What happened today in history
May
What happened on May 12
On May 12 history recorded 55 notable events. 136 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 98 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 55events
- 136births
- 98deaths
- 14observances
Highlights
Highlights
1510
Zhu Zhifan, the Prince of Anhua (in modern Shaanxi, China), began an unsuccessful rebellion against the reign of the Zhengde Emperor.
Zhu Zhifan was a prince of the Ming dynasty of China, belonging to a minor branch of the Zhu Zhan family. Zhu Zhan was the sixteenth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founding emperor of the dynasty. In 1492, he inherited the title of Prince of Anhua and was base
1743War of the Austrian Succession: Habsburg ruler Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Bohemia after Austrian forces drove French troops from the territory.
The War of the Austrian Succession, 1740 to 1748, was a conflict between the European great powers, fought primarily in Europe, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King George's War, the War of Jenkins' Ear, the First Carnatic W
1846The Donner Party, an American pioneer group which became known for resorting to cannibalism when they became trapped in the Sierra Nevada, left Independence, Missouri, for California.
The Donner Party, sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party, was a group of American pioneers who migrated to California in a wagon train from the Midwest. Delayed by a multitude of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–1847 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Some
May 12
On this day
II century
- 113
113Roman emperor Trajan dedicates a column celebrating and depicting his victory over the Dacians.
III century
X century
XII century
- 1157
1157A church council presided over by Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos in the Palace of Blachernae investigates the orthodoxy of the patriarch of Antioch, Soterichos Panteugenos. - 1191
1191Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus; she is crowned Queen consort of England the same day.
XIV century
XV century
XVI century
- 1510
1510The Prince of Anhua rebellion begins when Zhu Zhifan kills all the officials invited to a banquet and declares his intent on ousting the powerful Ming dynasty eunuch Liu Jin during the reign of the Zhengde Emperor. - 1551
1551National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru. - 1588
1588French Wars of Religion: Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry I, Duke of Guise, enters the city and a spontaneous uprising occurs. - 1593
1593London playwright Thomas Kyd is arrested and tortured by the Privy Council for libel.
XVIII century
- 1743
1743Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor. - 1778
1778Heinrich XI, count of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, is elevated to Prince by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. - 1780
1780American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces. - 1797
1797War of the First Coalition: Napoleon Bonaparte conquers Venice.
XIX century
- 1808
1808Finnish War: Swedish-Finnish troops, led by Captain Karl Wilhelm Malmi, conquer the city of Kuopio from Russians after the Battle of Kuopio. - 1809
1809British contingents under Arthur Wellesley force a French army under general Soult to retreat in the battle of Oporto. - 1821
1821The first major battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks is fought in Valtetsi. - 1846
1846The Donner Party of pioneers departs Independence, Missouri for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism. - 1862
1862American Civil War: Union Army troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana. - 1863
1863American 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
1864American Civil War: The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: Union troops assault a Confederate salient known as the "Mule Shoe", with some of the fiercest fighting of the war, much of it hand-to-hand combat, occurring at "the Bloody Angle" on the northwest. - 1865
1865American Civil War: The 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
1870The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15. - 1881
1881In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate. - 1885
1885North-West Rebellion: The four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.
XX century
- 1926
1926The Italian-built airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole. - 1926
1926The 1926 United Kingdom general strike ends. - 1932
1932Ten weeks after his abduction, Charles Jr., the infant son of Charles Lindbergh, is found dead near Hopewell, New Jersey, just a few miles from the Lindberghs' home. - 1933
1933The Agricultural Adjustment Act, which restricts agricultural production through government purchase of livestock for slaughter and paying subsidies to farmers when they remove land from planting, is signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. - 1933
1933President Roosevelt signs legislation creating the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the predecessor of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. - 1937
1937King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom are crowned in Westminster Abbey. - 1941
1941Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin. - 1942
1942World War II: Second Battle of Kharkov: In eastern Ukraine, Red Army forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launch a major offensive from the Izium bridgehead, only to be encircled and destroyed by the troops of Army Group South two weeks later. - 1942
1942World War II: The U.S. tanker SS Virginia is torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by the German submarine U-507. - 1949
1949Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin. - 1965
1965The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon. - 1968
1968Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack Australian troops defending Fire Support Base Coral. - 1975
1975Indochina Wars: Democratic Kampuchea naval forces capture the SS Mayaguez. - 1978
1978In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Shaba (now known as Katanga); the local government asks the US, France and Belgium to restore order. - 1982
1982During a procession outside the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, security guards overpower Juan María Fernández y Krohn before he can attack Pope John Paul II with a bayonet. - 1989
1989The San Bernardino train disaster kills four people, only to be followed a week later by an underground gasoline pipeline explosion, which kills two more people.
