Historical Events on January 12

Events 1 - 200 of 207

• 475 Basiliscus becomes Byzantine Emperor, with a coronation ceremony in the Hebdomon palace in Constantinople.
• 1493 Last day for all Jews to leave Sicily
• 1528 Gustav I of Sweden "father of the nation" crowned King of Sweden. Rules 37 years
• 1552 Dutch west coast hit by heavy storm, hundreds killed
• 1554 Bayinnaung is crowned King of Burma. He would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia
• 1583 Holland begins use of Gregorian calendar (yesterday was 1/1/1583)
• 1598 Pope Clement VIII seizes duchy of Ferrara on death of Alfonso
• 1616 Brazilian city Belem (the entrance gate to the Amazon) founded by Captain Major Francisco Branco
• 1701 Frisia & Groningen (Netherlands) begin use of Gregorian calendar

• 1773 First public museum established in north American colonies (Charlestown, SC)
• 1777 Mission Santa Clara de Asis founded in California

• 1806 French evacuate Vienna
• 1807 Gunpowder-ship explodes in Leiden, Netherlands, 150 die
• 1808 The organizational meeting that led to the creation of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.


• 1809 British take Cayenne (French Guiana) from French (until 1814)
• 1812 1st cargo arrives in New Orleans by steam, from Natchez
• 1816 France decrees Bonaparte family excluded from the country forever
• 1820 Astronomical Society of London (now the Royal Astronomical Society) founded in England
• 1836 Battle of Wetumka, Fla

• 1839 Anthracite coal 1st used to smelt iron, Mauch Chunk, Penn
• 1842 Franciscan nuns begin missionary work on Netherland Antilles
• 1848 Palermo rising against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies takes place in Sicily
• 1861 Florida state troops demand surrender of Fort Pickens (US Civil War)
• 1863 President Davis delivers his "State of Confederacy" address
• 1865 -13] Union fleet bombs Fort Fisher NC
• 1866 The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.

• 1872 Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.
• 1875 Kwang-su becomes Emperor of China
• 1895 The National Trust is founded in Britain.
• 1896 1st X-ray photo in US (Dr Henry Smith, Davidson NC)
• 1898 Itō Hirobumi begins his third term as Prime Minister of Japan
• 1899 Lynmouth Lifeboat rescues 18 people from the stricken schooner Forest Hall off the coast of Devon
• 1900 Freeland Colony founded in US
• 1902 Uddevalla Suffrage Association is formally dissolved

• 1903 Rhodes Opera House burns in Boyertown, Pennsylvania killing 170
• 1904 Herero people of South West Africa, now Namibia, rebel against German colonial rule


• 1906 1st time Dow Jones closes above 100 (100.26)
• 1906 Football rules committee legalizes forward pass

• 1907 Britain grants responsible government to former colony of Transvaal
• 1908 A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time.
• 1911 The University of the Philippines College of Law is formally established; three future Philippine presidents are among the first enrollees.
• 1912 -47°F (-44°C), Washta, Iowa (state record)

• 1915 US House of Representatives rejects proposal to give women right to vote
• 1916 Britain proclaims Gilbert & Ellice Islands as a colony in Pacific
• 1916 Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke receive the Pour le Merite, the German Empire's highest military award, for achieving eight aerial victories each over Allied aircrafts

• 1918 Finland's "Mosaic Confessors" law went into effect, making Finnish Jews full citizens.
• 1920 Annual drafting of baseball players from minor leagues to be done in inverse order of the final standings, agreed to
• 1921 Kenesaw Mountain Landis becomes 1st commissioner of baseball
• 1924 History of Science Society organized at Boston
• 1925 John Howard Lawson's "Processional" premieres in NYC
• 1928 Philip Barry & Elmer Rice's "Cock Robin" premieres in NYC
• 1929 Seatrain (RR cars on ships) service begins, New Orleans-Havana
• 1932 Hattie W Caraway elected 1st woman senator (D-Ark)
• 1932 Philip Barry's "Animal Kingdom" premieres in NYC
• 1933 US Congress recognizes the Philippines' independence
• 1933 Uprising of Guardia Civil in Spain, 25 dies
• 1937 Plough for laying submarine cable patented
• 1940 World War II: Soviets bombs cities in Finland.
• 1942 British troops reconquer Sollum
• 1942 Dutch troops on Tarakan surrender
• 1942 National War Labor Board created
• 1943 Frankfurters replaced by Victory Sausages (mix of meat & soy meal)
• 1944 Churchill & de Gaulle begin a 2-day wartime conference in Marrakesh
• 1944 Failed resistance raid on distribution office of Borgerstraat, Amsterdam
• 1945 German forces in Belgium retreat in Battle of Bulge
• 1945 US Task Force 38 destroys 41 Japanese ships in Battle of South China Sea
• 1945 The Soviets begin a large offensive against the Nazis in Eastern Europe
• 1946 "Polonaise" closes at Alvin Theater NYC after 113 performances
• 1946 Edouardo de Filippo's "Questi Fantasmi!" premieres in Rome
• 1946 NFL champs Cleveland Rams given permission to move to LA
• 1948 1st Supermarket in UK opens

