On This Day for April 12 - Launch of first space shuttle, Edward de Vere, 17th earl of Oxford is featured, and more

Created: 2020-04-12 10:02 Updated: 2020-04-12 10:02 Notebook: On this Day in History

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April 12

Edward de Vere, 17th earl of Oxford

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY

Edward de Vere, 17th earl of Oxford

space shuttle liftoff

FEATURED EVENT

1981

Launch of first space shuttle

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Earth's To-Do List

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

Valparaíso, Chile

2014: A forest fire swept into the port city of Valparaíso , Chile, destroying several thousand homes and claiming the lives of at least 16 people before it was extinguished several days later. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Chile.]

Sugar Ray Robinson and Randy Turpin

1989: American boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, a six-time world champion who was considered by many to have been the best fighter in history, died in California. [Test your knowledge of boxing, basketball, and more .]

Harold Washington

1983: Harold Washington, the first African American mayor of Chicago, was elected. [Take our quiz about Chicago history.]

Joe Louis

1981: American Joe Louis, world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949, died in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Yury Alekseyevich Gagarin, 1961.

1961: Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in outer space. [Test your knowledge of famous astronauts and cosmonauts.]

David Letterman and Mike Mullen

1947: American comedian David Letterman, best known as the host of his long-running late-night talk show, was born.

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ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY

1947

Tom Clancy
American author

1947

David Letterman
American talk-show host

1942

Jacob Zuma
president of South Africa

1777

Henry Clay
American statesman

1940

Herbie Hancock
American musician

1941

Bobby Moore
British athlete

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