A Day in the Past

On this day: 12 May

139 things happened on 12 May, from AD 113 to 2024. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 8

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 32

1942 84 years ago

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.

War & peace Find out more: Second Battle of Kharkov (Wikipedia)
1978 48 years ago

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.

Laws & government Find out more: Zaire (Wikipedia)
2002 24 years ago

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.

War & peace Find out more: Jimmy Carter (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “North Borneo was established as a British protectorate”?

    1. 1888
    2. 1809
    3. 1780
    Show the answer

    A: 1888. 1888 — that’s 138 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom are crowned in”?

    1. 1937
    2. 1809
    3. 1191
    Show the answer

    A: 1937. 1937 — that’s 89 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. North Borneo was established as a British protectorate
    2. Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus
    3. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom are crowned in
    Show the answer

    B: Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus. 1888: North Borneo was established as a British protectorate · 1191: Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus · 1937: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom are crowned in Find it on the page

  4. “Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre in Cyprus” happened in 1191. How many years ago was that?

    1. 825 years
    2. 845 years
    3. 835 years
    Show the answer

    C: 835 years. 2026 − 1191 = 835. Find it on the page

Born on this day 40

Famous people whose birthday is 12 May.

Remembering 19

Well-known people who died on 12 May.

Special days 13

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 12 May somewhere in the world.

For older readers 27 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “May 12” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.