12th April, on this day

352 St Julius I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
467 Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire
1065 Pilgrims under bishop Günther of Bamberg reach Jerusalem
1111 Pope Paschalis II crowns Henry V, Roman emperor
1204 4th Crusade occupies and plunders Constantinople
1229 Queen Blanche of Castilië and Earl Raymond VII van Toulouse sign peace
1385 Willem van Oostervant weds Philip the Stout's daughter Margaretha (10)
1545 French king François I orders protestants of Vaudois to be killed
1583 William of Orange marries Louise de Coligny
1606 England adopts the Union Jack as its flag
1633 The formal inquest of Galileo Galilei by the Inquisition begins.
1654 England, Ireland and Scotland unite
1709 1st edition of Tattler magazine in England
1770 Townsend Acts repealed
1776 Halifax resolution for independence adopted by North Carolina
1782 Battle at Les Saintes West-Indies British fleet beats French
1787 Philadelphia's Free African Society forms
1811 1st US colonists on Pacific coast arrive at Cape Disappointment WA
1826 Weber's opera "Oberon", premieres in London
1838 English settlers in South Africa defeat the Zulus at the Battle of Tugela
1844 Texas became a US territory
1857 Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" published
1858 1st US billiards championship is held in Detroit (Michael J Phelan wins)
1861 The American Civil War, between 23 Northern States and 11 from the Southern Confederacy begins with the siege of Fort Sumter in South Carolina
1862 James Andrews steals Confederate train (General) at Kennesaw, GA
1862 Union troops occupy Fort Pulaski ,GA
1863 Gunboat battle at Bayou Teche ,LA
1864 Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest captures Fort Pillow, TN
1864 Battle of Blair's Landing, LA
1865 American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.
1869 North Carolina legislature passes anti-Klan Law
1872 Jesse James gang robs bank in Columbia, KY (1 dead/$1,500)
1877 British annex Transvaal, in South Africa
1883 French troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Borgnis-Desbordes occupy Bamako Senegal
1892 George C Blickensderfer patents portable typewriter
1893 Battle at Hoornkrans Southwest-Africa German Schutztruppen chases away Hottentotten under Hendrik Witbooi
1894 British and Belgian secret accord on dividing Central-Africa
1896 Stamasia Portrisi is 1st woman to win a marathon (5:30 in Athens)
1902 In South Africa, Boer leaders meet British commander Lord Kitchener to discuss peace proposals to end Boer War
1905 French Dufaux brothers test helicopter
1907 Belgium government of De Stain de Naeyer, resigns
1908 Fire makes 17,000 homeless in Chelsea, MA
1911 1st non-stop London-Paris flight (Pierre Prier in 3 hours 56 minutes)
1917
Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans. It is also considered a major event in Canadian history for the primary role Canadian forces played in the attack.
1919 British Parliament passes a 48-hour work week with minimum wages
1927 General Chiang Kai-shek begins counter revolution in Shanghai. April 12 Incident: Chiang Kai-shek orders the CPC members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front (China).
1928 Assassination attempt on king Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
1931 Spanish voters reject the monarchy
1934 Highest velocity wind ever recorded on Mount Washington NH, 231 mph
1934 The Auto-Lite Strike, which culminated in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers, began.
1935 First flight of the Bristol Blenheim.
1935 "Your Hit Parade", debuts on radio
1935 Germany prohibits publishing "not-Arian" writers
1937 Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at the British Thomson-Houston factory in Rugby, England.
1938 1st US law requiring medical tests for marriage licenses (New York)
1940 Italy annexes Albania
1941 Vichy-France's head of government Admiral Dalan consults with Hitler
1942 Japan kills about 400 Filipino officers in Bataan
1943 Allies conquer Soussa, North-Africa
1945 Canadian troops liberate Nazi concentration camp Westerbork, Netherlands
1945 Vice President Harry S.Truman becomes 33rd President of the United States following the death of Franklin D.Roosevelt
1945 Richard Strauss completes his "Metamorphosis"
1946 Syria gains independence from France
1951 Israeli Knesset officially designates April 13 as Holocaust Day
1952 Salaheddine Baccouche forms Tunisian government
1954 In America, Bill Haley records 'Rock Around The Clock' - the first record to sell a million copies in Britain. The song goes on to be featured in at least 15 films and recorded in 35 languages
1954 Belgian Van Houtte government resigns
1955 Salk polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, safe and effective
1956 Bandaranaike government forms in Ceylon
1957 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
1959 France Observator reports torture practice by French army in Algeria
1961 The Russians successfully complete the first manned space flight with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in Vostok 1 becoming the world's first man in space.He makes one full orbit of the Earth before returning to land
1963 The Soviet nuclear powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits. Although both vessels are severely damaged both can make it to port.
1963 Beatles "From Me to You" is released in UK
1963 Birmingham police use dogs and cattle prods on peaceful demonstrators
1966 Rocker Jan Berry crashes his Corvette into a parked truck
1966 American bombers carry out their first strike against North Vietnam
1968 Nerve gas accident at Skull Valley, Utah.
1969 Simon and Garfunkel releases "The Boxer"
1973 France recognizes North Vietnam
1973 Sudan adopts constitution
1973 Swaziland suspends constitution
1979 Soyuz 33 returns to Earth
1980 US Olympic Committee endorses a boycott of the Moscow games
1980 BCMA (Black Consciousness Movement of Azania) forms
1980 Samuel Doe takes control of Liberia in a coup d'etat, ending over 130 years of democratic presidential succession in that country.
1980 Terry Fox begins his "Marathon of Hope" by dipping his artificial leg into the Atlantic at St. John's, Newfoundland.
1981 Maiden voyage Space Transit System-space shuttle Columbia launched
1982 3 CBS employees shot to death in NYC parking lot
1983 Harold Washington becomes Chicago's 1st black mayor
1983 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk USSR
1985 16th Shuttle Mission (51D)-Discovery 4 launched-with Senator Jake Garn
1986 20,000 mine workers protest closing of Hasselt Belgium mines
1987 Texaco files for bankruptcy
1988 Harvard University patents genetically engineered mouse (1st for animal life)
1988 Sonny Bono elected mayor of Palm Springs, CA
1990 1st meeting of East German democratically elected parliament, acknowledges responsibility for Nazi holocaust and asks for forgiveness
1990 Greyhound Bus hires new drivers to replace strikers
1990 James Brown moves to a work-release center after serving 15 months
1990 The Russians admit they were responsible for the massacre of 15,000 Polish Officers and senior diplomats at Katyn Wood in the Soviet Union in 1940
1991 US announces closing of 31 major US military bases
1991 Nepalese Congress party wins general elections
1992 Earthquake rocks Germany
1992 Euro Disney opens in Marne-la-Vallee, France
1992 Lynn Gunther of California threatens to blow herself up in front of UN
1992 Actress Lisa Bonet files for divorce from singer Lenny Kravitz
1994 Canter & Siegel post the first commercial mass Usenet spam.
1997 A bomb plot to kill Pope John Paul II fails as police in Sarajevo find mines under a bridge just hours before his arrival
1998 An earthquake in Slovenia, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale near the town of Bovec.
1999 American President Bill Clinton was cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in the Paula Jones sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
2002 Pedro Carmona becomes interim President of Venezuela during the Venezuelan coup attempt of 2002, a military coup against Hugo Chávez.
2007 The Kremlin vetos an investigation into the death of Yuri Gagarin, who was the first man in space.

