On This Day: 12 October

12 October in Indian history

• 1976Indian Airlines Flight 171 crashes at Santacruz Airport in Bombay, India, killing 95.India
• 1871The British in India enact the Criminal Tribes Act, naming many local communities "Criminal Tribes".India

12 October in world history

• 2010The Finnish Yle TV2 channel's Ajankohtainen kakkonen current affairs program airs controversial Homoilta episode (literally "gay night"), which leads to the resignation of almost 50,000 Finns from the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
• 2000The USS Cole, a US Navy destroyer, is badly damaged by two al-Qaeda suicide bombers, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39.
• 1996New Zealand holds its first general election under the new mixed-member proportional representation system, which led to Jim Bolger's National Party forming a coalition government with Winston Peters's New Zealand First.
• 1984The 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.
• 1979Typhoon 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.
• 1962The Columbus Day Storm strikes the U.S. Pacific Northwest with record wind velocities. There was at least U.S. $230 million in damages and 46 people died.
• 1960Japan Socialist Party leader Inejirō Asanuma was assassinated during a live television recording by a far-right ultra-nationalist using a short sword.
• 1933The 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.
• 1928The iron lung, 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.
• 1890The Uddevalla Suffrage Association was founded in Uddevalla, Sweden, with the purpose of bringing about universal suffrage.
• 1856An M 7.7–8.3 earthquake off the Greek island of Crete cause major damage as far as Egypt and Malta.
• 1810The citizens of Munich hold the first Oktoberfest in celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Louis of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
• 1492Believing he had reached the East Indies, Christopher Columbus made landfall on an island in the Caribbean, sparking a series of events that led to the European colonization of the Americas.
• 1398In the Treaty of Salynas, Lithuania cedes Samogitia to the Teutonic Knights.
• 633Battle of Hatfield Chase: King Edwin of Northumbria is defeated and killed by an alliance under Penda of Mercia and Cadwallon of Gwynedd.
• 166Roman emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus celebrate a triumph in Rome for the successful completion of their war with the Partians.

Born on 12 October

• 1959Anna Escobedo Cabral, American lawyer and politician, 42nd Treasurer of the United States
• 1935Shivraj Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of DefenceIndia
• 1921Art Clokey, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor, created Gumby (died 2010)
• 1911Vijay Merchant, Indian cricketer (died 1987)India
• 1868Mariano Trías, Filipino general and politician, 1st Vice President of the Philippines (died 1914)
• 1864Kamini Roy, British India's first female graduate, Bengali poet, social activist, and feminist writer (died 1933)India

Died on 12 October

• 2024Baba Siddique, Indian politician (born 1958)India
• 2020Conchata Ferrell, American actress (born 1943)
• 2012Sukhdev Singh Kang, Indian judge and politician, 14th Governor of Kerala (born 1931)India
• 1956Lorenzo Perosi, Italian composer and painter (born 1872)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 12 October in history?

2010: The Finnish Yle TV2 channel's Ajankohtainen kakkonen current affairs program airs controversial Homoilta episode (literally "gay night"), which leads to the resignation of almost 50,000 Finns from the Evangelical Lutheran Church. 2000: The USS Cole, a US Navy destroyer, is badly damaged by two al-Qaeda suicide bombers, killing 17 crew members and wounding at least 39. 1996: New Zealand holds its first general election under the new mixed-member proportional representation system, which led to Jim Bolger's National Party forming a coalition government with Winston Peters's New Zealand First. 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.

What happened on 12 October in Indian history?

1976: Indian Airlines Flight 171 crashes at Santacruz Airport in Bombay, India, killing 95. 1871: The British in India enact the Criminal Tribes Act, naming many local communities "Criminal Tribes".

Which famous people were born on 12 October?

Anna Escobedo Cabral, American lawyer and politician, 42nd Treasurer of the United States (1959); Shivraj Patil, Indian lawyer and politician, Indian Minister of Defence (1935); Art Clokey, American animator, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor, created Gumby (died 2010) (1921); Vijay Merchant, Indian cricketer (died 1987) (1911).

Which day is observed on 12 October?

Children's Day (Brazil); Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Columbus Day (Honduras); Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Día de la Hispanidad or Fiesta Nacional de España, also Armed For; Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Día de la Raza (El Salvador, Uruguay); Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances (see also October 8): Día de la Resistencia Indígena, "Day of Indigenous Resistance" (V.