February 12
February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 322 days remaining, 323 in leap years.
Events
- 1354 - Treaty of Stralsund settles border disputes between the duchies of Mecklenburg and Pomerania.
- 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Comte de Clermont and John Stuart in the Battle of Rouvray (also known as the Battle of the Herrings).
- 1541 - Santiago, Chile is founded by Pedro de Valdivia.
- 1554 - A year after claiming the throne of England for nine days, Lady Jane Grey is beheaded for treason.
- 1689 - The Convention Parliament convenes and declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication.
- 1719 - The Onderlinge van 1719 u.a., the oldest existing life insurance company in the Netherlands is founded.
- 1733 - Englishman James Oglethorpe founds the 13th United States colony of Georgia, and its first city at Savannah.
- 1737 - The San Carlo, the oldest working opera house in Europe, is inaugurated.
- 1771 - Gustav III becomes the King of Sweden when his father Adolf Frederick "[eats] himself to death".
- 1817 - Argentine/Chilean patriotic army, after crossing the Andes, defeat Spanish troops on the battle of Chacabuco.
- 1818 - Bernardo O'Higgins signs the Independence of Chile near Concepción.
- 1825 - The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government, and migrate west.
- 1832 - Ecuador annexes the Galápagos Islands.
- 1870 - Women gain the right to vote in Utah Territory.
- 1879 - At New York City's Madison Square Garden the first artificial ice rink in North America opens.
- 1892 - Former President Abraham Lincoln's birthday is declared a national holiday in the United States.
- 1894 - Anarchist Emile Henry hurls a bomb into Paris's Cafe Terminus, killing one and wounding 20.
- 1909 - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded.
- 1912 - Xuantong Emperor of the Manchu Qing dynasty, the last Emperor of China, abdicates.
- 1912 - the Republic of China adopts the Gregorian calendar.
- 1915 - In Washington, DC, the first stone of the Lincoln Memorial is put into place.
- 1924 - Premiere of George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with Paul Whiteman's Palais Royal Orchestra in Aeolian Hall in New York City
- 1924 - Calvin Coolidge becomes the first President of the United States to deliver a political speech on radio.
- 1934 - The Austrian Civil War begins.
- 1934 - The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated.
- 1934 - In Spain the national council of Juntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista is inaugurated. The council decides to merge the movement with the Falange Española.
- 1946 - Operation Deadlight ends after scuttling 121 of 154 captured U-boats.
- 1947 - New Look launched by Christian Dior
- 1951 - Soraya Esfandiary Bakhtiari marries the Shah of Iran Reza Pahlavi at Golestan Palace in Teheran at the age of 17.
- 1966 - Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, announced famous Six Points in Karachi as election manifesto of Awami League that later led to formation of Bangladesh.
- 1973 - Ohio becomes the first U.S. state to post distance in SI units on signs.
- 1973 - Vietnam War: The first United States prisoners of war are released by the Viet Cong.
- 1997 - Hwang Jang-yop, secretary in the Workers' Party of Korea and a prime architect of North Korea's Juche doctrine, defects at the South Korean embassy in Beijing along with his aide, Kim Dok-hong.
- 1998 - The presidential line-item veto is declared unconstitutional by United States federal judge.
- 1999 - President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States 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.
- 2002 - The trial of former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević begins at the United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Milošević eventually dies before its conclusion.
- 2002 - Nuclear waste: US Secretary of Energy makes the decision that Yucca Mountain is suitable to be the United States' nuclear repository.
- 2002 - An Iran Air Tupolev Tu-154 crashes prior to landing in Khorramabad, Iran, killing 119.
- 2004 - On National Freedom to Marry Day, two days after Mayor Gavin Newsom of San Francisco, California, issued a directive to the county clerk, the City and County of San Franciso begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
- 2004 - Mattel announced the split of Barbie and Ken.
- 2006 - A powerful Nor'easter Winter Storm blankets the Northeastern United States dumping 1 to 2 feet of snow from Washington DC up to Boston, Massachusetts. The storm dumped a record 26.9 inches of snow in New York City.
Births
- 1074 - Conrad, King of Germany and Italy (d. 1101)
- 1218 - Kujo Yoritsune, Japanese shogun (d. 1256)
- 1567 - Thomas Campion, English composer and poet (d. 1620)
- 1606 - John Winthrop, the Younger, Governor of Connecticut (d. 1676)
- 1637 - Jan Swammerdam, Dutch scientist (d. 1680)
- 1663 - Cotton Mather, New England minister (d. 1728)
- 1665 - Rudolf Jakob Camerarius, German botanist and physician (d. 1721)
- 1704 - Charles Pinot Duclos, French writer (d. 1772)
- 1728 - Étienne-Louis Boullée, French architect (d. 1799)
- 1753 - François-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers, French admiral (d. 1798)
- 1768 - Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1835)
- 1775 - Louisa Adams, First Lady of the United States, wife of John Quincy Adams (d. 1852)
- 1777 - Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, French poet (d. 1843)
- 1785 - Pierre Louis Dulong, French physicist (d. 1838)
- 1788 - Carl Reichenbach, German chemist and philosopher (d. 1869)
- 1791 - Peter Cooper, American Industrialist, inventor and philanthropist (d. 1883)
- 1794 - Alexander Petrov, Russian chess player (d. 1867)
- 1804 - Heinrich Lenz, German physicist (d. 1865)
- 1809 - Charles Darwin, English naturalist (d. 1882)
- 1809 - Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States (d. 1865)
- 1818 - Otto Ludwig, German writer
- 1828 - George Meredith, English writer (d. 1909)
- 1857 - Bobby Peel, English cricketer (d. 1943).
