August 12 in History

2021 5 years ago

Six people, five victims and the perpetrator are killed in Keyham, Plymouth in the worst mass shooting in the UK since…

Plymouth is a port city and unitary authority in Devon, England. It is located on the county's south coast between the rivers Plym and Tamar, about 36 miles (58 km) south-west of …

Six people, five victims and the perpetrator are killed in Keyham, Plymouth in the worst mass shooting in the UK since…

2018

Thirty-nine civilians, including a dozen children, are killed in an explosion at a weapons depot in Sarmada, Syria.

Sarmada is a town in the Harem District, Idlib Governorate of Syria. It is in the extreme northwest of Syria near the border with Turkey.

Thirty-nine civilians, including a dozen children, are killed in an explosion at a weapons depot in Sarmada, Syria.

2017

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

The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-C…

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

2016 10 years ago

Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture the city of Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the…

The Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggere…

Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture the city of Manbij from the Islamic State of Iraq and the…

2015

At least two massive explosions kill 173 people and injure nearly 800 more in Tianjin, China.

On 12 August 2015, a series of explosions at the Port of Tianjin in Tianjin, Northern China, killed 173 people, according to official reports, and injured hundreds of others. The …

At least two massive explosions kill 173 people and injure nearly 800 more in Tianjin, China.

2000

The Russian Navy submarine Kursk explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, killing her entire…

The Russian Navy is the naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the N…

The Russian Navy submarine Kursk explodes and sinks in the Barents Sea during a military exercise, killing her entire…

1994

Major League Baseball players go on strike, eventually forcing the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.

Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL),…

Major League Baseball players go on strike, eventually forcing the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.

1992

Canada, Mexico and the United States announce completion of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement…

The North American Free Trade Agreement, referred to colloquially in the Anglosphere as NAFTA, was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that created a tril…

Canada, Mexico and the United States announce completion of negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement…

1990

Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton found to date, is discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South…

Sue, officially designated FMNH PR 2081, is one of the largest, most extensive, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever found, at over 90% recovered by bulk.

Sue, the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton found to date, is discovered by Sue Hendrickson in South…

1985

Japan Air Lines Flight 123, a Boeing 747, crashes into Osutaka ridge in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, killing 520, becoming…

Japan Air Lines Flight 123 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Tokyo to Osaka, Japan. On the evening of Monday, August 12, 1985, the Boeing 747 flying the route suffere…

Japan Air Lines Flight 123, a Boeing 747, crashes into Osutaka ridge in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, killing 520, becoming…

1984

An infamous brawl takes place at the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.

On August 12, 1984, during an afternoon game at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, a series of brawls broke out between the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves over a series of at…

An infamous brawl takes place at the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium between the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres.

1981 45 years ago

The IBM Personal Computer is released.

The IBM Personal Computer, often referred to as the IBM PC, is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard.…

The IBM Personal Computer is released.

1977

The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

The Approach and Landing Tests were a series of sixteen taxi and flight trials of the prototype Space Shuttle Enterprise that took place between February and October 1977 to test …

The first free flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise.

1977

The Sri Lanka Riots: Targeting the minority Sri Lankan Tamils, begin, less than a month after the United National…

The 1977 anti-Tamil pogrom in Sri Lanka followed the 1977 general elections in Sri Lanka where the Sri Lankan Tamil nationalistic Tamil United Liberation Front won a plurality of …

The Sri Lanka Riots: Targeting the minority Sri Lankan Tamils, begin, less than a month after the United National…

1976 50 years ago

Between 1,000 and 3,500 Palestinians are killed in the Tel al-Zaatar massacre, one of the bloodiest events of the…

Palestinians are an Arab national group native to the region of Palestine, descended from those who have inhabited the area over the millennia. They represent a highly homogenized…

Between 1,000 and 3,500 Palestinians are killed in the Tel al-Zaatar massacre, one of the bloodiest events of the…

1969

Violence erupts after the Apprentice Boys of Derry march in Derry, Northern Ireland, resulting in a three-day communal…

The Apprentice Boys of Derry are a Protestant fraternal society founded in 1814 and based in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland. Outside Northern Ireland, there are branches in S…

Violence erupts after the Apprentice Boys of Derry march in Derry, Northern Ireland, resulting in a three-day communal…

1964

South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games due to the country's racist policies.

South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. Its nine provinces are bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres of coastline th…

South Africa is banned from the Olympic Games due to the country's racist policies.

1960

Echo 1A, NASA's first successful communications satellite, is launched.

Project Echo was the first passive communications satellite experiment. Each of the two American spacecraft, launched in 1960 and 1964, were metalized balloon satellites acting as…

Echo 1A, NASA's first successful communications satellite, is launched.

1953

Thermonuclear bomb testing: The Soviet atomic bomb project continues with the detonation of "RDS-6s" (Joe 4) using a…

Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of their explosion. Over 2,000 nuclear weapons tests have been ca…

Thermonuclear bomb testing: The Soviet atomic bomb project continues with the detonation of "RDS-6s" (Joe 4) using a…

1953

The 7.2 Ms Ionian earthquake shakes the southern Ionian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme).…

The 1953 Ionian earthquake struck the southern Ionian Islands in Greece on August 12. In mid-August, there were over 113 recorded earthquakes in the region between Kefalonia and Z…

The 7.2 Ms Ionian earthquake shakes the southern Ionian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme).…