Historical events on June 12
JUNE 12, 2010
Sixteen-year-old Abby Sunderland was rescued after her boat was dismasted in the Indian Ocean while trying to become the youngest sailor around the world.
Abigail Jillian Sunderland is an American sailor who, in 2010, attempted to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world.
(Image Credits)
"Abby Sunderland" by Abby_Sunderland_and_Austen_Parker_2.jpg: Robert Austen Parker derivative work: SoWhy - CC BY-SA 2.0<div class='copyrightSmall'>Abby_Sunderland_and_Austen_Parker_2.jpg</div>
JUNE 12, 1991
More than 150 Sri Lankan Tamil civilians were massacred by members of the military in the village of Kokkadichcholai.
Sri Lankan Tamils, also known as Ceylon Tamils or Eelam Tamils, are Tamils native to the South Asian island state of Sri
Read More
JUNE 12, 1914
As part of the Ottoman Empire's policies of ethnic cleansing, Turkish irregulars began a six-day massacre in the predominantly Greek town of Phocaea.
The Ottoman Empire, also called the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North
Read More
JUNE 12, 1994
The Boeing 777 (pictured), the world's largest twinjet, made its maiden flight.
The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial
Read More
JUNE 12, 1798
Following the successful French invasion of Malta, the Knights Hospitaller surrendered Malta to Napoleon, initiating two years of occupation.
The French invasion of Malta was the successful invasion of the islands of Malta and Gozo, then ruled by the Order of
Read More
JUNE 12, 1999
In the aftermath of the bombing of Yugoslavia and the Kosovo War, the NATO-led Kosovo Force entered Kosovo with a mandate of establishing a secure environment in the territory.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War.
Read More
JUNE 12, 1776
The Fifth Virginia Convention adopted a declaration of rights, an influential document that proclaimed the inherent rights of men.
The Fifth Virginia Convention was a meeting of the Patriot legislature of Virginia held in Williamsburg from May 6 to July 5,
Read More
JUNE 12, 1987
Cold War: During a speech at the Brandenburg Gate by the Berlin Wall, US president Ronald Reagan challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall!" (speech featured).
The Cold War was a period of global geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their
Read More
JUNE 12, 1954
Dominic Savio, who was 14 years old at his death in 1857, was canonized by Pope Pius XII, making him one of the youngest non-martyred saints in the Catholic Church.
Dominic Savio was a 19th-century Italian teenager who was a student of John Bosco who became a Catholic saint. He was studying
Read More
JUNE 12, 1967
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws restricting interracial marriage in the landmark civil rights case Loving v. Virginia.
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has
Read More
JUNE 12, 1775
Thomas Gage, the governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, offered a general pardon to colonists who remained loyal to Britain.
General Thomas Gage was a British Army officer and colonial administrator best known for his many years of service in North America,
Read More
JUNE 12, 1963
The premiere was held in New York of the historical drama film Cleopatra, the most expensive film made to that point.
Cleopatra is a 1963 American epic historical drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, with a screenplay adapted by Mankiewicz, Ranald MacDougall
Read More
JUNE 12, 1921
Soviet politician Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko authorised the use of chemical weapons against a peasant rebellion in the Tambov Governorate.
Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseenko, real surname Ovseenko, party aliases 'Bayonet' (Штык) and 'Nikita' (Никита), literary pseudonym A. Galsky, was a prominent Bolshevik leader,
Read More
JUNE 12, 1864
Union general Ulysses S. Grant pulled his troops out of the Battle of Cold Harbor in Hanover County, Virginia, ending one of the bloodiest, most lopsided battles in the American Civil War.
The Union, colloquially known as the North, refers to the United States when eleven Southern slave states seceded to form the Confederate
Read More
JUNE 12, 1240
The Disputation of Paris, in which four rabbis defended the Talmud against Nicholas Donin's accusations of blasphemy, began in the court of King Louis IX.
The Disputation of Paris, also known as the Trial of the Talmud, took place in 1240 at the court of King Louis
Read More
JUNE 12, 2016
An Islamic terrorist killed 49 people in a mass shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida.
On June 12, 2016, 29-year-old Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse,
Read More
JUNE 12, 1942
On her thirteenth birthday, Anne Frank (pictured) began keeping a diary during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.
Annelies Marie Frank was a German-born Jewish girl who kept a diary documenting her life in hiding amid Nazi persecution during the
Read More