12th April 2006

Iran urged to stop nuclear work

Iraqi death squads 'not police'

US jurors hear 9/11 cockpit tape

12th April 2007

Explosion at Iraq parliament cafe

Pakistan army joins tribal fight

UN chief urges release of BBC man

12th April 2008

Baghdad clashes 'kill 13 gunmen'

China defends Tibetan stance

'World peace' hitcher is murdered

12th April 2009

US captain rescued from pirates

Troops die in India Maoist attack

CAR cattle fair dispute kills 20

12th April 2010

Landslide derails train in Italy leaving 9 dead

Israel remembers the Holocaust

Deepest sea vents discovered

Birthdates which occurred on 12th April :

1500 Joachim Camerarius [Liebhard Kammerer] German humanist
1573 Jacques Bonfrère Dutch bible expert
1579 François de Bassompierre marshal of France
1626 Paul Hainlein composer
1692 Giuseppe Tartini composer, Istria
1695 Caspar Burman historian/mayor (Utrecht Netherlands)
1716 Felice de' Giardini composer
1722 Pietro Nardini composer
1724 Lyman Hall US physician (signed Declaration of Independence)
1727 Gaspare Gabellone composer
1760 Juan Manuel Olivares composer
1764 Dirk van den Boetzelaer regent of Holland
1769 Giovanni Agostino Perotti composer
1777 Henry Clay [the Great Compromiser] US politician
1788 Johann Erik Nordblom composer
1791 Francis Preston Blair newspaper editor (Washington Globe)
1792 John George Lambton London, statesman (1st Earl of Durham)
1793 Ferdinand I the Good Natured, Emperor of Austria/king of Hungary
1794 Germinal P Dandelin Belgian mathematician (geometry)
1801 Henry de Cock Dutch reformed vicar/secession leader
1801 Josef Franz Karl Lanner Austria, composer/violist
1802 François MP Liberman French relig leader (Congregation of Heart)
1815 Henry Hugo Pierson composer
1823 Aleksandr Ostrovsky Russian playwright (Artists & Admirers)
1827 Edward Mollenhauer composer
1831 Constantin Meunier Belgian painter/sculptor
1831 George Burgwyn Anderson Brigadier General (Confederate Army)
1831 Grenville Mellen Dodge Major General (Union volunteers)
1838 John Shaw Billings US, librarian/army physician
1839 Victorin de Joncieres composer
1840 Edmond Audran composer
1851 Emil Liebling composer
1852 [Carl L] Ferdinand von Lindemann German mathematician
1856 William M Conway English historian/explorer (Spitzbergen)
1863 Raul d'Avila Pompeia Brazilian writer (Boarding School)
1869 Henri-Désiré Landru French sex murderer
1871 Ioannis Metaxas Greek General/dictator (1936-41)
1878 Richard B Goldschmidt German/US zoologist
1879 Frederick G Melcher US, publisher/editor/founded children book week
1883 Imogen Cunningham photographer (1965 ASMP award)
1884 Otto Meyerhof Germany, psychologist/biochemist (Nobel-1922)
1885 Robert Délaunay French painter
1889 Pierre-Étienne Flandin French premier (1934-35)/Minister of Foreign affairs
1892 Johnny Dodds early jazz clarinettist
1894 Francisco H Craveiro Lopes Portuguese General/President (1951-58)
1898 Sir Grantley H Adams President of Barbados
1902 Louis J M Beel premier of Netherlands (1946-48, 58-59)
1903 Jan Tinbergen Dutch economist/UN advisor (Nobel 1969)
1904 Harald James Penrose pilot
1905 Inger J Hagerup-Halsír Norwegian poet
1908 Carlos Lleras Restrepo President of Colombia
1908 John T Hughes Bishop to Forces
1908 Virginia Cherrill actress (Lake Extra, Brat, City Lights, Delicious)
