Today in History: The U.S. Congress authorised the Gulf War in 1991

The following are some of the major notable events that occurred on January 12 throughout history:

475 – Basiliscus Seizes the Byzantine Throne: On January 12, 475, Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno was forced to flee Constantinople in a coup, and his general Basiliscus was crowned as the new emperor. This power grab in the Byzantine Empire was short-lived; Basiliscus reigned for about 20 months before Zeno returned and reclaimed the throne.

1528 – Gustav I Vasa Crowned King of Sweden: After leading Sweden to independence from the Kalmar Union, Gustav Eriksson Vasa was formally crowned King of Sweden on January 12, 1528. He would rule for 37 years and is often regarded as the “father of the nation,” laying the foundations of the modern Swedish state through administrative reforms and a national church.

1554 – Bayinnaung Crowned King of Burma: On January 12, 1554, Bayinnaung was crowned King of Burma (present-day Myanmar) in his capital of Pegu. In the following years, Bayinnaung went on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, unifying much of Burma and neighboring territories under the Toungoo Dynasty’s rule.

1879 – Anglo-Zulu War Begins in Southern Africa: The conflict known as the Anglo-Zulu War broke out in early January 1879 when British colonial forces invaded the independent Zulu Kingdom. An initial skirmish on January 12, 1879, marked the start of hostilities. The war, which lasted about six months, ultimately resulted in the defeat of the Zulus and the destruction of the Zulu Kingdom’s independence as Britain expanded its control over the region.

1896 – First X-ray Image Captured by Wilhelm Röntgen: On January 12, 1896, German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen produced one of the first X-ray photographs in history – an image of his wife Anna’s hand, clearly revealing her bones and wedding ring. Röntgen’s groundbreaking discovery of X-rays (made in late 1895) and this early radiograph revolutionized medicine and science, earning him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 for opening a new window into the human body.

1945 – Soviets Launch the Vistula–Oder Offensive: In the closing months of World War II, the Soviet Red Army opened a massive offensive against Nazi Germany on January 12, 1945. Known as the Vistula–Oder Offensive, this operation began with Marshal Konev’s armies attacking from their bridgeheads in Poland. The Soviet advance over the next few weeks liberated Warsaw and pushed German forces back to the Oder River, hastening the collapse of Nazi Germany’s Eastern Front.

1948 – Mahatma Gandhi Begins His Final Fast: On January 12, 1948, Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi commenced what would be his last successful hunger strike. Gandhi undertook this fast in New Delhi to promote communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims in the violence-torn aftermath of India’s partition. Lasting several days, the fast helped calm tensions in the city; tragically, just about two weeks later, Gandhi was assassinated on January 30, 1948.

1964 – Zanzibar Revolution Overthrows the Sultan: The Zanzibar Revolution began in the early hours of January 12, 1964, on the island of Zanzibar (off the coast of East Africa). African insurgents led by John Okello assaulted police stations and seized control, toppling the Sultan of Zanzibar Jamshid bin Abdullah and his Arab-dominated government that day. The violent revolution ended over two centuries of Arab rule. It resulted in the establishment of the People’s Republic of Zanzibar and later that year the union of Zanzibar with Tanganyika to form the nation of Tanzania.

1991 – U.S. Congress Authorises the Gulf War: On January 12, 1991, the United States Congress voted to authorise the use of military force against Iraq, paving the way for the Gulf War. The House of Representatives approved the war resolution by 250–183 and the Senate by a narrow 52–47 margin. This gave President George H.W. Bush the needed approval to lead a UN-sanctioned coalition to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait, which began as Operation Desert Storm just a few days later.

2010 – Devastating Haiti Earthquake: In the afternoon of January 12, 2010, a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the nation of Haiti near the capital, Port-au-Prince. The quake caused massive destruction – leveling buildings, infrastructure, and homes – and it killed an estimated 220,000 to 300,000 people (the Haitian government’s official count was over 300,000 fatalities). This disaster ranks as one of the deadliest earthquakes in modern history and unleashed a prolonged humanitarian crisis; millions were left homeless or injured, and the international community mounted a major relief effort in response to Haiti’s widespread devastation.