Date·Lore

On This Day · The 12th day of the year

January 12

January 12 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1554 and 2010. Bayinnaung, who would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, is crowned King of Burma.

♑ZodiacCapricorn ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on January 12?

January 12 is the 12th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1554 and 2010. Famous people born on January 12 include Ruth R. Benerito, Étienne Lenoir and Luise Rainer.

The shape of the day

From 1554 to 2010, January 12 gathers 456 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where politics and nation-building recur.

Capricorn is the sign for January 12 — read more on the Capricorn page, or see January's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on January 12

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Game Big Hops
  • Game Quarantine Zone: The Last Check

2025

  • Game Super Farming Boy

2023

  • Game Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider
  • Game One Piece Odyssey
  • Game Aquatico
  • TV La promesa

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1554

    Bayinnaung

    Bayinnaung, who would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, is crowned King of Burma.

  2. 1808

    John Rennie the Elder

    John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church, Reculver, founded in 669, from coastal erosion is abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture.

  3. 1895

    National Trust

    The National Trust is founded in the United Kingdom.

  4. 1916

    Oswald Boelcke

    Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann become the first German aviators to earn the Pour le Mérite, receive the German Empire's highest military award, for achieving eight aerial victories each over Allied aircraft.

  5. 1918

    Minnie Pit Disaster

    The Minnie Pit Disaster coal mining accident occurs in Halmer End, Staffordshire, in which 155 men and boys die.

  6. 1942

    World War II

    World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.

  7. 1964

    Zanzibar

    Rebels in Zanzibar begin a revolt known as the Zanzibar Revolution and proclaim a republic.

  8. 1967

    James Bedford

    Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.

  9. 2007

    Comet McNaught

    Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught), one of the brightest comets ever observed is at its zenith visible during the day.

  10. 2010

    2010 Haiti earthquake

    An earthquake in Haiti occurs, killing between 220,000 and 300,000 people and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince.

Famous birthday twins

Born on January 12

Ruth R. Benerito

b. 1916

American chemist and inventor

Étienne Lenoir

b. 1822

Belgian engineer, designed the internal combustion engine

Luise Rainer

b. 1910

German-English actress

Emre Can

b. 1994

German footballer

David Mitchell (author)

b. 1969

English novelist

Ottmar Hitzfeld

b. 1949

German footballer and manager

Jack London

b. 1876

American novelist and journalist

Swami Vivekananda

b. 1863

Indian monk and philosopher

Deaths

  • 2017Graham Taylor
  • 1996Joachim Nitsche
  • 1977Henri-Georges Clouzot
  • 1976Agatha Christie
  • 1909Hermann Minkowski
  • 1665Pierre de Fermat

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Aelred of Rievaulx
  • —Christian feast day: Benedict Biscop
  • —Christian feast day: Bernard of Corleone
  • —Christian feast day: Marguerite Bourgeoys
  • —Christian feast day: Tatiana
  • —Christian feast day: January 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Memorial Day (Turkmenistan)
  • —National Youth Day (India)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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