History of Today 12 June – Important Events in World History
History of Today in India – 12 June
Explore the history of today 12 June in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.
Last updated on 12 June 2026, 10:01 AM
📜 Important Events on 12 June in World History
- 12 Jun 2025: Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashes shortly after takeoff into the B. J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, India, killing 241 out of 242 onboard as well as 19 on the ground. This marked the first fatal crash and hull loss of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Read more
- 12 Jun 2024: A fire in a residential building in Mangaf, Kuwait City kills at least 50 people. Read more
- 12 Jun 2019: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is inaugurated as the second president of Kazakhstan. Read more
- 12 Jun 2018: United States President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea hold the first meeting between leaders of their two countries in Singapore. Read more
- 12 Jun 2016: Forty-nine civilians are killed and 58 others injured in an attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, United States; the gunman, Omar Mateen, is killed in a gunfight with police. Read more
- 12 Jun 2014: Between 1,095 and 1,700 Shia Iraqi people are killed in an attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq. It is the second deadliest act of terrorism in history, only behind 9/11. Read more
- 12 Jun 2009: A disputed presidential election in Iran leads to wide-ranging local and international protests. Read more
- 12 Jun 1999: Kosovo War: Operation Joint Guardian begins when a NATO-led United Nations peacekeeping force, Kosovo Force (KFor), enters the province of Kosovo in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Read more
- 12 Jun 1993: An election takes place in Nigeria and is won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. Its results are later annulled by the military government of Ibrahim Babangida. Read more
- 12 Jun 1991: In modern Russia's first democratic election, Boris Yeltsin is elected as the President of Russia. Read more
- 12 Jun 1991: Kokkadichcholai massacre: The Sri Lankan Army massacres 152 minority Tamil civilians in the village of Kokkadichcholai near the Eastern Province town of Batticaloa. Read more
- 12 Jun 1990: Russia Day: The parliament of the Russian Federation formally declares its sovereignty. Read more
- 12 Jun 1988: Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 046, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81, crashes short of the runway at Libertador General José de San Martín Airport, killing all 22 people on board. Read more
- 12 Jun 1987: The Central African Republic's former emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa is sentenced to death for crimes he had committed during his 13-year rule. Read more
- 12 Jun 1987: Cold War: At the Brandenburg Gate, U.S. President Ronald Reagan publicly challenges Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. Read more
- 12 Jun 1982: A nuclear disarmament rally and concert is held in New York City. Read more
- 12 Jun 1981: The first of the Indiana Jones film franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark, is released in theaters. Read more
- 12 Jun 1979: Bryan Allen wins the second Kremer prize for a man-powered flight across the English Channel in the Gossamer Albatross. Read more
- 12 Jun 1975: State of Uttar Pradesh v. Raj Narain: Judge Jagmohanlal Sinha rules against Indira Gandhi in a case on her election to the Indian Parliament, and that she should be banned from holding any public office, triggering a political crisis. Read more
- 12 Jun 1967: The United States Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia declares all U.S. state laws that prohibit interracial marriage to be unconstitutional. Read more
- 12 Jun 1964: Anti-apartheid activist and ANC leader Nelson Mandela is sentenced to life in prison for sabotage in South Africa. Read more
- 12 Jun 1963: NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers is murdered in front of his home in Jackson, Mississippi, by Ku Klux Klan member Byron De La Beckwith during the civil rights movement. Read more
- 12 Jun 1963: The film Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, is released in US theaters. It was the most expensive film made at the time. Read more
- 12 Jun 1954: Pope Pius XII canonises Dominic Savio, who was 14 years old at the time of his death, as a saint, making him at the time the youngest unmartyred saint in the Roman Catholic Church. In 2017, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, aged ten and nine at the time of their deaths, are declared as saints. Read more
- 12 Jun 1950: An Air France Douglas DC-4 crashes near Bahrain International Airport, killing 46 people. Read more
- 12 Jun 1944: World War II: Battle of Carentan: American paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division secure the town of Carentan, Normandy, France. Read more
- 12 Jun 1943: The Holocaust: Germany liquidates the Jewish Ghetto in Brzeżany, Poland (now Berezhany, Ukraine). Around 1,180 Jews are led to the city's old Jewish graveyard and shot. Read more
- 12 Jun 1942: Anne Frank receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday. Read more
- 12 Jun 1940: World War II: Thirteen thousand British and French troops surrender to General Erwin Rommel at Saint-Valery-en-Caux. Read more
- 12 Jun 1939: Shooting begins on Paramount Pictures' Dr. Cyclops, the first horror film photographed in three-strip Technicolor. Read more
- 12 Jun 1939: The Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, New York. Read more
- 12 Jun 1935: A ceasefire is negotiated between Bolivia and Paraguay, ending the Chaco War. Read more
- 12 Jun 1921: Mikhail Tukhachevsky orders the use of chemical weapons against the Tambov Rebellion, bringing an end to the peasant uprising. Read more
- 12 Jun 1914: Massacre of Phocaea: Turkish irregulars slaughter 50 to 100 Greeks and expel thousands of others in an ethnic cleansing operation in the Ottoman Empire. Read more
- 12 Jun 1900: The Reichstag approves new legislation continuing Germany's naval expansion program, providing for construction of 38 battleships over a 20-year period. Germany's fleet would be the largest in the world. Read more
- 12 Jun 1899: New Richmond tornado: The ninth deadliest tornado in U.S. history kills 117 people and injures around 200. Read more
- 12 Jun 1898: Philippine Declaration of Independence: General Emilio Aguinaldo declares the Philippines' independence from Spain. Read more
- 12 Jun 1864: American Civil War, Overland Campaign: Battle of Cold Harbor: Ulysses S. Grant gives the Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee a victory when he pulls his Union troops from their position at Cold Harbor, Virginia and moves south. Read more
- 12 Jun 1830: Beginning of the Invasion of Algiers: Thirty-four thousand French soldiers land 27 kilometers west of Algiers, at Sidi Ferruch. Read more
- 12 Jun 1821: Badi VII, king of Sennar, surrenders his throne and realm to Isma'il Pasha, general of the Ottoman Empire, ending the existence of that Sudanese kingdom. Read more
- 12 Jun 1817: The earliest form of bicycle, the dandy horse, is driven by Karl von Drais. Read more
- 12 Jun 1813: War of 1812: Capture of USRC Surveyor. Read more
🎂 Important Births on 12 June in World History
- 12 Jun 2002: Koni De Winter, Belgian footballer Koni De Winter is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as centre-back for Serie A club AC Milan and the Belgium national team. Read more
- 12 Jun 1999: CarryMinati, Indian YouTuber Ajey Nagar, better known as CarryMinati, is an Indian YouTuber, streamer and rapper. He is known for his roasting videos, comedic skits and reactions to various online topics on his channel CarryMinati. His other channel CarryisLive is dedicated to gaming and live streams. With over 45 million subscribers as of January 2026, he is one of the most-subscribed individual YouTubers in India. In May 2020, his roast video titled YouTube vs TikTok: The End caused controversy on YouTube. The video was removed by YouTube for violations against the platform's terms of service, citing reasons such as cyberbullying and harassment. Read more
- 12 Jun 1996: Gustav Forsling, Swedish ice hockey player Gustav Forsling is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Forsling was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL entry draft, but did not play for the team. He previously played for the Chicago Blackhawks. Forsling won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships with the Panthers in 2024 and 2025. Read more
- 12 Jun 1996: Davinson Sánchez, Colombian footballer Davinson Sánchez Mina is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Colombia national team. Read more
- 12 Jun 1996: Shonica Wharton, Barbadian netball player Shonica Wharton is a Barbadian netball player who represents Barbados internationally and plays in the positions of goal shooter and goal keeper. She competed at the Netball World Cup on two occasions in 2015 and 2019. She also represented Barbados at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and 2018. Read more
- 12 Jun 1994: Don Toliver, American rapper and singer-songwriter Caleb Zackary "Don" Toliver is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. His debut mixtape, Donny Womack (2018), was released one day prior to fellow Houston rapper Travis Scott's album Astroworld, on which Toliver made a guest appearance. In the following week, he signed with Scott's record label, Cactus Jack Records, in a joint venture with Atlantic Records. Read more
- 12 Jun 1992: Philippe Coutinho, Brazilian footballer Philippe Coutinho Correia is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. He is currently a free agent after playing for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Vasco da Gama. He is known for his combination of vision, passing, dribbling and ability to conjure curling long-range shots. Read more
- 12 Jun 1992: Allie DiMeco, American actress and musician Alexandra Jean Theresa "Allie" DiMeco is an American actress, reality television personality, multi-instrumentalist, and model, primarily known for playing the role of Nat Wolff's main love interest Rosalina in the Nickelodeon musical comedy series The Naked Brothers Band. Read more
- 12 Jun 1991: Avisaíl García, Venezuelan baseball player Avisaíl Antonio García Yaguarin is a Venezuelan former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, and Miami Marlins. He signed with the Tigers as a non-drafted free agent in 2007 and made his major league debut in 2012. Read more
- 12 Jun 1990: Jrue Holiday, American basketball player Jrue Randall Holiday is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins before being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft with the 17th overall pick. Read more
- 12 Jun 1990: David Worrall, English footballer David Richard Worrall is an English former professional football player. He was a versatile, aggressive player who could play wide right or in central midfield. Read more
- 12 Jun 1989: Emma Eliasson, Swedish ice hockey player Emma Maria Josefin Eliasson is a Swedish retired ice hockey player. Considered one of the greatest Swedish defenders to ever play the game and known for her offensive abilities and physical style of play, she averaged over a point per game in her 10-year SDHL career, playing in five SDHL championship finals, and made over 230 appearances for the Swedish national team, winning a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Read more
- 12 Jun 1989: Ibrahim Jeilan, Ethiopian runner Ibrahim Jeilan Gashu is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who specialises in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres on the track, as well as cross country running. He is a former world champion in 10,000 metres. Read more
- 12 Jun 1988: Eren Derdiyok, Swiss footballer Eren Derdiyok is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is a former Swiss international. Derdiyok has played for ten different clubs in Europe, as well as a one year stint in Uzbekistan's capital with Pakhtakor FC. Read more
- 12 Jun 1988: Mauricio Isla, Chilean footballer Mauricio Aníbal Isla Isla is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a right-back and midfielder. Read more
- 12 Jun 1986: Salim Mehajer, Australian politician Salim Mehajer is an Australian convicted criminal, property developer and former deputy mayor of Auburn City Council. In March 2018, Mehajer was declared bankrupt and in April 2018 was found guilty of electoral fraud, and sentenced to 21 months in prison with a non-parole period of 11 months. In April 2021, he was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months for lying to court. In May 2023, he was sentenced to seven years and nine months for domestic violence and fraud offences, with a non-parole period of three-and-a-half years. He was released on parole on 18 July 2025. Read more
- 12 Jun 1985: Dave Franco, American actor David John Franco is an American actor and filmmaker. He began his career with small roles in films such as Superbad (2007) and Charlie St. Cloud (2010). Following a starring role in the ninth season of the comedy series Scrubs (2009–2010), Franco had his film breakthrough with a supporting role in the buddy comedy film 21 Jump Street (2012). Read more
- 12 Jun 1985: Blake Ross, American computer programmer, co-created Mozilla Firefox Blake Aaron Ross is an American software engineer who is best known for his work as the co-creator of the Mozilla Firefox web browser with Dave Hyatt. In 2005, he was nominated for Wired magazine's top Rave Award, Renegade of the Year, opposite Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Jon Stewart. He was also a part of Rolling Stone magazine's 2005 hot list. From 2007, he worked for Facebook as Director of Product until resigning in early 2013. Read more
- 12 Jun 1985: Sam Thaiday, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster Samuel Arthur Thaiday is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League, serving as their captain from 2012 until 2013. An Australian international and Queensland State of Origin representative second-row, he could also play prop and lock as well as hooker and spent all of his career at the Broncos, with whom he won the 2006 premiership. In 2008, Australia's centenary of rugby league and Thaiday's sixth year at the top level, he was one of only three current players to be named in the Indigenous Australian rugby league team of the century. On 6 July 2018, Thaiday announced his intention to retire from the NRL at the end of the 2018 season. Read more
- 12 Jun 1985: Kendra Wilkinson, American model, actress, and author Kendra Leigh Wilkinson, born June 12, 1985, is an American television personality and real estate agent. She first gained recognition as one of Hugh Hefner's girlfriends and for her role on the E! reality television series The Girls Next Door (2005–2009), on which her life in the Playboy Mansion was documented. Although not a Playboy Playmate, she has appeared in three nude pictorials with her Girls Next Door co-stars Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt. She subsequently starred in her own reality shows, Kendra (2009–2011) and Kendra on Top (2012–2017). Read more
- 12 Jun 1984: James Kwalia, Kenyan-Qatari runner James Kwalia C'Kurui is an athlete who represents Qatar after switching from his homeland Kenya. Specializing in the 3000 and 5000 metres, his personal best times are 7:28.28 minutes and 12:54.58 minutes respectively. He was born in Trans Nzoia. He is the current holder of the Asian indoor record over 5000 m which he broke in Düsseldorf in February 2009. Read more
- 12 Jun 1984: Bruno Soriano, Spanish footballer Bruno Soriano Llido is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Read more
- 12 Jun 1983: Bryan Habana, South African rugby player Bryan Gary Habana OIS is a South African former professional rugby union player. Playing mainly as a wing, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He played for the Golden Lions, the Blue Bulls and Western Province in South Africa, for the Bulls and the Stormers in Super Rugby, and for Toulon in the French Top 14, and won 124 caps for the South Africa national team. Read more
- 12 Jun 1983: Christine Sinclair, Canadian soccer player Christine Margaret Sinclair is a Canadian former professional soccer player. An Olympic gold medallist, two-time Olympic bronze medallist, CONCACAF champion, and 14-time winner of the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award, Sinclair is the world's all-time leader for international goals scored for men or women, with 190 goals, and is one of the most-capped international soccer players with 331 appearances. Read more
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12 Jun 1982: Shailaja Pujari, Indian weightlifter Shailaja Pujari is a former Indian weightlifter.
Pujari competed at the 2002 Commonwealth Games where she won gold medals in the 75 kg snatch, 75 kg clean and jerk and 75 kg total events. Read more - 12 Jun 1982: James Tomlinson, English cricketer James Andrew Tomlinson is an English former cricketer. A left-arm medium pace bowler, capable of producing swing at a brisk pace, Tomlinson first appeared in senior cricket for the Hampshire Cricket Board in List A cricket in the 2000 NatWest Trophy. He first appeared for Hampshire in first-class cricket in 2002, at this stage of career he had to work his cricket career around his studies at Cardiff University. In 2003 he was Hampshire's recipient of the NBC Denis Compton Award. His early career with Hampshire was beset by injury, which limited his appearances. By 2008, Tomlinson had established himself in the Hampshire team, mostly as a specialist first-class player. It was in this season that he became the first Hampshire bowler since Malcolm Marshall to end the season as the leading wicket taker in the County Championship, finishing with 67 wickets. Read more
- 12 Jun 1981: Raitis Grafs, Latvian basketball player Raitis Grafs is a Latvian former professional basketball player. He played at the center position. Grafs represented the senior men's Latvian national team. He was a FIBA EuroStar in 2007. Read more
- 12 Jun 1981: Adriana Lima, Brazilian model and actress Adriana Lima is a Brazilian model. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2000 to 2018, having made her Victoria's Secret Fashion Show debut in 1999, making her the longest-running Victoria's Secret Angel and model. In 2017, she was named "the most valuable Victoria's Secret Angel" by American analytics company D’Marie. She is also known for her Super Bowl and Kia Motors commercials. Read more
- 12 Jun 1980: Marco Bortolami, Italian rugby player Marco Bortolami is a rugby union coach and retired Italian international player, whose career includes experience playing in the national top-level Italian, French, and English championships, before joining the then recently-born Pro14. Praised for his leadership skills, he captained all the teams he played for at professional level. At international level, he also captained the Italian side since 2002 till the 2007 Rugby World Cup, before being replaced in the permanent role by Sergio Parisse. Read more
- 12 Jun 1979: Dallas Clark, American football player Dallas Dean Clark is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, earning unanimous All-American honors and recognition as the top college tight end in the nation. He was selected by Indianapolis in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft and he was a member of their Super Bowl XLI championship team against the Chicago Bears. He also played in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens. Read more
- 12 Jun 1979: Martine Dugrenier, Canadian wrestler Martine Dugrenier is a Canadian retired wrestler. A three time world champion, she has also competed twice at the Olympics, finishing in 5th place both times. Read more
- 12 Jun 1979: Diego Milito, Argentine footballer Diego Alberto Milito is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He was nicknamed El Principe because of his physical resemblance with former Uruguayan footballer Enzo Francescoli, who had the same nickname. Read more
- 12 Jun 1979: Robyn, Swedish singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer Robin Miriam Carlsson, known professionally as Robyn, is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. Musically, she is noted for performing upbeat dance-oriented songs that often feature melancholic lyrics, and has been called the "stateswoman of alt-pop" by The Guardian. Read more
- 12 Jun 1979: Earl Watson, American basketball player and coach Earl Joseph Watson Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player, who serves as an assistant coach for the San Diego Toreros. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, where he was a four-year starter and named all-conference as a senior in the Pac-10. Watson was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round of the 2001 NBA draft with the 39th overall selection. He played 13 seasons in the NBA with seven teams before becoming a coach in 2014. He was the head coach of the Phoenix Suns from 2016 to 2017. Read more
- 12 Jun 1978: Lewis Moody, English rugby player Lewis Walton Moody is an English retired rugby union player. He played for Leicester Tigers and Bath and was part of the 2003 World Cup winning side. Moody was chosen for the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, being capped twice. He is known for the enthusiasm with which he played the game, his willingness to chase down opponents and his ability to compete for possession at restarts, which earned him the nickname "Mad Dog" from teammates and supporters. Read more
- 12 Jun 1977: Wade Redden, Canadian ice hockey player Wade Redden is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and a development coach of the Ottawa Senators, with whom he spent the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL), which lasted from 1996 to 2013. He also played for the New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins. He played for the Canadian national team internationally seven times, winning two gold medals in the World Junior Championships and one in the World Cup of Hockey. He was a two-time NHL All-Star. Read more
- 12 Jun 1976: Antawn Jamison, American basketball player and sportscaster Antawn Cortez Jamison is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He serves as director of pro personnel for the Washington Wizards. Jamison played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels, being named national player of the year in 1998. Read more
- 12 Jun 1976: Ray Price, Zimbabwean cricketer Raymond William Price is a former Zimbabwean international cricketer. He bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He is the nephew of the renowned Zimbabwean golfer Nick Price. Read more
- 12 Jun 1976: Thomas Sørensen, Danish footballer Thomas Løvendahl Sørensen is a Danish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
- 12 Jun 1976: Paul Stenning, English author Paul David Stenning is an English author and ghostwriter. He has written twenty-nine books, of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and biography. The best-known of his books is The Robert Pattinson Album, a biography of Robert Pattinson, first published in 2009 and appearing in seven languages since then. Read more
- 12 Jun 1975: Bryan Alvarez, American wrestler and journalist Bryan Alvarez is an American independent professional wrestler, martial artist, satellite radio host, podcaster, and journalist. Alvarez is the editor and publisher of Figure Four Weekly, a fan run, online newsletter that has covered professional wrestling since 1995. Read more
- 12 Jun 1975: Stéphanie Szostak, French-American actress Stéphanie Szostak is a French actress and author who started her career in the early 2000s. Szostak is best known for having appeared in the films The Devil Wears Prada, Dinner for Schmucks, Iron Man 3, and R.I.P.D. Szostak starred in the USA Network original drama series Satisfaction and the ABC series A Million Little Things. Read more
- 12 Jun 1974: Flávio Conceição, Brazilian footballer Flávio da Conceição is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Read more
- 12 Jun 1974: Hideki Matsui, Japanese baseball player Hideki Matsui , nicknamed "Godzilla", is a Japanese former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Read more
- 12 Jun 1973: Jason Caffey, American basketball player and coach Jason Andre Caffey is an American former professional basketball player who won two NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. He later became the head coach of the American Basketball Association's Mobile Bay Hurricanes. Read more
- 12 Jun 1973: Darryl White, Australian footballer Darryl White is an Australian rules footballer whose career with the Brisbane Bears and Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL) lasted from 1992 to 2005. Read more
- 12 Jun 1971: Mark Henry, American weightlifter and wrestler Mark Jerrold Henry is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Read more
- 12 Jun 1971: Ryan Klesko, American baseball player Ryan Anthony Klesko is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman and corner outfielder who played for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. He attended Westminster High School in Westminster, California. Read more
- 12 Jun 1971: Jérôme Romain, Caribbean-Dominican triple jumper and coach Jérôme Romain is a former world-class track and field athlete who competed mainly in the triple jump. Read more
- 12 Jun 1969: Zsolt Daczi, Hungarian guitarist (died 2007) Zsolt Daczi was a Hungarian guitarist. He was born in Kiskunhalas, Hungary. Read more
- 12 Jun 1969: Héctor Garza, Mexican wrestler (died 2013) Héctor Solano Segura was a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Héctor Garza. During his career he worked for various major Mexican professional wrestling promotions such as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Perros del Mal Producciones and, at the time of death, AAA. Garza also worked for several major promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in the United States. Read more
- 12 Jun 1969: Mathieu Schneider, American ice hockey player Mathieu David Schneider is an American former professional ice hockey player. Considered an offensive defenseman, Schneider played 1,289 games in the National Hockey League with ten different teams, scoring 233 goals and totaling 743 points. He won the Stanley Cup in 1993 with the Montreal Canadiens. Read more
- 12 Jun 1969: Heinz-Christian Strache, Austrian politician Heinz-Christian Strache is an Austrian politician and dental technician who served as Vice-Chancellor of Austria from 2017 to 2019 before resigning owing to his involvement in the Ibiza affair. He was also Minister of Civil Service and Sports from January 2018 to May 2019 and chairman of the Freedom Party (FPÖ) from April 2005 to May 2019. He previously served as a member of the National Council from October 2006 until December 2017 and as a member of the municipal council and state legislature of Vienna (2001–2006). Read more
- 12 Jun 1968: Scott Aldred, American baseball player and coach Scott Phillip Aldred is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and current minor league pitching coach. Read more
- 12 Jun 1968: Bobby Sheehan, American bass player and songwriter (died 1999) Blues Traveler is an American rock band that formed in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1987. The group is known for creative segues during live performances and pioneering the H.O.R.D.E. touring music festival. Read more
- 12 Jun 1967: Aivar Kuusmaa, Estonian basketball player and coach Aivar Kuusmaa is an Estonian basketball coach and former professional basketball player who currently serves as head coach for Tartu Ülikool of the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League. He played mostly at the shooting guard position. Read more
- 12 Jun 1967: Frances O'Connor, English-Australian actress Frances Ann O'Connor is an Australian actress. She appears in roles in the films Mansfield Park, Bedazzled, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Timeline. In television, she had main roles in Shark Bay, Mr Selfridge, Cleverman, Troy: Fall of a City, and The End, and had a recurring role in Wednesday. O'Connor won an AACTA Award for her performance in Blessed, and also earned two Golden Globe Award nominations for her performances in Madame Bovary and The Missing. In 2022, her debut feature as writer and director Emily was released. Read more
- 12 Jun 1966: Marc Glanville, Australian rugby league player Marc Glanville is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played the 1980s and 1990s. Read more
- 12 Jun 1966: Tom Misteli, Swiss cell biologist Tom Misteli is a Swiss-born (Solothurn) cell biologist who has pioneered the field of genome cell biology. From 2016-2024 he was the Director of the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute, NIH. Read more
- 12 Jun 1965: Adrian Toole, Australian rugby league player Adrian James Toole is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He played for the North Sydney Bears, primarily as a prop. Read more
- 12 Jun 1965: Gwen Torrence, American sprinter Gwendolyn Lenna Torrence is a retired American sprinter and Olympic champion. She was born in Decatur, Georgia. She attended Columbia High School and the University of Georgia. She was offered a scholarship because of her athletic abilities, but she said she wasn't interested because she initially wanted to become a beautician. From the persuasion from her coaches and family, she chose to enroll to the University of Georgia. Read more
- 12 Jun 1965: Cathy Tyson, English actress Catherine Tyson is a British actress. She won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film Mona Lisa (1986), which also earned her Best Supporting Actress nominations at the Golden Globes and BAFTA Awards. She has starred in The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), Priest (1994), and Band of Gold (1995–1997). She won the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2022 for her performance in the film Help. Read more
