A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 12th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On May 12, 1593, History shows us a good example of the problems that develop when Church and State are not separate.
On May 12, 1864, as part of the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse (Virginia) Union and Confederate forces fought in the “Bloody Angle” resulting in thousands of casualties on both sides, just part of what was by far the bloodiest and most horrific war in American history.
On May 12, 1926, just a few days after Richard Byrd allegedly flew over the North Pole, the semi-rigid airship, Norge, did fly over the North Pole with 16 men and a dog, becoming the first men to reach the North Pole.
On May 12, 1932, the lifeless body of Charles Lindbergh Jr. was found, about 6 weeks after he had been kidnapped from his crib.
On May 12, 1965, the Soviet space craft, Luna 5, an unmanned spaceship designed to become the first ever Earth launched craft to make a controlled landing on the surface of the Moon, instead crashed when its retro-rockets failed to ignite.
On May 12, 1968, the Australian Army in Viet Nam fought probably their largest engagement of the war (for the Australians), underlining the fact that not only the United States was involved in the effort to keep South Viet Nam independent.
On May 12, 1975, the Cambodian Navy seized the US freighter, SS Mayaguez from international waters.
On May 12, 1982, a bayonet wielding assassin was wrestled into custody by the bodyguards of Pope John Paul II at Fatima, Portugal only a year after John Paul II had been shot and seriously wounded in another assassination attempt!
On May 12, 2006, an Iranian magazine ran a cartoon of a cockroach sitting across a table from and having a conversation with an Iranian boy.
On May 12, 2008, the Agriprocessors, Inc. kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, was the scene of the largest anti-illegal immigrant raid in the history of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Division of the US Department of Homeland Security.
On May 12, 2015, we recognized Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) Awareness Day.
On May 12, 1942, the German Kriegsmarine submarine, U-507, a Type IXC boat, sank an American tanker, the SS Virginia, with one of its deadly torpedoes while the tanker was in the mouth of the Mississippi River, an affront to the United States bringing deadly danger to shipping right to America’s doorstep.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
