What Happened on March 12
Significant Events
- 538 Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths, ends his siege of Rome, retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Roman general, Belisarius
- 1455 First record of Johannes Gutenberg's Bible, letter dated this day by Enea Silvio Piccolomini refers to the bible printed a year before
- 1860 Congress accepts Pre-emption Bill: free land in West for colonists
- 1930 Mohandas Gandhi begins 200m (300km) march protesting British salt tax
- 1994 Church of England ordains 1st 33 women priests
March 12 in Film & TV
- 1973 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In last airs on NBC-TV
March 12 in Music
- 1832 The ballet La Sylphide first premieres at the Opéra de Paris.
March 12 in Sport
- 1972 NHL great Gordie Howe retires after 26 seasons
Did You Know?
Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time in a candy store in Vicksburg, Mississippi
On March 12, 1894
Famous Birthdays
John Abbott
(1821 - 1893)
Jack Kerouac
(1922 - 1969)
Edward Albee
(1928 - 2016)
Liza Minnelli
72 Years Old
Mitt Romney
71 Years Old
Darryl Strawberry
56 Years Old
Would You Believe?
Andrew Watson makes his Scotland debut as the world's first black international football player and captain
On March 12, 1881
Famous Weddings
- 1969 Paul McCartney marries Linda Louise Eastman in London
- 1970 Actor Phil Hartman (21) weds first wife Gretchen Lewis
- 1992 Actress Annette Bening (33) weds actor Warren Beatty (54)
George Westinghouse
Sun Yat-sen
William George Barker
David Beatty
Anne Frank
Terry PratchettMarch in History
Mr. Watson come here, I want you
Alexander Graham Bell spoke only briefly by phone to his assistant on this day in 1876, but it proved to be a pioneering moment in telecoms history.
March 10, 1876
Wave of Doubt over Britannia
The composer who put "Rule, Britannia!" to music was born on this day, but the original words are not quite what they bellow out at the Last Night of the Proms.
March 12, 1710
Sportsman Who Became Larger Than Life
Nothing suggested that Daniel Lambert, born on this day, would evolve from an athletic youngster to the mountain of a man that he became.
March 13, 1770
Boy Wonder Conquers Theatreland
Parliament was adjourned on this day so that MPs could grab their seats for a performance by Master Betty – the theatrical wonder of the age.
March 14, 1805