What Happened On
First Rap Song to Hit #1
January 12, 1981
Rapture by the group Blondie is released. It made #1 on on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the first #1 song to feature rap vocals. While it was not the first single featuring rapping to be commercially successful, it was the first to top the charts.
Nobody Beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 Times In a Row
January 12, 1980
After losing 16 matches to Jimmy Connors, Vitas Gerulaitis finally won a match. Commenting on the win, he said, "And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row."
Me and Bobby McGee
January 12, 1971
Janis Joplin's cover of Me and Bobby McGee is posthumously released. It would be her only #1 hit. She died at the age of 27 of a heroin overdose three days after she finished recording it the previous year. Some believe Joplin had been given heroin that was much more potent than normal, as several of her dealer's other customers also overdosed that week.
Released after her death, it became the second posthumously-released song to reach #1 on the U.S. charts, after "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding.
The song was written by Kris Kristofferson and originally performed by Roger Miller.
All in the Family
January 12, 1971
The TV show All in the Family debuts on CBS. It was groundbreaking for handling previously taboo topics such as racism, homosexuality, women's lib, religion, and the Vietnam War.
The episode in which Sammy Davis, Jr. kissed Archie Bunker was for decades considered the longest studio audience laughter of any TV show and became known as "The Kiss Heard Round the World."
First Person Cryogenically Frozen
January 12, 1967
James Bedford's body is frozen after he died of cancer. He currently resides at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation awaiting a time that it might be revived.
Batman
January 12, 1966
The TV show Batman show debuts on ABC. It starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin who protected Gotham City from an array of supervillains, portrayed by such famed actors as Burgess Meredith, Cesar Romero, Julie Newmar, Eartha Kitt, Roddy McDowall, Art Carney, Shelley Winters, Vincent Price, Liberace, Milton Berle, and Zsa Zsa Gabor, among others.
George Barris created and patented the Batmobile.
Vietnam War - Operation Chopper
January 12, 1962
Operation Chopper was the first U.S. participation in major combat in the Vietnam War. U.S. helicopters transport over 1,000 South Vietnamese paratroopers for an assault on a suspected Viet Cong stronghold 10 miles west of Saigon. The Viet Cong were soundly defeated.
The Morning Show
January 12, 1987
The TV show The Morning Show debuts on CBS, with hosts Mariette Hartley and Rolland Smith.
Dynasty
January 12, 1981
The TV show Dynasty debuts on ABC. It revolved around the fictional Carrington family and starred John Forsythe as oil magnate Blake Carrington, Linda Evans as his new wife Krystle, and later Joan Collins as his former wife Alexis.
Dynasty was created to compete with CBS's prime time series Dallas. Although slow to gain an audience at first, by the spring of 1985 it was the #1 show in the United States.
First AFL Team to Win the Super Bowl
January 12, 1969
The New York Jets defeat the Baltimore Colts (16-7). Although first played in 1967, this was the first year this championship was called the "Super Bowl."
First Professional Basketball Player to Score 15,000 Points
January 12, 1960
Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals.
Arthur Godfrey and His Friends
January 12, 1949
The TV show Arthur Godfrey and His Friends debuts on CBS, starring Arthur Godfrey.
First Woman Elected to the U.S. Senate
January 12, 1932
Hattie Wyatt Caraway of Arkansas is elected. She had been serving by appointment as a replacement for her deceased husband since November.
First Steamboat to Travel Down the Mississippi
January 12, 1812
The New Orleans arrives in New Orleans. It had departed from Pittsburgh in September.
First Public Museum in America
January 12, 1773
The first public museum in America, The Charleston Museum in South Carolina, is organized.
Birthdays
Hermann Wilhelm Göring
Born January 12, 1893 d. 1946
German Field Marshal under Adolf Hitler. When sentenced to death for war crimes, he asked to be shot as a soldier instead of hanged as a common criminal, but the court refused. He then committed suicide with a potassium cyanide capsule while in prison.
Coral Castle-The American Stonehenge
Ed Leedskalnin
Born January 12, 1887 d. 1951
Latvian sculptor. He built Coral Castle, working alone and using what he claimed were the lost secrets of the Egyptian pyramid builders. He quarried and sculpted 1,100 short tons (997,903 kg) of oolite limestone to build his castle. He was able to move by himself sections of the wall that were 8 feet tall, 4 feet wide, 3 feet thick, and weighing more than 5.8 tons without the aid of heavy construction equipment.
