October 12

## Events 
### Up to 1900 
* 539 BC &ndash; The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon.
* 1216 &ndash; King John of England loses his own crown jewels in The Wash.
* 1492 &ndash; In his first voyage, Christopher Columbus lands in the present-day Bahamas, in the belief that he'd reached East Asia.
* 1654 &ndash; An explosion devastates the city of Delft, Netherlands, killing over 100 people.
* 1692 &ndash; The Salem Witch Trials are ended by a letter from Massachusetts Governor William Phips.
* 1748 &ndash; War of Jenkins' Ear: Battle of Havana between British and Spanish naval forces.
* 1773 &ndash; The United States' first insane asylum opens in Virginia.
* 1792 &ndash; First American celebration of Columbus Day, in New York City.
* 1799 &ndash; Jeanne Genevieve Labrosse becomes the first woman to jump from a balloon with a parachute.
* 1810 &ndash; The tradition of the Munich Oktoberfest begins.
* 1822 &ndash; Pedro I of Brazil is proclaimed Emperor.
* 1823 &ndash; Charles Macintosh, of Scotland, sells the first raincoat.
* 1860 &ndash; The previously Introduced of the so-called Section 377 of the British Indian penal code (Law) was enacted in **British India** respectively.
* 1871 &ndash; The Introduction of the so-called Criminal Tribes Act was enacted in **British India** respectively.
* 1892 &ndash; The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited by students in many public schools.
* 1899 &ndash; First fighting of the Second Boer War.

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

### From 2001 
* 2002 &ndash; A terrorist bombing on the Indonesian island of Bali kills 202 people.
* 2003 &ndash; Germany wins the FIFA Women's World Cup, defeating Sweden 2–1.
* 2005 &ndash; The second Chinese space flight occurs as Shenzhou 6 is launched, with Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng on board.
* 2007 &ndash; Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change win the Nobel Peace Prize.
* 2009 &ndash; Elinor Ostrom becomes the first woman to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, sharing it with Oliver E. Williamson.
* 2012 &ndash; The European Union wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
* 2013 &ndash; Cyclone Phailin hits the east coast of India.
* 2013 &ndash; 51 people are killed after a truck plunges off a cliff in Peru.
* 2014 &ndash; Southeastern India is hit by Cyclone Hudhud, while Japan is hit by a typhoon on the same day.
* 2019 &ndash; Typhoon Hagibis hits Japan, becoming the most powerful storm to hit the country in over 60 years.

