May 12 in recent years
2009 (Tuesday)
2008 (Monday)
2007 (Saturday)
2006 (Friday)
2005 (Thursday)
2004 (Wednesday)
2003 (Monday)
2002 (Sunday)
2001 (Saturday)
2000 (Friday)
May 12 leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 232 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events [ ] 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre .1264 - The Battle of Lewes , between King Henry III of England and the rebel Simon de Montfort , begins.1328 - Antipope Nicholas V , a claimant to the papacy , is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice .1364 - Jagiellonian University , the oldest university in Poland , was founded in Kraków , Poland .1551 - National University of San Marcos , the oldest university in the Americas , was founded in Lima , Peru .1588 - French Wars of Religion : Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry of Guise enters the city.1689 - King William's War : William III of England joins the League of Augsburg starting a war with France .1780 - American Revolutionary War : Charleston is taken by British forces.1797 - First Coalition : Napoleon I of France conquers Venice .1821 - The first big battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks occurs in Valtetsi .1862 - U.S. federal troops occupy Baton Rouge .1863 - American Civil War : Battle of Raymond : two divisions of James B. McPherson 's XVII Corps turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton 's defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign .1864 - American Civil War : Battle of Spotsylvania Court House : Thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers die in "the Bloody Angle".1865 - American Civil War : Battle of Palmito Ranch : The first day of the last major land action to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.1870 - The Manitoba Act was given the Royal Assent , paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15 .1873 - Oscar II of Sweden-Norway is crowned King of Sweden .1881 - In North Africa , Tunisia becomes a French protectorate .1885 - North-West Rebellion : The four-day Battle of Batoche , pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.1890 - The first-ever official County Championship match begins. Yorkshire beat Gloucestershire by eight wickets at Bristol . George Ulyett scores the first century in the competition.1926 - UK General Strike 1926 : In the United Kingdom , a nine-day general strike by trade unions ends.1932 - Ten weeks after his abduction , the infant son of Charles Lindbergh is found dead in Hopewell just a few miles from the Lindberghs' home.1937 - Coronation of King George VI of Britain at Westminster Abbey .1941 - Konrad Zuse presented the Z3 , the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer in Berlin .1942 - World War II : Second Battle of Kharkov – In the eastern Ukraine , the Soviet Army initiates a major offensive. During the battle the Soviets will capture the city of Kharkov from the German Army, only to be encircled and destroyed.1942 - 1,500 Jews are sent to gas chambers in Auschwitz .
1949 - The Soviet Union lifts its Blockade of Berlin .1949 - The western occupying powers approve the Basic Law for the new German state - the Federal Republic of Germany
1952 - Gaj Singh crowned Maharaja of Jodhpur .1955 - The last portion of the IRT Third Avenue Elevated in Manhattan closes.1958 - A formal North American Aerospace Defense Command agreement is signed between the United States and Canada .1962 - Douglas MacArthur delivers his famous "Duty, Honor, Country West Point .1965 - The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon .1965 - West Germany and Israel establish diplomatic relations.
1966 - Busch Memorial Stadium , home of the St. Louis Cardinals major league baseball team and until 1987, the NFL team of the same name , opens in St. Louis .1967 - At Queen Elizabeth Hall , England , Pink Floyd stages the first-ever quadraphonic rock concert.1975 - Mayagüez incident : The Cambodian navy seizes the American merchant ship SS Mayaguez in international waters .1978 - In Zaïre , rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi , the mining center of the province of Shaba . The government of Zaïre asks the U.S. , France and Belgium to restore order.1981 - Francis Hughes starves to death in the Maze Prison in a republican campaign for political status to be granted to IRA prisoners.1982 - During a procession outside the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fátima , security guards overpower Juan Fernandez Krohn before he can attack Pope John Paul II with a bayonet . Krohn, an ultraconservative Spanish priest opposed to the Vatican II reforms, decided that the Pope must be killed for being an "agent of Moscow."1989 - A Southern Pacific Railroad freight train derails on the very steep Cajon Pass in San Bernardino , killing four people.1994 - UK opposition leader John Smith dies in a London hospital after two serious heart attacks.1999 - David Steel becomes the first Presiding Officer (speaker ) of the modern Scottish Parliament .2002 - Former President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro becoming first President of the United States , in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro's 1959 revolution .2003 - The Riyadh compound bombings , carried out by Al Qaeda , kill 26.2003 - Fifty-nine Democratic lawmakers bring the Texas Legislature to a standstill by going into hiding in a dispute over a Republican congressional redistricting plan.
2006 - Justin Gatlin ties the 100 metres sprint world record with a time of 9.77 seconds in Doha , Qatar .Births [ ] 1401 - Emperor Shōkō (d. 1428 )1496 - Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1560 )1590 - Cosimo II de' Medici (d. 1621 )1622 - Louis de Buade de Frontenac , Governor General of New France (d. 1698 )1626 - Louis Hennepin , Flemish missionary (d. 1705 )1670 - Frederick Augustus I of Poland (d. 1733 )1700 - Luigi Vanvitelli , Italian architect (d. 1773 )1725 - Louis Philip I (d. 1785 )1767 - Manuel de Godoy , Spanish statesman (d. 1851 )1803 - Justus von Liebig , German chemist (d. 1873 )1804 - Robert Baldwin , Canadian politician (d. 1858 )1806 - Johan Vilhelm Snellman , Finnish statesman (d. 1881 )1812 - Edward Lear , English author and poet (d. 1888 )1820 - Florence Nightingale , English nurse (d. 1910 )1828 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti , English poet (d. 1882 )1829 - Pavlos Carrer , Greek composer (d. 1896 )1842 - Jules Massenet , French composer (d. 1912 )1845 - Gabriel Fauré , French composer (d. 1924 )1850 - Henry Cabot Lodge , U.S. statesman (d. 1924 )1867 - Hugh Trumble , Australian cricketer (d. 1938 )1874 - Clemens von Pirquet , Austrian physician (d. 1928 )1880 - Lincoln Ellsworth , American scientist (d. 1951 )1889 - Otto Frank , father of Anne Frank (d. 1980 )1892 - Fritz Kortner , Austrian-born director (d. 1970 )1895 - William Giauque , American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1982 )1899 - Indra Devi , yogi (d. 2002 )1900 - Helene Weigel , German actress (d. 1971 )1903 - Wilfrid Hyde-White , English actor (d. 1991 )1907 - Leslie Charteris , British author and screenwriter (d. 1993 )1907 - Katharine Hepburn , American actress (d. 2003 )
1910 - Charles B. Fulton , American jurist (d. 1996 )1910 - Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin , British biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994 )
1912 - Archibald Cox , U.S. Solicitor General (d. 2004 )1914 - Bertus Aafjes , Dutch poet (d. 1993 )1914 - Howard K. Smith , American journalist (d. 2002 )
1915 - Mary Kay Ash , American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics (d. 2001 )1917 - Frank Clair , Canadian football coach (d. 2005 )1918 - Julius Rosenberg , American spy (d. 1953 )1921 - Joseph Beuys , German artist (d. 1986 )1921 - Farley Mowat , Canadian writer and naturalist
1922 - Marco Denevi , Argentine writer (d. 1998 )1924 - Alexander Esenin-Volpin , Russian mathematician1924 - Tony Hancock , English comedian (d. 1968 )
1925 - Yogi Berra , American baseball player1928 - Burt Bacharach , American composer1929 - Dollard St. Laurent , Canadian ice hockey player1929 - Sam Nujoma , first President of Namibia
1930 - Jesús Franco , Spanish film director1933 - Andrey Voznesensky , Russian poet1935 - Felipe Alou , Dominican baseball player and manager1935 - Johnny Bucyk , Canadian ice hockey player
1936 - Guillermo Endara , President of Panama 1936 - Tom Snyder , American television personality (d. 2007 )
1936 - Frank Stella , American painter
1937 - Beryl Burton , English cyclist (d. 1996 )1937 - George Carlin , American comedian
1937 - Susan Hampshire , English actress
1938 - Millie Perkins , American film actress1939 - Ron Ziegler , White House Press Secretary (d. 2003 )1942 - Ian Dury , English musician (d. 2000 )1942 - Michel Fugain , French singer and songwriter
1942 - Billy Swan , American songwriter and singer
1944 - James Purify , American singer1945 - Alan Ball , English footballer (d. 2007 )1945 - Ian McLagan , English keyboardist (The Small Faces )
1946 - L. Neil Smith , American science fiction author1947 - Michael Ignatieff , Canadian politician1947 - Micheline Lanctôt , American film actor, director and screenwriter
1948 - Steve Winwood , English musician1950 - Bruce Boxleitner , American actor1950 - Gabriel Byrne , Irish actor
1950 - Billy Squier , American singer
1955 - Kix Brooks , American musician1956 - Bernie Federko , Canadian ice hockey player1956 - Glenn Robbins , Australian comedian
1957 - Lou Whitaker , American baseball player1958 - Eric Singer , American drummer1959 - Ving Rhames , American actor1960 - Ian Khan , British racing driver1961 - Billy Duffy , English guitarist (The Cult )1961 - Lar Park Lincoln , American actress
1961 - Bruce McCulloch , Canadian actor
1962 - Emilio Estevez , American actor1962 - Brett Gurewitz , American songwriter and record producer (Bad Religion ) (Epitaph )
1963 - Panagiotis Fasoulas , Greek basketball player, Mayor of Piraeus 1963 - Stefano Modena , Italian racing driver
1963 - Jerry Trimble , American actor
1963 - Deborah Kara Unger , Canadian actress
1963 - Vanessa A. Williams , American actress
1966 - Stephen Baldwin , American actor1966 - Bebel Gilberto , Brazilian singer
1967 - Paul D'Amour , American bass guitarist (ex-Tool )1968 - Mark Clark , American baseball player1968 - Tony Hawk , American skateboarder
1968 - Catherine Tate , English comedian
1969 - Kim Fields , American actress1969 - Cesar Millan , professional dog trainer
1969 - Kevin Nalty , noted YouTuber
1970 - Jim Furyk , American golfer1970 - Samantha Mathis , American actress
1970 - Mike Weir , Canadian golfer
1971 - Doug Basham , American professional wrestler1973 - Kendra Kassebaum , American stage actress1973 - Travis Lutter , Mixed Martial Arts Fighter
1975 - Jonah Lomu , New Zealand rugby union footballer1977 - Graeme Dott , Scottish snooker player1977 - Rebecca Herbst , American actress
1978 - Jason Biggs , American actor1978 - Wilfred Le Bouthillier , Acadian singer
1978 - Josh Phelps , American baseball player
1978 - Hossein Reza Zadeh , Iranian weightlifter
1979 - Andre Carter , American football player1979 - Erdinç Saçan , Turkish-Dutch politician
1981 - Kentaro Sato , Japanese composer1983 - Charilaos Pappas , Greek footballer1984 - Cheryl Burke , Filipino-American ballroom dancer1986 - Emily VanCamp , Canadian actress1988 - Marcelo , Brazilian footballer1991 - Bradford N. Smith , American actor1992 - Malcolm David Kelley , American actor1995 - Sullivan and Sawyer Sweeten , American actorsDeaths [ ] 1003 - Pope Silvester II 1012 - Pope Sergius IV 1382 - Queen Joan I of Naples (b. 1327 )1399 - Demetrius I Starshiy (killed in battle) (b. 1327 )1465 - Thomas Palaeologus , Despot of the Despotate of Morea 1634 - George Chapman , English writer1641 - Thomas Wentworth , English statesman (b. 1593 )1684 - Edme Mariotte , French physicist and priest1699 - Lucas Achtschellinck , Flemish painter (b. 1626 )1700 - John Dryden , English writer (b. 1631 )1708 - Adolf Friedrich II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1658 )1748 - Thomas Lowndes , English astronomer (b. 1692 )1759 - Lambert-Sigisbert Adam , French sculptor (b. 1700 )1784 - Abraham Trembley , Swiss naturalist (b. 1710 )1792 - Charles Simon Favart , French dramatist (b. 1710 )1796 - Johann Peter Uz , German poet (b. 1720 )1801 - Nicholas Repnin , Russian statesman (b. 1734 )1845 - János Bacsanyi , Hungarian poet (b. 1763 )1856 - Jacques Philippe Marie Binet , French mathematician (b. 1786 )1859 - Sergei Aksakov , Russian writer (b. 1791 )1860 - Charles Barry , English architect (b. 1795 )1864 - J. E. B. Stuart , American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate Army general (b. 1833 )1867 - Friedrich William Eduard Gerhard , German archaeologist (b. 1795 )1871 - Anselme Payen , French physicist (b. 1795 )1876 - Georgi Benkovski , Bulgarian revolutionary, brutally killed by the Turks (b. 1843 )1884 - Bedřich Smetana , Czech composer (b. 1824 )1889 - John Cadbury , English chocolate entrepreneur (b. 1801 )1907 - Joris-Karl Huysmans , French author (b. 1848 )1916 - James Connolly , Irish socialist (b. 1868 )1925 - Amy Lowell , American poet (b. 1874 )1931 - Eugène Ysaÿe , Belgian violinist (b. 1858 )1935 - Józef Piłsudski , Polish statesman (b. 1867 )1944 - Max Brand , American author (b. 1892 )1944 - Arthur Quiller-Couch , English writer (b. 1863 )
1956 - Louis Calhern , American actor (b. 1895 )1957 - Erich von Stroheim , film director and actor (b. 1885 )1963 - Bobby Kerr , Canadian runner (b. 1882 )1966 - Felix Martin Julius Steiner , German Heer and Waffen-SS officer (b. 1896 )1967 - John Masefield , British writer (b. 1878 )1970 - Nelly Sachs , German writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891 )1971 - Heinie Manush , American baseball player (b. 1901 )1973 - Art Pollard , American racecar driver (b. 1927 )1985 - Jean Dubuffet , French painter (b. 1901 )1986 - Elisabeth Bergner , Austrian actress (b. 1897 )1990 - Chen Kenmin , Japanese chef (b. 1912 )1992 - Robert Reed , American actor (b. 1932 )1992 - Nikos Gatsos , Greek poet and lyricist (b. 1911 )
1992 - Lenny Montana , American actor (b. 1926 )
1994 - Erik Erikson , German psychoanalyst (b. 1902 )1994 - John Smith , British politician (b. 1938 )
1995 - Mia Martini , real name: Domenica Bertè , Italian singer and song-writer (b. 1947 )1999 - Abd-al-Aziz ibn Abd-Allah ibn Baaz , Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia 1993-1999 (b. 1910 )1999 - Saul Steinberg , Romanian-American cartoonist (b. 1914 )
2000 - Adam Petty , American race car driver (b. 1980 )2001 - Perry Como , American singer (b. 1912 )2001 - Alexei Tupolev , Russian aircraft designer (b. 1925 )
2002 - Erich Kulas , ECW Wrestler (Mass Transit)2003 - Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan , French UN High Commissioner for Refugees (b. 1933 )2005 - Martin Lings , English Islamic scholar (b. 1909 )2005 - Monica Zetterlund , Swedish actress and singer (b. 1937 )
2006 - Gillespie V. Montgomery , former U.S. representative from Mississippi (b. 1920 )2007 - Mullah Dadullah Akhund , Taliban military leader (b. 1966 ?)Holidays and observances [ ] References [ ]
^ *Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints . 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-140-51312-4 .
External links [ ]
170 Familypedia people were born on May 12
184 Familypedia people died on May 12
140 Familypedia people were first married on May 12