May 12

Events

Pre-1600

• 254 – Pope Stephen I succeeds Pope Lucius I, becoming the 23rd pope of the Catholic Church, and immediately takes a stand against Novatianism.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 907 – Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai into abdicating, ending the Tang dynasty after nearly three hundred years of rule.
• 1191 – Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> she is crowned Queen consort of England the same day.
• 1328 – Antipope Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice.
• 1364 – Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, is founded in Kraków.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1497 – Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola.<ref>Brief of Pope Alexander VI excommunicating Savonarola: The History of Girolamo Savonarola and of His Times, Pasquale Villari, Leonard Horner, trans., London, Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, 1863, Volume 2, pp.392–394.</ref>
• 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.
• 1551 – National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru.
• 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.
• 1593 – London playwright Thomas Kyd is arrested and tortured by the Privy Council for libel.

1601–1900

• 1743 – Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1778 – Heinrich XI, count of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, is elevated to Prince by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1780 – American Revolutionary War: In the largest defeat of the Continental Army, Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
• 1797 – War of the First Coalition: Napoleon Bonaparte conquers Venice.
• 1808 – Finnish War: Swedish-Finnish troops, led by Captain Karl Wilhelm Malmi, conquer the city of Kuopio from Russians after the Battle of Kuopio.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1821 – The first major battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks is fought in Valtetsi.
• 1846 – The Donner Party of pioneers departs Independence, Missouri for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship and cannibalism.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1862 – American Civil War: Union Army troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• 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.
• 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 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.
• 1870 – The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15.
• 1881 – In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
• 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.

1901–present

• 1926 – The Italian-built airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.
• 1926 – The 1926 United Kingdom general strike ends.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1933 – President Roosevelt signs legislation creating the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the predecessor of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1937 – The Duke and Duchess of York are crowned as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom in Westminster Abbey.
• 1941 – Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.
• 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.
• 1942 – World War II: The U.S. tanker SS Virginia is torpedoed in the mouth of the Mississippi River by the Template:Ship.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1949 – Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1965 – The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon.
• 1968 – Vietnam War: North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack Australian troops defending Fire Support Base Coral.
• 1975 – Indochina Wars: Democratic Kampuchea naval forces capture the SS Mayaguez.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 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.
• 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 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.
• 2003 – The Riyadh compound bombings in Saudi Arabia, carried out by al-Qaeda, kill 39 people.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2006 – Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in São Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead.
• 2006 – Iranian Azeris interpret a cartoon published in an Iranian magazine as insulting, resulting in massive riots throughout the country.
• 2008 – An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.
• 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.
• 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.
• 2015 – A train derailment in Philadelphia, United States, kills eight people and injures more than 200.
• 2015 – Massive Nepal earthquake kills 218 people and injures more than 3,500.
• 2017 – The WannaCry ransomware attack impacts over 400,000 computers worldwide, targeting computers of the United Kingdom's National Health Services and Telefónica computers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2018 – Paris knife attack: A man is fatally shot by police in Paris after killing one and injuring several others.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2024 – Middle/End of the May 2024 Solar Storms, the most powerful set of Geomagnetic storms since the 2003 Halloween solar storms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Births

Pre-1600

• 1325 – Rupert II, Elector Palatine (d. 1398)
• 1401 – Emperor Shōkō of Japan (d. 1428)
• 1479 – Pompeo Colonna, Catholic cardinal (d. 1532)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1496 – Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1560)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1590 – Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1621)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1601–1900

• 1606 – Joachim von Sandrart, German art-historian and painter (d. 1688)
• 1622 – Louis de Buade de Frontenac, French-Canadian soldier and politician, third Governor General of New France (d. 1698)
• 1626 – Louis Hennepin, Flemish priest and missionary (d. 1705)
• 1670 – Augustus II the Strong, Polish king (d. 1733)
• 1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect and engineer, designed the Palace of Caserta and Royal Palace of Milan (d. 1773)
• 1725 – Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (d. 1785)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1739 – Johann Baptist Wanhal, Czech-Austrian organist and composer (d. 1813)
• 1754 – Franz Anton Hoffmeister, German composer and publisher (d. 1812)
• 1755 – Giovanni Battista Viotti, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1824)
• 1767 – Manuel Godoy, Spanish field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of Spain (d. 1851)
• 1774 – Ellis Cunliffe Lister, English politician (d. 1853)
• 1776 – José de La Mar, Peruvian military leader, President of Peru (d. 1830)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1777 – Mary Reibey, Australian businesswoman (d. 1855)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1803 – Justus von Liebig, German chemist and academic (d. 1873)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1804 – Robert Baldwin, Canadian lawyer and politician, third Premier of West Canada (d. 1858)
• 1806 – Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish philosopher and politician (d. 1881)
• 1812 – Edward Lear, English poet and illustrator (d. 1888)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1814 – Adolf von Henselt, German pianist and composer (d. 1889)
• 1820 – Florence Nightingale, Italian-English nurse, social reformer, and statistician (d. 1910)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1825 – Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, French lawyer and explorer (d. 1878)
• 1828 – Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English poet and painter (d. 1882)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1829 – Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer and educator (d. 1896)
• 1839 – Tôn Thất Thuyết, Vietnamese mandarin (d. 1913)
• 1840 – Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean colonel (d. 1912)
• 1842 – Jules Massenet, French composer (d. 1912)
• 1845 – Gabriel Fauré, French pianist, composer, and educator (d. 1924)
• 1850 – Henry Cabot Lodge, American historian and politician (d. 1924)
• 1850 – Frederick Holder, Australian politician, 19th Premier of South Australia (d. 1909)
• 1859 – William Alden Smith, American lawyer and politician (d. 1932)
• 1859 – Frank Wilson, English-Australian politician, ninth Premier of Western Australia (d. 1918)
• 1863 – Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, Bengali writer, painter, violin player and composer, technologist and entrepreneur (d. 1915)
• 1867 – Hugh Trumble, Australian cricketer and accountant (d. 1938)
• 1869 – Carl Schuhmann, German gymnast, wrestler, and weightlifter (d. 1946)
• 1872 – Anton Korošec, Slovenian priest and politician, tenth Prime Minister of Yugoslavia (d. 1940)
• 1873 – J. E. H. MacDonald, English-Canadian painter (d. 1932)
• 1874 – Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian pediatrician and immunologist (d. 1929)
• 1875 – Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (d. 1960)
• 1880 – Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (d. 1951)
• 1885 – Paltiel Daykan, Lithuanian-Israeli lawyer and jurist (d. 1969)
• 1886 – Ernst A. Lehmann, German captain and pilot (d. 1937)
• 1889 – Abelardo L. Rodríguez, substitute president of Mexico (d. 1967)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1889 – Otto Frank, German-Swiss businessman and Holocaust survivor; father of diarist Anne Frank (d. 1980)
• 1892 – Fritz Kortner, Austrian-German actor and director (d. 1970)
• 1895 – William Giauque, Canadian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1982)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1895 – Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (d. 1986)
• 1897 – Earle Nelson, American serial killer and rapist (d. 1928)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1900 – Helene Weigel, Austrian-German actress (d. 1971)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1901–present

• 1903 – Wilfrid Hyde-White, English actor (d. 1991)
• 1907 – Leslie Charteris, English author and screenwriter (d. 1993)
• 1907 – Katharine Hepburn, American actress (d. 2003)
• 1908 – Nicholas Kaldor, Hungarian-English economist (d. 1986)
• 1910 – Johan Ferrier, Surinamese educator and politician, first President of Suriname (d. 2010)
• 1910 – Dorothy Hodgkin, English biochemist, crystallographer, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1994)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• 1911 – Charles Biro, American author and illustrator (d. 1972)
• 1914 – Howard K. Smith, American journalist and actor (d. 2002)
• 1918 – Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman, founded Mary Kay Cosmetics (d. 2001)
• 1918 – Julius Rosenberg, American spy (d. 1953)
• 1921 – Joseph Beuys, German sculptor and illustrator (d. 1986)
• 1921 – Farley Mowat, Canadian environmentalist and author (d. 2014)
• 1922 – Roy Salvadori, English racing driver and manager (d. 2012)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1924 – Tony Hancock, English actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1968)<ref>GRO Register of Births: JUN 1924 6d 231 KINGS N. - Anthony J. Hancock, mmn = Thomas</ref>
• 1925 – Yogi Berra, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2015)
• 1928 – Burt Bacharach, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (d. 2023)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1929 – Sam Nujoma, Namibian politician, 1st President of Namibia (d. 2025)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1930 – Jesús Franco, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Felipe Alou, Dominican-American baseball player, coach, and manager
• 1935 – Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1936 – Guillermo Endara, Panamanian lawyer and politician, 32nd President of Panama (d. 2009)
• 1936 – Tom Snyder, American journalist and talk show host (d. 2007)
• 1936 – Frank Stella, American painter and sculptor (d. 2024)<ref name=Chase272>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1937 – Beryl Burton, English cyclist (d. 1996)
• 1937 – George Carlin, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2008)
• 1939 – Reg Gasnier, Australian rugby league player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2014)
• 1940 – Norman Whitfield, American songwriter and producer (d. 2008)
• 1942 – Ian Dury, English singer-songwriter (d. 2000)
• 1944 – Chris Patten, English academic and politician, 28th Governor of Hong Kong<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1945 – Alan Ball, Jr., English footballer and manager (d. 2007)
• 1945 – Ian McLagan, English keyboard player and songwriter (d. 2014)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1946 – Daniel Libeskind, American architect, designed the Imperial War Museum North and Jewish Museum
• 1947 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian journalist and politician
• 1948 – Steve Winwood, English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
• 1950 – Bruce Boxleitner, American actor and author
• 1950 – Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor, director, and producer
• 1950 – Billy Squier, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1951 – George Karl, American basketball player and coach
• 1957 – Lou Whitaker, American baseball player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1959 – Ving Rhames, American actor
• 1962 – Emilio Estevez, American actor<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1962 – Brett Gurewitz, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1965 – Mark Thomas, British sprinter<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1966 – Stephen Baldwin, American actor<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1967 – Bill Shorten, Australian politician
• 1968 – Tony Hawk, American skateboarder and actor<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1969 – Kim Fields, American actress
• 1970 – Jim Furyk, American golfer
• 1970 – Samantha Mathis, American actress
• 1970 – Mike Weir, Canadian golfer
• 1972 – Rhea Seehorn, American actress<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
• 1975 – Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player (d. 2015)
• 1976 – Bruno Lage, Portuguese football manager<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1977 – Graeme Dott, Scottish snooker player and coach
• 1977 – Maryam Mirzakhani, Iranian mathematician (d. 2017)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1978 – Malin Åkerman, Swedish-Canadian model, actress, and singer
• 1978 – Jason Biggs, American actor and comedian
• 1979 – Steve Smith Sr., American football player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1980 – Rishi Sunak, English politician<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1981 – Rami Malek, American actor
• 1983 – Domhnall Gleeson, Irish actor
• 1983 – Yujiro Kushida, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist
• 1986 – Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress
• 1987 – Lance Lynn, American baseball player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1987 – Kieron Pollard, Trinidadian cricketer
• 1987 – Darren Randolph, Irish footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1988 – Marcelo, Brazilian footballer
• 1989 – Eleftheria Eleftheriou, Greek Cypriot singer, musician, and actress
• 1990 – Florent Amodio, French figure skater<ref>Template:Isu name</ref>
• 1990 – Etika, American YouTuber and live streamer (d. 2019)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1992 – Erik Durm, German footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1993 – Timo Horn, German footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1996 – Fabrice Olinga, Cameroonian footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1996 – Kostas Tsimikas, Greek footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1997 – Frenkie de Jong, Dutch footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1998 – Mo Bamba, American-Ivorian basketball player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1999 – Hiroki Itō, Japanese footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2001 – Issa Kaboré, Burkinabé footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2005 – Zach Benson, Canadian ice hockey player<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2006 – Vasilije Adžić, Montenegrin footballer<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 805 – Æthelhard, archbishop of Canterbury
• 940 – Eutychius, patriarch of Alexandria (b. 877)
• 1003 – Sylvester II, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 946)
• 1012 – Sergius IV, pope of the Catholic Church (b. 970)
• 1090 – Liutold of Eppenstein, duke of Carinthia
• 1161 – Fergus of Galloway, Scottish nobleman
• 1182 – Valdemar I, king of Denmark (b. 1131)
• 1331 – Engelbert of Admont, Benedictine abbot and scholar
• 1465 – Thomas Palaiologos, Despot of Morea (b. 1409)
• 1490 – Joanna, Portuguese princess and regent (b. 1452)
• 1529 – Cecily Bonville, 7th Baroness Harington, English noblewoman (b. 1460)
• 1599 – Murad Mirza, Mughal prince (b. 1570)

