Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of American military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.Middle EastNorth America
32. 1997Space Shuttle program: Atlantis launches from the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-81 to the Russian space station Mir, carrying astronaut Jerry M. Linenger for a four-month stay on board the station, replacing astronaut John E. Blaha.Europe
33. 1998Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.Europe
34. 2001Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.North America
35. 2004The world's largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.Europe
36. 2005Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket.North America
37. 2006A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.Middle East
38. 2007Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught), one of the brightest comets ever observed is at its zenith visible during the day.World
39. 2010An earthquake in Haiti occurs, killing between 220,000 and 300,000 people and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince.Latin America
40. 2012Violent protests occur in Bucharest, Romania, as two-day-old demonstrations continue against President Traian Băsescu's economic austerity measures. Clashes are reported in numerous Romanian cities between protesters and law enforcement officers.Europe
41. 2015Government raids kill 143 Boko Haram fighters in Kolofata, Cameroon.Africa
42. 2016Ten people are killed and 15 wounded in a bombing near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.Middle East
43. 2020Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupts and kills 39 people.Asia

Source: Wikipedia "January 12" / CC BY-SA 4.0