File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in

Seaside Heights, New Jersey Seaside Heights is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 2,887,Hurricane Sandy; People gather at a Mayan temple to commemorate the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21, when it was predicted a

doomsday event A global catastrophic risk or a doomsday scenario is a hypothetical future event that could damage human well-being on a global scale, even endangering or destroying modern civilization. An event that could cause human extinction or permanen ...

would occur; NASA's Curiosity Rover lands on the surface of Mars; The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting caused shock and outrage across the United States and the world;

K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...

artist Psy performs his hit single

Gangnam Style "Gangnam Style" ( ko, 강남스타일, ) is a K-pop song by South Korean rapper Psy, released on July 15, 2012, by YG Entertainment as the lead single of his sixth studio album, ''Psy 6 (Six Rules), Part 1'' (''Ssai Yukgap Part 1''). The term ...

, which became a cultural phenomenon in 2012; the elementary particle, the

Higgs boson The Higgs boson, sometimes called the Higgs particle, is an elementary particle in the Standard Model of particle physics produced by the quantum excitation of the Higgs field, one of the fields in particle physics theory. In the Stand ...

, dubbed "The God Particle", is discovered by

CERN The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN (; ; ), is an intergovernmental organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in a northwestern suburb of Gene ...

and revolutionizes

quantum physics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, qua ...

; The

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

open in London., 300x300px, thumb rect 0 0 200 200 Costa Concordia disaster rect 200 0 400 200 Hurricane Sandy rect 400 0 600 200

2012 phenomenon The 2012 phenomenon was a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events would occur on or around 21 December 2012. This date was regarded as the end-date of a 5,126-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count cale ...

rect 0 200 300 400

rect 300 200 600 400 Curiosity Rover rect 0 400 200 600

rect 200 400 400 600

rect 400 400 600 600 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting 2012 was designated as: * International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All

Events

January

January 4 Events Pre-1600 *46 BC – Julius Caesar fights Titus Labienus in the Battle of Ruspina. * 871 – Battle of Reading: Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred are defeated by a Danish invasion army. 1601–1900 *1649 – Engli ...

– The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins * January 12 – Violent protests occur in Bucharest, Romania, as two-day-old demonstrations continue against President Traian Băsescu's economic

austerity Austerity is a set of political-economic policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, tax increases, or a combination of both. There are three primary types of austerity measures: higher taxes to fund spend ...

measures. Clashes are reported in numerous Romanian cities between protesters and law enforcement officers. *

January 13 Events Pre-1600 * 27 BC – Octavian transfers the state to the free disposal of the Roman Senate and the people. He receives Spain, Gaul, and Syria as his province for ten years. * 532 – The Nika riots break out, during the racing ...

– The passenger cruise ship '' Costa Concordia'' runs aground off the coast of Italy, causing 32 deaths. * January 23 – Iran–European Union relations: the European Union adopts an embargo against Iran in protest of its continued effort to enrich uranium.

February

February 1 Events Pre-1600 * 1327 – The teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer. * 1411 – The First Peace of Thorn is signed in Thorn (Toruń), Mon ...

– Egypt's deadliest football incident known as the

Port Said Stadium riot On 1 February 2012, a massive riot occurred at Port Said Stadium in Port Said, Egypt, following an Egyptian Premier League football match between Masry and Ahly. Seventy-four people were killed and more than 500 were injured after thousands o ...

is sparked after local Port Said Al Masry fans attack supporters of Cairo-based team

Al Ahly SC AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

. The massacre results in 74 deaths: 72 Al Ahly fans, 1 Al Masry fan and 1 police officer. Most of the deaths are caused by stabbing, fans thrown off the stands and a stampede. *

February 19 Events Pre-1600 * 197 – Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum, the bloodiest battle between Roman armies. * 356 – The anti-paganism policy of Constantius II forbids the worship of pagan ...

– Iran suspends oil exports to Britain and France, following sanctions put in place by the European Union and the United States in January. * February 21 – Greek government-debt crisis: Eurozone finance ministers reach an agreement on a second, €130-billion Greek bailout. *

February 27 Events Pre-1600 * 380 – Edict of Thessalonica: Emperor Theodosius I and his co-emperors Gratian and Valentinian II declare their wish that all Roman citizens convert to Nicene Christianity. * 425 – The University of Constantinople ...

– Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh formally transfers power to Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, after a year of mass protests, ending his 33-year-long reign.

March

* March 4 – A series of explosions is reported at a munitions dump in

Brazzaville Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...

, the capital of the

Republic of the Congo The Republic of the Congo (french: République du Congo, ln, Republíki ya Kongó), also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply either Congo or the Congo, is a country located in the western coast of Central Africa to the w ...

, with at least 250 people dead. *

March 5 Events Pre-1600 * 363 – Roman emperor Julian leaves Antioch with an army of 90,000 to attack the Sasanian Empire, in a campaign which would bring about his own death. * 1046 – Nasir Khusraw begins the seven-year Middle Eastern ...

– Air date of '' KONY 2012'' (

viral Viral means "relating to viruses" (small infectious agents). Viral may also refer to: Viral behavior, or virality Memetic behavior likened that of a virus, for example: * Viral marketing, the use of existing social networks to spread a marke ...

documentary film) on YouTube *

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 Cat ...

