October 12

### Up to 1900

- 539 BC – The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon.
- 1216 – King John of England loses his own crown jewels in The Wash.
- 1492 – In his first voyage, Christopher Columbus lands in the present-day Bahamas, in the belief that he'd reached East Asia.
- 1654 – An explosion devastates the city of Delft, Netherlands, killing over 100 people.
- 1692 – The Salem Witch Trials are ended by a letter from Massachusetts Governor William Phips.
- 1748 – War of Jenkins' Ear: Battle of Havana between British and Spanish naval forces.
- 1773 – The United States' first insane asylum opens in Virginia.
- 1792 – First American celebration of Columbus Day, in New York City.
- 1799 – Jeanne Genevieve Labrosse becomes the first woman to jump from a balloon with a parachute.
- 1810 – The tradition of the Munich Oktoberfest begins.
- 1822 – Pedro I of Brazil is proclaimed Emperor.
- 1823 – Charles Macintosh, of Scotland, sells the first raincoat.
- 1860 – The previously Introduced of the so-called Section 377 of the British Indian penal code (Law) was enacted in **British India** respectively.
- 1871 – The Introduction of the so-called Criminal Tribes Act was enacted in **British India** respectively.
- 1892 – The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited by students in many public schools.
- 1899 – First fighting of the Second Boer War.

### 1901 – 2000

- 1901 – The 'Executive Mansion' is renamed the White House by US President Theodore Roosevelt.
- 1902 – The Austria national football team plays its first game, defeating the Hungary national football team 5–0.
- 1915 – World War I: British nurse Edith Cavell is executed by a German firing squad.
- 1917 – World War I: The first Battle of Passchendaele takes place.
- 1918 – A massive forest fire kills 453 people in Minnesota.
- 1928 – An iron lung respirator is first used at the Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1931 – The Christ the Redeemer statue on Sugar Loaf Mountain over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is officially inaugurated.
- 1942 – World War II: Japanese ships retreat after defeat to the US in the Battle of Esperance on Guadalcanal.
- 1944 – World War II: Athens, Greece, is liberated from occupying German forces.
- 1962 – A storm hits the Pacific Northwest of the United States, killing 46 people.
- 1964 – The Soviet Union launches Voskhod 1 into Earth orbit as the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew.
- 1968 – Equatorial Guinea becomes independent from Spain.
- 1968 – The 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City begin.
- 1970 – Vietnam War: Richard Nixon announces the withdrawal of 40,000 US troops before Christmas.
- 1979 – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is first published.
- 1983 – Prime Minister of Japan Tanaka Kakuei is found guilty of bribery and sent to four years in jail.
- 1984 – The Provisional IRA carries out the Brighton Hotel Bombing in an attempt to kill Margaret Thatcher, who escapes unhurt, though 5 people are killed and 31 injured.
- 1986 – Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit the People's Republic of China.
- 1987 – General Junhao Zhang fails the Juliet battalion in a skirmish versus the Han Chinese resulting in 50 casualties and the loss of a warehouse containing tonnes of gold.
- 1988 – Birchandra Manu massacre in Tripura, India.
- 1991 – Askar Akayev is confirmed as President of Kyrgyzstan.
- 1992 – A magnitude 5.8 earthquake in Cairo, Egypt kills 510 people.
- 1994 – NASA loses radio contact  with the Magellan spacecraft as it passes through the atmosphere of the planet Venus, probably because of the extreme gravity there.
- 1997 – Sidi Daous massacre occurs in Algeria, as 43 people are killed at a fake roadblock.
- 1999 – In Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf takes control in a military coup. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is placed under house arrest.
- 1999 – Abkhazia declares independence from Georgia.
- 1999 – The United Nations officially designates this as the day that the world population reached six billion.
- 2000 – The USS _Cole_ is badly damaged in Aden, Yemen, by two suicide bombers.

### From 2001

- 2002 – A terrorist bombing on the Indonesian island of Bali kills 202 people.
- 2003 – Germany wins the FIFA Women's World Cup, defeating Sweden 2–1.
- 2005 – The second Chinese space flight occurs as Shenzhou 6 is launched, with Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng on board.
- 2007 – Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change win the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 2009 – Elinor Ostrom becomes the first woman to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, sharing it with Oliver E. Williamson.
- 2012 – The European Union wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 2013 – Cyclone Phailin hits the east coast of India.
- 2013 – 51 people are killed after a truck plunges off a cliff in Peru.
- 2014 – Southeastern India is hit by Cyclone Hudhud, while Japan is hit by a typhoon on the same day.
- 2019 – Typhoon Hagibis hits Japan, becoming the most powerful storm to hit the country in over 60 years.

