August 12

2023 Calendar

August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 141 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

Up to 1900

30 BC – Cleopatra VII, Egyptian Queen (born 69 BC)
875 – Louis II of Italy, Holy Roman Emperor
1424 – Yongle Emperor of China (born 1360)
1484 – George of Trebizond, Greek philosopher (born 1395)
1512 – Alessandro Achillini, Italian philosopher (born 1463)
1633 – Jacopo Peri, Italian composer (born 1561)
1648 – Ibrahim I, Ottoman Sultan (born 1615)
1674 – Philippe de Champaigne, French painter (born 1602)
1689 – Pope Innocent XI (born 1611)
1809 – Mikhail Kamensky, Russian field marshal (born 1738)
1827 – William Blake, English poet (born 1757)
1848 – George Stephenson, English engineer (born 1781)
1849 – Albert Gallatin, American politician (born 1761)
1861 – Eliphalet Remington, American inventor and businessman (born 1793)
1891 – James Russell Lowell, American poet and critic (born 1819)
1900 – Wilhelm Steinitz, German chess player (born 1836)
1900 – James Edward Keeler, American astrophysicist (born 1857)

1901 – 2000

1901 – Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, Swedish polar explorer (born 1832)
1901 – Francesco Crispi, Italian politician (born 1819)
1904 – William Renshaw, British tennis player (born 1861)
1914 – John Philip Holland, early submarine designer (born 1840)
1918 – Anna Held, actress and singer (born 1872)
1920 – Louisa Lawson, Australian writer and activist (born 1848)
1920 – Hermann Struve, Baltic German astronomer and mathematician (born 1854)
1921 – Pyotr Boborykin, Russian playwright and journalist (born 1836)
1922 – Arthur Griffith, Irish politician (born 1871)
1923 – Vatrslav Jagić, Croatian philologist (born 1838)
1928 – Leoš Janáček, Czech composer (born 1854)
1934 – Hendrik Petrus Berlage, Dutch architect (born 1856)
1935 – Friedrich Schottky, German mathematician (born 1851)
1936 – Victoria Diez Bustos de Molina, Spanish religious teacher (born 1903)
1941 – Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon, Governor-General of Canada and Viceroy of India (born 1866)
1943 – Bobby Peel, Yorkshire cricketer (born 1857).
1944 – Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., American pilot, brother of John F. Kennedy (born 1915)
1948 – Harry Brearley, inventor of stainless steel (born 1871)
1955 – Thomas Mann, German writer (born 1875)
1955 – James B. Sumner, American chemist (born 1887)
1964 – Ian Fleming, British novelist (born 1908)
1973 – Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss physiologist (born 1881)
1973 – Karl Ziegler, German chemist (born 1898)
1979 – Ernst Boris Chain, German biochemist, won the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1906)
1982 – Henry Fonda, American actor (born 1905)
1982 – Salvador Sanchez, world champion boxer (born 1959)
1985 – Manfred Winkelhock, auto racing driver (born 1951)
1985 – Kyu Sakamoto, Japanese singer (born 1941)
1989 – William Shockley, physicist (born 1910)
1990 – Dorothy Mackaill, English-American actress and singer (born 1903)
1992 – John Cage, American composer (born 1912)
1997 – Luther Allison, American blues musician, guitarist (born 1939)
1999 – Jean Drapeau, Canadian politician, 37th Mayor of Montreal (born 1916)
2000 – Loretta Young, American actress (born 1913)

From 2001

2004 – Godfrey Hounsfield, English engineer and inventor (born 1919)
2007 – Merv Griffin, American television host and game show creator (born 1925)
2007 – Mike Wieringo, American comic book artist (born 1963)
2010 – Isaac Bonewits, American author and activist (born 1949)
2010 – Guido de Marco, President of Malta (born 1931)
2013 – Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau, Dutch royal (born 1968)
2013 – Tompall Glaser, American country music singer (born 1933)
2013 – Vasiliy Mihaylovich Peskov, Russian writer (born 1930)
2013 – David McLetchie, Scottish politician (born 1952)
2014 – Lauren Bacall, American actress (born 1924)
2014 – Abel Laudonio, Argentine boxer and actor (born 1938)
2014 – Arlene Martel, American actress (born 1936)
2015 – Jaakko Hintikka, Finnish philosopher (born 1929)
2015 – Stephen Lewis, English actor (born 1926)
2015 – Meshulim Feish Lowy, Hungarian-Canadian rabbi (born 1921)
2017 – Heather Heyer, American counter-protestor (born 1985)
2017 – Bryan Murray, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1942)
2018 – Samir Amin, Egyptian-French economist (born 1931)
2018 – Kazimiera Utrata, Polish actress (born 1932)
2019 – DJ Arafat, Ivorian DJ and musician (born 1986)
2019 – José Luis Brown, Argentine footballer (born 1956)
2019 – Florin Halagian, Romanian footballer and manager (born 1939)
2019 – Jim Marsh, American basketball player (born 1946)
2019 – Hussein Salem, Egyptian-Spanish businessman (born 1933)
2019 – Jan Simonsen, Norwegian politician (born 1953)

