What Happened On
First Major Computer Spam
April 12, 1994
Laurence Canter and Martha Siegel, a husband and wife team of lawyers, begin advertising immigration law services using bulk Usenet posting. This has become known as the "Green Card spam," after the subject line of the postings. "Green Card Lottery - Final One?" They sent their advertisement to over 5,500 Usenet discussion groups and instead of cross-posting a single copy of the message to multiple groups, so a reader would only see it once, they posted it as a separate posting in each newsgroup, so a reader would see it in each group they read. Their internet service provider was so overwhelmed with complaints that its mail servers crashed repeatedly for the next two days. They posted another advertisement to 1,000 newsgroups the following June 1994. They claim to have gained 1,000 new clients and made between $100,000 to $200,000 off the ads.
In 1997, Canter was disbarred, in part for alleged illegal advertising practices.
Note: The first computer spam, on a much smaller scale, was sent in 1978.
Discovery crew - Garn (back row, right)
Discovery crew - Garn (back row, right)
First U.S. Public Official in Space
April 12, 1985
U.S. Senator Jake Garn (R-Utah) is launched into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery as a member of its seven-man crew. During his space flight, he was the subject of medical experiments on space motion sickness. He experienced such severe space sickness that a scale for space sickness was jokingly based on him - with "one Garn" equal to the highest possible level of space sickness.
Also on this mission, astronauts tested the physics of many different children's toys in space, beginning the International Toys in Space project.
Life Imitates Art - Dead Man's Curve
April 12, 1966
Life imitates art when Jan Berry, of Jan and Dean, crashes his Corvette Stingray into a parked truck while rounding a curve, eerily reminiscent of their hit song from two years earlier, Dead Man's Curve in which the singer is racing his Corvette Stingray against a Jaguar that crashes on Dead Man's Curve. The real crash occurred just a short distance from the curve memorialized in their song. Jan suffered brain damage and partial paralysis. He had minimal use of his right arm, and had to learn to write with his left hand.
First Man In Space
April 12, 1961
Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth aboard the Soviet Vostok 1. The craft orbited the Earth for 108 minutes, making Gagarin also the first human to orbit the Earth. Gagarin's response of "Let's go!", shortly before launch, became a phrase in the Eastern Bloc referring to the beginning of the Space Age.
For his accomplishments, he was awarded Hero of the Soviet Union. This was his only spaceflight.
Rock Around the Clock
April 12, 1954
Bill Haley & His Comets record their rock 'n' roll classic Rock Around the Clock. It was recorded as the B-side of the soon forgotten Thirteen Women.
The Great Locomotive Chase
April 12, 1862
Six Union soldiers steal a passenger train and take it from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee damaging the railway tracks, bridges, and telegraph lines along the way. They were pursued by Confederate troops, first on foot, then by handcar, and eventually by train. The raiders eventually ran out of wood for the steam engine and had to abandon the train, where they tried to escape on foot. The leader of the raid, civilian scout James J. Andrews, and his men were eventually captured. Eight of the men, including Andrews, were hanged. Six of the soldiers became the first to receive the U.S. Medal of Honor. However, Andrews was not eligible since he was a civilian.
The raid became known as "The Great Locomotive Chase" and was made into a 1956 Disney film of the same name.
Confederate flag flying over Fort Sumter
Confederate flag flying over Fort Sumter
Civil War Begins
April 12, 1861
The American Civil War begins when the Confederacy fires upon Fort Sumter, South Carolina. Confederate batteries fired on the fort for 34 straight hours. The fort fell to Confederate forces the following day.
Forever Stamp
April 12, 2007
The U.S. Post Office issues a nondenominational, non-expiring stamp that always represents the value of a first-class stamp. The first one costs 41¢ and was known as the "Liberty Bell" stamp.
Sonny Bono Elected Mayor
April 12, 1988
Singer Sonny Bono is elected mayor of Palm Springs, California, serving for four years. In 1995, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for California.
First Reusable Spacecraft
April 12, 1981
Columbia, the first ship of the Space Shuttle program is launched. Twenty-two years later in 2003, the ill-fated shuttle would disintegrate upon reentry killing all seven crew members.
Terry Fox
April 12, 1980
Cancer victim Terry Fox begins his run across Canada, raising $23,000,000 for cancer research. His right leg had been amputated due to bone cancer. By September he had made it half way (3,339 miles) before lung cancer forced him to stop.