• 1948 US Supreme Court decision (Sipuel v Oklahoma State Board of Regents)
• 1949 "Arthur Godfrey & his Friends" premieres on CBS TV
• 1949 Dutch court affirms death sentence against SS chief Hanns Rauter
• 1950 Swedish tanker rams British submarine Truculent in Thames, 64 die
• 1950 USSR re-introduces death penalty for treason, espionage & sabotage

• 1952 NFL Pro Bowl: National Conference beats American Conference 30-13
• 1952 University of Tennessee admits it's 1st black student
• 1953 9 "Jewish" physicians arrested for "terrorist activities" in Moscow
• 1954 Austria's worst avalanche-kills 200; 9hrs later 2nd one-kills 115

• 1956 FBi arrests 6 members of the Great Brink's robbery gang, 6 days before statute of limitations runs out
• 1957 Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) founded
• 1958 NCAA adds 2 point conversion to football scoring
• 1958 NFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 26-7

• 1959 KOED TV channel 11 in Tulsa, OK (PBS) begins broadcasting
• 1959 Rediscovery of the Caves of Nerja in Spain

• 1960 Gary Sobers and Frank Worrell complete 399 stand for 4th wkt WI v England
• 1960 Syracuse National Dolph Schayes is 1st NBA'er to score 15,000 points
• 1961 "Show Girl" opens at Eugene O'Neill Theater NYC for 100 performances
• 1961 UN genocide pact goes into effect
• 1962 Operation Chopper begins, America's first combat mission in the Vietnam War
• 1963 "Go Away Little Girl" by Steve Lawrence peaks at #1
• 1963 Spin bowler Bobby Simpson takes 5-57 for Australia v England
• 1964 NFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 31-17
• 1964 Revolution overthrows Sultan of Zanzibar, 1 month after independence
• 1965 "Hullabaloo" premieres on NBC-TV
• 1965 At 10:58 am PST burn up a nuclear rocket in Nevada
• 1966 12 day NYC transit strike ends

• 1966 3 British Members of Parliament are attacked in a hotel in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe)

• 1967 Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation and remains preserved at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation
• 1967 NBC premiers the colorized remake of "Dragnet"
• 1968 Beatles Film Production Ltd changes name to Apple Film Production Ltd
• 1968 Nighttime version of "Hollywood Squares" premieres on NBC TV
• 1969 "Golden Rainbow" closes at Shubert Theater NYC after 355 performances
• 1969 Super Bowl III: NY Jets beat Balt Colts, 16-7 in Miami Super Bowl MVP: Joe Namath, NY Jets, QB
• 1969 Debut album of Led Zeppelin released first in the US
• 1971 "All in the Family" premieres on CBS featuring 1st toilet flush on TV
• 1971 "Soon" opens at Ritz Theater NYC for 3 performances
• 1971 Congressional Black Caucus organizes

• 1971 Negotiations over price of petroleum begin in Tehran between 6 OPEC Persian Gulf states and 22 oil companies
• 1971 2 bombs explode at UK Employment Secretary Robert Carr's home
• 1971 21st NBA All-Star Game: West beats East 108-107 at San Diego
• 1972 Tigers sign a lease to build a $126M domed stadium (doesn't happen)
• 1974 "Joker" by Steve Miller Band peaks at #1
• 1974 Libya & Tunisia announces they are merging as "Islamic Arab Republic"
• 1975 Chrysler Corp offers 1st car rebates
• 1975 Super Bowl IX: Pittsburgh Steelers beat Minnesota Vikings, 16-6 in New Orleans Super Bowl MVP: Franco Harris, Pittsburgh, RB
• 1976 UN Security Council votes 11-1 to seat Palestine Liberation Organisation
• 1977 "Ipi Tombi" opens at Harkness Theater NYC for 39 performances
• 1977 Anti-French demonstrations takes place in Israel after Paris released Abu Daoud, responsible 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli athletes