– A coach carrying school pupils and teachers crashes while travelling through Sierre Tunnel on the A9 motorway in western Switzerland. Of the 52 people on board, 28 are killed, among them 22 children. * March 13 – After 246 years since its first publication, the '' Encyclopædia Britannica'' discontinues its print edition. * March 15 – Communist party chief of

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

Bo Xilai, well known for his neo-Maoist leanings and policies, is removed from his post after a large scandal involving the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood and an incident involving the Chongqing police chief Wang Lijun. * March 22 – The President of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré, is ousted in a coup d'état after mutinous soldiers attack government offices. * March 22 – Pakistan wins the

2012 Asia Cup The 2012 Asia Cup (also called Micromax Asia Cup) was an international cricket tournament held in Bangladesh from 11 to 22 March 2012. Like the previous event, the tournament featured the four Test-playing nations from Asia: Bangladesh, India, P ...

cricket tournament.

April

* April 6 – The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad unilaterally declares the independence of Azawad from Mali. * April 11 – An 8.6 earthquake strikes Indonesia triggering a small tsunami that hits the coast of

Aceh Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...

. * April 12 – Mutinous soldiers in Guinea-Bissau stage a coup d'état and take control of the capital city,

Bissau Bissau () is the capital, and largest city of Guinea-Bissau. Bissau had a population of 492,004. Bissau is located on the Geba River estuary, off the Atlantic Ocean, and is Guinea-Bissau's largest city, major port, and its administrative and m ...

. They arrest interim President Raimundo Pereira and leading presidential candidate Carlos Gomes Júnior in the midst of a presidential election campaign. *

April 13 Events Pre-1600 *1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. * 1204 – Constantinople falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire. 1601–1900 *1612 – In one of the epic samurai ...

– Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3, a North Korean

Earth observation satellite An Earth observation satellite or Earth remote sensing satellite is a satellite used or designed for Earth observation (EO) from orbit, including spy satellites and similar ones intended for non-military uses such as environmental monitoring, me ...

, explodes shortly after launch. The United States and other countries had called the impending launch a violation of United Nations Security Council demands. The launch was planned to mark the centenary of the birth of Kim Il-sung, the founder of the republic. * April 20 – Bhoja Air Flight 213 crashes near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, killing all 127 people on board. * April 25 – Former

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

n President Charles Taylor is found guilty on 11 counts of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Sierra Leone Civil War.

May

* May 2 – A

pastel A pastel () is an art medium in a variety of forms including a stick, a square a pebble or a pan of color; though other forms are possible; they consist of powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are similar to those use ...

version of '' The Scream'', by the Norwegian painter

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...

, sells for US$120 million in a New York City auction, setting a new world record for an auctioned work of art. * May 6 –

Legislative elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ...

are held in Greece to elect all 300 members of the

Hellenic Parliament The Hellenic Parliament ( el, Ελληνικό Κοινοβούλιο, Elliniko Kinovoulio; formally titled el, Βουλή των Ελλήνων, Voulí ton Ellínon, Boule (ancient Greece), Boule of the Greeks, Hellenes, label=none), also kno ...

and the New Democracy party led by Antonis Samaras, comes out as the largest party winning 108 out of 300 seats. * May 7 – Vladimir Putin is elected President of Russia. * May 12– August 12 – The 2012 World Expo takes place in Yeosu, South Korea.2012 World Expo (English)
Retrieved January 23, 2012. * May 19 – Chelsea wins the 2011-12 UEFA Champions League held in Munich, Germany by beating the home side

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

in the final. * May 20 – An annular solar eclipse visible from Asia and North America is the 58th solar eclipse from 73 solar eclipses of Solar Saros 128. * May 22 – Tokyo Skytree, the tallest self-supporting tower in the world at 634 metres high, is opened to the public. * May 22– 26 – The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 takes place in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

, Azerbaijan, and is won by

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

entrant Loreen with the song "

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

June

June 5 Events Pre-1600 *1257 – Kraków, in Poland, receives city rights. *1283 – Battle of the Gulf of Naples: Roger of Lauria, admiral to King Peter III of Aragon, destroys the Neapolitan fleet and captures Charles II of Naples, Charles ...

– 6 – The century's second and last solar transit of Venus occurs. The next pair are predicted to occur in 2117 and 2125. *

June 6 Events Pre-1600 * 913 – Constantine VII, the eight-year-old illegitimate son of Leo VI the Wise, becomes nominal ruler of the Byzantine Empire under the regency of a seven-man council headed by Patriarch Nicholas Mystikos, appointed b ...

–

2012 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus outbreak Since 2012, an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus has affected several countries, primarily in its namesake, the Middle East. The virus, which causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), is a novel coronavirus that was ...

first identified. * June 7 – Morley and Dianella in Perth, Western Australia, have a once in a decade tornado. * June 8–

July 1 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Tiberius Julius Alexander orders his Roman legions in Alexandria to swear allegiance to Vespasian as Emperor. * 552 – Battle of Taginae: Byzantine forces under Narses defeat the Ostrogoths in Italy, and the ...

– Poland and Ukraine jointly host the UEFA Euro 2012 football tournament, which is won by Spain. * June 17 – Snap legislative elections are held in Greece, following failure to form a government, to elect all 300 members of the

and the New Democracy party, led by Antonis Samaras, comes out as the largest party winning 129 out of 300 seats. * June 18 – '' Shenzhou 9'', a Chinese spacecraft carrying three Chinese astronauts, including the first-ever female, docks manually with orbiting module Tiangong-1, making this the third country, after the United States and Russia, successfully to perform the mission. *

June 21 Events Pre-1600 * 533 – A Byzantine expeditionary fleet under Belisarius sails from Constantinople to attack the Vandals in Africa, via Greece and Sicily (approximate date). * 1307 – Külüg Khan is enthroned as Khagan of the Mo ...

– The Congress of Paraguay approves the impeachment of president Fernando Lugo. * June 22 – Fernando Lugo is removed from power. Vice President

Federico Franco Luis Federico Franco Gómez (born 24 July 1962) is a Paraguayan politician who was President of Paraguay from June 2012 until August 2013. A member of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), he was elected as Vice President of Paraguay in th ...

becomes the new president of Paraguay. * June 24 – Lonesome George, the last known individual of the Pinta Island tortoise subspecies, dies in Galápagos National Park, thus making the subspecies

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

. * June 30 – Mohamed Morsi, a member of the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...

, is elected 5th President of Egypt, the first elected democratically by the Egyptian people, sparking mixed reactions and protests throughout the country.

July

* July 4 –

announces the discovery of a new particle with properties consistent with the

after experiments at the

Large Hadron Collider The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008 in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and hundred ...

. * July 20 –

2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, United States, during a midnight screening of the film ''The Dark Knight Rises''. Dressed in tactical clothing, James Holmes set off tear gas g ...

: 12 people are killed and 58 are injured in a mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The shooter, James Holmes, opens fire on a crowd during a screening of '' The Dark Knight Rises''. * July 21 – Turkish adventurer Erden Eruç becomes the first person in history to complete a solo human-powered circumnavigation of the Earth. * July 23 – The Solar storm of 2012 is an unusually large coronal mass ejection emitted by the Sun which barely misses the Earth by nine days. If it had hit, it would have caused up to US$2.6 trillion in damages to electrical equipment worldwide. * July 27– August 12 – The

are held in London, England, United Kingdom. * July 30– 31 – In the worst power outage in world history, the 2012 India blackouts leave 620 million people without power.

August

August 6 Events Pre-1600 *1284 – The Republic of Pisa is defeated in the Battle of Meloria by the Republic of Genoa, thus losing its naval dominance in the Mediterranean. * 1538 – Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada ...

– '' Curiosity'', the Mars Science Laboratory mission's rover, successfully lands on Mars. * August 24 – The House of Representatives of Japan passes a resolution criticizing the President of South Korea

Lee Myung-bak Lee Myung-bak (; ; ; born 19 December 1941) is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the 10th president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and the ma ...

's visit to the disputed Liancourt Rocks. * August 31 – Armenia severs diplomatic relations with Hungary, following the extradition to Azerbaijan and subsequent pardoning of

Ramil Safarov Ramil Sahib oghlu Safarov ( az, Ramil Sahib oğlu Səfərov, , born August 25, 1977) is an officer of the Azerbaijani Army who was convicted of the 2004 murder of Armenian Army Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan. During a NATO-sponsored training semi ...

, who was convicted of killing an Armenian soldier in Hungary in 2004. The move is also met with fierce criticism from other countries.

September

* September 7 – Canada officially cuts diplomatic ties with Iran by closing its embassy in Tehran, and orders the expulsion of Iranian diplomats from

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, over support for

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, nuclear plans and human rights abuses. * September 11– 27 – A series of terrorist attacks are directed against United States diplomatic missions worldwide, as well as diplomatic missions of Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In the US, opinions are divided over whether the attacks are a reaction to a YouTube trailer for the film '' Innocence of Muslims''. In Libya, among the dead is US ambassador

J. Christopher Stevens John Christopher Stevens (April 18, 1960 – September 11, 2012) was an American career diplomat and lawyer who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya from May 22, 2012, to September 11, 2012. Stevens was killed when the U.S. Special Missio ...

. * September 22 – The United Kingdom informs the World Health Organization about a novel coronavirus case originating from Saudi Arabia.

October

* October 14 – Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner becomes the first person to break the sound barrier without any machine assistance, during a record space dive out of the '' Red Bull Stratos'' helium-filled balloon from 128,000 ft () over

Roswell, New Mexico Roswell () is a city in, and the County seat, seat of, Chaves County, New Mexico, Chaves County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Chaves County forms the entirety of the List of micropolitan areas in New Mexico, Roswell micropolitan area. As of ...

in the United States. * October 16 – Seven paintings worth $25 million are stolen from the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. * October 22 – November 2 – Hurricane Sandy, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record (as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spanning 900 miles (1,400 km)), wreaks havoc, resulting in 233 total deaths and $68.7 billion (2012 USD) damage. * October 28 – Jorge Lorenzo becomes the World Champion of the

2012 Grand Prix motorcycle racing season The 2012 MotoGP World Championship season was the 64th F.I.M. Road Racing World Championship season. Casey Stoner started the season as the defending World Champion, while Honda was the defending Manufacturers' Champion. In the premier MotoGP ...

November

* November 6 –

2012 United States presidential election The 2012 United States presidential election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were re-el ...

: Barack Obama is reelected President of the United States, defeating his Republican challenger

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

. * November 13 – A total solar eclipse occurs in parts of Australia and the South Pacific. It is the 45th of 72 solar eclipses of Solar Saros 133. * November 14– 21 – Israel launches Operation Pillar of Defense against the Palestinian-governed

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

, killing Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari. In the following week 140 Palestinians and five Israelis are killed in an ensuing cycle of violence. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is announced by

Egyptian Foreign Minister This is a list of ministers heading the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. *1933 : Nakhla George al-Motyei Pasha *1933 : Salib Sami Bey (1st time) *1933 - 1934 : Abdel Fattah Yahya Ibrahim Pasha (2nd time) *1934 - 1935 : Kame ...

Mohamed Kamel Amr and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after the week-long escalation in hostilities in Southern Israel and the Gaza Strip. * November 25– December 9 – Typhoon Bopha, known as "Pablo" in the Philippines, kills at least 1,067 with around 838 people missing. The typhoon causes considerable damage in the island of Mindanao. *

November 29 Events Pre-1600 * 561 – Following the death of King Chlothar I at Compiègne, his four sons, Charibert I, Guntram, Sigebert I and Chilperic I, divide the Frankish Kingdom. * 618 – The Tang dynasty scores a decisive victory over t ...

– The UN General Assembly approves a motion granting

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

non-member observer state status.

December

* December 6 – The U.S. state of Washington becomes the first jurisdiction in the modern world officially to legalize the possession of cannabis for personal use. * December 8 – The UN Climate Change Conference in Qatar agrees to extend the

Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the scientific consensus that (part ...

until 2020. * December 12 – North Korea successfully launches satellite Kwangmyongsong-3 Unit 2. * December 12 is the last time in the 21st century that the month, day and final two digits of the year are the exact same (12/12/12). The next time this will happen will be on New Year’s Day in 2101 (01/01/01). * December 14 – Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting: Twenty-eight people, including the gunman, are killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. * December 17 – Spanish bank Grupo Santander announces the acquisition of the remaining 10% of

Banesto Banco Español de Crédito, S.A. (), “Spanish Credit Bank”) better known as Banesto, was a Spanish multinational financial services company. Prior to the Spanish Government's historical intervention in 1993, the very first in the history of ...

it did not yet own, effectively absorbing it into Banco Santander. * December 18 – At least 55 people drown after an overcrowded boat capsizes off the coast of Somalia. * December 21 – Final year of the world as claimed by the Mayan calendar, ending on 12-21-12, stating that 2013 will not happen according to

Births

January 7 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – The Senate of Rome says that Caesar will be declared a public enemy unless he disbands his army. This prompts the tribunes who support him to flee to Ravenna, where Caesar is waiting. * 1325 – Alfonso IV ...

– Blue Ivy Carter, American singer * January 24 – Princess Athena of Denmark *

February 23 Events Pre-1600 * 303 – Roman emperor Diocletian orders the destruction of the Christian church in Nicomedia, beginning eight years of Diocletianic Persecution. * 532 – Byzantine emperor Justinian I lays the foundation stone of a ...

– Princess Estelle, Duchess of Östergötland

Deaths

January

* January 1 ** Bob Anderson, English fencer (b.

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

) **

Kiro Gligorov Kiro Gligorov ( mk, Киро Глигоров, ; 3 May 1917 – 1 January 2012) was a Macedonian politician who served as the first President of the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia) from 1991 to 1999. Early life He was born in Štip, ...

, 1st President of the Republic of Macedonia (b.

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

) *

January 3 Events Pre-1600 *AD 69, 69 – The Roman legions on the Rhine refuse to declare their allegiance to Galba, instead proclaiming their legate, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. * 250 – Emperor Decius orders everyone in the Roman Empire (ex ...

– Josef Škvorecký, Czech writer (b.

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

) *

January 9 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Twelfth Council of Toledo: King Erwig of the Visigoths initiates a council in which he implements diverse measures against the Jews in Spain. *1127 – Jin–Song Wars: Invading Jurchen soldiers from the J ...

– Malam Bacai Sanhá, 4th President of Guinea-Bissau (b.

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

) *

January 10 Events Pre-1600 *49 BC – Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signalling the start of civil war. * 9 – The Western Han dynasty ends when Wang Mang claims that the divine Mandate of Heaven called for the end of the dynasty and the be ...

– Gevork Vartanian, Soviet intelligence officer (b.

) *

** Rauf Denktaş, 1st President of Northern Cyprus (b.

) **

Miljan Miljanić Miljan Miljanić ( sr-Cyrl, Миљан Миљанић; 4 May 1930 – 13 January 2012) was a Yugoslav and Serbian football player, coach and administrator, who played as a defender. Born in Bitola, Vardar Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, to a ...

, Yugoslavian-born footballer (b.

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

) *

January 15 Events Pre-1600 * 69 – Otho seizes power in Rome, proclaiming himself Emperor of Rome, beginning a reign of only three months. * 1541 – King Francis I of France gives Jean-François Roberval a commission to settle the province of ...

– Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish politician (b.

) * January 19 – Sarah Burke, Canadian Freestyle skier (b.

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

) *

January 20 Events Pre-1600 * 250 – Pope Fabian is martyred during the Decian persecution. * 649 – King Chindasuinth, at the urging of bishop Braulio of Zaragoza, crowns his son Recceswinth as co-ruler of the Visigothic Kingdom. * 1156 &ndas ...

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer who performed in various genres, including gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and roll, and soul. Starting her career in 1954, sh ...

, American singer (b.

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

) ** Jiří Raška, Czech ski jumper (b.

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

) *

January 22 Events Pre-1600 * 613 – Eight-month-old Constantine is crowned as co-emperor (''Caesar'') by his father Heraclius at Constantinople. * 871 – Battle of Basing: The West Saxons led by King Æthelred I are defeated by the Danelaw Vi ...

– Joe Paterno, American football player and coach (b.

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

) * January 24 ** Theo Angelopoulos, Greek filmmaker (b.

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

) ** James Farentino, American actor (b.

) * January 29 ** François Migault, French racing driver (b.

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

) ** Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, 9th President of Italy (b.

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

)

February

Whitney Houston Welcome Home Heroes 1 cropped

** Don Cornelius, American television show host and producer (b.

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

) ** Angelo Dundee, American boxing trainer and cornerman (b.

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

) ** Wisława Szymborska, Polish Nobel poet (b.

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

) *

February 3 Events Pre-1600 * 1112 – Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona, and Douce I, Countess of Provence, marry, uniting the fortunes of those two states. *1451 – Sultan Mehmed II inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire. *1488 – ...

** John Christopher, English writer (b.

) ** Ben Gazzara, American actor (b.

) *

February 4 Events Pre–1600 * 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrellin ...

– Florence Green, English supercentenarian (b.

1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...

) *

February 6 Events Pre-1600 * 1579 – The Archdiocese of Manila is made a diocese by a papal bull with Domingo de Salazar being its first bishop. 1601–1900 * 1685 – James II of England and VII of Scotland is proclaimed King upon the death of ...

** Peter Breck, American actor (b.

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

) **

Antoni Tàpies Antoni Tàpies i Puig, 1st Marquess of Tápies (; 13 December 1923 – 6 February 2012) was a Catalan People, Catalan painter, sculptor and art theorist, who became one of the most famous European artists of his generation. Life The son of Jo ...

, Spanish artist (b.

) ** Janice E. Voss, American engineer and astronaut (b.

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

) *

February 11 Events Pre-1600 *660 BC – Traditional date for the foundation of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. * 55 – The death under mysterious circumstances of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman empire, on the eve of his coming ...

– Whitney Houston, American singer and actress (b.

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

) * February 12 – David Kelly, Irish actor (b.

) *

February 15 Events Pre-1600 * 438 – Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus * 590 – Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia. * 706 – Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberi ...

– Lina Romay, Spanish actress (b.

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

) * February 18 – George Brizan, 8th Prime Minister of Grenada (b.

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

) *

–

Renato Dulbecco Renato Dulbecco ( , ; February 22, 1914 – February 19, 2012) was an Italian–American virologist who won the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on oncoviruses, which are viruses that can cause cancer when they infect anima ...

, Italian-born American Nobel virologist (b.

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

) *

February 25 Events Pre-1600 * 138 – Roman emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius as his son, effectively making him his successor. * 628 – Khosrow II, the last great Shah of the Sasanian Empire (Iran), is overthrown by his son Kavadh II. ...

– Maurice André, French trumpeter (b.

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

) * February 29 – Davy Jones, English singer and actor (b.

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

)

March

* March 1 ** Andrew Breitbart, American writer and publisher (b.

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

) **

Lucio Dalla Lucio Dalla (; 4 March 1943 – 1 March 2012) was an Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards. Dalla was the composer of " Caruso" (1986), a song dedicated to Italian opera tenor Enrico Caruso, and ...

, Italian singer-songwriter (b.

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

) * March 3 ** Ralph McQuarrie, American conceptual designer and illustrator (b.

) ** Ronnie Montrose, American guitarist (b.

) * March 6 ** Francisco Xavier do Amaral, 1st President of East Timor (b.

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

) ** Robert B. Sherman, American songwriter (b.

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

) *

March 7 Events Pre-1600 * 161 – Marcus Aurelius and L. Commodus (who changes his name to Lucius Verus) become joint emperors of Rome on the death of Antoninus Pius. * 1138 – Konrad III von Hohenstaufen was elected king of Germany at Cob ...

– Włodzimierz Smolarek, Polish footballer (b.

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

) * March 10 ** Jean Giraud, French comics artist (b.

) ** F. Sherwood Rowland, American Nobel chemist (b.

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

) *

March 14 Events Pre-1600 * 1074 – Battle of Mogyoród: Dukes Géza and Ladislaus defeat their cousin Solomon, King of Hungary, forcing him to flee to Hungary's western borderland. * 1590 – Battle of Ivry: Henry of Navarre and the Huguen ...

– Ċensu Tabone, 4th President of Malta (b.

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...

) * March 16 – Estanislau Basora, Spanish footballer (b.

) * March 17 ** John Demjanjuk, Ukrainian-American Nazi war crimes defendant (b.

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

) ** Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria (b.

) * March 18 –

George Tupou V George Tupou V ( Tongan: Siaosi Tupou, full name: Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Manumataongo Tukuʻaho Tupou; 4 May 194818 March 2012) was the King of Tonga from the death of his father Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV in 2006 until his own death six years late ...

, King of Tonga (b.

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

) *

March 21 Events Pre-1600 * 537 – Siege of Rome: King Vitiges attempts to assault the northern and eastern city walls, but is repulsed at the Praenestine Gate, known as the ''Vivarium'', by the defenders under the Byzantine generals Bessas an ...

– Tonino Guerra, Italian screenwriter (b.

) * March 23 **

Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed ( so, Cabdulaahi Yuusuf Axmed, ar, عبدالله يوسف أحمد‎; 15 December 1934 – 23 March 2012) was a Somali politician and former colonel in the Somali National Army. He was one of the founders of the Somali ...

, 6th President of Somalia (b.

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

) ** Chico Anysio, Brazilian actor, comedian, writer, and composer (b.

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

) ** Naji Talib, 52nd Prime Minister of Iraq (b.

) *

March 25 Events Pre-1600 * 421 – Italian city Venice is founded with the dedication of the first church, that of San Giacomo di Rialto on the islet of Rialto. * 708 – Pope Constantine becomes the 88th pope. He would be the last pope to vi ...

** Antonio Tabucchi, Italian writer (b.

) ** Edd Gould, British animator and creator of Eddsworld (b.

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

) * March 27 ** Adrienne Rich, American writer and feminist (b.

) ** Warren Stevens, American actor (b.

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

) * March 28 ** Alexander Arutiunian, Armenian composer (b.

) **

Earl Scruggs Earl Eugene Scruggs (January 6, 1924 – March 28, 2012) was an American musician noted for popularizing a three-finger banjo picking style, now called "Scruggs style", which is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music. His three-fin ...

, American bluegrass musician (b.

)

April

* April 1 ** Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian footballer (b.

) **

Miguel de la Madrid Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (; 12 December 1934 – 1 April 2012) was a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 59th president of Mexico from 1982 to 1988. Inheriting a severe economic an ...

, 52nd President of Mexico (b.

) * April 2 – Elizabeth Catlett, American/Mexican artist (b.

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 ...

) *

April 5 Events Pre-1600 * 823 – Lothair I is crowned King of Italy by Pope Paschal I. * 919 – The second Fatimid invasion of Egypt begins, when the Fatimid heir-apparent, al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, sets out from Raqqada at the head of his a ...

– Bingu wa Mutharika, 3rd President of Malawi (b.

) * April 7 – Mike Wallace, American journalist (b.

) * April 9 – Takeshi Aono, Japanese voice actor (b.

) * April 11 – Ahmed Ben Bella, 1st President of Algeria (b.

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

) * April 14 – Jonathan Frid, Canadian actor (b.

) * April 15 – Murray Rose, Australian swimmer (b.

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

) * April 16 – Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller, Danish shipping magnate (b.

) * April 18 – Dick Clark, American television host and producer (b.

) * April 19 –

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...

, American musician (b.

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

) * April 20 – Valeri Vasiliev, Russian ice hockey player (b.

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

) *

April 21 Events Pre-1600 *753 BC – Romulus founds Rome ( traditional date). * 43 BC – Battle of Mutina: Mark Antony is again defeated in battle by Aulus Hirtius, who is killed. Antony fails to capture Mutina and Decimus Brutus is murdered ...

– Charles Colson, American evangelist (b.

) * April 28 – Ervin Zádor, Hungarian water polo player (b.

) * April 29 ** Shukri Ghanem, Prime Minister of Libya (2003–2006) (b.

) ** Joel Goldsmith, American composer (b.

) * April 30 – Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (b.

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

)

May

Nobel Peace Price Concert 2009 Donna Summer1 cropped

* May 2 – Junior Seau, American football player (b.

) * May 3 –

Jorge Illueca Jorge Enrique Illueca Sibauste (September 17, 1918 – May 3, 2012) was a Panamanian politician and diplomat who served as President of Panama in 1984. Illueca was born in Panama City, Panama. He attended the University of Panama, Harvard Unive ...

, 25th President of Panama (b.

) * May 4 ** Adam Yauch, American rapper and musician (b.

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

) **

Rashidi Yekini Rashidi Yekini (23 October 1963 – 4 May 2012) was a Nigerian professional footballer who played as a forward. He is all-time top goalscorer for his nation. His professional career, which spanned more than two decades, was mainly associated wit ...

, Nigerian footballer (b.

) * May 5 –

Carl Johan Bernadotte Carl Johan Arthur, Prince Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg, (31 October 1916 – 5 May 2012) was the fourth son and fifth and youngest child of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden and his first wife Princess Margaret of Connaught. He was born a Prince ...

, Swedish prince (b.

) * May 6 – George Lindsey, American actor (b.

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

) *

May 8 Events Pre-1600 * 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin. * 413 – Emperor Honorius signs a ...

–

Maurice Sendak Maurice Bernard Sendak (; June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012) was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He became most widely known for his book ''Where the Wild Things Are'', first published in 1963.Turan, Kenneth (October 16, 200 ...

, American author (b.

) * May 9 ** Geoffrey Henry, 2-Time Prime Minister of Cook Islands (b.

) ** Vidal Sassoon, British hairdresser (b.

) *

May 10 Events Pre-1600 * 28 BC – A sunspot is observed by Han dynasty astronomers during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, one of the earliest dated sunspot observations in China. *1291 – Scottish nobles recognize the authority of Edw ...

– Carroll Shelby, American automotive designer, racing driver, and entrepreneur (b.

) * May 14 – Taruni Sachdev, Indian actress (b.

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

) * May 15 ** Carlos Fuentes, Panamanian-born Mexican writer (b.

) ** Zakaria Mohieddin, Egyptian general and politician (b.

) * May 17 –

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

, American singer (b.

) * May 18 – Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, German lyric baritone and conductor (b.

) * May 19 – Bob Boozer, American basketball player (b.

) * May 20 –

Robin Gibb Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter. He gained worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group with elder brother Barry and fraternal twin brother Maurice. Robin Gibb also had his o ...

, British-Australian musician (b.

) * May 25 – Edoardo Mangiarotti, Italian fencer (b.

) *

May 27 Events Pre-1600 * 1096 – Count Emicho enters Mainz, where his followers massacre Jewish citizens. At least 600 Jews are killed. * 1120 – Richard III of Capua is anointed as Prince two weeks before his untimely death. * 1153 &ndash ...

– Friedrich Hirzebruch, German mathematician (b.

) * May 29 ** Kaneto Shindo, Japanese film director (b.

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

) ** Doc Watson, American guitarist and songwriter (b.

) *

May 30 Events Pre-1600 * 70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometres ...

– Andrew Huxley, British Nobel physiologist (b.

)

June

* June 2 ** Richard Dawson, British-American actor, comedian, game show host and panelist (b.

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

) ** Kathryn Joosten, American actress (b.

) ** Oliver, American chimpanzee performer, promoted as a "humanzee" (b. c.

) * June 3 – Roy Salvadori, British racing driver (b.

) * June 4 – Eduard Khil, Soviet and Russian baritone singer (b.

) *

– Ray Bradbury, American author (b.

) *

– Manuel Preciado, Spanish footballer and coach (b.

) * June 7 –

Bob Welch Bob Welch may refer to: *Bob Welch (baseball) (1956–2014), American baseball pitcher *Bob Welch (author) (born c. 1955), American author and newspaper columnist *Bob Welch (musician) (1945–2012), American musician and member of Fleetwood Mac ** ...

, American musician (b.

) * June 8 – Frank Cady, American actor (b.

) * June 11 ** Ann Rutherford, Canadian-born American actress (b.

) ** Teófilo Stevenson, Cuban Olympic boxer (b.

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

) * June 12 – Elinor Ostrom, American Nobel economist (b.

) * June 13 – William Standish Knowles, American Nobel chemist (b.

) * June 14 – Yvette Wilson, American actress and comedian (b.

) * June 16 ** Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia (b.

) **

Susan Tyrrell Susan Tyrrell (born Susan Jillian Creamer; March 18, 1945 – June 16, 2012) was an American character actress. Tyrrell's career began in theater in New York City in the 1960s in Broadway and off Broadway productions. Her first film was ''Shoot ...

, American actress (b.

) * June 17 – Rodney King, American criminal and victim of police brutality (b.

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

) * June 19 – Richard Lynch, American actor (b.

) * June 26 – Nora Ephron, American film director and screenwriter (b.

) * June 30 – Yitzhak Shamir, 7th Prime Minister of Israel (b.

)

July

Ernest Borgnine McHale McHale's Navy 1962

– Alan G. Poindexter, American astronaut (b.

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 ...

) * July 3 ** Andy Griffith, American actor (b.

) ** Sergio Pininfarina, Italian automobile designer (b.

) **

Hollie Stevens Hollie Stevens (January 4, 1982 – July 3, 2012) was an American pornographic actress, wrestler, model, and writer. She was considered a pioneer of the porn genre known as ''clown porn'', which features actors in clown makeup. She debuted in ...

, American pornographic actress and model (b.

) *

July 8 Events Pre-1600 * 1099 – Some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city as its Muslim defenders watch. * 1283 – Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese ...

– Ernest Borgnine, American actor (b.

) *

July 9 Events Pre-1600 *118 – Hadrian, who became emperor a year previously on Trajan's death, makes his entry into Rome. * 381 – The end of the First Council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople by the Roman Emperor Theodos ...

– Terepai Maoate, 6th Prime Minister of the Cook Islands (b.

) * July 10 – Dolphy, Filipino actor and comedian (b.

) * July 12 –

Dara Singh Dara Singh Randhawa (born Deedar Singh Randhawa; 19 November 1928 – 12 July 2012) was an Indian professional wrestler, actor, director and politician. He started acting in 1952 and was the first sportsman to be nominated to the Rajya Sab ...

, Indian wrestler, actor, and politician (b.

) * July 13 **

Richard D. Zanuck Richard Darryl Zanuck (December 13, 1934 – July 13, 2012) was an American film producer. His 1989 film ''Driving Miss Daisy'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Zanuck was also instrumental in launching the career of director Steven Spielb ...

, American film producer (b.

) ** Sage Stallone, American actor, film director, producer, and distributor (b.

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

) * July 14 – Sixten Jernberg, Swedish cross-country skier (b.

) * July 15 – Celeste Holm, American actress (b.

) * July 16 **

Stephen Covey Stephen Richards Covey (October 24, 1932 – July 16, 2012) was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His most popular book is '' of Highly Effective People''. His other books include '' First Things First'', ''Pr ...

, American author (b.

) ** Jon Lord, British musician and composer (b.

) ** Kitty Wells, American country music singer (b.

) * July 18 –

Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna () (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. He is called as the "First Superstar of Hindi cinema", he consecutively starred in a record ...

, Indian actor, producer and politician (b.

) * July 19 – Omar Suleiman, Egyptian general, diplomat, and intelligence officer (b.

) * July 23 – Sally Ride, American astronaut and physicist (b.

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

) * July 24 **

Chad Everett Raymon Lee Cramton (June 11, 1937 – July 24, 2012), known professionally as Chad Everett, was an American actor who appeared in more than 40 films and television series. He played Dr. Joe Gannon in the television drama '' Medical Center'', wh ...

, American actor (b.

) ** Sherman Hemsley, American actor (b.

) ** John Atta Mills, President of Ghana (b.

) * July 26 – Lupe Ontiveros, American actress (b.

) * July 27 – Jack Taylor, English football referee (b.

) * July 29 –

Chris Marker Chris Marker (; 29 July 1921 – 29 July 2012) was a French writer, photographer, documentary film director, multimedia artist and Essay#Film, film essayist. His best known films are ''La Jetée'' (1962), ''A Grin Without a Cat'' (1977) and ''S ...

, French writer and documentary filmmaker (b.

) * July 30 – Maeve Binchy, Irish author (b.

) *

July 31 Events Pre-1600 *30 BC – Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian's forces, but most of his army subsequently deserts, leading to his suicide. * 781 – The oldest recorded eruption of Mount Fuji (Tr ...

– Gore Vidal, American author, playwright, screenwriter, and political activist (b.

)

August

August 2 Events Pre-1600 *338 BC – A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean. *216 BC – The Carthaginian arm ...

–

Mihaela Ursuleasa Mihaela Ursuleasa (27 September 1978 – 2 August 2012) was a Romanian concert pianist. In 1995, she won the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition. Biography Ursuleasa began playing the piano at the age of five under the tutelage of her ...

, Romanian classical pianist (b.

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

) * August 5 – Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-born Mexican singer (b.

) *

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " EGOT ...

, American composer and conductor (b.

) **

Bernard Lovell Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell (31 August 19136 August 2012) was an English physicist and radio astronomer. He was the first director of Jodrell Bank Observatory, from 1945 to 1980. Early life and education Lovell was born at Oldland Comm ...

, British physicist and astronomer (b.

) * August 9 – Al Freeman Jr., American actor (b.

) *

August 14 Events Pre-1600 * 74 BC – A group of officials, led by the Western Han minister Huo Guang, present articles of impeachment against the new emperor, Liu He, to the imperial regent, Empress Dowager Shangguan. The articles, enumerating t ...

** Svetozar Gligorić, Serbian chess grandmaster (b.

) ** Ron Palillo, American actor and teacher (b.

) * August 15 – Harry Harrison, American author (b.

) *

August 16 Events Pre-1600 * 1 BC – Wang Mang consolidates his power in China and is declared marshal of state. Emperor Ai of Han, who died the previous day, had no heirs. * 942 – Start of the four-day Battle of al-Mada'in, between the Hamdan ...

– William Windom, American actor (b.

) * August 18 – Scott McKenzie, American singer and songwriter (b.

) * August 19 – Tony Scott, English film director (b.

) * August 20 ** Phyllis Diller, American actress and comedian (b.

) ** Dom Mintoff, 8th Prime Minister of Malta (b.

) ** Meles Zenawi, 3rd President and 10th Prime Minister of Ethiopia (b.

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

) *

August 21 Events Pre-1600 * 959 – Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège. * 1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song Wars. *1169 – Battle o ...

– William Thurston, American mathematician (b.

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

) * August 23 – Jerry Nelson, American puppeteer (b.

) * August 24 ** Pauli Ellefsen, 6th Prime Minister of Faroe Islands (b.

) ** Félix Miélli Venerando, Brazilian footballer (b.

) * August 25 – Neil Armstrong, American astronaut (b.

) * August 31 ** Carlo Maria Martini, Cardinal Archbishop of Milan (b.

) ** Sergey Leonidovich Sokolov, Soviet military commander (b. 1911)

September

Santiago Carrillo firmando en la Feria del Libro de Madrid en 2006

* September 1 ** Hal David, American lyricist (b.

) ** Smarck Michel, 6th Prime Minister of Haiti (b.

) * September 3 ** Michael Clarke Duncan, American actor (b.

) ** Sun Myung Moon, Korean religious leader (b.

) * September 5 – Joe South, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer (b.

) * September 8 – Thomas Szasz, Hungarian-American psychiatrist (b.

) * September 11 –

, American diplomat and lawyer (b. 1960) * September 12 – Sid Watkins, British neurosurgeon (b.

) * September 14 – Stephen Dunham, American actor (b.

) * September 16 – Princess Ragnhild, Mrs. Lorentzen, Ragnhild Alexandra Lorentzen, Princess of Norway (b.

) * September 18 – Santiago Carrillo, Spanish politician (b.

) * September 23 ** Pavel Grachev, Russian military commander (b.

) ** Corrie Sanders, South African boxer (b. 1966) * September 25 – Andy Williams, American singer (b.

) * September 26 – Johnny Lewis, American film and television actor (b. 1983) * September 27 – Herbert Lom, Czech-born actor (b.

) * September 28 – Michael O'Hare, American actor (b.

) * September 30 – Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian Olympic figure skater (b.

)

October

* October 1 – Eric Hobsbawm, British Marxist historian (b.

) * October 6 – Chadli Bendjedid, 3rd President of Algeria (b.

) * October 8 – Ken Sansom, American actor (b.

) * October 10 ** Alex Karras, American football player, professional wrestler and actor (b.

) ** Amanda Todd, Canadian student (b. 1996) * October 11 – Helmut Haller, German footballer (b.

) * October 13 – Gary Collins (actor), Gary Collins, American actor and television host (b.

) * October 14 – Arlen Specter, American politician (b.

) * October 15 – King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia (b.

) * October 17 – Sylvia Kristel, Dutch actress (b.

) * October 20 – E. Donnall Thomas, American Nobel physician (b.

) * October 21 ** Yash Chopra, Indian film director and producer (b.

) ** George McGovern, American politician, historian, and author (b.

) * October 22 – Russell Means, American Sioux actor and activist (b.

) * October 24 – Margaret Osborne duPont, American tennis player (b.

) * October 27 – Hans Werner Henze, German composer (b.

)

November

* November 1 – Mitch Lucker, American singer (b. 1984) * November 2 – Milt Campbell, American decathlete (b.

) * November 5 – Elliott Carter, American composer (b. 1908) * November 8 – Lucille Bliss, American actress (b.

) * November 17 – Bal Thackeray, Indian politician (b.

) * November 23 – Larry Hagman, American actor (b.

) * November 25 ** Lars Hörmander, Swedish mathematician (b.

) ** Dave Sexton, English footballer and coach (b.

) * November 26 – Joseph Murray, American Nobel surgeon (b.

) * November 30 – I. K. Gujral, 12th Prime Minister of India (b.

)

December

* December 4 – Miguel Calero, Colombian footballer (b. 1971) * December 5 ** Dave Brubeck, American pianist (b.

) ** Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect (b. 1907) * December 6 – Miguel Abia Biteo Boricó, 5th Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea (b.

) * December 9 ** Jenni Rivera, Mexican-American singer-songwriter, producer and actress (b.

) ** Patrick Moore, British astronomer and broadcaster (b.

) * December 10 – Iajuddin Ahmed, 13th President of Bangladesh (b.

) * December 11 ** Ravi Shankar, Indian sitarist (b.

) ** Galina Vishnevskaya, Russian soprano (b.

) * December 17 – Daniel Inouye, American politician (b.

) * December 24 ** Charles Durning, American actor (b.

) ** Jack Klugman, American actor (b.

) * December 26 – Gerry Anderson, British puppeteer and TV producer (b.

) * December 27 ** Harry Carey Jr., American actor (b.

) ** Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., American general (b.

) * December 30 – Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian Nobel neurologist (b. 1909)

Nobel Prizes

* Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemistry – Robert Lefkowitz and Brian Kobilka * Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Economics – Alvin E. Roth and Lloyd Shapley * Nobel Prize in Literature, Literature – Mo Yan * Nobel Peace Prize, Peace – European Union * Nobel Prize in Physics, Physics – Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Physiology or Medicine – John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka

New English words

*deadnaming, ''deadname'' *''hot take'' *''escape room''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2012 2012, Leap years in the Gregorian calendar

Events

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Births

Deaths

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Nobel Prizes

New English words

See also

References