Today July 12th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
1191 – Saladin s garrison surrenders, ending the two-year siege of Acre. Conrad of Montferrat, who has negotiated the surrender, raises the banners of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and of the Third Crusade leaders Richard I of England, Philip II of France, and Leopold V of Austria on the city s walls and towers.
1472 – Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester and later King of England, marries Anne Neville, daughter of the Earl of Warwick, in Westminister Abbey.
1543 – King Henry VIII of England marries his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr at Hampton Court Palace.
1580 – Ostrog Bible, the first printed Bible in a Slavic language, is published.
1690 – Battle of the Boyne (Gregorian calendar) – The armies of William III defeat those of the former James II.
1691 – Battle of Aughrim (Julian calendar) – The decisive victory of William s forces in Ireland.
1790 – The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is passed in France by the National Assembly.
1804 – Former United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton dies after being shot in a duel.
1806 – Sixteen German imperial states leave the Holy Roman Empire and form the Confederation of the Rhine.
1812 – War of 1812: The United States invades Canada at Windsor, Ontario.
1862 – The Medal of Honor is authorized by the United States Congress.
1917 – The Bisbee Deportation occurs as vigilantes kidnap and deport nearly 1,300 striking miners and others from Bisbee, Arizona.
1918 – The Japanese Imperial Navy battle ship Kawachi blows up at Shunan, western Honshu, Japan, killing at least 621.
1920 – The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty is signed. Soviet Russia recognized independent Lithuania.
1932 – Hedley Verity establishes a first-class record by taking all ten wickets for only ten runs against Nottinghamshire on a pitch affected by a storm.
1943 – World War II: Battle of Prokhorovka – German and Soviet forces engage in largest tank engagement of all time.
1960 – Orlyonok, the main Young Pioneer camp of the Russian SFSR, is founded.
1962 – The Rolling Stones perform their first ever concert, at the Marquee Club in London.
1973 – A fire destroys the entire 6th floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the United States.
1975 – São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal.
1979 – The island nation of Kiribati declares independence from Great Britain.
2006 – Hezbollah initiates Operation True Promise.
Births
1394 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, Japanese shogun (d. 1441)
1596 – Tsar Michael I of Russia (d. 1645)
1675 – Evaristo Abaco, Italian composer (d. 1742)
1730 – Josiah Wedgwood, English potter (d. 1795)
1803 – Peter Chanel, French priest and saint (d. 1841)
1807 – Thomas Hawksley, English civil engineer (d. 1893)
1817 – Henry David Thoreau, American writer and philosopher (d. 1862)
1824 – Eugène Boudin, French painter (d. 1898)
1828 – Nikolai Chernyshevsky, Russian philosopher (d. 1889)
1849 – Sir William Osler, Canadian physician and author (d. 1919)
1850 – Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist (d. 1912)
1852 – Hipólito Yrigoyen, President of Argentina (d. 1933)
1854 – George Eastman, American inventor (d. 1932)
1863 – Albert Calmette, French physician (d. 1933)
1863 – Paul Karl Ludwig Drude, German physicist (d. 1906)
1864 – George Washington Carver, American botanist (d. 1943)
1868 – Stefan George, German poet (d. 1933)
1870 – Louis II of Monaco (d. 1949)
1872 – Emil Hácha, President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1945)
1876 – Max Jacob, French poet (d. 1944)
1880 – Tod Browning, American film director (d. 1962)
1884 – Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1920)
1886 – Jean Hersholt, Danish film director and actor (d. 1956)
1892 – Bruno Schulz, Polish writer and painter (d. 1942)
1895 – Kirsten Flagstad, Norwegian soprano (d. 1962)
1895 – Buckminster Fuller, American architect (d. 1983)
1895 – Oscar Hammerstein II, American lyricist (d. 1960)
1904 – Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet, Nobel laureate (d. 1973)
1908 – Milton Berle, American comedian (d. 2002)
1909 – Curly Joe DeRita, American actor and comedian (d. 1993)
1909 – Fritz Leonhardt, German civil engineer (d. 1999)
1913 – Willis Lamb, American physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 2008)
1914 – Mohammad Moin, Iranian writer
1917 – Andrew Wyeth, American artist
1920 – Pierre Berton, Canadian journalist and writer (d. 2004)
1920 – Beah Richards, American actress (d. 2000)
1921 – Bob Fillion, French Canadian ice hockey player
1922 – Mark Hatfield, U.S. Senator from Oregon
1925 – Roger Bonham Smith, former chairman and CEO of General Motors (d. 2007)
1928 – Elias James Corey, American chemist, Nobel laureate
1930 – Gordon Pinsent, Canadian actor, director, and writer
1932 – Otis Davis, American runner
1933 – Donald E. Westlake, American author
1934 – Van Cliburn, American pianist
1937 – Bill Cosby, American comedian and actor
1937 – Lionel Jospin, Prime Minister of France 1997-2002
1937 – Michel Louvain, French Canadian singer
1938 – Ron Fairly, American baseball player
1938 – Wieger Mensonides, Dutch swimmer
1939 – Phillip Adams, Australian broadcaster and journalist
1941 – Benny Parsons, American NASCAR driver (d. 2007)
1941 – Joseph Whipp, American actor
1942 – Billy Smith, Australian rugby league footballer
1943 – Christine McVie, British singer, musician, and songwriter (Fleetwood Mac)
1943 – Walter Murch, American film editor
1943 – Paul Silas, American basketball player and head coach
1945 – Leopoldo Mastelloni, Italian actor
1947 – Gareth Edwards, Welsh rugby union footballer
1947 – Richard C. McCarty, American professor of psychology
1948 – Ben Burtt, American sound designer
1948 – Walter Egan, American singer
1948 – Richard Simmons, American fitness trainer
1948 – Jay Thomas, American actor
1949 – Rick Hendrick, American NASCAR team owner, and car dealer.
1950 – Eric Carr, American drummer (Kiss) (d. 1991)
1950 – Gilles Meloche, Canadian ice hockey player
1951 – Brian Grazer, American film producer
1951 – Cheryl Ladd, American actress
1951 – Sylvia Sass, Hungarian soprano
1951 – Jamey Sheridan, American actor
1952 – Voja Antonic, Serbian inventor and writer
1952 – Philip Taylor Kramer, Bass Guitar Player (d. 1995)
1954 – Wolfgang Dremmler, German footballer
1956 – Sandi Patty, American singer
1956 – Mario Soto, Dominican baseball player
1957 – Richard Douglas Husband, American astronaut (d. 2003)
1958 – Tonya Lee Williams, Canadian actress
1959 – Charlie Murphy, American actor and writer
1960 – Corynne Charby, French model, actress and singer
1962 – Julio César Chávez, Mexican boxer
1962 – Dan Murphy, American guitarist (Soul Asylum)
1962 – Dean Wilkins, English football manager
1964 – Tim Gane, English musician (Stereolab, McCarthy)
1964 – Gaby Roslin, English television presenter
1965 – Sanjay Manjrekar, Indian cricketer
1967 – Richard Herring, English comedian
1967 – John Petrucci, American guitar player (Dream Theater)
1967 – Bruny Surin, Canadian athlete
1968 – Catherine Plewinski, French swimmer
1969 – Alan Mullally, England cricketer
1969 – Lisa Nicole Carson, American actress
1969 – Jesse Pintado, American guitarist (Napalm Death) (d. 2006)
1970 – Brian Lee Byung-Hun, South Korean actor
1970 – Juba Kalamka, American artist/activist
1971 – Kristi Yamaguchi, American figure skater
1972 – Travis Best, American basketball player
1972 – Brett Reed, American musician (Rancid)
1972 – Jake Wood, English actor
1973 – Magoo, American rapper
1973 – Christian Vieri, Italian footballer
1974 – Sharon den Adel, Dutch singer (Within Temptation)
1974 – Stelios Giannakopoulos, Greek footballer
1974 – Gregory Helms, American professional wrestler
1975 – Cheyenne Jackson, American actor and singer
1976 – Dan Boyle, Canadian ice hockey player
1976 – Anna Friel, British actress
1976 – Tracie Spencer, American singer and songwriter
1977 – Neil Harris, English footballer
1977 – Steve Howey, American actor
1977 – Brock Lesnar, American mixed martial artist and professional wrestler
1978 – Claire Chitham, New Zealand actress
1978 – Topher Grace, American actor
1978 – Michelle Rodriguez, American actress
1979 – Nikos Barlos, Greek basketball player
1980 – Johanna Klum, German TV presenter
1981 – Adrienne Camp, South African singer/songwriter
1982 – Antonio Cassano, Italian footballer
