On This Day In History
October 12th
539 BC The army of Cyrus the Great of Persia takes Babylon
1279 Nichiren, a Japanese Buddhist monk, founder of Nichiren Buddhism, inscribes the Dai-Gohonzon
1492 Christopher Columbus's expedition makes landfall on a Caribbean island he names San Salvador (likely Watling Island, Bahamas). The explorer believes he has reached East Asia (OS 21 Oct)
1864 War of the Triple Alliance begins with Brazilian troops under the command of Gen. João Propício Mena Barreto invading Uruguay
1900 The first modern submarine is commissioned by the U.S. Navy as the USS Holland, named for its designer John Philip Holland
1915 Ford Motor Company under Henry Ford manufactures its 1 millionth automobile at the River Rouge plant in Detroit
1999 The Day of Six Billion: the proclaimed 6 billionth living human in the world is born
Did You Know?
Children's rhyme "Three Blind Mice" is published in London in a book edited by and possibly written by Thomas Ravenscroft
Today in History in 1609
Would You Believe?
King John of England loses his crown jewels in The Wash as the flood tide swamps his wagons, probably near Fosdyke, perhaps near Sutton Bridge
Today in History in 1216
This day 45 years ago - 12 October 1975 - Oliver Plunkett, executed for treason in 1681, was canonised by Pope Paul VI, making him the first Irish saint in over 700 years.
A ceremony was held on the day in Saint Peter's Church, Drogheda, where a shrine holds relics of Plunkett. pic.twitter.com/FQzOZIlvsA
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 12, 2020
On #AdaLovelaceDay we remember the hugely influential educator, Jane Marcet. Her popular textbooks on science and economics were bestsellers. They made the subjects accessible to thousands, including Michael Faraday and Harriet Martineau. https://t.co/nlb2SOHm6f pic.twitter.com/wCa1SJBbFM
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) October 12, 2022
On this day in 1995, police in Brentwood, PA, killed an unarmed Black man at a traffic stop. An officer was acquitted by a white jury and later promoted to sergeant. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/f6Dg993gJF
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) October 12, 2022
12 October 1692. The Salem Witch Trials trials were ended by William Phips, Governor of Massachusetts, USA. More than 200 people were accused, 30 found guilty and 19 executed by hanging (14 women and 5 men). One other man, Giles Corey, was executed for refusing to plead. pic.twitter.com/CNFFm95n9i
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1810. The Bavarian royal family invited the citizens of Munich to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. The Oktoberfest was born and is still celebrated annually. pic.twitter.com/9Tm6jLpa2O
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1823. Scottish businessman, Charles Macintosh, sold his first waterproof raincoat. His invention cemented two thicknesses of cloth together with natural rubber. The rubber was made soluble by the action of the naphtha. pic.twitter.com/x86eHbQcj4
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1845. Victorian social reformer Elizabeth Fry died (aged 65). She was a key figure behind legislation to make the treatment of prisoners more humane and was supported in her efforts by Queen Victoria. She was depicted on the Bank of England £5 note from 2001 to 2016. pic.twitter.com/mmO9gsrnS0
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1901. President Theodore (“Teddy”) Roosevelt officially renamed the “Executive Mansion” in Washington DC, the “White House”. The House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and has been the residence of every US president since John Adams in 1800. pic.twitter.com/U0PezNAJrq
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1915. British nurse Edith Cavell (aged 49), was executed by a German firing squad for helping Allied soldiers escape from Belgium, despite international pressure for mercy. Her execution received condemnation by the Allies. pic.twitter.com/KoAb4sWFxe
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1943. Willi Graf (aged 25), a member of the anti Nazi White Rose resistance group, was executed in Munich. In 2003, he was posthumously awarded the status of honorary citizen of Saarbrücken and the Catholic Church put Graf on its list of martyrs of the 20th century. pic.twitter.com/7ePBeckkmV
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1945. Private Desmond Doss of the medical corps became the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honour. He distinguished himself in the Battle of Okinawa by saving 75 men. His exploits featured in the 2016 Hollywood film Hacksaw Ridge. pic.twitter.com/pTUWB2R59q
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1964. The USSR launched Voskhod 1. It was the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew, consisting of Vladimir Komarov (commander), Konstantin Feoktistov (engineer) and Boris Yegorov (doctor): pic.twitter.com/qqkAd5KhhO
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1969. Norwegian star figure skater Sonja Henie, died (aged 57). She won three Winter Olympic titles in a row and went on to become a Hollywood film star. pic.twitter.com/u1lg2ozrPo
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1971. Rock ‘n’ Roll legend Gene Vincent died (aged 36) from a ruptured stomach ulcer. His 1956 Top Ten hit Be-Bop-a-Lula is considered a rock ‘n’ roll classic. In 1998, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/BlN5r33R9g
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1978. Nancy Spungen (aged 20) was stabbed to death in the Hotel Chelsea in New York City. Former Sex Pistol, Sid Vicious was charged with her murder, but he died of a heroin overdose in February 1979, before the case went to trial. pic.twitter.com/crW7m6pvEx
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1984. The Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher survived an assassination attempt, when an IRA time bomb exploded at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, during the period of the annual Conservative Party Conference. pic.twitter.com/WL6zuST2Gk
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
12 October 1997. Country star John Denver (aged 53), was killed when his self-piloted light plane crashed in Monterey Bay, California, USA. He sold over 33 million records. Best known songs include Take Me Home, Country Roads, Annie’s Song, Leaving on a Jet Plane and Calypso. pic.twitter.com/gfclazOs2V
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022
PHOTO OF THE DAY. Sophia Loren trying Whelks in a fish bar, near the River Thames (1960). Cor blimey guv'nor! pic.twitter.com/tkryie5Vp5
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 12, 2022