From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
November 12 is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 49 days remaining until the end of the year.
[edit] Events
- 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days.
- 1028 - Future Byzantine empress Zoe marries Romanus Argyrus according to the wishes of the dying Constantine VIII.
- 1439 - Plymouth, England, becomes the first town incorporated by the English Parliament.
- 1555 - The English Parliament re-establishes Catholicism.
- 1793 - Jean Sylvain Bailly, the first Mayor of Paris, is guillotined.
- 1847 - Sir James Young Simpson, a British physician, is the first to use chloroform as an anaesthetic.
- 1892 - William "Pudge" Heffelfinger becomes the first professional American football player, participating in his first paid game for the Allegheny Athletic Association.
- 1893 - The treaty of the Durand Line is signed between present day Pakistan and Afghanistan - the Durand Line has gained international recognition as an international border between the two sister nations.
- 1905 - (November 12 & November 13) Norway holds a referendum in favor of monarchy over republic.
- 1912 - The frozen bodies of Robert Scott and his men are found on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
- 1918 - Austria becomes a republic.
- 1920 - Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes sign the Treaty of Rapallo.
- 1922 - The Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority is founded on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- 1927 - Leon Trotsky is expelled from the Soviet Communist Party, leaving Joseph Stalin in undisputed control of the Soviet Union.
- 1933 - Hugh Gray takes the first known photos of the Loch Ness Monster.
- 1936 - In California, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge opens to traffic.
- 1938 - Hermann Göring announces Nazi Germany plans to make Madagascar the "Jewish homeland", an idea that actually was first considered by 19th century journalist Theodor Herzl.
- 1941 - World War II: Temperatures around Moscow drop to -12 ° C and the Soviet Union launches ski troops for the first time against the freezing German forces near the city.
- 1941 - The Soviet cruiser "Chervona Ukraina" is destroyed during the Battle of Sevastopol.
- 1942 - World War II: The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal between Japanese and American forces begins near Guadalcanal, which would last for three days.
- 1944 - World War II: The Royal Air Force launches 29 Avro Lancaster bombers in one of the most successful precision bombing attacks of war and sinks the German battleship Tirpitz, with 12,000 lb Tallboy bombs off Tromsø, Norway.
- 1946 - A branch of the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, Illinois opens the first ten drive-up teller windows.
- 1948 - In Tokyo, an international war crimes tribunal sentences seven Japanese military and government officials to death, including General Hideki Tojo, for their roles in World War II.
- 1969 - Vietnam War: My Lai Massacre - Independent investigative journalist Seymour Hersh breaks the My Lai story.
- 1970 - The Oregon Highway Division attempts to destroy a rotting beached Sperm whale with explosives, leading to the now infamous exploding whale incident.
- 1971 - Vietnam War: As part of Vietnamization, US President Richard M. Nixon sets February 1, 1972 as the deadline for the removal of another 45,000 American troops from Vietnam.
- 1978 - As Bishop of Rome Pope John Paul II took possession of his Cathedral Church, the Basilica of St. John Lateran
- 1979 - Iran hostage crisis: In response to the hostage situation in Tehran, US President Jimmy Carter orders a halt to all petroleum imports into the United States from Iran.
- 1980 - The NASA space probe Voyager I makes its closest approach to Saturn and takes first images of its rings.
- 1981 - The Space Shuttle Columbia becomes the first spacecraft to be launched twice.
- 1982 - In the Soviet Union, Yuri Andropov becomes the general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party's Central Committee, succeeding Leonid I. Brezhnev.
- 1982 - Lech Wałęsa, a Solidarity leader, is released from a Polish prison after eleven months.
- 1990 - Crown Prince Akihito is formally installed as Emperor Akihito of Japan, becoming the 125th Japanese monarch.
- 1990 - Tim Berners-Lee publishes a formal proposal for the World Wide Web.
- 1991 - Dili Massacre, Indonesian forces open fire on a crowd of student protesters in Dili, East Timor.
- 1993 - Decree of President of Kazakhstan "About introducing national currency of Republic of Kazakhstan" is issued.
