So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

April 12th


- Christian Feast Day:
- Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin:
Cosmonautics Day (Russia)
- Yuri's Night (International)
- Halifax Day (North Carolina)
- The first day of Cerealia (Roman Empire)

April 12th


- 2010 - A train derailed near Merano, Italy, after running into a landslide, causing nine deaths and injuring 28 people.
- 2007 - A suicide bomber penetrated the Green Zone and detonated in a cafeteria within a parliament building, killing Iraqi MP Mohammed Awad and wounding more than twenty other people.
- 2002 - A female suicide bomber detonated at the entrance to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda open-air market, killing 7 and wounding 104.
- 1999 - US President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit.
- 1998 - An earthquake in Slovenia, measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale occurs near the town of Bovec.
- 1994 - Canter & Siegel post the first commercial mass Usenet spam.
- 1992 - The Euro Disney Resort officially opens with its theme park Euro Disneyland. The resort and its park's name were subsequently changed to Disneyland Paris.
- 1990 - Jim Gary's "Twentieth Century Dinosaurs" exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
- 1981 - The first launch of a Space Shuttle: Columbia launches on the STS-1 mission.
- 1980 - Samuel Doe takes control of Liberia in a coup d'état, ending over 130 years of national democratic presidential succession.
- 1980 - Terry Fox begins his "Marathon of Hope" at St. John's, Newfoundland.
- 1968 - Nerve gas accident at Skull Valley, Utah.
- 1963 - The Soviet nuclear powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.
- 1961 - Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space, in Vostok 3KA-2 (Vostok 1).
- 1955 - The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.
- 1954 - Bill Haley & His Comets record "Rock Around the Clock" in New York City.
- 1945 - U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies while in office; vice-president Harry Truman is sworn in as the 33rd President.
- 1937 - Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England.
- 1935 - First flight of the Bristol Blenheim.
- 1934 - The strongest surface wind gust in the world at 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire.
- 1934 - The U.S. Auto-Lite Strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.
- 1927 - April 12 Incident: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Communist Party of China members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.
- 1917 - World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.
- 1910 - The SMS Zrinyi, one of the last pre-dreadnoughts built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, is launched.
- 1877 - The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal.
- 1865 - American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army.
- 1864 - American Civil War: The Fort Pillow massacre: Confederate forces kill most of the African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
- 1861 - American Civil War: The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.
- 1831 - Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England cause it to collapse.
- 1820 - Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece.
- 1776 - American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.
- 1633 - The formal inquest of Galileo Galilei by the Inquisition begins.
- 1606 - The Union Flag is adopted as the flag of Great Britain.
- 1557 - Cuenca is founded in Ecuador.
- 1204 - The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople and enter the city, which they completely occupy the following day.
- 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