## Births 
### Up to 1900 
* 1006 &ndash; Emperor Go-Ichijo of Japan (d. 1036).
* 1350 &ndash; Dmitry Donskoy, Prince of Moscow (d. 1389).
* 1490 &ndash; Bernardo Pisano, Italian composer (d. 1548).
* 1537 &ndash; Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England for nine days (d. 1554).
* 1537 &ndash; King Edward VI of England (d. 1553).
* 1558 &ndash; Archduke Maximilian II of Austria (d. 1618).
* 1576 &ndash; Thomas Dudley, English-born American colonial magistrate (d. 1653).
* 1664 &ndash; Praskovia Saltykova, Tsarina of Russia (d. 1723).
* 1687 &ndash; Sylvius Leopold Weiss, German composer (d. 1750)
* 1710 &ndash; Jonathan Trumbull, 16th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1785).
* 1775 &ndash; Ludovico Micara, Italian cardinal (d. 1847).
* 1792 &ndash; Christian Gmelin, German chemist (d. 1860).
* 1798 &ndash; Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil  and (as Pedro IV) King of Portugal (d. 1834).
* 1801 &ndash; Friedrich Frey-Herosé, Swiss statesman (d. 1873).
* 1812 &ndash; Ascanio Sobrero, Italian chemist and inventor (d. 1888).
* 1815 &ndash; William G. Hardee, American Confederate general (d. 1873).
* 1827 &ndash; George Lawson, Canadian botanist (d. 1895).
* 1834 &ndash; Infanta Amelia Philippina of Spain (d. 1905).
* 1840 &ndash; Helena Modjeska, Polish actress (d. 1909).
* 1844 &ndash; George Washington Cable, American writer (d. 1925).
* 1853 &ndash; Edward F. Dunne, Governor of Illinois (d. 1937).
* 1855 &ndash; Arthur Nikisch, Hungarian conductor (d. 1922).
* 1860 &ndash; Elmer Ambrose Sperry, American inventor (d. 1930).
* 1860 &ndash; John G. Sargent, 53rd United States Attorney General (d. 1939).
* 1865 &ndash; Arthur Harden, English chemist (d. 1940).
* 1866 &ndash; Ramsay MacDonald, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1937).
* 1868 &ndash; August Horch, German engineer and automobile pioneer, founder of Audi (d. 1951).
* 1868 &ndash; Mariano Trias, 1st Vice President of the Philippines (d. 1914).
* 1872 &ndash; Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer (d. 1958)
* 1875 &ndash; Aleister Crowley, English occultist and writer (d. 1947).
* 1877 &ndash; Howard Mason Gore, American politician, 17th Governor of West Virginia (d. 1947).
* 1880 &ndash; Louis Hemon, French novelist (d. 1913).
* 1882 &ndash; Akiba Rubinstein, Polish chess player (d. 1961).
* 1891 &ndash; Edith Stein, Roman Catholic nun (d. 1942).
* 1891 &ndash; Fumimaro Konoe, Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1945).
* 1894 &ndash; Elisabeth of Romania (d. 1956).
* 1896 &ndash; Eugenio Montale, Italian poet (d. 1981).

### 1901 &ndash; 1950 
* 1904 &ndash; Ding Ling, Chinese writer (d. 1986).
* 1905 &ndash; Barney Battles Jr., Scottish footballer (d. 1979).
* 1906 &ndash; Joe Cronin, American baseball player and executive (d. 1984).
* 1910 &ndash; Robert Fitzgerald, American poet and translator (d. 1985).
* 1917 &ndash; Roque Maspoli, Uruguayan footballer (d. 2004).
* 1920 &ndash; Christopher Soames, Baron Soames, British politician (d. 1987).
* 1921 &ndash; Art Clokey, American animator (d. 2010).
* 1921 &ndash; Jaroslav Drobny, Czech tennis and ice hockey player (d. 2001).
* 1921 &ndash; Logie Bruce Lockhart, Scottish rugby player and journalist.
* 1921 &ndash; Kenneth Griffith, Welsh actor (d. 2006).
* 1923 &ndash; Wendell Eugene, American jazz trombonist (d. 2017).
* 1923 &ndash; Jean Nidetch, American businesswoman (d. 2015).
* 1924 &ndash; Doris Grau, American actress (d. 1995).
* 1925 &ndash; Essie Mae Washington-Williams, American educator (d. 2013).
* 1926 &ndash; Allan Brown, Scottish footballer (d. 2011).
* 1928 &ndash; Rangel Valchanov, Bulgarian actor, director and screenwriter (d. 2013).
* 1929 &ndash; Magnus Magnusson, Icelandic–British television presenter (d. 2007).
* 1931 &ndash; Ole-Johan Dahl, Norwegian computer scientist (d. 2002).
* 1932 &ndash; Dick Gregory, American comedian and activist (d. 2017).
* 1932 &ndash; Ned Jarrett, American racing driver.
* 1932 &ndash; John Moffat, Danish-Canadian physicist.
* 1934 &ndash; Richard Meier, American architect.
* 1934 &ndash; Albert Shiryaev, Russian mathematician.
* 1934 &ndash; Thomas L. Judge, Governor of Montana (d. 2006).
* 1935 &ndash; Don Howe, English footballer (d. 2015).
* 1935 &ndash; Shivraj Patil, Indian politician.
* 1935 &ndash; Luciano Pavarotti, Italian opera singer (d. 2007).
* 1937 &ndash; Alberto Goldman, Brazilian politician (d. 2019).
* 1938 &ndash; Bob Miller, American NHL broadcaster.
* 1939 &ndash; Carolee Schneemann, American artist (d. 2019).
* 1942 &ndash; Melvin Franklin, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1995).
* 1942 &ndash; Daliah Lavi, Israeli actress and singer (d. 2017).
* 1943 &ndash; Jakob Kuhn, Swiss footballer and coach.
* 1944 &ndash; Angela Rippon, British television journalist.
* 1945 &ndash; Dusty Rhodes, American professional wrestler (d. 2015).
* 1946 &ndash; Rosanna Marani, Italian journalist and television host.
* 1947 &ndash; George Lam, Hong Kong actor and singer.
* 1948 &ndash; Rick Parfitt, British musician (Status Quo) (d. 2016).
* 1948 &ndash; John Engler, former Governor of Missouri.
* 1949 &ndash; Carlos the Jackal, Venezuelan terrorist.
* 1950 &ndash; Dave Freudenthal, 31st Governor of Wyoming.

