Historical timeline for January 12

Taal Volcano in the Philippines erupts and kills 39 people.

Ten people are killed and 15 wounded in a bombing near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

Government raids kill 143 Boko Haram fighters in Kolofata, Cameroon.

Violent protests occur in Bucharest, Romania, as two-day-old demonstrations continue against President Traian Băsescu's economic austerity measures. Clashes are reported in numerous Romanian cities between protesters and law enforcement officers.

An earthquake in Haiti occurs, killing between 220,000 and 300,000 people and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince.

Comet C/2006 P1 (McNaught), one of the brightest comets ever observed is at its zenith visible during the day.

A stampede during the Stoning of the Devil ritual on the last day at the Hajj in Mina, Saudi Arabia, kills at least 362 Muslim pilgrims.

Deep Impact launches from Cape Canaveral on a Delta II rocket.

The world's largest ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, makes its maiden voyage.

Downtown Disney opens to the public as part of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.

Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning.

Space Shuttle program: Atlantis launches from the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-81 to the Russian space station Mir, carrying astronaut Jerry M. Linenger for a four-month stay on board the station, replacing astronaut John E. Blaha.

Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of American military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.

A seven-day pogrom breaks out against the Armenian civilian population of Baku, Azerbaijan, during which Armenians were beaten, tortured, murdered, and expelled from the city.

Space Shuttle program: Congressman and future NASA Administrator Bill Nelson lifts off from Kennedy Space Center aboard Columbia on mission STS-61-C as a payload specialist.

The United Nations Security Council votes 11–1 to allow the Palestine Liberation Organization to participate in a Security Council debate (without voting rights).

The Harrisburg Seven: Rev. Philip Berrigan and five other activists are indicted on charges of conspiring to kidnap Henry Kissinger and of plotting to blow up the heating tunnels of federal buildings in Washington, D.C.

Biafra capitulates, ending the Nigerian Civil War.

The New York Jets of the American Football League defeat the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League to win Super Bowl III in what is considered to be one of the greatest upsets in sports history.

Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.