Explore the major historical events, famous births, and notable deaths that occurred in the year 2012. This year saw 306 significant events. 11 notable figures passed away.
Actress Parminder Nagra files for divorce from photographer James Stenson due to irreconcilable differences after 3 years of marriage
American actor Dick Van Dyke (86) weds second wife, American make-up artist Arlene Silver (40) in Malibu, California
"Twilight" actor Peter Facinelli (38) divorces "Beverly Hills 90210" actress Jennie Garth (39) due to irreconcilable differences after 11 years of marriage
Actress and model Heidi Klum (39) divorces British soul and R&B singer-songwriter Seal (49) due to irreconcilable differences after almost seven years of marriage
"The Lion King" becomes highest grossing Broadway show, overtaking "The Phantom of the Opera"
Salsa artist Marc Anthony (42) files for divorce from pop star and actress Jennifer Lopez (43) due to irreconcilable differences after 7 years of marriage; finalized in 2014
The 8th century St. Cuthbert Gospel, Europe's oldest intact book, is purchased by the British Library for 9 million pounds
Comedian and actor Martin Lawrence (47) files for divorce from Shamicka Gibbs due to irreconcilable differences after 1.5 years of marriage
Manchester City defeats Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in English Premier League history
Actress Halina Mlynkova (35) divorces actor Lukasz Nowicki (39) after 9 years of marriage
"The Wonder Years" actress Danica McKellar (37) divorces composer Mike Verta (36) due to irreconcilable differences after 3 years of marriage
NBC musical drama series "Smash" actress Debra Messing (43) divorces actor and producer Daniel Zelman (44) by their mutual decision after 10 years of marriage
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton (48) divorces Beth Shuey due to conflict of personalities after nearly 20 years of marriage
"The L Word" actress Laurel Holloman (41) divorces architect Paul Macherey (44) due to irreconcilable differences after 9 years of marriage
"Spy Kids" actress Alexa Vega (23) divorces film producer Sean Covel (36) due to irreconcilable differences after less than two years of marriage
Actress Katie Holmes (33) divorces American film actor and producer Tom Cruise (50) allegedly due to disagreement about their religious beliefs and the raising of their daughter Suri, after 5 years of marriage
The American Episcopal Church becomes the first to approve a rite for blessing gay marriages
British actor-comedian Russell Brand (36) divorces American pop star Katy Perry (27) due to irreconcilable differences a year after the fairy-tale wedding in India
Kim Jong-un is officially appointed Supreme Leader of North Korea and given the rank of Marshal in the Korean People's Army
WWE wrestler John Cena (35) divorces Elizabeth Huberdeau (33) due to irretrievably broken marriage after 3 years of getting married
"Game of Thrones" actress Lena Headey (38) divorces musician Peter Loughran due to irreconcilable differences
Actress Sunny Mabrey (36) divorces "Brotherhood" actor Ethan Embry (34) due to irreconcilable differences after almost 7 years marriage
Music legend Stevie Wonder (63) divorces fashion designer Kai Millard Morris due to irreconcilable differences after 11 years of marriage
Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt wins the 200m at the London Olympics in 19.32 seconds, becoming the first to win the 100m and 200m double in consecutive Olympics
"Basketball Wives" TV personality Evelyn Lozada divorces NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson (34) due to irretrievably broken marriage only 41 days after getting married
The man known primarily for gatecrashing the White House, Tareq Salahi (42) divorces socialite Michaele Salahi (46) due to adultery, desertion and construction desertion
Scientists detect evidence of light from the universe's first stars, estimated to have formed 500 million years after the Big Bang
Former American astronaut Buzz Aldrin (82) divorces Lois Driggs Cannon due to irreconcilable differences after 23 years of marriage
Englishman Adrian Lewis retains his PDC World Darts Championship with a 7-3 win over Andy Hamilton at the Alexandra Palace, London
Michael van Gerwen]; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is ranked world number four; he was ranked world...
A suicide bomber blows himself up at a police station in Damascus, Syria, killing 26 people and wounding 63
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster, and former player.
On 7 January 2012, a scenic hot air balloon flight from Carterton, New Zealand, collided with a high-voltage power line while attempting to land, causing it to catch fire, disintegrate and crash just...
"The 3:16 Game" AFC Wild Card Playof, underdogs Denver Broncos defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 29–23 with Tim Tebow connecting with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on first scrimmage play of overtime
"Time Is Love" is a song written by Tony Martin, Mark Nesler and Tom Shapiro and recorded by American country music artist Josh Turner.
Italian cruiseliner Costa Concordia runs aground at Isola de Giglio, Italy, causing 32 deaths
Ma Ying-jeou wins re-election as President of the Republic of China with 51% of the vote
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a proposed United States congressional bill to expand the ability of U.S.
FBI shuts down Megaupload.com for alleged copyright infringement, hacker group Anonymous responds by attacking government and entertainment industry websites
European Union agrees to embargo Iranian oil in protest against Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program
Death toll from coordinated bombing attacks in Kano, Nigeria, reaches 185
The Port Said Stadium riot was a riot which occurred at Port Said Stadium in Port Said, Egypt on 1 February 2012, following an Egyptian Premier League football match between Al Masry and Al Ahly.
Cold snap across Europe kills more than 100 people (over 400 people by 08-02)
Tens of thousands of people are stranded by floods in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland
6.9 magnitude quake hits near the central Philippines with 43 confirmed deaths
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; Hebrew: זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, romanized: Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, lit. 'Air and Space Arm', commonly known as חֵיל הָאֲוִיר, Kheil HaAvir, "Air Corps") operates as...
A deadly fire occurred on 14–15 February 2012 at the National Penitentiary in Comayagua, Honduras, killing 361 people.
Approximately 70 ancient Olympic artifacts are stolen from the Archaeological Museum of Greece
44 people killed in prison brawl in Apocada, Mexico, between two rival drug cartels
Scientists successfully regenerate the flowering plant Silene stenophylla from a 31,800-year-old piece of fruit, greatly surpassing the previous record of 2,000 years
Yemeni voters go to the polls for a presidential election where the only candidate on the ballot paper is vice-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi
Train crash in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 50 and injures hundreds
A series of bomb attacks across 12 Iraqi cities kills 60 and injures 200
The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is an ongoing armed conflict between the Yemeni government, the United States and their allies, and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Yemen.
17-year old black teenager Trayvon Martin shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, highlighted issue of racial profiling in the US
54th Daytona 500: Rain affected race stopped for 2 hours because of fuel on track; Matt Kenseth leads for final 34 laps to win
Unemployment is the state of not being in paid employment or self-employment but rather currently available for work.
Major League Baseball confirms the postseason will be expanded from 8 to 10 teams, with an extra wild card team in each league
Lorry crash in east Guinea kills 50 and injures 27
Munitions dump explosions kill at least 250 people in the Republic of Congo
27 members of Iraq's security force are killed by gunmen disguised as police in Haditha
9,000 residents are evacuated from Wagga Wagga, Australia, as the Murrimbidgee River threatens to overflow
Greece has an advanced, high-income economy. It is the 50th-largest in the world, with an annual nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $282 billion.
Senior members of hacking group Lulz Sec are arrested, including one member of the FBI, in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia.
