127 things happened on 12 July, from AD 70 to 2026. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
King Æthelstan of England secured the submission of four northern rulers: Constantine II of Scotland, Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, Ealdred I of Bamburgh, and Owain ap Dyfnwal of Strathclyde, leading to seven years of peace.
UK story
King Henry VIII of England marries his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.
UK story
Battle of Aughrim (Julian calendar): The decisive victory of William III of England's forces in Ireland.
UK story
French Revolutionary Wars: A squadron of British ships of the line defeated a larger squadron of Spanish and French vessels in the Strait of Gibraltar.
UK story
The English rock band the Rolling Stones (pictured) played their first concert at the Marquee Club in London.
The armies of Titus attack the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Three days later they breach the walls, which enables the army to destroy the Second Temple.
Leo V the Armenian is crowned as Byzantine Emperor after he successfully forced previous emperor Michael I Rangabe to abdicate the previous day.
Third Crusade: Saladin's garrison surrenders to Philip Augustus, ending the two-year siege of Acre.
Pope Benedict XII issues the papal bull Fulgens sicut stella matutina to reform the Cistercian Order.
The Ottomans capture Euboea.
Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle, one of the best-documented early printed books, is published.
Lê Cung Hoàng cedes the throne to Mạc Đăng Dung, ending the Lê dynasty and starting the Mạc dynasty.
Saint Basil's Cathedral (pictured), located in Red Square, Moscow, was consecrated.
Mughal Empire annexes Bengal after defeating the Bengal Sultanate at the Battle of Rajmahal.
The Ostrog Bible, one of the early printed Bibles in a Slavic language, is published.
In response to the dismissal of the French finance minister Jacques Necker, the radical journalist Camille Desmoulins gives a speech which results in the storming of the Bastille two days later.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is passed in France by the National Constituent Assembly.
Ranjit Singh conquers Lahore and becomes Maharaja of the Punjab (Sikh Empire).
At the insistence of Napoleon, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg and thirteen minor principalities leave the Holy Roman Empire and form the Confederation of the Rhine.
The American Army of the Northwest briefly occupies the Upper Canadian settlement at what is now at Windsor, Ontario.
The Medal of Honor is authorized by the United States Congress.
Second Balkan War: The Serbian Army began the Siege of Vidin, which they abandoned six days later when an armistice between the Serbs and Bulgarians was signed.
The Second Revolution breaks out against the Beiyang government, as Li Liejun proclaims Jiangxi independent from the Republic of China.
First World War: Second Lieutenant Kléber Dupuy defeated a German attack on Fort Souville at a key moment of the Battle of Verdun.
The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty was signed, with Soviet Russia agreeing to recognize an independent Lithuania.
World War II: German and Soviet forces engaged each other at the Battle of Prokhorovka (tanks pictured), one of the largest tank battles in military history.
Orlyonok, the main Young Pioneer camp of the Russian SFSR, is founded.
The Australian Aboriginal flag is flown for the first time.
A fire destroys the entire sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the United States.
São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal.
The island nation of Kiribati becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
Hayao Miyazaki's animated film Princess Mononoke is released, becoming the highest-grossing film in Japan for a few months.
France defeated the defending champions Brazil 3–0 to win their first FIFA World Cup title.
Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-104, carrying the Quest Joint Airlock to the International Space Station.
Two U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters (pictured) conducted a series of air-to-ground attacks in Baghdad.
An edit on the page of the coati nicknamed it the Brazilian aardvark, in which multiple news channels followed in pursuit.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “The English rock band the Rolling Stones played their first concert at the”?
B: 1962. 1962 — that’s 64 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “King Æthelstan of England secured the submission of four northern rulers”?
B: AD 927. AD 927 — that’s 1,099 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: King Æthelstan of England secured the submission of four northern rulers. AD 927: King Æthelstan of England secured the submission of four northern rulers · 1962: The English rock band the Rolling Stones played their first concert at the · 1801: French Revolutionary Wars: A squadron of British ships of the line defeated a Find it on the page
“French Revolutionary Wars: A squadron of British ships of the line defeated a” happened in 1801. How many years ago was that?
B: 225 years. 2026 − 1801 = 225. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 12 July.
Well-known people who died on 12 July.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 12 July somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “July 12” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.