# On this day: April 12

April 12 is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years), with 263 days left until the end of the year.

## April 12 in one line

Headline entries for April 12, from Wikipedia: in 1961, Aboard Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin performed the first human spaceflight, completing one orbit of Earth in 108 minutes; born 1942: Jacob Zuma, South African politician, 4th President of South Africa; died 1945: Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States (born 1882). In 2026 it is a Sunday, in 2027 a Monday.

## Events on April 12

- 240 Shapur I becomes co-emperor of the Sasanian Empire with his father Ardashir I. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapur_I)
- 627 King Edwin of Northumbria was baptised by Bishop Paulinus of York. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_of_Northumbria)
- 1204 Troops of the Fourth Crusade entered Constantinople and began a sack of the city, temporarily dissolving the Byzantine Empire. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Crusade)
- 1606 The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of English and Scottish ships. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Jack)
- 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. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Resolves)
- 1807 The Froberg mutiny of Greek and Albanian troops in British service ended with the explosion of the gunpowder magazine at Fort Ricasoli, Malta. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froberg_mutiny)
- 1822 Greek War of Independence: Ottoman troops began a massacre of tens of thousands of Greeks on the island of Chios. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chios_massacre)
- 1831 The Broughton Suspension Bridge near Manchester, England, collapsed reportedly because of mechanical resonance induced by troops marching in step across it. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broughton_Suspension_Bridge)
- 1861 Confederate forces began a bombardment of Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, starting the American Civil War. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Sumter)
- 1910 SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnoughts built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, was launched in Trieste. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Hungarian_Navy)
- 1917 World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vimy_Ridge)
- 1945 U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office; Vice President Harry S. Truman succeeds him. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt)
- 1961 Aboard Vostok 1, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin performed the first human spaceflight, completing one orbit of Earth in 108 minutes. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin)
- 1973 About 1,700 gravediggers in New York City began a 12-week strike, causing a delay in the burial of roughly 1,400 bodies in the city. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_New_York_City_gravediggers'_strike)
- 1980 Canadian athlete Terry Fox embarked on an east-to-west "Marathon of Hope" from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with a prosthetic leg to raise funds for cancer research. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox)
- 1981 The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place: The STS-1 mission. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia)
- 1983 Harold Washington was elected as the first African-American mayor of Chicago. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Washington)
- 1985 Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-51D to deploy two communications satellites. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-51-D)
- 1992 The 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland_Paris)
- 1993 Bosnian War: NATO forces began Operation Deny Flight to enforce a no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina ordered by the United Nations Security Council. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Deny_Flight)
- 1994 Husband-and-wife law partners Laurence Canter and Martha Siegel posted the first massive commercial spam on Usenet. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Canter_and_Martha_Siegel)
- 1999 During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, an American McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle shoots a passenger train, killing between 20 and 60 people. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_bombing_of_Yugoslavia)
- 2012 The Guinea-Bissau military seized control in a coup amid a presidential election, later handing power to a transitional administration under Manuel Serifo Nhamadjo. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Guinea-Bissau_coup_d'%C3%A9tat)
- 2013 Four Chadian soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing by jihadist rebels in Kidal, Mali. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_2013_Kidal_attack)
- 2014 A fire broke out near Valparaíso, Chile, eventually destroying at least 2,500 homes and leaving approximately 11,000 people homeless. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Valpara%C3%ADso)
- 2026 The 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9ter_Magyar)

