July 12 Birthday
On July 12, 100 BCE, Gaius Julius Caesar was born. He conquered Gaul, crossed the Rubicon, defeated Pompey, and became dictator of Rome. He reformed the calendar, centralized the government, and was stabbed to death by his own senators on March 15, 44 BCE. His last words were "Et tu, Brute?" — though Suetonius reports he said nothing, and the Greek "You too, child?" was a later addition. His adopted son Octavian became Augustus, the first emperor. The month of July is named after him. Henry David Thoreau, born this day in 1817, went to the woods at Walden Pond on July 4, 1845, and stayed for two years, two months, and two days. He built a cabin for $28.12. He wrote Walden (1854), which sold 700 copies in five years and is now considered a foundational text of American environmentalism. He also wrote "Civil Disobedience," which influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. He died of tuberculosis at forty-four. People born on July 12 fall under the zodiac sign of Cancer. The birthstone is Ruby and the birth flower is Larkspur. Historical events on July 12 include 100 BCE: Julius Caesar born in Rome, 1862: Congress authorizes the Medal of Honor, 1812: US Army invades Canada during War of 1812. Famous people born on July 12 include Henry David Thoreau (1817), Buckminster Fuller (1895), Pablo Neruda (1904).