September 12 in history — What Happened Today in History

Frank Eugene Corder fatally crashes a single-engine Cessna 150 into the White House's south lawn, striking the West Wing. There were no other casualties.

NASA launches Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51.

NASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-47, which marks the 50th shuttle mission. On board are Mae Carol Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese citizen to fly in a US spacecraft, and Mark Lee and Jan Davis, the first married couple in space.

Abimael Guzmán, leader of the Shining Path, is captured by Peruvian special forces; shortly thereafter the rest of Shining Path's leadership fell as well.

NASA launches Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-48 to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite.

The two German states and the Four Powers sign the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany in Moscow, paving the way for German reunification.

The Red Cross organizations of mainland China and Taiwan sign the Kinmen Agreement on repatriation of illegal immigrants and criminal suspects after two days of talks in Kinmen, Fujian Province in response to the two tragedies in repatriation in the previous two months. It is the first agreement reached by private organizations across the Taiwan Strait.

Hurricane Gilbert devastates Jamaica; it turns towards Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula two days later, causing an estimated $5 billion in damage.

Dwight Gooden sets the baseball record for strikeouts in a season by a rookie with 276, previously set by Herb Score with 246 in 1954. Gooden's 276 strikeouts that season, pitched in 218 innings, set the current record.

A Wells Fargo depot in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, is robbed of approximately US$7 million by Los Macheteros.

The USSR vetoes a United Nations Security Council Resolution deploring the Soviet destruction of Korean Air Lines Flight 007.

The 43rd government of Turkey is overthrown in a coup d'état led by General Kenan Evren.

Florida Commuter Airlines Flight 65 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean off West End, Bahamas, killing 34 people.

South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko dies in police custody.

Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, 'Messiah' of the Rastafari movement, is deposed following a military coup by the Derg, ending a reign of 58 years.

Dawson's Field hijackings: Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorists blow up three hijacked airliners in Zarqa, Jordan, continuing to hold the passengers hostage in various undisclosed locations in Amman.

Philippine Air Lines Flight 158 crashes in Antipolo, near Manila International Airport in the Philippines, killing 45 people.

Gemini 11, the penultimate mission of NASA's Gemini program, and the current human altitude record holder (except for the Apollo lunar missions and Artemis II).

US President John F. Kennedy delivers his "We choose to go to the Moon" speech at Rice University.

The African and Malagasy Union is founded.

Air France Flight 2005 crashes near Rabat–Salé Airport, in Rabat, Morocco, killing 77 people.

The Soviet Union launches a large rocket, Lunik II, at the Moon.

Bonanza, the first regularly scheduled TV program presented in color, is launched in the United States.

Jack Kilby demonstrates the first working integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments.

U.S. Senator and future President John Fitzgerald Kennedy marries Jacqueline Lee Bouvier at St. Mary's Church in Newport, Rhode Island.

World War II: The liberation of Yugoslavia from Axis occupation continues. Bajina Bašta in western Serbia is among the liberated cities.

World War II: Benito Mussolini is rescued from house arrest by German commando forces led by Otto Skorzeny.

World War II: RMS Laconia, carrying civilians, Allied soldiers and Italian POWs is torpedoed off the coast of West Africa and sinks with a heavy loss of life.

Sviatlana Pirazhenka, Belarusian tennis player

Mike Towell, Scottish professional boxer (died 2016)

Scott Wootton, English footballer

Freddie Freeman, American-Canadian baseball player

Andrew Luck, American football player

Amanda Jenssen, Swedish singer-songwriter and guitarist

Guðmundur Ari Sigurjónsson, Icelandic politician

Alfie Allen, English actor

Joanne Jackson, English swimmer

Yuto Nagatomo, Japanese footballer

Dimitrios Regas, Greek sprinter

Emmy Rossum, American singer and actress

Nashat Akram, Iraqi footballer

Ray Dolby, American engineer and businessman, founded Dolby Laboratories (born 1933)

Warren Giese, American football player, coach, and politician (born 1924)

Erich Loest, German author and screenwriter (born 1926)

Candace Pert, American neuroscientist and pharmacologist (born 1946)

Arkadii Dragomoshchenko, Russian poet and author (born 1946)

Jon Finlayson, Australian actor and screenwriter (born 1938)

Tom Sims, American skateboarder and snowboarder, founded Sims Snowboards (born 1950)

Alexander Galimov, Russian ice hockey player (born 1985)

Claude Chabrol, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1930)

Giulio Zignoli, Italian footballer (born 1946)

Norman Borlaug, American agronomist and humanitarian, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1914)

Jack Kramer, American tennis player and sportscaster (born 1921)

Willy Ronis, French photographer and author (born 1910)