- 1996 - A Saudi Arabian Airlines Boeing 747 and a Kazakh Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane collide in mid-air near New Delhi, killing 349.
- 1997 - Ramzi Yousef is found guilty of masterminding the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
- 1998 - Then Vice President of the United States Al Gore symbolically signs the Kyoto Protocol.
- 1998 - Daimler-Benz completes a merger with Chrysler to form Daimler-Chrysler.
- 1999 - The Düzce earthquake strikes Turkey with a magnitude of 7.2 on the Richter scale.
- 2001 - In New York City, American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus A300 on its way to the Dominican Republic, crashes minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 on board and five on the ground.
- 2001 - 2001 Attack on Afghanistan: Taliban forces abandon Kabul, Afghanistan, ahead of advancing Afghan Northern Alliance troops.
- 2003 - Iraq war: In Nasiriya, Iraq, at least 23 people, among them the first Italian casualties of the 2003 Iraq war are killed in a suicide bomb attack on an Italian police base.
- 2003 - With 501 km/h (311 mph) Shanghai Transrapid sets up a new world record for commercial railway systems.
- 2006 - The former Soviet republic of South Ossetia holds a referendum on independence from Georgia.
[edit] Births
- 1493 - Bartolommeo Bandinelli, Italian sculptor (d. 1560)
- 1528 - Qi Jiguang, Chinese general (d. 1588)
- 1547 - Claude of Valois, French princess (d. 1575)
- 1606 - Jeanne Mance, French Canadian settler (d. 1673)
- 1615 - Richard Baxter, English clergyman (d. 1691)
- 1651 - Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican mystic and author (d. 1695)
- 1729 - Louis Antoine de Bougainville, French explorer (d. 1811)
- 1755 - Gerhard von Scharnhorst, Prussian general (d. 1813)
- 1795 - Thaddeus William Harris, American naturalist (d. 1856)
- 1815 - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American women's rights activist (d. 1902)
- 1817 - Bahá'u'lláh, Prophet Founder of the Bahá'í Faith (d. 1892)
- 1833 - Alexander Borodin, Russian composer and chemist (d. 1887)
- 1840 - Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (d. 1917)
- 1842 - John Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)
- 1848 - Eduard Müller, member of the Swiss Federal Council (d. 1919)
- 1850 - Mikhail Chigorin, Russian chess player (d. 1908)
- 1866 - Sun Yat-sen, 1st President of the Republic of China (d. 1925)
- 1881 - Olev Siinmaa, Estonian architect (d. 1948)
- 1881 - Maximilian von Weichs, German field marshal (d. 1954)
- 1886 - Ben Travers, British playwright (d. 1980)
- 1889 - DeWitt Wallace, American magazine publisher (d. 1981)
- 1890 - Lily Kronberger, Hungarian figure skater (d. 1974)
- 1896 - Salim Ali, Indian ornithologist (d. 1987)
- 1898 - Leon Štukelj, Slovene gymnast (d. 1999)
- 1903 - Jack Oakie, American actor (d. 1978)
- 1908 - Harry Blackmun, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1999)
- 1908 - Amon Göth, commandant of Nazi concentration camp (d. 1946)
- 1911 - Buck Clayton, American jazz trumpet player (d. 1991)
- 1915 - Roland Barthes, French critic and writer (d. 1980)
- 1916 - Jean Papineau-Couture, French Canadian composer (d. 2000)
- 1916 - Paul Emery, British racing driver (d. 1993)
- 1916 - Rogelio de la Rosa, Filipino actor and politician (d. 1986)
- 1917 - Jo Stafford, American singer
- 1920 - Richard Quine, American actor (d. 1989)
- 1922 - Kim Hunter, American actress (d. 2002)
- 1923 - Vicco von Bülow, German film director
- 1924 - Sam Jones, jazz bassist (d. 1981)
