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1979 47 years ago Historical Events July 12

The island nation of Kiribati becomes independent from the United Kingdom.

On July 12, in the year 1979, The island nation of Kiribati becomes independent from the United Kingdom. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of July 12, one of 441 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Kiribati, officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an archipelagic country spanning the Micronesia and Polynesia sub-regions of Oceania in the central Pacific Ocean. The state comprises 32 atolls and other islands and one remote raised coral island, Banaba. Its total land area is 811 km2 (313 sq mi) dispersed over 3,441,810 km2 (1,328,890 sq mi) of ocean. The spread of the country's islands, from Banaba in the west to Kiritimati in the east straddles the equator and the 180th meridian. The International Date Line goes around Kiribati and swings far to the east, almost reaching 150°W. This brings Kiribati's easternmost islands, the southern Line Islands south of Hawaii, into the same day as the Gilbert Islands and places them in the most advanced time zone on Earth: UTC+14.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on July 12, 1979 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 1 Wikipedia article.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 11 July 2026.

On This Date in History 441

Type Year Date Event
Historical Events 2024 Jul 12 Gazpromavia Flight 9608 crashes in Russia's Kolomensky District near Kolomna, killing three.
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 12 Tonke Dragt, Dutch children's writer and illustrator (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 12 Bill Viola, American video and installation artist (born 1951)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 12 Ruth Westheimer, German-American sex therapist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 12 Evan Wright, American writer (born 1964)
Notable Deaths 2024 Jul 12 Noriko Ohara, Japanese voice actress and narrator (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2020 Jul 12 Kelly Preston, American actress and model (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2020 Jul 12 Wim Suurbier, Dutch football player (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2019 Jul 12 Emily Hartridge, English YouTuber and television presenter (born 1984)
Notable Deaths 2018 Jul 12 Annabelle Neilson, English socialite (born 1969)
Notable Deaths 2016 Jul 12 Goran Hadžić, Serbian politician (born 1958)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 12 D'Army Bailey, American lawyer, judge, and actor (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 12 Chenjerai Hove, Zimbabwean journalist, author, and poet (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 12 Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, Tibetan monk and activist (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 12 Cheng Siwei, Chinese engineer, economist, and politician (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 12 Jamil Ahmad, Pakistani author (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 12 Nestor Basterretxea, Spanish painter and sculptor (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 12 Emil Bobu, Romanian politician (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 12 Alfred de Grazia, American political scientist and author (born 1919)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 12 Kenneth J. Gray, American soldier and politician (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 12 Valeriya Novodvorskaya, Russian journalist and politician (born 1950)
Historical Events 2013 Jul 12 Six people are killed and 200 injured in a French passenger train derailment in Brétigny-sur-Orge.
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 12 Amar Bose, American businessman, founded the Bose Corporation (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 12 Takako Takahashi, Japanese author (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 12 Elaine Morgan, Welsh writer (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 12 Alan Whicker, Egyptian-English journalist (born 1921)
Historical Events 2012 Jul 12 Syrian Civil War: Government forces target the homes of rebels and activists in Tremseh and kill anywhere between 68…
Historical Events 2012 Jul 12 A tank truck explosion kills more than 100 people in Okobie, Nigeria.
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 12 Alimuddin, Pakistani cricketer (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 12 Dara Singh, Indian wrestler, actor, and politician (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 12 Eddy Brown, English footballer and manager (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 12 Else Holmelund Minarik, Danish-American author and illustrator (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 12 Roger Payne, English mountaineer (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 12 Hamid Samandarian, Iranian director and playwright (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 12 George C. Stoney, American director and producer (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2011 Jul 12 Sherwood Schwartz, American screenwriter and producer (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 12 Olga Guillot, Cuban-American singer (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 12 James P. Hogan, English-American author (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 12 Paulo Moura, Brazilian clarinetist and saxophonist (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 12 Pius Njawé, Cameroonian journalist (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2010 Jul 12 Harvey Pekar, American author and critic (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 12 Bobby Murcer, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 12 Tony Snow, American journalist, 26th White House Press Secretary (born 1955)
Selected Events 2008 Jul 12 An edit on the page of the coati nicknamed it the Brazilian aardvark, in which multiple news channels followed in…
Historical Events 2007 Jul 12 U.S. Army Apache helicopters engage in airstrikes against armed insurgents in Baghdad, Iraq, where civilians are…
Notable Deaths 2007 Jul 12 Robert Burås, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1975)
Notable Deaths 2007 Jul 12 Stan Zemanek, Australian radio and television host (born 1947)
Selected Events 2007 Jul 12 Two U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters (pictured) conducted a series of air-to-ground attacks in Baghdad.
Historical Events 2006 Jul 12 A cross-border raid by Hezbollah militants starts the 2006 Lebanon War.
Selected Events 2006 Jul 12 Hezbollah forces crossed the Israel–Lebanon border and attacked Israeli military positions while firing rockets and…

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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