Originally built in Florida City in the 1920s, he moved the castle to its present location near Homestead, Florida in the 30s.
Leedskalnin's first booklet, a treatise on moral education, was printed on only the left-hand pages, and began with the following preface: "Reader, if for any reason you do not like the things I say in the little book, I left just as much space as I used, so you can write your own opinion opposite it and see if you can do better."
Billy Idol filmed the video Sweet Sixteen at Coral Castle. The song was inspired by Ed's unrequited love for 16-year-old Agnes Scuffs who left him the day before they were to be wed. Ed built the castle for her.
Ray Harroun - 1st Indy 500 Winner and 1911 poster
Ray Harroun - 1st Indy 500 Winner and 1911 poster
Won First Indianapolis 500
Ray Harroun
Born January 12, 1879 d. 1968
American racecar driver. Winner of the first Indianapolis 500 (1911). He won with an average speed of 74.59 mph, finishing in 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 8 seconds. His strategy was to maintain a steady speed of 75 mph, because through testing he found that tires wore out significantly faster at higher speeds. In those days, changing a tire was a time-consuming process. His strategy worked: He only had to change four tires. The second place winner changed 14 tires and finished only 1 minute 43 seconds behind - a time he would have easily made up with less tire changes.
Edmund Burke
Born January 12, 1729 d. 1797
Irish statesman, philosopher. The famous quote: "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing", is generally attributed to him. Although similar ideas are found in his writings, this exact quote is not.
He is widely regarded as the philosophical founder of modern conservatism.
Quote: "The writers against religion, whilst they oppose every system, are wisely careful never to set up any of their own."
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Charles Perrault
Born January 12, 1628 d. 1703
French author. In 1697, he published his now famous versions of popular folk tales, which included: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard, Little Red Riding-Hood, and Puss in Boots.
Vendela (Vendela Kirsebom)
Born January 12, 1967
Norwegian-Swedish model. She was the cover for the 1993 Sports Illustrated swim suit issue. Film: Batman and Robin (1997, Nora Fries).
Howard Stern
Born January 12, 1954
American radio disc jockey, TV personality. He signed a five year, $500 million deal with the satellite radio service Sirius. It also had an additional $225 million stock bonus which he received for attracting a certain number of listeners in a given time.
Photo Credit: Nicolas Shayko
Photo Credit: Nicolas Shayko
Rush Limbaugh (Rush Hudson Limbaugh III)
Born January 12, 1951 d. 2021
American conservative political commentator. His talk radio program, The Rush Limbaugh Show, was the most listened-to talk-radio program in the U.S. Writings: The Way Things Ought to Be and (1992, New York Times Best Seller) and See, I Told You So (1993, New York Times Best Seller).
Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe (left) and as Lt. Saavik
Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe (left) and as Lt. Saavik
Kirstie Alley
Born January 12, 1951 d. 2022
American Emmy-winning actress. Film: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982, Lt. Saavik) and Look Who's Talking (1989). TV: Cheers (1987-93, Rebecca Howe) and Veronica's Closet (1997-2000, Veronica "Ronnie" Chase).
Joe Frazier
Born January 12, 1944 d. 2011
American Hall of Fame heavyweight boxing champion (1970-73) and heavyweight Olympic gold medalist (1964).
James Bond's Golden Girl
Shirley Eaton
Born January 12, 1937
English actress. Eaton played Bond girl Jill Masterson who dies of "skin suffocation" when her entire body is painted gold in the movie Goldfinger (1964). The urban legend that she died filming the scene is of course false.
Ruth Brown
Born January 12, 1928 d. 2006
American Rock & Roll Hall of Fame jazz singer, Tony-winning actress, Queen of R&B. She was Atlantic Records' best-selling artist for the 1950s. Atlantic Records was sometimes referred to as: "The house the Ruth built." Music: 
Teardrops From My Eyes (1950, #1) and (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean (1953, #1).
Bill Burrud
Born January 12, 1925 d. 1990
American TV personality. TV: Animal Safari (host) and Safari to Adventure (host).
