12 History Lessons + 6 Births & 5 Deaths for April 12, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1606 – The Union Flag (precursor to the modern Union Jack) is adopted as the flag of England and Scotland.
- 1861 – The American Civil War begins as Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
- 1912 – RMS Titanic departs Queenstown, Ireland (now Cobh), on its final leg toward New York.
- 1934 – The strongest surface wind gust ever recorded (231 mph) occurs at Mount Washington, New Hampshire.
- 1945 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies; Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes president.
- 1955 – The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
- 1961 – Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space aboard Soviet spacecraft Vostok 1.
- 1981 – The first launch of NASA’s space shuttle Columbia begins the shuttle era.
- 1992 – Euro Disney (now Disneyland Paris) opens in Marne-la-Vallée, France.
- 2002 – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is returned to power after a failed coup.
- 2015 – Hillary Clinton announces her candidacy for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
- 2019 – Scientists reveal the first-ever image of a black hole, located in galaxy M87.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1940 – Herbie Hancock, jazz pianist and composer (Watermelon Man, Chameleon) (85)
- 1950 – David Letterman, comedian and longtime late-night talk show host (75)
- 1979 – Claire Danes, Emmy-winning actress (Homeland, Romeo + Juliet) (46)
- 1980 – Brian McFadden, Irish singer and former member of Westlife (45)
- 1984 – Brooklyn Decker, model and actress (Just Go with It) (41)
- 1987 – Brendon Urie, lead singer of Panic! at the Disco (38)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1945 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (63)
- 1962 – Clara Blandick, actress best known as Aunt Em in The Wizard of Oz (81)
- 1989 – Sugar Ray Robinson, legendary American boxer (67)
- 2009 – Marilyn French, feminist author (The Women’s Room) (79)
- 2015 – Eduardo Galeano, Uruguayan writer and journalist (Open Veins of Latin America) (74)
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