Year 1502
Vasco-da-Gama embarked on his second voyage to India from Lisbon, Portugal.
FEBRUARY 12
Daily Historical Chronicle
UPSC CSE • State PSC • SSC CGL Matrix
12 February: What Happened On This Day in History
Curated historical timeline of momentous political pacts, freedom struggle uprisings, constitutional developments, scientific breakthroughs, and prominent birthdays recorded on 12 February.
Observances & Special Days
Darwin Day
Year 1825
The Creek cede the last of their lands in Georgia to the United States government by the Treaty of Indian Springs, and migrate west.
Year 1922
Gandhi persuaded the Congress Executive Committee to end the non-cooperation movement.
Year 1928
Gandhi signaled a satyagraha in Bardoli.
Year 1975
India declared itself smallpox free.
Year 1976
Hadekki (Kerala) project was inaugurated by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Year 1993
M. N. Venkatachalaya became the 25th Chief Justice of India.
Year 2002
An Iran Airtour Tupolev Tu-154 crashes in the mountains outside Khorramabad, Iran while descending for a landing at Khorramabad Airport, killing 119.
Year 2004
The city of San Francisco begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in response to a directive from Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Year 2009
Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashes into a house in Clarence Center, New York while on approach to Buffalo Niagara International Airport, killing all on board and one on the ground.
Year 2016
Student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on “anti-nationalism” charges by Indian police at an anniversary event of the death of Afzal Guru, at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Year 2016
Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill sign an Ecumenical Declaration in the first such meeting between leaders of the Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches since their split in 1054.
Year 2019
The country known as the Republic of Macedonia renames itself the Republic of North Macedonia in accordance with the Prespa agreement, settling a long-standing naming dispute with Greece.
Born 1742
Nana Phadnavis, an influential minister and statesman of the Maratha Empire.
Born 1804
Emil Lenz, a Russian physicist.
Born 1809
Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution.
Born 1809
Abraham Lincoln, an American statesman, and lawyer who served as the 16th president of the United States.
Born 1824
Dayananda Saraswati, an Indian philosopher, social leader, and founder of the Arya Samaj.
Born 1871
Charles Freer Andrews, a priest of the Church of England.
Born 1877
Louis Renault, a French industrialist, was one of the founders of Renault.
Born 1920
Pran Krishan Sikand, better known as Pran, is an Indian actor.
Born 1949
Gundappa Viswanath, an Indian former cricketer.
Born 1962
Jagapathi Babu, an Indian film actor.
Born 1988
Nicolás Otamendi, Argentine footballer
Born 1988
Mike Posner, American singer-songwriter and producer
Born 1990
Robert Griffin III, an American football player
Born 1991
Patrick Herrmann, German footballer
Born 1994
Arman Hall, American sprinter
Born 2000
Kim Ji-min, South Korean actress
Died 1710
Jahandar Shah, a Mughal Emperor.
Died 1794
Mahadaji Shinde, a Maratha Statesman, and ruler of Ujjain in Central India.
Died 1808
Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers.
Died 2001
Bhakti Barve, an Indian film, theatre, and television actress.
Died 2016
Yannis Kalaitzis, Greek cartoonist (b. 1945)
Died 2016
Yan Su, Chinese general and composer (b. 1930)
Died 2017
Al Jarreau, American singer (b. 1940)
Died 2017
Anna Marguerite McCann, first female American underwater archaeologist (b. 1933)
Died 2017
Ren Xinmin, Chinese rocket scientist (b. 1915)
Died 2019
Gordon Banks, English footballer (b. 1937)
Died 2019
Lyndon LaRouche, American political activist (b. 1922)
Died 2019
Pedro Morales, Puerto Rican professional wrestler, and commentator (b. 1942)
Died 2020
Christie Blatchford, Canadian newspaper columnist, journalist, and broadcaster (b. 1951)