ON THIS DAY

EVENTS FROM THIS DAY IN HISTORY VISUALISED BY AI

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NOVEMBER 12

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In a quiet game between the Allegheny and Pittsburgh Athletic Clubs, something revolutionary happened. On November 12th, William “Pudge” Heffelfinger was secretly paid $500 to play—making him the first professional football player in history. His appearance changed the sport forever, paving the way for the rise of the NFL and turning football from a hobby into a massive, money-driven spectacle.

William “Pudge” Heffelfinger stepping onto the Allegheny field in 1892

1892 – The $500 Tackle That Changed American Football Forever

mid-action tackle on a muddy 1892 football field, Heffelfinger charging forward

The Treaty of the Durand Line was signed, establishing a boundary between British India and Afghanistan. This November 12th agreement, though meant to bring order, sowed seeds of conflict. Today, the Durand Line remains one of the world’s most contested borders, shaping political tension between modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan and sparking fierce debates over tribal sovereignty, colonial legacy, and national identity.

British and Afghan negotiators inside a colonial outpost near the Hindu Kush

1893 – A Border Drawn in Sand: The Durand Line is Born

British surveyors marking the Durand Line across rocky terrain in 1893

tribal elders arguing in a bustling Afghan bazaar shortly after the Durand Line treaty

In the icy vastness of Antarctica, the frozen remains of British explorer Robert Falcon Scott and his team were discovered, along with his haunting final diary entries. The find, made on November 12th, revealed a tragic tale of endurance, scientific pursuit, and heartbreak. Scott’s expedition aimed for the South Pole but ended in disaster—his words capturing the harrowing last days of one of history’s coldest journeys.

British explorers in heavy wool and fur-lined parkas uncovering the snow-covered tent

1912 – Frozen in Time: Scott’s Final Words Found in Antarctica

Scott and team huddled in tattered sleeping bags inside a dim, wind-battered tent

makeshift wooden cross erected over Scott’s final resting place, British flags flapping

While browsing for books in central Madrid, Spanish Prime Minister José Canalejas y Méndez was shot dead by an anarchist on November 12th. His assassination sent shockwaves through Spain, ending the life of a reformer trying to modernize a troubled nation. The killing exposed deep social unrest and growing revolutionary sentiment, foreshadowing the upheaval and civil conflict that would soon engulf the country.

Prime Minister José Canalejas browsing books in a Madrid bookstore, late 19th-century

1912 – Blood in the Bookstore: Prime Minister Gunned Down

anarchist gunman raising pistol behind Canalejas near a display of leather-bound volumes

bloodstained cobblestones outside Madrid bookstore, Canalejas

In a shocking twist of Prohibition-era violence, rival liquor gangs took their feud airborne. On November 12th, the first recorded aerial bombing on U.S. soil occurred in Williamson County, Illinois. The Sheltons dropped homemade explosives on the Birger stronghold from a small aircraft. Though no one was killed, the event marked a terrifying new tactic in organized crime—and a strange, explosive moment in American history.