On This Day in History - August 12th - Almanac

Today is Monday, Aug. 12, the 225th day of 2024 with 141 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Saturn and Uranus. Evening stars are Mercury, Neptune, Saturn and Venus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Leo. They include Pope Blessed Innocent XI in 1611; artist Abbott Thayer, credited with noting camouflage in the animal world, in 1849; educator/poet Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote "America the Beautiful," in 1859; filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille in 1881; physicist Erwin Schrodinger in 1887; actor/filmmaker Cantinflas, born Fortino Mario Moreno y Reyes, in 1911; Norris and Ross McWhirter, who founded the Guinness World Records, in 1925; businessman/activist George Soros in 1930 (age 94); writer William Goldman in 1931; former national security adviser John Poindexter in 1936 (age 88); actor George Hamilton in 1939 (age 85); actor Dana Ivey in 1941 (age 83); musician Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) in 1949 (age 75); actor Jim Beaver in 1950 (age 74); writer Ann Martin in 1955 (age 69); actor Bruce Greenwood in 1956 (age 68); musician Roy Hay (Culture Club) in 1961 (age 63); musician Sir Mix-a-Lot, born Anthony Ray, in 1963 (age 61); actor Peter Krause in 1965 (age 59); actor Brent Sexton in 1967 (age 57); actor Rebecca Gayheart in 1971 (age 53); tennis legend Pete Sampras in 1971 (age 53); actor Yvette Nicole Brown in 1971 (age 53); comedian Michael Ian Black in 1971 (age 53); actor Casey Affleck in 1975 (age 49); actor Leah Pipes in 1988 (age 36); actor Lakeith Stanfield in 1991 (age 33); actor/model Cara Delevingne in 1992 (age 32); actor Imani Hakim in 1993 (age 31).

On this date in history:

In 1851, Isaac Singer was granted a patent for his sewing machine. He set up business in Boston with $40 in capital.

In 1898, a peace protocol was signed, ending the Spanish-American War. The United States acquired Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, and annexed Hawaii.

In 1939, The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland had its world premiere in Oconomowoc, Wis.

In 1966, as the Beatles were beginning their last tour, John Lennon apologized for saying they were more popular than Jesus Christ.

In 1973, Jack Nicklaus won the PGA championship for his 14th major title, surpassing Bobby Jones' record of 13. Nicklaus won 18 majors in his career.

In 1981, IBM introduced the first personal computer.

In 1984, the 23rd Olympic Games ended in Los Angeles. It had a record attendance of 5.5 million people despite a Soviet-led boycott.

In 1985, in aviation's worst single-plane disaster, a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 slammed into a mountain in central Japan, killing 520 people. Four passengers survived.

In 1992, President George H.W. Bush announced the completion of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada, creating the world's largest free trade bloc. President Bill Clinton signed the agreement into law on December 8, 1993.

In 2012, officials in Iran said the death toll from two earthquakes that struck the northwestern part of the country rose to 250, with at least 2,000 others injured.

In 2015, a series of powerful explosions rocked the Chinese port city of Tianjin, killing 173 people and injuring hundreds more.

In 2016, swimmer Katie Ledecky became the most decorated U.S. woman athlete at a single Olympics, winning four golds and one silver.

In 2017, a car plowed through a crowd of counterprotesters at a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., killing Heather Heyer. The driver of the vehicle, James Fields Jr., was sentenced to life in prison plus 419 years after pleading guilty to federal hate crime charges.

In 2021, census data showed that the white population in the United States declined for the first time in history.

A thought for the day: "The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story ... The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity." -- Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie