Historical events on January 12

JANUARY 12, 1808

John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church in Reculver from coastal erosion was abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture.

John Rennie was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, docks and warehouses, and a pioneer in the use of structural cast-iron.

JANUARY 12, 1554

Bayinnaung, who later assembled what was probably the largest empire in the history of mainland Southeast Asia, was crowned as the king of the Burmese Toungoo dynasty.

Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta was King of Burma from 1550 to 1581. During his 31-year reign, which has been called the "greatest explosion Read More

JANUARY 12, 1879

Anglo-Zulu War: Natal Native Contingent and British troops defeated Zulu forces in the Action at Sihayo's Kraal.

The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and Read More

JANUARY 12, 2007

Comet McNaught (pictured) reached perihelion, becoming the brightest comet in over 40 years, with an apparent magnitude of −5.5.

Comet McNaught, also known as the Great Comet of 2007 and given the designation C/2006 P1, is a non-periodic comet discovered on Read More

JANUARY 12, 1964

Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah was overthrown by rebels led by John Okello, ending 200 years of Arab dominance in Zanzibar.

Jamshid bin Abdullah Al Busaidi, was a Zanzibari royal who was the last reigning Sultan of Zanzibar. He was deposed in the Read More

JANUARY 12, 2010

An earthquake registering 7.0 Mw struck Haiti, killing more than 100,000 people.

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. Read More

JANUARY 12, 1777

Mission Santa Clara de Asís (pictured), a Spanish mission in California that formed the basis of both the city of Santa Clara and Santa Clara University, was established by the Franciscans.

Mission Santa Clara de Asís is a Spanish mission in the city of Santa Clara, California. The mission, which was the eighth Read More

JANUARY 12, 1659

The fort at Allahabad was surrendered to the forces of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Allahabad Fort was built by the Mughal emperor Akbar at Allahabad in 1583. The fort stands on the banks of the Yamuna, Read More

JANUARY 12, 1967

Seventy-three-year-old psychology professor James Bedford became the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.

James Hiram Bedford was an American psychology professor at the University of California who wrote several books on occupational counseling. He is Read More

JANUARY 12, 475

Basiliscus became Byzantine emperor after Zeno was forced to flee Constantinople.

Basiliscus was Eastern Roman emperor from 9 January 475 to August 476. He became magister militum per Thracias in 464, under his Read More

JANUARY 12, 1918

An underground explosion at a coal mine in Staffordshire, England, killed 155 men and boys.

The Minnie Pit disaster was a coal mining accident that took place on 12 January 1918 in Halmer End, Staffordshire, in which Read More

JANUARY 12, 1865

The foundation stone of Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork was laid.

Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral is a Gothic Revival three-spire Church of Ireland cathedral in Cork city, Ireland. It is located on the Read More

JANUARY 12, 1916

Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann became the first German aviators to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honour.

Oswald Boelcke PlM was a World War I German professional soldier and pioneering flying ace credited with 40 aerial victories. Boelcke is Read More

What are You Looking for?

Historical events on January 12

Showing selected events of January 12

January Events