Discover what happened on April 12 in history, along with notable events that shaped war, space exploration, and American leadership.
What Happened on April 12 in History?
From the start of the Civil War to a historic journey into space and the sudden loss of a U.S. president, April 12 marks pivotal turning points in both American and world history.
APRIL 12 – TODAY IN HISTORY:
1833 – Charles Gaylor patented the fireproof safe.
1861 – The Civil War began as Confederate soldiers fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina’s harbor.
1877 – A catcher’s mask was used in a baseball game for the first time by James Alexander Tyng.
1892 – Voters in Lockport, NY, became the first in the U.S. to use voting machines.
1892 – A patent was issued for the first portable typewriter.
1934 – The strongest surface wind gust in the world at 231 mph, was measured on the summit of Mount Washington, NH. It is still the highest wind ever recorded in the U.S..
1938 – The first U.S. law requiring a medical test for a marriage license was enacted in New York.
1945 – In New York, NY, the organization of the first eye bank, the Eye Bank for Sight Restoration, was announced.
1945 – President Franklin D. Roosevelt died in Warm Spring, GA of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Harry S. Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President.
1954 – Bill Haley & His Comets recorded the song “Rock Around the Clock” in New York, NY. Unsuccessful at first, the recording would help launch the rock and roll revolution the following year.
1955 – The University of Michigan Polio Vaccine Evaluation Center announced that the polio vaccine of Dr. Jonas Salk was “safe, effective and potent”.
1961 – Soviet Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin became first man to orbit the Earth.
1966 – Jan Berry (Jan & Dean) crashed his car near “Dead Man’s Curve” in Beverly Hills, CA. He suffered severe head injuries and was in a coma for nearly two months.
1981 – The Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-1) blasted off from Cape Canaveral, FL, on its first test flight.
1983 – Harold Washington was elected the first black mayor of Chicago, IL.
1984 – Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger made the first satellite repair in orbit by returning the Solar Max satellite to space.
1985 – U.S. Senator Jake Garn of Utah became the first (but not the last) Senator to fly in space as the Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Cape Canaveral, FL.
1985 – Federal inspectors declared that four animals of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus were not unicorns. They were goats with horns that had been surgically implanted.
1985 – USA for Africa’s “We Are the World” album is released.
1987 – Texaco filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy after it failed to settle a legal dispute with Pennzoil Co.
1988 – Sonny Bono was elected mayor of Palm Springs, CA.
1988 – Harvard University won a patent for a genetically altered mouse. It was the first patent for a life form.
1990 – James Brown was released from a South Carolina jail on work furlough after serving 15 months of a six-year sentence for aggravated assault.
1992 – The Euro Disney Resort officially opened with its theme park Euro Disneyland in Marne-La-Vallee, France. The resort and its park’s name were subsequently changed to Disneyland Paris.
1994 – The West Michigan Whitecaps baseball team played their first game at Old Kent Park (now LMCU Ballpark) in Comstock Park, MI.
1999 – District Judge Susan Webber Wright found President Bill Clinton in contempt of court for giving “intentionally false statements” about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky in connection with a lawsuit filed by Paula Jones.
2000 – The dangerous stunt-filled television show “Jackass” debuted on MTV.
2002 – Ozzy Osbourne received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
2006 – West Michigan radio legend Bruce Grant did his final interview on “The Rick and Scott Show” on WOOD Radio. Read more and listen to the interview here.
2007 – The U.S. Post Office started to sell the “forever” stamp.
2007 – After charges against three former Duke lacrosse players were officially dropped, Durham, NC district attorney Mike Nifong issued an apology to the players for their wrongful prosecution.
2009 – Navy Seal snipers killed three Somali pirates to end a five day standoff on an American shipping vessel in the Indian Ocean. The incident was later dramatized in the movie “Captain Phillips”, starring Tom Hanks.
2012 – The game “Candy Crush Saga” was released on Facebook.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON APRIL 12:
Herbie Hancock – 86 years old (1940) – Pianist, composer, and bandleader
Ed O'Neill – 80 years old (1946) – Actor and comedian
David Letterman – 79 years old (1947) – Comedian and talk show host
Scott Turow – 77 years old (1949) – Lawyer and author
Reuben Gant – 74 years old (1952) – Football player
Gary Soto – 74 years old (1952) – Poet, novelist, and memoirist
Andy Garcia – 70 years old (1956) – Cuban-American actor, director, and producer
Vince Gill – 69 years old (1957) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist
Tama Janowitz – 69 years old (1957) – Novelist and short story writer
David Thirdkill – 66 years old (1960) – Basketball player
Charles Mann – 65 years old (1961) – Football player and sportscaster
Art Alexakis – 64 years old (1962) – Singer-songwriter and musician
Amy Ray – 62 years old (1964) – Folk-rock singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer
Lorenzo White – 60 years old (1966) – Football player
Alicia Coppola – 58 years old (1968) – Actress
Paul Lo Duca – 54 years old (1972) – Baseball player and sportscaster
J. Scott Campbell – 53 years old (1973) – Author and illustrator
Ryan Kisor – 53 years old (1973) – Trumpet player and composer
Antonio Osuna – 53 years old (1973) – Mexican-American baseball player
Marley Shelton – 52 years old (1974) – Actress
Brad Miller – 50 years old (1976) – Basketball player
Scott Crary – 48 years old (1978) – Director, producer, and screenwriter
Claire Danes – 47 years old (1979) – Actress
Jennifer Morrison – 47 years old (1979) – Actress
Tulsi Gabbard – 45 years old (1981) – Politician
Brennan Boesch – 41 years old (1985) – Baseball player
Brooklyn Decker – 39 years old (1987) – Model and actress
Brendon Urie – 39 years old (1987) – Singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist
Jessie James Decker – 38 years old (1988) – Singer-songwriter
Miguel Ángel Ponce – 37 years old (1989) – American-Mexican footballer
Kaitlyn Weaver – 37 years old (1989) – Canadian-American ice dancer
Robin Anderson – 33 years old (1993) – Tennis player
Saoirse Ronan – 32 years old (1994) – American-born Irish actress
DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR APRIL 12:
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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.