Salk administering the vaccine
Salk administering the vaccine
Polio Vaccine
April 12, 1955
Dr. Jonas Salk reports the success of the nationwide test of his polio vaccine and receives a license by the National Institutes of Health for its general use.
Before the vaccine, there were about 15,000 cases of paralysis and 1,900 deaths annually from polio in the U.S.
Salk chose to not patent the vaccine in order to maximize its distribution. When asked who owned the patent, Salk replied, "Well, the people I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" It is estimated the patent would have been worth billions had it been patented.
First State to Require a Medical Test for a Marriage License
April 12, 1938
New York's governor approves legislation requiring a blood test in order to get a marriage license. This was done in order to curb the spread of syphilis.
Fastest Surface Wind Ever Recorded
April 12, 1934
Winds with gusts of up to 231 miles per hour are recorded at the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire. Source: Guinness Book of World Records
Civil War - Fort Pillow Massacre
April 12, 1864
Confederate troops attack Fort Pillow in Tennessee killing 231 Union soldiers - a large number of which were black. Accusations that the soldiers were slaughtered after the fort surrendered inflamed the North.
First U.S. Truancy Law
April 12, 1853
New York enacts a $50 ($1,842.31 in today's money) fine for parents of children between the ages of 5 and 15 who miss school.
Birthdays
David Letterman
Born April 12, 1947
American talk show host. His show Late Night with David Letterman (1982-93, host) brought us stupid pet tricks, elevator races, and top-ten lists.
Photo Credit: Christina Lynn Johnson
Photo Credit: Christina Lynn Johnson
Tiny Tim (Herbert Buckingham Khaury)
Born April 12, 1932 d. 1996
American ukulele-playing singer. Music: Tiptoe Through the Tulips (1968). His 1969 marriage to Miss Vicki on the Tonight Show attracted 40 million viewers, a then record for the show. In 1971, they gave birth to a daughter, Tulip Victoria Khuary, but later divorced in 1977.
Tiny Tim died of the results of a heart attack he suffered while performing Tip Toe Through The Tulips on stage.
Evelyn Berezin
Born April 12, 1925 d. 2018
American computer engineer. She developed the world's first true computerized word processor (1969). She founded Redactron Corporation to sell her "Data Secretary" and it was the size of a small refrigerator, had no screen, and the keyboard and printer was an IBM Selectric typewriter.
She also developed the first computerized airline reservations system (1959, United Airlines) and the first computerized banking system.
Henry Clay
Born April 12, 1777 d. 1852
American statesman, "The Great Compromiser." U.S. Secretary of State (1825-29), U.S. Senator (1849-52, 1831-42, 1810-11, 1806-07, Kentucky), U.S. House of Representatives (1823-25, 1815-21, 1813-14, 1811-13, Kentucky). Along with Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun he helped create the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850 to ease tensions between the states regarding slavery. He himself was a slave owner, but freed his slaves in his will.
Shannen Doherty (Shannen Maria Doherty)
Born April 12, 1971 d. 2024
American actress. TV: Little House on the Prairie (1982-83, Jenny Wilder), Beverly Hills 90210 (1990-94, Brenda/Wendy), and Charmed (1998-2001, Prue Halliwell),
David Cassidy
Born April 12, 1950 d. 2017
American singer, actor. David Cassidy played Keith Partridge in TV's The Partridge Family (1970-74). His character's mother on the show was played by his real-life stepmother, Shirley Jones. Along with The Partridge Family, he had a successful solo music career performing for screaming crowds in what became known as "Cassidymania." In an attempt to change his public image in 1972, he appeared nude on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Music: I Think I Love You (1970, #1).
Photo Credit: Thomas Andersen
Photo Credit: Thomas Andersen
John Kay (Joachim Krauledat)
Born April 12, 1944
East German-born musician. Lead singer with Steppenwolf. Music: Born To Be Wild (1968) and Magic Carpet Ride (1968).
Bruce H. Bolinger
Born April 12, 1943
American cartoonist. Creator of the underground comic Stranger in a Strange Land.
Frank Bank
Born April 12, 1942 d. 2013
American actor. TV: Leave It to Beaver (1957-63, Lumpy Rutherford).
Herbie Hancock
Born April 12, 1940
American jazz pianist, Oscar-winning composer. Music: Watermelon Man, Chameleon, and the score for the film Round Midnight (1986, Oscar).
Jane Withers
Born April 12, 1926 d. 2021
American actress. Jane Withers was one of the most popular child actors of the 1930s. At the age of three, she hosted her own children's radio program. Film: Giant (1956). TV: Josephine the Plumber in the Comet cleanser commercials.
