in World & History

May 12: Fun Facts about Today in History

by James updated April 14, 2022, 2:30 am

Today in History

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

On May 12, learn about the most interesting events and historical facts from across history. The 132nd day of the Gregorian calendar is May 12th. On this day, a massive earthquake struck Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people; President Jimmy Carter became the first American president to visit Cuba after the Castro revolution; and the Duke and Duchess of York were crowned King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Taurus is the zodiac sign for May 12th. Florence Nightingale, Katherine Hepburn, and comedian George Carlin were all born on May 12th. Today is World Migratory Bird Day and National Limerick Day.

Event
(May 12, 1820) Florence Nightingale, an English nurse who helped to establish nursing as a profession for women, was born in Florence, Italy, and International Nurses Day is observed on her birthday.
Advertisements (May 12, 1925) Yogi Berra is an American baseball player, manager, and coach who was born in the city of St. Louis, Missouri.
(May 12, 1926) On this day in 1926, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, American scientist Lincoln Ellsworth, and Italian engineer Umberto Nobile aboard the semirigid airship Norge accomplished the first indisputable journey over the North Pole.
(May 12, 1937) Following Edward VIII's abdication, King George VI of the United Kingdom was crowned.
(May 12, 2008) A powerful earthquake devastated China's Sichuan province, causing widespread devastation and killing an estimated 90,000 people.
(Died on May 12, 2017) Mauno Koivisto, Finnish banker and politician, 9th President of Finland (b. 1923).

Written by James

James has always been intrigued by dinosaurs, the universe, technology, and animals. With a Bachelor of Computer Science and years of writing expertise, he joined World Amazing Facts in 2021 as a staff writer.

Our team at World Amazing Facts is committed to verifying the accuracy of our content. It's possible that we'll get something wrong, or that our knowledge may become obsolete. Please let us know if you see any errors in the information provided.