March 12

Events
Up to 1900
515 BC - Construction is completed on the Temple in Jerusalem.
1550 - Several hundred Spanish and indigenous troops under the command of Pedro Valdivia defeat an army of 60,000 Mapuche at the Battle of Penco during the Arauco War in present-day Chile.
1622 - Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Francis Xavier are canonized as Saints of the Roman Catholic Church.
1664 - New Jersey becomes a colony of Britain.
1689 - The Williamite War in Ireland begins.
1811 - Peninsular War: A day after a successful rear guard action, French Marshal Michel Neyonce again successfully delays the pursuing an Anglo-Portuguese force at the Battle of Redinha.
1868 - Henry O'Farrell attempts to kill Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh.
1871 - Karl Theodor Robert Luther discovers Jupiter's moon Amalthea.
1878 - Walvis Bay in present-day Namibia comes under British control.
1881 - Andrew Watson makes his first appearance for the Scotland national football team, as the world's first black footballer to turn out for a national side.
1894 - Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time.
1901 2000
1912 - The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts in the US) are founded in the US.
1913 - Canberra becomes the capital of Australia.
1918 - Moscow becomes the capital city of Russia.
1922 - Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan form the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic.
1928 - In California, the St. Francis Dam fails, killing 400 people.
1930 - Mahatma Gandhi leads a 200-mile march known as Dandi March to the sea in defiance of British opposition, to protest the British monopoly on salt.
1933 - Great Depression: Franklin Delano Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This was also the first of his "Fireside Chats."
1934 - Konstantin Pats and General John Laidoner stage a coup in Estonia.
1934 - Japanese torpedo boat Tomozuru sinks in a storm off Sasebo, Nagasaki, killing 100 out of the 113 people on board.
1938 - Anschluss: German troops occupy Austria; annexation declared the following day.
1940 - Winter War: Finland signs a harsh peace treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia. Finnish troops and remaining population are immediately evacuated.
1947 - The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism.
1950 - Llandow Air Disaster: In South Wales, an aircraft crashes near the village of Sigingstone, killing 80 people.
1951 - The Dennis the Menace comic strip appears in newspapers across the US for the first time.
1956 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 500 for the first time (500.24)
1958 - In Hilversum, Netherlands, Andre Claveau wins the third Eurovision Song Contest for France singing "Dors, mon amour" (Sleep, my love).
1960 - A fire at a chemical plant in Pusan, Korea kills 68.
1961 - The Eiger north face is climbed outside the main climbing season for the first time.
1967 - Suharto takes over from Sukarno to become President of Indonesia.
1968 - Mauritius achieves independence.
1984 - National Union of Mineworkers leader Arthur Scargill, call for a nationwide strike against the economic policies of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Margaret Thatcher.
1987 - Les Miserables opens on Broadway.
1992 - Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the British Commonwealth.
1993 - Several bombs explode in Bombay, India killing about 300 and injuring hundreds more.
1993 - North Korea nuclear weapons program: North Korea says that it plans to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and refuses to allow inspectors access to nuclear sites.
1993 - The Blizzard of '93 hits the eastern United States, with heavy snowfall, high winds and tornadoes.
1994 - A photo by Marmaduke Wetherell, previously touted as 'proof' of the Loch Ness monster, is confirmed to be a hoax.
1994 - The Church of England ordains its first female priests.
1997 - Mikail Markhasev is arrested in Los Angeles, California and charged with shooting Bill Cosby's 27-year-old son, Ennis Cosby.
1999 - Former Warsaw Pact members the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
From 2001
2002 - In Texas, Andrea Yates is found guilty of drowning her five children on June 20, 2001. She is later sentenced to life in prison.
2003 - Zoran Djindjic, Prime Minister of Serbia, assassinated in Belgrade.
2003 - Elizabeth Smart, a kidnapped teenager is found and returned to her family in Utah.
2004 - Roh Moo-hyun, President of South Korea is impeached by its national assembly for the first time in the nation's history.
2005 - Tung Chee Hwa, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong, stepped down from his post after his resignation is approved by the Chinese central government.
2010 - The Winter Paralympics begin in Vancouver.
2011 - Fukushima nuclear disaster: After the previous day's earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant fails in several reactors, causing a nuclear disaster, as explosions occur.
2014 - An explosion at the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem kills 8 people and injures around 70.
2017 - A landslide at a landfill site outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, kills 72 people.
2019 - British Prime Minister Theresa May loses a second vote on her Brexit deal in the House of Commons.
