What happened on January 12 ?

1321 - Maria of Brabant, wife of Philip III of France (b. 1256)

1519 - Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1459)

1583 - Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva, Governor of the Spanish Netherlands (b. 1508)

1665 - Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician and lawyer (b. 1601)

1674 - Giacomo Carissimi, Italian composer (b. 1605)

1705 - Luca Giordano, Italian artist (b. 1634)

1732 - John Horsley, British archaeologist

1735 - John Eccles, English composer (b. 1668)

1759 - Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, (b. 1709)

1777 - Hugh Mercer, American Revolutionary War officer (mortally wounded in battle)

1781 - Richard Challoner, English Catholic prelate (b. 1691)

1817 - Juan Andres, Spanish Jesuit (b. 1740)

1909 - Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician (b. 1864)

1940 - Edward Smith (VC), Youngest First World War VC recipient, b.1899

1943 - Jan Campert, Dutch journalist and writer (b. 1902)

1944 - Lance C. Wade, American pilot (b. 1915)

1956 - Norman Kerry, American actor (b. 1894)

1960 - Nevil Shute, English writer (b. 1899)

1962 - Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams, Russian writer and feminist (b. 1869)

1965 - Lorraine Hansberry, American writer (b. 1936)

1976 - Agatha Christie, English writer (b. 1890)

1983 - Nikolai Podgorny, President of the USSR (b. 1903)

1991 - Keye Luke, Chinese-born actor (b. 1904)

1997 - Charles B. Huggins, Canadian-born cancer researcher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1901)

1999 - Betty Lou Gerson, American voice actress (b. 1914)

2000 - Marc Davis, American animator (b. 1913)

2000 - Bobby Phills, American basketball player (b. 1969)

2001 - Affirmed, American racehorse (b. 1975)

2001 - William Hewlett, American engineer and businessman (b. 1913)

2002 - Stanley Unwin, South African comedian (b. 1911)

2002 - Cyrus Vance, U.S. Secretary of State (b. 1917)

2003 - Kinji Fukasaku, Japanese director (b. 1930)

2003 - Leopoldo Galtieri, dictator of Argentina (b. 1926)

2003 - Maurice Gibb, British singer, songwriter, and musician (Bee Gees) (b. 1949)

2005 - Amrish Puri, Indian actor (b. 1932)

2005 - Edmund S. Valtman, Estonian-born cartoonist (b. 1914)