April 12

April 12 is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 263 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

Up to 1900

238 – Gordian II loses the Battle of Carthage against Numidian forces loyal to Maximinus Thrax and is killed. His father, Gordian I, commits suicide.
240 – Shapur I is crowned as King of the Sasanian Empire.
467 – Anthemius becomes Emperor of the West Roman Empire.
627 – King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to Christianity by Bishop Paulinus of York.
1204 – Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople (present–day Istanbul) and enter the city, which they completely occupy the following day.
1557 – The city of Cuenca, in Ecuador, is founded.
1606 – The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of the two united Kingdoms of Scotland and England.
1633 – Galileo Galilei's trial before the inquisition begins.
1831 – Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester cause it to collapse.
1861 – The American Civil War begins when Fort Sumter, South Carolina, is attacked.
1865 – American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama falls to the Union Army.
1877 – The United Kingdom annexes Transvaal.

1901 – 2000

1917 – World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.
1927 – Chiang Kai-shek orders Communist Party of China members to be executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.
1928 – The Bremen, a German Junkers W33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west.
1934 – The strongest wind gust, outside of Antarctica or not within a tornado, is measured at Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, at 231 miles per hour (372 kilometres per hour).
1935 – First flight of the Bristol Blenheim aircraft.
1937 – Frank Whittle ground–tests the first jet engine to power an aircraft.
1945 – US President Franklin Roosevelt dies. Harry S. Truman is sworn in as his successor.
1946 – The last French troops leave Syria.
1954 – Bill Haley and His Comets record their hit song Rock Around the Clock.
1955 – The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is declared safe and effective.
1961 – Yuri Gagarin is the first cosmonaut in space, sent by the U.S.S.R on Vostok 1.
1963 – Soviet nuclear–powered submarine K–33 collides with the Finnish merchant navy vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.
1968 – A day after the attack on student activist Rudi Dutschke, protests and riots erupt across several cities in West Germany.
1970 – Soviet submarine K–8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay near France and Spain four days after a fire on board.
1980 – Terry Fox starts his Marathon of Hope across Canada in St. John's, Newfoundland.
1980 – In Liberia, Samuel K. Doe takes power in a coup, in which President William Tolbert is killed.
1981 – Space Shuttle Columbia is launched.
1992 – Disneyland Paris opens, as Euro Disneyland.
1998 – A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Slovenia.

From 2001

2002 – In a US–backed military coup in Venezuela, President Hugo Chávez is replaced as Head of State by Pedro Carmona. After 36 hours, Chavez is reinstated as president.
2002 – A female suicide bomber detonates herself in Jerusalem, killing 7 people and injuring 104.
2007 – A suicide bomber attacks the Iraqi parliament.
2009 – Zimbabwe abandons the Zimbabwean dollar as its official currency, after a severe economic crisis in the country.
2010 – A train crash near Merano, Italy, kills 9 people, after running into a landslide.
2014 – A wildfire ravages the Chilean city of Valparaiso, killing 16 people, displacing nearly 10,000, and destroying over 2,000 homes.

Births

Up to 1800

599 BC – Mahavira, Indian founder of Jainism (d. 527 BC)
812 – Muhammad at-Taqi, Arabian Shia Imam (d. 835)
1116 – Richeza of Poland, Queen of Sweden (d. 1156 or after)
1432 – Anne of Austria, Landgravine of Thuringia (d. 1462)
1484 – Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect (d. 1546)
1500 – Joachim Camerarius, German classical scholar (d. 1574)
1526 – Muretus, French humanist (d. 1585)
1550 – Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English politician (d. 1604)
1577 – King Christian IV of Denmark (d. 1648)
1710 – Caffarelli, Italian opera singer (d. 1783)
1713 – Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French writer (d. 1796)
1716 – Felice Giardini, Italian composer and violinist (d. 1796)
1722 – Pietro Nardini, Italian composer (d. 1793)
1724 – Lyman Hall, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1790)
1726 – Charles Burney, English music historian (d. 1814)
1748 – Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist (d. 1836)
1760 – Juan Manuel Olivares, Venezuelan composer (d. 1797)
1777 – Henry Clay, American statesman and five–time Presidential candidate (d. 1852)
1792 – John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, English statesman (d. 1840)
1794 – Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician (d. 1847).
1796 – George N. Briggs, 19th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1861)
1799 – Henri Druey, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 1855)