1601–1900

• 1634 – George Chapman, English poet and playwright (b. 1559)
• 1641 – Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (b. 1593)
• 1684 – Edme Mariotte, French physicist and priest (b. 1620)
• 1699 – Lucas Achtschellinck, Flemish painter (b. 1626)
• 1700 – John Dryden, English poet, playwright, and critic (b. 1631)
• 1708 – Adolphus Frederick II, duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (b. 1658)
• 1748 – Thomas Lowndes, English astronomer and academic (b. 1692)
• 1759 – Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor (b. 1700)
• 1784 – Abraham Trembley, Swiss zoologist and academic (b. 1710)
• 1792 – Charles Simon Favart, French playwright and composer (b. 1710)
• 1796 – Johann Uz, German poet and author (b. 1720)
• 1801 – Nicholas Repnin, Russian general and politician, Governor-General of Baltic provinces (b. 1734)
• 1842 – Walenty Wańkowicz, Belarusian-Polish painter (b. 1799)
• 1845 – János Batsányi, Hungarian poet and academic (b. 1763)
• 1856 – Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1786)
• 1859 – Sergey Aksakov, Russian author and academic (b. 1791)
• 1860 – Charles Barry, English architect, designed Upper Brook Street Chapel and the Palace of Westminster (b. 1795)
• 1864 – J. E. B. Stuart, American general (b. 1833)
• 1867 – Friedrich Wilhelm Eduard Gerhard, German archaeologist and academic (b. 1795)
• 1876 – Georgi Benkovski, Bulgarian activist (b. 1843)
• 1878 – Anselme Payen, French chemist and academic (b. 1795)
• 1884 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer and educator (b. 1824)
• 1897 – Minna Canth, Finnish journalist, playwright, and activist (b. 1844)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1900 – Göran Fredrik Göransson, Swedish merchant, ironmaster and industrialist (b. 1819)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1901–present

• 1907 – Joris-Karl Huysmans, French author and critic (b. 1848)
• 1916 – James Connolly, Scottish-born Irish socialist and rebel leader (b. 1868)
• 1925 – Amy Lowell, American poet and critic (b. 1874)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• 1931 – Eugène Ysaÿe, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1858)
• 1935 – Józef Piłsudski, Polish field marshal and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Poland (b. 1867)
• 1944 – Max Brand, American journalist and author (b. 1892)
• 1944 – Arthur Quiller-Couch, English author, poet, and critic (b. 1863)
• 1956 – Louis Calhern, American actor and singer (b. 1895)
• 1957 – Alfonso de Portago, Spanish bobsledder and racing driver (b. 1928)
• 1957 – Erich von Stroheim, Austrian-American actor, director, and producer (b. 1885)
• 1963 – Richard Girulatis, German footballer and manager (b. 1878)
• 1963 – Robert Kerr, Irish-Canadian sprinter and coach (b. 1882)
• 1964 – Agnes Forbes Blackadder, Scottish medical doctor (b. 1875)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1966 – Felix Steiner, Russian-German SS officer (b. 1896)
• 1967 – John Masefield, English poet and author (b. 1878)
• 1970 – Nelly Sachs, German poet and playwright, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1891)
• 1971 – Heinie Manush, American baseball player and coach (b. 1901)
• 1973 – Frances Marion, American screenwriter, novelist and journalist (b. 1888)
• 1973 – Art Pollard, American race car driver (b. 1927)
• 1981 – Francis Hughes, Provisional IRA hunger striker (b. 1956)<ref>Second IRA protester dies in jail — BBC News "On This Day" report</ref>
• 1981 – Benjamin Sheares, Singaporean professor and politician, second President of Singapore (b. 1907)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1985 – Jean Dubuffet, French painter and sculptor (b. 1901)
• 1986 – Elisabeth Bergner, German actress (b. 1897)
• 1992 – Nikos Gatsos, Greek poet and songwriter (b. 1911)
• 1992 – Robert Reed, American actor (b. 1932)
• 1993 – Zeno Colò, Italian Olympic alpine skier (b.1920)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1994 – Erik Erikson, German-American psychologist and psychoanalyst (b. 1902)
• 1994 – John Smith, Scottish-English lawyer and politician, Labour Party leader, Leader of the Opposition (b. 1938)
• 1995 – Adolfo Pedernera, Argentine footballer and manager (b. 1918)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 1999 – Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American illustrator (b. 1914)
• 2000 – Adam Petty, American race car driver (b. 1980)
• 2001 – Perry Como, American singer and television host (b. 1912)
• 2001 – Didi, Brazilian footballer (b. 1928)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2001 – Alexei Tupolev, Russian engineer, designed the Tupolev Tu-144 (b. 1925)
• 2003 – Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-American diplomat (b. 1933)
• 2005 – Ömer Kavur, Turkish director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1944)
• 2005 – Martin Lings, English author and scholar (b. 1909)
• 2005 – Kai Setälä, Finnish physician and professor (b. 1913)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2005 – Monica Zetterlund, Swedish actress (b. 1937)
• 2006 – Hussein Maziq, Libyan politician, Prime Minister of Libya (b. 1918)
• 2008 – Robert Rauschenberg, American painter and illustrator (b. 1925)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2008 – Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian (b. 1910)
• 2009 – Antonio Vega, Spanish singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1957)
• 2012 – Jan Bens, Dutch footballer and coach (b. 1921)
• 2012 – Eddy Paape, Belgian illustrator (b. 1920)
• 2013 – Gerd Langguth, German political scientist, author, and academic (b. 1946)
• 2014 – Cornell Borchers, Lithuanian-German actress and singer (b. 1925)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2014 – Marco Cé, Italian cardinal (b. 1925)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2014 – H. R. Giger, Swiss painter, sculptor, and set designer (b. 1940)
• 2014 – Sarat Pujari, Indian actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1934)
• 2014 – Lorenzo Zambrano, Mexican businessman and philanthropist (b. 1944)
• 2015 – Peter Gay, German-American historian, author, and academic (b. 1923)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2016 – Mike Agostini, Trinidadian sprinter (b. 1935)
• 2017 – Mauno Koivisto, Finnish banker and politician, ninth President of Finland (b. 1923)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2018 – Dennis Nilsen, Scottish serial killer (b. 1945)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2020 – Aimee Stephens, American funeral director and U.S. Supreme Court litigant (b. 1960)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2024 – Mark Damon, American film actor and producer (b. 1933)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• 2024 – David Sanborn, American saxophonist (b. 1945)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 2024 – A. J. Smith, American football executive (b. 1949)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Blessed Joan of Portugal
  • Crispoldus
  • Dominic de la Calzada
  • Epiphanius of Salamis
  • Gregory Dix (Church of England)
  • Modoald
  • Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancras
  • Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople (Eastern Church)
  • Philip of Agira
• International ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia Awareness Day<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• International Nurses Day<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• J. V. Snellman Day or the Finnish Heritage Day (Finland)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• Template:NYT On this day
• Historical Events on May 12