April 12th is Walk On Your Wild Side Day and Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day.
We are now on the 102nd day of the year, congratulations for making it this far into 2023. There are 263 days left until next year.
You may not think this day in April would be a particularly eventful one, but you’d be very wrong! April 12th has played an important role in history, and we’re here to tell you why, how & when!
Did you know that on this day in 1961, the first human visited space? Yuri Gagarin of the USSR completed a 108 minute orbital flight in a Vostok 1 Spacecraft.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about April 12th in history!
What Events Happened On April 12 In History?
2016 Project Starshot was announced by Yuri Milner, Stephen Hawking, and Mark Zuckerberg.
The Starshot is a $100 million project to send a probe on a 20-year journey to Alpha Centauri.
2015 Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for US President.
2009 The Zimbabwean dollar was suspended indefinitely.
When the Zimbabwean dollar was introduced in 1980, it was on equal par with the US dollar. However, by 2009 it had to be redenominated three times due to hyperinflation. But, this wasn't enough to stop the dollar from losing its value and being abandoned for more stable foreign currencies. Banknotes worth one hundred trillion Zimbabwean dollars were being circulated at their worst point.
1990 The “Twentieth Century Dinosaurs” exhibit opened at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History.
The sculptor of the exhibition, Jim Gary, is the only sculptor ever invited to present a solo exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
1981 The first Space Shuttle mission was launched.
The Columbia Space Shuttle launched under Mission STS-1 and carried a crew of two astronauts. Several delays and setbacks caused the flight to coincidentally take place on the 20th anniversary of the first crewed space flight.
1961 The world’s first person visited space.
Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet cosmonaut and, on this day, became the first person to ever go into space aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
Read More1955 Jonas Salk’s Polio vaccine tested by Jonas Salk was given final approval by the US Food and Drug Administration.
The USDA formally declared that the vaccine was safe and effective with a 90% success rate.
1954 Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and His Comets was recorded.
It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles for that year.
1951 Israeli Knesset chose April 13 as the official Holocaust Remembrance Day.
1861 The Battle of Fort Sumter in South Carolina between the United States and the Confederate States started the American Civil War.
1633 Cardinal Bellarmine condemned Galileo for stating that the earth revolved around the sun.
Galileo was later convicted of heresy for his belief that the sun was the center of the universe.
1204 Constantinople was captured and plundered by Venetian Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade.
1204 Crusaders from the Fourth Crusade broke through Constantinople’s walls and entered the great city.
Famous People Born On April 12
Are you celebrating your birthday today? If so, did you know that you share the same birthday as Brendon Urie? See what other famous people were born on this day.
1987 Brendon Urie
American Singer
- Age:
- 35 years old
- Born In:
- Utah, USA
1994 Saoirse Ronan
American-Irish Actress
- Age:
- 28 years old
- Born In:
- New York, USA
1947 David Letterman
American TV Host
- Age:
- 75 years old
- Born In:
- Indiana, USA
1947 Tom Clancy
American Novelist
- Died On:
- Oct 1, 2013 (Age 66)
- Born In:
- Maryland, USA
Famous People Who Died On This Day
1882 - 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt was an American president born on January 30, 1882. He died on this day in 1945, at age 63 in Warm Springs, Georgia, USA.
Special Holidays On April 12
If you can spare some time today, here are some unique holidays you could get involved with.
National Walk On Your Wild Side Day
All too often, we find ourselves stuck in the routine and mundane side of life, without any means of escaping it. Today is the perfect opportunity to try and break free from this by being daring and going out of your way to do something different and wild - something totally unexpected!
National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
Cheese is good, sandwiches are good, but combining the two and toasting the results are surely a match made in heaven. So celebrate Grilled Cheese Sandwich day by toasting yourself a gooey grilled cheese and raising a toast to the good things in life.
THe Fact Site's
Fun Fact Of The Day
According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, it is legal to kill Bigfoot if you find it in Texas. It would be considered a non-protected nongame animal.
April 12 Birthday Facts, Zodiac & Birthstone
For those of you who were born on this day, your star sign is Aries.
Fire is the element given to Aries, and those born under this sign harness a burning flame inside them – especially when they become deeply passionate about something.
All those born in April have the Diamond birthstone. Diamonds are associated with benefits such as happier relationships, mental clarity, balance, and prosperity. Did you know that the Ancient Romans believed Cupid’s arrows were tipped with diamonds?
If you were born on April 12, you would likely have been conceived on or around July 20 of the previous year.
A baby conceived on April 12, 2023, will likely be due next year around January 3.
