On This Day in History
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Learn what happened on this day in history. Browse historical events, famous birthdays and notable deaths for any date, all sourced from Wikipedia.
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What Happened On This Day in History
Find out what happened on this day in history through today's featured event, latest article, famous birthday, notable death, holidays and observances, your birthday in history, and this month in history. Each card opens the complete history page.
Saudia Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 collide over Charkhi Dadri
Saudia Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 collided over Charkhi Dadri, killing all 349 people on board in the deadliest mid-air collision…
Read & QuizMort Shuman
Mortimer Shuman was an American singer, pianist and songwriter, best known as co-writer of many 1960s rock and roll hits, including "Viva Las Vegas".
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Kebede Michael
Kebede Michael (Amharic: ከበደ ሚካኤል; 2 November 1916 – 12 November 1998) was an Ethiopian-born author of both fiction and non-fiction literature.
See Died Today
Holidays and Observances Today
National and international holidays on November 12, including Birth of Sun Yat-Sen.
See Today's HolidaysWhat Happened on Your Birthday?
Enter your birth date to see the events, famous birthdays and holidays of your birthday.
Find Your BirthdayNovember in History
Major events, famous birthdays and holidays of November, day by day.
See November in HistoryDaily History Challenge
Put Today's Events in Order
Four events that happened on this day, in four different years. Tap them from the oldest to the newest, you have three tries, then share your result. A new puzzle every day.
Play Today's ChallengeHolidays and Observances Today
International days, national holidays and religious feast days that fall on today's date. Each card opens the holiday in the full holidays calendar. See all 20 holidays today.
Birth of Sun Yat-Sen, also Doctors' Day and Cultural Renaissance Day. (Republic of China)
National or local holiday on November 12.
Read moreConstitution Day (Azerbaijan)
There are several public holidays in Azerbaijan. Public holidays were regulated in the constitution of the Azerbaijan SSR for the first time on 19 May 1921.…
Read moreNational Health Day (Indonesia)
National or local holiday on November 12.
Read moreNational Youth Day (East Timor)
The culture of Timor-Leste reflects numerous cultural influences, including Portuguese, Roman Catholic, and Malay, on the indigenous Austronesian cultures in…
Read moreJosaphat Kuntsevych (Roman Catholic Church, Greek Catholic Church)
Ukrainian Greek Catholic archbishop and martyr
Read moreMargarito Flores García
20th-century Mexican Catholic priest, martyr, and saint
Read moreNovember 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Day in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar
Read moreWhat Happened This Month
November in History
See what happened in November in history, from the battles, treaties and discoveries that shaped the world to the famous November birthdays and holidays, with a page for every day of the month.
See November in HistoryOn This Day in History Articles
A new history article is published every day covering one significant event from the past. Each post explores the causes, key figures, immediate impact, and the legacy that still resonates in the world today.
Saudia Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 collide over Charkhi Dadri
Saudia Flight 763 and Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907 collided over Charkhi Dadri, killing all 349 people on board in the deadliest mid-air collision…
Read MoreHow did a faulty hydraulic pipe ignite the Kaprun fire?
A fire in a Kaprun funicular tunnel killed 155 skiers and snowboarders when atomized oil from a faulty hydraulic pipe ignited near a fan heater.
Read MoreHow did a Vickers Viscount vanish off Padang?
A Merpati Nusantara Airlines Vickers Viscount crashed into the Indian Ocean near Padang, West Sumatra, killing all 69 people on board.
Read MoreHow did the 1880 Zagreb quake reshape the Lower Town?
At 07:33 AM CET on November 9, 1880, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Zagreb, with its epicenter located in the Medvednica mountain north of the city.
Read MoreGovernment of India announces demonetisation of banknotes
India withdrew ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes, causing cash shortages and economic disruption while aiming to curb black money and terrorism funding.
Read More
How did the Charter of the Forest restore forest rights?
The Charter of the Forest of 1217 protected grazing and woodland rights. Its clauses reveal who authenticated it and how it limited forest penalties.
Read MoreWhat happened during San Salvador's 1811 revolt?
Delgado, Arce and the 1811 San Salvador revolt, from the traditional bell story to local resistance and the restoration of Spanish authority.
Read More
How did Tightrope conclude Operation Fishbowl?
