Today in History for 12th February 2026

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Historical Events

1984 - East German luger Steffi Martin wins the first of 2 consecutive women's singles gold medals at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics; also wins in Calgary (1988)
1988 - US Navy frigate USS Yorktown bumped by Russian frigate Bezzavetny in the Black Sea in dispute over right of innocent passage
2007 - A gunman opens fire in a mall in Salt Lake City, killing five people in the Trolley Square shooting
2017 - 70th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs): "La La Land" Best Film, Damien Chazelle Best Director, Best Actors Casey Affleck / Emma Stone
2023 - India opens the first part of what will be its longest expressway linking Mumbai with New Delhi over 1,386-kilometer (861 mile)

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Famous Birthdays

1830 - Stephen Wilcox, American inventor of steam generators for power stations and ships (Babcock and Wilcox), born in Westerly, Rhode Island (d. 1893)
1904 - Ted Mack, American TV host (The Original Amateur Hour), born in Denver, Colorado (d. 1976)
1914 - Nello Celio, Swiss politician, born in Quinto, Switzerland (d. 1995)
1945 - Roman Tam [Pak-sin], Hong Kong singer knownn as the "Grand Godfather of Cantopop", born in Baise, Guangxi, China (d. 2002)
1980 - Enver Gjokaj, American actor (Dollhouse; Agent Carter), and inventor, born in Orange County, California

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Famous Deaths

1837 - Ludwig Borne [Loeb Baruch], German-Jewish writer, dies at 50
1896 - Isaac Murphy, American jockey, 628 wins on 1,412 mounts (44.5%), dies at 35
2000 - Oliver [William Swofford], American pop singer ("Good Morning Starshine"), dies of cancer at 54
2022 - William Kraft, American timpanist, percussionist (Los Angeles Percussion Ensemble), conductor, and composer (The Demise of Suriyodhaya; Avalanche), dies at 98
2025 - Patrick Barclay, English sportswriter (The Times, The Guardian-Observer, Sunday Telegraph, The Independent; Sky Sports), dies at 77

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