The declaration came after South American patriots won the Battle of Chacabuco in Chile against the Spanish, during the Latin American wars of Independence. Chile managed to completely expel all Spaniards at the Battle of Maipú in April the same year.
Other notable events on February 12th:
In 2019, the Republic of Macedonia formally changed its name to the Republic of North Macedonia as per the Prespa Agreement (2018)
In 1994, Edvard Munch’s The Scream is stolen from the National Gallery in Oslo to be recovered months later.
In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the US, is founded.
In 1851, gold was discovered in east-central New South Wales, Australia, sparking the country’s first gold rush.
Flag of Chile/ Wikimedia Commons
