January 11
January 11
Joran van der Sloot admits to Peru murder
On January 11, 2012, Joran van der Sloot, a longtime suspect in the unsolved 2005 disappearance of American teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba, pleads guilty to the murder of 21‑year‑old…
A Year In History: 2012
This Year in History:
2012
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
February 5
February 5
Husband of missing Utah woman kills self and two young sons
On February 5, 2012, 36‑year‑old Josh Powell, who had been in the public eye since police labeled him a person of interest in the 2009 disappearance of his 28‑year‑old wife,…
February 11
February 11
Pop superstar Whitney Houston dies at age 48
Whitney Houston, one of the world’s top‑selling singers from the mid‑1980s to late 1990s, is found dead in the bathtub of her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly…
February 26
February 26
Florida teen Trayvon Martin is shot and killed
On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, an African American teen walking home from a trip to a convenience store, is fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer patrolling…
April 18
April 18
Dick Clark, host of “American Bandstand” and “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” dies
On April 18, 2012, Dick Clark, the TV personality and producer best known for hosting “American Bandstand,” an influential music‑and‑dance show that aired nationally from 1957 to 1989 and helped…
April 26
April 26
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor found guilty of war crimes
On April 26, 2012, former Liberian president Charles Taylor is found guilty of abetting horrific war crimes, including rape and mutilation in Sierra Leone. His conviction was the first for…
May 18
May 18
Facebook raises $16 billion in largest tech IPO in U.S. history
Facebook, the world’s largest social network, holds its initial public offering (IPO) and raises $16 billion. It was the largest technology IPO in American history to that date, and the…
July 20
July 20
Aurora shooting leaves 12 dead, 70 wounded
On July 20, 2012, a mass shooting occurs at a movie theater in Aurora, a Denver suburb, killing 12 people—the youngest a 6‑year‑old girl—and injuring at least 70 others. The…
August 4
August 4
Oscar Pistorius becomes the first amputee runner to compete at the Olympics
On August 4, 2012 in London, Oscar Pistorius of South Africa becomes the first amputee to compete at the Olympics by running in an opening heat of the men’s 400‑meter.…
August 24
August 24
Killer in Norway massacre is sentenced
On August 24, 2012, the man who killed 77 people in a July 22, 2011, bombing and shooting attack in Norway is sentenced to 21 years in prison, the maximum…
September 20
September 20
Amish convicted in beard‑cutting attacks
16 members of a dissident Amish group in Ohio are convicted of federal hate crimes and conspiracy for forcibly cutting the beards and hair of fellow Amish with whom they…
October 22
October 22
Cyclist Lance Armstrong is stripped of his seven Tour de France titles
On October 22, 2012, Lance Armstrong is formally stripped of the seven Tour de France titles he won from 1999 to 2005 and banned for life from competitive cycling after…
December 4
December 4
Typhoon “Pablo” kills over 1,000 people in the Philippines
On December 4, 2012, Bopha, a Category 5 typhoon nicknamed “Pablo,” struck the Philippines. Rushing flood waters destroyed entire villages and killed over one thousand people, in what was the…
December 14
December 14
Sandy Hook school shooting
On December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, Adam Lanza kills 20 first graders and six school employees before turning a gun on himself. Earlier that…
December 21
December 21
“Gangnam Style” becomes the first YouTube video to reach one billion views
On December 21, 2012, the music video for “Gangnam Style,” a song by the Korean rapper Psy, becomes the first YouTube video to garner one billion views. The video’s global…