1983 – Megumi Kawamura, Japanese volleyballer
1983 – Munaf Patel, Indian cricketer
1984 – Gareth Gates, British singer
1984 – Michael McGovern, Northern Irish footballer
1985 – Luiz Ejlli, Albanian singer
1985 – Natasha Poly, Russian supermodel
1986 – JP Pietersen, South African rugby union footballer
1986 – Krystal Forscutt, Australian model/reality TV contestant
1988 – Melissa O Neil, Canadian singer
1988 – Inbee Park, South Korean golfer
1991 – Erik Per Sullivan, American actor
Deaths
783 – Bertrada of Laon, wife of Pippin III (b. 720)
1441 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, Japanese shogun (b. 1394)
1536 – Erasmus, Dutch writer and philosopher
1584 – Steven Borough, English explorer (b. 1525)
1664 – Stefano della Bella, Italian printmaker (b. 1610)
1682 – Jean Picard, French astronomer (b. 1620)
1693 – John Ashby, English admiral
1712 – Richard Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland (b. 1626)
1742 – Evaristo Abaco, Italian composer (b. 1675)
1749 – Charles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois, Governor of New France
1773 – Johann Joachim Quantz, German flutist and composer (b. 1697)
1804 – Alexander Hamilton, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1755)
1845 – Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian author (b. 1808)
1849 – Dolley Madison, 4th First Lady Of The United States (b. 1768)
1910 – Charles Stewart Rolls, British engineer and aviator (b. 1887)
1918 – Dragutin Lerman, Croatian explorer (b. 1864)
1926 – Gertrude Bell, English archaeologist, writer, spy, and administrator (b. 1868)
1931 – Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1866)
1934 – Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American inventor and industrialist (b. 1877)
1935 – Alfred Dreyfus, French military officer (b. 1859)
1944 – Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., American general, received Medal of Honor (b. 1887)
1945 – Wolfram von Richthofen, German field marshal (b. 1895)
1945 – Boris Galerkin, Russian mathematician (b. 1871)
1947 – Jimmie Lunceford, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1902)
1949 – Douglas Hyde, first President of Ireland (b. 1860)
1950 – Elsie de Wolfe, American socialite and interior decorator (b. 1865)
1961 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author (b. 1879)
1962 – Roger Wolfe Kahn, American band leader (b. 1907)
1971 – Yvon Robert, French Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1914)
1973 – Lon Chaney, Jr., American actor (b. 1906)
1979 – Minnie Riperton, American soul singer (b. 1947)
1983 – Chris Wood, British musician, played with Traffic, (b. 1944)
1990 – João Saldanha, Brazilian journalist and football manager (b. 1917)
1993 – Dan Eldon, British photojournalist (b. 1970)
1996 – John Chancellor, American television journalist (b. 1927)
1996 – Jonathan Melvoin, American musician and keyboardist (The Smashing Pumpkins) (b. 1961)
1997 – Israel Kamakawiwo ole, Hawaiian musician (b. 1959)
1998 – Serge Lemoyne, French Canadian artist (b. 1941)
1998 – Jimmy Driftwood, American folk songwriter and musician (b. 1907)
1999 – Bill Owen, British actor (b. 1914)
2000 – Charles Merritt, Canadian Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War II (b. 1908)
2003 – Benny Carter, American musician (b. 1907)
2004 – Betty Oliphant, co-founder of National Ballet of Canada (b. 1918)
2005 – John King, Baron King of Wartnaby, Chief executive of British Airways since its privitisation (b. 1917)
2007 – Stan Zemanek, Australian radio personality (b. 1947)
2007 – Mr. Butch, Iconic Boston street figure (b. 1951)
2007 – Robert Burås, Norwegian guitar player (b. 1975)
2008 – Tony Snow, former speechwriter for Presidents George H.W. Bush and press secretary for George W. Bush (b. 1955)
2008 – Bobby Murcer, American baseball player (b. 1946)
Holidays and observances
Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Eastern Orthodoxy)
Northern Ireland – Battle of the Boyne Day (also known as Orangemen s Day or the Twelfth, see Irish calendar).
São Tomé and Príncipe – Independence Day.
Saints Hermagoras and Fortunatus,
Saint John Gualbert, abbot, confessor common
Saints Nabor and Felix, martyrs common
Saint Viventiolus, bishop of Lyon, confessor Lyon
Saint Jason
