Vintage News · Odd history for April 12

What Happened On April 12

Q: What happened on April 12?

1994: Husband-and-wife law partners Laurence Canter and Martha Siegel posted the first massive commercial spam on Usenet. 1776: American Revolution: The North Carolina Provincial Congress passed the Halifax Resolves, the first official action in the American colonies calling for independence from Great Britain. 1796: War of the First Coalition: Napoleon Bonaparte wins his first victory as an army commander at the Battle of Montenotte, splitting the Austrian and Piedmontese armies away from each other, and marking the beginning of the Piedmontese surrender in the war. 1983: Harold Washington was elected as the first African-American mayor of Chicago. 1961: Aboard Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin performed the first human spaceflight, completing one orbit of Earth in 108 minutes. 1910: SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnoughts built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, was launched in Trieste. 1983: Harold Washington is elected as the first black mayor of Chicago. 1981: The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place: The STS-1 mission. 1961: Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first crewed orbital flight, Vostok 1. 1937: Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.

52 events and 255 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 12 April →

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10 odd things that happened on April 12

1994 First ever
Husband-and-wife law partners Laurence Canter and Martha Siegel posted the first massive commercial spam on Usenet.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1776 First ever
American Revolution: The North Carolina Provincial Congress passed the Halifax Resolves, the first official action in the American colonies calling for independence from Great Britain.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1796 First ever
War of the First Coalition: Napoleon Bonaparte wins his first victory as an army commander at the Battle of Montenotte, splitting the Austrian and Piedmontese armies away from each other, and marking the beginning of the Piedmontese surrender in the war.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1983 First ever
Harold Washington was elected as the first African-American mayor of Chicago.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1961 First ever
Aboard Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin performed the first human spaceflight, completing one orbit of Earth in 108 minutes.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1910 Oddly true
SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnoughts built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, was launched in Trieste.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1983 First ever
Harold Washington is elected as the first black mayor of Chicago.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1981 First ever
The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place: The STS-1 mission.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1961 First ever
Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first crewed orbital flight, Vostok 1.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1937 First ever
Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2026The Tisza Party, led by Péter Magyar wins the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election, defeating Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, which had ruled the country for 16 years, marking the first change in government in Hungary for over a decade. Wikipedia →
2014The Great Fire of Valparaíso ravages the Chilean city of Valparaíso, killing 16 people, displacing nearly 10,000, and destroying more than 2,500 homes. Wikipedia →
2013Two suicide bombers kill three Chadian soldiers and injure dozens of civilians at a market in Kidal, Mali. Wikipedia →
2010Merano derailment: A rail accident in South Tyrol kills nine people and injures a further 28. Wikipedia →
2009Zimbabwe officially abandons the Zimbabwean dollar as its official currency. Wikipedia →
2007A suicide bomber penetrates the Green Zone and detonates in a cafeteria within a parliament building, killing Iraqi MP Mohammed Awad and wounding more than twenty other people. Wikipedia →
2002A suicide bomber blows herself up at the entrance to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market, killing seven people and wounding 104. Wikipedia →
1999United States President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a civil lawsuit; he is later fined and disbarred. Wikipedia →
1999During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, an American McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle shoots a passenger train, killing between 20 and 60 people. Wikipedia →
1992The Euro Disney Resort officially opens with its theme park Euro Disneyland; the resort and its park's name are subsequently changed to Disneyland Resort Paris. Wikipedia →
1990Jim Gary's "Twentieth Century Dinosaurs" exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He is the only sculptor ever invited to present a solo exhibition there. Wikipedia →
1990Widerøe Flight 839 crashes after takeoff from Værøy Airport in Norway, killing five people. Wikipedia →
1985Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-51D to deploy two communications satellites. Wikipedia →
1983Harold Washington is elected as the first black mayor of Chicago. Wikipedia →
1981The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place: The STS-1 mission. Wikipedia →
1980The Americo-Liberian government of Liberia is violently deposed. Wikipedia →
1980Transbrasil Flight 303, a Boeing 727, crashes on approach to Hercílio Luz International Airport in Florianópolis, Brazil. Fifty-five out of the 58 people on board are killed. Wikipedia →
1980Canadian runner and athlete Terry Fox begins his Marathon of Hope Run in St. John's, NF Wikipedia →
1970Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board. Wikipedia →
1963The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits. Wikipedia →
1961Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first crewed orbital flight, Vostok 1. Wikipedia →
1955The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective. Wikipedia →
1945U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office; Vice President Harry S. Truman succeeds him. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reaches Tangermünde—only 80 kilometres from Berlin. Wikipedia →
1937Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England. Wikipedia →
1934The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed. Wikipedia →
1934The U.S. Auto-Lite strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers. Wikipedia →
1928The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west. Wikipedia →
1927Shanghai massacre of 1927: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Chinese Communist Party members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front. Wikipedia →
1927Rocksprings, Texas is hit by an F5 tornado that destroys 235 of the 247 buildings in the town, kills 72 townspeople, and injures 205; third deadliest tornado in Texas history. Wikipedia →
1917World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans. Wikipedia →
1910SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnought battleships built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, is launched. Wikipedia →
1900One day after its enactment by the Congress, President William McKinley signs the Foraker Act into law, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule. Wikipedia →
1877The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal. Wikipedia →
1865American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army. Wikipedia →
1864American Civil War: The Battle of Fort Pillow: Confederate forces kill most of the African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee. Wikipedia →
1862American Civil War: The Andrews Raid (the Great Locomotive Chase) occurs, starting from Big Shanty, Georgia (now Kennesaw). Wikipedia →
1861American Civil War: Battle of Fort Sumter. The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. Wikipedia →
1831Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England, cause it to collapse. Wikipedia →
1820Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece. Wikipedia →
1807The Froberg mutiny on Malta ends when the remaining mutineers blow up the magazine of Fort Ricasoli. Wikipedia →
1796War of the First Coalition: Napoleon Bonaparte wins his first victory as an army commander at the Battle of Montenotte, splitting the Austrian and Piedmontese armies away from each other, and marking the beginning of the Piedmontese surrender in the war. Wikipedia →
1782American Revolution: A Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral George Rodney defeats a French fleet led by the Comte de Grasse at the Battle of the Saintes off Dominica in the Caribbean Sea. Wikipedia →
1776American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain. Wikipedia →
1606The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of English and Scottish ships. Wikipedia →
1588The Instruction of 12 April 1588 was enacted, which is widely regarded as the formal establishment of the Dutch Republic. Wikipedia →
1204The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople and enter the city, which they completely occupy the following day. Wikipedia →
1159Having received the submission of the prince of Antioch, Raynald of Châtillon, Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos enters triumphantly the city of Antioch. Wikipedia →
806Nikephoros I of Constantinople is consecrated as patriarch of Constantinople.
627King Edwin of Northumbria is converted to Christianity by Paulinus, Bishop of York. Wikipedia →
467Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Wikipedia →
240Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2019The Guardian
Australian election: never mind the pyjamas, one-on-one conversations can change minds
Environmental and aid groups, business organisations and left and right-wing activists are campaigning for votes in t…
Read on The Guardian →
2018The Guardian
Lost in Space review – Netflix's sci-fi reboot takes a small step into the future
No longer a perfect 60s nuclear family, the Robinsons have gained some 21st-century attitude and dysfunction – and th…
Read on The Guardian →
1984The New York Times · Front page
LATIN DEBT AT A SMALLER BANK
The impact of Latin America's foreign debt crisis reaches far beyond the board rooms and balance sheets of America's…
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.