Hillary Clinton officially announced her second campaign for President via social media
Breaking with tradition, Clinton announced her candidacy through a YouTube video and tweet rather than a traditional rally. She appeared only in the f...
April 12 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2015
2012
A 60-year-old Japanese sailor named Minoru Saito became the oldest person to sail solo nonstop around the world
Saito completed his journey in 241 days, breaking his own record. This was actually his seventh solo circumnavigation, having first accomplished the f...
1999
President Bill Clinton was cited for contempt of court in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case
The judge ruled that Clinton had given 'intentionally false' testimony about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. He was fined $90,000 and later had...
1990
Jim Gary's dinosaur sculptures made from automobile parts opened at a Smithsonian exhibition
The artist created life-sized dinosaurs entirely from junked car parts, including a 22-foot-long Tyrannosaurus Rex made from bumpers, hubcaps, and eng...
1981
The Space Shuttle Columbia completed the first orbital space shuttle mission
MajorColumbia's maiden voyage, STS-1, marked the first time a reusable spacecraft had been launched into orbit. Commanded by John Young and piloted by Robe...
1961
Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into outer space
MajorSoviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited Earth aboard Vostok 1, completing one orbit in 108 minutes. His famous words upon seeing Earth from space were "...
1955
The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk was declared safe and effective
After the largest medical field trial in history involving 1.8 million children, the vaccine was announced to work with stunning success. Church bells...
1954
Bill Haley & His Comets recorded 'Rock Around the Clock'
This recording session produced what would become one of the best-selling singles of all time and a cultural phenomenon. Though initially not a hit, t...
1937
A man named George Turner climbed a flagpole in Baltimore and stayed there for 439 days
Turner's flagpole sitting stunt was part of a popular 1920s-30s fad where people would sit atop poles for days or weeks to win bets or attract attenti...
1928
The Bremen completed the first successful transatlantic flight from Europe to America
German aviators flew from Ireland to Greenly Island, Canada in 36.5 hours, crash-landing on the frozen island. This was actually harder than flying we...
1861
The American Civil War began when Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter
MajorConfederate artillery opened fire on the Union-held fort in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, at 4:30 AM. After 34 hours of bombardment, the fort sur...
1633
Galileo Galilei was formally interrogated by the Roman Inquisition for teaching that the Earth orbits the Sun
The famed astronomer faced the Inquisition for promoting the Copernican heliocentric model, which contradicted Catholic Church teaching. He was ultima...
1204
The Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople, one of the greatest cities in the world
Instead of fighting Muslims in the Holy Land, the Crusaders attacked and pillaged the Christian Byzantine capital in one of history's great betrayals....
Fun Facts from April 12
1976Technology
1955Science