A Day in the Past

On this day: 12 August

125 things happened on 12 August, from 30 BC to 2021. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

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In the UK 3

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 27

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “World War I: France, the United Kingdom and the British Empire declare war on”?

    1. 1919
    2. 1989
    3. 1914
    Show the answer

    C: 1914. 1914 — that’s 112 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Joseph Lister, British surgeon and scientist, performs the first antiseptic”?

    1. 1988
    2. 1865
    3. 1914
    Show the answer

    B: 1865. 1865 — that’s 161 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires re-takes the city of Buenos
    2. World War I: France, the United Kingdom and the British Empire declare war on
    3. Joseph Lister, British surgeon and scientist, performs the first antiseptic
    Show the answer

    A: Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires re-takes the city of Buenos. 1806: Santiago de Liniers, 1st Count of Buenos Aires re-takes the city of Buenos · 1914: World War I: France, the United Kingdom and the British Empire declare war on · 1865: Joseph Lister, British surgeon and scientist, performs the first antiseptic Find it on the page

  4. “George IV” happened in 1762. How many years ago was that?

    1. 274 years
    2. 264 years
    3. 254 years
    Show the answer

    B: 264 years. 2026 − 1762 = 264. Find it on the page

Born on this day 34

Famous people whose birthday is 12 August.

Remembering 22

Well-known people who died on 12 August.

Special days 15

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 12 August somewhere in the world.

For older readers 24 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

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.

Where these facts come from

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 “August 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.