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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

• 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
• 1557 - Cuenca is founded in Ecuador.
• 1606 - The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of Great Britain.
• 1633 - The formal inquest of Galileo Galilei by the Inquisition begins.
• 1776 - The Provincial Congress authorizes delegates to the Second Continental Congress to vote for independence by issuing the Halifax Resolves.
• 1820 - Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece.
• 1861 - American Civil War: The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.
• 1864 - American Civil War: The Fort Pillow massacre: Confederate forces kill most African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
• 1865 - American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.
• 1877 - The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.
• 1917 - World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.
• 1927 - April 12 Incident: Chiang Kai-shek orders the CPC members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.
• 1934 - The strongest surface wind gust in the world at 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, US.
• 1934 - The US Auto-Lite Strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.
• 1935 - First flight of the Bristol Blenheim.
• 1937 - Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft at Rugby, England.
• 1945 - US President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies while in office; vice-president Harry Truman is sworn in as the 33rd President.
• 1955 - The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
• 1961 - Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space in Vostok 3KA-2 (Vostok 1).
• 1963 - The Soviet nuclear powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.
• 1968 - Nerve gas accident at Skull Valley, Utah.
• 1980 - Samuel Doe takes control of Liberia in a coup d'etat, ending over 130 years of national democratic presidential succession.
• 1980 - Terry Fox begins his "Marathon of Hope" at St. John's, Newfoundland.
• 1981 - The first launch of a Space Shuttle: Columbia launches on the STS-1 mission.
• 1990 - Jim Gary's Twentieth Century Dinosaurs exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
• 1992 - Disneyland Resort Paris opens in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France.
• 1994 - Canter & Siegel post the first commercial mass Usenet spam.
• 1998 - An earthquake in Slovenia, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale occurs near the town of Bovec.
• 1999 - US President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
• 2002 - Pedro Carmona becomes interim President of Venezuela during the military coup against Hugo Chávez.

