What Happened on February 12?

February 12 is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln AND Charles Darwin — born the very same day in 1809! It is also when the NAACP was founded and China's last emperor stepped down.

• 1809 — Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin born on the exact same day

  History's coincidence: the future president who ended American slavery and the naturalist who explained how life evolves were born within hours of each other on February 12, 1809. Read the full story →

• 1909 — NAACP founded on Lincoln's 100th birthday

  On the centennial of Lincoln's birth, about 60 reformers — including W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell — announced America's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Read the full story →

• 1912 — Six-year-old emperor Puyi abdicates — imperial China ends

  An imperial edict signed on behalf of six-year-old Puyi ended the Qing dynasty — and more than 2,000 years of emperors ruling China. Read the full story →

• 2001 — NEAR Shoemaker lands on an asteroid — a first in history

  NASA's NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft touched down on asteroid Eros at a gentle 4 mph — the first time any spacecraft ever landed on an asteroid, though it was never designed to land. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Judy Blume (1938)

Days & observances

Darwin Day · Georgia Day (Oglethorpe Day)