May 12th, 1878

Born on May 12th, 1878

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 53,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 697 days, exactly on March 17th, 2026, people who were born on May 12th, 1878 will be 54,000 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, 1878

66

Ernst Thrasolt

German priest

*May 12th, 1878, Saarburg †January 20th, 1945, Berlin

82

Massimo Bontempelli

Italian writer (1878-1960)

*May 12th, 1878, Como †July 21st, 1960, Rome

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

28

Luke Benward

American actor

*May 12th, 1995, Franklin

90

Jiddu Krishnamurti

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

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

44

Gustav Adolf von Götzen

German explorer, diplomat and colonial administrator

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

96

Katharine Hepburn

American actress (1907–2003)

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

90

Florence Nightingale

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

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

58

Song Yang

Chinese-born Australian badminton player

*May 12th, 1965, Nanjing

84

Dorothy Hodgkin

British chemist

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

71

George Carlin

American stand-up comedian (1937–2008)

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

81

Karl von Appen

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

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

81

Hans Ils

German politician (1906-1988)

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

73

Gabriel Byrne

Irish actor

*May 12th, 1950, Dublin

75

Lindsay Crouse

Actress

*May 12th, 1948, New York City

55

Bettina Stark-Watzinger

German politician

*May 12th, 1968, Frankfurt

40

Domhnall Gleeson

Irish actor (1983-)

*May 12th, 1983, Dublin

61

Emilio Estevez

American actor, director, and writer

*May 12th, 1962, New York City

78

Fritz Kortner

Austrian actor and theatre director (1892-1970)

*May 12th, 1892, Vienna †July 22nd, 1970, Munich

Same year
Born in 1878

81

Dorothea Douglass

English tennis and badminton player

*September 3rd, 1878, Ealing †January 7th, 1960, Kensington

74

Joseph Stalin

Leader of the Soviet Union from 1924 to 1953

*December 18th, 1878, Gori †March 5th, 1953, Kuntsevo Dacha

86

Ernst Rodenwaldt

German racial hygienist, university teacher and military physician (1878-1965)

*August 5th, 1878, Berlin †June 4th, 1965, Ruhpolding

87

Marie-Elisabeth Lüders

German politician (1878–1966)

*June 25th, 1878, Berlin †March 23rd, 1966, West Berlin

63

Walter Otto

German historian

*May 30th, 1878, Wrocław †November 1st, 1941, Munich

64

Janusz Korczak

Polish educator (1878-1942)

*July 22nd, 1878, Warsaw †August 7th, 1942, Treblinka extermination camp

89

Carl Sandburg

American writer and editor

*January 6th, 1878, Galesburg †July 22nd, 1967, Flat Rock

74

Ferenc Molnár

Hungarian-born dramatist and novelist (1878-1952)

*January 12th, 1878, Budapest †April 1st, 1952, New York City

87

Elizabeth Arden

Canadian American businesswoman

*December 31st, 1878, Woodbridge †October 18th, 1966, New York City

51

Gustav Stresemann

German politician, statesman, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate (1878-1929)

*May 10th, 1878, Berlin †October 3rd, 1929, Berlin

98

Eileen Gray

Irish architect and designer (1878-1976)

*August 9th, 1878, Enniscorthy †October 31st, 1976, 14th arrondissement of Paris

56

Erich Mühsam

German-Jewish anarchist writer (1878–1934)

*April 6th, 1878, Berlin †July 10th, 1934, Oranienburg concentration camp

51

Pierre Fatou

French mathematician and astronomer

*February 28th, 1878, Lorient †August 9th, 1929, Pornichet

48

Albert Corey

French long distance runner (1878-1926)

*April 16th, 1878, Meursault †August 3rd, 1926, Paris

77

Paul Renner

German type designer (1878–1959)

*August 9th, 1878, Wernigerode †April 25th, 1956, Überlingen

89

Lise Meitner

Austrian-Swedish physicist

*November 7th, 1878, Vienna †October 27th, 1968, Cambridge

87

Martin Buber

German Jewish Existentialist philosopher and theologian (1878–1965)

*February 8th, 1878, Vienna †June 13th, 1965, Jerusalem

74

Julia Dean

Actress (1878-1952)

*May 13th, 1878, Saint Paul †October 17th, 1952, Hollywood

45

Pancho Villa

Mexican revolutionary (1878-1923)

*June 5th, 1878, San Juan del Río, Durango †July 20th, 1923, Hidalgo del Parral

73

Owen Johnson

American novelist and short story writer

*August 27th, 1878, New York City †January 27th, 1952, Massachusetts

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

No: With 365 days 1878 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1878