April 12

1204 – The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, instead of proceeding to Jerusalem, sack Constantinople after besieging it since July of the previous year in support of the deposed emperor Isaac II Angelos.

1776 – With the passage of the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.

1861 – The first battle of the Civil War begins with South Carolina militia firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor.

1900 – One day after its enactment by the Congress, President William McKinley signs the Foraker Act into law, giving Puerto Rico limited self rule.

1927 – Rocksprings, Texas is hit by an F5 tornado, destroying 235 of the 247 buildings in the town, killing 72 people and injuring 205 more.

1934 – The strongest surface wind gust in the world, at the time, of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire.

1945 – Vice President Truman becomes President upon the death of President Roosevelt at Warm Springs, Georgia.

1955 – After results of a final field trial of over 1,800,000 subjects in the U.S. are tabulated, the first polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective and licensed for use.

1961 – Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space aboard Vostok 1.

1980 – Transbrasil Flight 303, a Boeing 727, crashes on approach to Hercílio Luz International Airport, in Florianópolis, Brazil with 55 of the 58 passengers and crew on board killed.

1981 – STS-1, the first orbital flight of the Space Shuttle takes place with Shuttle Columbia launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen aboard

1999 – President Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving “intentionally false statements” in a civil lawsuit.

2009 – Zimbabwe officially abandons the hyperinflated Zimbabwean dollar as its official currency.