Historical Events
- 1700 The Great Northern War begins in Northern Europe between Denmark–Norway, Saxony and Russia and the Swedish Empire.
- 1912 The last Qing Emperor of China, Puyi (age 6) abdicates after losing the support of the Chinese people and thus the "mandate of heaven"
- 1947 French fashion designer Christian Dior presents his first influential collection, named the "New Look"
- 1999 US President Bill Clinton acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial
- 2001 NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touchdown in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
- 2013 North Korea allegedly conducts its third nuclear test, saying it was a nuclear device that could be weaponized
- More Historical Events
Feb 12 in Film & TV
- 1914 "The Squaw Man", 1st feature-length film shot in Hollywood, directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Oscar Apfel, is released in the US
Feb 12 in Music
- 1924 George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" premieres at influential concert "Experiment in Modern Music" held by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra at the Aeolian Hall, NYC
Feb 12 in Sport
- 1982 Wayne Gretzky scores 153rd point of season, breaking NHL record
Did You Know?
Henry Highland Garnet becomes the 1st African American minister to preach to the US House of Representatives, he talks about the end of slavery
On February 12, 1865
Abraham Lincoln
Charles Darwin
Omar Bradley
James Chichester-Clark
Bill Russell
Arsenio HallWould You Believe?
Pope Francis meets Patriarch Kirill in Havana - first meeting between Catholic and Russian Orthodox church heads for nearly 1,000 years
On February 12, 2016
Famous Weddings
- 1736 Maria Theresa Habsburg marries French Stefanus (emperor Francois I)
- 1952 American singer Tony Bennett (25) weds art student Patricia Beech, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, New York; separate in 1965, divorce in 1971
More Weddings
Jane Grey
Ethan Allen
Immanuel Kant
James Cash Penney
Charles M. Schulz
Tom LandryArticles, Photos and Quiz
Abraham Lincoln, the Presidential Icon
Abraham Lincoln, hailed by many as the greatest President of the United States, was born in poverty on this day in a one-room rural cabin, the son of a farmer.
February 12, 1809
Cold War Bumping Incident
Soviet frigate Bezzavetny (right) bumping USS Yorktown in the Black Sea in 1988
February 12, 1988
Weekly Quiz for February 10 - 16
Who was awarded the 1st ever gold record? Which invaders sacked Baghdad in 1258, ending the Abbasid Caliphate? Which city condemned Socrates to death in 399 BC?