Between 7 October 2001 and 30 August 2021, the United States lost a total of 2,459 military personnel in Afghanistan. Of this figure, 1,922 had been killed in action.
people are killed and 63 are missing after a ferry collides with an oil tanker near Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bolton Wanderer footballer Fabrice Muamba collapses and is rushed to hospital during a live football match against Tottenham Hotspur
This is a list of presidential visits to foreign countries made by Joachim Gauck, the former President of Germany.
Wendy's overtakes Burger King to become the second best-selling hamburger chain
50 people are killed and 240 injured in a wave of terror attacks across 10 cities in Iraq
Five former Guatemalan paramilitaries are sentenced to 7,710 years in jail for their role in the Plan de Sanchez massacre in 1982
Malcolm John Naden is an Australian former fugitive from the law. At the time of his capture and arrest in March 2012, Naden was reported as being one of Australia's most wanted men and his arrest...
The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa.
African Union deploys 5,000 strong force with the aim of catching or killing warlord Joseph Kony
American Mega Millions lottery hits a world record lottery amount of 640 million dollars
Fiji Floods kill 2 people and force thousands to be evacuated
Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Sun-Young Yoo wins sudden-death playoff on 1st extra hole after I.K. Kim misses a one-foot putt on the 72nd hole for the win
On April 2, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside Oikos University, a Korean Christian college in Oakland, California, United States. Seven people were killed, and three others were injured. One L.
Moscow fire kills 17 migrant workers
The president of Serbia, officially styled as President of the Republic, is the head of state of Serbia, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, representing the country both at home and abroad.
77-year old pensioner's suicide outside Greek parliament prompts further protests in Athens
US F-18 Hornet crashes into side of apartment building in Virginia with no fatalities
The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern...
Apple Inc., originally Apple Computer, Inc., is an American multinational corporation that creates and markets consumer electronics and attendant computer software, and is a digital distributor of...
The Syrian revolution was a series of mass protests and civilian uprisings throughout Syria – with a subsequent violent reaction by the Ba'athist regime – lasting from 2011 to 2024 as part of the...
Islamist Militants escape from a Pakistan prison after an insurgent attack
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant.
The Casoria Contemporary Art Museum in Naples begins burning artworks after cultural institution budget cuts
40 people are killed and 27 injured after a tractor trailer collided with a bus in Alamo, Mexico
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division.
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of 42.195 kilometres, usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes.
38,000 London Marathon entrants have their home and email contacts published in a data protection breach
The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009, overlapping with the closely related 2008 financial crisis.
Since 2001, Palestinian militants have launched tens of thousands of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip as part of the continuing Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, 391 km (243 mi) southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnipro River,...
Tent collapse in St Louis, Missouri, kills one and injures 110 people
International Chemical Weapons Convention deadline for chemical weapon stockpiles comes into effect
The economy of Russia is a high-income, industrialized, mixed and market-oriented emerging economy.
14 decapitated bodies and 9 hung from a bridge are found in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Nepal was hit by serious flooding in May 2012. The floods are thought to have been caused by waters of the Seti building near its source, high above the snowline, during days of rain and then...
NATO air strike kills 14 and woulds 6 civilians in Afghanistan's Badghis Province
A Russian passenger jet disappears with 45 people on board
Peeter Vähi's "Antarctic Concerto" world première, with guitar soloist Rémi Boucher and the Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta led by Andres Mustonen, at Nordea Concert Hall in Tallinn, Estonia
Chinese scientists break world record by transferring photons over 97 kilometers using quantum teleportation
The discovery of a missing Mayan calendar piece disproves 2012 Armageddon
49 dismembered bodies are found on a Mexican highway as part of the Mexican drug war
1,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons agree to end mass hunger strike
The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009, overlapping with the closely related 2008 financial crisis.
6.0 magnitude earthquake kills 6 and injures dozens in northern Italy
people are killed and 350 injured by a suicide bomb in Sana'a, Yemen
14 people die and 30 are injured in train collision in India
A gunman in the Finnish town of Hyvinkaa kills 2, wounds 7
The 65th Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2012. Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti was the president of the jury for the main competition.
5.9 magnitude earthquake kills 24 people near Bologna, Italy
The Houla massacre was a mass murder of civilians that took place on May 25, 2012, in the midst of the Syrian Civil War, in the town of Taldou, in the Houla Region of Syria, a string of towns...
Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula.
Johan Santana throws first no-hitter in the New York Mets' 50-year MLB history when he beats the St. Louis Cardinals, 8 - 0
Plane crash in Lagos, Nigeria, kills all 152 passengers and 40 people on the ground
Baghdad is the capital and largest city in Iraq. It is located on the banks of the Tigris in central Iraq. The city has an estimated population of 8 million.
American gubernatorial recall election is held in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker wins and becomes the first governor to survive a recall election.
The Solar Impulse completes the world's first intercontinental flight powered by the sun
A bus bombing in Pakistan kills 18 and injures 35 people
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia.
The 66th Annual Tony Awards was held on June 10, 2012, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2011–2012 season.
23 people are killed after two villages are attacked in northern Nigeria
Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain (11 June 1980, Mount Isa – 17 August 1980, Uluru / Ayers Rock) was a nine-week-old Australian baby girl who was killed by a dingo on the night of 17 August 1980...
A series of bombings across Iraq kill 93 and wound 300 people
An explosion at an Indian steel plant kills 11 people and severely injures 16
The Apple Computer 1 (Apple-1), often referred to as the Apple I (written with a Roman numeral), is an 8-bit personal computer electrically designed by Steve Wozniak and released by the Apple...
30 people are killed and 15 injured after a bus falls into a gorge in Osmanabad, India
Legislative elections were held in France on 10 and 17 June 2012 (and on other dates for small numbers of voters outside metropolitan France) to select the members of the 14th National Assembly of...
15 people are killed and 40 injured in a suicide attack in Baquba, Iraq
Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common...
A Syrian fighter pilot lands in Jordan and defects from the Syrian uprising
A boat of 200 asylum seekers headed to Australia capsizes and 110 survivors are rescued
Anurag Kashyap is an Indian filmmaker and actor, known for his work in Hindi cinema.
76 monks are hospitalized in Thailand following an attack by a swarm of bees
Saudi Arabia has competed in twelve Summer Olympic Games. They first appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Saudi Arabia made their debut in the Winter Olympics in 2022.
The Free Syrian Army (FSA; Arabic: الجيش السوري الحر, romanized: al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29...
A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an...
15,000 Japanese anti-nuclear protesters blockade the Japanese Prime Minister's office in Tokyo
30 people attending a funeral in Zamalka, Syria, are killed on a day that saw 83 civilian deaths
17 people are killed and 45 injured in an attack on two churches in Garissa, Kenya
GlaxoSmithKline settles the largest healthcare fraud case in history for US$3 Billion
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada, and since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment.
12th century manuscript Codex Calixtinus from Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Spain, rediscovered, after been stolen, in the garage of an employee of the cathedral [1]
Gunmen kill 18 people in Turbat, Pakistan
Floods in the Krasnodar region, Russia, kill 140 people
Roadside car bomb kills 14 civilians in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province
people are killed by the Syrian army in Tremseh
19-30 people are killed after a train collides with a truck in Malelane, South Africa
Floods on the Japanese island of Kyushu kill 20 and displace 250,000
39 pilgrims are killed in a bus crash in Parasi, Nepal
The 2012 Wicksburg nightclub shooting occurred on August 9, 2012, when 22-year-old Ryan Clark Petersen armed himself with a gun and fired multiple shots in a nightclub in Wicksburg, Alabama, United...
14 people are killed after a bomb explosion at Pakistan's Orakzai Agency
12 people are killed and 59 injured after a gunman opens fire at a Dark Knight movie premier in Aurora, Colorado,
At least 77 people are killed by torrential rain in Beijing, China
A series of attacks across Iraq kill 103 people
Italy's credit rating is downgraded to CCC+ by Egan-Jones
Sectarian violence in Pakistan refers to violence directed against people and places in Pakistan motivated by antagonism toward the target's religious sect.
18 people are killed and 11 injured in ethnic clashes in Ethiopia
Tropical Storm Khanun kills 88 people and leaves 60,000 homeless in North Korea
General Motors (Chevrolet) signs a record-breaking 7-year, $559 million sponsorship deal with EPL club Manchester United
A second power grid failure in India in two days leaves 670 million people without power
American Nathan Adrian clocks 47.52 in winning the 100 m freestyle gold at the London Olympics, his first swim under 48 seconds
This is a list of terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2012. Pakistan has faced numerous attacks by insurgents as a result of the ongoing War in North-West Pakistan by the Pakistani military against...
Melissa Franklin Johnson is an American former competitive swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist. She held the world record in the 200-meter backstroke (long course) from 2012 to 2019.
A suicide bombing in Abyan, Yemen, kills 45 people
Gunman opens fire on Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six people before committing suicide
A large fire erupts at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, Ohio, injuring six employees
,000 people are evacuated from Shanghai in anticipation of Typhoon Haikui
China announces plans to close 23 rare earth mines and up to 50 smelting companies
13 people are killed and 15 injured by a lightning strike at a mosque in Bangladesh
The 2012 Summer Olympic development process began in 2005, following the successful London bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and ran until the games in 2012.
Nadzeya Astapchuk is a Belarusian shot putter. She briefly was designated the Olympic Champion in 2012, but was subsequently stripped of the title for failing a drug test and the gold medal was...
46 people are killed and 80 injured after a series of suicide bombings in Afghanistan
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division.
people are killed and over 200 wounded in a series of attacks across Iraq
Gay pride events are banned for a century in Moscow
The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is an ongoing armed conflict between the Yemeni government, the United States and their allies, and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Yemen.
Plane crash in the mountainous region of Talodi, Sudan, kills 32, including several government officials and staff, en route to the Eid al-Fitr festival, which celebrates the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan; crash is blamed on bad weather conditions
On 20 August 2012, armed prisoners in the Yare I prison complex, an overcrowded prison in Miranda state near Caracas, Venezuela, rioted.
In 2014, an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) occurred.
Estimates of the total number of deaths in the Syrian Civil War, by various war monitors, range between 580,000 as of May 2021, and approximately 656,493 as of March 2025.
At least 30 people are killed as a result of monsoon rain in Rajasthan, India
A US jury in California finds Samsung guilty of patent infringement and awards over US$1 billion in damages to Apple, while in a South Korean court, both are found guilty of patent infringement
The Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale...
Legionella outbreak in Quebec City, Canada, kills 8 and infects 104
Banana Spider venom is found to be effective in relieving erectile dysfunction
The Xiaojiawan coal mine disaster was a mining accident which happened on 29 August 2012 at the Xiaojiawan coal mine, located in Panzhihua in Sichuan Province, China.
Apple loses its patent dispute with Samsung in Tokyo, Japan
Grenade injures 41 festival celebrants in Paquibato, Philippines
15 people are killed by a car bomb attack at a refugee camp in Sbeineh, Palestine
New Zealand announces withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan
25 people are killed in a funeral suicide bombing in Nangarhar, Pakistan
25 people are killed and 4 wounded after an ammunition store explodes in Afyon, Turkey
61 illegal immigrants die after a fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Turkey
On 7 September 2012, a series of earthquakes occurred in Yiliang County, Zhaotong, Yunnan. The two main shocks occurred at 11:19 and 12:16 China Standard Time (03:19 and 04:16 UTC).
A train hits a tractor in Romania, killing eight people
people are killed and 350 injured in a wave of attacks across Iraq
10,000 miners demonstrate at Lonmin Mines in Marikana, South Africa
Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, simply known as Al-Shabaab, is a Sunni Islamist political and paramilitary organisation based in Somalia.
Factories in Pakistan's two largest cities of Karachi and Lahore caught fire on 11 September 2012.
Eighteen soldiers are killed by a rebel car bomb in Syria
19 people are killed after a freight elevator crashes from 100 meters in Wuhan, China
Ferry sinks amid 10 foot waves off Indonesia's Sumatra Island, killing 21 people
Nuclear power in the United Kingdom generated 16.1% of the country's electricity in 2020.
14 people are killed and 7 wounded by a roadside bomb Jandol, Turkey
13 people are killed in a bus accident in Jubail, Saudi Arabia
Swedish forensic scientists find no conclusive evidence of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's DNA in a torn condom
10 Turkish soldiers are killed and 70 injured in a missile attack by Kurdish militants in Bingol, Turkey
9 people are killed and 20 wounded by a car bombing in Peshawar, Afghanistan
14 people are killed in a cafe suicide bombing in Somalia
Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, wins a leadership ballot
Seven pedestrians are killed by a drunk driver who hits a bus stop at 200 km/h in Moscow
Books by Japanese authors or about Japan are suspended by Chinese bookstores
The Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan.
Greek trade unions call a general strike to protest austerity measures
The 2004 Japanese discovery of the 113th element is confirmed
Aircraft crash kills 16 people in Kathmandu, Nepal
The 9 September 2012 Iraq attacks were a series of coordinated bombings and shootings across the capital Baghdad and several major cities in the north and south of the country.
36 people are killed in a ferry collision in Hong Kong
A minibus and truck collide in Ilocos Norte, Philippines, killing ten people
Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the country's most populous governorate.
19 people are killed after being buried by a landslide in Yunnan, China
Adam Ondra is a Czech professional rock climber, specializing in lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing.
Anglo Platinum Limited fires 12,000 striking workers in South Africa
Actor John Cusack strolls onto the stage at the Hollywood Bowl and hands singer Peter Gabriel a boombox before the performance of the song "In Your Eyes," recreating the iconic scene from the movie "Say Anything"
ICC Men's Cricket T20 World Cup, Colombo: West Indies defeat Sri Lanka by 36 runs to win their first title; Player of the Series is Australian all-rounder Shane Watson (249 runs, 11 wickets)
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees breaks Johnny Unitas' NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (48) when he connects with Devery Henderson in the Saints' 31-24 win over San Diego at the Superdome
35 people are killed when a Nigerian military bomb strikes a convoy in Maiduguri
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant.
Guan Moye (simplified Chinese: 管谟业; traditional Chinese: 管謨業; pinyin: Guǎn Móyè; born 5 March 1955), better known by the pen name Mo Yan, is a Chinese novelist and short story writer.
The European Union wins the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, sparking a series of critical commentary
Jason Thomas Mraz ( mə-RAZ; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
20 people are gunned down in a mosque in Dogo Dawa, Nigeria
Bring Up the Bodies is a historical novel by Hilary Mantel, sequel to the award-winning Wolf Hall (2009), and part of a trilogy charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, the powerful minister in...
Conflict in Maiduguri, Nigeria, leads to 24 militant deaths and several structures set ablaze
Alpha Centauri (α Centauri, α Cen, or Alpha Cen) is a star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus.
Lance Armstrong loses a host of endorsements in the wake of his doping scandal
Google stock trading is suspended after the premature release of a quarterly report indicating a 20% drop in profits and a 9% fall in share price
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen are honored for their work with fashion label The Row at the WSJ Magazine's Innovator of the Year Awards in New York City
Eight people are killed and 78 injured by a car bomb in Beirut, Lebanon
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic region of the United...
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic region of the United...
41 people are killed and 50 injured by a suicide bombing of a mosque in Maymana, Afghanistan
46 people are killed and 123 injured in Iraq after a series of attacks and bombs
Baghdad is the capital and largest city in Iraq. It is located on the banks of the Tigris in central Iraq. The city has an estimated population of 8 million.
Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in New Jersey results in 110 deaths and $50 billion in damage and forces the New York stock exchange to close
New York was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy on October 29–30, 2012, particularly New York City, its suburbs, and Long Island.
The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the Predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air...
New York was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy on October 29–30, 2012, particularly New York City, its suburbs, and Long Island.
This is a broad timeline of the course of major events of the Syrian civil war. It only includes major territorial changes and attacks and does not include every event. The uprising against Syrian...
Pope Tawadros II is the 118th and current Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, succeeding the late Pope Shenouda III as leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an...
5 people are shot at a poultry processing plant in Fresno, California
The 2012 Guatemala earthquake occurred on November 7 at 10:35:45 local time. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.4 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VII (Very strong).
25 people are killed and 62 injured after a train carrying liquid fuel bursts into flames in Burma
17 people are killed in a helicopter crash as a result of bad weather in Turkey
12 people are killed by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Burma
Into the Silence by Wade Davis wins the 2012 Samuel Johnson Prize
A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel.
At least 95 people are killed in Syrian conflicts
The game "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" grosses $500 million in 24 hours to become the largest entertainment launch of all time
50 schoolchildren and a bus driver are killed after a train collides with a school bus in Manfalut, Egypt
In November 2012, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Pillar of Defense, which was an eight-day campaign in the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, beginning on 14 November 2012 with the...
The 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Grande Prêmio Petrobras do Brasil 2012) was a Formula One motor race that took place at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo,...
Plymouth Crown Court clears two farmers of health and safety offenses related to giant hay bale death of ELO cellist Mike Edwards [1]
Toshiba unveils a robot designed to help in nuclear disasters
The history of Hamas is an account of the Palestinian nationalist and Islamist – described by some as fundamentalist – socio-political organization based in the Gaza Strip with an associated...
2 people are killed and 120 injured after a 100-vehicle pile-up in dense fog in Texas
JR Tokai unveils a maglev LO train prototype capable of traveling up to 500 km per hour
Ernest Bai Koroma is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma...
11 people are killed and 30 are wounded by twin car bombs hitting a Protestant church in Nigeria
10 children are killed and 15 people are injured after a Syrian government Jet drops a cluster bomb on a playground
29 people are killed and 126 are wounded by 8 car bombings across Iraq
At least 48 people are killed and 100 are wounded by bombs in Hillah and Karbala, Iraq [1]
The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967, to replace the...
Bolivia bus crash leaves eight people dead and 36 injured
Ex-England soccer captain David Beckham leaves LA Galaxy triumphantly with a second MLS Cup winner's medal after a 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo in Carson, CA, in the final game of a 6-year stint in the US
9 people are killed after 30 cars are trapped in Sasago Tunnel, Japan
29 people are killed by a mortar attack in Bteeha, Syria
8 people are killed and 12 injured by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in South Korea
7 people are killed and 770 injured during Egyptian protests
The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,...
13 people are killed and 10 are injured after a bus rolls of a cliff and falls 100 meters in Taiwan
11 people are killed and 23 are injured after a bus falls into a roadside pond in Minquan County, China
people are killed and 200 are injured by bombings in Aqrab, Syria
A car bombing in Qatana, outside Damascus, kills 16 people and injures 12
On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed 26 people.
18 Asylum seekers drown in the Aegean Sea on the way to Greece from Turkey
4 people are killed after Cyclone Evan strikes Fiji
10 girls collecting firewood are killed by a mine blast in east Afghanistan
4 people are killed and 11 are injured after an apartment block collapses in Palermo, Italy
Apple is denied a patent for mobile pinch-to-zoom gestures by the US patent authorities
Rapper Flavor Flav opens Flavor Flav's Chicken & Ribs causal restaurant in Sterling Heights, Michigan - closes July 2013
The Battle of Damascus, also known as Operation Damascus Volcano, started on 15 July 2012 during the Syrian civil war. Thousands of rebels infiltrated Damascus from the surrounding countryside.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war from September to December 2012. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.
11 kindergarten children are killed after a minivan plunges into a roadside pond in Jiangxi, China
27 people are killed after an Antonov An-72 plane crashes near Shymkent, Kazakhstan
China opens the world’s longest high speed rail route from Beijing to Guangzhou
NASA unveils plans to capture a 500-ton asteroid, later canceled due to a White House space policy that focuses on the Moon and Mars
13 people are killed and 19 are injured after a bus plunges into a river in western Nepal
The Free Syrian Army (FSA; Arabic: الجيش السوري الحر, romanized: al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29...
19 people are killed by a suicide bomber in Balochistan, Pakistan
Griselda Blanco, Colombian colombian drug lord, known for colombian drug lord, died on 2012-02-03.
Whitney Houston, American singer and actress, known for american singer and actress, died on 2012-02-11.
Gary Carter, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster, known for american baseball player, coach, and sportscaster, died on 2012-02-16.
Davy Jones, English musician, known for british musician, died on 2012-02-29. David Thomas Jones (30 December 1945 – 29 February 2012) was an English musician and actor.
Ahmed Ben Bella dies
Dick Clark, American radio and television personality, known for american radio and television personality, died on 2012-04-18.
Adam Yauch, American musician, known for american musician, died on 2012-05-04. Adam Nathaniel Yauch ( YOWK; August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012), also known by the stage name MCA, was an American rapper,…
Maurice Sendak, American children's book author and illustrator, known for american children's book author and illustrator, died on 2012-05-08.
Vidal Sassoon, British hairstylist, known for british hairstylist, died on 2012-05-09. Vidal Sassoon (17 January 1928 – 9 May 2012) was a British hairstylist and businessman.
Robin Gibb, British singer, known for british singer, died on 2012-05-20. Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter.
Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect, known for brazilian architect, died on 2012-12-05.