1801 – 1900

1801 – Joseph Lanner, Austrian composer and conductor (d. 1843)
1823 – Alexandr Ostrovsky, Russian dramatist (d. 1886)
1828 – Charles Foster, Governor of Ohio and United States Secretary of the Treasury (d. 1904)
1839 – Nikolai Przhevalsky, Russian explorer (d. 1888)
1851 – Edward Walter Maunder, English astronomer (d. 1928)
1852 – Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician (d. 1939)
1856 – William Martin Conway, English art critic and mountaineer (d. 1937)
1866 – Princess Viktoria of Prussia (d. 1929)
1869 – Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (d. 1922)
1871 – Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and dictator (d. 1941)
1874 – William B. Bankhead, American politician (d. 1940)
1879 – Fred H. Brown, Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1955)
1883 – Imogen Cunningham, American photographer (d. 1976)
1883 – Dally Messenger, Australian rugby player (d. 1959)
1884 – Otto Fritz Meyerhof, German doctor, won the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1951)
1884 – Tenby Davies, Welsh runner (d. 1932)
1885 – Robert Delaunay, French artist (d. 1941)
1887 – Harold Lockwood, American silent movie actor (d. 1918)
1888 – Heinrich Neuhaus, Soviet pianist (d. 1964)
1892 – Johnny Dodds, American jazz clarinetist (d. 1940)
1893 – Robert Harron, American actor (d. 1920)
1894 – Francisco Craveiro Lopes, President of Portugal (d. 1964)
1898 – Lily Pons, American soprano (d. 1976)

1901 – 1925

1902 – Louis Beel, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1977)
1903 – Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist (d. 1994)
1907 – Zawgyi, Burmese poet, writer and academic (d. 1990)
1908 – Ida Pollock, British writer (d. 2013)
1910 – Gillo Dorfles, Italian art critic, painter and philosopher (d. 2018)
1911 – Mahmoud Younis, Egyptian engineer (d. 1976)
1912 – Hamengkubuwono IX, 2nd Vice president of Indonesia (d. 1988)
1912 – Hound Dog Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1975)
1913 – Keiko Fukuda, Japanese judoka (d. 2013)
1914 – Adriaan Blaauw, Dutch astronomer (d. 2010)
1914 – Armen Alchian, American economist (d. 2013)
1914 – Gretel Bergmann, German athlete (d. 2017)
1916 – Movita Castaneda, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
1916 – Beverly Cleary, American writer (d. 2021)
1917 – Robert Manzon, French racing driver (d. 2015)
1917 – Vinoo Mankad, Indian cricketer (d. 1978)
1919 – Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (d. 1991)
1922 – Simon Kapwepwe, 2nd Vice president of Zambia (d. 1980)
1923 – Ann Miller, American actress and dancer (d. 2004)
1923 – Eddie Turnbull, Scottish footballer (d. 2011)
1924 – Raymond Barre, Prime Minister of France (d. 2007)
1925 – Oliver Postgate, British animator, puppetteer and writer (d. 2008)

