July 12Birthdays & History

On this day: July 12 in history

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

1. 70The armies of Titus attack the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Three days later they breach the walls, which enables the army to destroy the Second Temple.Middle East
2. 526Election of Pope Felix IV following the death of Pope John I earlier that year.Europe
3. 813Leo V the Armenian is crowned as Byzantine Emperor after he successfully forced previous emperor Michael I Rangabe to abdicate the previous day.Europe
4. 927King Constantine II of Scotland, King Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, Ealdred of Bamburgh and King Owain of the Cumbrians accept the overlordship of King Æthelstan of England, leading to seven years of peace in the north.Europe
5. 1191Third Crusade: Saladin's garrison surrenders to Philip Augustus, ending the two-year siege of Acre.Middle EastEurope
6. 1335Pope Benedict XII issues the papal bull Fulgens sicut stella matutina to reform the Cistercian Order.Europe
7. 1450Although he had been previously pardoned, Jack Cade is killed while fleeing, bringing an end to Jack Cade's Rebellion.Europe
8. 1470The Ottomans capture Euboea.EuropeMiddle East
9. 1488Joseon Dynasty official Choe Bu returns to Korea after months of shipwrecked travel in China.Asia
10. 1493Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle, one of the best-documented early printed books, is published.Europe
11. 1527Lê Cung Hoàng cedes the throne to Mạc Đăng Dung, ending the Lê dynasty and starting the Mạc dynasty.Asia
12. 1543King Henry VIII of England marries his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.Europe
13. 1562Fray Diego de Landa, acting Bishop of Yucatán, burns the sacred idols and books of the Maya.Latin America
14. 1576Mughal Empire annexes Bengal after defeating the Bengal Sultanate at the Battle of Rajmahal.Asia
15. 1580The Ostrog Bible, one of the early printed Bibles in a Slavic language, is published.Europe
16. 1691Battle of Aughrim (Julian calendar): The decisive victory of William III of England's forces in Ireland.Europe
17. 1776Captain James Cook begins his third voyage.EuropeOceania
18. 1789In response to the dismissal of the French finance minister Jacques Necker, the radical journalist Camille Desmoulins gives a speech which results in the storming of the Bastille two days later.Europe
19. 1790The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is passed in France by the National Constituent Assembly.Europe
20. 1799Ranjit Singh conquers Lahore and becomes Maharaja of the Punjab (Sikh Empire).Asia
21. 1801British ships inflict heavy damage on Spanish and French ships in the Second Battle of Algeciras.Europe
22. 1806At the insistence of Napoleon, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg and thirteen minor principalities leave the Holy Roman Empire and form the Confederation of the Rhine.Europe
23. 1812The American Army of the Northwest briefly occupies the Upper Canadian settlement at what is now at Windsor, Ontario.North America
24. 1847A riot occurs in Woodstock, New Brunswick, between Catholics and members of the Orange Order that results in up to ten deaths.North America
25. 1862The Medal of Honor is authorized by the United States Congress.North America
26. 1913Serbian forces begin their siege of the Bulgarian city of Vidin; the siege is later called off when the war ends.Europe
27. 1913The Second Revolution breaks out against the Beiyang government, as Li Liejun proclaims Jiangxi independent from the Republic of China.Asia
28. 1917The Bisbee Deportation occurs as vigilantes kidnap and deport nearly 1,300 striking miners and others from Bisbee, Arizona.North America
29. 1918The Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Kawachi blows up at Shunan, western Honshu, Japan, killing at least 621.Asia
30. 1920The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty is signed, by which Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of Lithuania.Europe
31. 1943World War II: Battle of Kursk: German and Soviet forces engage in the Battle of Prokhorovka, one of the largest armored engagements of all time.Europe
32. 1948Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion orders the expulsion of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla.Middle East
33. 1960Orlyonok, the main Young Pioneer camp of the Russian SFSR, is founded.Europe
34. 1961Indian city Pune floods due to failure of the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, killing at least two thousand people.Asia
35. 1961ČSA Flight 511 crashes at Casablanca–Anfa Airport in Morocco, killing 72.Africa
36. 1963Pauline Reade, 16, disappears in Gorton, England, the first victim in the Moors murders.Europe
37. 1967Riots begin in Newark, New Jersey.North America
38. 1971The Australian Aboriginal flag is flown for the first time.Oceania
39. 1973A fire destroys the entire sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the United States.North America
40. 1975São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal.Europe
41. 1979The island nation of Kiribati becomes independent from the United Kingdom.OceaniaEurope
42. 1995Chinese seismologists successfully predict the 1995 Myanmar–China earthquake, reducing the number of casualties to 11.Asia
43. 1998France win their first World Cup title, defeating defending champions Brazil 3–0.EuropeLatin America
44. 1998The Ulster Volunteer Force attack a house in Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a petrol bomb, killing the Quinn brothers.Europe
45. 2001Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-104, carrying the Quest Joint Airlock to the International Space Station.World
46. 2006A cross-border raid by Hezbollah militants starts the 2006 Lebanon War.Middle East
47. 2007U.S. Army Apache helicopters engage in airstrikes against armed insurgents in Baghdad, Iraq, where civilians are killed; footage from the cockpit is later leaked to the Internet.North AmericaMiddle East
48. 2012Syrian Civil War: Government forces target the homes of rebels and activists in Tremseh and kill anywhere between 68 and 150 people.Middle East
49. 2012A tank truck explosion kills more than 100 people in Okobie, Nigeria.Africa
50. 2013Six people are killed and 200 injured in a French passenger train derailment in Brétigny-sur-Orge.Europe
51. 2024Gazpromavia Flight 9608 crashes in Russia's Kolomensky District near Kolomna, killing three.Europe
52. 2026A bar fire kills 33 people in Bangkok, Thailand.Asia

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