July 12 in Pop Culture History
927 – Æthelstan, King of England, secured a pledge from Constantine II of Scotland that the latter would not ally with Viking kings, beginning the process of unifying Great Britain. This is considered by most historians to the closest thing that England has to a foundation date.
1533 – The celestial globe in Hans Holbein (the younger)’s painting The Ambassadors is depicted with such detail that the date and time can be read. The globe is set to 2.40pm on July 12th 1533. Why it is set to this time and date remains a mystery.
1543 – King Henry VIII of England married his sixth (and last) wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.
1862 – The Medal of Honor was authorized by the United States Congress. In 1990, Congress designated March 25 annually as “National Medal of Honor Day.”
1952 – #1 Hit July 12, 1952 – September 12, 1952: Vera Lynn – Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart
1970 – The US patent (#105,338) for an improved process to produce celluloid, the first sythetic plastic, was awarded to John Wesley Hyatt, Jr.
1894 – Eight units for the measurement of electrical magnitudes were adopted in US law when President Grover Cleveland signed an Act of Congress “to define and establish the units of electrical measure” for the ohm, ampere, volt, coulomb, farad, joule, watt and the henry. #standards
1920 – The Panama Canal was formally dedicated, although it had the first ship pass through several years earlier.
1962 – The Rolling Stones performed their first concert, at the Marquee Club in London, England, United Kingdom.
1969 – #1 Hit July 12, 1969 – August 22, 1969: Zager and Evans – In the Year 2525
1985 – Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Explorers and Silverado debuted in theaters.
1986 – #1 Hit July 12, 1986 – July 18, 1986: Simply Red – Holding Back the Years
1991 – 101 Dalmnations (re-issue), Boyz N the Hood, Point Break and Regarding Henry were released in theaters.
1996 – Courage Under Fire and Harriet the Spy debuted in theaters.
1997 – Oz premiered on HBO
2002 – Monk premiered on the USA Network
2002 – Road to Perdition, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course and Halloween: Resurrection were released in theaters.
2003 – #1 Hit July 12, 2003 – September 5, 2003: Beyonce featuring Jay-Z – Crazy in Love
2013 – Grown Ups 2 and Pacific Rim debuted in theaters.
