July 12th in History
This Day in History > July 12th
July 12th in History1389: In England, Geoffrey Chaucer is named chief clerk by Richard II
1862: The United States Medal of Honor is created
1920: Panama Canal opened by American president Woodrow Wilson
1975: Sao Tome and Principe declare independence
1990: Boris Yeltsin resigns from the Soviet Communist Party, spelling the end of communism in Russia
July 12th birthdays
1730: Josiah Wedgwood, English potter
1817: Henry Thoreau, American author
1854: George Eastman, American pioneer in photography
1876: Max Jacob, French poet
1884: Amedeo Modigliani, Italian artist
1895: Buckminster Fuller, American architect
1904: Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet
1917: Andrew Wyeth, American painter