July 12 is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 172 days remain until the end of the year.

• 70 – The armies of Titus attack the walls of Jerusalem after a six-month siege. Three days later they breach the walls, which enables the army to destroy the Second Temple.
• 927 – King Constantine II of Scotland, King Hywel Dda of Deheubarth, Ealdred of Bamburgh and King Owain of the Cumbrians accepted the overlordship of King Æthelstan of England, leading to seven years of peace in the north.
• 1191 – Third Crusade: Saladin's garrison surrenders to Philip Augustus, ending the two-year siege of Acre.^[1]
• 1335 – Pope Benedict XII issues the papal bull Fulgens sicut stella matutina to reform the Cistercian Order.^[2]
• 1470 – The Ottomans capture Euboea.^[3]
• 1488 – Joseon Dynasty official Choe Bu returned to Korea after months of shipwrecked travel in China.^[4]
• 1493 – Hartmann Schedel's Nuremberg Chronicle, one of the best-documented early printed books, is published.
• 1527 – Lê Cung Hoàng ceded the throne to Mạc Đăng Dung, ending the Lê dynasty and starting the Mạc dynasty.
• 1543 – King Henry VIII of England marries his sixth and last wife, Catherine Parr, at Hampton Court Palace.^[5]
• 1562 – Fray Diego de Landa, acting Bishop of Yucatán, burns the sacred idols and books of the Maya.^[6]
• 1576 – Mughal Empire annexes Bengal after defeating the Bengal Sultanate at the Battle of Rajmahal.^[7]
• 1580 – The Ostrog Bible, one of the early printed Bibles in a Slavic language, is published.

• 1691 – Battle of Aughrim (Julian calendar): The decisive victory of William III of England's forces in Ireland.^[8]
• 1776 – Captain James Cook begins his third voyage.
• 1789 – In response to the dismissal of the French finance minister Jacques Necker, the radical journalist Camille Desmoulins gives a speech which results in the storming of the Bastille two days later.^[9]
• 1790 – The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is passed in France by the National Constituent Assembly.
• 1799 – Ranjit Singh conquers Lahore and becomes Maharaja of the Punjab (Sikh Empire).
• 1801 – British ships inflict heavy damage on Spanish and French ships in the Second Battle of Algeciras.
• 1806 – At the insistence of Napoleon, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg and thirteen minor principalities leave the Holy Roman Empire and form the Confederation of the Rhine.
• 1812 – The American Army of the Northwest briefly occupies the Upper Canadian settlement at what is now at Windsor, Ontario.
• 1862 – The Medal of Honor is authorized by the United States Congress.

• 1913 – Serbian forces begin their siege of the Bulgarian city of Vidin; the siege is later called off when the war ends.
• 1913 – The Second Revolution breaks out against the Beiyang government, as Li Liejun proclaims Jiangxi independent from the Republic of China.^[10]
• 1917 – The Bisbee Deportation occurs as vigilantes kidnap and deport nearly 1,300 striking miners and others from Bisbee, Arizona.
• 1918 – The Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Kawachi blows up at Shunan, western Honshu, Japan, killing at least 621.
• 1920 – The Soviet–Lithuanian Peace Treaty is signed, by which Soviet Russia recognizes the independence of Lithuania.
• 1943 – World War II: Battle of Kursk: German and Soviet forces engage in the Battle of Prokhorovka, one of the largest armored engagements of all time.
• 1948 – Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion orders the expulsion of Palestinians from the towns of Lod and Ramla.^[11]
• 1960 – Orlyonok, the main Young Pioneer camp of the Russian SFSR, is founded.
• 1961 – Indian city Pune floods due to failure of the Khadakwasla and Panshet dams, killing at least two thousand people.
• 1961 – ČSA Flight 511 crashes at Casablanca–Anfa Airport in Morocco, killing 72.^[12]
• 1963 – Pauline Reade, 16, disappears in Gorton, England, the first victim in the Moors murders.
• 1967 – Riots begin in Newark, New Jersey.
• 1971 – The Australian Aboriginal flag is flown for the first time.
• 1973 – A fire destroys the entire sixth floor of the National Personnel Records Center of the United States.
• 1975 – São Tomé and Príncipe declare independence from Portugal.