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

### From 1976 
* 1977 &ndash; Jessica Barker, Canadian actress.
* 1977 &ndash; Bode Miller, American skier.
* 1979 &ndash; Paula Barila Bolopa, Equatoguinean footballer and swimmer.
* 1980 &ndash; Nadzeya Ostapchuk, Belarussian shot putter.
* 1980 &ndash; Ledley King, English footballer.
* 1981 &ndash; Shola Ameobi, English footballer.
* 1983 &ndash; Katie Piper, English model and television host.
* 1985 &ndash; Greig Laidlaw, Scottish rugby player.
* 1986 &ndash; Tyler Blackburn, American actor and singer.
* 1987 &ndash; Besian Idrizaj, Austrian footballer (d. 2010).
* 1988 &ndash; Sam Whitelock, New Zealand rugby player.
* 1989 &ndash; Aggro Santos, Brazilian-English rapper
* 1990 &ndash; Melody, Spanish singer.
* 1991 &ndash; Michael Carter-Williams, American basketball player
* 1992 &ndash; Josh Hutcherson, American actor.
* 1992 &ndash; Taylor Horn, American singer, songwriter and actress.
* 1995 &ndash; Jordan Howe, Welsh paralympic athlete.
* 1997 &ndash; Prince Boris of Bulgaria.
* 2001 &ndash; Raymond Ochoa, American actor.
* 2004 &ndash; Darci Lynne, American ventriloquist and singer.

## Deaths 
### Up to 1900 
* 322 BC &ndash; Demosthenes, Greek statesman (b. 384 BC).
* 632 &ndash; Edwin of Northumbria (b. 586).
* 638 &ndash; Pope Honorius I
* 642 &ndash; Pope John IV
* 1095 &ndash; Leopold II of Austria (b. 1050).
* 1320 &ndash; Michael IX Palaiologus, Emperor of the Byzantine Empire (b. 1277).
* 1492 &ndash; Piero della Francesca, Italian painter (b. 1415).
* 1576 &ndash; Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1527).
* 1600 &ndash; Luis Molina, Spanish Jesuit (b. 1535).
* 1730 &ndash; Frederick IV of Denmark (b. 1671).
* 1845 &ndash; Elizabeth Fry, British social reformer and philanthropist (b. 1780).
* 1850 &ndash; Pedro de Sousa Holstein, 1st Duke of Palmela, Prime Minister of Portugal (b. 1781).
* 1870 &ndash; Robert E. Lee, American Confederate General (b. 1807).
* 1875 &ndash; Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, French sculptor and painter (b. 1827).
* 1891 &ndash; Hobart B. Bigelow, Governor of Connecticut (b. 1834).
* 1896 &ndash; Christian Emil Krag-Juel-Vind-Frijs, Danish nobleman and politician (b. 1817).

