Event:
1st U.S. billiards championship (Michael J Phelan wins in Detroit)
More Notable Events on April 12:
1981 Maiden voyage of space shuttle Columbia
1961 Yuri Gagarin becomes 1st person to orbit Earth in Vostok 1
1946 Syria gains independence from France
1844 Texas became a U.S. territory
1654 England, Ireland and Scotland united