- 1927 - Yutaka Taniyama, Japanese mathematician (d. 1958)
- 1929 - Michael Ende, German writer (d. 1995)
- 1929 - Princess Grace of Monaco (née Grace Patricia Kelly) (d. 1982)
- 1930 - Ann Flood, American actress
- 1931 - Bob Crewe, American songwriter and producer (The Four Seasons)
- 1934 - Charles Manson, American cult leader
- 1936 - Mills Lane, American judge and boxing referee
- 1936 - Mort Shuman, American songwriter and singer (d. 1991)
- 1938 - Denis DeJordy, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1939 - Ruby Nash Curtis, American singer (Ruby & the Romantics)
- 1939 - Lucia Popp, Slovakian soprano (d. 1993)
- 1940 - Michel Audet, Quebec economist and politician
- 1940 - Jürgen Todenhöfer, German politician
- 1943 - Brian Hyland, American singer
- 1943 - Wallace Shawn, American actor and playwright
- 1944 - Booker T. Jones, American musician and songwriter (Booker T and the MG's)
- 1944 - Al Michaels, American television sportscaster
- 1945 - Tracy Kidder, American journalist and author
- 1945 - Neil Young, Canadian singer and musician
- 1947 - Ron Bryant, American baseball player
- 1947 - Patrice Leconte, French film director and screenwriter
- 1947 - Donald Roeser (aka Buck Dharma), American Musician (Blue Öyster Cult)
- 1948 - Cliff Harris, American football player
- 1949 - Ron Lapointe, French Canadian ice hockey coach (d. 1992)
- 1952 - Ronald Burkle, American entrepreneur
- 1953 - Vasilis Karras, Greek singer
- 1958 - Nick Stellino, Italian-American television chef
- 1958 - Megan Mullally, American actress and singer
- 1959 - Vincent Irizarry, American actor
- 1960 - Maurane, Belgian singer
- 1961 - Nadia Comaneci, Romanian gymnast
- 1961 - Enzo Francescoli, Uruguayan footballer
- 1961 - Jonathan Nossiter, American film director
- 1961 - Michaela Paetsch, American violinist
- 1962 - Naomi Wolf, American author and feminist
- 1962 - Neal Shusterman, American author
- 1962 - Mark Hunter, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1962 - Brix Smith, American musician and songwriter (The Fall, The Adult Net)
- 1962 - Mariella Frostrup, Norwegian born journalist and television presenter
- 1963 - Susumu Terajima, Japanese actor
- 1964 - David Ellefson, American musician (Megadeth)
- 1965 - David M. Kopp, American Professor
- 1965 - Lex Lang, American voice actor
- 1967 - Michael Moorer, American boxer
- 1967 - Grant Nicholas, British singer (Feeder)
- 1968 - Glenn Gilberti, American professional wrestler
- 1968 - Aya Hisakawa, Japanese voice actress/singer
- 1968 - Sammy Sosa, Dominican Major League Baseball player
- 1968 - Aaron Stainthorpe, British singer (My Dying Bride)
- 1969 - Ian Bremmer, American political scientist
- 1969 - Jason Cundy, English footballer and broadcaster
- 1969 - Johnny Gosch, American kidnap victim
- 1969 - Kathleen Hanna, American singer and songwriter
- 1970 - Donna Adamo, American female professional wrestler
- 1970 - Tonya Harding, American figure skater
- 1970 - Craig Parker, New Zealand actor
- 1970 - Harvey Stephens, British child actor
- 1972 - Vassilis Tsiartas, Greek footballer
- 1973 - Mayte Garcia, American dancer
- 1973 - Radha Mitchell, Australian actress
- 1973 - Tara Strong, Canadian voice actress
- 1974 - Tamala Jones, American actress
- 1975 - Nina Brosh, Israeli model and actress
- 1975 - Angela Watson, American actress
- 1975 - Jason Lezak, American Swimmer
- 1976 - Tevin Campbell, American R&B musician
- 1976 - Judith Holofernes, German singer (Wir sind Helden)
- 1976 - Mirosław Szymkowiak, Polish footballer
- 1977 - Dalene Kurtis, American Playboy model
