# What happened on August 12 in history?

**Date:** August 12  
**Events recorded:** 46  
**Years spanned:** 1099 – 2021  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/august/12/

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## Featured Event

**2017** — The Unite the Right rally occurs in Charlottesville, Virginia, leading to the deaths of 3 and injuring nearly 50 more.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally)

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## Events on this date

- **1099** — First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid forces led by Al-Afdal Shahanshah. This is considered the last engagement of the First Crusade. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade))
- **1121** — Battle of Didgori: The Georgian army under King David IV wins a decisive victory over the famous Seljuk commander Ilghazi. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Didgori))
- **1164** — Battle of Harim: Nur ad-Din Zangi defeats the Crusader armies of the County of Tripoli and the Principality of Antioch. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Harim))
- **1323** — The Treaty of Nöteborg between Sweden and Novgorod Republic is signed, regulating the border between the two countries for the first time. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_N%C3%B6teborg))
- **1492** — Christopher Columbus arrives in the Canary Islands on his first voyage to the New World. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus))
- **1499** — First engagement of the Battle of Zonchio between Venetian and Ottoman fleets. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Zonchio))
- **1624** — Charles de La Vieuville is arrested and replaced by Cardinal Richelieu as the French king's chief advisor. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_La_Vieuville))
- **1676** — Praying Indian John Alderman shoots and kills Metacomet, the Wampanoag war chief, ending King Philip's War. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praying_Indian))
- **1687** — Battle of Mohács: Charles of Lorraine defeats the Ottoman Empire. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Moh%C3%A1cs_(1687)))
- **1765** — Treaty of Allahabad is signed. The Treaty marks the political and constitutional involvement and the beginning of Company rule in India. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Allahabad))
- **1788** — The Anjala conspiracy is signed. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anjala_League))
- **1793** — The Rhône and Loire départments are created when the former département of Rhône-et-Loire is split into two. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rh%C3%B4ne_(department)))
- **1806** — Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires re-takes the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina after the first British invasion. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Liniers%2C_1st_Count_of_Buenos_Aires))
- **1831** — French intervention forces William I of the Netherlands to abandon his attempt to suppress the Belgian Revolution. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I_of_the_Netherlands))
- **1851** — Isaac Singer is granted a patent for his sewing machine. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Singer))
- **1865** — Joseph Lister, British surgeon and scientist,  performs the first antiseptic surgery. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Lister))
- **1883** — The last quagga dies at the Natura Artis Magistra, a zoo in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quagga))
- **1898** — The Hawaiian flag is lowered from ʻIolani Palace in an elaborate annexation ceremony and replaced with the flag of the United States to signify the transfer of sovereignty from the Republic of Hawaii to the United States where it is formally recognized as Hawaii. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Hawaii))
- **1914** — World War I:  France, the United Kingdom and the British Empire declare war on Austria-Hungary. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I))
- **1914** — World War I: The Battle of Halen a.k.a. Battle of the Silver Helmets a clash between large Belgian and German cavalry formations at Halen, Belgium. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Halen))
- **1944** — Waffen-SS troops massacre 560 people in Sant'Anna di Stazzema. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waffen-SS))
- **1944** — Nazi German troops end the week-long Wola massacre, during which time at least 40,000 people are killed indiscriminately or in mass executions. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany))
- **1944** — Alençon is liberated by General Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, the first city in France to be liberated from the Nazis by French forces. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alen%C3%A7on))
- **1948** — Between 15 and 150 unarmed members of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement are killed by Pakistani police. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babrra_massacre))
- **1950** — Korean War: Bloody Gulch massacre: Seventy-five American POWs are massacred by the North Korean Army. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War))
- **1952** — The Night of the Murdered Poets: Thirteen prominent Jewish intellectuals are murdered in Moscow, Russia, Soviet Union. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Murdered_Poets))
- **1953** — Thermonuclear bomb testing: The Soviet atomic bomb project continues with the detonation of "RDS-6s" (Joe 4) using a "layered" scheme. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_testing))
- **1953** — The 7.2 Ms  Ionian earthquake shakes the southern Ionian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). Between 445 and 800 people are killed. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Ionian_earthquake))
- **1960** — Echo 1A, NASA's first successful communications satellite, is launched. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Echo))
- **1964** — South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games due to the country's racist policies. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa))
- **1969** — Violence erupts after the Apprentice Boys of Derry march in Derry, Northern Ireland, resulting in a three-day communal riot known as the Battle of the Bogside. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apprentice_Boys_of_Derry))
- **1976** — Between 1,000 and 3,500 Palestinians are killed in the Tel al-Zaatar massacre, one of the bloodiest events of the Lebanese Civil War. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinians))
- **1977** — The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approach_and_Landing_Tests))
- **1977** — The Sri Lanka Riots: Targeting the minority Sri Lankan Tamils, begin, less than a month after the United National Party came to power. Over 300 Tamils are killed. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977_anti-Tamil_pogrom))
- **1981** — The IBM Personal Computer is released. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer))
- **1984** — An infamous brawl takes place at the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Braves%E2%80%93Padres_bean_brawl))
- **1985** — Japan Air Lines Flight 123, a Boeing 747, crashes into Osutaka ridge in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, killing 520, becoming the worst single-plane air disaster. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Air_Lines_Flight_123))
- **1990** — Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton found to date, is discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South Dakota. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_(dinosaur)))
- **1992** — Canada, Mexico and the United States announce completion of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement))
- **1994** — Major League Baseball players go on strike, eventually forcing the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball))
- **2000** — The Russian Navy submarine Kursk explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, killing her entire 118-man crew. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Navy))
- **2015** — At least two massive explosions kill 173 people and injure nearly 800 more in Tianjin, China. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Tianjin_explosions))
- **2016** — Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture the city of Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_civil_war))
- **2017** — The Unite the Right rally occurs in Charlottesville, Virginia, leading to the deaths of 3 and injuring nearly 50 more. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally))
- **2018** — Thirty-nine civilians, including a dozen children, are killed in an explosion at a weapons depot in Sarmada, Syria. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarmada))
- **2021** — Six people, five victims and the perpetrator are killed in Keyham, Plymouth in the worst mass shooting in the UK since 2010. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth))

