TODAY IN HISTORY

January 12

Featured Event

1959

The music label that changed American music

Berry Gordy took a major step toward transforming American music on this day in 1959, when he launched Tamla Records. With Smokey Robinson and the Miracles signed as its first act, Tamla soon merged with Gordy's other label, Motown Records, to form one of the most influential music companies in American history. Read today's edition of Today in History >>

Featured Biography

John Hancock

United States statesman

born: January 12, 1737
Braintree, Massachusetts
(Born on this day)

died: October 8, 1793 (aged 56)
Quincy, Massachusetts

1964

Jeff Bezos

American entrepreneur

1954

Howard Stern

American radio host

1949

Haruki Murakami

Japanese author

1893

Hermann Göring

German minister

1863

Vivekananda

Hindu leader

See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2010

A magnitude-7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti, killing more than 300,000 people, according to the country's official count, and creating a prolonged humanitarian disaster. What are some of the most destructive earthquakes in history?

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski

2005

The U.S. space probe Deep Impact was launched. A few months later it shot a 370-kg (810-pound) mass into the nucleus of the comet Tempel 1 in order to study its cometary structure. Sort fact from fiction in our space objects quiz

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD

1971

The groundbreaking television series All in the Family debuted on CBS and quickly became known for its frank and satirical treatment of sensitive or important topics. Read our list of the 10 best American sitcoms

1969

Quarterback Joe Namath, having “guaranteed” victory, led the New York Jets to a 16–7 win over the favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about American football

1966

The live-action TV series Batman premiered on ABC. A huge hit, it starred Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as Robin. How much do you know about superheroes?

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

1960

The British government formally ended the state of emergency it had declared in Kenya in response to the beginning of the Mau Mau Rebellion in 1952. The conflict killed an estimated 20,000 people.

1932

Hattie Ophelia Caraway became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate. Read about seven female firsts in U.S. politics

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; neg. no. LC USZ 62 12692

1916

P.W. Botha, prime minister (1978–84) and president (1984–89) of South Africa, was born. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about South Africa

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

1879

The Anglo-Zulu War began this week as the British sought control over Zululand in eastern South Africa.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

1876

Novelist Jack London, author of The Call of the Wild (1903) and White Fang (1906), was born in San Francisco. Test your knowledge of famous American writers

Jack London State Historic Park

1773

The oldest public museum in the United States was established in colonial Charleston, South Carolina. Its original purpose was to promote the better understanding of agriculture and herbal medicine in the area.