### Up to 1900

- 1006 – Emperor Go-Ichijo of Japan (d. 1036).
- 1350 – Dmitry Donskoy, Prince of Moscow (d. 1389).
- 1490 – Bernardo Pisano, Italian composer (d. 1548).
- 1537 – Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England for nine days (d. 1554).
- 1537 – King Edward VI of England (d. 1553).
- 1558 – Archduke Maximilian II of Austria (d. 1618).
- 1576 – Thomas Dudley, English-born American colonial magistrate (d. 1653).
- 1664 – Praskovia Saltykova, Tsarina of Russia (d. 1723).
- 1687 – Sylvius Leopold Weiss, German composer (d. 1750)
- 1710 – Jonathan Trumbull, 16th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1785).
- 1775 – Ludovico Micara, Italian cardinal (d. 1847).
- 1792 – Christian Gmelin, German chemist (d. 1860).
- 1798 – Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil  and (as Pedro IV) King of Portugal (d. 1834).
- 1801 – Friedrich Frey-Herosé, Swiss statesman (d. 1873).
- 1812 – Ascanio Sobrero, Italian chemist and inventor (d. 1888).
- 1815 – William G. Hardee, American Confederate general (d. 1873).
- 1827 – George Lawson, Canadian botanist (d. 1895).
- 1834 – Infanta Amelia Philippina of Spain (d. 1905).
- 1840 – Helena Modjeska, Polish actress (d. 1909).
- 1844 – George Washington Cable, American writer (d. 1925).
- 1853 – Edward F. Dunne, Governor of Illinois (d. 1937).
- 1855 – Arthur Nikisch, Hungarian conductor (d. 1922).
- 1860 – Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American inventor (d. 1930).
- 1860 – John G. Sargent, 53rd United States Attorney General (d. 1939).
- 1865 – Arthur Harden, English chemist (d. 1940).
- 1866 – Ramsay MacDonald, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1937).
- 1868 – August Horch, German engineer and automobile pioneer, founder of Audi (d. 1951).
- 1868 – Mariano Trias, 1st Vice President of the Philippines (d. 1914).
- 1872 – Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer (d. 1958)
- 1875 – Aleister Crowley, English occultist and writer (d. 1947).
- 1877 – Howard Mason Gore, American politician, 17th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1947).
- 1880 – Louis Hemon, French novelist (d. 1913).
- 1882 – Akiba Rubinstein, Polish chess player (d. 1961).
- 1891 – Edith Stein, Roman Catholic nun (d. 1942).
- 1891 – Fumimaro Konoe, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1945).
- 1894 – Elisabeth of Romania (d. 1956).
- 1896 – Eugenio Montale, Italian poet (d. 1981).

### 1901 – 1950

- 1904 – Ding Ling, Chinese writer (d. 1986).
- 1905 – Barney Battles Jr., Scottish footballer (d. 1979).
- 1906 – Joe Cronin, American baseball player and executive (d. 1984).
- 1910 – Robert Fitzgerald, American poet and translator (d. 1985).
- 1917 – Roque Maspoli, Uruguayan footballer (d. 2004).
- 1920 – Christopher Soames, Baron Soames, British politician (d. 1987).
- 1921 – Art Clokey, American animator (d. 2010).
- 1921 – Jaroslav Drobny, Czech tennis and ice hockey player (d. 2001).
- 1921 – Logie Bruce Lockhart, Scottish rugby player and journalist.
- 1921 – Kenneth Griffith, Welsh actor (d. 2006).
- 1923 – Wendell Eugene, American jazz trombonist (d. 2017).
- 1923 – Jean Nidetch, American businesswoman (d. 2015).
- 1924 – Doris Grau, American actress (d. 1995).
- 1925 – Essie Mae Washington-Williams, American educator (d. 2013).
- 1926 – Allan Brown, Scottish footballer (d. 2011).
- 1928 – Rangel Valchanov, Bulgarian actor, director and screenwriter (d. 2013).
- 1929 – Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic–British television presenter (d. 2007).
- 1931 – Ole-Johan Dahl, Norwegian computer scientist (d. 2002).
- 1932 – Dick Gregory, American comedian and activist (d. 2017).
- 1932 – Ned Jarrett, American racing driver.
- 1932 – John Moffat, Danish-Canadian physicist.
- 1934 – Richard Meier, American architect.
- 1934 – Albert Shiryaev, Russian mathematician.
- 1934 – Thomas L. Judge, Governor of Montana (d. 2006).
- 1935 – Don Howe, English footballer (d. 2015).
- 1935 – Shivraj Patil, Indian politician.
- 1935 – Luciano Pavarotti, Italian opera singer (d. 2007).
- 1937 – Alberto Goldman, Brazilian politician (d. 2019).
- 1938 – Bob Miller, American NHL broadcaster.
- 1939 – Carolee Schneemann, American artist (d. 2019).
- 1942 – Melvin Franklin, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1995).
- 1942 – Daliah Lavi, Israeli actress and singer (d. 2017).
- 1943 – Jakob Kuhn, Swiss footballer and coach.
- 1944 – Angela Rippon, British television journalist.
- 1945 – Dusty Rhodes, American professional wrestler (d. 2015).
- 1946 – Rosanna Marani, Italian journalist and television host.
- 1947 – George Lam, Hong Kong actor and singer.
- 1948 – Rick Parfitt, British musician (Status Quo) (d. 2016).
- 1948 – John Engler, former Governor of Missouri.
- 1949 – Carlos the Jackal, Venezuelan terrorist.
- 1950 – Dave Freudenthal, 31st Governor of Wyoming.