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## Notable births on August 12

- **2001** — **Dixie D'Amelio** — American social media personality and singer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_D'Amelio))
- **2000** — **Tristan Charpentier** — French racing driver ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_Charpentier))
- **1999** — **Matthijs de Ligt** — Dutch footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthijs_de_Ligt))
- **1999** — **Dream** — American YouTuber ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_(YouTuber)))
- **1999** — **Jule Niemeier** — German tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jule_Niemeier))
- **1999** — **GK Barry** — social media star and presenter ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GK_Barry))
- **1998** — **Stefanos Tsitsipas** — Greek tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefanos_Tsitsipas))
- **1996** — **Choi Yu-jin** — South Korean singer and actress ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choi_Yu-jin_(singer)))
- **1996** — **Julio Urías** — Mexican baseball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio_Ur%C3%ADas))
- **1996** — **Arthur Melo** — Brazilian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Melo))

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## Notable deaths on August 12

- **2024** — **Kim Kahana** — American actor and stunt performer (born 1929) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Kahana))
- **2021** — **Una Stubbs** — English actress, TV personality, and dancer (born 1937) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Una_Stubbs))
- **2020** — **Bill Yeoman** — American college football player and coach (born 1927) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Yeoman))
- **2019** — **DJ Arafat** — Ivorian DJ and singer (born 1986) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Arafat))
- **2017** — **Bryan Murray** — Canadian ice hockey coach (born 1942) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Murray_(ice_hockey)))
- **2016** — **Juan Pedro de Miguel** — Spanish handball player (born 1958) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Pedro_de_Miguel))
- **2015** — **Jaakko Hintikka** — Finnish philosopher and academic (born 1929) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaakko_Hintikka))
- **2015** — **Stephen Lewis** — English actor and screenwriter (born 1926) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Lewis_(actor)))
- **2015** — **Meshulim Feish Lowy** — Hungarian-Canadian rabbi and author (born 1921) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meshulim_Feish_Lowy))
- **2015** — **John Scott** — English organist and conductor (born 1956) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scott_(organist)))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/august/12/](https://thisday.info/events/august/12/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.