May 12th, 1856

Born on May 12th, 1856

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 61,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 655 days, exactly on February 10th, 2026, people who were born on May 12th, 1856 will be 62,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on May 12th?

May 12th, 2008

In Postville, Iowa, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the largest-ever raid of a workplace and arrested nearly 400 immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.

May 12th, 1998

Four students were shot and killed by Indonesian soldiers at Trisakti University in Jakarta, which led to widespread riots and the resignation of President Suharto nine days later.

May 12th, 1975

The Cambodian navy seized the American container ship SS Mayaguez in what they claimed to be Cambodian territorial waters.

May 12th, 1968

Vietnam War: The 1st Australian Task Force began the defence of Fire Support Base Coral in the largest unit-level action of the war for the Australian Army.

May 12th, 1967

The Jimi Hendrix Experience released the critically acclaimed and widely influential debut album Are You Experienced.

May 12th, 1948

The United Kingdom publicly announced that it was independently developing nuclear weapons, after the US Atomic Energy Act of 1946 ended cooperation on the matter.

May 12th, 1941

German engineer Konrad Zuse presented the Z3, the first working programmable and fully automatic computer, to an audience of scientists in Berlin.

May 12th, 1938

During an exercise to demonstrate air power, United States Army Air Corps bomber aircraft intercepted the Italian ocean liner SS Rex (pictured) 620 nautical miles (1,100 km) off the US Atlantic coast.

May 12th, 1932

Nazi deputies assaulted journalist Helmuth Klotz in the German parliament building after he broke the Röhm scandal.

May 12th, 1888

North Borneo was established as a British protectorate.

May 12th, 1881

Under threat of invasion, Muhammad III as-Sadiq, Bey of Tunis, signed the Treaty of Bardo to make Tunisia a French protectorate.

May 12th, 1863

American Civil War: The Confederates were routed in the Battle of Raymond, a small battle that had an inordinately large impact on the Vicksburg campaign.

May 12th, 1846

The Donner Party, an American pioneer group which became known for resorting to cannibalism when they became trapped in the Sierra Nevada, left Independence, Missouri, for California.

May 12th, 1743

War of the Austrian Succession: Habsburg ruler Maria Theresa was crowned Queen of Bohemia after driving French troops from the territory.

May 12th, 2018

Paris knife attack: A man is fatally shot by police in Paris after killing one and injuring several others.

Birthdays
... of famous people, actors, celebrities and stars on May 12th

Born on May 12th, 1856

45

Andreas Franz Wilhelm Schimper

German botanist (1856–1901)

*May 12th, 1856, Strasbourg †September 9th, 1901, Basel

56

Josef Neumann

German priest

*May 12th, 1856, Dudeldorf †December 12th, 1912, Heerdt

Same Day
Who's birthday is on May 12th?

79

Gabriel Fauré

French composer, organist, pianist and teacher

*May 12th, 1845, Pamiers †November 4th, 1924, Paris

43

Rishi Sunak

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2022

*May 12th, 1980, Southampton

35

Liu Xiaolong

Badminton player

*May 12th, 1988, Zhangzhou

31

Erik Durm

German association football player

*May 12th, 1992, Pirmasens

44

Gustav Adolf von Götzen

German explorer, diplomat and colonial administrator

*May 12th, 1866, Ścinawka Górna †December 2nd, 1910, Berlin

90

Florence Nightingale

English social reformer, statistician, and founder of modern nursing (1820-1910)

*May 12th, 1820, Florence †August 13th, 1910, London

28

Luke Benward

American actor

*May 12th, 1995, Franklin

58

Song Yang

Chinese-born Australian badminton player

*May 12th, 1965, Nanjing

96

Katharine Hepburn

American actress (1907–2003)

*May 12th, 1907, Hartford †June 29th, 2003, Old Saybrook

90

Jiddu Krishnamurti

Indian spiritual philosopher, mystic, speaker and writer (1895–1986)

*May 12th, 1895, Madanapalle †February 17th, 1986, Ojai

71

George Carlin

American stand-up comedian (1937–2008)

*May 12th, 1937, New York City †June 22nd, 2008, Santa Monica

70

Jules Massenet

French composer (1842–1912)

*May 12th, 1842, Saint-Étienne †August 13th, 1912, Paris

84

Dorothy Hodgkin

British chemist

*May 12th, 1910, Cairo †July 29th, 1994, Ilmington

73

Gabriel Byrne

Irish actor

*May 12th, 1950, Dublin

81

Karl von Appen

German stage designer/member:Association of Revolutionary Visual Artists. (1900-1981)

*May 12th, 1900, Düsseldorf †August 22nd, 1981, East Berlin

40

Domhnall Gleeson

Irish actor (1983-)

*May 12th, 1983, Dublin

55

Bettina Stark-Watzinger

German politician

*May 12th, 1968, Frankfurt

81

Hans Ils

German politician (1906-1988)

*May 12th, 1906, Weißenhorn †March 25th, 1988, Freiburg im Breisgau

75

Lindsay Crouse

Actress

*May 12th, 1948, New York City

42

Hugo von François

German officer (1861-1904)

*May 12th, 1861, Dzierżoniów †March 13th, 1904

Same year
Born in 1856

83

Jens Bratlie

13th Prime Minister of Norway

*January 17th, 1856, Nordre Land Municipality †September 15th, 1939, Oslo

83

Sigmund Freud

Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis (1856–1939)

*May 6th, 1856, Příbor †September 23rd, 1939, London

86

Nikola Tesla

Serbian-American inventor (1856–1943)

*July 10th, 1856, Smiljan †January 7th, 1943, New York City

94

George Bernard Shaw

Irish playwright, critic, and polemicist (1856–1950)

*July 26th, 1856, Dublin †November 2nd, 1950, Ayot St Lawrence

67

Woodrow Wilson

President of the United States from 1913 to 1921

*December 28th, 1856, Woodrow Wilson Birthplace †February 3rd, 1924, Woodrow Wilson House

73

Georg von der Marwitz

German general (1856–1929)

*July 7th, 1856, Słupsk †October 27th, 1929, Unichowo

85

Anna Elizabeth Klumpke

American portrait and genre painter (1856-1942)

*October 28th, 1856, San Francisco †February 9th, 1942, San Francisco

62

Alexander Bernewitz

Latvian theologian (1856-1919)

*May 26th, 1856, Kandava †January 16th, 1919, Kandava

62

L. Frank Baum

American author of children's books (1856–1919)

*May 15th, 1856, Chittenango †May 6th, 1919, Hollywood

95

Philippe Pétain

French military and political leader (1856–1951)

*April 24th, 1856, Cauchy-à-la-Tour †July 23rd, 1951, Port-Joinville

69

John Singer Sargent

American painter (1856–1925)

*January 12th, 1856, Florence †April 15th, 1925, London

64

Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg

German politician (1856–1921)

*November 29th, 1856, Hohenfinow †January 1st, 1921, Hohenfinow

80

Frank B. Kellogg

American politician (1856-1937)

*December 22nd, 1856, Potsdam †December 21st, 1937, Saint Paul

83

J. J. Thomson

British physicist (1856-1940)

*December 18th, 1856, Cheetham Hill †August 30th, 1940, Cambridge

62

Karl Adolph Gjellerup

Danish writer

*November 30th, 1856, Roholte †October 13th, 1919, Klotzsche

59

Booker T. Washington

African-American educator, author, orator, and advisor (1856-1915)

*April 5th, 1856, Hale's Ford †November 14th, 1915, Tuskegee

59

William Wallace Denslow

American illustrator and caricaturist

*May 25th, 1856, Philadelphia †May 27th, 1915, Knickerbocker Hospital

60

Diamond Jim Brady

American businessman

*August 12th, 1856, New York City †April 13th, 1917, Atlantic City

55

Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo

Spanish author

*November 3rd, 1856, Santander †May 19th, 1912, Santander

64

Georges Petit

French art dealer (1856-1920)

*March 11th, 1856, Paris †May 12th, 1920, Paris

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on May 12th

Fixed holidays (Christian feast day) which are celebrated on May 12th.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

Yes: 1856 is a leap year, therefore has a 29th of February with an additional leap day and a total of 366 days (instead of the usual 365 days in a normal year).

Calendar
May 1856