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Made for the 250thOn this day › July 12
What happened on July 12 in American history
July 12 is the 193rd day of the year (the 194th in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 5 stories from July 12 spanning 1812 to 2001. Among them: in 1812, Hull crosses the Detroit River; his army occupies Sandwich, Upper Canada; and in 1862, Lincoln signs a Medal of Honor into law; the Army has no decoration for valor until today.
1812
Hull crosses the Detroit River; his army occupies Sandwich, Upper Canada
The Army of the Northwest pushes onto British soil weeks after the U.S. declared war, planting American forces on the Canadian side of the river.
1862
Lincoln signs a Medal of Honor into law; the Army has no decoration for valor until today
Congress authorizes the medal for enlisted men who show gallantry in action; the War Department will contract for 2,000 to be struck.
1973Member story · 1776 Club
Fire guts the sixth floor of St. Louis records center; up to 18 million military files are ash
The NPRC building had no sprinklers, no fire barriers, and open storage floors 728 feet long; crews could not fully enter for 22 hours, and not one destroyed file had a backup copy.
1979Member story · 1776 Club
Fans storm the field at Comiskey; White Sox forfeit the second game to Detroit
Steve Dahl blows up a crate of disco records between games, 50,000 fans rush the grass, and the umpires rule the park unplayable.
2001
Atlantis lifts off with Quest airlock; station finally has its own door to open space
Astronauts Gernhardt and Reilly will bolt the 6.5-ton steel-and-aluminum chamber into place across three spacewalks, giving the station a hatch usable by both American and Russian suits.
Read the full July 12 edition →
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