Actress Parminder Nagra files for divorce from photographer James Stenson due to irreconcilable differences after 3 years of marriage
American actor Dick Van Dyke (86) weds second wife, American make-up artist Arlene Silver (40) in Malibu, California
"Twilight" actor Peter Facinelli (38) divorces "Beverly Hills 90210" actress Jennie Garth (39) due to irreconcilable differences after 11 years of marriage
Actress and model Heidi Klum (39) divorces British soul and R&B singer-songwriter Seal (49) due to irreconcilable differences after almost seven years of marriage
"The Lion King" becomes highest grossing Broadway show, overtaking "The Phantom of the Opera"
Salsa artist Marc Anthony (42) files for divorce from pop star and actress Jennifer Lopez (43) due to irreconcilable differences after 7 years of marriage; finalized in 2014
The 8th century St. Cuthbert Gospel, Europe's oldest intact book, is purchased by the British Library for 9 million pounds
Comedian and actor Martin Lawrence (47) files for divorce from Shamicka Gibbs due to irreconcilable differences after 1.5 years of marriage
Manchester City defeats Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in English Premier League history
Actress Halina Mlynkova (35) divorces actor Lukasz Nowicki (39) after 9 years of marriage
"The Wonder Years" actress Danica McKellar (37) divorces composer Mike Verta (36) due to irreconcilable differences after 3 years of marriage
NBC musical drama series "Smash" actress Debra Messing (43) divorces actor and producer Daniel Zelman (44) by their mutual decision after 10 years of marriage
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton (48) divorces Beth Shuey due to conflict of personalities after nearly 20 years of marriage
"The L Word" actress Laurel Holloman (41) divorces architect Paul Macherey (44) due to irreconcilable differences after 9 years of marriage
"Spy Kids" actress Alexa Vega (23) divorces film producer Sean Covel (36) due to irreconcilable differences after less than two years of marriage
Actress Katie Holmes (33) divorces American film actor and producer Tom Cruise (50) allegedly due to disagreement about their religious beliefs and the raising of their daughter Suri, after 5 years of marriage
The American Episcopal Church becomes the first to approve a rite for blessing gay marriages
British actor-comedian Russell Brand (36) divorces American pop star Katy Perry (27) due to irreconcilable differences a year after the fairy-tale wedding in India
Kim Jong-un is officially appointed Supreme Leader of North Korea and given the rank of Marshal in the Korean People's Army
WWE wrestler John Cena (35) divorces Elizabeth Huberdeau (33) due to irretrievably broken marriage after 3 years of getting married
"Game of Thrones" actress Lena Headey (38) divorces musician Peter Loughran due to irreconcilable differences
Actress Sunny Mabrey (36) divorces "Brotherhood" actor Ethan Embry (34) due to irreconcilable differences after almost 7 years marriage
Music legend Stevie Wonder (63) divorces fashion designer Kai Millard Morris due to irreconcilable differences after 11 years of marriage
Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt wins the 200m at the London Olympics in 19.32 seconds, becoming the first to win the 100m and 200m double in consecutive Olympics
"Basketball Wives" TV personality Evelyn Lozada divorces NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson (34) due to irretrievably broken marriage only 41 days after getting married
The man known primarily for gatecrashing the White House, Tareq Salahi (42) divorces socialite Michaele Salahi (46) due to adultery, desertion and construction desertion
Scientists detect evidence of light from the universe's first stars, estimated to have formed 500 million years after the Big Bang
Former American astronaut Buzz Aldrin (82) divorces Lois Driggs Cannon due to irreconcilable differences after 23 years of marriage
Englishman Adrian Lewis retains his PDC World Darts Championship with a 7-3 win over Andy Hamilton at the Alexandra Palace, London
Michael van Gerwen]; born 25 April 1989) is a Dutch professional darts player who competes in Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) events, where he is ranked world number four; he was ranked world...
A suicide bomber blows himself up at a police station in Damascus, Syria, killing 26 people and wounding 63
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional football coach, pundit, sports broadcaster, and former player.
On 7 January 2012, a scenic hot air balloon flight from Carterton, New Zealand, collided with a high-voltage power line while attempting to land, causing it to catch fire, disintegrate and crash just...
"The 3:16 Game" AFC Wild Card Playof, underdogs Denver Broncos defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 29–23 with Tim Tebow connecting with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard touchdown pass on first scrimmage play of overtime
"Time Is Love" is a song written by Tony Martin, Mark Nesler and Tom Shapiro and recorded by American country music artist Josh Turner.
Italian cruiseliner Costa Concordia runs aground at Isola de Giglio, Italy, causing 32 deaths
Ma Ying-jeou wins re-election as President of the Republic of China with 51% of the vote
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a proposed United States congressional bill to expand the ability of U.S.
FBI shuts down Megaupload.com for alleged copyright infringement, hacker group Anonymous responds by attacking government and entertainment industry websites
European Union agrees to embargo Iranian oil in protest against Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program
Death toll from coordinated bombing attacks in Kano, Nigeria, reaches 185
The Port Said Stadium riot was a riot which occurred at Port Said Stadium in Port Said, Egypt on 1 February 2012, following an Egyptian Premier League football match between Al Masry and Al Ahly.
Cold snap across Europe kills more than 100 people (over 400 people by 08-02)
Tens of thousands of people are stranded by floods in the Australian states of New South Wales and Queensland
6.9 magnitude quake hits near the central Philippines with 43 confirmed deaths
The Israeli Air Force (IAF; Hebrew: זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, romanized: Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, lit. 'Air and Space Arm', commonly known as חֵיל הָאֲוִיר, Kheil HaAvir, "Air Corps") operates as...
A deadly fire occurred on 14–15 February 2012 at the National Penitentiary in Comayagua, Honduras, killing 361 people.
Approximately 70 ancient Olympic artifacts are stolen from the Archaeological Museum of Greece
44 people killed in prison brawl in Apocada, Mexico, between two rival drug cartels
Scientists successfully regenerate the flowering plant Silene stenophylla from a 31,800-year-old piece of fruit, greatly surpassing the previous record of 2,000 years
Yemeni voters go to the polls for a presidential election where the only candidate on the ballot paper is vice-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi
Train crash in Buenos Aires, Argentina, kills 50 and injures hundreds
A series of bomb attacks across 12 Iraqi cities kills 60 and injures 200
The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is an ongoing armed conflict between the Yemeni government, the United States and their allies, and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Yemen.
17-year old black teenager Trayvon Martin shot and killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, highlighted issue of racial profiling in the US
54th Daytona 500: Rain affected race stopped for 2 hours because of fuel on track; Matt Kenseth leads for final 34 laps to win
Unemployment is the state of not being in paid employment or self-employment but rather currently available for work.
Major League Baseball confirms the postseason will be expanded from 8 to 10 teams, with an extra wild card team in each league
Lorry crash in east Guinea kills 50 and injures 27
Munitions dump explosions kill at least 250 people in the Republic of Congo
27 members of Iraq's security force are killed by gunmen disguised as police in Haditha
9,000 residents are evacuated from Wagga Wagga, Australia, as the Murrimbidgee River threatens to overflow
Greece has an advanced, high-income economy. It is the 50th-largest in the world, with an annual nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of $282 billion.
Senior members of hacking group Lulz Sec are arrested, including one member of the FBI, in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia.
Between 7 October 2001 and 30 August 2021, the United States lost a total of 2,459 military personnel in Afghanistan. Of this figure, 1,922 had been killed in action.
people are killed and 63 are missing after a ferry collides with an oil tanker near Dhaka, Bangladesh
Bolton Wanderer footballer Fabrice Muamba collapses and is rushed to hospital during a live football match against Tottenham Hotspur
This is a list of presidential visits to foreign countries made by Joachim Gauck, the former President of Germany.
Wendy's overtakes Burger King to become the second best-selling hamburger chain
50 people are killed and 240 injured in a wave of terror attacks across 10 cities in Iraq
Five former Guatemalan paramilitaries are sentenced to 7,710 years in jail for their role in the Plan de Sanchez massacre in 1982
Malcolm John Naden is an Australian former fugitive from the law. At the time of his capture and arrest in March 2012, Naden was reported as being one of Australia's most wanted men and his arrest...
