1. On January 12, 1739, the Stono Rebellion began in South Carolina. The rebellion, led by West African slaves, was the largest slave uprising in colonial America.
2. On January 12, 1781, British forces seized Fort Granby in present-day Newberry County during the American Revolutionary War.
3. On January 12, 1805, the South Carolina State House was destroyed by a fire. The State House was rebuilt and is still in use today.
4. On January 12, 1861, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union, leading to the start of the American Civil War.
5. On January 12, 1963, South Carolina native James F. Byrnes, who served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Harry S. Truman, passed away in Columbia at the age of 84. Byrnes was also a former governor of South Carolina and a U.S. Senator.