Operation Fishbowl ended with the Tightrope test at Johnston Island on November 4, 1962, the last atmospheric nuclear test conducted by the United States.
Read MoreOur blog
Explore the Blog
A new history article every day covering one major event, with sourced facts and key figures behind it.
Visit the BlogHistory in 60 Seconds
Short videos covering one significant historical event each, told through archival imagery and narration. A new video goes up every day alongside the daily article.
How did a Vickers Viscount vanish off Padang?
A Merpati Nusantara Airlines Vickers Viscount crashed into the Indian Ocean near Padang...
Watch
How did the 1880 Zagreb quake reshape the Lower Town?
At 07:33 AM CET on November 9, 1880, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Zagreb, with its...
Watch
How did the Charter of the Forest restore forest rig...
The Charter of the Forest of 1217 protected grazing and woodland rights. Its clauses re...
Watch
What happened during San Salvador's 1811 revolt?
Delgado, Arce and the 1811 San Salvador revolt, from the traditional bell story to loca...
Watch
How did Lewis Hamilton win the F1 title by one point?
Lewis Hamilton passed Timo Glock to finish fifth at the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix, taki...
Watch
Why did the 1948 Gozo luzzu crossing end in disaster?
An overloaded luzzu sank off Gozo on October 30, 1948, killing 23 people. The cancelled...
Watch
How did bin Laden link the 1982 Lebanon War to 9/11?
Al Jazeera broadcasts a video where Osama bin Laden first explicitly accepts responsibi...
Watch
Why did Donora’s industrial smog become deadly in 1948?
Donora’s 1948 smog trapped industrial emissions beneath a temperature inversion, sicken...
WatchFeatured Videos
Watch Short History Videos
Historical events told through archival imagery and narration, daily.
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Explore History by Date
Click any date on the calendar to browse historical events, famous birthdays, and notable deaths from that day. Move between months to explore thousands of years of recorded history.
November
On This Day, November 12
- 2022: A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collide in mid-air over Dallas Executive Airport during an airshow, killing six.
- 2021: The Los Angeles Superior Court formally ends the 14-year conservatorship to pop singer Britney Spears.
- 2020: The PlayStation 5 is released.
- 2017: The 7.3 Mw Kermanshah earthquake shakes the northern Iran–Iraq border with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). At least 410 people are killed and over 7,000 are injured.
- 2015: Two suicide bombers detonate explosives in Bourj el-Barajneh, Beirut, killing 43 people and injuring over 200 others.
thisDay.info is a free historical events calendar where you can explore what happened on any date in history. It covers wars, discoveries, natural disasters, famous birthdays and deaths, and landmark moments in world history, all sourced from Wikipedia.
Every day a new article is published covering one significant historical event from that calendar date. Each article includes background context, key figures, a Did You Know section, a Quick Facts block, and an analysis of the lasting impact on the world. A short quiz at the end lets you test what you have learned.
All historical events, birthdays, and deaths are sourced from Wikipedia's On This Day archives. Wikipedia is one of the most thorough and regularly updated references for world history, covering events from ancient civilizations right through to the present day on every continent.
Yes. Use the calendar on this page to go to any date of the year. Clicking a date opens a page listing everything notable that happened on that day in history, from ancient times right through to recent decades.
History in 60 Seconds is a short video series published on YouTube Shorts. Each video tells the story of one historical event using archival imagery and narration. A new video goes up every day so you can keep up with this day in history wherever you are.
A new article and a new video are published every single day. The events calendar is always current with today's On This Day data from Wikipedia. Famous birthdays and notable deaths for the current date load every time you visit the site.
Yes, thisDay.info is completely free. There is no account, no subscription, and no paywall. Every article, video, event listing, and the full historical calendar are open to everyone and will stay that way.
Yes. Every date page includes a list of notable people born or who died on that day, with links to their Wikipedia biographies. You can also browse person pages on thisDay.info to read about the historical figures who appear in our daily articles.
thisDay.info covers all major topics in world history including wars and conflicts, political revolutions, scientific discoveries, space exploration, natural disasters, cultural milestones, and sporting achievements. Events range from ancient history through to the 21st century, covering every part of the world.
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Jump straight to today's events, birthdays and deaths, or browse the historical topics and people we cover across the site.