### 1951 – 1975

- 1951 – Ed Royce, American politician.
- 1952 – Danielle Proulx, Canadian actress.
- 1952 – Roger Heath-Brown, English mathematician.
- 1953 – Les Dennis, English comedian and actor.
- 1953 – David Threlfall, English actor.
- 1955 – Ashley Adams, Australian target shooter (d. 2015).
- 1955 – Einar Jan Aas, Norwegian footballer.
- 1955 – Brian Flynn, Welsh footballer and coach.
- 1955 – Ante Gotovina, Croatian general.
- 1955 – Aggie MacKenzie, Scottish television presenter.
- 1956 – Allan Evans, Scottish footballer.
- 1956 – David Vanian, British singer (The Damned).
- 1958 – Bryn Merrick, British musician (The Damned) (d. 2015).
- 1958 – Hara Patnaik, Indian actor, director and writer (d. 2015).
- 1959 – Anna Escobedo Cabral, 42nd Treasurer of the United States.
- 1960 – Alexei Kudrin, Russian politician.
- 1962 – Branko Crvenkovski, former President of the Republic of Macedonia.
- 1962 – Chris Botti, American jazz trumpeter.
- 1963 – Satoshi Kon, Japanese movie director and screenwriter (d. 2010).
- 1963 – Alan McDonald, Northern Irish footballer (d. 2012).
- 1963 – Dave Legeno, British actor and mixed martial artist (d. 2014).
- 1963 – Donna Williams, Australian author (d. 2017).
- 1964 – Sally Rogers, British actress
- 1965 – Anja Niedringhaus, German photojournalist (d. 2014).
- 1966 – Rhona Martin, Scottish curler.
- 1966 – Brian Kennedy, Northern Irish musician and actor.
- 1966 – Jonathan Crombie, Canadian actor (d. 2015).
- 1966 – Wim Jonk, Dutch footballer.
- 1966 – Roberto Nestor Sensini, Argentine footballer.
- 1968 – Hugh Jackman, Australian actor.
- 1968 – Adam Rich, American actor.
- 1969 – Martie Maguire, American musician (Dixie Chicks).
- 1969 – Zejko Milinovic, Slovenian footballer.
- 1970 – Kirk Cameron, American actor.
- 1970 – Origa, Russian-Japanese singer (d. 2015).
- 1973 – Martin Corry, English rugby player.
- 1974 – Lascelles Brown, Jamaican–Canadian bobsledder.
- 1974 – Marie Wilson, American actress.
- 1974 – Stephen Lee, English snooker player.
- 1975 – Marion Jones, American athlete.

### From 1976

- 1977 – Jessica Barker, Canadian actress.
- 1977 – Bode Miller, American skier.
- 1979 – Paula Barila Bolopa, Equatoguinean footballer and swimmer.
- 1980 – Nadzeya Ostapchuk, Belarussian shot putter.
- 1980 – Ledley King, English footballer.
- 1981 – Shola Ameobi, English footballer.
- 1983 – Katie Piper, English model and television host.
- 1985 – Greig Laidlaw, Scottish rugby player.
- 1986 – Tyler Blackburn, American actor and singer.
- 1987 – Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (d. 2010).
- 1988 – Sam Whitelock, New Zealand rugby player.
- 1989 – Aggro Santos, Brazilian-English rapper
- 1990 – Melody, Spanish singer.
- 1991 – Michael Carter-Williams, American basketball player
- 1992 – Josh Hutcherson, American actor.
- 1992 – Taylor Horn, American singer, songwriter and actress.
- 1995 – Jordan Howe, Welsh paralympic athlete.
- 1997 – Prince Boris of Bulgaria.
- 2001 – Raymond Ochoa, American actor.
- 2004 – Darci Lynne, American ventriloquist and singer.