April 12th


- 2000 - Suzanna von Nathusius, Polish child actress
- 1994 - Saoirse Ronan, Irish actress
- 1994 - Airi Suzuki, Japanese singer
- 1988 - Amedeo Calliari, Italian footballer
- 1987 - Brendon Urie, American musician (Panic at the Disco)
- 1987 - Brooklyn Decker, American model and actress
- 1986 - Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer
- 1985 - Jeisa Chiminazzo, Brazilian supermodel
- 1985 - Ted Ginn, Jr., American football player
- 1985 - Paul Murphy, Irish footballer
- 1985 - Anna-Katharina Samsel, German actress
- 1985 - Olga Seryabkina, Russian singer
- 1985 - Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer
- 1983 - Jelena Doki?, Serbian/Australian tennis player
- 1983 - Dwayne Smith, West Indian cricketer
- 1982 - Deen, Bosnian singer
- 1981 - Nicolás Burdisso, Argentine footballer
- 1981 - Brian Vandborg, Danish cyclist
- 1980 - Brian McFadden, Irish singer
- 1980 - Erik Mongrain, Canadian musician
- 1979 - Claire Danes, American actress
- 1979 - Jordan De Jong, American baseball player
- 1979 - Elena Grosheva, Russian gymnast
- 1979 - Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer
- 1979 - Jennifer Morrison, American actress and model
- 1979 - Paul Nicholls, English actor
- 1979 - Cristian Ranalli, Italian footballer
- 1978 - Guy Berryman, British musician (Coldplay)
- 1978 - Riley Smith, American actor
- 1977 - Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1977 - Glenn Rogers, Scottish cricketer
- 1977 - Sarah Jane Morris, American actor
- 1977 - Jason Price, Welsh footballer
- 1977 - Jordana Spiro, American actor
- 1976 - Brad Miller, American basketball player
- 1974 - Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer
- 1974 - Belinda Emmett, Australian actor (d. 2006)
- 1974 - Roman Hamrlik, Czech ice hockey player
- 1974 - Marley Shelton, American actor
- 1973 - J. Scott Campbell, American comic book artist
- 1973 - Antonio Osuna, Mexican baseball player
- 1973 - Claudia Jordan, American model
- 1972 - Sebnem Ferah, Turkish singer
- 1972 - Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player
- 1972 - Dimitrios Kokotis, Greek high jumper
- 1971 - Nicholas Brendon, American actor
- 1971 - Shannen Doherty, American actor
- 1970 - Nick Hexum, American musician
- 1969 - Lucas Radebe, South African footballer
- 1968 - Alicia Coppola, American actress
- 1968 - Adam Graves, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1967 - Sarah Cracknell, English singer
- 1967 - Mellow Man Ace, Afro-Cuban rapper
- 1965 - Tom O'Brien, American actor-producer
- 1965 - Kim Bodnia, Danish actor
- 1964 - Amy Ray, American musician
- 1962 - Art Alexakis, American musician
- 1962 - Takada Nobuhiko, Japanese wrestler
- 1961 - Lisa Gerrard, Australian musician
- 1961 - Magda Szubanski, Australian actress
- 1960 - Ron MacLean, Canadian sportscaster
- 1958 - Will Sergeant, English musician
- 1958 - Howard Stableford, English actor and host
- 1957 - Greg Child, Australian mountaineer
- 1957 - Vince Gill, American musician
- 1956 - Andy García, Cuban-born actor
- 1956 - Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer
- 1954 - Pat Travers, Canadian musician
- 1954 - Jon Krakauer, American author
- 1952 - Ralph Wiley, American sports journalist (d. 2004)
- 1952 - Reuben Gant, American professional football player
- 1951 - Tom Noonan, American actor
- 1950 - Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman and F1 team principal (Renault F1)
- 1950 - David Cassidy, American singer and actor
- 1949 - Scott Turow, American writer
- 1948 - Jeremy Beadle, English television presenter (d. 2008)
- 1948 - Joschka Fischer, Foreign Minister of Germany 1998-2005
- 1948 - Sandra "Lois" Reeves, American singer
- 1947 - Tom Clancy, American author
- 1947 - Woody Johnson, sports team owner
- 1947 - Antonin Kratochvil, Czech-born American photographer
- 1947 - David Letterman, American talk show host
- 1947 - Dan Lauria, American actor
- 1946 - Ed O'Neill, American actor
- 1945 - Lee Jong-wook, Korean Director-General of the WHO (d. 2006)
- 1944 - Georgios Balanos, Greek translator, author and publisher
- 1944 - John Kay, German-born musician
- 1942 - Carlos Reutemann, Argentine racing driver and politician
- 1942 - Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa
- 1941 - Bobby Moore, English footballer (d. 1993)
- 1940 - Herbie Hancock, American musician and composer
- 1940 - John Hagee, American pastor and televangelist
- 1939 - Alan Ayckbourn, English writer
- 1939 - Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league footballer
- 1937 - Igor Volk, Soviet astronaut
- 1935 - Jimmy Makulis, Greek singer (d. 2007)
- 1934 - Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer
- 1933 - Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano
- 1932 - Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan politician (d. 2005)
- 1932 - Tiny Tim, American musician (d. 1996)
- 1932 - Dennis Banks, American activist
- 1931 - Leonid Derbenyov, Russian poet-songwriter (d. 1995)
- 1930 - Manuel Neri, American artist
- 1930 - Micha? ?yczkowski, Polish technician (d. 2006)
- 1928 - Hardy Krüger, German actor
- 1928 - Jean-François Paillard, French conductor
- 1925 - Joe Bowman, American sharpshooter, Hollywood consultant, bootmaker & master showman (d. 2009)
- 1924 - Raymond Barre, French politician and Prime Minister (d. 2007)
- 1924 - Peter Safar, Austrian physician (d. 2003)
- 1923 - Ann Miller, American actor and dancer (d. 2004)
- 1921 - Robert Cliche, Quebec politician and magistrate (d. 1978)
- 1919 - Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (d. 1991)
- 1917 - Helen Forrest, American singer (d. 1999)
- 1916 - Beverly Cleary, American writer
- 1916 - Benjamin Libet, American scientist (d. 2007)
- 1914 - Armen Alchian, American economist
- 1913 - Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-born American martial artist
- 1912 - Walt Gorney, American actor (d. 2004)
- 1912 - Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, Second Vice President of Indonesia (d. 1988)
- 1911 - Mahmoud Younis, Suez Canal engineer (d. 1976)
- 1908 - Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American pilot (d. 2006)
- 1908 - Ida Crowe Pollock, English writer
- 1907 - Felix de Weldon, Austrian-born sculptor (d. 2003)
- 1907 - Hardie Gramatky, American author and animator (d. 1979)
- 1903 - Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
- 1902 - Louis Beel, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (d. 1977)
- 1901 - Lowell Stockman, American representative (d. 1962)
- 1898 - Lily Pons, American soprano (d. 1976)
- 1894 - Francisco Craveiro Lopes, 13th President of Portugal (d. 1964)
- 1893 - Robert Harron, American actor (d. 1920)
- 1892 - Johnny Dodds, American musician (d. 1940)
- 1888 - Heinrich Neuhaus, Soviet musician (d. 1964)
- 1887 - Harold Lockwood, American actor (d. 1918)
- 1884 - Otto Meyerhof, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (d. 1951)
- 1884 - Tenby Davies, Welsh runner (d. 1932)
- 1883 - Dally Messenger, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 1959)
- 1878 - Lionel Barrymore, American actor (d. 1954)
- 1871 - Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and dictator (d. 1941)
- 1869 - Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (d. 1922)
- 1868 - Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese naval commander (d. 1918)
- 1866 - Princess Viktoria of Prussia (d. 1929)
- 1856 - William Martin Conway, English art critic and mountaineer (d. 1937)
- 1852 - Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician (d. 1939)
- 1851 - Edward Walter Maunder, English astronomer (d. 1928)
- 1848 - José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican poet (d. 1880)
- 1839 - Nikolai Przhevalsky, Russian explorer (d. 1888)
- 1823 - Aleksandr Ostrovsky, Russian dramatist (d. 1886)
- 1799 - Henri Druey, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 1855)
- 1796 - George N. Briggs, 19th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1861)
- 1794 - Germinal Pierre Dandelin, Belgian mathematician (d. 1847)
- 1777 - Henry Clay, American statesman (d. 1852)
- 1748 - Antoine Laurent de Jussieu, French botanist (d. 1836)
- 1724 - Lyman Hall, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1790)
- 1722 - Pietro Nardini, Italian composer (d. 1793)
- 1713 - Guillaume Thomas François Raynal, French writer (d. 1796)
- 1705 - William Cookworthy, English chemist (d. 1780)
- 1577 - Christian IV of Denmark (d. 1648)
- 1550 - Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, English politician (d. 1604)
- 1526 - Muretus, French humanist (d. 1585)
- 1500 - Joachim Camerarius, German classical scholar (d. 1574)
- 1484 - Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Italian architect (d. 1546)
- 812 - Muhammad at-Taqi, Muslim Shia Imam (d. 835)
- 599 - 599 BC – Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism (d. 527 BC)