On this day in history - Today, April, 12

Today in History

• 1861 The American Civil War begins

  The bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina marked the beginning of hostilities.

• 1937 The first aircraft jet engine is successfully tested

  Sir Frank Whittle invented and tested the engine, only a few months before German engineer Hans von

• 1961 Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space

  The Soviet Cosmonaut orbited the Earth aboard the Vostok-3KA spacecraft (Vostok 1 mission). The firs

• 1981 The Space Shuttle blasts off into space for the first time

  Two astronauts took off for Space Shuttle Columbia's first orbital test flight.

• 1988 The Last Emperor receives nine Academy Awards

  Bernardo Bertolucci's biopic about Puyi, the last Emperor of China, was the first film to be awarded