XXI century
- 2002
2002Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since the Cuban Revolution. - 2003
2003The Riyadh compound bombings in Saudi Arabia, carried out by al-Qaeda, kill 39 people. - 2006
2006Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in São Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead. - 2006
2006Iranian Azeris interpret a cartoon published in an Iranian magazine as insulting, resulting in massive riots throughout the country. - 2008
2008An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people. - 2008
2008U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts the largest-ever raid of a workplace in Postville, Iowa, arresting nearly 400 immigrants for identity theft and document fraud. - 2010
2010Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashes on final approach to Tripoli International Airport in Tripoli, Libya, killing 103 out of the 104 people on board. - 2015
2015A train derailment in Philadelphia, United States, kills eight people and injures more than 200. - 2015
2015Massive Nepal earthquake kills 218 people and injures more than 3,500. - 2017
2017The WannaCry ransomware attack impacts over 400,000 computers worldwide, targeting computers of the United Kingdom's National Health Services and Telefónica computers. - 2018
2018Paris knife attack: A man is fatally shot by police in Paris after killing one and injuring several others. - 2024
2024Middle/end of the May 2024 solar storms, the most powerful set of geomagnetic storms since the 2003 Halloween solar storms.
Best known
Born on May 12
1325Rupert II, Elector Palatine
Elector Palatine from 1390 to 1394
1401Emperor Shōkō
Emperor of Japan from 1412 to 1428
1479Pompeo Colonna
Italian noble
1496Gustav Vasa
King of Sweden from 1523 to 1560
1590Cosimo II de' Medici
Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1609 to 1621
1606Joachim von Sandrart
German artist and art historian
Best known
Died on May 12
805Æthelhard
Archbishop of Canterbury from 792 to 805
1003Pope Sylvester II
Head of the Catholic Church from 999 to 1003
1161Fergus of Galloway
Lord of Galloway (died 1161)
1182Valdemar I of Denmark
King of Denmark from 1154 to 1182
1465Thomas Palaiologos
Despot of the Morea from 1428 to 1460
1490Joanna, Princess of Portugal
Portuguese princess
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day: Blessed Joan of Portugal
- Christian feast day: Crispoldus
- Christian feast day: Dominic de la Calzada
- Christian feast day: Epiphanius of Salamis
- Christian feast day: Gregory Dix (Church of England)
- Christian feast day: Blessed Imelda Lambertini
- Christian feast day: Modoald
- Christian feast day: Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancras
- Christian feast day: Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople (Catholic and Eastern Church)
- Christian feast day: Philip of Agira
- Christian feast day: Rictrude
- International ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
- International Nurses Day
- J. V. Snellman Day or the Finnish Heritage Day (Finland)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on May 12?
55 documented historical events happened on May 12, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Zhu Zhifan, the Prince of Anhua (in modern Shaanxi, China), began an unsuccessful rebellion against the reign of the Zhengde Emperor. On the same day, in another year: War of the Austrian Succession: Habsburg ruler Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Bohemia after Austrian forces drove French troops from the territory. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on May 12?
136 people with a Wikipedia article were born on May 12, including Rupert II, Elector Palatine, Emperor Shōkō, Pompeo Colonna. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on May 12?
98 people with a Wikipedia article died on May 12, including Æthelhard, Pope Sylvester II, Fergus of Galloway. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on May 12?
14 observances are celebrated on May 12 around the world: Christian feast day: Blessed Joan of Portugal, Christian feast day: Crispoldus, Christian feast day: Dominic de la Calzada, Christian feast day: Epiphanius of Salamis, Christian feast day: Gregory Dix (Church of England), Christian feast day: Blessed Imelda Lambertini. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar