January 6
January 6
New Mexico joins the Union
On January 6, 1912, New Mexico is admitted into the United States as the 47th state. Spanish explorers passed through the area that would become New Mexico in the early…
A Year In History: 1912
Also Within This Year in History:
1912
The sinking of the Titanic dominated headlines in 1912, a dramatic year on land and sea. The last emperor of China abdicated, while Teddy Roosevelt ran for president on the Bull Moose Party ticket, surviving an assassination attempt before losing to Woodrow Wilson. Native American athlete Jim Thorpe won two gold medals at the Stockholm Olympics, only to be stripped of them for eligibility issues. “Tarzan of the Apes” first appeared in fiction, and the National Biscuit Company introduced the Oreo cookie.
January 17
January 17
Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole
After a two‑month ordeal, the expedition of British explorer Robert Falcon Scott arrives at the South Pole only to find that Roald Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer, had preceded them by…
February 12
February 12
Last emperor of China abdicates
On February 12, 1912, Hsian‑T’ung, the last emperor of China, is forced to abdicate following Sun Yat‑sen’s republican revolution. A provisional government was established in his place, ending 267 years…
March 27
March 27
Japanese cherry trees planted along the Potomac
March 27, 1912: In Washington, D.C., Helen Taft, wife of President William Taft, and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, plant two Yoshino cherry trees on the northern bank…
April 14
April 14
RMS Titanic hits iceberg
Just before midnight in the North Atlantic, the RMS Titanic fails to divert its course from an iceberg, ruptures its hull, and begins to sink. Four days earlier, the Titanic,…
April 15
April 15
Race car driver goes down with the Titanic
On this day in 1912, Washington Augustus Roebling II, a 31‑year‑old race car engineer and driver, dies in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in the icy waters of the North…
April 15
April 15
Molly Brown avoids sinking with the Titanic
A 20th century version of the strong and resourceful women of the Wild West, Molly Brown wins lasting fame by surviving the sinking of the Titanic. Molly Brown was an…
April 15
April 15
“Unsinkable” Titanic sinks
The RMS Titanic, billed as unsinkable, sinks into the icy waters of the North Atlantic after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage, killing 1,517 people. The United Kingdom’s White…
April 15
April 15
Titanic sinks
At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the British ocean liner Titanic sinks into the North Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada. The massive ship, which carried…
July 7
July 7
Jim Thorpe begins Olympic pentathlon
On July 7, 1912, Jim Thorpe wins the pentathlon at the fifth modern Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. At the time, Thorpe, a Native American who attended Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Indian School,…
August 7
August 7
Teddy Roosevelt nominated as Bull Moose candidate
Theodore Roosevelt is nominated for the presidency by the Progressive Party, a group of Republicans dissatisfied with the renomination of President William Howard Taft. Also known as the Bull Moose Party,…
August 10
August 10
Virginia and Leonard Woolf marry
On August 10, 1912, Virginia Stephen, 30, marries Leonard Woolf, 31, at a registry office in London. Virginia Woolf, born in 1882, grew up surrounded by intellectuals. Her father was…
October 12
October 12
Actress, playwright, novelist Alice Childress is born
The black actress, novelist, and playwright Alice Childress is born in Charleston, South Carolina, on this day in 1912. Childress moved to Harlem when she was five and was raised…
October 14
October 14
Theodore Roosevelt shot in Milwaukee
Before a campaign speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, presidential candidate Theodore Roosevelt is shot at close range by saloonkeeper John Schrank while greeting the public in front of the Gilpatrick Hotel. Schrank’s .32‑caliber…
October 16
October 16
Fred Snodgrass drops ball and loses World Series
On October 16, 1912, New York Giants outfielder Fred Snodgrass drops an easy pop‑up in the 10th inning of the tiebreaking eighth game of the World Series against the Red…
October 17
October 17
Serbia and Greece declare war on Ottoman Empire in First Balkan War
On October 17, 1912, following the example of Montenegro, their smaller ally in the tumultuous Balkan region of Europe, Serbia and Greece declare war on the Ottoman Empire, beginning the…
November 2
November 2
XIT Ranch sells its last head of cattle
On this day, the XIT Ranch of Texas, once among the largest ranches in the world, sells its last head of cattle. Despite the popular image of the cattle rancher…
November 5
November 5
Woodrow Wilson wins landslide victory
Democrat Woodrow Wilson is elected the 28th president of the United States, with Thomas R. Marshall as vice president. In a landslide Democratic victory, Wilson won 435 electoral votes against…
November 21
November 21
News breaks of “Piltdown Man” fossil discovery
On November 21, 1912, the Manchester Guardian breaks the news: After three years of digging in the Piltdown gravel pit in Sussex, England, amateur archaeologist Charles Dawson had discovered two…
December 3
December 3
Armistice signed in First Balkan War
Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and Montenegro sign an armistice with Turkey, ending the fighting in the first Balkan War. During the two‑month conflict, a military coalition between Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, and…
