12 August History
- 1099 - At the Battle of Ascalon 1,000 Crusaders, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, route an Egyptian relief column heading for Jerusalem, which had already fallen to the Crusaders.
- 1687 - At the Battle of Mohacs, Hungary, Charles of Lorraine defeats the Turks.
- 1762 - The British capture Cuba from Spain after a two month siege.
- 1791 - Black slaves on the island of Santo Domingo rise up against their white masters.
- 1812 - British commander the Duke of Wellington occupies Madrid, Spain, forcing out Joseph Bonaparte.
- 1863 - Confederate raider William Quantrill leads a massacre of 150 men and boys in Lawrence, Kansas.
- 1864 - After a week of heavy raiding, the Confederate cruiser Tallahassee claims six Union ships captured.
- 1896 - Gold is discovered near Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada. After word reaches the United States in June of 1897, thousands of Americans head to the Klondike to seek their fortunes.
- 1898 - The Spanish American War officially ends after three months and 22 days of hostilities.
- 1908 - Henry Ford's first Model T rolls off the assembly line.
- 1922 - The home of Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C. is dedicated as a memorial.
- 1935 - President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Bill.
- 1941 - French Marshal Henri Philippe Petain announces full French collaboration with Nazi Germany.
- 1961 - The erection of the Berlin Wall begins, preventing access between East and West Germany.
- 1969 - American installations at Quan-Loi, Vietnam, come under Viet Cong attack.
- 1972 - As U.S. troops leave Vietnam, B-52's make their largest strike of the war.
- 1977 - Steven Biko, leader of the black consciousness movement in South Africa, is arrested.
- 1992 - The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is concluded between the United States, Canada and Mexico, creating the world's wealthiest trade bloc.
12 August Birthdays
- 1762 - George IV, named Prince Regent in 1810 when his father, George III, is declared insane.
- 1774 - Robert Southey, English poet laureate (1813-1843).
- 1781 - Robert Mills, architect and engineer whose designs include the Washington Monument, the National Portrait Gallery and the U.S. Treasury Building.
- 1859 - Katherine Bates, composer of "America the Beautiful."
- 1881 - Cecil B. DeMille, American film director, producer and screenwriter, famous for epic productions.
- 1889 - Zerna Sharp, creator of the "Dick and Jane" reading books.
- 1911 - Cantinflas, Mexican circus clown, acrobat and actor.