- 1606 12 Apr The combined English-Scottish 'Union Jack' is created by royal decree, originally for use at sea only.
- 1861 12 Apr The first shots of the American Civil War are fired as the Confederates take Fort Sumter, South Carolina.
- 1961 12 Apr Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space, aboard the spacecraft Vostok 1.
World War One Centenary
- Find out more about how the BBC is covering the World War One Centenary, and see the latest programmes and online content
War Poetry
BBC iD
BBC iDBBC navigation
BBC links
BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