1910 Jürgen Rausch German philosopher/author (End of the Playboys)
1911 Darrell A Amyx US archaeologist (Greek Ceramics)
1911 Geoff Chubb cricketer (South Africa pace bowler vs England 1951-52 aged 40)
1912 Georges Franju France, director (Judex, L'homme sans visage)
1912 Herbert Mills singer, (Mills Brothers)
1912 Eric Feldary Budapest Hungary, actor (16 Fathoms Deep)
1912 Harold Maguire British air marshal
1913 Gabor Jodal composer
1915 Emil [Theodore] Petaja US, sci-fi author (Star Mill, Tramontane)
1916 Brian Connell writer/broadcaster
1917 M Marie Widlow St Louis MO, softball pitcher (Hall of Fame 1957)
1917 Vinoo Mankad cricketer (India's greatest all-rounder to his time)
1918 Edward John Stanley 18th Earl of Derby, English landowner/multi-millionaire
1919 Istvan Anhalt composer
1919 Lady Ricketts CEO (National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux)
1919 Maurice Girodias French publisher
1919 Wilson Charles Geoffery Baldwin hero
1920 Robert Fizdale Chicago IL, pianist (Misia)
1920 H R Hewitt CEO (Johnson Matthey)
1921 A W Mabbs archivist
1923 Ann Miller [Lucille Ann Collier] Houston TX, dancer/actress (On the Town)
1923 Maria Callas opera singer (Carmen)
1923 E C Meade British chartered accountant
1924 Julius Moormann student/resistance fighter (WWII)
1924 Sergiu Natra composer
1925 Johnny Jordan England, cameraman (You Only Live Twice)
1927 Jane Withers Atlanta GA, actress (All Together Now, Josephine the plumber)
1927 Patrick Meehan petty criminal
1928 Brooklyn Supreme Belgium, stallion, heaviest known horse (1450 kg)
1928 Hardy Kruger Berlin Germany, actor (Barry Lyndon, Wrong is Right)
1928 Uwe Kitzinger president (Templeton College-Oxford)
1929 Elspet Gray (Lady Rix), actress (4 Weddings & a Funeral, Solo, Tenko)
1930 Betty Clooney Maysville KY, singer (Jack Paar Show)
1930 Bryan Magee writer
1930 Lou A de Graaf Dutch Assistant Secretary of Social Affairs (VDA)
1930 Uwe Kitzinger president (Templeton College, Oxford)
1931 Billy Vaughn Glasgow KY, singer (Chapel by the Sea)
1931 Martin Boykan composer
1932 Tiny Tim [Herbert Butros Khaury] New York NY, singer (Tip Toe Thru' the Tulips With Me)
1932 Henri Lazarof composer
1932 Jack Gelber US, playwright (Connection, Apple)
1933 Montserrat Caballé Barcelona Spain, soprano (Mimi-La Boheme)
1935 Wendy Savage obstetrician/gynaecologist
1936 Charles Napier actor (Night Stalker, Rambo)
1936 Kennedy A Simmonds premier (St Kitts & Nevis, 1983-95)
1937 Igor Petrovich Volk Russia, cosmonaut (Soyuz T-12)
1937 Raymond Ceulemans Belgian world champion billiards player
1939 Alan Ayckbourn London, playwright
1940 Herbie Hancock Chicago IL, pianist (I Thought it was You)
1941 Julio B Euson Aruban singer (I Use the Soap)
1942 Frank Bank Hollywood CA, actor (Lumpy-Leave it to Beaver)
1942 Bill Bryden theatre director
1942 Daniel Winslow Schmidt composer
1943 Charles Ludlam New York NY, playwright/actor (Big Easy)
1944 John Kay [Joachim F Krauledat] Tilsit East Prussia Germany, rocker (Steppenwolf-Hour of the World)
1944 Karel Kryl folk singer
1945 Hilary Nicolle educationist
1946 Ed[ward] O'Neill Youngstown OH, actor (Michael Mooney-Big Apple, Al Bundy-Married with Children)
1946 Peter L de Baan Dutch actor/director/playwright (Leonce & Lena)
1946 René Krijnen Dutch keyboardist (Les Baroques)
1947 Dan Lauria actor (Jack Arnold-Wonder Years) (1947 approximately)
1947 David Letterman Indianapolis IN, comedian (Late Night)
1947 Wayne Northrop Sumner WA, actor (Michael-Dynasty)
1948 Raphick Jumadeen cricketer (West Indies slow left-armer of the 70's)
1950 David Cassidy New York NY, singer/actor (Keith-Partridge Family)
1950 Tom Werner owner (San Diego Padres)/producer (Roseanne, Cosby Show)
1951 Jakson Spires rock drummer/songwriter (Blackfoot)
1952 Alexis Arguello Managua Nicaragua, featherweight boxer (1974 champion)
1952 Fred McCarren Butler PA, actor (Free Country, Amanda's)
1952 J D Nicholas English guitarist (Heatwave, Commodores)
1954 Marvin Johnson US, middleweight boxer (Olympics-bronze-1972)
1954 Pat Travers Toronto Ontario Canada, rock guitarist (Boom Boom, Out Go The Lights)
1956 Andy Garcia [Andrés Arturo García Menéndez] Havana Cube, actor (Stand & Deliver, 8 Million Ways to Die)
1956 Alexander Briley vocalist (YMCA-Village People)
1956 Doris Baaten Dutch actress (Sesame Street, Fien)
1958 Tony James rocker (Sigue Sigue Sputnik-Love Missile F-111)
1958 Will Sergeant rock guitarist (Echo & Bunnymen-Killing Moon, Heaven Up Here)
1959 Elissa Leeds New York NY, actress (Cissy-Dorothy)
1959 Pascal Barré France, sprint relay team/twin brother of Patrick (Olympics-bronze-1980)
1959 Patrick Barré France, sprint relay team/twin brother of Pascal (Olympics-bronze-1980)
1961 D D Verni heavy metal rocker (Overkill-Hello From the Gutter)
1961 Julius Kariuki Kenya, 3K steeplechaser (Olympics-gold-1988)
1964 Mike Macfarlane Stockton CA, catcher (Kansas City Royals)
1965 Elaine Zayak New Jersey, figure skater (Olympics-6th-1984)
1966 Jeffrey Hunter WLAF defensive end (London Monarchs)
1966 Lorenzo White NFL running back (Cleveland Browns)
1966 Theo Blanco WLAF receiver (Amsterdam Admirals)
1967 Bobby Abrams NFL outside linebacker (New England Patriots)
1967 Donna Andrews Lynchburg VA, LPGA golfer (1994 Nabisco Dinah Shore)
1967 Kirk Everist Houston TX, water polo driver (Olympics-96)
1967 Mellow Man Ace [Ulpiano Sergio Reyez] Havana Cuba, Spanish rapper/actor (Only the Strong)
1968 Adam Graves Toronto Ontario Canada, NHL left wing (New York Rangers)
1968 Alicia Coppola actress (Lorna Devon-Another World)
1968 Neal Fort CFL tackle (Montréal Alouettes)
1969 Michael Jackson NFL wide receiver (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens)
1970 Patrick Brugnoli hockey forward (Team Italy 1998)
1971 Shannen Doherty Memphis TN, actress (Little House, Bev Hills 90210)
1971 Fernando Meligeni Argentina, tennis star
1971 Kent Manderville Edmonton, NHL left wing (Edmonton Oilers)
1971 Tyrone Chatman CFL linebacker (British Columbia Lions)
1973 Antonio Osuna Sinaloa México, pitcher (Los Angeles Dodgers)
1973 Claudia Jordan Miss Rhode Island-USA (1997, top 10)
1973 Pamela Polk Berlin WI, Miss Wisconsin-America (1996)
1974 Kabir Khan cricketer (Pakistani slow left-armer 1994- )
1974 Roman Hamrlik Gottwaldov Czechoslovakia, NHL defenseman (Lightning, Olympics-gold-98)
1975 Marcie Alberts WNBA guard (Cleveland Rockers)
1975 Sofie Rahman Miss Hong Kong-Universe (1996)
1978 Eddie Robinson actor (Neil Atwater-Swan's Crossing)
1979 Claire Danes New York NY, actress (Angela-My So Called Life, Romeo & Juliet)

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Deaths which occurred on April 12:
0352 Julius I pope (337-52), dies
1550 Claude of Lorraine duke of Guise, dies at 53
1555 Johanna de Wanzinnige Queen of Castilie (1504-20), dies at 75
1690 Miguel Gomez Camargo composer, dies at 71
1704 John Hudde 21x mayor of Amsterdam, dies at 76
1748 William Kent English sculptor/architect (Kensington Palace), dies
1760 Baron Ernst Gottlieb composer, dies at 64
1777 Claude-Prosper J de Crébillon French writer (Le sopha), dies at 70
1788 Carl Joseph Toeschi composer, dies at 56
1788 Carlo Antonio Campioni composer, dies at 67
1795 Rainieri de Calzabigi Italian literary, dies at 80
1797 Josef Antonin Stepan composer, dies at 71
1817 Charles Messier "comet ferret" & catalogs famous "M objects", dies
1828 Jean Henri Appelius Dutch lawyer/minister of Finance, dies at 60
1845 Henry M baron the Kock officer/politician, dies at 65
1859 John Emde German evangelist, dies at about 84
1864 Thomas Green US Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at 50
1878 William M "Boss" Tweed New York politician, dies
1896 Alexander Ritter composer, dies at 62
1909 Hermann Kotzchmar composer, dies at 79
1910 William G Sumner US sociologist/politicologist (Folkways), dies at 69
1912 Clara Barton organized American Red Cross, dies at 90
1914 Josef Nesvera composer, dies at 71
1922 Frantisek Ondricek composer, dies at 64
1938 Feodor Chaliapine Russian author (Man & Mark), dies at 65
1938 Serafín Alvarez Quintéro Spanish playwright (Piropos), dies at 67
1942 Johannes E Akkeringa Dutch painter/etcher, dies at 80
1945 Franklin Delano Roosevelt 32nd US President (1933-1945, Democrat), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs GA at 63
1946 August Borms Flemish nazi collaborator, executed at 67
1946 F Guicciardi writer, dies
1947 Christian F L Leipoldt South African writer (Die Moormansgat), dies
1951 Harold Vincent Milligan composer, dies at 62
1954 Pim [Willem JH] Mulier Dutch journalist/sports-organizer, dies at 89
1956 José Moscardo Ituarte Spanish General (Alcázar 1936), dies at 77
1959 Ernest Willem Mulder composer, dies at 60
1959 James Gleason dies at 76
1961 Nils-Eric Fougstedt composer, dies at 50
1961 Philippine "Pine" Belder [Mary de Klerk] actress, dies at 93
1965 Linda Darnell US actress (Dakota Incident), dies at 43
1966 Sumokil President of Republic South Moluccas, executed
1972 C W Ceram [Kurt Marek] German/US writer (1st American), dies at 57
1972 Henri Potiron composer, dies at 89
1974 Carl Jaffe dies at 72
1975 Joséphine Baker US/French revue artist (Folies-Bergère), dies at 68
1976 Paul Ford actor (Phil Silvers Show), dies at 74
1977 Philip K Wrigley baseball owner (Chicago Cubs), dies at 82
1980 William R Tolbert Jr Liberian President & 27 others killed in coup
1980 Stanley De Silva cricketer (motor bike Sri Lanka '79 World Cup), dies
1981 Hans Chemin-Petit composer, dies at 78
1981 Hendrik F Andriessen Dutch organist/composer (Te Deum), dies at 88
1981 Joe Louis [Brown bomber] US heavyweight champion (1937-49), dies at 66
1984 Ruth Taylor actress (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), dies at 76
1987 Ewan Calague economist/statistician (Social Security) dies at 90
1988 Alan Stewart Paton writer, dies
1989 Abbie Hoffman yippie peace activist of the 60's, dies at 52
1989 Sugar Ray Robinson [Walker Smith Jr] world welterweight champion (1946-51)/5-time middleweight champion, dies of Alzheimers at 67
1990 Henry Kendrick dies
1991 James Schuyler US poet (Pulitzer 1980), dies
1992 Joe Medwick vocalist, dies at 61
1993 Isaac Rojas Vice President of Argentina (1955-58), dies
1993 Patience Jarvis dies of melanoma at 56
1994 Harry la Fontaine Danish/US resistance fighter/producer, dies at 81
1994 Jean Carmet dies at 72
1994 Q T Macon blues vocal/guitar, dies at 60
1995 Chris Pyne trombonist, dies at 56
1996 Marthe Robert essayist/translator, dies at 82
1996 Nancy Sheehan writer, dies at 69
1996 William Wilkinson businessman/conservationist, dies at 63
1997 George Wald scientist, dies at 90

Golden Link 1/ On this day 12th April

Golden Link 2/ On this day 12th April

Golden Link 3/ On this day 12th April