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12 Jun 1964: Derek Higgins, Irish racing driver
Derek Higgins is an Irish former race car driver. He was born in Dublin. Read more - 12 Jun 1964: Takashi Yamazaki, Japanese filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki is a Japanese filmmaker and visual effects supervisor. Known for his blockbusters featuring advanced visual effects, he is considered a leading figure in the Japanese film industry. Yamazaki is the recipient of multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, eight Japanese Academy Awards, five Nikkan Sports Film Awards, two Hochi Film Awards, and an Asian Film Award. His films have collectively grossed over $523 million worldwide. Read more
- 12 Jun 1963: Philippe Bugalski, French racing driver (died 2012) Philippe Bernard Bugalski was a French rally driver. Read more
- 12 Jun 1963: Warwick Capper, Australian footballer, coach, and actor Warwick Richard Capper is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Sydney Swans and the Brisbane Bears in the Australian Football League (AFL), known before 1990 as the Victorian Football League (VFL). An accomplished full-forward, Capper kicked 388 goals over a 124-game career, twice finishing runner-up for the Coleman Medal with a peak of 103 goals in 1987. He was also famous for his high-flying spectacular marks, one of which earned him the 1987 Mark of the Year award. Read more
- 12 Jun 1962: Jordan Peterson, Canadian psychologist, professor and cultural critic Jordan Bernt Peterson is a Canadian psychologist, author, and media commentator. He received widespread attention in the late 2010s for his views on cultural and political issues. Often described as conservative, Peterson self-identifies as a classical liberal and traditionalist. Read more
- 12 Jun 1960: Joe Kopicki, American basketball player and coach Joseph Gerard Kopicki is an American former basketball player. At 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) and 240 pounds (110 kg), he played the power forward position. Read more
- 12 Jun 1959: John Linnell, American singer-songwriter and musician John Sidney Linnell is an American musician, multi-instrumentalist, and a co-founder of alternative rock band They Might Be Giants with John Flansburgh, which was formed in 1982. In addition to singing and songwriting, he plays keyboard, accordion, baritone and bass saxophone, and clarinet for the band. Read more
- 12 Jun 1959: Scott Thompson, Canadian actor and comedian John Scott Thompson is a Canadian actor and comedian, best known as member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall and for playing Brian on The Larry Sanders Show. Read more
- 12 Jun 1958: Meredith Brooks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Meredith Ann Brooks is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A member of the Oregon music scene, she received international acclaim with her solo album Blurring the Edges (1997) and its single, "Bitch", which reached the top 10 in many countries and earned her two Grammy Award nominations. Read more
- 12 Jun 1958: Barry Michael Cooper, American writer, producer and director (died 2025) Barry Michael Cooper was an American writer, producer, and director, best known for his screenplays for the films New Jack City (1991), Sugar Hill (1994), and Above the Rim (1994), sometimes called his "Harlem Trilogy". Read more
- 12 Jun 1957: Timothy Busfield, American actor, director, and producer Timothy Busfield is an American actor and director. He played Arnold Poindexter in the first two Revenge of the Nerds films, Elliot Weston on the television series Thirtysomething, Mark in Field of Dreams, and Danny Concannon on the television series The West Wing. In 1991, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Thirtysomething. Read more
- 12 Jun 1957: Javed Miandad, Pakistani cricketer and coach Mohammad Javed Miandad, PP, SI, popularly known as Javed Miandad, is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer known for his unconventional style of captaincy and batting. ESPNcricinfo described him as "the greatest batsman Pakistan has ever produced" and his contemporary Ian Chappell extolled him as one of the finest batsmen in the history of cricket. Read more
- 12 Jun 1956: Terry Alderman, Australian cricketer and sportscaster Terence Michael Alderman is a former Australian international cricketer who played primarily as a right-arm fast-medium bowler. Read more
- 12 Jun 1956: Michael Angelo Batio, American heavy metal guitarist Michael Angelo Batio, also known as Michael Angelo, Mike Batio or MAB, is an American heavy metal guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band Nitro in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is currently the permanent guitarist for the band Manowar. Read more
- 12 Jun 1953: Rocky Burnette, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Jonathan "Rocky" Burnette is an American singer and musician and the son of the rockabilly and pop singer Johnny Burnette. Rocky is best known for his 1980 hit single "Tired of Toein' the Line" which he co-wrote with Ron Coleman, who formerly wrote, recorded and performed with the Brothers Grim and the Everly Brothers. Read more
- 12 Jun 1953: Árni Steinar Jóhannsson, Icelandic politician (died 2015) Árni Steinar Jóhannsson was an Icelandic politician and member of the Althing. A member of the Left-Green Movement, he represented the Northeastern constituency from May 1999 to May 2003. Read more
- 12 Jun 1952: Spencer Abraham, American academic and politician, 10th United States Secretary of Energy Edward Spencer Abraham is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as the 10th United States Secretary of Energy from 2001 to 2005, under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a United States Senator from Michigan from 1995 to 2001. Abraham is one of the founders of the Federalist Society, and a co-founder of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. As of 2026, he is the last Republican to have served as a U.S. senator from Michigan. Read more
- 12 Jun 1952: Junior Brown, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist Jamieson "Junior" Brown is an American country guitarist and singer. He has released 12 studio albums in his career, and has charted twice on the Billboard country singles charts. Brown's signature instrument is the "guit-steel" double-neck guitar, a hybrid of electric guitar and lap steel guitar. Read more
- 12 Jun 1951: Brad Delp, American musician and singer (died 2007) Bradley Edward Delp was an American singer and musician who was the original lead vocalist of the American rock band Boston. A Massachusetts native, Delp began collaborating with leader Tom Scholz in 1970, and was the band's longtime lead singer across various stints from 1975 until his suicide in 2007. Delp is best known for his lead vocals on the albums Boston (1976), Don't Look Back (1978) and Third Stage (1986). He performed in every Boston concert tour prior to his death. Delp was known for his "unique and soulful singing" and vocal range. Read more
- 12 Jun 1951: Andranik Margaryan, Armenian engineer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Armenia (died 2007) Andranik Nahapeti Margaryan was an Armenian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Armenia from 12 May 2000, when the President appointed him, until his death on 25 March 2007. He was a member of the Republican Party of Armenia. He succeeded the Sargsyan brothers: Vazgen Sargsyan, who was murdered during the Armenian parliament shooting on 27 October 1999 and Aram Sargsyan, whom the President appointed a week later, but fired on 2 May 2000. Read more
- 12 Jun 1950: Oğuz Abadan, Turkish singer-songwriter and guitarist Oğuz Abadan is a Turkish musician born in Ankara. Read more
- 12 Jun 1950: Michael Fabricant, English politician Sir Michael Louis David Fabricant is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lichfield in Staffordshire, formerly Mid Staffordshire, from 1992 until his defeat in 2024. Read more
- 12 Jun 1950: Sonia Manzano, American actress Sonia Manzano is an American actress, writer and speaker. She is best known for playing Maria on Sesame Street from 1971 to 2015. She received a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award in 2016. Read more
- 12 Jun 1949: Jens Böhrnsen, German judge and politician Jens Böhrnsen is a German politician of the SPD who served as President of the Senate and Mayor of Bremen from 2005 to 2015. From 1 November 2009 until 31 October 2010, he was President of the Bundesrat. As such, he was acting head of state of Germany from the resignation of President Horst Köhler on 31 May 2010 until the election of Christian Wulff on 30 June 2010. Böhrnsen resigned in 2015 after his party sustained losses in the state parliament election. Read more
- 12 Jun 1949: Marc Tardif, Canadian ice hockey player Joseph Gérard Marquis Tardif is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played left winger in both the National Hockey League (NHL) and the World Hockey Association (WHA), principally for the Quebec Nordiques. He also represented Canada in the 1974 Summit Series. A dominant force in the WHA, Tardif had four consecutive seasons with 95+ points from 1975 to 1979; Tardif served as the captain of the Nordiques from 1975 to 1981, making him the first Nordique captain when the team entered the NHL. On April 4, 1978, he became the second professional hockey player to record 150 points in a season. In addition to his two Stanley Cup championships, he led the Nordiques to the Avco World Trophy to go along with winning the Gordie Howe Trophy for most valuable play in the WHA. Read more
- 12 Jun 1949: John Wetton, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (died 2017) John Kenneth Wetton was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was known for his bass playing as well as his baritone voice. In 1971, he was a member of the rock band Family for a short time, before joining King Crimson in 1972. After the breakup of King Crimson at the end of 1974, he played in a number of other bands, including Roxy Music (1974–1975), Uriah Heep (1975–1976), U.K. (1977–1980), and Wishbone Ash (1980–1981). Read more
- 12 Jun 1948: Hans Binder, Austrian racing driver Hans Binder is an Austrian former Formula One driver who raced for the Ensign, Wolf, Surtees and ATS teams. Read more
- 12 Jun 1948: Herbert Meyer, German footballer Herbert Meyer is a German former footballer who made a total of 201 appearances in the Bundesliga during his playing career. Read more
- 12 Jun 1948: Len Wein, American comic book writer and editor (died 2017) Leonard Norman Wein was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men. Additionally, he was the editor for writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons' influential DC miniseries Watchmen. Read more
- 12 Jun 1946: Michel Bergeron, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Michel Bergeron is a Canadian former ice hockey coach. Read more
- 12 Jun 1946: Bobby Gould, English footballer and manager Robert Alfred Gould is an English former footballer and manager. Read more
- 12 Jun 1946: Catherine Bréchignac, French physicist and academic Catherine Bréchignac is a French physicist. She is a commander of the Légion d'honneur, "secrétaire perpétuel honoraire" of the Académie des sciences and former president of the CNRS. The Times says she has "a formidable reputation for determination, decisiveness and an aptitude for analysing and clarifying complex matters." As a president of the CNRS, she was responsible for 25,000 employees, 12,000 of whom are researchers, and a budget of 2.42 billion Euros. Read more
- 12 Jun 1945: Pat Jennings, Northern Irish footballer and coach Patrick Anthony Jennings is a Northern Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is widely recognised as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the sport and was nominated for the Ballon d'Or in 1973, 1975 and 1985. Read more
- 12 Jun 1942: Len Barry, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2020) Leonard Warren Borisoff, known professionally by the stage name Len Barry, was an American singer, songwriter, lyricist, record producer, author, and poet. Read more
- 12 Jun 1942: Bert Sakmann, German physiologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate Bert Sakmann is a German cell physiologist. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Erwin Neher in 1991 for their work on "the function of single ion channels in cells," and the invention of the patch clamp. Bert Sakmann was Professor at Heidelberg University and is an Emeritus Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany. Since 2008 he leads an emeritus research group at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology. Read more
- 12 Jun 1941: Marv Albert, American sportscaster Marv Albert is an American former sportscaster. Honored for his work by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he was commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball". From 1967 to 2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks". Albert was best known nationally for his work as the lead announcer for both the NBA on NBC and NBA games on TNT. In 2015, he was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Read more
