# What happened on May 12 in history?

**Date:** May 12  
**Events recorded:** 55  
**Years spanned:** 113 – 2024  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/may/12/

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## Featured Event

**2017** — The WannaCry ransomware attack impacts over 400,000 computers worldwide, targeting computers of the United Kingdom's National Health Services and Telefónica computers.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WannaCry_ransomware_attack)

---

## Events on this date

- **113** — Roman emperor Trajan dedicates a column celebrating and depicting his victory over the Dacians. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD_113))
- **254** — Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Stephen_I))
- **907** — Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang dynasty after nearly three hundred years of rule. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhu_Wen))
- **1157** — A 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Blachernae_(1157)))
- **1191** — Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus; she is crowned Queen consort of England the same day. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_I_of_England))
- **1328** — Antipope Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antipope_Nicholas_V))
- **1364** — Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, is founded in Kraków. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagiellonian_University))
- **1497** — Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI))
- **1510** — The 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Anhua_rebellion))
- **1551** — National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_University_of_San_Marcos))
- **1588** — French Wars of Religion: Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry I, Duke of Guise, enters the city and a spontaneous uprising occurs. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Wars_of_Religion))
- **1593** — London playwright Thomas Kyd is arrested and tortured by the Privy Council for libel. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kyd))
- **1743** — Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Theresa))
- **1778** — Heinrich XI, count of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, is elevated to Prince by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_XI%2C_Prince_Reuss_of_Greiz))
- **1780** — American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War))
- **1797** — War of the First Coalition: Napoleon Bonaparte conquers Venice. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_First_Coalition))
- **1808** — Finnish War: Swedish-Finnish troops, led by Captain Karl Wilhelm Malmi, conquer the city of Kuopio from Russians after the Battle of Kuopio. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_War))
- **1809** — British contingents under Arthur Wellesley force a French army under general Soult to retreat in the battle of Oporto. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Wellesley%2C_1st_Duke_of_Wellington))
- **1821** — The first major battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks is fought in Valtetsi. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_War_of_Independence))
- **1846** — The Donner Party of pioneers departs Independence, Missouri for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donner_Party))
- **1862** — American Civil War: Union Army troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Raymond))
- **1864** — American 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Spotsylvania_Court_House))
- **1865** — American 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Palmito_Ranch))
- **1870** — The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoba_Act%2C_1870))
- **1881** — In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Tunisia))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-West_Rebellion))
- **1926** — The Italian-built airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norge_(airship)))
- **1926** — The 1926 United Kingdom general strike ends. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1926_United_Kingdom_general_strike))
- **1932** — Ten 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindbergh_kidnapping))
- **1933** — The 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_Adjustment_Act))
- **1933** — President Roosevelt signs legislation creating the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the predecessor of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Emergency_Relief_Administration))
- **1937** — King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom are crowned in Westminster Abbey. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI))
- **1941** — Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konrad_Zuse))
- **1942** — World 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1942** — World War II: The U.S. tanker SS Virginia is torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by the German submarine U-507. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanker_(ship)))
- **1949** — Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War))
- **1965** — The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacecraft))
- **1968** — Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack Australian troops defending Fire Support Base Coral. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War))
- **1975** — Indochina Wars: Democratic Kampuchea naval forces capture the SS Mayaguez. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina_wars))
- **1978** — In 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaire))
- **1982** — During 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary%2C_mother_of_Jesus))
- **1989** — The 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Bernardino_train_disaster))
- **2002** — Former 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter))
- **2003** — The Riyadh compound bombings in Saudi Arabia, carried out by al-Qaeda, kill 39 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riyadh_compound_bombings))
- **2006** — Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in São Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_S%C3%A3o_Paulo_violence_outbreak))
- **2006** — Iranian Azeris interpret a cartoon published in an Iranian magazine as insulting, resulting in massive riots throughout the country. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Azerbaijanis))
- **2008** — An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Sichuan_earthquake))
- **2008** — U.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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Immigration_and_Customs_Enforcement))
- **2010** — Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 crashes on final approach to Tripoli International Airport in Tripoli, Libya, killing 103 out of the 104 people on board. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afriqiyah_Airways_Flight_771))
- **2015** — A train derailment in Philadelphia, United States, kills eight people and injures more than 200. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Philadelphia_train_derailment))
- **2015** — Massive Nepal earthquake kills 218 people and injures more than 3,500. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2015_Nepal_earthquake))
- **2017** — The WannaCry ransomware attack impacts over 400,000 computers worldwide, targeting computers of the United Kingdom's National Health Services and Telefónica computers. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WannaCry_ransomware_attack))
- **2018** — Paris knife attack: A man is fatally shot by police in Paris after killing one and injuring several others. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Paris_knife_attack))
- **2024** — Middle/end of the May 2024 solar storms, the most powerful set of geomagnetic storms since the 2003 Halloween solar storms. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2024_solar_storms))

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## Notable births on May 12

- **2006** — **Vasilije Adžić** — Montenegrin footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasilije_Ad%C5%BEi%C4%87))
- **2005** — **Zach Benson** — Canadian ice hockey player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zach_Benson))
- **2001** — **Issa Kaboré** — Burkinabé footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issa_Kabor%C3%A9))
- **1999** — **Hiroki Itō** — Japanese footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroki_It%C5%8D_(footballer%2C_born_1999)))
- **1998** — **Mo Bamba** — American-Ivorian basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Bamba))
- **1997** — **Frenkie de Jong** — Dutch footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frenkie_de_Jong))
- **1996** — **Fabrice Olinga** — Cameroonian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabrice_Olinga))
- **1996** — **Kostas Tsimikas** — Greek footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kostas_Tsimikas))
- **1993** — **Timo Horn** — German footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timo_Horn))
- **1992** — **Erik Durm** — German footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Durm))

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## Notable deaths on May 12

- **2026** — **Jason Collins** — American basketball player (born 1978) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Collins))
- **2024** — **Mark Damon** — American film actor and producer (born 1933) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Damon))
- **2024** — **David Sanborn** — American saxophonist (born 1945) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sanborn))
- **2024** — **A. J. Smith** — American football executive (born 1949) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._J._Smith))
- **2020** — **Aimee Stephens** — American funeral director and U.S. Supreme Court litigant (born 1960) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aimee_Stephens))
- **2018** — **Dennis Nilsen** — Scottish serial killer (born 1945) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Nilsen))
- **2017** — **Mauno Koivisto** — Finnish banker and politician, ninth President of Finland (born 1923) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauno_Koivisto))
- **2016** — **Mike Agostini** — Trinidadian sprinter (born 1935) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Agostini))
- **2015** — **Peter Gay** — German-American historian, author, and academic (born 1923) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gay))
- **2014** — **Cornell Borchers** — Lithuanian-German actress and singer (born 1925) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_Borchers))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/may/12/](https://thisday.info/events/may/12/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.