• 1979 – The island nation of Kiribati becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
• 1995 – Chinese seismologists successfully predict the 1995 Myanmar–China earthquake, reducing the number of casualties to 11.^[13]
• 1998 – The Ulster Volunteer Force attacked a house in Ballymoney, County Antrim, Northern Ireland with a petrol bomb, killing the Quinn brothers.
• 2001 – Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-104, carrying the Quest Joint Airlock to the International Space Station.^[14]
• 2006 – The 2006 Lebanon War begins.
• 2007 – U.S. Army Apache helicopters engage in airstrikes against armed insurgents in Baghdad, Iraq, where civilians are killed; footage from the cockpit is later leaked to the Internet.^[15]
• 2012 – Syrian Civil War: Government forces target the homes of rebels and activists in Tremseh and kill anywhere between 68 and 150 people.^[16]
• 2012 – A tank truck explosion kills more than 100 people in Okobie, Nigeria.^[17]
• 2013 – Six people are killed and 200 injured in a French passenger train derailment in Brétigny-sur-Orge.^[18]

• 100 BC – Julius Caesar, Roman politician and general (d. 44 BC)^[19]
• 1394 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, Japanese shōgun (d. 1441)
• 1468 – Juan del Encina, Spanish poet, playwright, and composer (probable;^[20] d. 1530)
• 1477 – Jacopo Sadoleto, Italian cardinal (d. 1547)^[21]
• 1549 – Edward Manners, 3rd Earl of Rutland (d. 1587)

• 1628 – Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk (d. 1684)^[22]
• 1675 – Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1742)
• 1730 – Josiah Wedgwood, English potter, founded the Wedgwood Company (d. 1795)
• 1803 – Peter Chanel, French priest and saint (d. 1841)
• 1807 – Thomas Hawksley, English engineer and academic (d. 1893)
• 1813 – Claude Bernard, French physiologist and academic (d. 1878)
• 1817 – Henry David Thoreau, American essayist, poet, and philosopher (d. 1862)
• 1817 – Alvin Saunders, Territorial Governor and Senator from Nebraska (d. 1899)^[23]
• 1821 – D. H. Hill, American general and academic (d. 1889)
• 1824 – Eugène Boudin, French painter (d. 1898)
• 1849 – William Osler, Canadian physician and author (d. 1919)
• 1850 – Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist and academic (d. 1912)
• 1852 – Hipólito Yrigoyen, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 19th President of Argentina (d. 1933)
• 1854 – George Eastman, American businessman, founded Eastman Kodak (d. 1933)
• 1855 – Ned Hanlan, Canadian rower, academic, and businessman (d. 1908)
• 1857 – George E. Ohr, American potter (d. 1918)
• 1861 – Anton Arensky, Russian pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1906)
• 1863 – Albert Calmette, French physician, bacteriologist, and immunologist (d. 1933)
• 1863 – Paul Drude, German physicist and academic (d. 1906)
• 1868 – Stefan George, German poet and translator (d. 1933)
• 1870 – Louis II, Prince of Monaco (d. 1949)
• 1872 – Emil Hácha, Czech lawyer and politician, 3rd President of Czechoslovakia (d. 1945)
• 1876 – Max Jacob, French poet, painter, and critic (d. 1944)
• 1878 – Peeter Põld, Estonian scientist and politician, 1st Estonian Minister of Education (d. 1930)
• 1879 – Margherita Piazzola Beloch, Italian mathematician (d. 1976)
• 1879 – Han Yong-un, Korean poet (d. 1944)
• 1880 – Tod Browning, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1962)
• 1881 – Natalia Goncharova, Russian theatrical costume and set designer, painter and illustrator (d. 1962)^[24]
• 1884 – Bob Diry,^[25] Austrian-born wrestler and boxer (d. 1935)
• 1884 – Louis B. Mayer, Russian-born American film producer, co-founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (d. 1957)
• 1884 – Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (d. 1920)
• 1886 – Jean Hersholt, Danish-American actor and director (d. 1956)
• 1888 – Zygmunt Janiszewski, Polish mathematician and academic (d. 1920)^[26]
• 1892 – Bruno Schulz, Ukrainian-Polish author and painter (d. 1942)
• 1895 – Kirsten Flagstad, Norwegian soprano (d. 1962)
• 1895 – Buckminster Fuller, American architect and engineer, designed the Montreal Biosphère (d. 1983)
• 1895 – Oscar Hammerstein II, American director, producer, and songwriter (d. 1960)
• 1900 – Marcel Paul, French communist politician and Holocaust survivor (d. 1982)^[27]

• 1902 – Günther Anders, German philosopher and journalist (d. 1992)
• 1902 – Vic Armbruster, Australian rugby league footballer (d. 1984)
• 1904 – Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1973)
• 1907 – Weary Dunlop, Australian colonel and surgeon (d. 1993)
• 1908 – Milton Berle, American comedian and actor (d. 2002)
• 1908 – Alain Cuny, French actor (d. 1994)
• 1908 – Paul Runyan, American golfer and sportscaster (d. 2002)
• 1909 – Joe DeRita, American actor (d. 1993)
• 1909 – Motoichi Kumagai, Japanese photographer and illustrator (d. 2010)
• 1909 – Fritz Leonhardt, German engineer, designed Fernsehturm Stuttgart (d. 1999)
• 1909 – Herbert Zim, American naturalist, author, and educator (d. 1994)
• 1911 – Evald Mikson, Estonian footballer (d. 1993)
• 1913 – Willis Lamb, American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2008)
• 1914 – Mohammad Moin, Iranian linguist and lexicographer (d. 1971)
• 1916 – Lyudmila Pavlichenko, Ukrainian-Russian soldier and sniper (d. 1974)
• 1917 – Luigi Gorrini, Italian soldier and pilot (d. 2014)
• 1917 – Satyendra Narayan Sinha, Indian statesman (d. 2006)Who's who. India: Parliament Secretariat. 2005. p. 713.</ref>
• 1917 – Andrew Wyeth, American artist (d. 2009)
• 1920 – Pierre Berton, Canadian journalist and author (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Bob Fillion, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (d. 2015)
• 1920 – Paul Gonsalves, American saxophonist (d. 1974)
• 1920 – Randolph Quirk, Manx linguist and academic (d. 2017)
• 1920 – Beah Richards, American actress (d. 2000)
• 1922 – Mark Hatfield, American soldier and politician, 29th Governor of Oregon (d. 2011)
• 1923 – James E. Gunn, American science fiction author (d. 2020)
• 1924 – Faidon Matthaiou, Greek basketball player and coach (d. 2011)
• 1925 – Albert Lance, Australian-French tenor (d. 2013)
• 1925 – Roger Smith, American businessman (d. 2007)
• 1927 – Françoys Bernier, Canadian pianist, conductor, and educator (d. 1993)
• 1927 – Conte Candoli, American trumpet player (d. 2001)
• 1927 – Jack Harshman, American baseball player (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Harley Hotchkiss, Canadian businessman (d. 2011)
• 1928 – Alastair Burnet, English journalist (d. 2012)
• 1928 – Elias James Corey, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1928 – Imero Fiorentino, American lighting designer (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Gordon Pinsent, Canadian actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2023)^[28]
• 1930 – Guy Ligier, French race car driver and team owner (d. 2015)^[29]
• 1931 – Eric Ives, English historian and academic (d. 2012)
• 1931 – Geeto Mongol, Canadian-American wrestler and trainer (d. 2013)
• 1932 – Monte Hellman, American director and producer (d. 2021)
• 1932 – Otis Davis, American sprinter (d. 2024)^[30]
• 1933 – Victor Poor, American engineer, developed the Datapoint 2200 (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Donald E. Westlake, American author and screenwriter (d. 2008)
• 1934 – Van Cliburn, American pianist and composer (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Satoshi Ōmura, Japanese biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1936 – Jan Němec, Czech director and screenwriter (d. 2016)
• 1936 – Frank Ryan, American football player and mathematician (d. 2024)^[31]
• 1937 – Bill Cosby, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
• 1937 – Mickey Edwards, American lawyer and politician
• 1937 – Lionel Jospin, French civil servant and politician, 165th Prime Minister of France
• 1937 – Robert McFarlane, American colonel and diplomat, 13th United States National Security Advisor (d. 2022)
• 1937 – Guy Woolfenden, English composer and conductor (d. 2016)
• 1938 – Ron Fairly, American baseball player and sportscaster (d. 2019)
• 1938 – Wieger Mensonides, Dutch swimmer
• 1938 – Eiko Ishioka, Japanese art director and graphic designer (d. 2012)
• 1939 – Phillip Adams, Australian journalist and producer
• 1939 – Bill Cooper, American football player^[32]
• 1941 – Benny Parsons, American race car driver and sportscaster (d. 2007)
• 1942 – Swamp Dogg, American R&B singer-songwriter and musician
• 1942 – Roy Palmer, English cricketer and umpire
• 1942 – Billy Smith, Australian rugby league footballer and coach
• 1942 – Steve Young, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
• 1943 – Christine McVie, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (d. 2022)
• 1943 – Paul Silas, American basketball player and coach (d. 2022)
• 1944 – Simon Blackburn, English philosopher and academic
• 1944 – Delia Ephron, American author, playwright, and screenwriter
• 1945 – Butch Hancock, American country-folk singer-songwriter and musician
• 1947 – Gareth Edwards, Welsh rugby player and sportscaster
• 1947 – Carl Lundgren, American artist and illustrator^[33]
• 1947 – Richard C. McCarty, American psychologist and academic
• 1948 – Ben Burtt, American director, screenwriter, and sound designer
• 1948 – Walter Egan, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1948 – Elias Khoury, Lebanese intellectual, playwright and novelist (d. 2024)^[34]
• 1948 – Richard Simmons, American fitness trainer and actor (d. 2024)^[35]
• 1949 – Simon Fox, English drummer
• 1949 – Rick Hendrick, American businessman, founded Hendrick Motorsports
• 1950 – Eric Carr, American drummer and songwriter (d. 1991)
• 1950 – Gilles Meloche, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1951 – Joan Bauer, American author
• 1951 – Brian Grazer, American screenwriter and producer, founded Imagine Entertainment
• 1951 – Cheryl Ladd, American actress
• 1951 – Piotr Pustelnik, Polish mountaineer
• 1951 – Jamey Sheridan, American actor
• 1952 – Voja Antonić, Serbian computer scientist and journalist, designed the Galaksija computer
• 1952 – Irina Bokova, Bulgarian politician, Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1952 – Philip Taylor Kramer, American bass player (d. 1995)
• 1954 – Eric Adams, American singer-songwriter
• 1954 – Robert Carl, American pianist and composer
• 1954 – Wolfgang Dremmler, German footballer and coach
• 1955 – Timothy Garton Ash, English historian and author
• 1955 – Jimmy LaFave, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2017)
• 1956 – Mel Harris, American actress
• 1956 – Sandi Patty, American singer and pianist
• 1956 – Mario Soto, Dominican baseball player
• 1957 – Rick Husband, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2003)
• 1957 – Dave Semenko, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (d. 2017)
• 1958 – J. D. Hayworth, American politician and radio host
• 1958 – Tonya Lee Williams, English-Canadian actress and producer
• 1959 – David Brown, Australian meteorologist
• 1959 – Tupou VI, King of Tonga
• 1959 – Karl J. Friston, English psychiatrist and neuroscientist
• 1959 – Charlie Murphy, American actor and comedian (d. 2017)
• 1961 – Heikko Glöde, German footballer and manager
• 1961 – Shiva Rajkumar, Indian actor, singer, and producer
• 1962 – Julio César Chávez, Mexican boxer
• 1962 – Luc De Vos, Belgian singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2014)
• 1962 – Joanna Shields, American-English businesswoman
• 1962 – Dean Wilkins, English footballer and manager
• 1964 – Gaby Roslin, English television host and actress
• 1965 – Sanjay Manjrekar, Indian cricketer and sportscaster
• 1965 – Robin Wilson, American singer and guitarist
• 1966 – Jeff Bucknum, American race car driver
• 1966 – Annabel Croft, English tennis player and sportscaster
• 1966 – Taiji, Japanese bass player and songwriter (d. 2011)
• 1967 – Richard Herring, English comedian and screenwriter
• 1967 – Mac McCaughan, American singer and guitarist
• 1967 – John Petrucci, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1967 – Bruny Surin, Canadian sprinter
• 1968 – Catherine Plewinski, French swimmer
• 1969 – Chantal Jouanno, French politician, French Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
• 1969 – Alan Mullally, English cricketer and sportscaster
• 1969 – Anne-Sophie Pic, French chef
• 1969 – Jesse Pintado, Mexican-American guitarist (d. 2006)
• 1970 – Aure Atika, Portuguese-French actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Lee Byung-hun, South Korean actor, singer, and dancer
• 1970 – Susan Tyler Witten, American politician^[36]
• 1971 – Andriy Kovalenco, Ukrainian-Spanish rugby player
• 1971 – Loni Love, American comedian, actress, and talk show host
• 1971 – Kristi Yamaguchi, American figure skater
• 1972 – Jake Wood, English actor^[37]
• 1973 – Christian Vieri, Italian footballer
• 1974 – Sharon den Adel, Dutch singer-songwriter
• 1974 – Stelios Giannakopoulos, Greek footballer and manager
• 1974 – Gregory Shane Helms, American professional wrestler
• 1976 – Dan Boyle, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Anna Friel, English actress
• 1976 – Tracie Spencer, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1977 – Neil Harris, English footballer and manager
• 1977 – Steve Howey, American actor
• 1977 – Brock Lesnar, American mixed martial artist and wrestler
• 1977 – Francesca Lubiani, Italian tennis player
• 1977 – Marco Silva, Portuguese football manager^[38]
• 1978 – Topher Grace, American actor
• 1978 – Michelle Rodriguez, American actress
• 1979 – Nikos Barlos, Greek basketball player
• 1979 – Maya Kobayashi, Japanese journalist
• 1980 – Kristen Connolly, American actress
• 1981 – Adrienne Camp, South African singer-songwriter
• 1981 – Pradeepan Raveendran, Sri Lankan director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1982 – Antonio Cassano, Italian footballer
• 1982 – Jason Wright, American football player, businessman, and executive^[39]
• 1984 – Gareth Gates, English singer-songwriter
• 1984 – Jonathan Lewis, American football player
• 1984 – Natalie Martinez, American actress
• 1984 – Michael McGovern, Northern Irish footballer
• 1984 – Sami Zayn, Canadian professional wrestler
• 1985 – Paulo Vitor Barreto, Brazilian footballer
• 1985 – Gianluca Curci, Italian footballer
• 1985 – Keven Lacombe, Canadian cyclist
• 1985 – Ismael Londt, Surinamese-Dutch kickboxer
• 1986 – Didier Digard, French footballer
• 1986 – Hannaliis Jaadla, Estonian footballer
• 1986 – JP Pietersen, South African rugby player
• 1986 – Simone Laudehr, German footballer
• 1988 – Patrick Beverley, American basketball player^[40]
• 1988 – LeSean McCoy, American football player
• 1988 – Inbee Park, South Korean golfer
• 1989 – Nick Palmieri, American ice hockey player
• 1989 – Phoebe Tonkin, Australian actress^[41]
• 1990 – Bebé, Portuguese footballer
• 1990 – Rachel Brosnahan, American actress^[42]
• 1991 – Salih Dursun, Turkish footballer
• 1991 – James Rodríguez, Colombian footballer
• 1991 – Pablo Carreño Busta, Spanish tennis player^[43]
• 1992 – Bartosz Bereszyński, Polish footballer
• 1992 – Luke Berry, English footballer^[44]
• 1994 – Kanako Momota, Japanese singer-songwriter
• 1995 – Evania Pelite, Australian rugby union player^[45]
• 1995 – Luke Shaw, English footballer
• 1995 – Jordyn Wieber, American gymnast^[46]
• 1995 – Moses Simon, Nigerian footballer^[47]
• 1996 – Moussa Dembélé, French footballer
• 1996 – Jordan Romero, American mountaineer
• 1997 – Jean-Kévin Duverne, French footballer^[48]
• 1997 – Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani-English activist, Nobel Prize laureate^[49]
• 1998 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Canadian basketball player^[50]
• 2000 – Vinícius Júnior, Brazilian footballer^[51]
• 2001 – Kaylee McKeown, Australian swimmer^[52]
• 2002 – Nico Williams, Spanish footballer^[53]

• 524 – Viventiolus, archbishop of Lyon (b. 460)
• 783 – Bertrada of Laon, Frankish queen (b. 720)
• 965 – Meng Chang, emperor of Later Shu (b. 919)
• 981 – Xue Juzheng, Chinese scholar-official and historian^[54]
• 1067 – John Komnenos, Byzantine general
• 1441 – Ashikaga Yoshinori, Japanese shōgun (b. 1394)
• 1441 – Kyōgoku Takakazu, Japanese nobleman
• 1489 – Bahlul Lodi, sultan of Delhi
• 1536 – Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch priest and philosopher (b. 1466)
• 1584 – Steven Borough, English navigator and explorer (b. 1525)

• 1623 – William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath (b. 1557)
• 1664 – Stefano della Bella, Italian illustrator and engraver (b. 1610)
• 1682 – Jean Picard, French priest and astronomer (b. 1620)
• 1691 – Marquis de St Ruth, French general
• 1693 – John Ashby, English admiral (b. 1640)
• 1712 – Richard Cromwell, English academic and politician (b. 1626)
• 1742 – Evaristo Felice Dall'Abaco, Italian violinist and composer (b. 1675)
• 1749 – Charles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois, French navy officer and politician, Governor General of New France (b. 1671)
• 1773 – Johann Joachim Quantz, German flute player and composer (b. 1697)
• 1804 – Alexander Hamilton, American general, economist, and politician, 1st United States Secretary of the Treasury (b. 1755)
• 1845 – Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian linguist, poet, and playwright (b. 1808)
• 1850 – Robert Stevenson, Scottish engineer (b. 1772)^[55]
• 1855 – Pavel Nakhimov, Russian admiral (b. 1802)
• 1870 – John A. Dahlgren, American admiral (b. 1809)
• 1892 – Alexander Cartwright, American firefighter, invented baseball (b. 1820)

• 1908 – William D. Coleman, 13th President of Liberia (b. 1842)^[56]
• 1910 – Charles Rolls, English engineer and businessman, co-founded Rolls-Royce Limited (b. 1877)^[57]
• 1926 – Gertrude Bell, English archaeologist and spy (b. 1868)^[58]
• 1926 – Charles Wood Irish composer (b. 1866)
• 1929 – Robert Henri, American painter and educator (b. 1865)
• 1931 – Nathan Söderblom, Swedish archbishop, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1866)
• 1934 – Ole Evinrude, Norwegian-American inventor and businessman, invented the outboard motor (b. 1877)
• 1935 – Alfred Dreyfus, French colonel (b. 1859)
• 1944 – Theodore Roosevelt Jr., American general and politician, Governor of Puerto Rico (b. 1887)
• 1945 – Boris Galerkin, Russian mathematician and engineer (b. 1871)
• 1945 – Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, German field marshal (b. 1895)
• 1946 – Ray Stannard Baker, American journalist and author (b. 1870)
• 1947 – Jimmie Lunceford, American saxophonist and bandleader (b. 1902)
• 1949 – Douglas Hyde, Irish scholar and politician, 1st President of Ireland (b. 1860)
• 1950 – Elsie de Wolfe, American actress, author, and interior decorator (b. 1865)
• 1956 – John Hayes, Australian politician, 25th Premier of Tasmania (b. 1868)
• 1961 – Mazo de la Roche, Canadian author and playwright (b. 1879)^[59]
• 1962 – Roger Wolfe Kahn, American composer and bandleader (b. 1907)
• 1965 – Christfried Burmeister, Estonian speed skater (b. 1898)
• 1966 – D. T. Suzuki, Japanese philosopher and author (b. 1870)
• 1969 – Henry George Lamond, Australian farmer and author (b. 1885)
• 1971 – Yvon Robert, Canadian wrestler (b. 1914)
• 1973 – Lon Chaney Jr., American actor (b. 1906)
• 1975 – James Ormsbee Chapin, American painter and illustrator (b. 1887)
• 1979 – Olive Morris, Jamaican-English civil rights activist (b. 1952)^[60]
• 1979 – Minnie Riperton, American singer-songwriter (b. 1947)
• 1980 – John Warren Davis, American educator, college administrator, and civil rights leader (b. 1888)^[61][62]
• 1982 – Kenneth More, English actor (b. 1914)
• 1983 – Chris Wood, English saxophonist (b. 1944)
• 1990 – João Saldanha, Brazilian footballer, manager, and journalist (b. 1917)
• 1992 – Caroline Pafford Miller, American journalist and author (b. 1903)
• 1993 – Dan Eldon, English photographer and journalist (b. 1970)
• 1994 – Eila Campbell, English geographer and cartographer (b. 1915)^[63]
• 1996 – John Chancellor, American journalist (b. 1927)
• 1997 – François Furet, French historian and author (b. 1927)
• 1998 – Jimmy Driftwood, American singer-songwriter and banjo player (b. 1907)
• 1998 – Arkady Ostashev, Soviet/Russian scientist and engineer (b. 1925)
• 1998 – Serge Lemoyne, Canadian painter (b. 1941)
• 1999 – Rajendra Kumar, Indian actor (b. 1921)
• 2000 – Charles Merritt, Canadian colonel and politician, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1908)
• 2001 – Fred Marcellino, American author and illustrator (b. 1939)
• 2003 – Benny Carter, American trumpet player, saxophonist, and composer (b. 1907)
• 2003 – Mark Lovell, English race car driver (b. 1960)
• 2004 – Betty Oliphant, English-Canadian ballerina, co-founded the National Ballet School of Canada (b. 1918)
• 2005 – John King, Baron King of Wartnaby, English businessman (b. 1917)
• 2007 – Robert Burås, Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1975)
• 2007 – Stan Zemanek, Australian radio and television host (b. 1947)
• 2008 – Bobby Murcer, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (b. 1946)
• 2008 – Tony Snow, American journalist, 26th White House Press Secretary (b. 1955)
• 2010 – Olga Guillot, Cuban-American singer (b. 1922)
• 2010 – James P. Hogan, English-American author (b. 1941)
• 2010 – Paulo Moura, Brazilian clarinetist and saxophonist (b. 1932)
• 2010 – Pius Njawé, Cameroonian journalist (b. 1957)
• 2010 – Harvey Pekar, American author and critic (b. 1939)
• 2011 – Sherwood Schwartz, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1916)
• 2012 – Alimuddin, Pakistani cricketer (b. 1930)
• 2012 – Dara Singh, Indian wrestler, actor, and politician (b. 1928)^[64]
• 2012 – Eddy Brown, English footballer and manager (b. 1926)
• 2012 – Else Holmelund Minarik, Danish-American author and illustrator (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Roger Payne, English mountaineer (b. 1956)
• 2012 – Hamid Samandarian, Iranian director and playwright (b. 1931)
• 2012 – George C. Stoney, American director and producer (b. 1916)
• 2013 – Amar Bose, American businessman, founded the Bose Corporation (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Takako Takahashi, Japanese author (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Elaine Morgan, Welsh writer (b. 1920)^[65]
• 2013 – Alan Whicker, Egyptian-English journalist (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Jamil Ahmad, Pakistani author (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Nestor Basterretxea, Spanish painter and sculptor (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Emil Bobu, Romanian politician (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Alfred de Grazia, American political scientist and author (b. 1919)
• 2014 – Kenneth J. Gray, American soldier and politician (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Valeriya Novodvorskaya, Russian journalist and politician (b. 1950)
• 2015 – D'Army Bailey, American lawyer, judge, and actor (b. 1941)
• 2015 – Chenjerai Hove, Zimbabwean journalist, author, and poet (b. 1956)
• 2015 – Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, Tibetan monk and activist (b. 1950)
• 2015 – Cheng Siwei, Chinese engineer, economist, and politician (b. 1935)
• 2016 – Goran Hadžić, Serbian politician (b. 1958)
• 2019 – Emily Hartridge, English YouTuber and television presenter (b. 1984)^[66]
• 2020 – Kelly Preston, American actress and model (b. 1962)^[67]
• 2020 – Wim Suurbier, Dutch football player (b. 1945)^[68]
• 2024 – Tonke Dragt, Dutch children's writer and illustrator (b. 1930)^[69]
• 2024 – Bill Viola, American video and installation artist (b. 1951)^[70]
• 2024 – Ruth Westheimer, German-American sex therapist (b. 1928)^[71]
• 2024 – Evan Wright, American writer (b. 1964)^[72]

• Christian feast day:
  • Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (Eastern Orthodox)
  • Hermagoras and Fortunatus
  • Jason of Thessalonica (Catholic Church)
  • John Gualbert
  • Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin
  • Nabor and Felix
  • Nathan Söderblom (Lutheran, Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Veronica
  • Viventiolus
  • July 12 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• The second day of Naadam (Mongolia)
• The Twelfth, also known as Orangemen's Day (Northern Ireland, Scotland, Newfoundland and Labrador)

• "On This Day". BBC.
• The New York Times: On This Day
• "Historical Events on July 12". OnThisDay.com.