July 12 facts for kids

July 12 is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 172 days remain until the end of the year.

July 12th is a day filled with many important events throughout history. From ancient battles and the start of new empires to famous people being born and passing away, this date has seen a lot of action! Let's explore some of the key moments that happened on this day.

Historic Events on July 12

Ancient Times and Early History

• 70 – The Roman army, led by Titus, attacked the strong walls of Jerusalem. After a long six-month siege, they broke through the walls. This led to the Second Temple being destroyed.
• 927 – Several kings in Britain, including Constantine II of Scotland and Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, agreed to accept King Æthelstan of England as their main ruler. This brought seven years of peace to the northern lands.
• 1191 – During the Crusades, the city of Acre finally surrendered to Philip II of France after being under siege for two years. This was a big moment in the Third Crusade.
• 1470 – The powerful Ottoman Empire captured the island of Euboea.
• 1488 – Choe Bu, an official from the Joseon Dynasty in Korea, returned home after being shipwrecked in China for many months.
• 1493 – The Nuremberg Chronicle was published. This was one of the most important early printed books, full of detailed information and illustrations.
• 1527 – The Lê dynasty in Vietnam ended when Lê Cung Hoàng gave up his throne to Mạc Đăng Dung. This marked the beginning of the Mạc dynasty.
• 1543 – King Henry VIII of England married his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.
• 1562 – Fray Diego de Landa, a bishop in Yucatán, sadly burned many sacred idols and books belonging to the Mayan civilization. This destroyed a lot of their history and knowledge.
• 1576 – The Mughal Empire took over Bengal after defeating the Bengal Sultanate in the Battle of Rajmahal.
• 1580 – The Ostrog Bible, one of the first Bibles printed in a Slavic language, was published.

From the 1600s to the 1900s

• 1691 – The Battle of Aughrim took place in Ireland. This was a major victory for the forces of William III of England.
• 1776 – Famous explorer Captain James Cook began his third big sea journey.
• 1789 – In France, a journalist named Camille Desmoulins gave a powerful speech. This speech helped lead to the storming of the Bastille just two days later, which was a key event in the French Revolution.
• 1790 – The National Constituent Assembly in France passed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. This law changed how the church was organized in France.
• 1799 – Ranjit Singh conquered Lahore and became the Maharaja (great king) of the Punjab, starting the Sikh Empire.
• 1801 – British ships caused a lot of damage to Spanish and French ships in the Second Battle of Algeciras.
• 1806 – At the request of Napoleon, several German states like Bavaria and Baden left the Holy Roman Empire. They then formed the Confederation of the Rhine.
• 1812 – The American Army of the Northwest briefly took control of a settlement in Upper Canada, which is now Windsor, Ontario.
• 1862 – The United States Congress officially created the Medal of Honor, the highest military award for bravery.

The 20th and 21st Centuries

• 1913 – Serbian forces started to surround the Bulgarian city of Vidin. However, the siege was stopped when the war ended.
• 1913 – The Second Revolution began in China. Li Liejun declared Jiangxi independent from the Republic of China.
• 1917 – The Bisbee Deportation happened in Arizona. Nearly 1,300 striking miners and others were kidnapped and forced out of Bisbee, Arizona by a group of vigilantes.
• 1918 – The Japanese battleship Kawachi exploded in Japan, tragically killing at least 621 people.
• 1920 – The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty was signed. In this treaty, Soviet Russia recognized Lithuania as an independent country.
• 1943 – During World War II, German and Soviet forces fought in the Battle of Prokhorovka. This was one of the biggest tank battles ever.
• 1948 – Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion ordered the removal of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla.
• 1960 – Orlyonok, a major camp for young pioneers in Russia, was founded.
• 1961 – The Indian city of Pune experienced severe floods when the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams failed. At least two thousand people lost their lives.
• 1967 – Riots began in Newark, New Jersey.
• 1971 – The Australian Aboriginal Flag was flown for the very first time.
• 1973 – A large fire destroyed an entire floor of the National Personnel Records Center in the United States.
• 1975 – São Tomé and Príncipe declared its independence from Portugal.
• 1979 – The island nation of Kiribati became independent from the United Kingdom.
• 1995 – Chinese scientists successfully predicted the 1995 Myanmar–China earthquake. This prediction helped reduce the number of people injured or killed to just 11.
• 2001 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on mission STS-104. It carried the Quest Joint Airlock to the International Space Station.
• 2006 – The 2006 Lebanon War began.
• 2012 – A tank truck explosion in Okobie, Nigeria, tragically killed over 100 people.
• 2013 – A French passenger train derailed in Brétigny-sur-Orge, killing six people and injuring 200.

Famous Birthdays on July 12

Many well-known people were born on this day throughout history.

Born Before the 1600s

• 100 BC – Julius Caesar, a famous Roman politician and general.
• 1394 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, a Japanese shōgun (military ruler).
• 1477 – Jacopo Sadoleto, an Italian cardinal.
• 1549 – Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland, an English nobleman.

