February 12

Events

1878: 2,000 Cretan rebels attack fort Icedin at Chania.
1900: The Maritime Hospital of Piraeus is founded.
1911: A number of professors from the University of Athens petition Parliament to declare the Katharevousa version of the Greek language as the one and only official language of the Greek state.
1943: Greek guerrilas attack and defeat an Italian battalion at Oxynia, Thessaly.
1944: The Norwegian steamship "Oria" sinks off the coast of Patroklos island, causing the death of 4,095 Italian prisoners of war, 21 Greeks and 15 Germans. This is the worst maritime disaster in the Mediterranean Sea.
1945: The Varkiza Agreement is signed - it was an agreement that terminated institutionally the political and military fighting of December 1944 ("December events") and aimed at reconciliating the opposite blocs of the country.
1946: The second general council of the Communist Party of Greece takes place which decides to boycott the upcoming elections in favour of armed struggle.
1949: During the Greek Civil War, communist forces are repelled at Florina.
1962: Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin visits Athens and utters his famous quote: "In this country, half the people sell lottery tickets and the other half buy them!"
1979: Weapons are stolen from an army base in Rethymno, Crete.
1981: Former Queen Frederika is buried in Tatoi, Greece.
2023: Nikos Christodoulides is elected President of Cyprus defeating Andreas Mavroyiannis. Christodoulides received 51.97% of the vote to 48.03% of his opponent.