September 12
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1940
The discovery of the Lascaux Caves
On this day in 1940, four teenage boys stumbled upon one of the world’s most significant archaeological finds. On the walls of caves in Lascaux, Dordogne, France, they found complex and fantastical paintings and engravings of animals (and one lone human figure). More than 600 creatures are pictured, including horses, bison, deer, and aurochs, making the Lascaux caves one of the most concentrated showcases of cave art in existence.
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Andrea Izzotti/stock.adobe.com; Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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World History Archive/Alamy
Death of French composer Rameau
French composer of the late Baroque period Jean-Philippe Rameau—known for his harpsichord music and famous as a composer of operas, including the masterpiece Pygmalion (1748)—died on this day in 1764. [Take our quiz about composers and their music.]
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AP
I let my feet spend as little time on the ground as possible. From the air, fast down, and from the ground, fast up.
African American track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens, born this day in 1913, won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, ruining Adolf Hitler’s intent to use the Games as proof of Aryan superiority.
Famous Birthdays
More on September 12
© Paul Faith—PA Images/Getty Images
2014
Politician Ian Paisley—who was a militant Protestant leader in the factional conflict that divided Northern Ireland from the 1960s until the early 21st century—died at age 88. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz of famous Europeans.]
© Darryl Pitt/Retna Ltd.
2003
Country music legend Johnny Cash—whose craggy baritone, simple poetics, hard-won integrity, and advocacy of the dispossessed transformed him into an American icon—died at age 71. [Test your knowledge of musicians.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
2000
The Dutch parliament passed legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry. The measure took effect on April 1, 2001, making the Netherlands the first country to legalize same-sex marriage.
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
1992
Astronaut Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to fly in space, part of the STS-47 Spacelab J mission. [Take our quiz about famous astronauts and cosmonauts.]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1980
The senior command of the Turkish army, led by General Kenan Evren, carried out a bloodless coup in their homeland. [Take our Turkish and Ottoman history quiz.]
© Everett Collection Inc/Alamy
1977
South African activist Steve Biko died from injuries suffered while in police custody; he subsequently became an international martyr for South African Black nationalism. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about South Africa.]
AP
1974
Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia was deposed by the Derg, a committee of revolutionary soldiers. [Test your knowledge of African leaders.]
© National Broadcasting Company
1966
The sitcom The Monkees, featuring a pop-rock group fashioned after the Beatles, debuted on American television; although canceled after two seasons, the show enjoyed enduring popularity in syndication, backed by such hit songs as I’m a Believer. [Test your knowledge of pop culture.]
© National Broadcasting Company
1959
The TV series Bonanza premiered on NBC, and it became one of the longest-running westerns in broadcast history. [Sort fact from fiction in our pop culture quiz.]
NASA Image Collection/Alamy
1959
The Soviet Union launched Luna 2, the first space probe to hit the Moon. [How much do you know about space exploration?]
Toni Frissell /Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital. id. cph 3g11913)
1953
U.S. senator and future president John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island. [Take our quiz about the United States.]
H. Roger-Viollet
1943
German commandos effected the escape of Benito Mussolini to Munich during World War II. [Sort fact from fiction in our World War II quiz.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1919
Italian nationalist poet Gabriele D’Annunzio led an occupation of the Adriatic port city of Fiume (now Rijeka, Croatia), bringing to the forefront the Fiume question. [Test your knowledge of famous poets and poetic form.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Heritage Images—Hulton Fine Art Collection/Getty Images
1733
Stanisław I was elected king of Poland by the Sejm (Diet) of 12,000 delegates in Warsaw; the move led to the War of the Polish Succession. [Take our kings and emperors quiz.]
Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum; photograph, J.R. Freeman & Co. Ltd.
1683
The Siege of Vienna ended after a combined force led by John III Sobieski of Poland defeated the Turkish invaders.