### Up to 1900

- 322 BC – Demosthenes, Greek statesman (b. 384 BC).
- 632 – Edwin of Northumbria (b. 586).
- 638 – Pope Honorius I
- 642 – Pope John IV
- 1095 – Leopold II of Austria (b. 1050).
- 1320 – Michael IX Palaiologus, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 1277).
- 1492 – Piero della Francesca, Italian painter (b. 1415).
- 1576 – Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1527).
- 1600 – Luis Molina, Spanish Jesuit (b. 1535).
- 1730 – Frederick IV of Denmark (b. 1671).
- 1845 – Elizabeth Fry, British social reformer and philanthropist (b. 1780).
- 1850 – Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Duke of Palmela, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1781).
- 1870 – Robert E. Lee, American Confederate General (b. 1807).
- 1875 – Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, French sculptor and painter (b. 1827).
- 1891 – Hobart B. Bigelow, Governor of Connecticut (b. 1834).
- 1896 – Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish nobleman and politician (b. 1817).

### 1901 – 2000

- 1915 – Edith Cavell, English nurse (b. 1865).
- 1920 – Yu Gwan-sun, Korean independence leader (b. 1904).
- 1921 – Philander C. Knox, United States Secretary of State (b. 1853).
- 1924 – Anatole France, French writer (b. 1844).
- 1933 – John Lister, English politician (b. 1847).
- 1937 – Al Brady, American gangster, killed by FBI
- 1943 – Willi Graf, German Resistance activist (b. 1918).
- 1946 – Joseph Stilwell, American general (b. 1883).
- 1948 – Alfred Kerr, German writer (b. 1867).
- 1956 – Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer (b. 1872).
- 1957 – Arie de Jong, Dutch linguist (b. 1865).
- 1960 – Inejiro Asanuma, Japanese politician (b. 1898).
- 1965 – Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist (b. 1899).
- 1967 – Ram Manohar Lohia, Indian activist and politician (b. 1910).
- 1969 – Sonja Henie, Norwegian figure skater (b. 1912).
- 1970 – Mustafa Zaidi, Pakistani poet (b. 1930).
- 1971 – Dean Acheson, American politician (b. 1893).
- 1971 – Gene Vincent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1935).
- 1973 – Peter Aufschnaiter, Austrian mountaineer (b. 1899).
- 1980 – Alberto Demicheli, Uruguayan politician (b. 1896).
- 1985 – Johnny Olson, American television announcer (b. 1910).
- 1987 – Alf Landon, American politician (b. 1887).
- 1993 – Leon Ames, American actor (b. 1902).
- 1996 – René Lacoste, French tennis player (b. 1904).
- 1997 – John Denver, American singer (b. 1943).
- 1998 – Matthew Shepard, American murder victim (b. 1976).
- 1999 – Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player (b. 1936).

### From 2001

- 2002 – Ray Conniff, American bandleader and musician (b. 1916).
- 2002 – Audrey Mestre, French diver (b. 1974).
- 2003 – Jim Cairns, Australian politician (b. 1914).
- 2003 – Willie Shoemaker, American jockey (b. 1931).
- 2006 – Gillo Pontecorvo, Italian movie director (b. 1919).
- 2007 – Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect (b. 1934).
- 2009 – Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian cyclist (b. 1974).
- 2010 – Manuel Alexandre, Spanish actor (b. 1917).
- 2011 – Dennis Ritchie, American computer scientist (b. 1941).
- 2012 – Sukhdev Singh Kang, 14th Governor of Kerala (b. 1931).
- 2013 – Oscar Hijuelos, American writer (b. 1951).
- 2014 – Roberto Telch, Argentine footballer (b. 1943).
- 2014 – Ali Mazrui, Kenyan professor and writer (b. 1931).
- 2015 – Abdallah Kigoda, Tanzanian politician (b. 1953).
- 2015 – Joan Leslie, American actress and dancer (b. 1925).
- 2017 – Muntaka Connmassie, Nigerian jurist (b. 1946).
- 2018 – Pik Botha, South African politician (b. 1932).
- 2019 – Mel Aull, Canadian football player (b. 1928).
- 2019 – Carlo Croccolo, Italian actor (b. 1927).
- 2019 – Sara Danius, Swedish writer and professor (b. 1962).
- 2019 – Reg Watson, Australian television producer (b. 1926).
- 2019 – Yoshihiza Yoshikawa, Japanese sports shooter (b. 1936).

## Observances

- Many observances relating to Christopher Columbus reaching the Caribbean, celebrated around the Americas and Spain.
- Independence Day (Equatorial Guinea).