- 1861 - Lou Andreas-Salome, Russian-born author (d. 1937)
- 1865 - Kazimierz Tetmajer, Polish poet and writer (d. 1940)
- 1876 - Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama (d. 1933)
- 1880 - John L. Lewis, American labor union leader (d. 1969)
- 1881 - Anna Pavlova, Russian ballerina (d. 1931)
- 1884 - Max Beckmann, German artist (d. 1950)
- 1884 - Marie Vassilieff, Russian artist (d. 1957)
- 1893 - Omar Bradley, American general (d. 1981)
- 1897 - Vola Vale, American actress (d. 1970)
- 1898 - Wallace Ford, English-born actor (d. 1966)
- 1900 - Roger J. Traynor, American judge (d. 1980)
- 1903 - Chick Hafey, baseball player (d. 1973)
- 1903 - Joseph F. Biroc, American cinematographer (d. 1996)
- 1904 - Ted Mack, American television host (d. 1976)
- 1908 - Jacques Herbrand, French logician and mathematician (d. 1931)
- 1908 - August Neo, Estonian wrestler (d. 1982)
- 1911 - Stephen H. Sholes, American recording executive (d. 1968)
- 1912 - R. F. Delderfield, English author (d. 1972)
- 1914 - Tex Beneke, American musician and band leader (d. 2000)
- 1915 - Lorne Greene, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1916 - Joseph Alioto, Mayor of San Francisco (d. 1998)
- 1917 - Raizo Matsuno, Japanese politician (d. 2006)
- 1918 - Julian Schwinger, American physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1994)
- 1919 - Forrest Tucker, American actor (d. 1986)
- 1920 - William Roscoe Estep, Baptist historian and professor (d. 2000)
- 1923 - Franco Zeffirelli, Italian film and opera director and designer
- 1925 - Sir Anthony Berry, British politician (d. 1984)
- 1926 - Joe Garagiola, baseball player and announcer
- 1926 - Paul Kurtz, American philosopher
- 1926 - Charles Van Doren, American quiz show contestant
- 1930 - Arlen Specter, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania
- 1931 - Janwillem van de Wetering, Dutch author
- 1932 - Axel Jensen, Norwegian author (d. 2003)
- 1932 - Julian Lincoln Simon, American economist and author (d. 1998)
- 1933 - Costa-Gavras, Greek-born director and writer
- 1934 - Anne Krueger, American economist
- 1934 - Bill Russell, American basketball player
- 1936 - Joe Don Baker, American actor
- 1936 - Paul Shenar, American actor
- 1937 - Charles Dumas, American athlete
- 1938 - Judy Blume, American author
- 1938 - Johnny Rutherford, American race car driver
- 1939 - Ray Manzarek, American keyboardist (The Doors)
- 1940 - Richard Lynch, American actor
- 1941 - Naomi Uemura, Japanese adventurer
- 1942 - Ehud Barak, Prime Minister of Israel
- 1945 - Maud Adams, Swedish actress
- 1946 - Ajda Pekkan, Turkish singer
- 1946 - Jean Eyeghe Ndong, Prime Minister of Gabon
- 1947 - Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Indian leader of Damdami Taksal (d. 1984)
- 1948 - Raymond Kurzweil, American inventor and author
- 1949 - Joaquin Sabina, Spanish singer and ongwriter
- 1950 - Michael Ironside, Canadian actor
- 1950 - Steve Hackett, British musician (Genesis)
- 1951 - Steven Parent, Manson murder victim (d. 1969)
- 1952 - Michael McDonald, American musician
- 1953 - Nabil Shaban, British actor
- 1953 - Robin Thomas, American actor
- 1954 - Philip Zimmermann, American cryptographer
- 1955 - Arsenio Hall, American actor and talk show host
- 1955 - Chet Lemon, baseball player
- 1956 - Brian Robertson, Scottish musician (Thin Lizzy) and (Motorhead)
- 1958 - Bobby Smith, Canadian hockey player
- 1958 - Grant McLennan, Australian musician (The Go-Betweens)
- 1958 - Steve Grand, English computer scientist
- 1961 - Jim Harris, Canadian polititian
- 1962 - Jimmy Kirkwood, Irish-born field hockey player
- 1967 - Chris McKinstry, Canadian computer scientist
- 1967 - Chitravina N. Ravikiran, Indian composer and musician
- 1968 - Josh Brolin, American actor
- 1968 - Chynna Phillips, American singer
- 1969 - Darren Aronofsky, American director and writer
