This Day in History: February 12th

Here’s a brief look back in time on this day, February 12th.

In 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) forms with the help of notable Black leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell. The nonprofit organization was formed partly in response to race riots that rocked the nation, particularly the Springfield riot of 1908 that killed 9 African-Americans, including 1 infant. Today, it places emphasis on civil rights, legal defense, and social activism. It remains one of the largest and oldest civil rights groups to exist in the United States.

In 1972, the process to release hundreds of U.S. POWs begins as part of the Paris Peace Accords: a multinational treaty to help bring an end to the Vietnam War. 142 of the 591 total prisoners were brought to Gia Lam Airport in Hanoi; the rest would be released periodically until March 29th, 1973. The accords also mandated a complete withdrawal of all U.S. forces and allies; a full ceasefire; and the peaceful reunification of Vietnam. The last clause would ultimately be denied, as North Vietnam later invades the Southern Vietnamese capital of Saigon in 1975. Today, it’s known as Ho Chi Minh City: a tribute to the Viet Cong leader and founder.

In 2008, around 12,000 writers in Hollywood across the Writers Guild of America return to work after 3 months of striking. This was in light of routine contract negotiations gone awry when writers demanded more compensation and residuals from DVD sales and Internet downloads; the latter of which was exploding in popularity as it becomes more available to consumers. An estimated $3 billion worth of potential revenue was lost across big television and movie studios such as CBS, Disney, and MGM.