- 12 Jun 1941: Chick Corea, American pianist and composer (died 2021) Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and "Windows" are considered jazz standards. Read more
- 12 Jun 1941: Roy Harper, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor Roy Harper is an English folk rock singer, songwriter, poet and guitarist. He has released 22 studio albums across a career that stretches back to 1966. As a musician, Harper is known for his distinctive fingerstyle playing and lengthy, lyrical, complex compositions, reflecting his love of jazz and the poet John Keats. Read more
- 12 Jun 1941: Reg Presley, English singer-songwriter (died 2013) Reginald Maurice Ball, known professionally as Reg Presley, was an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer with the 1960s rock and roll band the Troggs, whose hits included "Wild Thing" and "With a Girl Like You". He wrote the song "Love Is All Around", which was featured in the films Four Weddings and a Funeral and Love Actually. Read more
- 12 Jun 1941: Lucille Roybal-Allard, American politician Lucille Elsa Roybal-Allard is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from California from 1993 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she first entered Congress in 1993. Her district, numbered as the 33rd until 2003, the 34th from 2003 to 2013, and the 40th from 2013 to 2023, included much of southern Los Angeles, as well as several eastern suburbs, such as Downey, Bell and Bell Gardens. On December 20, 2021, Roybal-Allard announced her retirement at the end of the 117th Congress. Read more
- 12 Jun 1940: Jacques Brassard, Canadian educator and politician Jacques Brassard is a former Quebec politician and Cabinet Minister. He was the National Assembly of Quebec for Lac-Saint-Jean from 1976 to 2002 and occupied several portfolios as a Minister under the Parti Québecois governments of René Lévesque, Pierre-Marc Johnson, Jacques Parizeau, Lucien Bouchard and Bernard Landry. Read more
- 12 Jun 1939: Ron Lynch, Australian rugby league player and coach (died 2024) Ron Lynch was an Australian professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. An Australian international and New South Wales interstate representative forward, he played club football in NSW for Young, Forbes, Parramatta and Penrith. Read more
- 12 Jun 1939: Frank McCloskey, American sergeant and politician (died 2003) Francis Xavier McCloskey was an American journalist, lawyer, and politician from Indiana who served in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from 1983 to 1995. Read more
- 12 Jun 1938: Jean-Marie Doré, Guinean lawyer and politician, 11th Prime Minister of Guinea (died 2016) Jean-Marie Doré was a Guinean politician who was the prime minister of Guinea from January 2010 until December 2010. Doré, who was the president of the Union for the Progress of Guinea (UPG), was an opposition leader for years before being chosen to head a transitional government that was in place during the preparation and conduct of the 2010 presidential election. Read more
- 12 Jun 1938: Tom Oliver, English-Australian actor Tom Oliver is a British-born naturalised Australian retired actor, known internationally for his long-running role in TV soap opera Neighbours as Lou Carpenter, a role he played for some 25 years becoming one of the longest serving cast members. Lou was known for his constant sparring with Harold Bishop and romance with Madge, as well as his trademark dirty laugh, which Oliver noted was inspired by Sid James. Read more
- 12 Jun 1937: Vladimir Arnold, Russian-French mathematician and academic (died 2010) Vladimir Igorevich Arnold was a Soviet and Russian mathematician. He is best known for the Kolmogorov–Arnold–Moser theorem regarding the stability of integrable systems, and contributed to several areas, including geometrical theory of dynamical systems, algebra, catastrophe theory, topology, real algebraic geometry, symplectic geometry, differential equations, classical mechanics, differential-geometric approach to hydrodynamics, geometric analysis and singularity theory, including posing the ADE classification problem. In his later years he shifted his research interests, investigating discrete mathematics. Read more
- 12 Jun 1937: Klaus Basikow, German footballer and manager (died 2015) Klaus Basikow was a German football player and manager. Read more
- 12 Jun 1937: Antal Festetics, Hungarian-Austrian biologist and zoologist Antal Festetics, exactly, is a Hungarian-Austrian biologist, zoologist and behavioural researcher. A student of Konrad Lorenz, in 1973 he became a university professor and director of the Institute for Hunting Biology at the University of Göttingen. In 1981 he became an honorary professor at the University of Vienna. He was awarded for the establishment of national parks in Austria and Hungary, as well as the Austrian State Prize for Environmental Protection in 1988. Read more
- 12 Jun 1937: Chips Moman, American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter (died 2016) Lincoln Wayne "Chips" Moman was an American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is known for working in R&B, pop music and country music, operating American Sound Studios and producing hit albums like Elvis Presley's 1969 From Elvis in Memphis and the 1985 debut album for The Highwaymen. Moman won a Grammy Award for co-writing "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song", a 1975 hit for B.J. Thomas. Read more
- 12 Jun 1935: Ian Craig, Australian cricketer (died 2014) Ian David Craig was an Australian cricketer who represented the Australian national team in 11 Tests between 1953 and 1958. A right-handed batsman, Craig holds the records for being the youngest Australian to make a first-class double century, appear in a Test match, and captain his country in a Test match. Burdened by the public expectation of being the "next Bradman", Craig's career did not fulfil its early promise. In 1957, he was appointed Australian captain, leading a young team as part of a regeneration plan following the decline of the national team in the mid-1950s, but a loss of form and illness forced him out of the team after one season. Craig made a comeback, but work commitments forced him to retire from first-class cricket at only 26 years of age. Read more
- 12 Jun 1935: Paul Kennedy, English lawyer and judge Sir Paul Joseph Morrow Kennedy, PC is an English jurist. He is a former vice-president of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, and former Interception of Communications Commissioner. Read more
- 12 Jun 1934: John A. Alonzo, American actor and cinematographer (died 2001) John Ayala Alonzo, ASC was an American cinematographer, television director, and actor. Read more
- 12 Jun 1934: Kevin Billington, English director and producer (died 2021) Kevin Billington was a British film director, who worked in the theatre, film and television from the 1960s. Read more
- 12 Jun 1933: Eddie Adams, American photographer and journalist (died 2004) Edward Thomas Adams was an American photographer and photojournalist noted for portraits of celebrities and politicians and for coverage of 13 wars. He is best known for his photograph of the execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém, a Viet Cong prisoner of war, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in 1969. Adams was a longtime resident of Bogota, New Jersey. Read more
- 12 Jun 1932: Mimi Coertse, South African soprano and producer (died 2026) Maria Sophia Coertse was a South African soprano who appeared professionally as Mimi Coertse. Born in Durban, she began her vocal studies in 1949. She moved to Europe in 1953, first to England and later to the Netherlands and Austria. Coertse made her debut in opera in 1955 in Parsifal, and continued to perform with various opera companies until 1978. Coertse attained the rank of Kammersängerin, and received the Decoration for Meritorious Services, the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, and an honorary doctorate in philosophy from the University of Pretoria, among others. She was married three times and had two adopted children. Coertse died in April 2026 at the age of 93. Read more
- 12 Jun 1932: Mamo Wolde, Ethiopian runner (died 2002) Degaga "Mamo" Wolde was an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competed in track, cross-country, and road running events. He was the winner of the marathon at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Read more
- 12 Jun 1931: Trevanian, American author and scholar (died 2005) Rodney William Whitaker was an American film scholar and writer who wrote several novels under the pen name Trevanian. Whitaker wrote in a wide variety of genres, achieved bestseller status, and published under several other names, as well, including Nicholas Seare, Beñat Le Cagot, and Edoard Moran. He published the nonfiction book The Language of Film under his own name. Read more
- 12 Jun 1931: Rona Jaffe, American novelist (died 2005) Rona Jaffe was an American novelist who published numerous works from 1958 to 2003. During the 1960s, she also wrote cultural pieces for Cosmopolitan. Read more
- 12 Jun 1930: Jim Burke, Australian cricketer (died 1979) James Wallace Burke was an Australian cricketer who played in 24 Test matches from 1951 to 1959. Burke holds the record for the most innings in a complete career without scoring a duck, with 44. Read more
- 12 Jun 1930: Donald Byrne, American chess player (died 1976) Donald Byrne was an American university professor and chess player. He held the title International Master, and competed for his country in the Chess Olympiad on several occasions. Read more
- 12 Jun 1930: Innes Ireland, Scottish racing driver and engineer (died 1993) Robert McGregor Innes Ireland was a British racing driver and journalist, who competed in Formula One from 1959 to 1966. Ireland won the 1961 United States Grand Prix with Lotus. Read more
- 12 Jun 1930: Jim Nabors, American actor and singer (died 2017) James Thurston Nabors was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character, Gomer Pyle. Read more
- 12 Jun 1929: Brigid Brophy, English author and critic (died 1995) Brigid Antonia Brophy was an English author, literary critic and polemicist. She was an influential campaigner who agitated for many types of social reform, including homosexual parity, vegetarianism, humanism, and animal rights. Brophy appeared frequently on television and in the newspapers of the 1960s and 1970s, making her prominent both in literary circles and on the wider cultural scene. Read more
- 12 Jun 1929: Roy Bull, Australian rugby league player (died 2004) Roy Bull was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and 1950s and spent his whole career – as player, coach & administrator – with the Manly-Warringah club in Sydney. In addition to playing in three New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership grand finals, he was a representative for the New South Wales rugby league team and the Australian national side. He has since been named amongst the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century. Read more
- 12 Jun 1929: Anne Frank, German-Dutch diarist; victim of the Holocaust (died 1945) Annelies Marie Frank was a German-born Jewish diarist and Holocaust victim. She gained worldwide notability posthumously for keeping a diary documenting her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands. In the diary, she regularly described her family's everyday life in their hiding place in an Amsterdam attic from 1942 until their arrest in 1944. Read more
- 12 Jun 1929: Jameel Jalibi, Pakistani linguist and academic (died 2019) Jameel Jalibi was a noted linguist, critic, writer, and scholar of Urdu literature and linguistics from Pakistan. He also was a former vice-chancellor of the University of Karachi. Read more
- 12 Jun 1929: John McCluskey, Baron McCluskey, Scottish lawyer, judge, and politician, Solicitor General for Scotland (died 2017) John Herbert McCluskey, Baron McCluskey was a Scottish lawyer, judge and politician, who served as Solicitor General for Scotland, the country's junior Law Officer from 1974 to 1979, and as a Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of Scotland's Supreme Courts, from 1984 to 2004. He was also member of the House of Lords from 1976 until his retirement in 2017. Read more
- 12 Jun 1928: Vic Damone, American singer-songwriter and actor (died 2018) Vic Damone was an American traditional pop and big band singer and actor. He was best known for his performances of songs such as the number one hit "You're Breaking My Heart", and other hits such as "On the Street Where You Live" and "I Have But One Heart". Read more
- 12 Jun 1928: Petros Molyviatis, Greek politician and diplomat, Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs (died 2025) Petros G. Molyviatis was a Greek politician and diplomat who served three times as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2006, May to June 2012, and August to September 2015. Read more
- 12 Jun 1928: Richard M. Sherman, American composer and director (died 2024) Richard Morton Sherman was an American songwriter who specialized in musical films with his brother Robert B. Sherman. According to the official Walt Disney Company website and independent fact checkers, "The Sherman Brothers were responsible for more motion picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history." Read more
