March 12 in History: Girl Scouts Founded, World Wide Web Proposed & Detroit Red Wings Honor Gordie Howe

Scott Winters March 12, 2026 0 Comments

Discover what happened on March 12 in history, along with notable celebrity birthdays and fun Days of the Year to celebrate.

What Happened on March 12 in History?

Important events on this day include Juliette Gordon Low founding the Girl Scouts, Tim Berners-Lee proposing the system that became the World Wide Web, and the Detroit Red Wings retiring Gordie Howe’s number 9.

MARCH 12 – TODAY IN HISTORY:

1755 – The steam engine was used for the first time in North Arlington, NJ.

1789 – The U.S. Post Office was established.

1884 – The State of Mississippi authorized the first state-supported college for women. It was called the Mississippi Industrial Institute and College.

1884 – Nine Grand Rapids, MI manufacturing plants burned in a fire. Included were the Bissell Carpet Sweeper plant on Mill Street, the Grand Rapids Felt Boot Factory, and the Spencer & Powers Iron Works.

1863 – President Jefferson Davis delivered his State of the Confederacy address.

1889 – Almon B. Stowger applied for a patent for his automatic telephone system.

1894 – Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time in Vicksburg, MS by local soda fountain operator Joseph A. Biedenharn.

1906 – The Supreme Court ruled that corporations must yield incriminating evidence in anti-trust suits.

1912 – Juliette Gordon Low founded the Girl Scouts to empower girls, build courage, confidence, character, and to make the world a better place. The original name was the Girl Guides.

1923 – Dr. Lee DeForest demonstrated phono-film. It was his technique for putting sound on motion picture film.

1930 – Ghandi began his 200-mile march to the sea that symbolized his defiance of British rule over India.

1933 – President Franklin Roosevelt presented his first Presidential address to the nation. It was the first of the “Fireside Chats”.

1959 – The U.S. House joined the Senate in approving the statehood of Hawaii.

1966 – Bobby Hull, of the Chicago Blackhawks, became the first National Hockey League player to score 51 points in a single season.

1972 – The Detroit Red Wings retired Number 9 to honor Gordie Howe.

1974 – The television show “Wonder Woman” debuted on ABC. It later moved to CBS.

1985 – Larry Bird, of the Boston Celtics, scored a club-record 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks.

1985 – Former President Richard Nixon announced that he planned to drop Secret Service protection and hire his own bodyguards. It was an effort to lower the deficit by $3 million.

1989 – About 2,500 veterans and supporters marched at the Art Institute of Chicago to demand that officials remove an American flag placed on the floor as part of an exhibit.

1989 – Tim Berners-Lee, an English software engineer, submitted a “vague, but exciting” proposal to his boss about a system for managing information. His plan would later be known as the World Wide Web. Today, roughly half the world is online and nearly 2 billion websites exist.

1993 – Janet Reno was sworn in as the first female U.S. Attorney General.

1994 – A photo of the Loch Ness monster by Marmaduke Wetherell was confirmed to be a hoax. The photo was actually a toy submarine with a head and neck attached.

1997 – Police in Los Angeles, CA arrested Mikail Markhasev for the shooting of Bill Cosby’s 27 year old son, Ennis. Markhasev was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

1998 – Astronomers cancelled a warning that a mile-wide asteroid might collide with Earth. They said calculations had been off by 600,000 miles. Oops!

1998 – Korn served a cease-and-desist demand to a Michigan assistant principal, the high school, and the school district who suspended a student for wearing a T-shirt that had the band’s name on it.

2001 – The Motion Picture Academy threatened to expel any member who tried to scalp Oscar tickets.

2002 – U.S. Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge unveiled a color-coded system for terror warnings.

2002 – Conoco and Phillips Petroleum stockholders approved a proposed merger worth $15.6 billion.

2003 – In Utah, Nine months after being abducted, Elizabeth Smart was found in Sandy, UT with her alleged kidnappers, Brian Mitchell and his wife, Wendy Barzee. She had been taken on June 5, 2002, Mitchell was a drifter and had previously worked at the Smart home.

2008 – The New York Yankees sign Billy Crystal to a one day contract. He wore number 60 in spring training, two days before he actually turned 60.

2008 – The streaming service Hulu was launched in the United States.

2009 – It was announced that the Sears Tower in Chicago, IL, would be renamed Willis Tower.

2009 – Bernie Madoff pleaded guilty in New York, NY to scamming $18 billion, the largest in Wall Street’s history.

2010 – In the U.S., Apple began taking pre-orders for the iPad.

2011 – A reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant melted and exploded and released radioactivity into the atmosphere a day after Japan’s earthquake.

2020 – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer closed all of the state’s public and private schools. They would remained closed for three weeks through April 5 to combat the spread of a rising number of coronavirus cases

2020 – The United States suspended travel from Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 – The NHL and Major League Baseball suspended operations. The NCAA also cancelled its men’s basketball tournament.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON MARCH 12:

George Ariyoshi – 100 years old (1926) – Lawyer and politician, 3rd Governor of Hawaii

Vern Law – 96 years old (1930) – Baseball player and manager

Andrew Young – 94 years old (1932) – Pastor and politician, 14th United States Ambassador to the United Nations

Barbara Feldon – 93 years old (1933) – Actress

Johnny Rutherford – 88 years old (1938) – Race car driver and sportscaster

Dean Cundey – 80 years old (1946) – Cinematographer and film director

Liza Minnelli – 80 years old (1946) – Actress, singer and dancer

Frank Welker – 80 years old (1946) – Voice actor and singer

Mitt Romney – 79 years old (1947) – Businessman and politician, 70th Governor of Massachusetts

Kent Conrad – 78 years old (1948) – Politician

James Taylor – 78 years old (1948) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Rob Cohen – 77 years old (1949) – Director, producer, and screenwriter

Mary Catherine Lamb – 77 years old (1949) – Textile artist

Dale Murphy – 70 years old (1956) – Baseball player

Marlon Jackson – 69 years old (1957) – Singer-songwriter and dancer

Luenell – 67 years old (1959) – Comedian and actress

Jason Beghe – 66 years old (1960) – Actor

Courtney B. Vance – 66 years old (1960) – Actor and painter

Julia Campbell – 64 years old (1962) – Actress

Chris Sanders – 64 years old (1962) – Illustrator and voice actor

Darryl Strawberry – 64 years old (1962) – Baseball player and minister

Titus Welliver – 64 years old (1962) – Actor

Candy Costie – 63 years old (1963) – Swimmer

Steve Finley – 61 years old (1965) – Baseball player

David Daniels – 60 years old (1966) – Countertenor

Grant Long – 60 years old (1966) – Basketball player and sportscaster

Tammy Duckworth – 58 years old (1968) – Thai-American colonel, pilot, and politician

Aaron Eckhart – 58 years old (1968) – Actor and producer

Jake Tapper – 57 years old (1969) – Journalist and author

Dave Eggers – 56 years old (1970) – Author and screenwriter

Rex Walters – 56 years old (1970) – Basketball player and coach

Isaiah Rider – 55 years old (1971) – Basketball player and rapper

Deron Quint – 50 years old (1976) – Ice hockey player

Ramiro Corrales – 49 years old (1977) – Soccer player

Brent Johnson – 49 years old (1977) – Ice hockey player

Casey Mears – 48 years old (1978) – Race car driver

Charlie Bell – 47 years old (1979) – Basketball player and coach

Rhys Coiro – 47 years old (1979) – Actor

Becky Holliday – 46 years old (1980) – Pole vaulter

Holly Williams – 45 years old (1981) – Singer-songwriter and guitarist

Lili Bordán – 44 years old (1982) – Hungarian-American actress

Samm Levine – 44 years old (1982) – Actor and comedian

Jaimie Alexander – 42 years old (1984) – Actress

Jessica Hardy – 39 years old (1987) – Swimmer

Maxwell Holt – 39 years old (1987) – Volleyball player

Chris Seitz – 39 years old (1987) – Soccer player

Tyler Clary – 37 years old (1989) – Swimmer

Dont'a Hightower – 36 years old (1990) – Football coach and former player

Marvin Jones – 36 years old (1990) – Football player

Jerami Grant – 32 years old (1994) – Basketball player

Tyler Patrick Jones – 32 years old (1994) – Actor

Carsen Edwards – 28 years old (1998) – Basketball player

Mecole Hardman – 28 years old (1998) – Football player

Max Duggan – 25 years old (2001) – Football player

Malina Weissman – 23 years old (2003) – Actress and model

DannyLux – 22 years old (2004) – Singer-songwriter

DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR MARCH 12:

