History in 12th Apr

Civil War begins

Confederate forces commanded by General P. G. T. Beauregard open fire on Union forces guarding Fort Sumter, announcing the start of the Civil War. Following South Carolina's secession in December 1860, Union Major Robert Anderson had moved his unit from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter, located in the middle of Charleston Harbor. After a 34-hour artillery attack, Anderson agreed to surrender the fort.
More »
FDR dies in Georgia

President Franklin D. Roosevelt suffers a fatal stroke while resting at the Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia. In the months prior Roosevelt had met with Josef Stalin and Winston Churchill at the Yalta Conference, and with Egyptian King Farouk, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, and Saudi King Ibn Saud aboard the USS Quincy. His death ascended Harry Truman to the White House, who vowed to take a tougher stance against the Soviet Union.
More »
Henry Clay born

American politician Henry Clay is born in Hanover County, Virginia. Clay started a legal practice in Lexington, Kentucky, where he started his political career. Caly would eventually serve in the United States Senate and House of Representatives before being appointed Secretary of State by President John Quincy Adams. Dubbed the "Great Compromiser," Clay's presence in Congress helped preserve the Union during its formative years.
More »