On this day in History - January 12

1616 – The city of Belém, Brazil is founded on the Amazon River delta by Portuguese captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco

1915 – The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposed constitutional amendment to require states to give women the right to vote.

1962 – Vietnam War: Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission and first American helicopter assault in the war, takes place.

1967 – Dr. James Bedford becomes the first person to be cryonically preserved with intent of future resuscitation.

1991 – Persian Gulf War: An act of the U.S. Congress authorizes the use of American military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.

2010 – An earthquake in Haiti occurs, killing between 220,000 and 300,000 people and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince.