March 12

Events

Pre-1600

* 538 – Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city to the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius.
*1088 – Election of Urban II as the 159th Pope of the Catholic Church. He is best known for initiating the Crusades.
*1158 – German city Munich (München) is first mentioned as ''forum apud Munichen'' in the Augsburg arbitration by Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I.
*1579 – Start of the Siege of Maastricht, part of the Eighty Years' War.

1601–1900

* 1622 – Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, founders of the Society of Jesus, are canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
*1689 – James II of England landed at Kinsale, starting the Williamite War in Ireland.
*1811 – Peninsular War: A day after a successful rearguard action, French Marshal Michel Ney once again successfully delays the pursuing Anglo- Portuguese force at the Battle of Redinha.

1901–present

* 1912 – The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States.
* 1913 – The future capital of Australia is officially named Canberra.
*1918 – Moscow becomes the capital of Russia again after Saint Petersburg held this status for most of the period since 1713.
* 1920 – The Kapp Putsch begins when the Marinebrigade Ehrhardt is ordered to march on Berlin.
* 1928 – In California, the St. Francis Dam fails; the resulting floods kill 431 people.
*1930 – Mahatma Gandhi begins the '' Salt March'', a 200-mile march to the sea to protest the British monopoly on salt in India.
* 1933 – Great Depression: Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This is also the first of his " fireside chats".
* 1938 – ''Anschluss:'' German troops occupy and absorb Austria.
* 1940 – Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia.
* 1942 – The Battle of Java ends with the surrender of the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command to the Japanese Empire in Bandung, West Java, Dutch East Indies.
*1947 – Cold War: The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism.
* 1950 – The Llandow air disaster kills 80 people when the aircraft they are travelling in crashes near Sigingstone, Wales. At the time this was the world's deadliest air disaster.
* 1967 – Suharto takes power from Sukarno when the People's Consultative Assembly inaugurate him as Acting President of Indonesia.
*1968 – Mauritius achieves independence from the United Kingdom.
*1971 – The 1971 Turkish military memorandum is sent to the Süleyman Demirel government of Turkey and the government resigns.
* 1989 – Sir Tim Berners-Lee submits his proposal to CERN for an information management system, which subsequently develops into the World Wide Web.
* 1992 – Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
*1993 – Several bombs explode in Mumbai, India, killing about 300 people and injuring hundreds more.
* 1993 – North Korea announces that it will withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and refuses to allow inspectors access to its nuclear sites.
*1999 – Former Warsaw Pact members the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join NATO.
*2003 – Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia, is assassinated in Belgrade.
* 2003 – The World Health Organization officially release a global warning of outbreaks of Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
*2004 – The President of South Korea, Roh Moo-hyun, is impeached by its National Assembly: the first such impeachment in the nation's history.
* 2009 – Financier Bernie Madoff pleads guilty to one of the largest frauds in Wall Street's history.
* 2011 – A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant explodes and releases radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
*2014 – A gas explosion in the New York City neighborhood of East Harlem kills eight and injures 70 others.
*2019 – In the House of Commons, the revised EU Withdrawal Bill was rejected by a margin of 149 votes.
*2020 – The United States suspends travel from Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Births

Pre-1600

* 1270 – Charles, Count of Valois (d. 1325)
*1515 – Caspar Othmayr, German Lutheran pastor and composer (d. 1553)

1601–1900

* 1607 – Paul Gerhardt, German poet and composer (d. 1676)
*1613 – André Le Nôtre, French gardener and architect (d. 1700)
* 1626 – John Aubrey, English historian and philosopher (d. 1697)
* 1637 – Anne Hyde, Duchess of York and Albany (d. 1671)
*1672 – Richard Steele, Irish-Welsh journalist and politician (d. 1729)
*1685 – George Berkeley, Irish bishop and philosopher (d. 1753)
*1710 – Thomas Arne, English composer (d. 1778)
*1735 – François-Emmanuel Guignard, comte de Saint-Priest, French politician and diplomat (d. 1821)
* 1753 – Jean Denis, French politician, lawyer, jurist, journalist, and historian (d. 1827)
* 1766 – Claudius Buchanan, Scottish theologian (d. 1815)
* 1781 – Frederica of Baden, Queen consort to Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden (d. 1826)
*1784 – William Buckland, English geologist and paleontologist; Dean of Westminster (d. 1856)
*1795 – William Lyon Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian journalist and politician, 1st Mayor of Toronto (d. 1861)
* 1795 – George Tyler Wood, American military officer and politician (d. 1858)
* 1806 – Jane Pierce, American wife of Franklin Pierce, 15th First Lady of the United States (d. 1863)
* 1807 – James Abbott, Indian Army officer (d. 1896)
*1815 – Louis-Jules Trochu, French military leader and politician (d. 1896)
* 1821 – John Abbott, Canadian lawyer and politician, 3rd Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1893)
* 1821 – Medo Pucić, Croatian writer and politician (d. 1882)
* 1823 – Katsu Kaishū, Japanese statesman (d. 1899)
*1824 – Gustav Kirchhoff, Russian-German physicist and academic (d. 1887)
* 1832 – Charles Boycott, English farmer and agent (d. 1897)
* 1834 – Hilary A. Herbert, Secretary of the Navy (d. 1919)
* 1835 – Simon Newcomb, Canadian-American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1909)
* 1835 – Sigismondo Savona, Maltese educator and politician (d. 1908)
* 1837 – Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (d. 1911)
*1838 – William Henry Perkin, English chemist and academic (d. 1907)
*1843 – Gabriel Tarde, French sociologist and criminologist (d. 1904)
* 1855 – Eduard Birnbaum, Polish-born German cantor (d. 1920)
* 1857 – William V. Ranous, American actor and director (d. 1915)
*1858 – Adolph Ochs, American publisher (d. 1935)
*1859 – Ernesto Cesàro, Italian mathematician (d. 1906)
* 1860 – Eric Stenbock, Estonian poet and author (d. 1895)
*1863 – Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italian soldier, journalist, poet, and playwright (d. 1938)
* 1863 – Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian and Ukrainian mineralogist and chemist (d. 1945)
* 1864 – W. H. R. Rivers, English anthropologist, neurologist, ethnologist, and psychiatrist (d. 1922)
* 1864 – Alice Tegnér, Swedish organist, composer, and educator (d. 1943)
*1869 – George Forbes, New Zealand politician, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1947)
* 1874 – Edmund Eysler, Austrian composer (d. 1949)
*1877 – Wilhelm Frick, German lawyer and politician, German Federal Minister of the Interior (d. 1946)
* 1878 – Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (d. 1903)
* 1880 – Henry Drysdale Dakin, English-American chemist and academic (d. 1952)
*1881 – Väinö Tanner, Finnish politician of Social Democratic Party of Finland; the Prime Minister of Finland (d. 1966)
* 1882 – Carlos Blanco Galindo, Bolivian politician (d. 1943)
*1883 – Sándor Jávorka, Hungarian botanist (d. 1961)
*1888 – Walter Hermann Bucher, German-American geologist and paleontologist (d. 1965)
* 1888 – Hans Knappertsbusch, German conductor (d. 1965)
* 1890 – Evert Taube, Swedish singer-songwriter and lute player (d. 1976)
* 1896 – Jesse Fuller, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 1976)
* 1898 – Tian Han, Chinese playwright (d. 1968)
* 1898 – Luitpold Steidle, German army officer and politician (d. 1984)
*1899 – Ramón Muttis, Argentine footballer (d. 1955)
*1900 – Rinus van den Berge, Dutch athlete (d. 1972)
* 1900 – Sylvi Kekkonen, Finnish writer and wife of President of Finland Urho Kekkonen (d. 1974)
* 1900 – Gustavo Rojas Pinilla, 19th President of Colombia (d. 1975)

1901–present

* 1904 – Lyudmila Keldysh, Russian mathematician (d. 1976)
* 1905 – Takashi Shimura, Japanese actor (d. 1982)
* 1907 – Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (d. 2007)
*1908 – Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (d. 1970)
* 1908 – David Marshall, Singaporean lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Singapore (d. 1995)
* 1909 – Petras Cvirka, Lithuanian author (d. 1947)
*1910 – Masayoshi Ōhira, Japanese politician, 68th Prime Minister of Japan (d. 1980)
* 1910 – László Lékai, Archbishop of Esztergom and Cardinal (d. 1986)
* 1911 – Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, Mexican academic and politician, 49th President of Mexico (d. 1979)
* 1912 – Willie Hall, English international footballer (d. 1967)
* 1912 – Irving Layton, Romanian-Canadian poet and academic (d. 2006)
* 1913 – Yashwantrao Chavan, Indian politician, 5th Deputy Prime Minister of India (d. 1984)
* 1913 – Agathe von Trapp, Hungarian-American singer and author (d. 2010)
* 1915 – Alberto Burri, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1995)
* 1915 – Jiří Mucha, Czech journalist (d. 1991)
* 1917 – Leonard Chess, American record company executive, co-founder of Chess Records (d. 1969)
* 1917 – Millard Kaufman, American author and screenwriter (d. 2009)
* 1917 – Googie Withers, Indian-Australian actress (d. 2011)
*1918 – Pádraig Faulkner, Irish Fianna Fáil politician (d. 2012)
* 1918 – Elaine de Kooning, American painter and academic (d. 1989)
* 1921 – Gianni Agnelli, Italian businessman (d. 2001)
* 1921 – Gordon MacRae, American actor and singer (d. 1986)
* 1922 – Jack Kerouac, American author and poet (d. 1969)
* 1922 – Lane Kirkland, American sailor and union leader (d. 1999)
*1923 – Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater and cyclist (d. 2013)
* 1923 – Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (d. 2005)
* 1923 – Wally Schirra, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2007)
* 1923 – Mae Young, American wrestler (d. 2014)
* 1925 – Leo Esaki, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
* 1925 – Harry Harrison, American author and illustrator (d. 2012)
* 1926 – George Ariyoshi, American lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Hawaii
* 1926 – Arthur A. Hartman, American career diplomat (d. 2015)
* 1926 – John Clellon Holmes, American author and professor (d. 1988)
* 1926 – David Nadien, American violinist (d. 2014)
*1927 – Raúl Alfonsín, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 46th President of Argentina (d. 2009)
* 1927 – Emmett Leith, professor of electrical engineering and co-inventor of three-dimensional holography (d. 2005)
* 1927 – Sudharmono, 5th Vice President of Indonesia (d. 2006)
* 1928 – Edward Albee, American director and playwright (d. 2016)
* 1929 – Win Tin, Burmese journalist and politician, co-founded the National League for Democracy (d. 2014)
*1930 – Antony Acland, British former diplomat and Provost of Eton College (d. 2021)
*1931 – Józef Tischner, Polish priest and philosopher (d. 2000)
* 1932 – Bob Houbregs, Canadian basketball player (d. 2014)
* 1932 – Andrew Young, American pastor and politician, 14th United States Ambassador to the United Nations
* 1933 – Myrna Fahey, American actress (d. 1973)
* 1933 – Barbara Feldon, American actress
* 1934 – Francisco J. Ayala, Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher
* 1936 – Virginia Hamilton, American children's books author (d. 2002)
* 1936 – Michał Heller, Polish professor of philosophy
* 1936 – Eddie Sutton, American basketball player and coach (d. 2020)
* 1937 – Zoltán Horvath, Hungarian sabre fencer
* 1937 – Zurab Sotkilava, Georgian operatic tenor (d. 2017)
* 1938 – Vladimir Msryan, Armenian actor (d. 2010)
* 1938 – Johnny Rutherford, American race car driver and sportscaster
* 1938 – Ken Spears, American writer (d. 2020)
* 1938 – Juan Horacio Suárez, Argentine bishop
* 1938 – Ron Tutt, American drummer
* 1940 – Al Jarreau, American singer (d. 2017)
* 1941 – Josip Skoblar, former Croatian footballer
* 1942 – Jimmy Wynn, American baseball player (d. 2020)
*1943 – Ratko Mladić, Serbian general
* 1944 – Erwin Mueller, former American basketball player (d. 2018)
* 1945 – Anne Summers, Australian feminist writer, editor, publisher and public servant
* 1946 – Dean Cundey, American cinematographer and film director
* 1946 – Liza Minnelli, American actress, singer and dancer
* 1946 – Frank Welker, American voice actor and singer
*1947 – Peter Harry Carstensen, German educator and politician
* 1947 – Jan-Erik Enestam, Finland-Swedish politician
* 1947 – David Rigert, Soviet Olympic weightlifter
* 1947 – Mitt Romney, American businessman and politician, 70th Governor of Massachusetts
*1948 – Virginia Bottomley, Scottish social worker and politician, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
* 1948 – Kent Conrad, American politician
* 1948 – James Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1949 – Rob Cohen, American director, producer, and screenwriter
* 1949 – David Mellor, British politician
* 1950 – Javier Clemente, Spanish footballer and manager
* 1952 – André Comte-Sponville, French philosopher
* 1952 – Yasuhiko Okudera, former Japanese footballer
* 1952 – John Mitchell, English footballer
* 1953 – Pavel Pinigin, former Soviet wrestler and Olympic champion
* 1954 – Anish Kapoor, Indian-English sculptor
* 1956 – Ove Aunli, former Norwegian cross-country skier
* 1956 – Stanisław Bobak, Polish ski jumper (d. 2010)
* 1956 – Steve Harris, English bass player and songwriter
* 1956 – Lesley Manville, English actress
* 1956 – Dale Murphy, American baseball player
* 1956 – Pim Verbeek, Dutch football manager (d. 2019)
*1957 – Patrick Battiston, French footballer and coach
* 1957 – Marlon Jackson, American singer-songwriter and dancer
* 1957 – Andrey Lopatov, Soviet basketball player
* 1958 – Phil Anderson, English-Australian cyclist
* 1959 – Milorad Dodik, Bosnian Serb politician and president of Republika Srpska
* 1959 – Luenell, American comedian and actress
* 1959 – Michael Walter, German luger (d. 2016)
* 1960 – Jason Beghe, American actor
* 1960 – Courtney B. Vance, American actor and painter
* 1962 – Julia Campbell, American actress
* 1962 – Andreas Köpke, former German footballer
* 1962 – Chris Sanders, American illustrator and voice actor
* 1962 – Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player and minister
*1963 – John Andretti, American race car driver (d. 2020)
* 1963 – Candy Costie, American swimmer
* 1963 – Joaquim Cruz, Brazilian runner and coach
* 1963 – Reiner Gies, German boxer
* 1963 – Ian Holloway, English footballer and manager
* 1963 – Paul Way, English golfer
* 1963 – Jake Weber, English actor
* 1964 – Dieter Eckstein, retired German footballer
* 1964 – Umirzak Shukeyev, Kazakh chairman of Samruk-Kazyna
* 1965 – Steve Finley, American baseball player
* 1965 – Ivari Padar