### 1901 &ndash; 2000 
* 1915 &ndash; Edith Cavell, English nurse (b. 1865).
* 1920 &ndash; Yu Gwan-sun, Korean independence leader (b. 1904).
* 1921 &ndash; Philander C. Knox, United States Secretary of State (b. 1853).
* 1924 &ndash; Anatole France, French writer (b. 1844).
* 1933 &ndash; John Lister, English politician (b. 1847).
* 1937 &ndash; Al Brady, American gangster, killed by FBI
* 1943 &ndash; Willi Graf, German Resistance activist (b. 1918).
* 1946 &ndash; Joseph Stilwell, American general (b. 1883).
* 1948 &ndash; Alfred Kerr, German writer (b. 1867).
* 1956 &ndash; Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer (b. 1872).
* 1957 &ndash; Arie de Jong, Dutch linguist (b. 1865).
* 1960 &ndash; Inejiro Asanuma, Japanese politician (b. 1898).
* 1965 &ndash; Paul Hermann Müller, Swiss chemist (b. 1899).
* 1967 &ndash; Ram Manohar Lohia, Indian activist and politician (b. 1910).
* 1969 &ndash; Sonja Henie, Norwegian figure skater (b. 1912).
* 1970 &ndash; Mustafa Zaidi, Pakistani poet (b. 1930).
* 1971 &ndash; Dean Acheson, American politician (b. 1893).
* 1971 &ndash; Gene Vincent, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1935).
* 1973 &ndash; Peter Aufschnaiter, Austrian mountaineer (b. 1899).
* 1980 &ndash; Alberto Demicheli, Uruguayan politician (b. 1896).
* 1985 &ndash; Johnny Olson, American television announcer (b. 1910).
* 1987 &ndash; Alf Landon, American politician (b. 1887).
* 1993 &ndash; Leon Ames, American actor (b. 1902).
* 1996 &ndash; René Lacoste, French tennis player (b. 1904).
* 1997 &ndash; John Denver, American singer (b. 1943).
* 1998 &ndash; Matthew Shepard, American murder victim (b. 1976).
* 1999 &ndash; Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player (b. 1936).

### From 2001 
* 2002 &ndash; Ray Conniff, American bandleader and musician (b. 1916).
* 2002 &ndash; Audrey Mestre, French diver (b. 1974).
* 2003 &ndash; Jim Cairns, Australian politician (b. 1914).
* 2003 &ndash; Willie Shoemaker, American jockey (b. 1931).
* 2006 &ndash; Gillo Pontecorvo, Italian movie director (b. 1919).
* 2007 &ndash; Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect (b. 1934).
* 2009 &ndash; Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian cyclist (b. 1974).
* 2010 &ndash; Manuel Alexandre, Spanish actor (b. 1917).
* 2011 &ndash; Dennis Ritchie, American computer scientist (b. 1941).
* 2012 &ndash; Sukhdev Singh Kang, 14th Governor of Kerala (b. 1931).
* 2013 &ndash; Oscar Hijuelos, American writer (b. 1951).
* 2014 &ndash; Roberto Telch, Argentine footballer (b. 1943).
* 2014 &ndash; Ali Mazrui, Kenyan professor and writer (b. 1931).
* 2015 &ndash; Abdallah Kigoda, Tanzanian politician (b. 1953).
* 2015 &ndash; Joan Leslie, American actress and dancer (b. 1925).
* 2017 &ndash; Muntaka Connmassie, Nigerian jurist (b. 1946).
* 2018 &ndash; Pik Botha, South African politician (b. 1932).
* 2019 &ndash; Mel Aull, Canadian football player (b. 1928).
* 2019 &ndash; Carlo Croccolo, Italian actor (b. 1927).
* 2019 &ndash; Sara Danius, Swedish writer and professor (b. 1962).
* 2019 &ndash; Reg Watson, Australian television producer (b. 1926).
* 2019 &ndash; 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).