Births

• 599 BC - Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism (d. 527 BC)
• 812 - Muhammad at-Taqi, Muslim Shia Imam (d. 835)
• 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 - Christian IV of Denmark (d. 1648)
• 1705 - William Cookworthy, English chemist (d. 1780)
• 1713 - Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French writer (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)
• 1777 - Henry Clay, American statesman (d. 1852)
• 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)
• 1823 - Alexandr Ostrovsky, Russian dramatist (d. 1886)
• 1839 - Nikolai Przhevalsky, Russian explorer (d. 1888)
• 1848 - José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican poet (d. 1880)
• 1852 - Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician (d. 1939)
• 1856 - William Martin Conway, English art critic and mountaineer (d. 1937)
• 1868 - Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese naval commander (d. 1918)
• 1869 - Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (d. 1922)
• 1871 - Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and dictator (d. 1941)
• 1883 - Dally Messenger, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 1959)
• 1884 - Otto Meyerhof, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (d. 1951)
• 1884 - Tenby Davies, Welsh world champion runner (d. 1932)
• 1887 - Harold Lockwood, American actor (d. 1918)
• 1888 - Heinrich Neuhaus, Soviet musician (d. 1964)
• 1892 - Johnny Dodds, American musician (d. 1940)
• 1893 - Robert Harron, American actor (d. 1920)
• 1894 - Francisco Craveiro Lopes, 13^th President of Portugal (d. 1964)
• 1898 - Lily Pons, American soprano (d. 1976)
• 1901 - Lowell Stockman, American representative (d. 1962)
• 1902 - Louis Beel, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1977)
• 1903 - Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
• 1907 - Felix de Weldon, Austrian-born sculptor (d. 2003)
• 1907 - Hardie Gramatky, American author and animator (d. 1979)
• 1908 - Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American Air Force pilot (d. 2006)
• 1911 - Mahmoud Younis, Suez Canal nationalization Engineer (d. 1976)
• 1912 - Walt Gorney, American actor (d. 2004)
• 1912 - Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, Second Vice President of Indonesia (d. 1988)
• 1914 - Armen Alchian, American economist
• 1916 - Beverly Cleary, American writer
• 1916 - Benjamin Libet, American scientist (d. 2007)
• 1917 - Helen Forrest, American singer (d. 1999)
• 1919 - Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (d. 1991)
• 1921 - Robert Cliche, Quebec politician and magistrate (d. 1978)
• 1923 - Ann Miller, American actor and dancer (d. 2004)
• 1924 - Raymond Barre, French politician and Prime Minister (d. 2007)
• 1924 - Peter Safar, Austrian physician (d. 2003)
• 1928 - Hardy Krüger, German actor
• 1928 - Jean-François Paillard, French conductor
• 1930 - Manuel Neri, American artist
• 1930 - Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician (d. 2006)
• 1932 - Dennis Banks, American activist
• 1932 - Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan politician (d. 2005)
• 1932 - Tiny Tim, American musician (d. 1996)
• 1933 - Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano
• 1934 - Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer
• 1939 - Alan Ayckbourn, English writer
• 1939 - Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league footballer
• 1940 - Herbie Hancock, American musician and composer
• 1940 - John Hagee, American pastor and televangelist
• 1941 - Bobby Moore, English footballer (d. 1993)
• 1942 - Carlos Reutemann, Argentine racing driver and politician
• 1944 - John Kay, German-born musician
• 1945 - Lee Jong-wook, Korean Director-General of the WHO (d. 2006)
• 1946 - Ed O'Neill, American actor
• 1947 - Tom Clancy, American author
• 1947 - Woody Johnson, sports team owner
• 1947 - David Letterman, American talk show host
• 1948 - Jeremy Beadle, English television presenter (d. 2008)
• 1948 - Joschka Fischer, Foreign Minister of Germany
• 1948 - Sandra "Lois" Reeves, American singer
• 1949 - Scott Turow, American writer
• 1950 - Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman and F1 team principal (Renault F1)
• 1950 - David Cassidy, American singer and actor
• 1950 - Kari Palaste, Finnish architect
• 1952 - Ralph Wiley, American sports journalist (d. 2004)
• 1952 - Reuben Gant, American professional football player
• 1954 - Pat Travers, Canadian musician
• 1956 - Andy Garcia, Cuban-born actor
• 1956 - Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer
• 1957 - Vince Gill, American musician
• 1958 - Will Sergeant, English musician
• 1958 - Howard Stableford, English actor and host
• 1960 - Ron MacLean, Canadian sportscaster
• 1961 - Lisa Gerrard, Australian musician
• 1961 - Magda Szubanski, Australian actress
• 1962 - Art Alexakis, American musician
• 1962 - Takada Nobuhiko, Japanese wrestler
• 1964 - Amy Ray, American musician
• 1965 - Tom O'Brien, American actor-producer
• 1967 - Sarah Cracknell, English singer
• 1967 - Mellow Man Ace, Afro-Cuban rapper
• 1969 - Lucas Radebe, South African footballer
• 1970 - Nick Hexum, American musician
• 1971 - Nicholas Brendon, American actor
• 1971 - Shannen Doherty, American actor
• 1972 - Sebnem Ferah, Turkish singer
• 1972 - Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player
• 1972 - Dimitrios Kokotis, Greek high jumper
• 1973 - J. Scott Campbell, American comic book artist
• 1973 - Antonio Osuna, Mexican baseball player
• 1973 - Claudia Jordan, American model
• 1974 - Belinda Emmett, Australian actor(d. 2006)
• 1974 - Roman Hamrlik, Czech ice hockey player
• 1974 - Marley Shelton, American actor
• 1974 - Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer
• 1976 - Brad Miller, American basketball player
• 1977 - Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer
• 1977 - Glenn Rogers, Scottish Cricket Player
• 1977 - Sarah Jane Morris, American actor
• 1977 - Jordana Spiro, American actor
• 1978 - Guy Berryman, British musician
• 1978 - Riley Smith, American actor
• 1979 - Claire Danes, American actor
• 1979 - Elena Grosheva, Olympic gymnast
• 1979 - Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer
• 1979 - Jennifer Morrison, American actress and model
• 1979 - Paul Nicholls, English actor
• 1979 - Jordan De Jong, American baseball player
• 1980 - Brian McFadden, Irish Singer
• 1980 - Erik Mongrain, Canadian musician
• 1981 - Nicolás Burdisso, Argentine footballer
• 1981 - Jaspreet Singh, businessman
• 1981 - Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist
• 1982 - Deen, Bosnian singer
• 1985 - Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer
• 1985 - Jeisa Chiminazzo, Brazilian supermodel
• 1985 - Ted Ginn, American football player
• 1985 - Paul Murphy, Irish footballer
• 1985 - Olga Seryabkina, Russian singer
• 1986 - Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer
• 1987 - Brendon Urie, American musician
• 1994 - Moises Arias, American actor
• 1994 - Saoirse Ronan, Irish actress
• 1994 - Airi Suzuki, Japanese singer