## Born on April 12

- 1577 Christian IV of Denmark (died 1648) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_IV_of_Denmark)
- 1823 Alexander Ostrovsky, Russian playwright and translator (died 1886) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Ostrovsky)
- 1839 Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian geographer and explorer (died 1888) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay_Przhevalsky)
- 1884 Otto Meyerhof, German physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1951) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Fritz_Meyerhof)
- 1885 Robert Delaunay, French painter (died 1941) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Delaunay)
- 1903 Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1994) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Tinbergen)
- 1933 Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano and actress (died 2018) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat_Caball%C3%A9)
- 1940 Herbie Hancock, American pianist, composer, and bandleader [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbie_Hancock)
- 1942 Jacob Zuma, South African politician, 4th President of South Africa [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Zuma)
- 1946 Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_O'Neill)
- 1947 Tom Clancy, American historian and author (died 2013) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Clancy)
- 1947 David Letterman, American comedian and talk show host [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Letterman)
- 1948 Marcello Lippi, Italian footballer, manager, and coach [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcello_Lippi)
- 1948 Joschka Fischer, German academic and politician [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joschka_Fischer)
- 1950 Joyce Banda, Malawian politician, 4th president of Malawi [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joyce_Banda)
- 1956 Andy Garcia, Cuban-American actor, director, and producer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Garcia)
- 1971 Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer (died 2024) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shannen_Doherty)
- 1979 Claire Danes, American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Danes)
- 1979 Jennifer Morrison, American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Morrison)
- 1981 Tulsi Gabbard, American politician [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulsi_Gabbard)
- 1990 Hiroki Sakai, Japanese footballer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroki_Sakai)
- 1994 Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saoirse_Ronan)

## Died on April 12

- 352 Julius I, pope of the Catholic Church [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Julius_I)
- 1555 Joanna, Queen of Castile and Aragon (born 1479) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_of_Castile)
- 1704 Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, French bishop and theologian (born 1627) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques-B%C3%A9nigne_Bossuet)
- 1782 Metastasio, Italian-Austrian poet and composer (born 1698) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Metastasio)
- 1817 Charles Messier, French astronomer and academic (born 1730) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Messier)
- 1912 Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founded the American Red Cross (born 1821) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Barton)
- 1938 Feodor Chaliapin, Russian opera singer (born 1873) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feodor_Chaliapin)
- 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States (born 1882) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt)
- 1975 Josephine Baker, French actress, activist, and humanitarian (born 1906) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker)
- 1981 Joe Louis, American boxer and wrestler (born 1914) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Louis)
- 1989 Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (born 1921) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Ray_Robinson)
- 1997 George Wald, American neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1906) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wald)
- 2022 Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian, actor, and singer (born 1955) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_Gottfried)
- 2026 Asha Bhosle, Indian playback singer, businesswoman, actress and television personality (born 1933) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asha_Bhosle)

## Holidays and observances

- Children's Day (Bolivia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children's_Day)
- Christian feast day: Adoniram Judson (Episcopal Church) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoniram_Judson)
- Christian feast day: Alferius [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alferius)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Angelo Carletti di Chivasso [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_Carletti_di_Chivasso)
- Christian feast day: Erkembode [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erkembode)
- Christian feast day: Pope Julius I [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Julius_I)
- Christian feast day: Sabbas the Goth [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbas_the_Goth)
- Christian feast day: Teresa of the Andes [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_of_the_Andes)
- Christian feast day: Zeno of Verona [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno_of_Verona)
- Christian feast day: April 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_12_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin: Cosmonautics Day (Russia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmonautics_Day)
- Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin: International Day of Human Space Flight [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Human_Space_Flight)
- Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin: Yuri's Night (International observance) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri's_Night)
- Halifax Day (North Carolina) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minor_American_Revolution_holidays)
- National Redemption Day (Liberia) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Liberia)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “April 12”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_12) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/April 12”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/April_12) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“April 12”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_12) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_12?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for April 12 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## April 12 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Sunday | 2026-W15 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2027 | Monday | 2027-W15 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2028 | Wednesday | 2028-W15 | 🌖 Waning Gibbous |
| 2029 | Thursday | 2029-W15 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2030 | Friday | 2030-W15 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on April 12

None of the 28 countries we track has a public holiday on April 12 in 2026 or 2027.

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← April 11](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-11/) · [April 13 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-13/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-12/