World Kidney Day: These amazing filters work tirelessly within, like nature's purifiers, maintaining a body's balance and health behind the scenes.
International Awareness Day for Avoidable Deaths (IAD4AD): IAD4AD is a worldwide campaign led by the Avoidable Deaths Network. It raises awareness about disaster deaths that never should occur. The focus includes floods that overwhelm unprepared towns, heatwaves without early warnings, and road accidents on unsafe routes. It also covers missing people and indirect losses, often ignored in official...
World Glaucoma Day: Imagine a world where the vibrant colors of sunset fade into darkness, not by choice, but due to an unseen thief, glaucoma. This eye disease slowly damages the optic nerve, the “cable” that carries visual information from the eye to the brain. The tricky part is that glaucoma often starts quietly...
National Plant a Flower Day: Brighten up your garden with a kaleidoscope of colors and sweet fragrances. Put your green thumb to the test and bring nature to life!
National Baked Scallops Day: Imagine a plate, ocean jewels nestled in golden perfection, a bite that's a dance of buttery, briny delight - pure culinary magic.
National Girl Scout Day: These little entrepreneurs teach young girls essential skills such as business, leadership, and community service.
International School Meals Day: It is hard to imagine a child trying to focus in class with an empty stomach. Yet, that’s a daily reality for millions. International School Meals Day brings attention to this issue in a powerful way. It reminds us that a healthy meal at school is more than just food—it’s...
Alloimmunization and HDFN Day: Exploring the intricate dance of immune responses, where the body orchestrates a fascinating defense against certain challenges.
Alfred Hitchcock Day: Alfred Hitchcock Day, celebrated annually, grabs the spotlight as a thrilling tribute to one of cinema's most iconic filmmakers. Hitchcock often hailed as the "Master of Suspense," crafted films that have captivated and chilled audiences for decades. Have you ever felt the grip of suspense while watching a film? Alfred Hitchcock...
World Day Against Cyber Censorship: Have you ever tried to read an article online, only to find it blocked? Imagine searching for the truth, but the internet refuses to show it. World Day Against Cyber Censorship stands against that invisible wall, pushing for a free and open web. It shines a light on the millions who...
Popcorn Lover’s Day: Simple, quick, affordable and delicious, popcorn lovers can unite during this amazing time, on Popcorn Lover’s Day.
National Working Moms Day: Juggling careers and parenting, moms thrive, showcasing resilience, ambition, and balancing acts that redefine success in multitasking.
National Groundwater Awareness Week: A vital resource, groundwater is a hidden treasure beneath our feet. Its protection is crucial for our future and the planet's.
Brain Awareness Week: Understanding the intricate dance of neurons and synapses unravels the mysteries of cognition, revealing the brain's brilliance.
PI Week: Pi Week brings math to life in a way that feels playful and unexpected. It centers around the number π, the one that starts with 3.14 and helps explain circles. But this week isn’t just about numbers. It pulls in kids, parents, teachers, and even scientists. In schools, students dive into...
Make Mine Chocolate: "Make Mine Chocolate" is a lively campaign urging people to think twice before giving live rabbits as Easter gifts. The campaign encourages people to opt for chocolate bunnies instead. This approach helps spread the message of responsible pet ownership while offering a sweet alternative that won't end up in shelters...
World Glaucoma Week: Learning about eye health highlights the silent threat to vision, encouraging proactive care and awareness.
Sleep Awareness Week: A good night's sleep is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle — proper sleeping habits can be beneficial in improving overall health.
Universal Women’s Week: Every woman has the right to equal pay, reproductive rights, and freedom from violence. Let's empower women and create a more just society.
Girl Scout Week: Girl Scout Week is a vibrant celebration that brings together Girl Scout members, alumni, and supporters. This special week kicks off with Girl Scout Sunday and wraps up with Girl Scout Sabbath, featuring daily themes that highlight different aspects of the Girl Scout experience. Activities include wearing Girl Scout uniforms...
Healthcare HR Week : As the landscape of healthcare has grown more and more complicated in recent years, those who work behind the scenes in the human resources departments are vital to keeping everything running. From paperwork to compliance, from staffing to training, Healthcare HR employees play a pivotal role in this highly demanding...
Campfire USA Birthday Week: Campfire USA Birthday Week is a celebration of youth empowerment, outdoor learning, and community spirit. It’s a time when Camp Fire councils across the country come together to recognize the growth and contributions of young people involved in the organization. Through various activities like outdoor adventures, community service, and small-group...
Catholic Sisters Week: Catholic Sisters Week is a vibrant celebration honoring the contributions of religious women. This special week brings attention to the spirituality, mission, and community-building efforts of Catholic sisters who work in various areas, including education, healthcare, and social justice. Communities come together to acknowledge the sisters' unwavering commitment and impact...
National Bubble Gum Week: National Bubble Gum Week is a lively celebration that brings joy through the simple act of blowing bubbles. During this week, people indulge in the fun and creativity that bubble gum offers. Bubble gum, with its sugary sweetness and colorful appeal, has a way of bringing out smiles and reminding us...
National Green Week: National Green Week is an exciting initiative that brings attention to the importance of environmental sustainability. Schools and organizations across the country use this week to engage students in activities that promote greener living. The event aims to inspire young minds to adopt eco-friendly habits that can make a lasting...
National Aardvark Week: Have you ever heard of aardvarks? These curious animals are like nature's oddballs roaming the African plains. Aardvarks are known for their long noses and love of ants and termites. With powerful legs, they dig to find their meals, creating big burrows that serve as homes. At night, they come...
Ramadan: During this holy month, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, focusing on spiritual reflection and community. Ramadan is a time for self-improvement and bringing people together in celebration of faith.