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What happened in history on this day: May 12?
On May 12 in ...
- 1780 - Charleston, South Carolina, falls to the British (Revolutionary War).
- 1789 - Society of Saint Tammany is formed by Revolutionary War soldiers.
- 1812 - Stephen Girard of Philadelphia purchases the assets of defunct Bank of United States.
- 1848 - Sam Brannan in San Francisco shows bottle of gold dust, setting off gold fever.
- 1862 - Federal troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
- 1863 - Battle of Raymond, Mississippi.
- 1864 - Abner Monroe Perrin, Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at age 37.
- 1864 - J.E.B. Stuart, Confederate General, dies at age 31.
- 1864 - Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia.
- 1864 - Battle of Todd's Tavern, Virginia (Sheridan's Raid).
- 1864 - Butler attacks Drewry's Bluff on James River (Fort Darling).
- 1864 - USA colonel Emory Upton (24) promoted to Brigadier-General.
- 1871 - Segregated street cars integrated in Louisville, Kentucky.
- 1874 - US Assay Office in Helena, Montana is authorized.
- 1898 - Louisiana adopts new constitution with "grandfather clause" designed to eliminate black voters.
- 1932 - Dead body of kidnapped son of Charles Lindbergh is found in Hopewell, New Jersey.
- 1932 - The Mickey Mouse film Mickey's Revue is released to theaters in the USA. Pluto and Horace Horsecollar also appear. Goofy appears for the first time, with the name "Dippy Dawg".
- 1933 - US Federal Emergency Relief Administration and Agricultural Adjustment Administration form to help the needy and farmers.
- 1942 - German submarine sinks American cargo ship at mouth of Mississippi River.
- 1944 - 900+ 8th Air Force bombers attack Zwikau, Bohlen and Brüx.
- 1951 - First hydrogen bomb test, on Enewetak Atoll.
- 1958 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak.
- 1962 - US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island.
- 1963 - Race riot in Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
- 1968 - "March of Poor" under Reverend Abernathy reaches Washington DC.
- 1970 - Harry A Blackmun is confirmed as a justice on the US Supreme Court.
- 1970 - Race riots in Augusta, Georgia, USA; six blacks killed (5 by police).
- 1970 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1975 - US merchant ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian forces.
- 1978 - In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining centre of the province of Shaba. The Zairean government asks the U.S., France and Belgium to restore order.
- 1978 - US Commerce Department announces that hurricane names will no longer be exclusively female.
- 1983 - Julie Lynne Hayek (California) crowned 32nd Miss USA.
- 1984 - World of Rivers world exposition opens in New Orleans, Louisiana.
- 1986 - US President Ronald Reagan appoints Dr James C Fletcher NASA Administrator.
- 1989 - Last graffiti-covered New York City subway car retired.
- 1989 - A Southern Pacific Railroad freight train crashes on Duffy Street in San Bernardino, California.
- 1991 - A new cancer drug is announced, which can only be found in bark of a rare tree in the Pacific Northwest.
- 1997 - Tornado narrowly misses downtown Miami, Florida.
- 2004 - An American civilian contractor in Iraq, Nick Berg, is shown being decapitated by a group allegedly linked to al-Qaida on a web-distributed video.
Births on May 12
- 1894 - Birth of Cleo Ridgely in New York City, New York, USA; silent screen actress (I Remember Mama, The Love Mask).
- 1907 - Birth of Katharine Hepburn in Hartford, Connecticut, USA; actress (African Queen, Adam's Rib, On Golden Pond).
- 1910 - Birth of Gordon Jenkins in Webster Grove, Missouri, USA; orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour).
- 1914 - Birth of Howard K Smith in Los Angeles, California, USA; TV newsman (ABC, moderated John Kennedy-Richard Nixon debate).
- 1918 - Birth of Julius Rosenberg in New York, USA; engineer for U.S. Army Signal Corps, executed for spying.
- 1926 - Birth of Earl Hutto in Panama City, Florida, USA; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Florida, 1979-).
- 1929 - Birth of Burt Bacharach in Kansas City, Missouri, USA; composer ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again").
- 1930 - Birth of Pat McCormick-Keller in Lakewood, California, USA; platform/springboard diver (Olympics-4 gold-1952, 1956).
- 1936 - Birth of Tom Snyder in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; newscaster (Tommorow, NBC Weekend News).
- 1937 - Birth of George Carlin in Bronx, New York, USA; comedian (Seven words you can't say on television, AM and FM, Carwash).
- 1938 - Birth of Millie Perkins in Passaic, New Jersey, USA; actress (Jane - Knots Landing).
- 1941 - Birth of Anthony Newman in Los Angeles, California, USA; harpsichordist/organist (Bhajeb).
- 1941 - Birth of Little Jayotis in Washington, USA; rhythm and blues singer (Persuasions).
- 1942 - Birth of Barry B[rookes] Longyear; American sci-fi author (City of Baraboo).
- 1943 - Birth of Billy Swan in Cape Giradeau, Louisiana, USA; rocker ("I Can Help").
- 1943 - Birth of Linda Dano in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Felicia Gallant - Another World).
- 1945 - Birth of Linda Carlson in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; actress (Bev - Newhart, Katie - Kaz).
- 1948 - Birth of Lindsay Ann Crouse in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Slapshot, Iceman, Places in Heart).
- 1950 - Birth of Billy Squier in Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts, USA; heavy metal guitarist ("Don't Say No").
- 1950 - Birth of Bruce Boxleitner in Elgin, Illinois, USA; actor (Scarecrow and Mrs King, Babylon 5).
- 1955 - Birth of Kix Brooks in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA; singer (Brooks and Dunn - "Brand New Man").
- 1958 - Birth of Kim Greist in Stamford, Connecticut, USA; actress (CHUD, Brazil, Payoff, Manhunter).
- 1959 - Birth of Dave Christian in Minnesota, USA; NHL right wing (Washington Capitals, Olympics-gold-1980).
- 1961 - Birth of Ray Gillen in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, USA; rocker (Badlands - "Dreams in the Dark").
- 1962 - Birth of Amy Benz in Rochester, New York, USA; LPGA golfer (1994 Oldsmobile Classic-3rd).
- 1962 - Birth of Emilio Estevez in New York City, New York, USA; actor (The Breakfast Club, Young Guns, The Mighty Ducks).
- 1962 - Birth of Mark Bradshaw in Happy Camp, California, USA; diver (Olympics-1996).
- 1963 - Birth of Vanessa Williams in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actress (Rhonda Blair - Melrose Place).
- 1964 - Birth of Joy Ellen Kitzmiller in Los Angeles, California, USA; American badminton player (Olympics-1992).
- 1965 - Birth of Steve Finley in Union City, Tennessee, USA; outfielder (San Diego Padres).
- 1967 - Birth of Cara Coughenour in Sioux City, Iowa, USA; female pitcher (Colorado Silver Bullets).
- 1968 - Birth of Mark Clark in Bath, Illinois, USA; pitcher (New York Mets).
- 1969 - Birth of Kim Fields Freeman in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Tootie - Facts of Life, Regine - Living Single).
- 1970 - Birth of James Michael Furyk in West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA; PGA golfer (1994 Las Vegas-5th).
- 1970 - Birth of Mike Malizia in Utica, New York, USA; Nike golfer (1993 Doral-Ryder Open-61st).
- 1971 - Birth of Jamie Luner in Palo Alto, California, USA; actress (Cindy - Just the 10 of Us).
- 1972 - Birth of Annette Albertson in Reno, Nevada, USA; Miss America-Nevada (1997).
- 1972 - Birth of Paul Stout in Saugus, California, USA; actor (Phillip - Scarecrow and Mrs King).
- 1973 - Birth of MacKenzie Astin in Los Angeles, California, USA; actor (Facts of Life, Garbage Pail Kids).
- 1974 - Birth of Tiffany Stoker in Clovis, California, USA; Miss America (California-4th-1996).
- 1977 - Birth of Monique de Bruin in Portland, Oregon; fencer-foil (Olympics-1996).
Deaths on May 12
- 1864 - Abner Monroe Perrin, Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at age 37.
- 1864 - J.E.B. Stuart, Confederate General, dies at age 31.
- 1951 - Oscar DePriest, American politician (Representative-Democrat-Illinois), dies at age 80.
- 1957 - Erich von Stroheim, Austrian/US actor (Grand Illusion), dies at age 71.
- 1988 - Chet Baker, American jazz trumpeter, falls to death out of a hotel window at age 59 (born 1929).
- 1992 - Joe Burke, president (Kansas City Royals), dies at age 68.
- 1992 - Death of Robert Reed at age 59 due to complications from AIDS; actor (Mike Brady - The Brady Bunch, The Defenders, Mannix, Roots, Rich Man, Poor Man).
- 2008 - Death of Robert Rauschenberg, American pop artist (born 1925).
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