1926 – 1950

1926 – Jane Withers, American actress (d. 2021)
1927 – Alvin Sargent, American screenwriter (d. 2019)
1928 – Hardy Krüger, German actor
1928 – Elspet Gray, Scottish actress (d. 2013)
1929 – Luis Vigoreaux, Puerto Rican TV and radio personality (d. 1983)
1930 – John Landy, Australian athlete and politician, 26th Governor of Victoria (d. 2022)
1930 – Bryan Magee, British philosopher
1931 – Chico Anysio, Brazilian actor, comedian, writer and composer (d. 2012)
1932 – Tiny Tim, American musician (d. 1996)
1932 – Jean-Pierre Marielle, French actor (d. 2019)
1933 – Montserrat Caballé, Catalan–Spanish operatic soprano (d. 2018)
1934 – Michael Grzimek, German moviemaker and zoologist (d. 1959)
1936 – Charles Napier, American actor (d. 2011)
1936 – Tony Earl, 41st Governor of Wisconsin
1936 – Kennedy Simmonds, 1st Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis
1937 – Dennis Banks, American teacher, activist and writer (d. 2017)
1937 – Igor Volk, Soviet–Ukrainian cosmonaut (d. 2017)
1940 – Enayat Michael Ali, Trinidadian professional cricketer
1940 – John Hagee, American pastor and theologian
1940 – Herbie Hancock, American musician
1941 – Bobby Moore, English footballer (d. 1993)
1942 – Jacob Zuma, former President of South Africa
1942 – Carlos Reutemann, Argentine racing driver and politician (d. 2021)
1943 – Sumitra Mahajan, Indian politician
1944 – Lisa Jardine, English historian, writer and academic (d. 2015)
1944 – John Kay, German–Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
1945 – Lee Jong-Wook, South Korean Director–General of the WHO (d. 2006)
1946 – George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, former Secretary–General of NATO
1946 – Ed O'Neill, American actor
1947 – Martin Brasier, English palaeobiologist and astrobiologist (d. 2014)
1947 – Alex Briley, American singer (Village People)
1947 – Woody Johnson, American businessman and philanthropist
1947 – Dan Lauria, American actor
1947 – David Letterman, American comedian and TV host
1947 – Tom Clancy, American writer (d. 2013)
1948 – Joschka Fischer, German politician
1948 – Marcello Lippi, Italian football manager
1948 – Jeremy Beadle, British television presenter (d. 2008)
1948 – Lois Reeves, American singer
1949 – Scott Turow, American writer
1950 – Joyce Banda, former President of Malawi
1950 – David Cassidy, American singer and actor (d. 2017)
1950 – Maia Danziger, American actress
1950 – Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman
1950 – Larry Kemp, Film editor

1951 – 1975

1954 – John Faulkner, Australian politician
1954 – Jon Krakauer, American writer and mountaineer
1955 – Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson, Icelandic writer
1956 – Andy Garcia, American actor
1956 – Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer and actor
1956 – Walter Salles, Brazilian movie director
1957 – Vince Gill, American Country singer
1957 – Adam Parfrey, American novelist, editor and publisher (d. 2018)
1958 – Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgarian hurdler
1958 – J. Alexander, American television personality
1959 – Jackson Carlaw, Scottish politician
1960 – Dennis Bateman, American voice actor
1961 – Lisa Gerrard, Australian musician
1965 – Kim Bodnia, Danish actor
1967 – Mellow Man Ace, American rapper
1968 – Adam Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
1968 – Alicia Coppola, American actress
1970 – Nick Hexum, singer and guitarist
1971 – Nicholas Brendon, actor
1971 – Shannen Doherty, American actress
1973 – Christian Panucci, Italian footballer
1974 – Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer
1974 – Marley Shelton, American actress

From 1976

1976 – Olga Kotlyarova, Russian runner
1977 – Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorean footballer
1978 – Guy Berryman, British musician (Coldplay)
1979 – Claire Danes, American actress
1979 – Mateja Kezman, Serbian footballer
1979 – Jennifer Morrison, American actress
1980 – Brian McFadden, Irish singer (Westlife)
1981 – Nicolas Burdisso, Argentine footballer
1981 – Grant Holt, English footballer
1982 – Gary Caldwell, Scottish footballer
1982 – Riley Smith, model and actor
1983 – Jelena Dokic, Serbian–Australian tennis player
1985 – James Alexandrou, British actor
1985 – Olga Seryabkina, Russian singer-songwriter
1986 – Lorena, Spanish singer
1986 – Marcel Granollers, Spanish tennis player
1987 – Brooklyn Decker, American model and actress
1987 – Brendon Urie, American singer of Panic! at the Disco
1988 – Ricardo Gabriel Alvarez, Argentine footballer
1989 – Miguel Angel Ponce, Mexican footballer
1989 – Travis Tatum Mill, American singer
1990 – Francesca Halsall, British swimmer
1994 – Saoirse Ronan, Irish actress
1994 – Airi Suzuki, Japanese actress and singer
1996 – Elizaveta Kulichkova, Russian tennis player
1997 – Katelyn Dhashi, American gymnast
2000 – Suzanna von Nathusius, Polish actress

