28 fun facts for February, 12
Discover dozens of fun facts for this special day. Read the summary for a quick recap on what happened.
Summary
February 12th is an important day known for the birth of two historical figures, Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin, along with Chile's independence from Spain in 1818. Additionally, it is the day of the first female doctors in the United States, and it is celebrated as National Plum Pudding Day, International Darwin Day, and World Pulses Day.
28 Fun facts
- February 12th, 1809: Birth of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, and Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist and author of "On the Origin of Species."
- February 12th, 1818: Chile officially gains independence from Spain with the approval of the Chilean Declaration of Independence.
- February 12th, 1851: The first female doctors in the United States graduated. Elizabeth Blackwell and Emily Blackwell became qualified physicians.
- February 12th, 1879: The first-ever artificial ice rink opened in London, England, named the Glaciarium.
- February 12th, 1908: The first round-the-world car race began in New York City, ending on July 30th that year.
- February 12th, 1912: The last emperor of China, Pu Yi, abdicated, ending the Qing Dynasty and over 2,000 years of imperial rule.
- February 12th, 1914: Groundbreaking on the Lincoln Memorial took place in Washington, D.C.
- February 12th, 1924: Rhapsody in Blue, a musical composition by George Gershwin, was first performed in New York City.
- February 12th, 1935: The invention of the secret message transmitting device, known as "Telex," was patented.
- February 12th, 1947: The French fashion designer Christian Dior presented his first collection, a turning point in the history of fashion.
- February 12th, 1961: The Soviet Union launched the Venera 1 probe, the first spacecraft to fly by Venus.
- February 12th, 1964: The Beatles performed their first U.S. concert at the Washington Coliseum.
- February 12th is National Plum Pudding Day in the United States, a traditional English dessert.
- February 12th is believed to be the day of the first-ever recorded meteorite fall, which struck in Alsace, France, in 1492.
- February 12th, 1973: The first U.S. prisoners of war were released during Operation Homecoming, following the ceasefire agreement in the Vietnam War.
- February 12th, 1990: Carmen Lawrence became the first female Premier in Australian history, assuming office in Western Australia.
- February 12th, 1999: President of the United States Bill Clinton was acquitted by the Senate on both charges of his impeachment trial.
- February 12th, 2001: The Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker probe became the first spacecraft to land on an asteroid.
- February 12th, 2003: Australia became the first country to recognize West Papua as part of Indonesia.
- February 12th is commemorated as International Darwin Day to celebrate the achievements of Charles Darwin in the field of science.
- February 12th, 2006: The Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony took place in Turin, Italy.
- February 12th, 2009: The Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York, leading to improvements in regional airline safety.
- February 12th, 2013: North Korea conducted its third underground nuclear test, defying U.N. resolutions and triggering global outcry.
- February 12th, 2016: Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill signed an Ecumenical Declaration marking a historic step in Catholic-Orthodox relations.
- February 12th is National Red Hand Day, commemorating the day of the German initiative against child soldiers.
- February 12th, 2019: Mars One, a project to establish a human colony on Mars, declared bankruptcy after financial collapse.
- February 12th is the World Pulses Day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly to recognize the importance of pulses to human health and global food security.
- February 12th is Georgia Day, a day celebrated primarily in the American state of Georgia, commemorating the founding of the colony on this day in 1733.