On This Day: April 12

Updated April 11, 2012, 2:28 pm

On April 12, 1945, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Ga., at age 63. Vice President Harry S Truman became president.
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On April 12, 1903, Jan Tinbergen, the Dutch economist who won the Nobel Prize in 1969 for his work with econometric models, was born. Following his death on June 9, 1994, his obituary appeared in The Times.

Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »

On This Date

By The Associated Press

1606 England adopted the Union Jack as its flag.

1877 The catcher for Harvard’s baseball team, James Tyng, wore a modified fencing mask behind the plate. It is believed to be the first time a catcher’s mask was used during a game.

1945 President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Ga., at age 63.

1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the Earth once before making a safe landing.

1981 The space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on its first test flight.

1983 Harold Washington was elected Chicago’s first African-American mayor.

1999 U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright found President Bill Clinton in contempt of court for giving “intentionally false” testimony in a lawsuit filed by Paula Jones about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

2002 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resigned under pressure from the country’s divided military. (He was returned to office two days later.)

2004 Barry Bonds hit his 660th home run to tie Willie Mays for third on baseball’s career list. (Bonds is now the career leader in home runs.)

2009 American cargo ship captain Richard Phillips was rescued from Somali pirates by U.S. Navy snipers who shot and killed three of the hostage-takers.

2011 Japan ranked its nuclear crisis at the highest possible severity on an international scale – the same level as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster – even as it insisted radiation leaks were declining at its tsunami-crippled nuclear plant.

Current Birthdays

By The Associated Press

Country musician Vince Gill turns 55 years old today.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

Actress Claire Danes turns 33 years old today.

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

1933 Montserrat Caballe, Opera singer, turns 79

1940 Herbie Hancock, Jazz musician, turns 72

1942 Frank Bank, Actor (“Leave it to Beaver”), turns 70

1944 John Kay, Rock singer (Steppenwolf), turns 68

1946 Ed O’Neill, Actor (“Modern Family,” “Married … With Children”), turns 66

1947 Tom Clancy, Author, turns 65

1947 Dan Lauria, Actor (“The Wonder Years”), turns 65

1947 David Letterman, Talk show host, turns 65

1949 Scott Turow, Author, turns 63

1950 David Cassidy, Actor, singer (“The Partridge Family”), turns 62

1956 Andy Garcia, Actor, turns 56

1964 Amy Ray, Folk singer, musician (Indigo Girls), turns 48

1971 Nicholas Brendon, Actor (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), turns 41

1971 Shannen Doherty, Actress, turns 41

1979 Jennifer Morrison, Actress (“House M.D.”), turns 33

1987 Brendon Urie, Rock musician (Panic at the Disco), turns 25

1994 Saoirse Ronan, Actress (“Atonement,” “The Lovely Bones”), turns 18

Historic Birthdays

Jan Tinbergen 4/12/1903 – 6/9/1994 Dutch Nobel Prize-winning economist (1969).Go to obituary »

74 Joachim Camerarius 4/12/1500 – 4/17/1574
German Lutheran theologian

54 Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford 4/12/1550 – 6/24/1604
English poet and patron of the Oxford’s Men acting company

75 Henry Clay 4/12/1777 – 6/29/1852
American politician; U.S. congressman and senator (1806-52)

89 John Strachan 4/12/1778 – 11/1/1867
Scottish-born Canadian educator and first Anglican bishop of Toronto

85 Grenville Dodge 4/12/1831 – 1/3/1916
American engineer; chief engineer of Union Pacific Railroad (1866-70)

72 Sir James Mackenzie 4/12/1853 – 1/26/1925
Scottish cardiologist; pioneer in the study of cardiac arrhythmia

93 Imogen Cunningham 4/12/1883 – 6/24/1976
American photographer of plants and portraits

78 Lily Pons 4/12/1898 – 2/13/1976
French coloratura soprano

78 Pete Desjardins 4/12/1907 – 5/6/1985
American diver; 1928 Olympic medallist

1606	England adopted the Union Jack as its flag.
1877	The catcher for Harvard’s baseball team, James Tyng, wore a modified fencing mask behind the plate. It is believed to be the first time a catcher’s mask was used during a game.
1945	President Franklin D. Roosevelt died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Ga., at age 63.
1961	Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the Earth once before making a safe landing.
1981	The space shuttle Columbia blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on its first test flight.
1983	Harold Washington was elected Chicago’s first African-American mayor.
1999	U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright found President Bill Clinton in contempt of court for giving “intentionally false” testimony in a lawsuit filed by Paula Jones about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
2002	Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resigned under pressure from the country’s divided military. (He was returned to office two days later.)
2004	Barry Bonds hit his 660th home run to tie Willie Mays for third on baseball’s career list. (Bonds is now the career leader in home runs.)
2009	American cargo ship captain Richard Phillips was rescued from Somali pirates by U.S. Navy snipers who shot and killed three of the hostage-takers.
2011	Japan ranked its nuclear crisis at the highest possible severity on an international scale – the same level as the 1986 Chernobyl disaster – even as it insisted radiation leaks were declining at its tsunami-crippled nuclear plant.

1933	Montserrat Caballe, Opera singer, turns 79
1940	Herbie Hancock, Jazz musician, turns 72
1942	Frank Bank, Actor (“Leave it to Beaver”), turns 70
1944	John Kay, Rock singer (Steppenwolf), turns 68
1946	Ed O’Neill, Actor (“Modern Family,” “Married … With Children”), turns 66
1947	Tom Clancy, Author, turns 65
1947	Dan Lauria, Actor (“The Wonder Years”), turns 65
1947	David Letterman, Talk show host, turns 65
1949	Scott Turow, Author, turns 63
1950	David Cassidy, Actor, singer (“The Partridge Family”), turns 62
1956	Andy Garcia, Actor, turns 56
1964	Amy Ray, Folk singer, musician (Indigo Girls), turns 48
1971	Nicholas Brendon, Actor (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), turns 41
1971	Shannen Doherty, Actress, turns 41
1979	Jennifer Morrison, Actress (“House M.D.”), turns 33
1987	Brendon Urie, Rock musician (Panic at the Disco), turns 25
1994	Saoirse Ronan, Actress (“Atonement,” “The Lovely Bones”), turns 18

74	Joachim Camerarius 4/12/1500 – 4/17/1574 German Lutheran theologian
54	Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford 4/12/1550 – 6/24/1604 English poet and patron of the Oxford’s Men acting company
75	Henry Clay 4/12/1777 – 6/29/1852 American politician; U.S. congressman and senator (1806-52)
89	John Strachan 4/12/1778 – 11/1/1867 Scottish-born Canadian educator and first Anglican bishop of Toronto
85	Grenville Dodge 4/12/1831 – 1/3/1916 American engineer; chief engineer of Union Pacific Railroad (1866-70)
72	Sir James Mackenzie 4/12/1853 – 1/26/1925 Scottish cardiologist; pioneer in the study of cardiac arrhythmia
93	Imogen Cunningham 4/12/1883 – 6/24/1976 American photographer of plants and portraits
78	Lily Pons 4/12/1898 – 2/13/1976 French coloratura soprano
78	Pete Desjardins 4/12/1907 – 5/6/1985 American diver; 1928 Olympic medallist