- 1977 - Benni McCarthy, South African footballer
- 1978 - Andrew Kinlochan, English singer and musician
- 1978 - Alexandra Maria Lara, German Romanian actress
- 1978 - Ashley Williams, American actress
- 1979 - Matt Cappotelli, American professional wrestler
- 1979 - Corey Maggette, American professional basketball player
- 1979 - Cote de Pablo, Chilean actress
- 1980 - Trent Acid, American professional wrestler
- 1980 - Ryan Gosling, Canadian actor
- 1981 - DJ Campbell, English football player
- 1982 - Anne Hathaway, American actress
- 1982 - Mikele Leigertwood, English footballer
- 1983 - Carlton Cole, football player
- 1984 - Omarion, American R&B musician
- 1984 - Sandara Park, South Korean actor
- 1984 - Conrad Rautenbach, Zimbabwean rally driver
- 1986 - Evan Yo, Taiwanese pop singer
- 1987 - Bryan Little, Canadian ice hockey player
[edit] Deaths
- 607 - Pope Boniface III
- 1035 - Canute the Great
- 1094 - King Duncan II of Scotland (b. 1060)
- 1434 - King Louis III of Naples
- 1555 - Stephen Gardiner, English statesman
- 1567 - Anne de Montmorency, Constable of France (b. 1493)
- 1595 - John Hawkins, English shipbuilder and trader (b. 1532)
- 1606 - St. Nicholas Owen (martyr), one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales
- 1667 - Hans Nansen, Danish statesman (b. 1598)
- 1671 - Thomas Fairfax, English Civil War general (b. 1612)
- 1742 - Friedrich Hoffmann, German physician and chemist (b. 1660)
- 1757 - Colley Cibber, English poet (b. 1671)
- 1836 - Juan Ramón Balcarce, Argentine military leader and politician (b. 1773)
- 1865 - Elizabeth Gaskell, English novelist (b. 1810)
- 1916 - Percival Lowell, American amateur astronomer, founder of Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona (b. 1855)
- 1939 - Norman Bethune, Canadian doctor and humanitarian (b. 1890)
- 1941 - Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, American mobster (b. 1907)
- 1944 - Otto Blumenthal, German mathematician (b. 1876)
- 1948 - Umberto Giordano, Italian composer (b. 1867)
- 1955 - Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer (b. 1878)
- 1965 - Syedna Taher Saifuddin, Bohra Spiritual Leader (b. 1888)
- 1972 - Rudolf Friml, Czech composer of operettas (b. 1879)
- 1976 - Walter Piston, American composer (b. 1894)
- 1976 - Mikhail Iosifovich Gurevich, Russian aircraft designer (b. 1893)
- 1981 - William Holden, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1984 - Chester Himes, American author (b. 1909)
- 1990 - Eve Arden, American actress (b. 1908)
- 1993 - H. R. Haldeman, White House Chief of Staff (b. 1926)
- 1994 - Wilma Rudolph, American runner (b. 1940)
- 1997 - Carlos Surinach, Spanish composer (b. 1915)
- 2000 - Leah Rabin, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, (b. 1928)
- 2000 - Franck Pourcel, French popular orchestra leader (b. 1913)
- 2001 - Tony Miles, English chess player (b. 1955)
- 2003 - Cameron Duncan, New Zealand director (b. 1986)
- 2003 - Kay E. Kuter, American actor (b. 1925)
- 2003 - Penny Singleton, American actress (b. 1908)
- 2003 - Tony Thompson, American drummer (Chic, Power Station) (b. 1954)
- 2003 - Jonathan Brandis, American actor (b. 1976)
- 2004 - John Peel, English DJ and Broadcaster (b. 1939)
- 2005 - William G. Adams, former mayor of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada (b. 1923)
- 2006 - General Jacob E. Smart, US Air Force leader World War II (b. 1909)
- 2007 - Khanmohammed Ibrahim, Indian cricketer (b. 1919)
- 2007 - Ira Levin, American novelist (b. 1929)
[edit] Holidays and observances
[edit] External links