Lyman Hall
Born April 12, 1724 d. 1790
American settler, Revolutionary leader, signer of the Declaration of Independence, governor of Georgia (1783).
Deaths
Harvey Ball
Died April 12, 2001 b. 1921
American commercial artist. He created the popular smiley face image in 1963, which has since become an international icon. Ball was hired as a freelance artist by State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, Massachusetts (now Hanover Insurance) to create an image to help improve employee morale. It took him less than 10 minutes to create the smiley face, with the lopsided smile and the eye on the right bigger than the other. The company made 100 pins with the image to pass out to employees. The pins proved popular and more than 50 million smiley face pins were sold by 1971. Ball never trademarked the image and was only paid $45 for his work.
Joe Louis (Joseph Louis Barrow)
Died April 12, 1981 b. 1914
American boxer, "The Brown Bomber," heavyweight champion (1937-49). His title fight against Billy Conn was the first televised heavyweight boxing championship fight.
Photo Credit: FDR Presidential Library & Museum
Photo Credit: FDR Presidential Library & Museum
Franklin D. Roosevelt (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)
Died April 12, 1945 b. 1882
American politician. 32nd U.S. President (1933-45), Governor of New York (1929-33). He died in office, making Vice-President Harry S. Truman president.
At age 39, Roosevelt was struck with paralysis, then diagnosed as poliomyelitis, although many now believe it is more likely he had Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS).
In 1938, Roosevelt founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, now known as the March of Dimes. The organization supported the work of Jonas Salk and others that led to the development of polio vaccines.
Georgia Engel
Died April 12, 2019 b. 1948
American actress. TV: The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1972-77, Ted's wife Georgette) and Everybody Loves Raymond (2003-05, Pat MacDougall).
Marilyn Chambers (Marilyn Ann Briggs)
Died April 12, 2009 b. 1952
American porn star. Film: Behind the Green Door (1972). She was the teenage mother on the Ivory Snow soap box. She also did spots for Pepsi and Clairol, had a minor role in The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), and was a Junior Olympics diver and gymnast.
Sugar Ray Robinson (Walker Smith Jr.)
Died April 12, 1989 b. 1921
American welterweight boxing champion and five-time world middleweight champion.
Herbert Mills
Died April 12, 1989 b. 1912
American singer, with the Mills Brothers, the most popular vocal group of all time.
Abbie Hoffman (Abbott Hoffman)
Died April 12, 1989 b. 1936
American political activist of the 1960s and leader of the Yippie (Youth International Party) movement. Hoffman was initially convicted of conspiracy and inciting to riot as a result of his role in the protests leading to violent confrontations with police during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. He was tried as part of the group known as the "Chicago Seven." Their convictions were overturned on appeal.
At Woodstock (1969), Hoffman interrupted a performance by The Who, with Pete Townshend yelling at him to "f#@k off! f#@k off my stage!" and chasing him with his guitar. In his book Woodstock Nation (1971), Hoffman says he was on a bad LSD trip at the time.
Hoffman's 1971 book Steal This Book exemplified the counterculture of the sixties and encouraged people to fight against the government and against corporations in any way possible. The book was rejected by over 30 publishers and Hoffman had to publish it himself, becoming an instant best seller and sold than a quarter of a million copies between April and November 1971.
Josephine Baker
Died April 12, 1975 b. 1906
American-born French singer, actress. At the height of her career she was the highest-paid European entertainer.
Mother of the Red Cross
Clara Barton
Died April 12, 1912 b. 1821
American nurse, philanthropist, Mother of the Red Cross. Known as the "Angel of the Battlefield", for her actions on the battlefield during the American Civil War. In 1864, Union General Benjamin Butler appointed her the "lady in charge" of the hospitals at the front of the Army of the James.
After the Civil War, she ran the Office of Missing Soldiers whose purpose was to find or identify soldiers killed or missing in action. Barton and her assistants wrote 41,855 replies to inquiries and helped locate more than twenty-two thousand missing men. Barton spent the summer of 1865 helping find, identify, and properly bury 13,000 individuals who died in the Andersonville Confederate prisoner-of-war camp in Georgia.
She helped organize and was the first president of the American Red Cross (1881).
Boss Tweed (William Magear Tweed)
Died April 12, 1878 b. 1823
American politician, boss of Tammany Hall. It is estimated he stole between $30 and $200 million from New York City. He was portrayed in the film Gangs of New York (2002).
Saint Julius I
Died April 12, 352 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 35th Pope (337-352).