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April 12, 1940

Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from April 12, 1940

WEST DRIVE FEARED; French Cancel Leaves in Army as Nazis Mass Troops THRUST TO SEA SEEN Holland Acts on Dangers Within--Nation Seen as Prepared

By G. H. Archambault Wireless To the New York Times

Total war expected soon; all leaves stopped for French Army; German troops reptd along Netherlands frontier; Belgian army ready; Allies prepared; Belgium rejects Brit suggestion of accepting Allied preventive aid; Belgian students demonstrate for Allies; denied that Germany delivered ultimatum to Belgium

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Notable Births

Woodie Fryman

1940Woodie Fryman, American baseball player (died 2011)[†]

Woodrow Thompson Fryman was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams, across 18 seasons (1966–1983). A two-time National League (NL) All-Star, he helped the Detroit Tigers reach the 1972 American League Championship Series and the Montreal Expos reach the 1981 National League Championship Series.

Herbie Hancock

1940Herbie Hancock, American pianist, composer, and bandleader[†]

Herbert Jeffrey Hancock is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. In the 1970s, he experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles using a wide array of synthesizers and electronics. It was during this time that he released one of his best-known and most influential albums, Head Hunters.