On This Day in History

Explore This Day in History

Learn what happened on this day in history. Browse historical events, famous birthdays and notable deaths for any date, all sourced from Wikipedia.

Today in numbers

68events
256born
132died

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.

Daily 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.

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Holidays 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 26 holidays today.

International day

International Day Against DRM

Protests against digital rights management technology

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National or local holiday

Children's Day (Brazil)

Public observance in honor of children

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National or local holiday

Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Columbus Day (Honduras)

National holiday in the Americas

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National or local holiday

Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Día de la Hispanidad or Fiesta Nacional de España, also Armed Forces Day (Spain)

National holiday in the Americas

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National or local holiday

Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Día de la Raza (El Salvador, Uruguay)

National holiday in the Americas

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National or local holiday

Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Día de la Resistencia Indígena, "Day of Indigenous Resistance" (Venezuela)

National holiday in the Americas

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National or local holiday

Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Día de las Américas (Belize)

National holiday in the Americas

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National or local holiday

Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Día de las Culturas, "Day of the Cultures" (Costa Rica)

National holiday in the Americas

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National or local holiday

Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural, "Day of respect for cultural diversity" (Argentina)

National or local holiday on October 12.

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National or local holiday

Discovery Day (The Bahamas)

Holiday commemorating significant national discovery

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National or local holiday

Fiesta Nacional de España (Spain)

National holiday of Spain (October 12)

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National or local holiday

Hafez Day (Iran) 1

Persian poet and mystic (1325–1390)

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National or local holiday

Independence Day (Equatorial Guinea), celebrates the independence of Equatorial Guinea from Spain in 1968

National or local holiday on October 12.

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Religious feast day

Domnina of Anazarbus

Saint Domnina is venerated as a Christian martyr by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. According to tradition, she was a native of Cilicia who…

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Religious feast day

Edith Cavell and Elizabeth Fry (Church of England)

British nurse (1865–1915)

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Religious feast day

Fiacc

Poet and first Bishop of Leinster, Ireland

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Religious feast day

Our Lady of the Pillar (Fiestas del Pilar)

Title of the Virgin Mary

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Religious feast day

Our Lady of Aparecida

Patroness of Brazil

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Religious feast day

Blessed Louis Brisson

Recognition by the Catholic Church of a holy person

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Religious feast day

Radim Gaudentius (Czech Republic)

Polish archbishop (c. 970 – c. 1020)

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Religious feast day

Blessed Roman Sitko

Recognition by the Catholic Church of a holy person

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Religious feast day

Seraphin of Montegranaro

Italian Capuchin and saint

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Religious feast day

Wilfrid of Ripon

Christian saint, Bishop of York from 664 to 678

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Religious feast day

Carlo Acutis

Italian saint (1991–2006)

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Religious feast day

October 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Day in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar

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Religious feast day

Feast for Life of Aleister Crowley, celebrated as "Crowleymas" (Thelema)

English occultist (1875–1947)

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What Happened This Month

October in History

See what happened in October in history, from the battles, treaties and discoveries that shaped the world to the famous October birthdays and holidays, with a page for every day of the month.

See October in History

On 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.

2022 Bratislava shooting, killing 3 and injuring one
October 12, 2026

2022 Bratislava shooting, killing 3 and injuring one

A 19-year-old gunman killed two people and injured one outside a gay bar in Bratislava before dying by suicide the next morning.

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How did the Geneva Accords partition Vietnam?
October 11, 2026

How did the Geneva Accords partition Vietnam?

In accord with the 1954 Geneva Conference, French troops completed their withdrawal from North Vietnam, finalizing the partition of the country…

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How did the 1963 treaty ban atmospheric nuclear tests?
October 10, 2026

How did the 1963 treaty ban atmospheric nuclear tests?

The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty formally entered into force, prohibiting nuclear detonations in the atmosphere, outer space, and under water.

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What Happened at the Battle of Angamos in 1879?
October 8, 2026

What Happened at the Battle of Angamos in 1879?

On 8 October 1879 the Chilean Navy, under Riveros and Latorre, crushed the Peruvian monitor Huáscar at Punta Angamos, securing naval dominance for Chile…

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How was asteroid 2008 TC3 detected before it hit Earth?
October 7, 2026

How was asteroid 2008 TC3 detected before it hit Earth?

On October 7, 2008, the 4.1‑meter asteroid 2008 TC3 entered Earth’s atmosphere over Sudan, exploding 37 km above the desert after being spotted a day…

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How did Annie Ernaux become the first French Nobel laureate?
October 6, 2026

How did Annie Ernaux become the first French Nobel laureate?

The Swedish Academy announced Annie Ernaux as the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, citing her clinical acuity in uncovering personal memory.

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How did drug gangs kill 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong?
October 5, 2026

How did drug gangs kill 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong?

Two Chinese cargo ships were hijacked on the Mekong River in the Golden Triangle.

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How did Yeltsin's army end the 1993 Russian crisis?
October 4, 2026

How did Yeltsin's army end the 1993 Russian crisis?

On October 4, 1993, the Russian army shelled the White House with tanks and stormed the building to arrest lawmakers resisting President Yeltsin.

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A new history article every day covering one major event, with sourced facts and key figures behind it.

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History 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.

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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.

October

On This Day, October 12

  • 2022: 2022 Bratislava shooting, killing 3 (including the perpetrator) and injuring one. The shooting occurred outside of a gay bar in Bratislava known as Tepláreň. Two people (excluding the perpetrator) died as a result of the shooting: Juraj Vankulič, a non-binary person, and Matúš Horváth, a bisexual man. The perpetrator (Juraj Krajčík) was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot the morning after the attack.
  • 2019: Typhoon Hagibis makes landfall in Japan, killing 10 and forcing the evacuation of one million people.
  • 2019: Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya becomes the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours with a time of 1:59:40 in Vienna.
  • 2019: The Hard Rock Hotel in New Orleans, which is under construction, collapses, killing three workers and injuring 30 others.
  • 2017: The United States announces its decision to withdraw from UNESCO. Israel immediately follows.

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