What happened on January 12 News and Events on This Day in History
Major News Stories on 12th January include Women's Suffrage Rights Voted Down, USA Decides to Produce Synthetic Rubber, Cigarette Stock Falls After Health Risks Revealed, Great Pyramid Restoration Begins, Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Hits Haiti
U.S. 2003 U.S.A. Maurice Gibb
12th January, 2003 : Maurice Gibb has died from complications following an operation to correct an intestinal blockage. He is best known as part of the group the Bee Gees
Saudi Arabia 2006 Saudi Arabia Islamic hajj pilgrimage
12th January, 2006 : A stampede broke out on the access ramps to the Jamarat Bridge during the Stoning of the Devil which is part of the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, killing 363 people
U.S. 1964 U.S.A. Cigarette Stocks Fall
Jan. 12th, 1964 : Cigarette stock had lowered value during this time, as in other times during which it was made public that cigarettes were a health hazard. The lowering of cigarette stocks actually started in June of 1954, when two doctors had reported that the death rate in certain ages of men who smoke was higher than those who do not.
However, there was a period of time when cigarette stocks rose considerably again. Then, in 1962, they began to plummet again. Tobacco manufacturers responded to the cigarette health hazard in different ways, as well as the drop in stock prices. For example, a new filter-tipped cigarette was introduced during this time, which is what most people smoke today.
U.S. 1915 U.S.A. Women’s Suffrage Bill
Jan. 12th, 1915 : The House of Representatives voted Down the Women’s Suffrage Bill, which would allow women the right to vote. The actual vote count was 204 against and 174 for this bill. Women’s Suffrage leaders such as Ann Howard Shaw and Carrie Chapman Catt stated they would continue to find for the right to cast a ballot. The right to vote was granted to women in 1920.
U.S. 1912 U.S.A. President William Howard Taft
Jan. 12th, 1912 : President William Howard Taft requested a sum of $5 Million Dollars from Congress. The purpose of this money was for the completion of the Panama Canal
U.S. 1924 U.S.A. Fire
Jan. 12th, 1924 : A fire took place at the Virginia Rubber and Tire Company. The total loss that occurred cost about $500,000. Only about 10 percent of the tire stock was saved, and the rest was burned. As of this time it was unclear exactly how much would be covered by insurance.
U.S. 1940 U.S.A. South of the Border
Jan. 12th, 1940 : The Shep Fields Orchestra goes to the top of Billboard’s Pop Chart with their song “South of the Border (Down Mexico Way).”
U.S. 1942 U.S.A. Synthetic Rubber
12th January, 1942 : One of the wartime efforts that has taken place was the decision to create a synthetic rubber. This was an effort that was expected to help the U.S. prevent itself from experiencing any worse economic hardship than it has already because of the war. $4 Million dollars was expected to be used for this government project. This production of rubber was to be primarily used for vehicle tires, which would be produced within the next 18 months. They would be produced for military use, as well as limited civilian use.
U.S. 1942 U.S.A. Labor Disputes
Jan. 12th, 1942 : On this day in 1942, President Roosevelt created a wartime labor board. One of the major responsibilities of this board was to deal with labor disputes during the war. This board was made up of 12 men.
China 1942 China Chinese Offensive
Jan. 12th, 1942 : New Victories Experienced by Chinese Offensive In Chungking, China and surrounding areas, Chinese armies were victorious over Japanese enemy forces. The attacks by the Chinese took place while the Japanese were involved in other wars in the Phillippines, Malaya, and Dutch East.
U.S. 1948 U.S.A. Equal Rights
Jan. 12th, 1948: The Supreme Court ruled that the all white law school at the University of Oklahoma must immediately provide training to black students that is equal to the education given to whites.
Vietnam 1966 U.S.A. Vietnam
Jan. 12th, 1966 : President Lyndon Johnson revealed that he thinks that war troops should stay in Vietnam. He wanted the troops to stay for as long as necessary.
He made this decision despite the controversy surrounding whether or not this was the right decision. Some believed very strongly that President Johnson made the right choice, while others believed it was the wrong choice.
At the time, Lyndon Johnson’s main concern was that China was attempting to take over all of Asia. This would then lead to the spread of communism.
Algeria 1982 Algeria Mark Thatcher
12th January, 1982 : The British Prime Minister's ( Margaret Thatcher ) son has been reported missing in the Sahara desert while taking part in the Paris-Dakar race ( Mark Thatcher, his co-driver and mechanic were discovered safe and well six days later ).
Egypt 1984 Egypt Great Pyramids
Jan. 12th, 1984 : It was a struggle for quite a few years to restore some of the Great Pyramids in Egypt. However, when pyramid restores began to use the method of interlocking blocks as the ancient Egyptians did the project progress quite a bit more smoothly.
The decision to revert back to the historic Egyptian building practices was more than likely inspired by the fact that the modern-day brick-and-mortar method did not hold up against water damage. Therefore, just a few years after the repaired work done on the Sphinx in 1981 new “old methods” of construction were practiced.
U.S. 1991 U.S.A. Iraq
Jan. 12th, 1991 : Congress votes to authorise the use of military force against Iraq to end its occupation of Kuwait.
U.S. 1995 U.S.A. Malcolm X’s daughter
12th January, 1995 : Qubilah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s daughter, was arrested for being a part of a conspiracy to kill King Louis Farrakhan. Shabazz’s defense was that she believed the king was responsible for the killing of her father in 1995.
U.S. 2009 U.S.A. Golden Globes
Jan. 12th, 2009 : Slumdog Millionaire the Mumbai-based movie scoops four Golden Globe awards,
France 2009 France Unrest
Jan. 12th, 2009 : Tensions in France continue to increase, during the weekend protests against Israel's military action in Gaza attracted more than 100,000 people, and the second attack on a synagogue in the last few days by French Hamas supporters further increases tensions.
Haiti 2010 Haiti Huge Earthquake
12th January, 2010 : A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake, strikes Haiti the epicentre is approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world and building codes and standards do not take into account earthquakes. The death toll was estimated to be between 100,000 and 250,000 and because of severe damage to the countries infrastucture humanitarian aid, including rescue and medical teams, engineers and support personnel from around the world was slow being deployed. The scale of damage included 250,000 homes and 30,000 commercial buildings were severely damaged and needed to be demolished. The Haiti earthquake is the 4th deadliest earthquake on record.
China 2010 China Google - China Dispute
Jan. 12th, 2010 : Following a major hacking attempt from hackers based in China which did penetrate thousands of E-Mail accounts Google has announced today it may well pull out of China after discovering what it called a "highly sophisticated and targeted attack" on its corporate infrastructure. Google was not the only foreign company attacked, it appears from research many other companies faced similar attacks. Google and the Chinese government plan to begin talks soon.
Argentina 2011 Argentina Lightning Storm in Argentina Kills Four
Jan. 12th, 2011 : Four people are killed after being struck by a lightning
during a storm near Buenos Aires, Argentina.
North Korea 2012 North Korea
12th January, 2012 : The North Korean government announced that the body of former leader Kim Jong-il would lie in state permanently next to his father Kim Il-sung at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang. The state media also announced the February 16, the former leader's birthday, was to be known as the "Day of the Shining Star".
United States 2013 United States US Government Denies Death Star Petition
Jan. 12th, 2013 : The US government has responded to a petition to build the Death Star and superlaser from the Star Wars movies, providing a humorous response stating that the United States does not support blowing up planets and that the $850 quadrillion price tag was just too high.
Indonesia 2014 Indonesia Mineral Export Ban Begins
12th January, 2014 : Indonesia has introduced a ban on raw mineral exports in a move that was widely debated. The government made some concessions to two of the largest mining companies in the country at the last minute. Proponents of the ban argue that it will help keep more mining profits in the country while opponents argue that it will only cause job loss.
Born This Day In History 12th January
Celebrating Birthday's Today Joe Frazier Born: 12th January 1944 Beaufort, South Carolina,
United States Known For : Joe Frazier is best known as The World Heavyweight Boxing Champion From 1970 when he defeated Jimmy Ellis on February 16th. He then held the title and was undefeated until he met George Foreman when he lost the match and the title on a TKO on January 22, 1973. Possibly his most controversial and most watched matches were against Muhammad Ali.
The first widely called the Fight of the Century at Madison Square Garden on March 8th, 1971 when he beat Ali with a (unanimous) Decision.
The second once again at Madison Square Garden in New York where Ali beat him with a (unanimous) Decision.
The third and final match was at Quezon City, Manilla, the Philippines on October 1st, 1975 widely publicized as the "Thrilla in Manila." which many believe was one of the greatest fights of 20th century boxing with two of the greatest Boxers of the modern ERA. Ali was the winner on a TKO following Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch deciding to stop the fight between rounds. For those lucky enough to have seen the match even if not boxing fans realized that these two great fighters gave their all. This webmaster remembers watching the match on TV live and wondering how ether of them kept going following the beating they received from their opponent.