1851 – Isaac Singer was granted a patent for his sewing machine on the 12th August 1851.

1877 – Asaph Hall discovered the 1st Mars moon Deimos on the 12th August 1877. Six days later he discovered the 2nd Mars moon Phobos on August 18th, while deliberately searching for Martian moons.

1881 – Cecil B. DeMille the American director was born on the 12th August 1881 (d. 1959).

1885 ~ Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch the Australian journalist and the father of Rupert Murdoch was born on the 12th August 1885 (died 4th October 1952 aged 67).

1906 – Harry Hopman the Australian tennis player and coach was born on the 12th day of August in 1906 (d. 1985).

1907 ~ Boy Charlton the Australian Olympic gold medal winning freestyle swimmer was born Andrew Murray Charlton in North Sydney on the 12th August 1907 (died 10th December 1975 aged 68). Boy Charlton won a gold medal in the 1500m freestyle at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. He set 5 world records, and also won 3 silver and 1 bronze medal after participating in 3 Olympic Games. He enjoyed a life of solitude upon retiring from his swimming , via starting a pharmacy business in Canberra in 1934. In 1936 he returned to the land near Tarago, New South Wales raising sheep. He then married in 1937 and settled on a 12,000-acre property near Goulburn. Boy Charlton was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1972. He died in Sydney of a heart attack at the age of 68, after suffering from emphysema after chain smoking most of his life.

YouTube video: The Konrads Swim Champions featuring Boy Charlton (National Film Board 1959) ~ John and Ilsa Konrads were teenage sensations in a golden time for Australian swimming. Here we see them rise through the ranks with the aid of coach Don Talbot and examine their training techniques that led them to achieve multiple world records. It also shows other earlier champions, including Andrew “Boy” Charlton…

1914 – United Kingdom declared war on Austria-Hungary, on the 12th day of August in 1941, during the start of World War I.

1928 – Charles Blackman the Australian artist was born on the 12th day of August in 1928.

1949 – Mark Knopfler the English singer, songwriter, guitarist from Dire Straits was born on the 12th day of August in 1949.

1958 – Art Kane photographed 57 notable jazz musicians in the black and white group portrait “A Great Day in Harlem” in New York City, on the 12th day of August in 1958.

1960 – Echo 1A, NASA’s first successful communications satellite was launched on the 12th day of August in 1960.

1963 – Sir Mix-a-Lot the American rapper and producer was born on the 12th day of August in 1963.

1964 – South Africa was banned from the Olympic Games due to the country’s racist policies, on the 12th day of August in 1964.

1971 – Pete Sampras the American tennis player was born on the 12th day of August in 1971.

1974 ~ Karl Stefanovic the Australian Gold Logie-winning television presenter was born on the 12th day of August in 1974. Karl Stefanovic is best known as co-host of the Nine Network‘s breakfast program Today.

1981 – The IBM Personal Computer was released on the 12th day of August in 1981.

1991 ~ Jesinta Campbell the Australian pageant titleholder of Miss Universe Australia 2010 was born on the 12th day of August in 1991. Jesinta Campbell official website: www.jesinta.com.au | Facebook: www.facebook.com/jesinta.campbell | Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JesintaCampbell

2012 ~ The 2012 SUMMER OLYMPiCS CLOSiNG CEREMONY in London, also known as A Symphony of British Music, was held on the 12th day of August in 2012. The worldwide broadcast began at 21:00 BST (UTC+1) with a duration of 3 hours and 11 minutes. The estimated global audience of the 2012 Olympics was 750 million. The ceremony included the handover to Rio de Janeiro, the next host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics. (See the new website for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games: www.Rio2016.org) The Olympic cauldron was extinguished at 1 minute past midnight, to signify the end of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Today in History for August 12th ~ video presented by the Associated Press…