Major Events
- Feb 27 Wikileaks begins disclosing 5 million emails from private intelligence company Stratfor
- Apr 17 The 8th century St. Cuthbert Gospel, Europe's oldest intact book, is purchased by the British Library for 9 million pounds
- Jul 10 The American Episcopal Church becomes the first to approve a rite for blessing gay marriages
- Jul 18 Kim Jong-un is officially appointed Supreme Leader of North Korea and given the rank of Marshal in the Korean People's Army
- Aug 16 Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador
- Nov 1 Scientists detect evidence of light from the universe's first stars, predicted to have formed 500 million years after the big bang
- More 2012 Events
2012 in Music
- Apr 9 "The Lion King" becomes highest grossing Broadway show, overtaking "The Phantom of the Opera"
2012 in Sport
- Apr 30 Manchester City defeat Manchester United 1-0 in what is claimed to be the biggest match in the English Premier League's history
- Aug 9 Jamaican sprint superstar Usain Bolt wins the 200m at the London Olympics in 19.32 to become first to win 100/200m double in back-to-back Olympics
Did You Know?
"Gangnam Style" by Psy becomes the first video to reach one billion views on YouTube
Born in 2012
- Jan 7 Blue Ivy Carter, American daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, born in New York City
- Apr 4 Grumpy Cat [Tardar Sauce], American cat internet celebrity, born in Morristown, Arizona (d. 2019)
Henry Hill
Rodney King
Sally Ride
Neil Armstrong
Oscar Niemeyer
Norman Schwarzkopf
Whitney Houston
Davy Jones
Dick Clark
Phyllis Diller
Andy Williams
Larry Hagman
Donna Summer
Robin Gibb
Ravi Shankar
Gary Carter
Art Modell
Steve Sabol
Tony GreigMore 2012 Deaths
Famous Weddings in 2012
- Jan 4 Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry (66) weds PR executive Amanda Sheppard (29) in Turks and Caicos Island
- Jan 7 Lady A (formerly Antebellum) singer-songwriter Hillary Scott (26) weds drummer Chris Tyrrell (25) at the Appel Inn near Albany, New York
- Jan 14 Pink Floyd vocalist Roger Waters (68) weds (his fourth) filmmaker Laurie Durning (48); divorce in 2015
Famous Divorces in 2012
- Feb 9 Actress Parminder Nagra files for divorce from photographer James Stenson due to irreconcilable differences after 3 years of marriage
- Mar 18 "Twilight" actor Peter Facinelli (38) divorces "Beverly Hills 90210" actress Jennie Garth (39) due to irreconcilable differences after 11 years of marriage
- Apr 6 Actress and model Heidi Klum (39) divorces British soul and R&B singer-songwriter Seal (49) due to irreconcilable differences after almost seven years of marriage
More 2012 Weddings
Adele
Daniel Day-Lewis
Jennifer Lawrence
LeBron James
Novak Đoković
Angela Merkel
Barack Obama
David Cameron
Hu Jintao
Manmohan Singh
Vladimir Putin