HISTORY

July 12

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Desiderius Erasmus READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1984 Geraldine Ferraro designated running mate of Walter Mondale READ MORE

MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2005: Prince Albert II, the only son of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly, formally assumed the throne of Monaco. [ Take our quiz about kings and emperors.] 1979: Between games of a baseball doubleheader involving the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park, disco records were blown up as part of a promotion dubbed Disco Demolition Night; fans subsequently rushed the field, and as a result of the ensuing mayhem, the game was forfeited to the Tigers. 1976: The television game show Family Feud began airing on ABC, and it became hugely popular, in part because of the personal charm and witty banter of host Richard Dawson; the show continued—with different hosts, including Steve Harvey—into the 21st century. [ Sort fact from fiction in our pop culture quiz.] 1975: The island nation of Sao Tome and Principe was granted independence from Portugal. [Test your knowledge of islands.] 1962: Iconic British rock band the Rolling Stones performed their first show, billed as the Rollin' Stones, at a club in London. [Take our quiz about rock and roll.] 1920: The independent republic of Lithuania, having successfully expelled invading Soviet troops, signed a peace treaty with Russia . SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1937 Bill Cosby American entertainer and producer -100 Julius Caesar Roman ruler 1997 Malala Yousafzai Pakistani activist 1817 Henry David Thoreau American writer 1904 Pablo Neruda Chilean poet 1895 R. Buckminster Fuller American engineer, architect, and futurist SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY