April 12 in History

Historical Events on April 12

1776 American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.

1861 American Civil War: Battle of Fort Sumter. The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.

1877 The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.

1917 World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.

1961 The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first manned orbital flight, Vostok 1.

1963 The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.

1999 United 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.

2002 A suicide bomber blows herself up at the entrance to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market, killing seven people and wounding 104.

2009 Zimbabwe officially abandons the Zimbabwean dollar as its official currency.

All Events

Famous Birthdays on April 12

1777 Henry Clay

1942 Jacob Zuma

1947 David Letterman

1983 Jelena Dokic

All Births

Famous Deaths on April 12

1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt

1975 Josephine Baker

1981 Joe Louis

1989 Sugar Ray Robinson

All Deaths

Choose Another Date