Births

1901 – 1925

1902 – Mohammad Hatta, Vice President of Indonesia (died 1980)
1902 – Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria, Egyptian Coptic Church leader (died 1971)
1903 – Mario Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano, Italian cardinal (died 1988)
1904 – Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia, heir to the throne of Russia (died 1918)
1906 – Harry Hopman, Australian tennis player (died 1985)
1906 – Tedd Pierce, animator (died 1972)
1907 – Benjamin Sheares, 2nd President of Singapore (died 1981)
1907 – Joe Besser, actor, comedian; member of the Three Stooges (died 1988)
1910 – Yusof bin Ishak, first President of Singapore (died 1970)
1910 – Gustav Lantschner, Austrian skier (died 2011)
1910 – Heinrich Sutermeister, Swiss composer (died 1995)
1911 – Cantinflas (Mario Moreno Reyes), Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker (died 1993)
1912 – Feroze Gandhi, Indian politician and journalist (died 1960)
1913 – Richard L. Bare, American film director (died 2015)
1914 – Gerd Buchdahl, German philosopher (died 2001)
1918 – Sid Bernstein, American record producer (died 2013)
1919 – Vikram Sarabhai, Indian physicist (died 1971)
1919 – Margaret Burbidge, English-American astrophysicist
1924 – Hajo Meyer, German-Dutch physicist (died 2014)
1924 – Muhammad Zia ul-Haq, Leader of Pakistan (died 1988)
1924 – Derek Shackleton, English cricketer, coach and umpire (died 2007)
1925 – Norris McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of World Records (died 2004)
1925 – Ross McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of World Records (died 1975)
1925 – Thor Vilhjalmsson, Icelandic writer (died 2011)
1925 – Dale Bumpers, American politician, 38th Governor of Arkansas (died 2016)

1926 – 1950

1926 – John Derek, actor (died 1998)
1927 – Don Shepherd, Welsh cricketer (died 2017)
1928 – Bob Buhl, American Major League Baseball player (died 2001)
1928 – Porter Wagoner, American country and western singer (died 2007)
1929 – Buck Owens, American country and western singer (died 2006)
1930 – George Soros, American businessman
1930 – Jacques Tits, Belgian mathematician
1931 – William Goldman, American screenwriter (died 2018)
1932 – Sirikit, Queen consort of Thailand
1935 – Jan Popluhar, Slovakian footballer (died 2011)
1935 – John Cazale, American actor (died 1978)
1936 – André Kolingba, President of the Central African Republic (died 2010)
1937 – Walter Dean Myers, American author and poet (died 2014)
1939 – George Hamilton, American actor
1939 – Roy Romanow, Canadian politician, 12th Premier of Saskatchewan
1939 – David King, South African chemist and academic
1941 – Dana Ivey, American actress and singer
1942 – Martin Seligman, American psychologist
1945 – Dorothy E. Denning, American computer scientist
1945 – Jean Nouvel, French architect
1946 – Terry Nutkins, English television presenter and author (died 2012)
1947 – Stefano Benni, Italian writer and journalist
1948 – Siddaramaiah, Indian politician, 22nd Chief Minister of Karnataka
1949 – Mark Knopfler, British musician (Dire Straits)
1949 – Terry Oldfield, British musician and composer
1949 – Fernando Collor de Mello, former President of Brazil
1950 – George McGinnis, American basketball player

1951 – 1975

1951 – Andrzej Blumenfeld, Polish actor (died 2017)
1953 – Carlos Mesa, former President of Bolivia
1954 – François Hollande, former President of France
1954 – Sam J. Jones, American actor
1954 – CY Leung, 3rd Chief Executive of Hong Kong
1954 – Pat Metheny, American guitarist
1957 – Amanda Redman, English actress
1960 – Laurent Fignon, French cyclist (died 2010)
1960 – Steven Hartley, English actor
1961 – Roy Hay, English guitarist, keyboardist and composer (Culture Club)
1963 – Koji Kitao, Japanese sumo wrestler
1965 – Peter Krause, American actor, director and producer
1966 – Tobias Ellwood, English politician
1967 – Andrey Plotnikov, Russian race walker
1970 – Alan Brown, Scottish politician
1970 – Toby Perkins, English politician
1971 – Rebecca Gayheart, American actress
1971 – Pete Sampras, American tennis player
1972 – Del the Funky Homosapien, American rapper and producer
1972 – Takanohana Kōji, Japanese sumo wrestler (65th Yokozuna)
1972 – Mark Kinsella, Irish footballer
1973 – Mark Iuliano, Italian footballer
1973 – Richard Reid, alleged Al-Qaida operative; "the shoe bomber"
1973 – Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraqi theologian and political leader
1975 – Casey Affleck, American actor

From 1976

1976 – Wednesday 13, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1976 – Brad Lukowich, Canadian ice hockey player
1976 – Richard McCourt, English comedian and actor
1976 – Henry Tuilagi, Samoan rugby player
1976 – Antoine Walker, American basketball player
1977 – Jesper Gronkjaer, Danish footballer
1979 – Austra Skujyte, Lithuanian athlete
1980 – Royda Demirer, Turkish actress
1981 – Djibril Cissé, French footballer
1982 – Alexandros Tzorvas, Greek footballer
1983 – Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Dutch footballer
1983 – Kana Asumi, Japanese voice actress and singer
1986 – Kateryna Bondarenko, Ukrainian tennis player
1988 – Tyson Fury, English boxer
1988 – Justin Gaston, American singer-songwriter, model and actor
1988 – Leah Pipes, American actress
1989 – Tom Cleverley, English footballer
1990 – Mario Balotelli, Italian footballer
1992 – Cara Delevingne, English model and actress
1993 – Luna, South Korean actress, singer and dancer
1998 – Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greek tennis player

Deaths

Astronomical events and holidays

The Annual Perseid Meteor Shower occurs around this date.
Mother's Day (Thailand)
Glorious Twelfth (United Kingdom)
International Youth Day (United Nations)