January 12 is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 353 days remaining (354 in leap years).

Births

1321 - Maria of Brabant, wife of Philip III of France (b. 1256)
1519 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)
1583 - Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands (b. 1508)
1665 - Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (b. 1601)
1674 - Giacomo Carissimi, Italian composer (b. 1605)
1700 - Marguerite Bourgeoys, saint (b. 1620)
1705 - Luca Giordano, Italian artist (b. 1634)
1732 - John Horsley, British archaeologist (b. 1685)
1735 - John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)
1759 - Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. 1709)
1777 - Hugh Mercer, American Revolutionary War officer (mortally wounded in battle) (b. 1726)
1781 - Richard Challoner, English Catholic prelate (b. 1691)
1817 - Juan Andres, Spanish Jesuit (b. 1740)
1834 - William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1759)
1899 - Hiram Walker, American distiller (b. 1816)
1909 - Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (b. 1864)
1940 - Edward Smith, English soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross (b. 1899)
1943 - Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and writer (b. 1902)
1944 - Lance C. Wade, American pilot (b. 1915)
1956 - Norman Kerry, American actor (b. 1894)
1960 - Nevil Shute, English writer (b. 1899)
1962 - Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian writer and feminist (b. 1869)
1965 - Lorraine Hansberry, American writer (b. 1936)
1976 - Agatha Christie, English writer (b. 1890)
1977 - Henri-Georges Clouzot, French film director and screenwriter (b. 1907)
1983 - Nikolai Podgorny, President of the USSR (b. 1903)
1990 - Laurence J. Peter, Canadian-born educator et writer (b. 1919)
1996 - Joachim Nitsche, German mathematician (b. 1926)
1997 - Charles B. Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1901)
1997 - Jean-Edern Hallier, French author (b. 1936)
1999 - Betty Lou Gerson, American voice actress (b. 1914)
1999 - Doug Wickenheiser, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1961)
2000 - Marc Davis, American animator (b. 1913)
2000 - Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)
2001 - Affirmed, American racehorse (b. 1975)
2001 - William Hewlett, American engineer and businessman (b. 1913)
2001 - Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (b. 1922)
2002 - Stanley Unwin, South African comedian (b. 1911)
2002 - Cyrus Vance, 57th U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1917)
2003 - Dean Amadon, American ornithologist (b. 1912)
2003 - Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese director (b. 1930)
2003 - Leopoldo Galtieri, dictator of Argentina (b. 1926)
2003 - Maurice Gibb, British singer, songwriter, and musician (Bee Gees) (b. 1949)
2004 - Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya, Russian mathematician (b. 1921)
2004 - Randy VanWarmer, American singer and songwriter (b. 1955)
2005 - Alessia di Matteo, first survivor of eight transplants in one operation (b. 2003)
2005 - Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932)
2005 - Edmund S. Valtman, Estonian-born cartoonist (b. 1914)
2007 - Alice Coltrane, American jazz musician (b. 1937) Holidays and observances

Benedict Biscop
January 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)