July 12 in history — What Happened Today in History

São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal.

A fire destroys the entire sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the United States.

The Australian Aboriginal flag is flown for the first time.

Riots begin in Newark, New Jersey.

Pauline Reade, 16, disappears in Gorton, England, the first victim in the Moors murders.

Indian city Pune floods due to failure of the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, killing at least two thousand people.

ČSA Flight 511 crashes at Casablanca–Anfa Airport in Morocco, killing 72.

Orlyonok, the main Young Pioneer camp of the Russian SFSR, is founded.

Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion orders the expulsion of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla.

World War II: Battle of Kursk: German and Soviet forces engage in the Battle of Prokhorovka, one of the largest armored engagements of all time.

The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty is signed, by which Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of Lithuania.

The Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Kawachi blows up at Shunan, western Honshu, Japan, killing at least 621.

The Bisbee Deportation occurs as vigilantes kidnap and deport nearly 1,300 striking miners and others from Bisbee, Arizona.

Serbian forces begin their siege of the Bulgarian city of Vidin; the siege is later called off when the war ends.

The Second Revolution breaks out against the Beiyang government, as Li Liejun proclaims Jiangxi independent from the Republic of China.

The Medal of Honor is authorized by the United States Congress.

A riot occurs in Woodstock, New Brunswick, between Catholics and members of the Orange Order that results in up to ten deaths.

The American Army of the Northwest briefly occupies the Upper Canadian settlement at what is now at Windsor, Ontario.

At the insistence of Napoleon, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg and thirteen minor principalities leave the Holy Roman Empire and form the Confederation of the Rhine.

British ships inflict heavy damage on Spanish and French ships in the Second Battle of Algeciras.

Ranjit Singh conquers Lahore and becomes Maharaja of the Punjab (Sikh Empire).

The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is passed in France by the National Constituent Assembly.

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.

Captain James Cook begins his third voyage.

Battle of Aughrim (Julian calendar): The decisive victory of William III of England's forces in Ireland.

The Ostrog Bible, one of the early printed Bibles in a Slavic language, is published.

Mughal Empire annexes Bengal after defeating the Bengal Sultanate at the Battle of Rajmahal.

Fray Diego de Landa, acting Bishop of Yucatán, burns the sacred idols and books of the Maya.

Luke Shaw, English footballer

Moses Simon, Nigerian footballer

Jordyn Wieber, American gymnast

Kanako Momota, Japanese singer-songwriter

Jonas Brodin, Swedish ice hockey player

Bartosz Bereszyński, Polish footballer

Luke Berry, English footballer

Pablo Carreño Busta, Spanish tennis player

Salih Dursun, Turkish footballer

James Rodríguez, Colombian footballer

Erik Per Sullivan, American actor

Bebé, Portuguese footballer

Rachel Brosnahan, American actress

D'Army Bailey, American lawyer, judge, and actor (born 1941)

Chenjerai Hove, Zimbabwean journalist, author, and poet (born 1956)

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, Tibetan monk and activist (born 1950)

Cheng Siwei, Chinese engineer, economist, and politician (born 1935)

Jamil Ahmad, Pakistani author (born 1931)

Nestor Basterretxea, Spanish painter and sculptor (born 1924)

Emil Bobu, Romanian politician (born 1927)

Alfred de Grazia, American political scientist and author (born 1919)

Kenneth J. Gray, American soldier and politician (born 1924)

Valeriya Novodvorskaya, Russian journalist and politician (born 1950)

Amar Bose, American businessman, founded the Bose Corporation (born 1929)

Takako Takahashi, Japanese author (born 1932)

Elaine Morgan, Welsh writer (born 1920)