Births
Up to 1900
1270 - Charles, Count of Valois, son of Philip III of France (d. 1325)
1479 - Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours, ruler of Florence (d. 1516)
1607 - Paul Gerhardt, German hymnist (d. 1676)
1620 - Johann Heinrich Hottinger, Swiss philologist and theologian (d. 1667)
1626 - John Aubrey, English writer (d. 1697)
1637 - Anne Hyde, wife of James VII of Scotland/James II of England (d. 1671)
1685 - George Berkeley, Irish philosopher (d. 1753)
1710 - Thomas Arne, English composer (d. 1778)
1713 - Johann Adolph Hass, German instrument maker (d. 1771)
1728 - Anton Raphael Mengs, German painter (d. 1779)
1763 - Martin Chittenden, American politician, Governor of Vermont (d. 1840)
1769 - Archibald Campbell, British general (d. 1843)
1781 - Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden (d. 1826)
1795 - George T. Wood, 2nd Governor of Texas (d. 1858)
1806 - Jane Pierce, First Lady of the United States (d. 1863)
1821 - John Abbott, 3rd Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1893)
1821 - Luitpold, Prince of Bavaria (d. 1912)
1824 - Gustav Kirchhoff, German physicist (d. 1887)
1832 - Charles Boycott, British land agent (d. 1897)
1835 - Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1909)
1837 - Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (d. 1911)
1838 - William Henry Perkin, English chemist (d. 1907)
1851 - Theodore Thurston Geer, American politician, 10th Governor of Oregon (d. 1924)
1858 - Adolph Ochs, American newspaper publisher (d. 1935)
1863 - Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italian writer and politician (d. 1938)
1864 - Alice Tegner, Swedish composer and organist (d. 1943)
1864 - W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist neurologist, ethnologist and psychiatrist (d. 1922)
1869 - George Forbes, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1947)
1876 - Elbert Lee Trinkle, Governor of Virginia (d. 1939)
1878 - Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (d. 1903)
1881 - Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, First President of Turkey (d. 1938)
1884 - Vittorio Pozzo, Italian footballer and coach (d. 1968)
1889 - Thorbergur Thordarson, Icelandic writer (d. 1974)
1890 - King Idris of Libya (d. 1983)
1890 - Vaslav Nijinsky, Russian dancer and choreographer (d. 1950)
1901 1950
1908 - David Marshall, 1st Chief Minister of Singapore (d. 1995)
1910 - Masayoshi Ohira, Japanese statesman (d. 1980)
1911 - Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, President of Mexico (d. 1979)
1912 - Paul Weston, American pianist, arranger and conductor (d. 1996)
1913 - Yashwantrao Chavan, Indian politician (d. 1984)
1913 - Agathe von Trapp, Austrian-American singer (d. 2010)
1914 - Julia Lennon, John Lennon's mother (d. 1958)
1917 - Leonard Chess, American company executive (d. 1969)
1918 - Elaine de Kooning, American artist (d. 1989)
1919 - Michael Stepovich, Territorial Governor of Alaska, last-surviving territorial Governor in the US (d. 2014)
1921 - Gianni Agnelli, Italian automobile executive (d. 2003)
1921 - Ulo Jogi, Estonian anti-Soviet activist (d. 2007)
1921 - Gordon MacRae, American singer and actor (d. 1986)
1922 - Jack Kerouac, American writer (d. 1969)
1923 - Wally Schirra, American astronaut (d. 2007)
1923 - Clara Fraser, American activist (d. 1998)
1923 - Hanne Hiob, German actress (d. 2009)
1923 - Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater (d. 2013)
1923 - Mae Young, American wrestler (d. 2014)
1924 - Mary Lee Woods, British mathematician and computer programmer (d. 2017)
1925 - Leo Esaki, Japanese physicist
1925 - Harry Harrison, American writer (d. 2012)
1925 - Georges Delerue, French movie score composer (d. 1992)
1926 - Gudrun Ure, Scottish actress
1926 - George Ariyoshi, American politician, former Governor of Hawaii
1926 - Minerva Mirabal, Dominican activist (d. 1960)
1927 - Raul Alfonsin, President of Argentina (d. 2009)
1927 - Ragne Tangen, Norwegian children's television presenter (d. 2015)
1928 - Edward Albee, American dramatist (d. 2016)