The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa.
African Union deploys 5,000 strong force with the aim of catching or killing warlord Joseph Kony
American Mega Millions lottery hits a world record lottery amount of 640 million dollars
Fiji Floods kill 2 people and force thousands to be evacuated
Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Sun-Young Yoo wins sudden-death playoff on 1st extra hole after I.K. Kim misses a one-foot putt on the 72nd hole for the win
On April 2, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside Oikos University, a Korean Christian college in Oakland, California, United States. Seven people were killed, and three others were injured. One L.
Moscow fire kills 17 migrant workers
The president of Serbia, officially styled as President of the Republic, is the head of state of Serbia, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, representing the country both at home and abroad.
77-year old pensioner's suicide outside Greek parliament prompts further protests in Athens
US F-18 Hornet crashes into side of apartment building in Virginia with no fatalities
The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range of the Himalayas, just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends in northeastern...
Apple Inc., originally Apple Computer, Inc., is an American multinational corporation that creates and markets consumer electronics and attendant computer software, and is a digital distributor of...
The Syrian revolution was a series of mass protests and civilian uprisings throughout Syria – with a subsequent violent reaction by the Ba'athist regime – lasting from 2011 to 2024 as part of the...
Islamist Militants escape from a Pakistan prison after an insurgent attack
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant.
The Casoria Contemporary Art Museum in Naples begins burning artworks after cultural institution budget cuts
40 people are killed and 27 injured after a tractor trailer collided with a bus in Alamo, Mexico
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division.
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of 42.195 kilometres, usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes.
38,000 London Marathon entrants have their home and email contacts published in a data protection breach
The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009, overlapping with the closely related 2008 financial crisis.
Since 2001, Palestinian militants have launched tens of thousands of rocket and mortar attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip as part of the continuing Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, 391 km (243 mi) southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnipro River,...
Tent collapse in St Louis, Missouri, kills one and injures 110 people
International Chemical Weapons Convention deadline for chemical weapon stockpiles comes into effect
The economy of Russia is a high-income, industrialized, mixed and market-oriented emerging economy.
14 decapitated bodies and 9 hung from a bridge are found in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Nepal was hit by serious flooding in May 2012. The floods are thought to have been caused by waters of the Seti building near its source, high above the snowline, during days of rain and then...
NATO air strike kills 14 and woulds 6 civilians in Afghanistan's Badghis Province
A Russian passenger jet disappears with 45 people on board
Peeter Vähi's "Antarctic Concerto" world première, with guitar soloist Rémi Boucher and the Glasperlenspiel Sinfonietta led by Andres Mustonen, at Nordea Concert Hall in Tallinn, Estonia
Chinese scientists break world record by transferring photons over 97 kilometers using quantum teleportation
The discovery of a missing Mayan calendar piece disproves 2012 Armageddon
49 dismembered bodies are found on a Mexican highway as part of the Mexican drug war
1,500 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons agree to end mass hunger strike
The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009, overlapping with the closely related 2008 financial crisis.
6.0 magnitude earthquake kills 6 and injures dozens in northern Italy
people are killed and 350 injured by a suicide bomb in Sana'a, Yemen
14 people die and 30 are injured in train collision in India
A gunman in the Finnish town of Hyvinkaa kills 2, wounds 7
The 65th Cannes Film Festival took place from 16 to 27 May 2012. Italian filmmaker Nanni Moretti was the president of the jury for the main competition.
5.9 magnitude earthquake kills 24 people near Bologna, Italy
The Houla massacre was a mass murder of civilians that took place on May 25, 2012, in the midst of the Syrian Civil War, in the town of Taldou, in the Houla Region of Syria, a string of towns...
Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula.
Johan Santana throws first no-hitter in the New York Mets' 50-year MLB history when he beats the St. Louis Cardinals, 8 - 0
Plane crash in Lagos, Nigeria, kills all 152 passengers and 40 people on the ground
Baghdad is the capital and largest city in Iraq. It is located on the banks of the Tigris in central Iraq. The city has an estimated population of 8 million.
American gubernatorial recall election is held in Wisconsin. Governor Scott Walker wins and becomes the first governor to survive a recall election.
The Solar Impulse completes the world's first intercontinental flight powered by the sun
A bus bombing in Pakistan kills 18 and injures 35 people
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia.
The 66th Annual Tony Awards was held on June 10, 2012, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2011–2012 season.
23 people are killed after two villages are attacked in northern Nigeria
Azaria Chantel Loren Chamberlain (11 June 1980, Mount Isa – 17 August 1980, Uluru / Ayers Rock) was a nine-week-old Australian baby girl who was killed by a dingo on the night of 17 August 1980...
A series of bombings across Iraq kill 93 and wound 300 people
An explosion at an Indian steel plant kills 11 people and severely injures 16
The Apple Computer 1 (Apple-1), often referred to as the Apple I (written with a Roman numeral), is an 8-bit personal computer electrically designed by Steve Wozniak and released by the Apple...
30 people are killed and 15 injured after a bus falls into a gorge in Osmanabad, India
Legislative elections were held in France on 10 and 17 June 2012 (and on other dates for small numbers of voters outside metropolitan France) to select the members of the 14th National Assembly of...
15 people are killed and 40 injured in a suicide attack in Baquba, Iraq
Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common...
A Syrian fighter pilot lands in Jordan and defects from the Syrian uprising
A boat of 200 asylum seekers headed to Australia capsizes and 110 survivors are rescued
Anurag Kashyap is an Indian filmmaker and actor, known for his work in Hindi cinema.
76 monks are hospitalized in Thailand following an attack by a swarm of bees
Saudi Arabia has competed in twelve Summer Olympic Games. They first appeared in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. Saudi Arabia made their debut in the Winter Olympics in 2022.
The Free Syrian Army (FSA; Arabic: الجيش السوري الحر, romanized: al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29...
A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an...
15,000 Japanese anti-nuclear protesters blockade the Japanese Prime Minister's office in Tokyo
30 people attending a funeral in Zamalka, Syria, are killed on a day that saw 83 civilian deaths
17 people are killed and 45 injured in an attack on two churches in Garissa, Kenya
GlaxoSmithKline settles the largest healthcare fraud case in history for US$3 Billion
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Paradise, Nevada, and since 2004, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment.
12th century manuscript Codex Calixtinus from Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Spain, rediscovered, after been stolen, in the garage of an employee of the cathedral [1]
Gunmen kill 18 people in Turbat, Pakistan
Floods in the Krasnodar region, Russia, kill 140 people
Roadside car bomb kills 14 civilians in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province
people are killed by the Syrian army in Tremseh
19-30 people are killed after a train collides with a truck in Malelane, South Africa
Floods on the Japanese island of Kyushu kill 20 and displace 250,000
39 pilgrims are killed in a bus crash in Parasi, Nepal
The 2012 Wicksburg nightclub shooting occurred on August 9, 2012, when 22-year-old Ryan Clark Petersen armed himself with a gun and fired multiple shots in a nightclub in Wicksburg, Alabama, United...
14 people are killed after a bomb explosion at Pakistan's Orakzai Agency
12 people are killed and 59 injured after a gunman opens fire at a Dark Knight movie premier in Aurora, Colorado,
At least 77 people are killed by torrential rain in Beijing, China
A series of attacks across Iraq kill 103 people
Italy's credit rating is downgraded to CCC+ by Egan-Jones
Sectarian violence in Pakistan refers to violence directed against people and places in Pakistan motivated by antagonism toward the target's religious sect.
18 people are killed and 11 injured in ethnic clashes in Ethiopia
Tropical Storm Khanun kills 88 people and leaves 60,000 homeless in North Korea
General Motors (Chevrolet) signs a record-breaking 7-year, $559 million sponsorship deal with EPL club Manchester United
A second power grid failure in India in two days leaves 670 million people without power
American Nathan Adrian clocks 47.52 in winning the 100 m freestyle gold at the London Olympics, his first swim under 48 seconds
This is a list of terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2012. Pakistan has faced numerous attacks by insurgents as a result of the ongoing War in North-West Pakistan by the Pakistani military against...
Melissa Franklin Johnson is an American former competitive swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist. She held the world record in the 200-meter backstroke (long course) from 2012 to 2019.
A suicide bombing in Abyan, Yemen, kills 45 people
Gunman opens fire on Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six people before committing suicide
A large fire erupts at the Chevron oil refinery in Richmond, Ohio, injuring six employees
,000 people are evacuated from Shanghai in anticipation of Typhoon Haikui
China announces plans to close 23 rare earth mines and up to 50 smelting companies
13 people are killed and 15 injured by a lightning strike at a mosque in Bangladesh
The 2012 Summer Olympic development process began in 2005, following the successful London bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics, and ran until the games in 2012.
Nadzeya Astapchuk is a Belarusian shot putter. She briefly was designated the Olympic Champion in 2012, but was subsequently stripped of the title for failing a drug test and the gold medal was...
46 people are killed and 80 injured after a series of suicide bombings in Afghanistan
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division.
people are killed and over 200 wounded in a series of attacks across Iraq
Gay pride events are banned for a century in Moscow
The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is an ongoing armed conflict between the Yemeni government, the United States and their allies, and al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Yemen.
Plane crash in the mountainous region of Talodi, Sudan, kills 32, including several government officials and staff, en route to the Eid al-Fitr festival, which celebrates the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan; crash is blamed on bad weather conditions
On 20 August 2012, armed prisoners in the Yare I prison complex, an overcrowded prison in Miranda state near Caracas, Venezuela, rioted.
In 2014, an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) occurred.
Estimates of the total number of deaths in the Syrian Civil War, by various war monitors, range between 580,000 as of May 2021, and approximately 656,493 as of March 2025.
At least 30 people are killed as a result of monsoon rain in Rajasthan, India
A US jury in California finds Samsung guilty of patent infringement and awards over US$1 billion in damages to Apple, while in a South Korean court, both are found guilty of patent infringement
The Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale...
Legionella outbreak in Quebec City, Canada, kills 8 and infects 104
Banana Spider venom is found to be effective in relieving erectile dysfunction
The Xiaojiawan coal mine disaster was a mining accident which happened on 29 August 2012 at the Xiaojiawan coal mine, located in Panzhihua in Sichuan Province, China.
Apple loses its patent dispute with Samsung in Tokyo, Japan
Grenade injures 41 festival celebrants in Paquibato, Philippines
15 people are killed by a car bomb attack at a refugee camp in Sbeineh, Palestine
New Zealand announces withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan
25 people are killed in a funeral suicide bombing in Nangarhar, Pakistan
25 people are killed and 4 wounded after an ammunition store explodes in Afyon, Turkey
61 illegal immigrants die after a fishing boat capsizes off the coast of Turkey
On 7 September 2012, a series of earthquakes occurred in Yiliang County, Zhaotong, Yunnan. The two main shocks occurred at 11:19 and 12:16 China Standard Time (03:19 and 04:16 UTC).
A train hits a tractor in Romania, killing eight people
people are killed and 350 injured in a wave of attacks across Iraq
10,000 miners demonstrate at Lonmin Mines in Marikana, South Africa
Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, simply known as Al-Shabaab, is a Sunni Islamist political and paramilitary organisation based in Somalia.
Factories in Pakistan's two largest cities of Karachi and Lahore caught fire on 11 September 2012.
Eighteen soldiers are killed by a rebel car bomb in Syria
19 people are killed after a freight elevator crashes from 100 meters in Wuhan, China
Ferry sinks amid 10 foot waves off Indonesia's Sumatra Island, killing 21 people
Nuclear power in the United Kingdom generated 16.1% of the country's electricity in 2020.
14 people are killed and 7 wounded by a roadside bomb Jandol, Turkey
13 people are killed in a bus accident in Jubail, Saudi Arabia
Swedish forensic scientists find no conclusive evidence of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's DNA in a torn condom
10 Turkish soldiers are killed and 70 injured in a missile attack by Kurdish militants in Bingol, Turkey
9 people are killed and 20 wounded by a car bombing in Peshawar, Afghanistan
14 people are killed in a cafe suicide bombing in Somalia
Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihiko Noda, wins a leadership ballot
Seven pedestrians are killed by a drunk driver who hits a bus stop at 200 km/h in Moscow
Books by Japanese authors or about Japan are suspended by Chinese bookstores
The Senkaku Islands, known as the Diaoyu Islands in China and the Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, administered by Japan.
Greek trade unions call a general strike to protest austerity measures
The 2004 Japanese discovery of the 113th element is confirmed
Aircraft crash kills 16 people in Kathmandu, Nepal
The 9 September 2012 Iraq attacks were a series of coordinated bombings and shootings across the capital Baghdad and several major cities in the north and south of the country.
36 people are killed in a ferry collision in Hong Kong
A minibus and truck collide in Ilocos Norte, Philippines, killing ten people
Aleppo is a city in northern Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the country's most populous governorate.
19 people are killed after being buried by a landslide in Yunnan, China
Adam Ondra is a Czech professional rock climber, specializing in lead climbing, bouldering, and competition climbing.
Anglo Platinum Limited fires 12,000 striking workers in South Africa
Actor John Cusack strolls onto the stage at the Hollywood Bowl and hands singer Peter Gabriel a boombox before the performance of the song "In Your Eyes," recreating the iconic scene from the movie "Say Anything"
ICC Men's Cricket T20 World Cup, Colombo: West Indies defeat Sri Lanka by 36 runs to win their first title; Player of the Series is Australian all-rounder Shane Watson (249 runs, 11 wickets)
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees breaks Johnny Unitas' NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (48) when he connects with Devery Henderson in the Saints' 31-24 win over San Diego at the Superdome
35 people are killed when a Nigerian military bomb strikes a convoy in Maiduguri
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant.
Guan Moye (simplified Chinese: 管谟业; traditional Chinese: 管謨業; pinyin: Guǎn Móyè; born 5 March 1955), better known by the pen name Mo Yan, is a Chinese novelist and short story writer.
The European Union wins the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, sparking a series of critical commentary
Jason Thomas Mraz ( mə-RAZ; born June 23, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
20 people are gunned down in a mosque in Dogo Dawa, Nigeria
Bring Up the Bodies is a historical novel by Hilary Mantel, sequel to the award-winning Wolf Hall (2009), and part of a trilogy charting the rise and fall of Thomas Cromwell, the powerful minister in...