Deaths

• 45 BC - Gnaeus Pompeius, the Younger, Roman general
• 65 - Seneca the Younger, Roman philosopher, statesman and dramatist
• 238 - Gordian I, Roman Emperor (suicide)
• 238 - Gordian II, heir to the Roman Empire (killed in battle)
• 352 - St. Julius I, 35th Pope
• 434 - Archbishop Maximianus of Constantinople
• 1125 - Vladislaus I of Bohemia
• 1443 - Henry Chichele, Archbishop of Canterbury
• 1550 - Claude, Duke of Guise, French soldier (b. 1496)
• 1555 - Juana of Castile, wife of Philip I of Castile (b. 1479)
• 1675 - Richard Bennett, British Colonial Governor of Virginia (b. 1609)
• 1687 - Ambrose Dixon, Virginia Colony pioneer
• 1704 - Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and writer (b. 1627)
• 1748 - William Kent, English architect
• 1782 - Metastasio, Italian poet and librettist (b. 1698)
• 1788 - Carlo Antonio Campioni, French-born composer (b. 1719)
• 1795 - Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general (b. 1710)
• 1814 - Charles Burney, English music historian (b. 1726)
• 1850 - Adoniram Judson, American Baptist missionary (b. 1788)
• 1872 - Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer (b. 1795)
• 1878 - William Marcy Tweed, aka Boss Tweed, American politician (b. 1823)
• 1898 - Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Roman catholic archbishop of Quebec (b. 1820)
• 1902 - Marie Alfred Cornu, French physicist (b. 1842)
• 1912 - Clara Barton, American nurse and Red Cross advocate (b. 1821)
• 1938 - Feodor Chaliapin, Russian bass (b. 1873)
• 1945 - Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (b. 1882)
• 1962 - Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Indian politician and engineer (b. 1861)
• 1968 - Heinrich Nordhoff, German automobile engineer and Volkswagen director (b. 1899)
• 1971 - Igor Tamm, Russian physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895)
• 1971 - Ed Lafitte, American baseball player (b. 1871)
• 1971 - Wynton Kelly, American jazz pianist (b. 1931)
• 1975 - Josephine Baker, American dancer (b. 1906)
• 1977 - Phil Wrigley, American manufacturer and baseball executive (b. 1894)
• 1980 - Clark McConachy, New Zealand billiards and snooker player (b. 1895)
• 1980 - William R. Tolbert, Jr., President of Liberia (b. 1913)
• 1981 - Joe Louis, American boxer (b. 1914)
• 1983 - Carl Morton, American baseball player (b. 1944)
• 1986 - Valentin Kataev, Russian writer (b. 1897)
• 1987 - Mike Von Erich, American wrestler
• 1988 - Alan Paton, South African writer (b. 1903)
• 1989 - Gerald Flood, British actor (b. 1927)
• 1989 - Abbie Hoffman, American political leader (b. 1936)
• 1989 - Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (b. 1921)
• 1999 - Boxcar Willie, American singer (b. 1931)
• 2001 - Harvey Ball, American inventor (b. 1921)
• 2003 - Cecil H. Green, American manufacturer (b. 1900)
• 2006 - Dr. Rajkumar, Kannada language film actor/singer (b. 1929)
• 2006 - Puggy Pearson, American poker player (b. 1929)
• 2007 - Kevin Crease, Australian TV anchor (b. 1936)
• 2008 - Paddy Hillery, 6th President of Ireland, EEC Commissioner and Irish Minister (b. 1923)
• 2008 - Cecilia Colledge, British ice skater and Olympian (b. 1920)
• 2008 - Jerry Zucker, Israeli-born American businessman (b. 1949)

Holidays and observances

• The Roman holiday of Cerealia begins.
• Yuri's Night, an international celebration of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin; in Russia (and formerly in USSR), the Cosmonautics Day.

The Feast of St. Basil the Confessor in the Greek Orthodox Church. In the Roman Catholic Church:

• Saint Damian
• Saint Erkembode
• Saint Julius I
• Saint Zeno of Verona
• Saint Alferius
• Blessed Angelo Carletti di Chivasso
• Saint Constantine
• Saint Sabas
• Saint Victor
• Saint Wigbert

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada