What happened today in history
February
What happened on February 12
On February 12 history recorded 50 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 104 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 50events
- 160births
- 104deaths
- 9observances
Highlights
Highlights
1502Queen Isabella I issued an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity.
Isabella I, also known as Isabella the Catholic, was Queen of Castile and León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon from 1479 until her death as the wife of King Ferdinand II. Reigning together over a dynastically unified Spain, Isab
1691A papal conclave convened to select a new pope after the death of Pope Alexander VIII.
The 1691 papal conclave was convened on the death of Pope Alexander VIII and ended with the election of Cardinal Antonio Pignatelli as Pope Innocent XII. It lasted for five months, from 12 February to 12 July 1691. The conclave became deadlocked after the Cath
1855The precursor of Michigan State University in East Lansing was founded as the United States' first agricultural college.
Michigan State University is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the country. After the introduction of the Morr
February 12
On this day
XI century
- 1059
1059Upon reaching Rome, Bruno of Toul is elected as pope Leo IX and starts initiating reforms. - 1096
1096Pope Urban II confirms the foundation of the abbey of La Roë under Robert of Arbrissel as a community of canons regular.
XV century
- 1404
1404The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sofia performs the first post-mortem autopsy for the purposes of teaching and demonstration at the Heiligen–Geist Spital in Vienna. - 1429
1429English forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orléans in the Battle of the Herrings.
XVI century
- 1502
1502Isabella I issues an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity. - 1502
1502Vasco da Gama sets sail with 15 ships and 800 men from Lisbon, Portugal on his second voyage to India. - 1541
1541Santiago, Chile is founded by Pedro de Valdivia. - 1593
1593Japanese invasion of Korea: Approximately 3,000 Joseon defenders led by general Kwŏn Yul successfully repel more than 30,000 Japanese forces in the Siege of Haengju.
XVII century
XVIII century
XIX century
- 1817
1817An Argentine/Chilean patriotic army, after crossing the Andes, defeats Spanish troops at the Battle of Chacabuco. - 1818
1818Bernardo O'Higgins formally approves the Chilean Declaration of Independence near Concepción, Chile. - 1825
1825The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west. - 1832
1832Ecuador annexes the Galápagos Islands. - 1889
1889Antonín Dvořák's Jakobín is premiered at the National Theater in Prague. - 1894
1894Café Terminus bombing by Émile Henry during the Ère des attentats (1892–1894). This is considered one of the first acts of modern terrorism.
XX century
- 1909
1909The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded. - 1909
1909New Zealand's worst maritime disaster of the 20th century happens when the SS Penguin, an inter-island ferry, sinks and explodes at the entrance to Wellington Harbour. - 1912
1912The Xuantong Emperor, the last Emperor of China, abdicates. - 1919
1919The Second Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Huliaipole. - 1921
1921Bolsheviks launch a revolt in Georgia as a preliminary to the Red Army invasion of Georgia. - 1935
1935USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sinks. - 1945
1945A devastating tornado outbreak in Mississippi and Alabama kills 45 people and injures 427 others. - 1946
1946World War II: Operation Deadlight ends after scuttling 121 of 154 captured U-boats. - 1946
1946African American United States Army veteran Isaac Woodard is severely beaten by a South Carolina police officer to the point where he loses his vision in both eyes. The incident later galvanizes the civil rights movement and partially inspires Orson Welles' film Touch of Evil. - 1947
1947The largest observed iron meteorite until that time creates an impact crater in Sikhote-Alin, in the Soviet Union. - 1947
1947Christian Dior unveils a "New Look", helping Paris regain its position as the capital of the fashion world. - 1961
1961The Soviet Union launches Venera 1 towards Venus. - 1963
1963Construction begins on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. - 1963
1963Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 705 crashes into the Everglades shortly after takeoff from Miami International Airport, killing all 45 people on board. - 1965
1965Malcolm X visits Smethwick near Birmingham following the racially-charged 1964 United Kingdom general election. - 1966
1966Rabbi Morris Adler is fatally shot by a disgruntled congregant at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, Michigan, United States. - 1968
1968Vietnam War: The Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre occurs, allegedly by South Korean troops. - 1974
1974Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union. - 1983
1983One hundred women protest in Lahore, Pakistan against military dictator Zia-ul-Haq's proposed Law of Evidence. The women were tear-gassed, baton-charged and thrown into lock-up. The women were successful in repealing the law. - 1988
1988Cold War: The 1988 Black Sea bumping incident: The U.S. missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG-48) is intentionally rammed by the Soviet frigate Bezzavetnyy in the Soviet territorial waters, while Yorktown claims innocent passage. - 1990
1990Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia. - 1992
1992The current Constitution of Mongolia comes into effect. - 1993
1993Two-year-old James Bulger is abducted from New Strand Shopping Centre by two ten-year-old boys, who later torture and murder him. - 1994
1994Four thieves break into the National Gallery of Norway and steal Edvard Munch's iconic painting The Scream. - 1999
1999United States President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial.
XXI century
- 2001
2001NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid. - 2002
2002The trial of Slobodan Milošević, the former President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, begins at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands. He dies four years later before its conclusion. - 2002
2002An Iran Airtour Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in the mountains outside Khorramabad, Iran while descending for a landing at Khorramabad Airport, killing 119. - 2004
2004The city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom. - 2009
2009Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes into a house in Clarence Center, New York while on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all 49 on board and one on the ground. - 2016
2016Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill sign an Ecumenical Declaration in the first such meeting between leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches since their split in 1054. - 2019
2019The country known as the Republic of Macedonia renames itself the Republic of North Macedonia in accordance with the Prespa agreement, settling a long-standing naming dispute with Greece. - 2026
2026In the first general election since the July Revolution in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by Tarique Rahman, wins a landslide victory upon returning to power after almost 19 years. A referendum held alongside was also approved by the majority of voters.
Best known
Born on February 12
Best known
Died on February 12
821Benedict of Aniane
8th/9th-century Frankish saint
890Henjō
Japanese writer
1517Catherine of Navarre
Queen of Navarre from 1483 to 1517
1538Albrecht Altdorfer
German artist (c. 1480 – 1538)
1554Lord Guildford Dudley
Consort of Lady Jane Grey in 1553
1554Lady Jane Grey
Disputed Queen of England and Ireland in 1553
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day: Benedict of Aniane
- Christian feast day: Julian the Hospitaller
- Christian feast day: Martyrs of Abitinae
- Christian feast day: Meletius of Antioch
- Christian feast day: February 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Georgia Day (Georgia (U.S. state))
- Lincoln's Birthday (United States)
- Red Hand Day (United Nations)
- Union Day (Myanmar)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on February 12?
50 documented historical events happened on February 12, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Queen Isabella I issued an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity. On the same day, in another year: A papal conclave convened to select a new pope after the death of Pope Alexander VIII. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on February 12?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on February 12, including George Preca, Anna Pavlova, Walter Nash. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on February 12?
104 people with a Wikipedia article died on February 12, including Benedict of Aniane, Henjō, Catherine of Navarre. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on February 12?
9 observances are celebrated on February 12 around the world: Christian feast day: Benedict of Aniane, Christian feast day: Julian the Hospitaller, Christian feast day: Martyrs of Abitinae, Christian feast day: Meletius of Antioch, Christian feast day: February 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics), Georgia Day (Georgia (U.S. state)). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar