On this day in history

January 12

27 births · 11 deaths · 5 events

Prev Capricorn Next

Anniversary highlights

Event anniversary

2010 Haiti earthquake

16 years ago

Born this day

1876

Jack London

Would be 150

Oldest record

507th

Maximilian I

death anniversary

View profile

Famous births27

1591 · 435 yrs

Jusepe de Ribera

Jusepe de Ribera (Valencian:; baptised 17 February 1591 – 3 November 1652) was a Spanish painter and printmaker. Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artists of Spanish Baroque painting.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ArtDied aged 61

View profile

Photo: Jusepe de Ribera · Public domain

1628 · 398 yrs

Charles Perrault

Charles Perrault ( perr-OH, US also pə-ROH, French:; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was a French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales, published in his 1697 book Histoires ou contes du temps passé.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureDied aged 75

View profile

Photo: Charles Le Brun · Public domain

1729 · 297 yrs

Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke (12 January 1729 – 9 July 1797) was an Anglo-Irish writer, philosopher, and politician who is widely credited as the founder of the cultural and political philosophy of conservatism.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PhilosophyDied aged 68

View profile

Photo: Joshua Reynolds · Public domain

1746 · 280 yrs

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi

Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi ( pes-tuh-LOT-see; German:; Italian:; 12 January 1746 – 17 February 1827) was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Notable PeopleDied aged 81

View profile

Photo: Francisco Javier Ramos · Public domain

1852 · 174 yrs

Joseph Joffre

Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (French:; 12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MilitaryDied aged 78

View profile

Photo: Unknown author · Public domain

1863 · 163 yrs

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PhilosophyDied aged 39

View profile

Photo: The original uploader was Dziewa at English Wikipedia . · Public domain

1876 · 150 yrs

Jack London

John Griffith London (né Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureWould be 150

View profile

Photo: published by L C Page and Company Boston 1903 · Public domain

1882 · 144 yrs

Abd el-Krim

Mohammed ben Abdelkrim El Khattabi, better known as Abd el-Krim (12 January 1882 – 6 February 1963), was a Moroccan revolutionary, religious, political and military leader and the president of the Republic of the Rif.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsWould be 144

View profile

Photo: Unknown author · Public domain

1893 · 133 yrs

Alfred Rosenberg

Alfred Ernst Rosenberg (12 January 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a Baltic German Nazi philosopher and convicted war criminal. Rosenberg was first introduced to Adolf Hitler by Dietrich Eckart, and he held several important posts in the Nazi government.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsWould be 133

View profile

Photo: United States Army Signal Corps photographer · Public domain

1893 · 133 yrs

Hermann Göring

Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; German:; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, aviator, military commander, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which controlled Germany from 1933 to 1945.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsWould be 133

View profile

Photo: Robert Röhr · Public domain

1896 · 130 yrs

Eugenio Montale

Eugenio Montale (Italian:; 12 October 1896 – 12 September 1981) was an Italian poet, prose writer, editor and translator.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureWould be 130

View profile

Photo: Kaj Hagman. · Public domain

1910 · 116 yrs100 Club

Luise Rainer

Luise Rainer ( RY-nər, German:; 12 January 1910 – 30 December 2014) was a German-born film actress.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

FilmWould be 116

View profile

Photo: Vandamm Studio · Public domain

Showing 12 of 27

Famous deaths11

1519 · 507 yrs

Maximilian I

Maximilian I (22 March 1459 – 12 January 1519) was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1508 until his death in 1519. He was never crowned by the Pope, as the journey to Rome was blocked by the Venetians.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

RoyaltyDied aged 59

View profile

Photo: Albrecht Dürer · Public domain

1665 · 361 yrs

Pierre de Fermat

Pierre de Fermat (French:; 17 August 1601 – 12 January 1665) was a French magistrate, polymath, and mathematician credited for early developments that led to infinitesimal calculus, including his technique of adequality.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceDied aged 63

View profile

Photo: Rolland Lefebvre · Public domain

1856 · 170 yrs

Ľudovít Štúr

Ľudovít Štúr (Slovak pronunciation:; 28 October 1815 – 12 January 1856), also known as Ľudovít Velislav Štúr, was a Slovak revolutionary, philosopher, politician and writer. He was a leader of the Slovak national revival in the 19th century and the codifier of standard Slovak.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureDied aged 40

View profile

Photo: Jozef Božetech Klemens · Public domain

1909 · 117 yrs

Hermann Minkowski

Hermann Minkowski (22 June 1864 – 12 January 1909) was a mathematician and professor at the University of Königsberg, ETH Zürich, and the University of Göttingen, described variously as German, Polish, Lithuanian-German, or Russian.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceDied aged 44

View profile

Photo: Hermann Minkowski · Public domain

1976 · 50 yrs

Agatha Christie

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Mallowan, Lady Mallowan (née Miller, 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), usually known by her first married name, Agatha Christie, was an English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short-story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot…

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

LiteratureWould be 136

View profile

Photo: Joop van Bilsen for Anefo · CC0

1997 · 29 yrs

Charles Brenton Huggins

Charles Brenton Huggins (September 22, 1901 – January 12, 1997) was a Canadian-American surgeon and physiologist known for his work on prostate function, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. Born in Halifax in 1901, Huggins moved to the United States for medical school.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceWould be 125

View profile

Photo: Willy Pragher · CC BY 3.0 de

2003 · 23 yrs

Leopoldo Galtieri

Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri Castelli (15 July 1926 – 12 January 2003) was an Argentine military officer who served as the de facto President of Argentina from December 1981 to June 1982.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MilitaryWould be 100

View profile

Photo: Presidencia de la Nación Argentina · CC BY-SA 2.0

2003 · 23 yrs

Maurice Gibb

Maurice Ernest Gibb (22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved global fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group, considered one of the most successful pop-rock groups of all time.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MusicWould be 76

View profile

Photo: AVRO · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl

2005 · 21 yrs

Amrish Puri

Amrish Puri (22 June 1932 – 12 January 2005) was an Indian actor, who predominantly worked in Hindi cinema. He was one of the most notable and important figures in Indian cinema and theatre.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

FilmWould be 94

View profile

Photo: Bollywood Hungama · CC BY 3.0

2020 · 6 yrs

Roger Scruton

Sir Roger Vernon Scruton (27 February 1944 – 12 January 2020) was an English philosopher, writer, and social critic who specialised in aesthetics and political philosophy, particularly in the furtherance of conservative views.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PhilosophyWould be 82

View profile

Photo: Pete Helme · CC BY-SA 3.0

2023 · 3 yrs

Lisa Marie Presley

Lisa Marie Presley (February 1, 1968 – January 12, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter. The daughter of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley, she became the sole heir to her father's estate following the deaths of her grandfather and great-grandmother.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

MusicWould be 58

View profile

Photo: David French · CC BY 2.0

Events5

1830 · 196 yrs

Great Game

The Great Game (Russian: Большая игра, romanized: Bolshaya igra) was a rivalry between the 19th-century British and Russian empires over influence in Central Asia, primarily in Afghanistan, Persia, and Tibet.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

War

1848 · 178 yrs

European Revolutions of 1848

The revolutions of 1848, also known as the springtime of the peoples, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe that spanned almost two years, between January 1848 and October 1849. They remain the most widespread revolutionary wave in European history to date.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Politics

1945 · 81 yrs

Vistula–Oder Offensive

The Vistula–Oder offensive (Russian: Висло-Одерская операция, romanized: Vislo–Oderskaya operatsiya) was a Red Army operation on the Eastern Front in the European theatre of World War II in January 1945. The army made a major advance into German-held territory, capturing Kraków, Warsaw, and Poznań.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

War

1964 · 62 yrs

Zanzibar Revolution

The Zanzibar Revolution (Swahili: Mapinduzi ya Zanzibar; Arabic: ثورة زنجبار, romanized: Thawrat Zanjibār) began on 12 January 1964 and led to the overthrow of the Sultan of Zanzibar Jamshid bin Abdullah and his mainly Arab government by the island's majority Black African population.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Politics

2010 · 16 yrs

2010 Haiti earthquake

A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Disaster

Nearby dates

Born on January 12? Find your birthday twins →

Share January 12

Living room with framed Who Shares My Birthday poster

Close-up

FrameShown to scale · framed 34 × 46 cmThis is the frame we'll deliver, with a white mount

Printable keepsake

Your birthday twins poster

A personalised A3 framed print of everyone famous born on January 12, what happened on your birthday in history and your zodiac sign. We print and frame it for you and deliver it to your door (UK only).

Name on poster

Your photo

Kept private and only used to make your poster.