May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 233 days remain until the end of the year.
We have some interesting facts & historic events all about May 12th, including areas in religion, crime, health and more.
Keep reading for more interesting facts about May 12th in history!
Table of Contents
Global Celebrations
- International Nurses Day.
- National Limerick Day
- National Nutty Fudge Day
- International Nurses Day
- National Odometer Day
- National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
Historic Events
What Happened On This Day – May 12
2008: A massive earthquake rocks China
The magnitude 7.9 quake left some 69,000 people dead, 18,000 missing, and 4.8 million homeless. It was the deadliest earthquake in China since 1976 when the Tangshan earthquake killed over 240,000 people.
1998: Violent clashes follow the killing of four protesters in Jakarta, Indonesia
The riots eventually led to the resignation of President Suharto.
1994: The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict ends
With the signing of the Bishkek Protocol a week earlier, Armenian and Azerbaijani diplomats had formalized the ceasefire that went into effect on May 12. The conflict itself remains unsolved.
1982: A Spanish priest attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II
Juan María Fernández y Krohn opposed the reforms initiated by the Second Vatican Council and believed that the Pope was a Communist agent. John Paul II escaped with minor injuries.
1941: The world’s first programmable, fully automatic computer is presented
The Z3 was designed by German inventor, Konrad Zuse. The original machine was destroyed in an air raid. A replica can be seen at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
1984: Robin Williams dressed as a cheerleader during 1984
1949: The Soviet Union lifted the Berlin Blockade, in 1949.
1937: King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey, in 1937.
1900: An Indian holy man reads on a bed of nails, 1900
1888: Japanese villagers stand amidst a huge boulder left from the collapse of Mt. Bandai, whose eruption had just erased multiple hamlets and reshaped the local topography, Fukushima, 1888
1780: Besieged city of Charleston, South Carolina, surrendered to British forces during the Revolutionary War, 1780.
Famous Birthdays
Births On This Day, May 12
1946: Daniel Libeskind, American architect, designed the Imperial War Museum North, Jewish Museum
1928: Burt Bacharach, American pianist, composer, producer
1921: Joseph Beuys, German sculptor, illustrator
1907: Katharine Hepburn, American actress, singer
1820: Florence Nightingale, Italian/English nurse
Florence Nightingale was born.
Katharine Hepburn was born.
George Carlin was born.
Heartbreaking Deaths
Deaths On This Day, May 12
2008: Robert Rauschenberg, American painter, illustrator
2001: Perry Como, American singer, actor
1884: Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer
1860: Charles Barry, English architect, designed the Upper Brook Street Chapel, Halifax Town Hall
1003: Pope Sylvester II
Irena Sendler died.
Robert Reed died.
James Connolly died.
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