Conflict in Maiduguri, Nigeria, leads to 24 militant deaths and several structures set ablaze
Alpha Centauri (α Centauri, α Cen, or Alpha Cen) is a star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus.
Lance Armstrong loses a host of endorsements in the wake of his doping scandal
Google stock trading is suspended after the premature release of a quarterly report indicating a 20% drop in profits and a 9% fall in share price
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen are honored for their work with fashion label The Row at the WSJ Magazine's Innovator of the Year Awards in New York City
Eight people are killed and 78 injured by a car bomb in Beirut, Lebanon
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic region of the United...
Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as Superstorm Sandy) was an extremely large and devastating tropical cyclone which ravaged the Caribbean and the coastal Mid-Atlantic region of the United...
41 people are killed and 50 injured by a suicide bombing of a mosque in Maymana, Afghanistan
46 people are killed and 123 injured in Iraq after a series of attacks and bombs
Baghdad is the capital and largest city in Iraq. It is located on the banks of the Tigris in central Iraq. The city has an estimated population of 8 million.
Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in New Jersey results in 110 deaths and $50 billion in damage and forces the New York stock exchange to close
New York was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy on October 29–30, 2012, particularly New York City, its suburbs, and Long Island.
The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the Predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air...
New York was severely affected by Hurricane Sandy on October 29–30, 2012, particularly New York City, its suburbs, and Long Island.
This is a broad timeline of the course of major events of the Syrian civil war. It only includes major territorial changes and attacks and does not include every event. The uprising against Syrian...
Pope Tawadros II is the 118th and current Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, succeeding the late Pope Shenouda III as leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an...
5 people are shot at a poultry processing plant in Fresno, California
The 2012 Guatemala earthquake occurred on November 7 at 10:35:45 local time. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.4 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VII (Very strong).
25 people are killed and 62 injured after a train carrying liquid fuel bursts into flames in Burma
17 people are killed in a helicopter crash as a result of bad weather in Turkey
12 people are killed by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Burma
Into the Silence by Wade Davis wins the 2012 Samuel Johnson Prize
A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel.
At least 95 people are killed in Syrian conflicts
The game "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" grosses $500 million in 24 hours to become the largest entertainment launch of all time
50 schoolchildren and a bus driver are killed after a train collides with a school bus in Manfalut, Egypt
In November 2012, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Pillar of Defense, which was an eight-day campaign in the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, beginning on 14 November 2012 with the...
The 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Grande Prêmio Petrobras do Brasil 2012) was a Formula One motor race that took place at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo,...
Plymouth Crown Court clears two farmers of health and safety offenses related to giant hay bale death of ELO cellist Mike Edwards [1]
Toshiba unveils a robot designed to help in nuclear disasters
The history of Hamas is an account of the Palestinian nationalist and Islamist – described by some as fundamentalist – socio-political organization based in the Gaza Strip with an associated...
2 people are killed and 120 injured after a 100-vehicle pile-up in dense fog in Texas
JR Tokai unveils a maglev LO train prototype capable of traveling up to 500 km per hour
Ernest Bai Koroma is a Sierra Leonean politician who served as the fourth President of Sierra Leone from 17 September 2007 to 4 April 2018. Born and raised in Makeni in northern Sierra Leone, Koroma...
11 people are killed and 30 are wounded by twin car bombs hitting a Protestant church in Nigeria
10 children are killed and 15 people are injured after a Syrian government Jet drops a cluster bomb on a playground
29 people are killed and 126 are wounded by 8 car bombings across Iraq
At least 48 people are killed and 100 are wounded by bombs in Hillah and Karbala, Iraq [1]
The Ilyushin Il-76 is a multi-purpose, fixed-wing, four-engine turbofan strategic airlifter designed by the Soviet Union's Ilyushin design bureau as a commercial freighter in 1967, to replace the...
Bolivia bus crash leaves eight people dead and 36 injured
Ex-England soccer captain David Beckham leaves LA Galaxy triumphantly with a second MLS Cup winner's medal after a 3-1 win over Houston Dynamo in Carson, CA, in the final game of a 6-year stint in the US
9 people are killed after 30 cars are trapped in Sasago Tunnel, Japan
29 people are killed by a mortar attack in Bteeha, Syria
8 people are killed and 12 injured by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake in South Korea
7 people are killed and 770 injured during Egyptian protests
The Kyoto Protocol was an international treaty which extended the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,...
13 people are killed and 10 are injured after a bus rolls of a cliff and falls 100 meters in Taiwan
11 people are killed and 23 are injured after a bus falls into a roadside pond in Minquan County, China
people are killed and 200 are injured by bombings in Aqrab, Syria
A car bombing in Qatana, outside Damascus, kills 16 people and injures 12
On December 14, 2012, a mass shooting occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, United States. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot and killed 26 people.
18 Asylum seekers drown in the Aegean Sea on the way to Greece from Turkey
4 people are killed after Cyclone Evan strikes Fiji
10 girls collecting firewood are killed by a mine blast in east Afghanistan
4 people are killed and 11 are injured after an apartment block collapses in Palermo, Italy
Apple is denied a patent for mobile pinch-to-zoom gestures by the US patent authorities
Rapper Flavor Flav opens Flavor Flav's Chicken & Ribs causal restaurant in Sterling Heights, Michigan - closes July 2013
The Battle of Damascus, also known as Operation Damascus Volcano, started on 15 July 2012 during the Syrian civil war. Thousands of rebels infiltrated Damascus from the surrounding countryside.
The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war from September to December 2012. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.
11 kindergarten children are killed after a minivan plunges into a roadside pond in Jiangxi, China
27 people are killed after an Antonov An-72 plane crashes near Shymkent, Kazakhstan
China opens the world’s longest high speed rail route from Beijing to Guangzhou
NASA unveils plans to capture a 500-ton asteroid, later canceled due to a White House space policy that focuses on the Moon and Mars
13 people are killed and 19 are injured after a bus plunges into a river in western Nepal
The Free Syrian Army (FSA; Arabic: الجيش السوري الحر, romanized: al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29...
19 people are killed by a suicide bomber in Balochistan, Pakistan
Griselda Blanco, Colombian colombian drug lord, known for colombian drug lord, died on 2012-02-03.
Whitney Houston, American singer and actress, known for american singer and actress, died on 2012-02-11.
Gary Carter, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster, known for american baseball player, coach, and sportscaster, died on 2012-02-16.
Davy Jones, English musician, known for british musician, died on 2012-02-29. David Thomas Jones (30 December 1945 – 29 February 2012) was an English musician and actor.
Ahmed Ben Bella dies
Dick Clark, American radio and television personality, known for american radio and television personality, died on 2012-04-18.
Adam Yauch, American musician, known for american musician, died on 2012-05-04. Adam Nathaniel Yauch ( YOWK; August 5, 1964 – May 4, 2012), also known by the stage name MCA, was an American rapper,…
Maurice Sendak, American children's book author and illustrator, known for american children's book author and illustrator, died on 2012-05-08.
Vidal Sassoon, British hairstylist, known for british hairstylist, died on 2012-05-09. Vidal Sassoon (17 January 1928 – 9 May 2012) was a British hairstylist and businessman.
Robin Gibb, British singer, known for british singer, died on 2012-05-20. Robin Hugh Gibb (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a British singer and songwriter.
Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect, known for brazilian architect, died on 2012-12-05.