On This Day: 12 January

12 January in Indian history

• 1659The fort at Allahabad was surrendered to the forces of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.India

12 January in world history

• 2010Iranian physicist Massoud Ali-Mohammadi was assassinated while leaving his home for the University of Tehran, where he was a professor.
• 2007Comet McNaught reached perihelion, becoming the brightest comet in over 40 years, with an apparent magnitude of −5.5.
• 2006A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.
• 2005Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket.
• 1997Space Shuttle program: Atlantis launches from the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-81 to the Russian space station Mir, carrying astronaut Jerry M. Linenger for a four-month stay on board the station, replacing astronaut John E. Blaha.
• 1986Space Shuttle program: Congressman and future NASA Administrator Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a payload specialist.
• 1976The United Nations Security Council votes 11–1 to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).
• 1969The New York Jets of the American Football League defeat the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League to win Super Bowl III in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
• 1966Lyndon B. Johnson states that the United States should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there is ended.
• 1962Vietnam War: Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission and first American helicopter assault in the war, takes place.
• 1942World War II: United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt creates the National War Labor Board.
• 1933Casas Viejas incident: 22 peasants killed by the Security and Assault Corps in Casas Viejas, Spain.
• 1916Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann became the first German aviators to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany's highest military honour.
• 1865The foundation stone of Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral in Cork was laid.
• 1808John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church in Reculver from coastal erosion was abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture.
• 1777Mission Santa Clara de Asís, a Spanish mission in California that formed the basis of both the city of Santa Clara and Santa Clara University, was established by the Franciscans.
• 475Basiliscus became Byzantine emperor after Zeno was forced to flee Constantinople.

Born on 12 January

• 1981Angus Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player
• 1973Hande Yener, Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1971Scott Burrell, American basketball player and coach
• 1936Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (died 2016)India
• 1936Brajanath Ratha, Indian poet and activist (died 2014)India
• 1869Bhagwan Das, Indian philosopher, academic, and politician (died 1958)India

Died on 12 January

• 2023Sharad Yadav, Indian politician, 30th Minister of Civil Aviation, 29th Labour Minister (born 1947)India
• 2005Amrish Puri, Indian actor (born 1932)India
• 1997Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian-American physician and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1901)
• 1665Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (born 1601)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 12 January in history?

2010: Iranian physicist Massoud Ali-Mohammadi was assassinated while leaving his home for the University of Tehran, where he was a professor. 2007: Comet McNaught reached perihelion, becoming the brightest comet in over 40 years, with an apparent magnitude of −5.5. 2006: A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims. 2005: Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket.

What happened on 12 January in Indian history?

1659: The fort at Allahabad was surrendered to the forces of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Which famous people were born on 12 January?

Angus Macdonald, New Zealand rugby player (1981); Hande Yener, Turkish singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (1973); Scott Burrell, American basketball player and coach (1971); Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Home Affairs (died 2016) (1936).

Which day is observed on 12 January?

National Youth Day; National Youth Day (India); Memorial Day (Turkmenistan); Prosecutor General's Day (Russia); Yennayer (Algeria).