• 1979 LA's Hillside Strangler, Kenneth Bianchi, arrested in Bellingham
• 1979 Record blizzard strikes the US midwest killing over 100
• 1980 Mike Bratz (Phoenix) begins NBA free throw streak of 57 games
• 1980 Björn Borg of Sweden wins his first of 2 season-ending ATP Masters Grand Prix tennis titles outclassing American Vitas Gerulaitis 6–2, 6–2 at Madison Square Garden, NYC
• 1981 Soap opera "Dynasty" produced by Aaron Spelling and starring John Forsythe, Linda Evans and Joan Collins premieres on ABC-TV
• 1981 -35°F (-37°C), Chester, Massachusetts (state record)
• 1983 Brooks Robinson & Juan Marichal elected to Hall of Fame
• 1983 NCAA creates football Kickoff Classic to begin in August
• 1986 24th space shuttle (61-C) mission-Columbia 7-launched
• 1986 Chicago Blackhawk centre Denis Savard scores at 4 seconds of 3rd period
• 1986 AFC Championship Game: New England Patriots beat Miami Dolphins 31-14
• 1986 NFC Championship Game: Chicago Bears beat Los Angeles Rams 24-0

• 1988 Willie Stargell (Pitts Pirate), elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
• 1989 6 claim to survive in rubble, 35 days after Armenian quake (hoax)

• 1990 Romania bans Communist party (1st Warsaw Pact member to do so)
• 1991 Largest crowd to watch Atlantic Coast Womens Basketball game (11,520)
• 1991 Melvin Stewart swims world record 200 m butterfly (1:55.69)

• 1992 13th ACE Cable Awards: CNN wins the Golden CableACE for the coverage of the Persian Gulf War
• 1992 Last building in Gateway area in Cleveland is demolished
• 1992 US male Figure Skating championship won by Christopher Bowman
• 1992 Algeria's general elections canceled after strong gains by Islamic Salvation Front in the 1st round
• 1992 A new constitution, providing for freedom to form political parties, is approved by a referendum in Mali.

• 1992 NFC Championship Game: Washington Redskins beat Detroit Lions 41-10

• 1994 Steve Carlton (Phillies) elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
• 1995 Major earthquake kills 5,092 in Kobe Japan

• 1996 Russian troops arrived in Bosnia (joint operation with US)

• 1997 Annika Sorenstam wins LPGA Chrysler-Plymouth Tournament of Champions
• 1997 Ice skater Oksana Baiul injured slightly whiled driving intoxicated
• 1997 Space Shuttle STS 81 (Atlantis 18), launches into space

• 1997 AFC Championship Game: New England Patriots beat Jacksonville Jaguars 20-6
• 1997 NFC Championship Game: Green Bay Packers beat Carolina Panthers 30-13
• 1998 Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.
• 2001 Downtown Disney opens to the public in Anaheim

• 2004 The world's largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.
• 2005 Deep Impact (space mission) launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta 2 rocket.
• 2006 A stampede during the Stoning the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims
• 2006 Turkey releases Mehmet Ali Ağca from jail after he served 25 years for shooting Pope John Paul II
• 2006 French warship Clemenceau reaches Egypt and is barred access to the Suez Canal. Greenpeace activists board the ship.
• 2006 The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany declare that negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program have reached a dead end and recommend that Iran be referred to the United Nations Security Council.

• 2007 Comet McNaught reaches perihelion becoming the brightest comet in more than 40 years.

• 2010 Earthquake occurs in Haiti killing approximately 160,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince
• 2010 Colombia officially leaves the recession after achieving 2% economic growth in the last quarter of 2009
• 2012 17th Critics' Choice Movie Awards: The Artist wins Best Film
• 2013 A failed attempt to rescue a French hostage in Bulo Marer, Somalia, results in 18 deaths
• 2013 Beijing’s level of air pollution is declared to be at levels that are hazardous to human health
• 2013 "Mile High Miracle", In AFC Divisional Playoff Game Denver Broncos trail Baltimore Ravens 35-28 with 1:09 remaining, quarterback Joe Flacco heaves 70 yard touchdown pass to receiver Jacoby Jones to tie the game. Ravens win in overtime.

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