1930 - Win Tin, Burmese politician (d. 2014)
1931 - Robert B. Oakley, American diplomat (d. 2014)
1932 - Andrew Young, 14th United States Ambassador to the United Nations
1933 - Ken Hodgkisson, English footballer (d. 2018)
1933 - Barbara Lee Feldon, American actress and model
1935 - Valentyna Shevchenko, Soviet-Ukrainian politician
1936 - Eddie Sutton, American college basketball coach
1937 - Valentina Eiduka, Latvian javelin thrower and coach
1940 - Al Jarreau, American singer (d. 2017)
1940 - M. A. Numminen, Finnish singer and writer
1942 - Jimmy Wynn, American baseball player
1943 - Ratko Mladic, Serbian military commander, currently on trial for war crimes
1946 - Liza Minnelli, American singer and actress
1946 - Frank Welker, American actor
1947 - Mitt Romney, American politician, former Governor of Massachusetts and Presidential candidate
1947 - Peter Harry Carstensen, German politician, former Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein
1948 - James Taylor, American musician
1948 - Kent Conrad, American politician
1948 - Roger Mullin, Scottish politician
1948 - Virginia Bottomley, Scottish politician
1949 - David Mellor, English journalist, lawyer and politician
1950 - Javier Clemente, Spanish football manager
1951 1975
1952 - Jon Provost, American actor
1952 - Yasuhiko Okudera, Japanese footballer
1953 - Carl Hiaasen, American journalist and writer
1953 - Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nepalese politician
1953 - Ron Jeremy, American actor
1954 - Anish Kapoor, Indian-British sculptor and artist
1956 - Pim Verbeek, Dutch football manager
1956 - Steve Harrison, British musician (Iron Maiden)
1957 - Jerry Levine, American actor and director
1957 - Patrick Battiston, French footballer
1957 - Marlon Jackson, American singer and musician
1958 - Alan Sneddon, Scottish footballer
1959 - Mark Easton, Scottish journalist
1962 - Andreas Kopke, German footballer
1962 - Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player
1963 - Ian Holloway, English footballer and manager
1963 - Joaquim Cruz, Brazilian runner
1963 - Princess Farahnaz Pahlavi of Iran
1965 - Coleen Nolan, British singer (The Nolans)
1967 - Massimiliano Frezzato, Italian author
1968 - Tammy Duckworth, United States Senator for Illinois
1968 - Aaron Eckhart, American actor
1969 - Graham Coxon, British musician (Blur)
1970 - Karen Bradley, British politician
1971 - Andy Nicol, Scottish rugby player
1971 - Isaiah Rider, American basketball player
1972 - Hector Luis Bustamente, Colombian actor
1975 - Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, Prime Minister of Iceland
1975 - Kelle Bryan, English singer
From 1976
1976 - Zhao Wei, Chinese actress
1979 - Pete Doherty, English musician
1979 - Shaun Rodgers, American football player
1980 - Douglas Murray, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 - Ruth Hunt, Welsh activist
1981 - Kristjan Makke, Estonian basketball player
1981 - Peter Waterfield, English diver
1982 - Hisato Sato, Japanese footballer
1982 - Yuto Sato, Japanese footballer
1982 - Tobias Schweinsteiger, German footballer
1983 - Mikko Koivu, Finnish ice hockey player
1984 - Jaimie Alexander, American actress
1985 - Stromae, Belgian singer, rapper and producer
1985 - Bradley Wright-Phillips, English footballer
1986 - Danny Jones, English singer (McFly)
1987 - Jessica Hardy, American swimmer
1987 - Teimour Radjabov, Azerbaijani chess player
1987 - Rico Vonck, Dutch darts player
1990 - Lawrence Clarke, English athlete
1991 - Felix Kroos, German footballer
1992 - Scott Robinson, Scottish footballer
1994 - Christina Grimmie, American pianist and singer-songwriter (d. 2016)
1994 - Tyler Patrick Jones, American actor
1994 - Katie Archibald, Scottish track cyclist
1995 - Kanon Fukuda, Japanese singer and voice actress
1999 - Sakura Oda, Japanese singer
Deaths
Up to 1900
417 - Pope Innocent I
604 - Pope Gregory I
1289 - King Demetre II of Georgia (b. 1259)
1316 - King Stephen Dragutin of Serbia (b. 1253)
1374 - Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan (b. 1336)
1447 - Shah Rukh, ruler of Persia and Transoxonia (b. 1377)
1507 - Cesare Borgia, Italian general and statesman (b. 1475)
1628 - John Bull, English composer (b. 1562)
1648 - Tirso de Molina, Spanish dramatist and poet (b. 1571)
1699 - Peder Griffenfeld, Danish statesman (b. 1635)
1820 - Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish explorer (b. 1764)
1832 - Friedrich Kuhlau, German composer (b. 1786)
1872 - Zeng Guofan, Chinese politician and general (b. 1811)
1894 - Ilarion Pryanishnikov, Russian painter (b. 1840)
1898 - Zacharias Topelius, Finnish-Swedish writer (b. 1818)
1899 - Julius Vogel, Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1835)
1901 2000
1914 - George Westinghouse, American entrepreneur and engineer (b. 1846)
1916 - Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian writer (b. 1830)
1925 - Sun Yat-sen, Chinese revolutionary and politician (b. 1866)
1929 - Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman (b. 1851)
1932 - Ivar Kreuger, Swedish businessman (b. 1880)
1935 - Mihajlo Idvorski Pupin, Serbian-American physicist and chemist (b. 1858)
1937 - Charles-Marie Widor, French organist and composer (b. 1844)
1942 - Robert Bosch, German industrialist (b. 1861)
1943 - Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor (b. 1869)
1945 - Anne Frank, German-born Dutch Jewish diarist and Holocaust victim (b. 1929)
1946 - Ferenc Szalasi, Hungarian politician (b. 1897)
1947 - Winston Churchill, American novelist (b. 1871)
1955 - Charlie Parker, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1920)
1963 - Arthur Grimsdell, English footballer and cricketer (b. 1894)
1978 - John Cazale, American actor (b. 1935)
1985 - Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian conductor (b. 1899)
1991 - Ragnar Granit, Finnish neuroscientist (b. 1900)
1991 - William Heinesen, Faroese writer, poet and artist (b. 1900)
1991 - LeRoy Collins, Governor of Florida (b. 1909)
1992 - Heinz Kuhn, German politician (b. 1912)
1995 - Juanin Clay, American actress (b. 1949)
1998 - Judge Dread, English musician (b. 1945)
1999 - Yehudi Menuhin, American-born violinist (b. 1916)
From 2001
2001 - Robert Ludlum, American writer (b. 1927)
2002 - Spyros Kyprianou, Cypriot politician (b. 1932)
2003 - Zoran Djindjic, President of Serbia and Montenegro (b. 1952)
2003 - Lynne Thigpen, American actress (b. 1948)
2006 - Victor Sokolov, Russian dissident, journalist and priest (b. 1947)
2008 - Lazare Ponticelli, Italian-French supercentenarian and World War I veteran (b. 1897)
2010 - Miguel Delibes, Spanish writer (b. 1920)
2013 - Clive Burr, British musician (Iron Maiden) (b. 1957)
2014 - Vera Chytilova, Czech movie director (b. 1929)
2014 - Jose Policarpo, Portuguese cardinal (b. 1936)
2014 - Richard Coogan, American actor (b. 1914)
2014 - Ola L. Mize, American colonel (b. 1931)
2014 - Jackie Gaughan, American casino owner and gambler (b. 1920)
2014 - Jean Vallee, Belgian songwriter (b. 1941)
2014 - David Sive, American environmental lawyer (b. 1922)
2014 - Paul C. Donnelly, American aerospace pioneer (b. 1923)
2014 - Kjell Nupen, Norwegian artist (b. 1955)
2015 - Terry Pratchett, English writer (b. 1948)
2015 - Michael Graves, American architect (b. 1934)
2015 - Ada Jafri, Pakistani poet (b. 1924)
2016 - Rafiq Azad, Bangladeshi poet (b. 1941)
2016 - Lloyd Shapley, American economist (b. 1923)
2016 - Erik Duval, Belgian computer scientist (b. 1965)
2017 - Murray Ball, New Zealand cartoonist (b. 1939)
2017 - Horst Ehmke, German politician (b. 1927)
2017 - Probyn Inniss, Saint Kitts and Nevis lawyer (b. 1936)
2017 - Ray Hassall, English politician (b. 1943)
2018 - Nokie Edwards, American musician and actor (b. 1935)
2018 - Rudolf Mang, German weightlifter (b. 1950)
2018 - Oleg Tabakov, Russian actor (b. 1935)
2018 - Henry Minarik, American football player (b. 1927)
2019 - Eurico Miranda, Brazilian football chairman and politician (b. 1944)
Observances
National Day of Mauritius
Youth Day (Zambia)
Arbor Day (China and Taiwan)
Aztec New Year
Days of the year