On This Day in History – October 12

Major Events

• 1492 – Christopher Columbus made landfall in the Bahamas on his first voyage to the New World.
• 1810 – The first Oktoberfest was held in Munich, Germany.
• 1822 – Pedro I declared independence of Brazil, later crowned emperor.
• 1901 – President Theodore Roosevelt renamed the Executive Mansion as the White House.
• 1928 – An iron lung respirator was used for the first time at Boston Children’s Hospital.
• 1960 – Nikita Khrushchev pounded his shoe at the United Nations General Assembly.
• 1971 – The rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar opened on Broadway.
• 2000 – Terrorist attack on the USS Cole in Yemen killed 17 U.S. sailors.

Famous Birthdays

• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) – English composer.
• Luciano Pavarotti (1935–2007) – Italian tenor.
• Dick Gregory (1932–2017) – American comedian and activist.
• Carlos the Jackal (born 1949) – Venezuelan militant.
• Hugh Jackman (born 1968) – Australian actor.
• Josh Hutcherson (born 1992) – American actor.

Notable Deaths

• Robert E. Lee (1807–1870) – Confederate general.
• Edith Cavell (1865–1915) – British nurse executed in WWI.
• Angela Lansbury (1925–2022) – British-American actress and singer.
• Wilt Chamberlain (1936–1999) – American basketball player.

Holidays

• Spain’s National Day (Spain) – Also celebrated as Hispanic Day.
• Fiesta Nacional de España – Spanish national holiday.
• Day of the Race (Latin America) – Commemorates Columbus’s arrival.
• Oktoberfest Anniversary (Germany)

Fun Facts

• Columbus Day in the U.S. was long tied to October 12, though now many observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
• Oktoberfest started as a wedding celebration in 1810.
• Luciano Pavarotti, one of the most famous tenors, was born on this date.