Daily Calendar for February 12th, 2021

The Old Farmer's Almanac daily calendar gives you quick reference for the significant events on any day throughout the year.

Abraham Lincoln's Birthday

The 16th president of the United States was born on the morning of Sunday, February 12, 1809, in a one-room, 16x18-foot, log cabin with a dirt floor. Called Sinking Spring Farm, the land was situated near Hodgenville, Kentucky. Abe's father, Thomas, was a farmer and carpenter, and his mother, Nancy, was a seamstress. His sister, Sarah, was 2 at the time. Abraham was named after his paternal grandfather. Lincoln pursued a legal career before turning to a political one that eventually led to the U.S. presidency. In addition to his more famous achievements, Lincoln is the only U.S. president to have received a U.S. patent, for something he described in this way: "A new and improved manner of combining adjustable buoyant air chambers with a steamboat or other vessel for the purpose of enabling their draught of water to be readily lessened to enable them to pass over bars, or through shallow water, without discharging their cargoes." If you can't get to Washington, D.C., honor Lincoln by visiting the Lincoln Memorial, part of our National Park System.

Every Year

• Abraham Lincoln's Birthday

1550s

• 1554: Lady Jane Grey, a rival for the English throne, was beheaded under the rule of Queen Mary I

1730s

• 1733: James Oglethorpe founded Savannah, Georgia

1770s

• Born 1775: Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams (U.S. First Lady)

1780s

• Died 1789: Ethan Allen (patriot)

1800s

• Born 1809: Abraham Lincoln (16th U.S. president)

• Born 1809: Charles Darwin (naturalist)

1870s

• 1879: Gala carnival at first U.S. skating rink, Madison Square Garden, New York City

1900s

• Died 1902: The Earl of Dufferin (Canadian Governor General 1872 - 1878)

• 1909: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) formed

1910s

• Born 1915: Lorne Greene (actor)

• 1915: Construction began on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

1960s

• Born 1968: Josh Brolin (actor)

1970s

• Born 1973: Tara Strong (voice of Bubbles on The Powerpuff Girls)

• Died 1976: Sal Mineo (actor)

• Born 1979: Jesse Spencer (actor)

1980s

• Born 1980: Christina Ricci (actress)

• Died 1983: Eubie Blake (jazz musician)

1990s

• 1994: "The Scream" painting stolen, Oslo, Norway

• 1994: 17th Olympic Winter Games opened in Lillehammer, Norway

2000s

• Died 2000: Charles Schulz (Peanuts cartoonist)

• 2005: Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude opened "The Gates, Project For Central Park 1979-2005" in NYC's Central Park

• 2008: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake shook southern Mexico

• 2008: For the first time, a beagle won 'Best in Show' at the Westminster Kennel Club

• Died 2008: David Groh (actor)

2010s

• Died 2012: David Kelly (actor)

• Died 2014: Sid Caesar (comedian & actor)

• 2018: Figure skater Mirai Nagasu became the first American woman (and third woman overall) to land a triple axel at the Winter Olympic Games (which took place at PyeongChang, South Korea, that year).