Sunday · September 27, 2026
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American history, reported as it happened
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On this day › September 12

What happened on September 12 in American history

September 12 is the 255th day of the year (the 256th in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 6 stories from September 12 spanning 1847 to 1992. Among them: in 1847, Scott's cannon open on Chapultepec at dawn; the castle has nowhere to hide; and in 1958, a sliver of germanium hums to life; Kilby proves the integrated circuit works.

1847

Scott's cannon open on Chapultepec at dawn; the castle has nowhere to hide

A day-long bombardment of the hilltop fortress outside Mexico City sets up tomorrow's infantry assault.
1958

A sliver of germanium hums to life; Kilby proves the integrated circuit works

A switch, a sine wave, and no more wiring transistors one at a time.
1962

We choose to go to the Moon, Kennedy tells 40,000 at Rice Stadium

Kennedy stakes the decade on a landing NASA's own administrator priced at 22 billion dollars.
1966Member story · 1776 Club

Conrad and Gordon dock with the Agena before they've finished one lap of Earth

The Gemini 11 crew catches its target 1 hour 34 minutes after launch, faster than any rendezvous NASA has tried.
1991Member story · 1776 Club

Discovery lifts off to release a satellite built to watch the ozone layer

A noise glitch on the air-to-ground radio link held the countdown fourteen minutes before Kennedy Space Center cleared it for launch.
1992Member story · 1776 Club

Jemison rides Endeavour into orbit, the first Black woman to reach space

She carried a West African statuette and a photo of aviator Bessie Coleman with her into orbit.