Photo Credit: Global Good News
Photo Credit: Global Good News
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Mahesh Srivastava)
Born January 12, 1918 d. 2008
Indian Guru. Founder of Transcendental Meditation (TM) and claimed he could teach people to actually levitate. He claimed to have trained more than 40,000 TM teachers, teaching TM to more than five million people. He was also guru to celebrities such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Doug Henning, among others.
Luise Rainer
Born January 12, 1910 d. 2014
German Oscar-winning actress. Film: The Great Ziegfeld (1936, Oscar, Anna Held) and The Good Earth (1937, Oscar). She was the first actor to win consecutive Oscars (1936, 1937).
Jack London (John Griffith London)
Born January 12, 1876 d. 1916
American author. Writings: The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1905).
Carl Fisher
Born January 12, 1874 d. 1939
American entrepreneur, Mr. Miami Beach. He started what is considered the first automobile dealership in the U.S., helped organize the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and developed Miami Beach. He lost his fortune, an estimated $100 million, in the 1929 stock market crash leaving him penniless.
John Winthrop
Born January 12, 1588 d. 1649
English colonizer. He was the third governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630-34).
Deaths
The Peter Principle
Laurence J. Peter
Died January 12, 1990 b. 1919
Canadian author. Creator of the Peter Principle - "Every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence."
Quote: "Noblest of all dogs is the hot-dog; it feeds the hand that bites it."
Writings: The Peter Principle (1969).
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Died January 12, 1519 b. circa 1475
Spanish explorer. The first European to discover the Pacific Ocean (1513). Balboa's ensuing fame posed a threat to Pedro Arias Dávila, the Spanish governor of Darién, who falsely accused him of treason and had him beheaded.
Bill Hayes (William Foster Hayes III)
Died January 12, 2024 b. 1925
American singer, actor. Music: The Ballad of Davy Crockett (1955, #1). TV: Days of Our Lives (1970-2024, Doug Williams).
Robbie Bachman (Robin Peter Kendall Bachman)
Died January 12, 2023 b. 1953
Canadian drummer, with Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Robbie is credited with designing the BTO 'gear' logo.
Music: Takin' Care of Business (1974) and You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (1974, #1).
Lisa Marie Presley
Died January 12, 2023 b. 1968
American singer-songwriter. Daughter of Elvis Presley and former wife of Michael Jackson. She was the only child of Elvis and actress Priscilla Presley, as well as the sole heir to her father's estate.
She married Michael Jackson in 1994 just 20 days after her divorce from her first husband Danny Keough. She would divorce Jackson in 1996, and be married to actor Nicolas Cage from 2002-2004 and married to music producer Michael Lockwood from 2006-2021.
William Peter Blatty
Died January 12, 2017 b. 1928
American Oscar-winning screenwriter. He wrote the book The Exorcist (1971), which he finished using $10,000 he won on You Bet Your Life. Blatty also wrote the screenplay for the 1973 movie The Exorcist. The novel is loosely based on a 1949 case of demonic possession and exorcism.
(top to bottom) Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb
(top to bottom) Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb
Maurice Gibb
Died January 12, 2003 b. 1949
British-Australian singer, songwriter, with the Bee Gees. Music: Stayin' Alive (1977) and Night Fever (1977, #1).
Marc Davis
Died January 12, 2000 b. 1913
American animator. He is the designer of many Disney characters, such as Snow White (1937), Thumper in Bambi (1942), Cinderella (1950), Tinker Bell (1953), and Cruella De Vil (1961).
Keye Luke
Died January 12, 1991 b. 1904
Chinese-born American actor. Film: Charlie Chan's No. 1 son. TV: Kung Fu (Master Po).
Dame Agatha Christie
Died January 12, 1976 b. 1890
English mystery author. Creator of Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple. Her literary career began when her sister challenged her to write a mystery in which the identity of the culprit couldn't be guessed.
James Hiram Bedford
Died January 12, 1967 b. 1893
American psychology professor. He was the first person cryogenically frozen. His remains currently reside at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation awaiting a time that they might be revived.
Howard Atwood Kelly
Died January 12, 1943 b. 1858
American surgeon, gynecologist. He developed the open cystoscope, used to introduce light into the interior of the body, and was a pioneer in use of radium to treat cancer.
Hermann Minkowski
Died January 12, 1909 b. 1864
Russian mathematician. In 1907, he laid the mathematical foundation for Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity.
Maximilian I
Died January 12, 1519 b. 1459
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (1493-1519).