Some of the significant events which took place on August 12 taken from the leaf of History:

1121- Battle of Didgori: the Georgian army under King David the Builder wins a decisive victory over the famous Seljuk commander Ilghazi.

1480- Battle of Otranto – Ottoman troops behead 800 Christians for refusing to convert to Islam.

1851- American inventor Isaac Singer patents the sewing machine.

1908 Henry Ford’s company builds the first Model T car.

1927- “Wings”, one of only two silent films – the other being The Artist in 2011 – to win an Oscar for best picture, opens starring Clara Bow (Outstanding Picture 1929).

1981 – IBM Releases Its First Personal Computer: IBM released its first PC, or personal computer, the IBM 5150 which sold for around $1,600 as a basic config but to get a fully working PC with with 64 kb of RAM and a single 5 1/4 inch floppy drive and monitor cost $3,005.

1901 – Italy Signor Crispi: Signor Crispi, a prominent Italian politician, whose career was full of turbulence and hints of scandal died in Naples with his family and close friends in attendance. He was to have a large, public funeral and his memoirs were to be published. Crispi had been elected as prime minister of Italy twice. However, allegations of bank fraud and the selling of military medals surrounded him.

1921 – U.S.A. Buck Jones: Buck Jones was a famous horse trainer, cowboy, and movie heart-throb who read Alexander Dumas and Charles Dickens books to prepare him for his romantic roles. Jones frequently starred as an often-spurned, but still determined lover on the big screen.

1930 – U.S.A. Al Capone: In Chicago, Al Capone’s liquor business and headquarters was to be stormed by police on orders from Judge H. Lyle. Also, one of Capone’s kingpins, Jack Zuta was gunned down by the law in Wisconsin at a summer resort.

1944 – England Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr: Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr the older brother of the future president of the United States President John F. Kennedy is killed with his co-pilot when 21,170 pounds of Torpex explosive in their aircraft explodes over England during World War II.

1947 – U.S.A. Trygve Lie: Trygve Lie, secretary of the U.N., claimed that the split between the Soviet Union and the U.S. was the culprit for the world’s economic crisis and predicted that World War III was festering and ready to break out. Lie claimed that the global economy was worse than the year before.

1955 – Minimum Hourly Wage $1.00 per Hour: The minimum hourly wage is raised in the United States from 75 cents per hour to $1.00 per hour (for a 40 hr. week this would provide about $2,000 PER YEAR).

1959 – U.S.A. Clark Gable Affair: In Hollywood the editor of “Confidential” magazine tattled that actor Clark Gable was having a love affair with brunette, Francase DeScaffe, former wife of actor Bruce Cabot. DeScaffe was found by a court to be guilty of complicity with “Confidential” magazine which was spreading scandalous rumors about the Hollywood stars private lives. After hearing the verdict, DeScaffe slashed her wrists and refused extradition to the States.

1964 – South Africa Barred from the Olympic Games: Following the IOC conditions including dismantling its Apartheid Policies which South Africa refuses them are barred from the Olympic Games in Tokyo. South Africa was not allowed back into the Olympics in 1992 after 28 years suspension.

1976 – U.S.A. “Political Hot Air”: Four young people were looking to turn a profit at the Republican National Convention in Kansas City. They spent $1,904 for 1,500 cans of “political hot air”. The cans were patriotic red, white, and blue, with a picture of Washington on them. The labels read, “Hold hot air six inches away from scandal and spray for two seconds. Hot air will immediately begin a cover-up and will also mask any unpleasant stink. If an irritation develops, discontinue use and consult your lawyer.” The joke cans were selling for $2.00 each.

1984 – An Annapolis, MD man found a four inch lobster in his swimming pool after torrential rain fell. George Messe figures that a water spout must have occurred and thrown the crustacean there.

1985 – Japan Plane Crash 12th August: A Japan Airlines Boeing 747 Flight 123 crashed into Mount Osutaka 32 minutes after takeoff with the loss of 505 passengers and 15 crew members.

1990 – U.S.A. Tyrannosaurus Rex / Sue: The skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex is discovered in Cheyenne River Indian Reservation, South Dakota, It turns out to be one of the most complete skeletons of T-Rex ever found and is named after Sue Hendrickson, the paleontologist who found her. Sue (T-Rex) can now be seen at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois.

1997 – U.S.A. Line Item Veto: President Clinton made history by using his line-item veto power. His veto nixed financial help to farmers, American financial firms, overseas military spending, and New York State. Clinton’s veto may be overturned later and the Supreme Court will have to decide whether or not a president should have this kind of power.

2000 – Russia K-141 Kursk Submarine: The Russian Oscar-II class nuclear submarine K-141 Kursk and its 118-man crew were lost during naval exercises in the Barents Sea, the cause was believed to have been an explosion on board the submarine which caused the sub to sink to the ocean depths.

2004 – U.S.A. Storm Eye Institute: Storm Eye Institute in Charleston, Carolina is touted as the top ophthalmology center in America, even outranking Harvard. It was started in 1961from a huge monetary donation from Mrs. Albert Florens Storm. The Institute has excellent research and clinical facilities for patients who have eye diseases.

2004 – The continued debate over the use of therapeutic cloning for stem cell research continues to gather pace both in America and other countries of the world. Many believe that the research will lead to medical breakthroughs in Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Many believe that the research raises serious questions of ‘ethics’ and embryos have rights to life which is a gift from God not from a scientist in a lab.

2006 – Norwich Provides Free WiFi: Norwich in the UK is piloting a scheme the first in the country to provide free WiFi access in three quarters of the city. The scheme involves more than 200 antennas so far around the city, mainly on lampposts, with more being added all the time to provide blanket Wi-Fi coverage.

2007 – Hungary 8 Million Year Old Forest: Archaeologists discovered an eight million year old cypress forest in Hungary. Sixteen preserved tree trunks were found in an open coal mine in Bukkabrany. Scientists hoped that studying these specimens could provide insight into the ancient climate in which they lived.

2009 – Wild Salmon in Seine River: The Seine River in France has wild salmon fish returning to the river for the first time in nearly one hundred years. The fish returned after an effort to clean up pollution in the river since 1995.

2011 – Passenger Train Derails Injuring Many: One person died and forty others were injured after a passenger train derailed in central Poland. A total of three carriages came off the tracks but the cause of the derailment was unclear.

2012 – The US men’s basketball team won over Spain in the final at the London Olympics. This was the 14th gold medal won by the USA men’s team and they beat Spain in a close game with a score of 107 to 100.

2013 – Netherlands Prince Friso Dies: Forty-four year old Prince Friso of the Netherlands died after spending a year and a half in a coma. Prince Friso died after complications following a brain injury he sustained while at an Austrian ski resort. He had been buried by an avalanche for fifteen minutes in February of 2012.