Vintage News · Odd history for February 12

What Happened On February 12

Q: What happened on February 12?

1689: The Convention Parliament declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication. 2016: In the first meeting between the leaders of the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow signed the Havana Declaration at José Martí International Airport in Cuba. 2016: Pope 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. 1894: Ère des attentats: In one of the first acts of modern terrorism, Émile Henry threw a bomb into Café Terminus in Paris, France, killing one person and injuring 17 more. 1855: The precursor of Michigan State University in East Lansing was founded as the United States' first agricultural college. 1894: Café Terminus bombing by Émile Henry during the Ère des attentats (1892–1894). This is considered one of the first acts of modern terrorism. 1825: The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west. 1404: The 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. 1096: Pope Urban II confirms the foundation of the abbey of La Roë under Robert of Arbrissel as a community of canons regular. 1059: Upon reaching Rome, Bruno of Toul is elected as pope Leo IX and starts initiating reforms.

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10 odd things that happened on February 12

1689 Oddly true
The Convention Parliament declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2016 First ever
In the first meeting between the leaders of the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow signed the Havana Declaration at José Martí International Airport in Cuba.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
2016 First ever
Pope 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.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1894 First ever
Ère des attentats: In one of the first acts of modern terrorism, Émile Henry threw a bomb into Café Terminus in Paris, France, killing one person and injuring 17 more.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1855 First ever
The precursor of Michigan State University in East Lansing was founded as the United States' first agricultural college.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1894 First ever
Café Terminus bombing by Émile Henry during the Ère des attentats (1892–1894). This is considered one of the first acts of modern terrorism.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1825 Oddly true
The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1404 First ever
The 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.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1096 Oddly true
Pope Urban II confirms the foundation of the abbey of La Roë under Robert of Arbrissel as a community of canons regular.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1059 Oddly true
Upon reaching Rome, Bruno of Toul is elected as pope Leo IX and starts initiating reforms.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

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. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
2004The city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
2002An Iran Airtour Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in the mountains outside Khorramabad, Iran while descending for a landing at Khorramabad Airport, killing 119. Wikipedia →
2001NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touches down in the "saddle" region of 433 Eros, becoming the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid. Wikipedia →
1999United States President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the United States Senate in his impeachment trial. Wikipedia →
1994Four thieves break into the National Gallery of Norway and steal Edvard Munch's iconic painting The Scream. Wikipedia →
1993Two-year-old James Bulger is abducted from New Strand Shopping Centre by two ten-year-old boys, who later torture and murder him. Wikipedia →
1992The current Constitution of Mongolia comes into effect. Wikipedia →
1990Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female Premier in Australian history when she becomes Premier of Western Australia. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1974Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, is exiled from the Soviet Union. Wikipedia →
1968Vietnam War: The Phong Nhị and Phong Nhất massacre occurs, allegedly by South Korean troops. Wikipedia →
1966Rabbi Morris Adler is fatally shot by a disgruntled congregant at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, Michigan, United States. Wikipedia →
1965Malcolm X visits Smethwick near Birmingham following the racially-charged 1964 United Kingdom general election. Wikipedia →
1963Construction begins on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. Wikipedia →
1963Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 705 crashes into the Everglades shortly after takeoff from Miami International Airport, killing all 45 people on board. Wikipedia →
1961The Soviet Union launches Venera 1 towards Venus. Wikipedia →
1947The largest observed iron meteorite until that time creates an impact crater in Sikhote-Alin, in the Soviet Union. Wikipedia →
1947Christian Dior unveils a "New Look", helping Paris regain its position as the capital of the fashion world. Wikipedia →
1946World War II: Operation Deadlight ends after scuttling 121 of 154 captured U-boats. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1945A devastating tornado outbreak in Mississippi and Alabama kills 45 people and injures 427 others. Wikipedia →
1935USS Macon, one of the two largest helium-filled airships ever created, crashes into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California and sinks. Wikipedia →
1921Bolsheviks launch a revolt in Georgia as a preliminary to the Red Army invasion of Georgia. Wikipedia →
1919The Second Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Huliaipole. Wikipedia →
1912The Xuantong Emperor, the last Emperor of China, abdicates. Wikipedia →
1909The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1894Café Terminus bombing by Émile Henry during the Ère des attentats (1892–1894). This is considered one of the first acts of modern terrorism. Wikipedia →
1889Antonín Dvořák's Jakobín is premiered at the National Theater in Prague. Wikipedia →
1832Ecuador annexes the Galápagos Islands. Wikipedia →
1825The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west. Wikipedia →
1818Bernardo O'Higgins formally approves the Chilean Declaration of Independence near Concepción, Chile. Wikipedia →
1817An Argentine/Chilean patriotic army, after crossing the Andes, defeats Spanish troops at the Battle of Chacabuco. Wikipedia →
1771Gustav III becomes the King of Sweden. Wikipedia →
1733Georgia Day: Englishman James Oglethorpe founds Georgia, the 13th colony of the Thirteen Colonies, by settling at Savannah. Wikipedia →
1689The Convention Parliament declares that the flight to France in 1688 by James II, the last Roman Catholic British monarch, constitutes an abdication. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1541Santiago, Chile is founded by Pedro de Valdivia. Wikipedia →
1502Isabella I issues an edict outlawing Islam in the Crown of Castile, forcing virtually all her Muslim subjects to convert to Christianity. Wikipedia →
1502Vasco da Gama sets sail with 15 ships and 800 men from Lisbon, Portugal on his second voyage to India. Wikipedia →
1429English forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orléans in the Battle of the Herrings. Wikipedia →
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. Wikipedia →
1096Pope Urban II confirms the foundation of the abbey of La Roë under Robert of Arbrissel as a community of canons regular. Wikipedia →
1059Upon reaching Rome, Bruno of Toul is elected as pope Leo IX and starts initiating reforms. Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2024The Guardian
Canada: second Sikh activist’s house hit by gunfire this month
Bullet hole found in Inderjit Singh Gosal’s house, reigniting fears of apparent campaign of violence targeting Sikh s…
Read on The Guardian →
2017The Guardian
Victories for Indigenous people are always short-lived. That's why we need a treaty – now
@IndigenousX host Steve Bunbadgee Hodder Watt was in Canberra for Kevin Rudd’s national apology in 2008. It was easy…
Read on The Guardian →
1968The New York Times
Judging of 2,580 Dogs at Westminster Kennel Club Show Will Begin Today
While satellite events in the form of specialties in 22 breeds occupied hundreds of exhibitors in city armories and h…
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.