- 12 Jun 1926: Amadeo Carrizo, Argentine footballer (died 2020) Amadeo Raúl Carrizo Larretape, popularly known by his first name "Amadeo", was an Argentine football goalkeeper and manager. Carrizo is considered a pioneer of the position, helping to innovate techniques and strategies for goalkeepers. The IFFHS ranked Carrizo as the best South American keeper of the 20th century in 1999. Read more
- 12 Jun 1924: George H. W. Bush, American lieutenant and politician, 41st President of the United States (died 2018) George Herbert Walker Bush was the 41st president of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. Bush was Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989. He was the father of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States. Read more
- 12 Jun 1924: Grete Dollitz, German-American guitarist and radio host (died 2013) Grete Franke Dollitz was an American classical music radio presenter, classical guitarist, and guitar teacher in Richmond, Virginia. She was born in Germany, and immigrated to the United States with her mother and younger brother in 1935 to reunite with her father, who immigrated five years earlier. As a radio presenter, she had a deep voice, and used the phrase "Won't you join me?" at the end of her promos. Read more
- 12 Jun 1922: Margherita Hack, Italian astrophysicist and author (died 2013) Margherita Hack was an Italian astrophysicist and science communicator. The asteroid 8558 Hack, discovered in 1995, was named in her honour. Read more
- 12 Jun 1921: Luis García Berlanga, Spanish director and screenwriter (died 2010) Luis García-Berlanga Martí was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. Acclaimed as a pioneer of modern Spanish cinema, his films are marked by social satire and acerbic critiques of Spanish culture under the Francoist dictatorship. These include Welcome Mr. Marshall! (1953), which won the International Prize at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival, Plácido (1961), nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1962, and The Executioner (1963), winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the 24th Venice International Film Festival He kept a long-time collaboration with screenwriter Rafael Azcona, with whom he co-wrote the scripts for seven of his films between 1961 and 1987. Read more
- 12 Jun 1921: James Archibald Houston, Canadian author and illustrator (died 2005) James Archibald Houston was a Canadian artist, designer, children's author and filmmaker who played an important role in the recognition of Inuit art and introduced printmaking to the Inuit. The Inuit named him Saumik, which means "the left-handed one". Read more
- 12 Jun 1920: Dave Berg, American soldier and cartoonist (died 2002) Dave Berg was an American cartoonist, most noted for his five decades of work in Mad of which The Lighter Side of… was the most famous. Read more
- 12 Jun 1920: Peter Jones, English actor and screenwriter (died 2000) Peter Geoffrey Francis Jones was an English actor, screenwriter and broadcaster. Read more
- 12 Jun 1919: Uta Hagen, German-American actress and educator (died 2004) Uta Thyra Hagen was a German and American actress and theatre practitioner. She originated the role of Martha in the 1962 Broadway premiere of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee, who called her "a profoundly truthful actress." Because Hagen was on the Hollywood blacklist, in part because of her association with Paul Robeson, her film opportunities dwindled and she focused her career on New York theatre. Read more
- 12 Jun 1918: Georgia Louise Harris Brown, American architect (died 1999) Georgia Louise Harris Brown, is considered to be the second African American woman to become a licensed architect in the United States. She was also the first black woman to earn a degree in architecture from the University of Kansas. She was also the only black member of the Chicago chapter of Alpha Alpha Gamma. Read more
- 12 Jun 1918: Christie Jayaratnam Eliezer, Sri Lankan-Australian mathematician and academic (died 2001) Christie Jayaratnam Eliezer was a Ceylon Tamil mathematician, physicist and academic. Read more
- 12 Jun 1916: Irwin Allen, American director and producer (died 1991) Irwin Allen was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genre. His most successful productions were The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and The Towering Inferno (1974). He also created and produced the popular 1960s science-fiction television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, and Land of the Giants. Read more
- 12 Jun 1916: Raúl Héctor Castro, Mexican-American politician and diplomat, 14th Governor of Arizona (died 2015) Raúl Héctor Castro was a Mexican American politician, diplomat and judge. In 1964, Castro was selected to be U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, a position he held until 1968 when he was appointed U.S. ambassador to Bolivia. In 1974, Castro was elected to serve as the 14th governor of Arizona, and resigned two years into his term to become U.S. ambassador to Argentina. Prior to his entry into public service, Castro was a lawyer and a judge for Pima County, Arizona. He was a member of the Democratic Party. Read more
- 12 Jun 1915: Priscilla Lane, American actress (died 1995) Priscilla Lane was an American actress, and the youngest sibling in the Lane Sisters' family of singers and actresses. She is best remembered for her roles in the films The Roaring Twenties (1939) co-starring with James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart; Saboteur (1942), an Alfred Hitchcock film in which she plays the heroine; and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), in which she portrays Cary Grant's fiancée and bride. Read more
- 12 Jun 1915: Christopher Mayhew, English soldier and politician (died 1997) Christopher Paget Mayhew, Baron Mayhew was a British politician who was a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1950 and from 1951 to 1974, when he left the Labour Party to join the Liberals. In 1981 Mayhew received a life peerage and was raised to the House of Lords as Baron Mayhew. He is most known for his central role in founding the Information Research Department (IRD), a secret wing of the Foreign Office dedicated to Cold War propaganda, and for asking a question in parliament that led to the end of the rum ration in the Royal Navy. Read more
- 12 Jun 1915: David Rockefeller, American banker and businessman (died 2017) David Rockefeller was an American economist and investment banker who served as chairman and chief executive of Chase Manhattan Corporation. He was the oldest living member of the Rockefeller family from 2004 until his death in 2017. Rockefeller was the fifth son and youngest child of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and a grandson of John D. Rockefeller and Laura Spelman Rockefeller. Read more
- 12 Jun 1914: William Lundigan, American actor (died 1975) William Paul Lundigan was an American film actor. His more than 125 films include Dodge City (1939), The Fighting 69th (1940), The Sea Hawk (1940), Santa Fe Trail (1940), Dishonored Lady (1947), Pinky (1949), Love Nest (1951) with Marilyn Monroe, The House on Telegraph Hill (1951), I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951) and Inferno (1953). Read more
- 12 Jun 1914: Go Seigen, Chinese-Japanese Go player (died 2014) Wu Chuan, courtesy name Wu Ching-yuan, better known by the Japanese pronunciation of his courtesy name, Go Seigen , was a Chinese-Japanese master of the game of Go. He is considered by many players to have been the greatest Go player in the 20th century. Read more
- 12 Jun 1913: Jean Victor Allard, Canadian general (died 1996) General Jean Victor Allard was the first French Canadian to become Chief of the Defence Staff, the highest position in the Canadian Forces, from 1966 to 1969. He was also the first to hold the accompanying rank of general. Read more
- 12 Jun 1913: Desmond Piers, Canadian admiral (died 2005) Rear Admiral Desmond William Piers, was a rear-admiral in the Royal Canadian Navy. Born in Halifax and long-time resident of Chester, Nova Scotia, Piers served in the RCN from 1932 to 1967. In 1930, he was the first graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada to join the RCN. He became agent general of Nova Scotia in the United Kingdom in 1977. Read more
- 12 Jun 1912: Bill Cowley, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (died 1993) William Mailes "Cowboy" Cowley was a Canadian professional ice hockey center who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League for the St. Louis Eagles and Boston Bruins. Described as the Wayne Gretzky of his era, Cowley twice won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's MVP, and is widely regarded as one of the best playmakers in hockey history. Read more
- 12 Jun 1912: Carl Hovland, American psychologist and academic (died 1961) Carl Iver Hovland was a psychologist working primarily at Yale University and for the US Army during World War II who studied attitude change and persuasion. He first reported the sleeper effect after studying the effects of the Frank Capra propaganda film Why We Fight on soldiers in the Army. In later studies on this subject, Hovland collaborated with Irving Janis who would later become famous for his theory of groupthink. Hovland also developed social judgment theory of attitude change. Carl Hovland thought that the ability of someone to resist persuasion by a certain group depended on your degree of belonging to the group. Read more
- 12 Jun 1908: Marina Semyonova, Russian ballerina and educator (died 2010) Marina Timofeyevna Semyonova was the first Soviet-trained prima ballerina. She was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1975, and a Hero of Socialist Labour in 1988. Read more
- 12 Jun 1908: Otto Skorzeny, German SS officer (died 1975) Otto Johann Anton Skorzeny was an Austrian-born German SS-Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS during World War II. During the war, he was involved in a number of operations, including the removal from power of Hungarian Regent Miklós Horthy and the Gran Sasso raid that rescued Benito Mussolini from captivity. Skorzeny led Operation Greif in which German soldiers infiltrated Allied lines wearing their enemies' uniforms. As a result, he was charged in 1947 at the Dachau Military Tribunal with breaching the 1907 Hague Convention, but was acquitted. Read more
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12 Jun 1906: Sandro Penna, Italian poet (died 1977)
Sandro Penna was an Italian poet. Read more - 12 Jun 1905: Ray Barbuti, American sprinter and football player (died 1988) Raymond James Barbuti was an American football player and sprint runner who won two gold medals at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Barbuti traveled to Amsterdam to initially only compete for the 400 meter sprint however the US medal position was meek and then US Olympic committee president, Major General Douglas MacArthur insisted after Barbuti won the 400 meter gold that he run in the 4 × 400 meter relay the next day. Barbuti was interrupted by MacArthur during his celebratory evening to start preparing to run the anchor for the event the next day. Barbuti initially, vehemently refused, claiming he would not displace a fellow US runner in search for further medals. However MacArthur was relentless and finally prevailed and history commenced with the team winning the gold. Read more
- 12 Jun 1902: Hendrik Elias, Belgian lawyer and politician, Mayor of Ghent (died 1973) Hendrik Jozef Elias was a Belgian politician and Flemish nationalist, notable as the leader of the Vlaams Nationaal Verbond between 1942 and 1944. Read more
- 12 Jun 1899: Fritz Albert Lipmann, German-American biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1986) Fritz Albert Lipmann was a German-American biochemist and a co-discoverer in 1945 of coenzyme A. For this, together with other research on coenzyme A, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1953. Read more
- 12 Jun 1899: Weegee, Ukrainian-American photographer and journalist (died 1968) Ascher Fellig, known by his pseudonym Weegee, was a photographer and photojournalist, known for his stark black and white street photography in New York City. Read more
- 12 Jun 1897: Anthony Eden, English soldier and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (died 1977) Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, was a British politician and military officer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Read more
- 12 Jun 1895: Eugénie Brazier, French chef (died 1977) Eugénie Brazier, known as "la Mère Brazier", was a French chef who, in 1933, became the first person awarded six Michelin stars, three each at two restaurants: La Mère Brazier in the rue Royale, one of the main streets of Lyon, and a second, also called La Mère Brazier, outside the city. This achievement was unmatched until Alain Ducasse was awarded six stars with the publication of the 1998 Michelin Guide. Read more
- 12 Jun 1892: Djuna Barnes, American novelist, journalist, and playwright (died 1982) Djuna Barnes was an American artist, illustrator, journalist, and writer who is perhaps best known for her novel Nightwood (1936), a cult classic of lesbian fiction and an important work of modernist literature. Read more
- 12 Jun 1890: Egon Schiele, Austrian soldier and painter (died 1918) Egon Leo Adolf Ludwig Schiele was an Austrian Expressionist painter. His work is noted for its intensity and its raw sexuality, and for the many self-portraits the artist produced, including nude self-portraits. The twisted body shapes and the expressive line that characterise Schiele's paintings and drawings mark the artist as an early exponent of Expressionism. Gustav Klimt, a figurative painter of the early 20th century, was a mentor to Schiele. Read more
- 12 Jun 1888: Zygmunt Janiszewski, Polish mathematician and academic (died 1920) Zygmunt Janiszewski was a Polish mathematician. Read more
- 12 Jun 1883: Fernand Gonder, French pole vaulter (died 1969) Fernand Gonder was a French pole vaulter who won the gold medal at the 1906 Intercalated Games. Read more
- 12 Jun 1883: Robert Lowie, Austrian-American anthropologist and academic (died 1957) Robert Harry Lowie was an Austrian-American anthropologist. An expert on Indigenous peoples of the Americas, he was instrumental in the development of modern anthropology and has been described as "one of the key figures in the history of anthropology". Read more
- 12 Jun 1877: Thomas C. Hart, American admiral and politician (died 1971) Thomas Charles Hart was a United States Navy admiral whose service extended from the Spanish–American War through World War II. Following his retirement from the Navy, he served briefly as a United States Senator from Connecticut, becoming the highest-ranking military official ever to serve in Congress. Read more
- 12 Jun 1873: Jacques Pellegrin, French zoologist (died 1944) Jacques Pellegrin was a French zoologist. Read more
- 12 Jun 1864: Frank Chapman, American ornithologist, photographer, and author (died 1945) Frank Michler Chapman was an American ornithologist and pioneering writer of field guides. Read more
- 12 Jun 1861: William Attewell, English cricketer and umpire (died 1927) William Attewell was a cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and England. Attewell was a medium pace bowler who was renowned for his extraordinary accuracy and economy. On the many sticky or crumbling pitches encountered in his prime Attewell could get on a great deal of spin so as to always beat the bat, whilst his accuracy would make slogging – the only way to make runs under such conditions – very difficult. He was responsible for the development of "off theory" – bowling wide of the off stump to a packed off-side field to frustrate batsmen on the rapidly improving pitches of the 1890s. At times Attewell was a useful batsman for his county, and he scored 102 against Kent in 1897. Read more
- 12 Jun 1858: Harry Johnston, English botanist and explorer (died 1927) Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston was a British explorer, botanist, artist, colonial administrator, and linguist who travelled widely across Africa to speak some of the languages spoken by people on that continent. He published 40 books on subjects related to the continent of Africa and was one of the key players in the Scramble for Africa that occurred at the end of the 19th century. Read more
- 12 Jun 1858: Henry Scott Tuke, English painter and photographer (died 1929) Henry Scott Tuke was an English artist. His most notable work was in the Impressionist style and he is best known for his paintings of nude boys and young men. Read more
- 12 Jun 1857: Maurice Perrault, Canadian architect, engineer, and politician, 15th Mayor of Longueuil (died 1909) Maurice Perrault was a Canadian architect, civil engineer, and politician. Read more
- 12 Jun 1851: Oliver Lodge, English physicist and academic (died 1940) Sir Oliver Joseph Lodge was an English physicist and electrical engineer whose investigations into electromagnetic radiation (EMR) contributed to the development of radio. He identified EMR independent of Heinrich Hertz's proof. In his 1894 Royal Institution lecture, The Work of Hertz and Some of His Successors, Lodge's demonstrations on methods to transmit and detect radio waves included an improved early radio receiver he named the coherer. His work led to him holding key patents in early radio communication, his "syntonic" patents. Read more
- 12 Jun 1843: David Gill, Scottish-English astronomer and author (died 1914) Sir David Gill was a Scottish astronomer who spent most of his career as H.M. Astronomer at the Cape of Good Hope. He was born in Aberdeen, trained as a watch and clock-maker, and spent ten years in the family business, which he took over from his father. He became a noted amateur astronomer, and was invited by Lord Lindsay to manage his private observatory, which he accepted, selling the family busisness. He took part in astronomical expeditions to Mauritius and Ascension Island, before being appointed to the Cape in 1879. He was particularly noted for his observations with the heliometer, using this instrument for measurement of parallax in order to determine distances, both from the earth to the sun and from our solar system to other stars. At the Cape, he developed the observatory, making it a world-class institution. He was a pioneer of astrophotography, and used photographic methods to create a star atlas of the southern hemisphere, and also supported and took part in the world-wide Carte du Ciel star-mapping project. He was a meticulous observer, taking great trouble to identify and eliminate systematic sources of error. He was a proponent of international cooperation, supporting international projects and collaborating with many of the other leading astronomers of his day. He helped initiate a geodetic survey of Southern Africa which eventually connected with North cape to provide the longest meridian arc in the world, providing a basis for cartography, navigation and astronomical observations. Read more
- 12 Jun 1841: Watson Fothergill, English architect, designed the Woodborough Road Baptist Church (died 1928) Watson Fothergill was a British architect who designed over 100 unique buildings in Nottingham in the East Midlands of England. His influences were mainly from the Gothic Revival and Old English vernacular architecture styles. Read more
- 12 Jun 1831: Robert Herbert, English-Australian politician, 1st Premier of Queensland (died 1905) Sir Robert George Wyndham Herbert,, was the first Premier of Queensland, Australia. At 28 years and 181 days of age, he was the youngest person ever to become premier of an Australian state. Read more
- 12 Jun 1827: Johanna Spyri, Swiss author, best known for Heidi (died 1901) Johanna Spyri was a Swiss author of novels, notably children's stories. She wrote the popular book Heidi. Born in Hirzel, a rural area in the canton of Zürich, as a child she spent several summers near Chur in Graubünden, the setting she later would use in her novels. Read more
- 12 Jun 1819: Charles Kingsley, English priest, historian, and author (died 1875) Charles Kingsley was an English clergyman, social reformer, historian, novelist and poet. A broad church priest of the Church of England, he is particularly associated with Christian socialism, Anti-Catholicism, the working men's college, and forming labour cooperatives, which failed, but encouraged later working reforms. He is known for his novels Yeast (1848), Alton Locke (1850), Hypatia (1853), Westward Ho! (1855), The Water-Babies (1863), and Hereward the Wake (1866). Read more
- 12 Jun 1812: Edmond Hébert, French geologist and academic (died 1890) Edmond Hébert, French geologist, was born at Villefargau, Yonne. Read more
- 12 Jun 1807: Ante Kuzmanić, Croatian physician and journalist (died 1879) Ante Kuzmanić was a Croatian physician and journalist. Read more
- 12 Jun 1806: John A. Roebling, German-American engineer, designed the Brooklyn Bridge (died 1869) John Augustus Roebling was a German-born American civil engineer. He designed and built wire rope suspension bridges, in particular the Brooklyn Bridge, which has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Read more
- 12 Jun 1802: Harriet Martineau, English sociologist and author (died 1876) Harriet Martineau was an English social theorist. She wrote from a sociological, holistic, religious and feminine angle, translated works by Auguste Comte, and, rare for a woman writer at the time, earned enough to support herself. Read more
- 12 Jun 1800: Samuel Wright Mardis, American politician (died 1836) Samuel Wright Mardis was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama. He was born on June 12, 1800, in Fayetteville, Tennessee. He received academic training, attended an "old field school", and studied law. He was admitted to the bar, and he commenced practice in Montevallo, Alabama in 1823. From 1823 to 1825, in 1828, and in 1830, he was a member of the Alabama House of Representatives. Read more
🕊️ Important Deaths on 12 June in World History
- 12 Jun 2024: William H. Donaldson, American businessman (born 1931) William Henry Donaldson was an American businessman who was the 27th Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), serving from February 2003 to June 2005. He served as Under Secretary of State for International Security Affairs in the Nixon Administration, as a special adviser to Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, chairman and CEO of the New York Stock Exchange, and chairman, President and CEO of Aetna. Donaldson founded Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Read more
- 12 Jun 2024: Neil Goldschmidt, American lawyer and politician, 33rd Governor of Oregon (born 1940) Neil Edward Goldschmidt was an American businessman and Democratic politician from the state of Oregon who held local, state, and federal offices over three decades, including mayor of Portland, Oregon, the United States Secretary of Transportation under President Jimmy Carter and the 33rd governor of Oregon. At one time, Goldschmidt was considered the most powerful and influential figure in Oregon's politics; in 2004, Goldschmidt's career and legacy were irreparably damaged by revelations of the ongoing sexual abuse of a young teenage girl which began in 1973, during his first term as mayor of Portland. Read more
- 12 Jun 2024: Jerry West, American basketball player and executive (born 1938) Jerry Alan West was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His nicknames included "the Logo", in reference to his silhouette being the basis for the NBA logo; "Mr. Clutch", for his ability to make a big play in a key situation such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks; "Mr. Outside", in reference to his perimeter play with the Lakers and "Zeke from Cabin Creek" for the creek near his birthplace of Chelyan, West Virginia. Read more
- 12 Jun 2023: Silvio Berlusconi, Italian businessman and politician, Prime Minister of Italy (born 1936) Silvio Berlusconi was an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as the prime minister of Italy in three governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1994 to 2013; a member of the Senate of the Republic from 2022 until his death in 2023, and previously from March to November 2013; and a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2019 to 2022, and previously from 1999 to 2001. At the time of his death in 2023, he had a net worth of US$6.8 billion according to Forbes, making him the 352nd-richest man in the world and the third-wealthiest person in Italy. Read more
- 12 Jun 2023: Francesco Nuti, Italian actor and director, (born 1955) Francesco Nuti was an Italian actor, film director and screenwriter. Read more
- 12 Jun 2023: John Romita Sr., comic book artist and author (born 1930) John Victor Romita was an American comic book artist best known for his work on Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man and for co-creating characters including Mary Jane Watson, the Punisher, Kingpin, Wolverine, and Luke Cage. Romita was the father of John Romita Jr., also a comic book artist, and the husband of Virginia Romita, who was for many years Marvel's traffic manager. Read more
- 12 Jun 2023: Treat Williams, American actor (born 1951) Richard Treat Williams Jr. was an American actor, whose career on stage and in film and television spanned five decades. He received many accolades for his work, including nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Satellite Award, and an Independent Spirit Award. Read more
- 12 Jun 2022: Philip Baker Hall, American actor (born 1931) Philip Baker Hall was an American character actor. He is known for his collaborations with Paul Thomas Anderson, including Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), and Magnolia (1999). He also starred in leading roles in films, such as Secret Honor (1984) and Duck (2005). Hall had supporting roles in many films, including Midnight Run (1988), Say Anything… (1989), The Truman Show (1998), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), The Insider (1999), The Contender (2000), Bruce Almighty (2003), Dogville (2003), Zodiac (2007), 50/50 (2011), and Argo (2012). He received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Male Lead for his role in Hard Eight and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture for Boogie Nights and Magnolia. Read more
- 12 Jun 2022: Phil Bennett, Welsh rugby union player (born 1948) Philip Bennett was a Welsh rugby union player who played as a fly-half for Llanelli RFC and the Wales national team. He began his career in 1966, and a year later he had taken over from Barry John as Llanelli's first-choice fly-half. He made 414 appearances for the Scarlets over the course of a 15-year career he scored 131 tries, 43 drop goals, 293 pens and 523 conversions. He made his Wales debut in 1969, but it was not until John's retirement from rugby in 1972 that Bennett became a regular starter for his country. He led Wales to the Five Nations Championship title, including the Grand Slam in 1978, which culminated with his retirement from Wales duty. Read more
- 12 Jun 2019: Sylvia Miles, American actress (born 1924) Sylvia Miles was an American actress. She was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Farewell, My Lovely (1975). Read more
- 12 Jun 2018: Jon Hiseman, English drummer (born 1944) Philip John Albert "Jon" Hiseman was an English drummer, recording engineer, record producer, and music publisher. He played with the Graham Bond Organisation, with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and later formed what has been described as the "seminal" jazz rock/progressive rock band, Colosseum. He later formed Colosseum II in 1975. Read more
- 12 Jun 2015: Fernando Brant, Brazilian journalist, poet, and composer (born 1946) Fernando Rocha Brant was a Brazilian poet, lyricist and journalist, born in Caldas, Minas Gerais. Read more
- 12 Jun 2013: Teresita Barajuen, Spanish nun (born 1908) Teresita Barajuen was a Spanish Roman Catholic nun and member of the Order of Cistercians. Barajuen is believed to hold the world record for the longest service in cloister. Read more
- 12 Jun 2013: Jason Leffler, American racing driver (born 1975) Jason Charles Leffler nicknamed "LEFturn", was an American professional open-wheel and stock car racing driver. Leffler began racing in the open-wheel ranks, competing in the 2000 Indianapolis 500 before moving to primarily NASCAR competition. He died from injuries sustained in a 410 sprint car race at Bridgeport Speedway in Bridgeport, New Jersey. Read more
- 12 Jun 2012: Hector Bianciotti, Argentinian-French journalist and author (born 1930) Hector Bianciotti was an Argentine-born French author and member of the Académie Française. Read more
- 12 Jun 2012: Margarete Mitscherlich-Nielsen, Danish-German psychoanalyst and author (born 1917) Margarete Mitscherlich-Nielsen or the "Grande Dame of German Psychoanalysis" as she was often referred to as, was a German psychoanalyst who focused mainly on the themes of feminism, female sexuality, and the national psychology of post-war Germany. Read more
- 12 Jun 2012: Medin Zhega, Albanian footballer and manager (born 1946) Medin Zhega was an Albanian professional football manager and player, who played as a forward. Read more
- 12 Jun 2012: Elinor Ostrom, American political scientist and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1933) Elinor Claire "Lin" Ostrom was an American political scientist and political economist whose work was associated with New Institutional Economics and the resurgence of political economy. In 2009, she was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for her "analysis of economic governance, especially the commons", which she shared with Oliver E. Williamson; she was the first woman to win the prize. Read more
- 12 Jun 2012: Pahiño, Spanish footballer (born 1923) Manuel Fernández Fernández, known as Pahiño, was a Spanish footballer who played as a striker. Read more
- 12 Jun 2012: Frank Walker, Australian judge and politician, 41st Attorney General of New South Wales (born 1942) Francis John Walker, QC was an Australian politician and judge. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Georges River between 1970 and 1988 and subsequently a member of the Australian House of Representatives representing Robertson between 1990 and 1996, both for the Australian Labor Party. During his parliamentary careers, Walker held a range of ministerial responsibilities. He was the first New South Wales Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and was responsible for some of the first legislation that recognised the obligation to financially compensate indigenous Australians for the loss of their land. He has been given credit for achieving one of the first big breakthroughs in the protection of Australia's natural environment, the saving of the Terania Creek rainforest. Read more
- 12 Jun 2011: René Audet, Canadian bishop (born 1920) René Audet was a Canadian bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. Read more
- 12 Jun 2010: Al Williamson, American illustrator (born 1931) Alfonso Williamson was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy. Read more
- 12 Jun 2008: Miroslav Dvořák, Czech ice hockey player (born 1951) Miroslav Dvořák was a Czechoslovak ice hockey defenseman. He played three seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers from 1982 to 1985. The rest of his career, which lasted from 1969 to 1989, was mainly spent with HC České Budějovice in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League. Internationally Dvořák played for the Czechoslovak national team at several Ice Hockey World Championships, winning gold medals in 1976 and 1977, along with six silver medals, and a silver medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics. Read more
- 12 Jun 2008: Derek Tapscott, Welsh footballer and manager (born 1932) Derek Robert Tapscott was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a forward. Tapscott played for Barry Town, Arsenal, Cardiff City, Newport County, Cinderford Town, Haverfordwest County and Carmarthen Town. He also featured for the Welsh national team. Tapscott is Cardiff City's sixth highest goalscorer of all time. Read more
- 12 Jun 2006: Nicky Barr, Australian rugby player and fighter pilot (born 1915) Andrew William "Nicky" Barr, was a member of the Australian national rugby union team, who became a fighter ace in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II. He was credited with 12 aerial victories, all scored flying the Curtiss P-40 fighter. Born in New Zealand, Barr was raised in Victoria and first represented the state in rugby in 1936. Selected to play for Australia in the United Kingdom in 1939, he had just arrived in England when the tour was cancelled following the outbreak of war. He joined the RAAF in 1940 and was posted to North Africa with No. 3 Squadron in September 1941. The squadron's highest-scoring ace, he attained his first three victories in the P-40 Tomahawk and the remainder in the P-40 Kittyhawk. Read more
- 12 Jun 2006: György Ligeti, Romanian-Hungarian composer and educator (born 1923) György Sándor Ligeti was a Hungarian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde composers in the latter half of the twentieth century" and "one of the most innovative and influential among progressive figures of his time". Read more
- 12 Jun 2006: Kenneth Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet, Canadian businessman and art collector (born 1923) Kenneth Roy Thomson, 2nd Baron Thomson of Fleet, known in Canada as Ken Thomson, was a Canadian/British businessman and art collector. At the time of his death, he was listed by Forbes as the richest person in Canada and the ninth richest person in the world, with a net worth of approximately US $19.6 billion. Read more
- 12 Jun 2005: Scott Young, Canadian journalist and author (born 1918) Scott Alexander Young was a Canadian journalist, sportswriter, and novelist. He was the father of musicians Neil Young and Astrid Young. Over his career, Young wrote 45 books, including novels and non-fiction for adult and youth audiences. Read more
- 12 Jun 2003: Gregory Peck, American actor and political activist (born 1916) Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema. Read more
- 12 Jun 2002: Bill Blass, American fashion designer, founded Bill Blass Limited (born 1922) William Ralph Blass was an American fashion designer. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999). Read more
- 12 Jun 2002: Zena Sutherland, American reviewer of children's literature (born 1915) Zena Sutherland was an American reviewer of children's literature. She is best known for her editorship and contributions to the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and as the author of the library science textbook Children and Books. Read more
- 12 Jun 2000: Purushottam Laxman Deshpande, Indian actor, director, and producer (born 1919) Purushottam Laxman Deshpande was a Marathi writer and humorist from Maharashtra. He was also an accomplished film and stage actor, script writer, author, composer, musician, singer and orator. He was often referred to as "Maharashtra's beloved personality". Read more
- 12 Jun 1999: Malekeh Malekzadeh Bayani, Iranian numismatist (born 1910) Malekeh Malekzadeh Bayani was an Iranian archaeologist and numismatist, who was co-founder of the Bank Sepeh Coin Museum and was the Head of the Coins, Seals and Tablets Department of the National Museum of Iran. She was also a notable artist. Read more
- 12 Jun 1999: J. F. Powers, American novelist and short story writer (born 1917) James Farl Powers was an American novelist and short story writer who often drew his inspiration from developments in the Catholic Church, and was known for his studies of Catholic priests in the Midwest. Although not a priest himself, he is known for having captured a "clerical idiom" in postwar North America. His first novel, Morte d'Urban, won the 1963 National Book Award for Fiction. Read more
- 12 Jun 1998: Leo Buscaglia, American author and educator (born 1924) Felice Leonardo Buscaglia, also known as "Dr. Love", was an American author, motivational speaker, and a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Southern California. Read more
- 12 Jun 1998: Theresa Merritt, American actress and singer (born 1922) Theresa Merritt Hines, known professionally as Theresa Merritt, was an American actress. She is known for her role in That's My Mama (1974–1975) and for her film roles in The Wiz (1978) and Billy Madison (1995). Read more
- 12 Jun 1997: Bulat Okudzhava, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1924) Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava was a Soviet and Russian poet, writer, musician, novelist, and singer-songwriter of Georgian-Armenian ancestry. He was one of the founders of the Soviet genre called "author song", or "guitar song", and the author of about 200 songs, set to his own poetry. His songs are a mixture of Russian poetic and folk song traditions and the French chansonnier style represented by such contemporaries of Okudzhava as Georges Brassens. Though his songs were never overtly political, the freshness and independence of Okudzhava's artistic voice presented a subtle challenge to Soviet cultural authorities, who were thus hesitant for many years to give him official recognition. Read more
- 12 Jun 1995: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist (born 1920) Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was an Italian classical pianist. He is considered one of the greatest pianists of the twentieth century. According to The New York Times, he was perhaps the most reclusive, enigmatic and obsessive among the handful of the world's legendary pianists. Read more
- 12 Jun 1995: Pierre Russell, American basketball player (born 1949) Pierre Russell was an American basketball player. Read more
- 12 Jun 1994: Nicole Brown Simpson, ex-wife of O. J. Simpson (born 1959) and Ron Goldman, restaurant employee (born 1968) Nicole Brown Simpson was a German and American woman best known for being the second wife of American professional football player, actor, and media personality O. J. Simpson. She was murdered outside her Los Angeles home, along with her friend Ron Goldman, in 1994. Read more
- 12 Jun 1994: Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Russian-American rabbi and author (born 1902) Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known to adherents of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement as the Lubavitcher Rebbe or simply the Rebbe, was an Orthodox rabbi and the Rebbe of the Lubavitch Hasidic dynasty. He is considered one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century. Read more
- 12 Jun 1994: Philip Vera Cruz, Filipino-American labor leader and farmworker (born 1904) Philip Villamin Vera Cruz was a Filipino American labor leader and farmworker. He helped found the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), which later merged with the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) to become the United Farm Workers (UFW) in 1966. In 1971, he was appointed as the organization’s second vice president, the highest-ranking Filipino American in the union. He wanted his work to cross both ethnic and generational lines. Thus, it included Filipino, Mexican, and Black workers, and he advocated for retirees he found were neglected in the broader movement for racial equality in America. Some of his major projects included chairing efforts to build the Paulo Agbayani Retirement Village, opened in 1974, which housed Filipino farmworkers who had aged out of the labor force and helping organize the Delano Grape Strike. In 1977, Vera Cruz resigned from the UFW. He had grown apart from the president, Cesar Chavez, due to disagreements over the Union's mission and actions. Read more
