October 12 is the 285th day of the year. There are 80 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday (58 in 400 years each) than on Saturday or Sunday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Tuesday or Thursday (56).
+ 1492 – Christopher Columbus's expedition makes landfall in the Caribbean, specifically in The Bahamas. The explorer believes he has reached the Indies.
+ 1773 – America's first insane asylum opens.
+ 1792 – The first celebration of Columbus Day is held in New York City.
+ 1793 – The cornerstone of Old East, the oldest state university building in the United States, is laid on the campus of the University of North Carolina.
+ 1892 – The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited by students in many US public schools, as part of a celebration marking the 400th anniversary of Columbus's voyage.
+ 1901 – President Theodore Roosevelt officially renames the "Executive Mansion" to the White House.
+ 1928 – An iron lung respirator is used for the first time at Children's Hospital, Boston.
(Births)
+ 1935 – Tony Kubek, American baseball player and sportscaster
+ 1945 – Dusty Rhodes, American wrestler and trainer (d. 2015)
+ 1968 – Hugh Jackman, Australian actor, singer, and producer
+ 1970 – Kirk Cameron, American actor, screenwriter, and Christian evangelical/anti-evolution activist