August 12

Events
 * 1877 - Edison invents phonograph
 * 1902 - Fessenden granted patent for hot-wire barretter
 * 1960 - Echo I, the first communications satellite, launched.
 * 1966 - Beatles begin their American tour - their last ever
 * 1981 - IBM introduces PC with MS-DOS
 * 1986 - Prince plays Wembley, his first UK show in five years

Births


 * 1644 - Heinrich Ignaz Biber, Bohemian composer (d. 1704)
 * 1696 - Maurice Greene, English composer (d. 1755)
 * 1914 - Ruth Lowe, Canadian pianist and composer (I'll Never Smile Again) (d. 1981)
 * 1920 - Percy Mayfield (US R&B singer)
 * 1927 - Porter Wagoner, American singer (d. 2007)
 * 1929 - Buck Owens, American singer (d. 2006)
 * 1947 - Ron Mael, American musician (Sparks)
 * 1948 - Ron Mael (Sparks)
 * 1949 - Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)
 * 1951 - August Darnell (Kid Creole)
 * 1954 - Pat Metheny, American guitarist
 * 1961 - Roy Hay (Culture Club)
 * 1961 - Roy Hay, British guitarist and keyboardist (Culture Club)
 * 1963 - Sir Mix-A-Lott
 * 1969 - Tanita Tikaram (Twist in My Sobriety)
 * 1976 - Mikko Viljami "Linde" Lindström, Finnish guitarist
 * 1980 - Matt Thiessen, Canadian-born musician (Relient K)