January 12, 1838 - Just ahead of his arrest due to the failure of his Mormon bank in Ohio, Joseph Smith relocates to Missouri to rebuild his religious community.

January 12, 1876 - Jack London, author, is born.

January 12, 1900 - The Detroit Automobile Company produces its first commercial vehicle, a delivery wagon. It was designed by none other than Henry Ford, who later quit to begin his own company.

January 12, 1906 - The Dow Industrials close for the first time over 100 in New York.

January 12, 1932 - A Democrat from Arkansas, Ophelia Wyatt Caraway, is the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

 

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January 12, 1944 - The movie Lifeboat, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, premieres in New York.

January 12, 1962 - The U.S. Air Force launches Operation Ranch Hand. It was the beginning of the use of Agent Orange as a defoliation agent during the Vietnam War.

January 12, 1991 - Congress authorizes the use of military action against Iraq in the Persian Gulf crisis.

January 12, 1996 - Russian and U.S. troops arrive in Bosnia for peacekeeping duties.

 

"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds however, the timid join him, For then it costs nothing to be a patriot." - Mark Twain