What Happened on May 12

Historical Events

1057 – The Ostromir Gospel, now the oldest surviving Russian manuscript is recorded completed by its scribe Deacon Grigory
1865 – Last land action of Civil war at Palmito Ranch, Texas
1938 – Sandoz Labs begins manufacturing LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
1970 – KTVM TV channel 6 in Butte, MT (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
1986 – Fred Markham (US), unpaced and unaided by wind, is 1st to pedal 65 mph on a level course, Big Sand Flat, California
1997 – Tornado narrowly misses downtown Miami

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Famous Birthdays

1700 – Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect (Palace of Caserta), born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples (d. 1773)
1751 – Gaetano Manna, Italian composer, born in Naples (d. 1804)
1804 – Robert Baldwin, Canadian politician (popularizer of responsible government in Canada), born in York, Upper Canada (d. 1858)
1947 – Michael Ignatieff, Canadian politician (Leader of the Liberal Party), born in Toronto, Ontario
1950 – Ronnie Foster, American soul, funk, and acid jazz Hammond B-3 organist, keyboard player, and record producer, born in Buffalo, New York
2000 – Sedona Prince, American basketball player (who highlighted gender inequality in US women’s basketball), born in Hemet, California

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Famous Deaths

1649 – Isaac Doreslaer, English lawyer/diplomat, murdered
1845 – August Wilhelm Schlegel, German poet, translator and critic, dies at 77
1935 – Józef Piłsudski, Father of the Second Polish Republic who served as its Chief of State (1918-22), Marshall of Poland and later its de facto leader (1926-35), dies at 67
1973 – Art Pollard, American racecar driver (b. 1927)
1992 – Joe Burke, American baseball executive (president KC Royals 1981-92), dies from lymphatic cancer at 68
2007 – Mullah Dadullah Akhund, Taliban military leader (b. 1966?)

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