TEMPLE, Texas — With so many years of history from across the world, every date on the calendar can have a fascinating past. From space shuttle launches to historic battles, quite a bit of history has been made on Sept. 12. Here are just some of the major events the day has seen.
This Day in History: Sept. 12
2003- Country music icon Johhny Cash dies at age 71.
1992- The Space Shuttle Endeavor launches as NASA's 50th shuttle mission carrying a historic crew, including the first Black woman in space (Mae Jemison), the first married couple in space and the first Japanese citizen to fly in a U.S. spacecraft.
1990- East and West Germany, alongside France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States sign the "Two Plus Four Treaty", paving the way for the reunification of Germany.
1959- The popular TV show "Bonanza" premieres, going on to become one of the longest-running westerns in broadcast history.
1952: Neal Peart, drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush, is born.
1940- Four teenagers discover the Lascaux cave in Montignac, France, containing some of the most famous examples of prehistoric art ever discovered.
1913- Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens is born. Owens is known as one of the greatest track and field athletes in history, winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany.
1683- The Siege of Vienna ends as a combined army of Polish and Austrian forces drive out an Ottoman invasion. The Ottoman Empire had laid siege to the city for two months until they were finally defeated on this date by an army made up of soldiers from across the Holy Roman Empire, including the famed Winged Hussars of Poland. The battle is considered a major turning point in the 300-year conflict between the two empires and was the site of what is considered the largest cavalry charge in history.
490 B.C. (Commonly considered to be Sept. 12)- An outnumbered Athenian and Plataean army led by general Miltiades defeats a Persian invasion at the Battle of Marathon. Stories of messenger Pheidippides running 25 miles back to Athens to deliver the news of the victory led to the creation of the modern-day marathon race.
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