3.  Born : January 12, 1580  Who : A Flemish chemist and physician  Significanc e : Developed the concept of gas  Fun Fact : Invented the word gas from the Greek word “ chao s” revistanatural.com

4.  Born : January 12, 1737  Who : A patriot  Significance : First to sign Declaration of Independence  Fun Fact : People often use the expression, “ Put your John Hancock here ” when asking for one ’ s signature. earlyamerica.com

5.  Fun Fact : In the Disney Channel Original Movie Jumping Ship, he acted with his two brothers, Joseph and Matthew.  Born January 12, 1988  Who : Actor  Significance : Acted in movies and TV series such as Jumping Ship, Blossom, Tom, and Oliver Beene › Also voiced Recess ’ s D. J. Detweiler

7.  When: The night of January 12,1896  Who: Students Osmond L. Barringer, Eben Hardie, and E. Pender Porter  Where: Physics Lab, Davidson College, NC  How: Dr. Henry Smith, their physics professor, had invented an X-Ray camera.  What: X-Ray photograph of two.22 caliber rifle cartridges, two rings and a pin inside a pillbox, and a cadaver’s finger Dr. Henry Smith phy.davidson.edu

8.  When: January 12, 1908  Who: Lee de Forest, French engineer and scientist  Where: Eiffel Tower, Paris, France  What: First long-distance radio message transmission  How: The radio show was broadcasted to about 50 people up to 500 miles away. onestep4ward.com

9.  When: January 12, 1904  Who: Henry Ford  Where: Frozen St. Clair Lake in Michigan  What: A land- speed record of 91.37 mph was set by driving the Ford 999, a four- wheeled vehicle without a hood or body.  Significance: Huge publicity for Henry Ford’s Ford Motor Company Popularmechanics.com

11.  When: January 12, 1964  Where: Sunday Night at the London Palladium (British Television Variety Show)  Who: The Beatles  What: Performing “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “This Boy,” “All My Loving,” “Money,” and “Twist And Shout”  Fun Fact: Although The Beatles had first appeared on the show the previous October, this time they charged four times as much. Thisdayinmusic.com

12.  When: January 12,1966  Where: Premiere on ABC TV  Who: Stars Adam West and Burt Ward  What: The show Batman, based on the DC Comics allmoviephoto.com Tomcoote.co.uk  Fun Fact: Famous celebrities often guest starred as villains on the show.

14.  When: January 12, 2000  Who: Bobby Phills, Charlotte Hornets Guard  What: Phills was drag racing his teammate David Wesley at 75 mph.  How: Phills lost control of his Porche, crashed, and was pronounced dead at the scene. forums.nykfp.com

15.  When: January 12, 2010  Where: Port-au-Prince, Haiti  What: An earthquake of 7.0 magnitude  Who: About 150,000 were killed boston.com