Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky. The future 16th President would become the greatest wartime Commander in Chief in American history, preserving the Union and abolishing slavery.
Lady Jane Grey, the "Nine Days' Queen," was executed at the Tower of London at age 16, a casualty of the military and political struggle for the English throne between Protestant and Catholic factions.
Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky. The future 16th President would become the greatest wartime Commander in Chief in American history, preserving the Union and abolishing slavery.
German General Erwin Rommel arrived in Tripoli, Libya, with the newly formed Afrika Korps to reinforce collapsing Italian forces. His arrival transformed the North African campaign into one of the war's most dynamic theaters.
German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, along with heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, made a daring daylight dash through the English Channel from Brest to Germany, humiliating the Royal Navy and RAF.
The Royal Navy completed Operation Deadlight, scuttling the last of 116 captured German U-boats in deep waters northwest of Ireland, ending the final chapter of the Kriegsmarine's submarine fleet.
Christian Dior unveiled his revolutionary "New Look" collection in Paris, using extravagant amounts of fabric that had been unavailable during wartime rationing, symbolizing Europe's recovery from military devastation.
The submarine USS Cusk successfully launched a Loon missile, an American copy of the German V-1 flying bomb, off Point Mugu, California, becoming the first submarine in history to fire a guided missile.
The first group of American prisoners of war were released from North Vietnam under the Paris Peace Accords. Operation Homecoming would return 591 POWs, some of whom had been held for over eight years.
Soviet frigates deliberately rammed the guided-missile cruiser USS Yorktown and destroyer USS Caron in the Black Sea during a freedom-of-navigation exercise, one of the most dangerous naval confrontations of the Cold War.
President Bill Clinton was acquitted by the Senate in his impeachment trial, maintaining his role as Commander in Chief during ongoing military operations in the Balkans and Middle East.
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Captain (Militia)
The 16th President and greatest wartime Commander in Chief in American history. He preserved the Union, abolished slavery, and demonstrated that civilian leadership could direct military forces to achieve strategic objectives.
Naturalist whose theory of evolution by natural selection was later controversially applied to military strategy through "Social Darwinism," influencing military thinking from the late 19th century through World War II.
The "Nine Days' Queen" of England who was executed at 16 as a pawn in the military and political struggle between Protestant and Catholic factions for control of the English throne.
10 military events occurred on February 12, spanning multiple centuries. Key events include: Abraham Lincoln Born, The Commander Who Saved the Union (1809), Scharnhorst and Gneisenau's Channel Dash (1942), First American POWs Released from Vietnam (1973), Rommel Arrives in North Africa, The Desert Fox Takes Command (1941), USS Cusk Launches First Submarine-Fired Guided Missile (1947).
The most significant military event on February 12 is Abraham Lincoln Born, The Commander Who Saved the Union (1809). Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky. The future 16th President would become the greatest wartime Commander in Chief in American history, preserving the Union and abolishing slavery.
Notable military figures born on February 12 include Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), Charles Darwin (1809–1882).
Events on February 12 span the Interwar Period, the Cold War, the Colonial & Revolutionary era, World War II, the Modern Era, the Vietnam War, covering 10 events across 3 centuries of military history.
Events on February 12 involve 3 branches of the U.S. and allied armed forces, reflecting the global scope of military operations throughout history.
Explore military history from the day you were born.
January 10
1920
January 11
1879
January 22
1879
January 29
1856
June 6
The Allied invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious assault in history.
December 7
Japan attacks the U.S. Pacific Fleet, bringing America into World War II.
September 11
The deadliest terrorist attack in history transforms U.S. national security.
August 6
The first atomic bomb is dropped on a city, ushering in the nuclear age.
May 8
Nazi Germany surrenders unconditionally, ending World War II in Europe.
November 11
Armistice Day marks the end of World War I and honors all who served.
June 4
The turning point of the Pacific War as the U.S. Navy destroys four Japanese carriers.
July 4
The Declaration of Independence is adopted, sparking the American Revolution.
The FIM-92 Stinger helped win the Cold War by turning Afghan mujahideen into a credible anti-aircraft threat. By 2023, the United States almost ran out of them, because Raytheon stopped making them for 13 years, and the first 10 months of Ukraine support burned through the remaining stockpile.
These weapons were built to fight a war that everyone prayed would never happen. The Minuteman III has been on alert since 1970. The Typhoon-class carried enough nuclear warheads to destroy a continent. The Davy Crockett could be fired by three soldiers. Most of them have been waiting for 40 years. Here are 10 Cold War weapons built exclusively for World War III.
The MiG-31 was designed to catch the SR-71 Blackbird. It is still the fastest fighter in any air force. The Foxhound's Zaslon phased-array radar, the first ever installed in a fighter, can track 10 targets and engage 4 simultaneously at ranges exceeding 200 miles. Here is why Russia still flies a 1980s interceptor, and why the MiG-31BM carrying a Kinzhal hypersonic missile has changed what the aircraft means to modern warfare.
Nineteen armies on four continents chose the Leopard 2. No other Western tank comes close to this export record, and the reasons go far beyond German engineering.
