1591 – José Ribera the Spanish painter was born on the 12th January 1591 (died 1652).
1597 – François Duquesnoy the French sculptor was born on the 12th January 1597 (died 1643).
1822 – Étienne Lenoir the French engineer and designor of the Internal combustion engine was born on the 12th January 1822 (died 1900).
1849 – Jean Béraud the French painter was born on the 12th January 1849 (died 1935).
1856 – John Singer Sargent the American painter was born on the 12th January 1856 (died 1925).
1895 – The National Trust was founded in the United Kingdom on the 12th January 1895.
1908 – A long-distance radio message was sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time on the 12th January 1908.
1908 – Clement Hurd the American illustrator was born on the 12th January 1908 (died 1988).
1915 – The Rocky Mountain National Park was formed by an act of U.S. Congress on the 12th January 1915.
1952 – Charles Faulkner the American-English motivational speaker and author was born on the 12th January 1952.
1954 ~ Waldemar Januszczak the British art critic was born on the 12th January 1954.
1959 – The Caves of Nerja were rediscovered in Spain on the 12th January 1959.
1959 – Per Gessle the Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist from Roxette was born on the 12th January 1959.
1962 – Joe Quesada the American writer and illustrator was born on the 12th January 1962.
1964 – Jeff Bezos the American businessman and founder of Amazon.com was born on the 12th January 1964.
1965 – Mark Moore the English DJ from S’Express was born on the 12th January 1956.
1971 – All in the Family premiered on CBS on the 12th January 1971.
1974 – Melanie Chisholm aka Mel C the English singer-songwriter from the Spice Girls was born on the 12th January 1974.
1978 ~ Hannah Gadsby the Australian comedian was born on the 12th January 1978.
1986 – Space Shuttle program: Congressman Bill Nelson lifted off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a Mission Specialist on the 12th January 1986.
1993 ~ Zain Malik the English singer from One Direction was born on the 12th January 1993.
1998 – Nineteen European nations agreed to forbid human cloning on the 12th January 1998.
2004 – The world’s largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, made its maiden voyage on the 12th January 2004.
2005 – Deep Impact launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket on the 12th January 2005.
2007 – Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught) reached perihelion on the 12th January 2007, becoming the brightest comet in more than 40 years.
2010 – The 2010 Haiti earthquake occurred on the 12th January 2010, killing about 316,000 people, and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince.
2011 ~ SABLE the Malamute / Dingo dog, great travel companion and best friend of Anton K. Kressnig died on the 12th January 2011, aged 14.


Today in History for the 12th January video produced by Associated Press Associated Press official website: www.AP.org