Born Between 1601 and 1900

• 1651 – Margaret Theresa of Spain, a Spanish princess.
• 1675 – Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco, an Italian violinist and composer.
• 1730 – Josiah Wedgwood, an English potter who founded the famous Wedgwood Company.
• 1817 – Henry David Thoreau, an American writer, poet, and philosopher.
• 1849 – William Osler, a Canadian physician and author.
• 1854 – George Eastman, an American businessman who founded Eastman Kodak, known for cameras and film.
• 1861 – Anton Arensky, a Russian pianist and composer.
• 1863 – Albert Calmette, a French doctor and scientist who studied bacteria.
• 1868 – Stefan George, a German poet.
• 1876 – Max Jacob, a French poet and painter.
• 1884 – Louis B. Mayer, a Russian-born American film producer who co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
• 1884 – Amedeo Modigliani, a famous Italian painter and sculptor.
• 1895 – Buckminster Fuller, an American architect and engineer, known for designing the Montreal Biosphère.
• 1895 – Oscar Hammerstein II, an American director, producer, and songwriter.

Born After 1900

• 1904 – Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet and diplomat who won the Nobel Prize in Literature.
• 1908 – Milton Berle, a well-known American comedian and actor.
• 1916 – Lyudmila Pavlichenko, a Ukrainian-Russian soldier and famous sniper during World War II.
• 1917 – Andrew Wyeth, a celebrated American artist.
• 1920 – Pierre Berton, a Canadian journalist and author.
• 1928 – Elias James Corey, an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 1937 – Bill Cosby, an American actor and comedian.
• 1937 – Lionel Jospin, a former Prime Minister of France.
• 1943 – Christine McVie, an English singer-songwriter and keyboard player, known for the band Fleetwood Mac.
• 1947 – Gareth Edwards, a famous Welsh rugby player.
• 1948 – Richard Simmons, an American fitness trainer and actor.
• 1951 – Cheryl Ladd, an American actress.
• 1957 – Rick Husband, an American astronaut who was the commander of the Space Shuttle Columbia.
• 1959 – Tupou VI, the current King of Tonga.
• 1962 – Julio César Chávez, a famous Mexican boxer.
• 1967 – John Petrucci, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1970 – Lee Byung-hun, a popular South Korean actor.
• 1971 – Kristi Yamaguchi, an American figure skater and Olympic champion.
• 1976 – Anna Friel, an English actress.
• 1977 – Brock Lesnar, an American mixed martial artist and wrestler.
• 1978 – Topher Grace, an American actor.
• 1978 – Michelle Rodriguez, an American actress.
• 1991 – James Rodríguez, a Colombian footballer.
• 1995 – Luke Shaw, an English footballer.
• 1995 – Jordyn Wieber, an American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist.
• 1997 – Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani-English activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting education for girls.
• 2000 – Vinícius Júnior, a Brazilian footballer.

Notable People Who Passed Away on July 12

This day also marks the passing of many influential figures.

Deaths Before the 1600s

• 783 – Bertrada of Laon, a Frankish queen.
• 1441 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, a Japanese shōgun.
• 1536 – Desiderius Erasmus, a Dutch priest and philosopher.
• 1584 – Steven Borough, an English navigator and explorer.

Deaths Between 1601 and 1900

• 1682 – Jean Picard, a French priest and astronomer.
• 1712 – Richard Cromwell, an English politician who was Lord Protector of England.
• 1773 – Johann Joachim Quantz, a German flute player and composer.
• 1804 – Alexander Hamilton, an American general, economist, and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.
• 1850 – Robert Stevenson, a Scottish engineer.
• 1892 – Alexander Cartwright, an American firefighter who is often credited with inventing modern baseball.

Deaths After 1900

• 1910 – Charles Rolls, an English engineer and businessman who co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited.
• 1926 – Gertrude Bell, an English archaeologist and spy.
• 1934 – Ole Evinrude, a Norwegian-American inventor who created the outboard motor.
• 1935 – Alfred Dreyfus, a French colonel involved in the famous Dreyfus affair.
• 1944 – Theodore Roosevelt Jr., an American general and politician.
• 1949 – Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland.
• 1973 – Lon Chaney Jr., an American actor.
• 1979 – Minnie Riperton, an American singer-songwriter.
• 2003 – Benny Carter, an American trumpet player and saxophonist.
• 2008 – Tony Snow, an American journalist and former White House Press Secretary.
• 2013 – Amar Bose, an American businessman who founded the Bose Corporation, known for audio equipment.
• 2013 – Elaine Morgan, a Welsh writer.
• 2019 – Emily Hartridge, an English YouTuber and television presenter.
• 2020 – Kelly Preston, an American actress and model.

Holidays and Celebrations on July 12

• Birthday of the Heir to the Crown of Tonga (Tonga)
• Christian feast day:
  • Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Eastern Orthodox)
  • John Gualbert
  • Nathan Söderblom (Lutheran, Episcopal Church (USA))
• The second day of Naadam (Mongolia)
• The Twelfth, also known as Orangemen's Day (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Newfoundland and Labrador)

See also

In Spanish: 12 de julio para niños