The NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft became the first probe to land on an asteroid
NASA's spacecraft touched down on asteroid Eros after orbiting it for a year. The probe wasn't designed to land but controllers decided to try anyway,...
February 12 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2001
1999
President Bill Clinton was acquitted in his impeachment trial
MajorThe Senate voted to acquit Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice related to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. He became only the second...
1994
Four men stole Edvard Munch's painting 'The Scream' in a 50-second museum heist
Thieves broke into Oslo's National Gallery during the Winter Olympics, leaving a note reading 'thanks for the poor security.' The iconic painting was...
1961
The Soviet Union launched Venera 1 towards Venus, humanity's first attempt to reach another planet
This ambitious probe was the first spacecraft designed to flyby another planet. Contact was lost after a week, but it marked the beginning of interpla...
1941
Penicillin was first used to treat a human patient
MajorBritish policeman Albert Alexander became the first person to receive penicillin for a life-threatening infection. He showed remarkable improvement be...
1924
George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' premiered in New York City
The groundbreaking jazz-influenced orchestral piece debuted at Aeolian Hall with Gershwin himself at the piano. Remarkably, Gershwin completed the com...
1912
The last emperor of China abdicated, ending over 2,000 years of imperial rule
MajorSix-year-old Puyi, China's final emperor, was forced to abdicate following the Xinhai Revolution. The Qing Dynasty's fall marked the end of imperial C...
1908
The first round-the-world automobile race began in New York City
Six cars set out to drive from New York to Paris by going west across America, then by ship to Asia and across Europe. The American team won after 169...
1892
Lincoln's birthday became a public holiday in the United States
In honor of the 16th president's birth, many states began officially recognizing February 12 as a holiday. It was later combined with Washington's bir...
1818
Chile officially declared independence from Spain
After years of struggle, Chile signed its formal declaration of independence. The date is still celebrated annually as a national holiday marking the...
1809
Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin in Kentucky
MajorThe 16th President of the United States was born into poverty in Hodgenville, Kentucky. Interestingly, Charles Darwin was also born on this exact same...
1809
Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England
MajorThe naturalist who would revolutionize biology with his theory of evolution was born on the same day as Abraham Lincoln. Darwin's 'On the Origin of Sp...
1733
James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia
The British colony was established as a refuge for debtors and the 'worthy poor' from England. Georgia was unique as the last of the original Thirteen...
