What Happened on September 12?

September 12 is National Video Games Day — celebrating play and problem-solving — on the same date Mae Jemison reached space in 1992, teenagers found Lascaux's Ice Age art in 1940, and poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning eloped in 1846.

• 1846 — Poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning elope

  On September 12, 1846, poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning secretly married and soon left for Italy — a literary love story that became legend. Read the full story →

• 1940 — Teenagers discover the Lascaux cave paintings in France

  On September 12, 1940, four teenagers exploring near Montignac, France, found the Lascaux cave and its spectacular prehistoric paintings. Read the full story →

• 1953 — John F. Kennedy marries Jacqueline Bouvier

  On September 12, 1953, Senator John F. Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island — a wedding that captivated the nation. Read the full story →

• 1953 — Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Communist Party leader

  On September 12, 1953, Nikita Khrushchev's election as First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party was announced — months after Stalin's death. Read the full story →

• 1992 — Mae Jemison becomes the first African American woman in space

  On September 12, 1992, astronaut Mae Jemison flew aboard space shuttle Endeavour, becoming the first African American woman in space. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Jesse Owens (1913–1980) · Yao Ming (1980) · Jennifer Hudson (1981) · Ben Folds (1966)

Days & observances

National Video Games Day · National Chocolate Milkshake Day · National Day of Encouragement · United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation