Also available in: Português (Brasil)
What happened on October 12
Every October 12 carries a layer of history: wars that began or ended, inventions, premieres, treaties, and people born or lost on this day across the centuries. We gathered 12 of the most striking events recorded on October 12, plus notable births and deaths, each with its year and a link to the Wikipedia article where the story continues. It is a fast way to answer "what happened on October 12" without digging through many sources: the list arrives ranked by relevance and dated.
Notable events
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Twelve people were killed in an apartment-building collapse in Medellín, leading to new construction laws being passed in Colombia. Collapse of the Space Building |
| 1992 | An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 or 5.9 struck south of Cairo, Egypt, killing 545 people. 1992 Cairo earthquake |
| 1984 | The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, in a failed attempt to assassinate British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. Provisional Irish Republican Army |
| 1979 | Typhoon Tip, the largest and most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded, reached a worldwide record-low sea-level pressure of 870 mbar (25.69 inHg) in the western Pacific Ocean. Typhoon Tip |
| 1978 | While in prison for murder, boxer James Scott defeated Eddie "The Flame" Gregory, a leading light heavyweight. James Scott (boxer) |
| 1960 | Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev reportedly pounded his shoe on a desk during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in protest at a speech by Philippine delegate Lorenzo Sumulong. Nikita Khrushchev |
| 1960 | Japan Socialist Party leader Inejirō Asanuma was assassinated during a live television recording by a far-right ultra-nationalist using a short sword. Japan Socialist Party |
| 1946 | Il Canto degli Italiani is adopted as national anthem by the newly formed Italian Republic. Il Canto degli Italiani |
| 1933 | The United States Department of Justice acquired a military prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, to be transformed into the last-resort Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. United States Department of Justice |
| 1928 | The iron lung (example pictured), a type of medical ventilator, was used for the first time at the Boston Children's Hospital to treat an eight-year-old girl paralyzed by polio. Iron lung |
| 1917 | First World War: New Zealand troops suffered more than 2,000 casualties, including more than 800 deaths, in the First Battle of Passchendaele, making it the nation's largest loss of life in one day. World War I |
| 1898 | A statue of Austin Blair was dedicated in a ceremony that attracted up to 30,000 people to Lansing, Michigan. Statue of Austin Blair |
Births
| Year | Who |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Iris Apatow, American actress Iris Apatow |
| 2000 | Jongho, South Korean singer and actor Jongho |
| 2000 | Mia Threapleton, British actress Mia Threapleton |
| 1999 | Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Irish actor and musician Ferdia Walsh-Peelo |
Deaths
| Year | Who |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Jackie Burch, American casting director (born 1951) Jackie Burch |
| 2024 | Jackmaster, Scottish DJ and record producer (born 1986) Jackmaster |
| 2024 | Ka, American rapper (born 1972) Ka (rapper) |
| 2024 | Lilly Ledbetter, American activist (born 1938) Lilly Ledbetter |
A single anniversary does not explain on its own why a day matters: one October 12 can hold a scientific milestone, a tragedy and the birth of an artist, centuries apart. That is why we date every row and link the source, so you can follow what interests you. The selection mixes 12 events, 4 births and 4 deaths; the full list, with every reference, lives on Wikipedia.
Source, license and method
This page curates the day's anniversaries for October 12 from Wikipedia, delivered through the Wikimedia "On this day" feed (the encyclopedia's own open dataset). It is not original research: the facts, years and wording come from Wikipedia and are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 4.0), which requires crediting the source and keeping the same license. We pick each day's most relevant items, favouring the editors' own selection and the most prominent articles, and every row links back to the matching entry. For the full list and primary references, see the day's article on Wikipedia (October 12).
Continue in the dates cluster
Anniversaries are just a doorway. People who arrive asking about the date usually also want: What day is it today, in every calendar, Moon phase today and the Date and age calculators.
Last updated: · Methodology and sources