1. In 1895, the first automobile race in California was held in San Francisco on July 12th. It was a 5-mile race between five cars and was organized by the San Francisco Bicycle Club.

2. On July 12, 1943, the Zoot Suit Riots broke out in Los Angeles, California. The riots were a series of racial clashes between Mexican American youth and white sailors, and lasted for several days.

3. On July 12, 1960, the United States Navy's USS Triton became the first submarine to complete a submerged circumnavigation of the globe. The submarine sailed over 41,000 nautical miles in 84 days.

4. In 1979, the city of Los Angeles declared July 12th "Disco Demolition Day" and held a massive disco record burning event before a baseball game at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The event turned into a riot, and the stadium was heavily damaged.

5. On July 12, 2013, the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed while landing at San Francisco International Airport. Two of the 307 passengers on board were killed, and several others were injured.