History for August 12

History for August 12 - On-This-Day.com
Cecil B. DeMille 1881, Cantinflas 1911, Jane Wyatt 1912


William Goldman 1931, George Hamilton 1939 - Actor, Pete Sampras 1971 - Tennis player



1851 - Isaac Singer was issued a patent on the double-headed sewing machine.


1865 - Disinfectant was used for the first time during surgery by Joseph Lister.


1898 - The Spanish-American War was ended with the signing of the peace protocol. The U.S. acquired Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. Hawaii was also annexed.


1939 - "The Wizard of Oz" premiered in Oconomowoc, WI. Judy Garland became famous for the movie's song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The movie premiered in Hollywood on August 15th.


1953 - The Soviet Union secretly tested its first hydrogen bomb.


1981 - IBM unveiled its first PC.


1992 - The U.S., Canada, and Mexico announced that the North American Free Trade Agreement had been created after 14 months of negotiations.


2000 - The Russian nuclear submarine Kursk sank and its 118-man crew died during naval exercises in the Barents Sea.