May 12 is World Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Day
Limerick Day Edward Lear has been called the “father” of the limerick because he helped to popularize the form. One of Lear’s:
There was a young lady of Niger
who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
They returned from the ride
with the lady inside,
and the smile on the face of the tiger.
And one from Ogden Nash:
A flea and a fly in a flue
Were imprisoned, so what could they do?
Said the fly, “let us flee!”
“Let us fly!” said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
Garland Day in Abbotsbury, Dorsetshire, England; a ceremony left over from the old May Day festivities observed by children who carry garlands from door to door and receive gifts for the welcoming of May; the garlands are later laid in front of the War Memorial.
First ice cream advertisement by confectioner Philip Lenzi is published in the New York Gazette. on May 12, 1777.
On May 12, 1870, Manitoba becomes a province of Canada. The original province of Manitoba was a square, one-eighteenth of its current size, and was known colloquially as the “postage stamp province”.
On May 12, 1937, George VI crowned King of England following the abdication of his brother, King Edward VII.
Nazi submarine U-507 sank an American cargo ship, the 10,000 ton SS Virginia at mouth of Mississippi River on May 12, 1942, killing 26 sailors.
St Louis’ Busch Memorial Stadium opened in 1966. It was home to the St. Louis Cardinals National League Baseball team for its entire operating existence while also serving as home to the NFL’s Cardinals team from 1966-1987. It replaced Sportsman’s Park. It was demolished in 2005 and replaced with the new Busch Stadium.
Harry A Blackmun was confirmed as a justice on Supreme Court May 12, 1970. He was appointed by President Richard Nixon. He remained on the bench until 1994, becoming one of the most liberal justices on the Court.
2002 – Former US President Jimmy Carter arrived in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro becoming first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro’s 1959 revolution.