On This Day in History, February 12

Did you know that raisins were called plums in the 17th century? That’s why plum pudding doesn’t contain plums. Plum pudding is an often overlooked delicacy, but luckily gets a chance to impress every year on February 12. Learn more interesting facts of history-making events that happened on this day.

Get to know your history!

  • 1502 -Vasco da Gama set sail from Lisbon, Portugal, on his second voyage to India.
  • 1554 -Queen of England, Lady Jane Grey, was executed for treason.
  • 1771 -Gustav III became the King of Sweden after the death of his predecessor, Adolf Frederick.
  • 1909 -National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was formed.
  • 1912 -China adopted the Gregorian calendar.
  • 1914 -Dedication ceremony for the about-to-be-constructed Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
  • 1915 – Adolf Hitler received the relatively common Iron Cross second class for bravery in World War I.
  • 1924 – Calvin Coolidge became the first U.S. president to deliver an address by radio.
  • 1932 – A new record was set by racer Captain Malcolm Campbell.
  • 1947 – French fashion designer Christian Dior presented his first influential collection, named the “New Look”.
  • 1950Albert Einstein warned against the hydrogen bomb.
  • 1954 – The Atomic Energy Authority was created to control the production and development of atomic energy in the UK.
  • 1967 -Keith Richards, Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithful were busted for drugs.
  • 1973 -As part of the Vietnam cease-fire agreement, the first U.S. prisoners of war were released by North Vietnam.
  • 1994 -Thieves have stolen one of the world’s best-known paintings, (Scream by Edvard Munch circa 1893 ) from a gallery in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
  • 1995 -Bonnie Blair skates female world record 500m (38.6 seconds).
  • 1998 -Intel unveiled its 1st graphics chip i740.
  • 1999 -US President Bill Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial.
  • 1999 – A group of 20 independent international scientists reinforced warnings that genetically modified food may be damaging to human health.
  • 2006 – A powerful winter storm blankets the Northeastern United States.

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