April 12

April 12 is the 102nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (the 103rd in leap years), with 263 days remaining until the end of the year. Falling in mid-April, the date has been the setting for numerous landmark events in world history, including the opening of the American Civil War, the first human spaceflight, and the maiden orbital flight of the Space Shuttle, and it is observed today as the International Day of Human Space Flight.

Background and Calendar Position

In the Gregorian calendar, April 12 occupies a fixed position as one of the central days of the fourth month, whose name derives from the Latin Aprilis, traditionally associated with aperire ("to open") and the blossoming of spring. In the Northern Hemisphere the date falls in mid-spring, while in the Southern Hemisphere it corresponds to mid-autumn. In astrology, April 12 lies within the zodiac sign of Aries. In certain years, Easter Sunday falls on this date—notably in 2009 and 2020 in the Western Christian calendar, and in 2015 in the Eastern Orthodox calendar.

Historical Events

April 12 has witnessed events of consequence from antiquity through the modern era. In 238 AD, during the Year of the Six Emperors, the co-emperors Gordian I and Gordian II were defeated near Carthage and