- 12 Jun 1990: Terence O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, English captain and politician, 4th Prime Minister of Northern Ireland (born 1914) Terence Marne O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of the Maine, PC (NI), was the fourth Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and leader (1963–1969) of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). A moderate unionist who sought to reconcile sectarian divisions in Northern Ireland society and met with his counterpart in the Irish Republic, he was a member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland for the Bannside constituency from 1946 until his resignation in January 1970. Read more
- 12 Jun 1989: Bruce Hamilton, Australian public servant (born 1911) Leslie Bruce Hamilton was an Australian senior public servant and head of the Department of Social Services between 1966 and 1973. Read more
- 12 Jun 1983: Norma Shearer, Canadian-American actress (born 1902) Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated women. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'Neill, and William Shakespeare, and was the first five-time Academy Award acting nominee, was nominated six times in all, and won one for Best Actress for The Divorcee (1930). Read more
- 12 Jun 1982: Ian McKay, English sergeant, Victoria Cross recipient (born 1953) Ian John McKay, VC was a British Army soldier and a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Read more
- 12 Jun 1982: Karl von Frisch, Austrian-German ethologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1886) Karl Ritter von Frisch was a German-Austrian ethologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973, along with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz. Read more
- 12 Jun 1980: Billy Butlin, South African-English businessman, founded the Butlins Company (born 1899) Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne Butlin was an entrepreneur known for British holiday camps. Although holiday camps such as Warner's existed in one form or another before Butlin opened his first in 1936, it was Butlin who turned holiday camps into a multimillion-pound industry and an important aspect of British culture. Read more
- 12 Jun 1980: Masayoshi Ōhira, Japanese politician, 68th Prime minister of Japan (born 1910) Masayoshi Ōhira was a Japanese politician who served as prime minister of Japan from 1978 until his death in 1980. Read more
- 12 Jun 1980: Milburn Stone, American actor (born 1904) Hugh Milburn Stone was an American actor, best known for his role as "Doc" in the Western series Gunsmoke. Read more
- 12 Jun 1978: Guo Moruo, Chinese historian, author, and poet (born 1892) Guo Moruo, courtesy name Dingtang, was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official. A prominent Chinese writer in the May Fourth Movement and later in the Mao era, he was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. The persecution led him to denounce his colleagues and his past work and demand that all of it be burned, an act for which he was labeled "shameless". He regained prominence in the 1970s and is generally well-regarded in modern China. Read more
- 12 Jun 1978: Georg Siimenson, Estonian footballer (born 1912) Georg Siimenson was an Estonian international footballer who scored 13 goals in 42 games for the Estonian national side. Read more
- 12 Jun 1976: Gopinath Kaviraj, Indian philosopher and scholar (born 1887) Gopinath Kaviraj was an Indian Sanskrit scholar, Indologist and philosopher. First appointed in 1914 a librarian, he was the Principal of Government Sanskrit College, Varanasi from 1923 to 1937. He was also the editor of the Sarasvati Bhavana Granthamala during that period. Read more
- 12 Jun 1972: Edmund Wilson, American critic, essayist, and editor (born 1895) Edmund Wilson Jr. was an American writer, literary critic, and journalist. He is widely regarded as one of the most important literary critics of the 20th century. Wilson began his career as a journalist, writing for publications such as Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. He helped to edit The New Republic, served as chief book critic for The New Yorker, and was a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books. Read more
- 12 Jun 1972: Dinanath Gopal Tendulkar, Indian writer and documentary filmmaker (born 1909) Dinanath Gopal Tendulkar (1909–1972) was an Indian writer and documentary film maker. He is most well known as the author of an eight-volume biography of Mahatma Gandhi, titled Mahatma: Life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was also a close associate of Vithalbhai Jhaveri and collaborated for the documentary film, Mahatma: Life of Gandhi, 1869–1948. He died on Monday, June 12, 1972. Read more
- 12 Jun 1969: Aleksandr Deyneka, Ukrainian-Russian painter and sculptor (born 1899) Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Deyneka was a Soviet painter, graphic artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the most important Russian modernist figurative painters of the first half of the 20th century. His Collective Farmer on a Bicycle (1935) has been described as exemplifying the socialist realist style. Read more
- 12 Jun 1968: Herbert Read, English poet and critic (born 1893) Sir Herbert Edward Read, was an English art historian, poet, literary critic and philosopher, best known for numerous books on art, which included influential volumes on the role of art in education. Read was co-founder of the Institute of Contemporary Arts. As well as being a prominent English anarchist, he was one of the earliest English writers to take notice of existentialism. He was co-editor with Michael Fordham and Gerhard Adler of the British edition in English of The Collected Works of C. G. Jung. Read more
- 12 Jun 1966: Hermann Scherchen, German viola player and conductor (born 1891) Hermann Scherchen was a German conductor, who was principal conductor of the city orchestra of Winterthur from 1922 to 1950. He promoted contemporary music, beginning with Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, followed by works by Richard Strauss, Anton Webern, Alban Berg, Edgard Varèse, later Iannis Xenakis, Luigi Nono and Leon Schidlowsky. He usually conducted without using a baton. Read more
- 12 Jun 1963: Medgar Evers, American soldier and activist (born 1925) Medgar Wiley Evers was an American civil rights activist who was the NAACP's first field secretary in Mississippi. A United States Army veteran who served in World War II, he was engaged in efforts to overturn racial segregation at the University of Mississippi, end the segregation of public facilities, and expand opportunities for African Americans, including the enforcement of voting rights prior to his assassination. Read more
- 12 Jun 1962: John Ireland, English composer and educator (born 1879) John Nicholson Ireland was an English composer and teacher of music. The majority of his output consists of piano miniatures and of songs with piano. His best-known works include the short instrumental or orchestral work "The Holy Boy", a setting of the poem "Sea-Fever" by John Masefield, a formerly much-played Piano Concerto, the hymn tune Love Unknown and the choral motet "Greater Love Hath No Man". Read more
- 12 Jun 1957: Jimmy Dorsey, American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader (The Dorsey Brothers and The California Ramblers) (born 1904) James Francis Dorsey was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards "I'm Glad There Is You " and "It's the Dreamer in Me". His other major recordings were "Tailspin", "John Silver", "So Many Times", "Amapola", "Brazil ", "Pennies from Heaven" with Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and Frances Langford, "Grand Central Getaway", and "So Rare". He played clarinet on the seminal jazz standards "Singin' the Blues" in 1927 and the original 1930 recording of "Georgia on My Mind", which were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more
- 12 Jun 1952: Harry Lawson, Australian politician, 27th Premier of Victoria (born 1875) Sir Harry Sutherland Wightman Lawson KCMG, was an Australian politician who served as Premier of Victoria from 1918 to 1924. He later entered federal politics, serving as a Senator for Victoria from 1929 to 1935, and was briefly a minister in the Lyons government. He was a member of the Nationalist Party until 1931, when it was subsumed into the United Australia Party. Read more
- 12 Jun 1946: Médéric Martin, Canadian politician, mayor of Montreal (born 1869) Médéric Martin was a Canadian politician and long-time Mayor of Montreal. Read more
- 12 Jun 1944: Erich Marcks, German general (born 1891) Erich Marcks was a German general in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He authored the first draft of the operational plan, Operation Draft East, for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, advocating what was later known as A–A line as the goal for the Wehrmacht to achieve, within nine to seventeen weeks. Marcks studied philosophy in Freiburg in 1909. Read more
- 12 Jun 1937: Mikhail Tukhachevsky, Russian general (born 1893) Mikhail Nikolayevich Tukhachevsky, nicknamed the Red Napoleon, was a Soviet general who was prominent between 1918 and 1937 as a military officer and theoretician. He was later executed during the Moscow trials of 1936–1938. Read more
- 12 Jun 1932: Theo Heemskerk, Dutch lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1852) Theodorus Heemskerk was a Dutch politician of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 12 February 1908 until 29 August 1913. Read more
- 12 Jun 1917: Teresa Carreño, Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter, pianist, and conductor (born 1853) María Teresa Gertrudis de Jesús Carreño García was a Venezuelan pianist, composer, soprano, and conductor. Over the course of her 54-year concert career, she became an internationally renowned virtuoso pianist and was often referred to as the "Valkyrie of the Piano". Carreño was an early adopter of the works of one of her students, American composer and pianist Edward MacDowell (1860–1908) and premiered several of his compositions across the globe. She also frequently performed the works of Norwegian composer and pianist Edvard Grieg (1843–1907). Carreño composed approximately 75 works for solo piano, voice and piano, choir and orchestra, and instrumental ensemble. Several composers dedicated their compositions to Carreño, including Amy Beach and Edward MacDowell. Read more
- 12 Jun 1912: Frédéric Passy, French economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1822) Frédéric Passy was a French economist and pacifist who was a founding member of several peace societies and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He was also an author and politician, sitting in the Chamber of Deputies from 1881 until 1889. He was a joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 for his work in the European peace movement. Read more
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12 Jun 1904: Camille of Renesse-Breidbach (born 1836)
Camille Maximilien Frédéric, Count de Renesse-Breidbach was a Belgian nobleman, entrepreneur and author. Read more - 12 Jun 1900: Lucretia Peabody Hale, American journalist and author (born 1820) Lucretia Peabody Hale was an American writer and editor, best known for her humorous The Peterkin Papers stories. Read more
- 12 Jun 1841: Konstantinos Nikolopoulos, Greek composer, archaeologist, and philologist (born 1786) Konstantinos Agathophron Nikolopoulos was a Greek composer, philologist and colleague of Adamantios Korais. Read more
- 12 Jun 1818: Egwale Seyon, Ethiopian emperor Egwale Seyon, throne name Newaya Sagad, was Emperor of Ethiopia from June 1801 to 12 June 1818, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the son of Hezqeyas. Read more
- 12 Jun 1816: Pierre Augereau, French general (born 1757) Charles-Pierre-François Augereau, duc de Castiglione was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. After serving in the Revolutionary Wars, he earned rapid promotion while fighting against Spain and soon found himself as a division commander under Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy. He fought in all of Bonaparte's battles of 1796 with great distinction. During the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon entrusted Augereau with important commands. He distinguished himself as a corps commander at Jena, although at Eylau he led a charge into a snowstorm that proved disastrous. His life ended under a cloud because of his poor timing in switching sides between Napoleon and Louis XVIII. Napoleon wrote of Augereau that he "has plenty of character, courage, firmness, activity; is inured to war; is well liked by the soldiery; is fortunate in his operations". Augereau is generally counted as one of the most capable generals of the Napoleonic Wars. Read more
Why is 12 June Important in World History?
Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 12 June, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happened on 12 June in World history?
On 12 June, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.
Is History of Today important for competitive exams?
Yes, History of Today is frequently asked in UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, and State PSC exams as part of static GK and current awareness sections.