Deaths

Up to 1900

45 BC – Gnaeus Pompeius, Roman general
65 – Seneca the Younger, Roman philosopher, statesman and dramatist
238 – Gordian I, Roman Emperor
238 – Gordian II, Roman heir
352 – Pope Julius I
434 – Archbishop Maximianus of Constantinople
1125 – Vladislaus I of Bohemia (b. 1065)
1550 – Claude, Duke of Guise (b. 1496)
1555 – Juana of Castile, wife of Philip I of Castile (b. 1479)
1675 – Richard Bennett, British Governor of Virginia (b. 1609)
1684 – Nicola Amati, Italian instrument maker (b. 1596)
1782 – Metastasio, Italian poet and librettist (b. 1698)
1788 – Carlo Antonio Campioni, French composer (b. 1719)
1817 – Charles Messier, French astronomer (b. 1730)
1872 – Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer (b. 1795)
1878 – William H. Tweed, American politician (b. 1823)
1898 – Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian cardinal (b. 1820)

1901 – 2000

1912 – Clara Barton, American nurse (b. 1821)
1933 – Adelbert Ames, American general and politician (b. 1835)
1938 – Feodor Chaliapin, Russian opera singer (b. 1873)
1945 – Franklin Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (b. 1882)
1968 – Heinrich Nordhoff, German automobile engineer (b. 1899)
1971 – Igor Tamm, Russian physicist (b. 1895)
1975 – Josephine Baker, American dancer, singer and actress (b. 1906)
1980 – William Tolbert, President of Liberia (b. 1913)
1981 – Joe Louis, American boxer (b. 1914)
1981 – Prince Yasuhiko Asaka, of Japan (b. 1887)
1988 – Alan Paton, South African writer (b. 1903)
1989 – Abbie Hoffman, American activist (b. 1936)
1989 – Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (b. 1921)
1997 – George Wald, American neurologist (b. 1906)
1999 – Boxcar Willie, American musician (b. 1931)
1999 – Marion Pruett, American spree killer (b. 1949)

From 2001

2001 – Harvey Ball, American illustrator (b. 1921)
2006 – Rajkumar, Indian movie actor and singer (b. 1929)
2008 – Patrick Hillery, President of Ireland (b. 1923)
2008 – Jerry Zucker, Israeli–American businessman and philanthropist (b. 1949)
2009 – Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, American academic scholar (b. 1950)
2009 – Marilyn Chambers, American pornographic actress (b. 1952)
2010 – Werner Schroeter, German movie director (b. 1945)
2014 – Brita Koivunen, Finnish singer (b. 1931)
2014 – Fred Ho, American musician, composer, playwright, writer and activist (b. 1957)
2014 – Hal Smith, American baseball player (b. 1931)
2015 – André Mba Obame, Gabonese politician (b. 1957)
2015 – Patrice Dominguez, French tennis player (b. 1950)
2015 – Alfred Eick, German U–boat commander (b. 1916)
2016 – Hector A. Cafferata, Jr., American soldier (b. 1929)
2016 – Paul Carey, American radio broadcaster (b. 1928)
2016 – Gianroberto Casaleggio, Italian entrepreneur (b. 1954)
2016 – Pedro de Felipe, Spanish footballer (b. 1944)
2016 – David Gest, American television personality (b. 1953)
2016 – Anne Jackson, American actress (b. 1925)
2016 – Balls Mahoney, American professional wrestler (b. 1972)
2016 – Arnold Wesker, English playwright (b. 1932)
2017 – Akhilesh Das, Indian politician, Mayor of Lucknow (b. 1961)
2017 – Michael Ballhaus, German cinematographer (b. 1935)
2017 – Charlie Murphy, American comedian (b. 1959)
2017 – Sheila Abdus-Salaam, American judge (b. 1952)
2017 – Tom Coyne, American music engineer (b. 1954)
2017 – Wayne Hardin, American football player (b. 1926)
2017 – Toby Smith, British keyboardist (b. 1970)
2018 – Brij Bhushan Kabra, Indian musician (b. 1937)
2018 – John Melcher, American politician (b. 1924)
2018 – Sergio Pitol, Mexican novelist and politician (b. 1933)
2018 – Deborah Coleman, American blues singer–songwriter (b. 1956)
2018 – Bob Pickens, American wrestler and football player (b. 1943)
2019 – Ivor Broadis, English footballer (b. 1922)
2019 – Dina, Portuguese singer (b. 1956)
2019 – Forrest Gregg, American football player (b. 1933)
2019 – Tommy Smith, English footballer (b. 1945)
2019 – Georgia Engel, American actress (b. 1948)

Observances

Cosmonauts' Day (Russia), celebrating Yuri Gagarin's space flight in 1961