February 12th in History

1818: Chile gains independence from Spain
1912: China becomes a republic, after centuries of rule by an Emperor
1915: Cornerstone laid for Lincoln Memorial
1950: Albert Einstein warns against hydrogen bomb.
1961: First spacecraft to the planet Venus launched
1973: American prisoners captured in Vietnam are released
1994: Edward Munch's painting "The Scream" is stolen from the Norwegian National Gallery. It is later returned and promptly stolen again.

February 12th birthdays

1809: Charles Darwin, English scientist
1809: Abraham Lincoln, Former (16th) US President
1923: Franco Zeffirelli, Italian director
1933: Costa Gavras, Argentinian director.