On March 12, history records 39 notable events, 217 famous births and 103 deaths, spanning the years 538 to 1912.
Events on this day include: Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius (538); Several hundred Spanish and indigenous troops under the command of Pedro de Valdivia defeat an army of 60,000 Mapuche at the Battle of Penco during the Arauc... (1550).
Notable people born on March 12 include Charles, Count of Valois (1270), Ashikaga Yoshimochi (1386), Luca Gaurico (1475).
Notable figures who died on this day include Pope Innocent I (417), Pope Gregory I (604), Ælfheah the Bald (951).
Events on 12 March 39
See all →Vitiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius
Several hundred Spanish and indigenous troops under the command of Pedro de Valdivia defeat an army of 60,000 Mapuche at the Battle of Penco during the Arauco War in present-day Chile
Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier, founders of the Society of Jesus, are canonized by the Roman Catholic Church
Peninsular War: A day after a successful rearguard action, French Marshal Michel Ney once again successfully delayed the pursuing Anglo-Portuguese force at the Battle of Redinha
American Civil War: The Red River Campaign begins as a US Navy fleet of 13 Ironclads and 7 Gunboats and other support ships enter the Red River
Andrew Watson makes his Scotland debut as the world's first black international football player and captain.
Coca-Cola is bottled and sold for the first time in Vicksburg, Mississippi, by local soda fountain operator Joseph A. Biedenharn.
The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States.
Birthdays on 12 March 217
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Deaths on 12 March 103
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