Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours
MajorKipchoge finished the 26.2 miles in 1:59:40 in Vienna, smashing one of athletics' most mythical barriers. However, the time doesn't count as an offici...
October 12 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2019
1999
The world's population officially reached 6 billion people according to the United Nations
MajorThe UN designated this date as the 'Day of 6 Billion' and symbolically recognized a baby boy born in Sarajevo as the six billionth person. It had take...
1999
Pakistani military leader Pervez Musharraf seized power in a bloodless coup
While Musharraf was returning from Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif tried to fire him mid-flight and deny his plane landing rights in Pakistan....
1977
The first prototype of the Gossamer Condor successfully flew under human power alone
Pilot Bryan Allen pedaled the incredibly lightweight aircraft for 2 minutes in a figure-eight pattern, winning the first Kremer Prize for human-powere...
1964
The Soviet Union launched Voskhod 1, the first spacecraft to carry more than one person into orbit
In a rushed attempt to beat the Americans, the Soviets crammed three cosmonauts into a capsule designed for one by removing their spacesuits and eject...
1960
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev reportedly banged his shoe on a desk at the United Nations General Assembly
During a debate about Soviet policies in Eastern Europe, Khrushchev allegedly removed his shoe and pounded it on his desk for emphasis. While the shoe...
1933
The U.S. federal penitentiary on Alcatraz Island officially opened for business in San Francisco Bay
The prison was designed to hold America's most dangerous criminals in a facility considered escape-proof due to the frigid waters and strong currents...
1901
President Theodore Roosevelt officially renamed the Executive Mansion to the 'White House'
While the building had been informally called the White House for decades, Roosevelt made it the official name by having it printed on his stationery....
1892
The Pledge of Allegiance was first recited in American public schools
Written by Francis Bellamy just weeks earlier, the pledge was part of a Columbus Day celebration marking the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage. T...
1810
A lavish wedding reception for Napoleon and Marie Louise became the scene of a deadly stampede
During the celebrations in Munich for Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria's wedding, a horse race on the Theresienwiese went wrong and triggered a panic....
1492
Christopher Columbus's expedition first sighted land in the Americas after over two months at sea
MajorAfter 36 days of sailing westward with no land in sight, a lookout on the Pinta spotted the Bahamas at 2 AM. Columbus believed he had reached the East...