In History, Today on November 12

Canute the Great, King of England, Denmark, and Norway, dies. His death leads to a succession crisis and the eventual end of the North Sea Empire.

The frozen bodies of Robert Falcon Scott and his men are found on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, eight months after their deaths during the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition.

Leon Trotsky is expelled from the Soviet Communist Party, marking a significant power shift in the Soviet Union and consolidating Joseph Stalin's control.

Hugh Gray takes the first known photos of the Loch Ness Monster, sparking widespread interest and debate about the creature's existence.

The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opened to traffic, connecting San Francisco and Oakland across San Francisco Bay.

An international military tribunal in Tokyo sentences seven Japanese military and government officials to death for war crimes committed during World War II.

Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia join the United Nations, reflecting the post-World War II decolonization movement and the expansion of the UN.

The NASA space probe Voyager I makes its closest approach to Saturn, providing unprecedented data and images of the planet and its rings.

Crown Prince Akihito is formally installed as Emperor of Japan, following the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito, marking the beginning of the Heisei era.

American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in the Belle Harbor neighborhood of Queens, New York City, shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, killing all 260 people on board and five people on the ground.

The Arab League suspends Syria's membership in response to the Syrian government's violent crackdown on protesters during the Syrian Civil War.

The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission successfully lands its Philae probe on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, marking the first time a spacecraft has landed on a comet.

A powerful earthquake strikes the Iran-Iraq border region, killing over 600 people and injuring thousands more.

Venice, Italy, experienced its worst flooding in more than 50 years, with water levels reaching 1.87 meters (6.14 feet), causing extensive damage to historic sites and buildings.