- 1969 - Meja, Swedish singer
- 1969 - Hong Myung-Bo, Korean footballer
- 1970 - Jim Creeggan, Canadian bassist (Barenaked Ladies)
- 1970 - Judd Winick, writer and artist
- 1972 - Ajay Naidu, Indian-American actor
- 1973 - Gianni Romme, Dutch speed skater
- 1973 - Tara Strong, American voice actress
- 1974 - Toranosuke Takagi, Japanese race car driver
- 1976 - Anna Benson, American model
- 1976 - Silvia Saint, Czech actress
- 1976 - Christian Cullen, New Zealand rugby player
- 1978 - Brett Hodgson, Australian rugby player
- 1979 - Jesse Spencer, Australian actor
- 1979 - Matt Mauck, American football player
- 1980 - Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spanish tennis player
- 1980 - Christina Ricci, American actress
- 1982 - Onil Joseph, Dominican Republic Major League Baseball baseball player
Deaths
- 1538 - Albrecht Altdorfer, German painter
- 1554 - Lord Guilford Dudley, consort of Lady Jane Grey (executed) (b. 1536)
- 1554 - Lady Jane Grey, claimant to the throne of England (executed) (b. 1537)
- 1571 - Nicholas Throckmorton, English diplomat and politician (b. 1515)
- 1590 - François Hotman, French lawyer and writer (b. 1524)
- 1595 - Archduke Ernest of Austria, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands (b. 1553)
- 1612 - Christopher Clavius, German astronomer (b. 1538)
- 1624 - George Heriot, Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist (b. 1563)
- 1630 - Fynes Moryson, English traveler and writer (b. 1566)
- 1700 - Aleksei Shein, Russian general and statesman (b. 1662)
- 1724 - Elkanah Settle, English writer (b. 1648)
- 1728 - Agostino Steffani, Italian diplomat and composer (b. 1653)
- 1762 - Laurent Belissen, French composer (b. 1693)
- 1763 - Pierre de Marivaux, French writer (b. 1688)
- 1771 - King Adolf Frederick of Sweden (b. 1710)
- 1789 - Ethan Allen, American patriot (b. 1738)
- 1799 - Lazzaro Spallanzani, Italian biologist (b. 1729)
- 1804 - Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (b. 1724)
- 1903 - Gaspar Núñez de Arce, Spanish poet, dramatist and statesman (b. 1834)
- 1916 - Richard Dedekind, German mathematician (b. 1831)
- 1929 - Lillie Langtry, British singer and actress (b. 1853)
- 1931 - Samedbey Mehmandarov, Russian general (b. 1855)
- 1933 - Henri Duparc, French composer (b. 1848)
- 1935 - Auguste Escoffier, French chef (b. 1846)
- 1949 - Imam Hassan al Banna, Egyptian founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (b. 1906)
- 1951 - Choudhary Rehmat Ali - Pakistani nationalist (b. 1897)
- 1954 - Dziga Vertov, Russian filmmaker (b. 1896)
- 1957 - Eric Alfred Knudsen, American author, folklorist (b. 1872)
- 1971 - James C. Penney, American department store founder (b. 1875)
- 1976 - Sal Mineo, American actor (b. 1939)
- 1979 - Jean Renoir, French director (b. 1894)
- 1982 - Victor Jory, Canadian actor (b. 1902)
- 1983 - Eubie Blake, American musician and songwriter
- 1984 - Julio Cortázar, Argentine writer (b. 1914)
- 1985 - Nicholas Colasanto, American actor (b. 1924)
- 1992 - Bep van Klaveren, Dutch boxer (b. 1907)
- 1992 - María Elena Moyano, Peruvian activist (b. 1960)
- 1993 - James Bulger, English murder victim (b. 1990)
- 1995 - Robert Bolt, English writer (b. 1924)
- 1995 - Philip Taylor Kramer, American musician (Iron Butterfly)
- 1996 - Bob Shaw, Northern Irish science fiction writer (b. 1931)
- 2000 - Screamin' Jay Hawkins, American musician (b. 1929)
- 2000 - Tom Landry, American football coach (b. 1924)
- 2000 - Charles Schulz, American comics author (b. 1922)
- 2001 - Kristina Söderbaum, German actress and photographer (b. 1912)
- 2003 - Vali Myers, Australian painter (b. 1930)
- 2005 - Rafael Vidal, Venezuelan athlete (b. 1964)
Holidays and observances
liturgical feasts and other devotional
External links
February 11 - February 13 - January 12 - March 12 – listing of all days
Categories
February