Historical Events on July 12
- 1776: The explorer Captain James Cook starts his 3rd voyage of exploration.
- 1790: The National Constituent Assembly passes the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in France.
- 1804: After being shot in a duel just the day before, former U.S Secretary of the Treasurer Alexander Hamilton dies from his wounds.
- 1806: The Confederation of the Rhine is formed when 16 German Imperial States exit the Holy Roman Empire.
- 1812: The American Army of the Northwest briefly stays at Windsor, Ontario.
- 1862: The United States Congress authorizes the Medal of Honor.
- 1918: Over 620 people are killed when the Imperial Japanese Naval Battleship called the Kawachi explodes at Shunan, Japan.
- 1962: The rock band the Rolling Stones have their first concert at London’s Marquee Club.
- 1967: In Newark, New Jersey, riots start on this date.
- 1973: A fire sweeps through the 6th floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the U.S., destroying the entire floor.
- 2006: The Israel Lebanon war starts on this day.
- 2007: Airstrikes are done in Baghdad by United States Army Apache helicopters. The cockpit footage is then leaked on the Internet.
- 2012: Approximately 250 people are killed during a Syrian military operation. It would become known as the Turaymisah Massacre.
- 2012: In Okabie, Nigeria, a tank truck explodes and kills more than a hundred people.
- 2013: In Brétigny-sur-Orge, two hundred people are injured and another six are killed when a French passenger train derails.
Famous Birthdays on July 12
- American essayist, philosopher and poet, Henry David Thoreau is born in 1817.
- American film producer and co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Louis B. Mayer is born in 1884.
- Japanese biochemist and Nobel Prize laureate, Satoshi Omura is born in 1935.
- American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer, Bill Cosby is born in 1937.
- English singer-songwriter Christine McVie is born in 1943.
- American author, screenwriter and playwright, Delia Ephron is born in 1944.
- American psychologist Richard C. McCarty is born in 1947.
- American fitness trainer and actor, Richard Simmons is born in 1948.