May 12th, 1917

Born on May 12th, 1917

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 39,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 113 days, exactly on November 16th, 2026, people who were born on May 12th, 1917 will be 40,000 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 publicized the homosexuality of a senior Nazi politician.

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 Austrian forces drove French troops from the territory.

May 12th, 1926

The crew of the airship Norge (pictured), led by Roald Amundsen, became the first people to make a verified trip to the North Pole.

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

Born on May 12th, 1917

44

Maya Deren

American filmmaker (1917–1961)

*May 12th, 1917, Kyiv †October 13th, 1961, New York City

85

Rika Unger

German sculptor

*May 12th, 1917, Szczecin †September 16th, 2002, Münster

Same year
Born in 1917

46

John F. Kennedy

President of the United States from 1961 to 1963

*May 29th, 1917, Brookline †November 22nd, 1963, Parkland Memorial Hospital

66

Indira Gandhi

Prime Minister of India (1966–1977, 1980–1984)

*November 19th, 1917, Prayagraj †October 31st, 1984, New Delhi

72

Ferdinand Marcos

President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986

*September 11th, 1917, Sarrat †September 28th, 1989, Honolulu

91

Helga Tiemann

German painter and sculptor (1917–2008)

*October 11th, 1917, Remscheid †October 13th, 2008, Cologne

53

Bourvil

French actor and singer (1917–1970)

*July 27th, 1917, Prétot-Vicquemare †September 23rd, 1970, Paris

79

Ella Fitzgerald

American jazz singer (1917–1996)

*April 25th, 1917, Newport News †June 15th, 1996, Beverly Hills

84

Kamagate el hadj fetigue

American publisher, editor and author (1917–2001)

*June 16th, 1917, New York City †July 17th, 2001, Boise

88

John Raitt

American singer and actor (1917-2005)

*January 29th, 1917, Santa Ana †February 20th, 2005, Pacific Palisades

89

Barry Nelson

American actor (1917–2007)

*April 16th, 1917, San Francisco †April 7th, 2007, Bucks County

90

Arthur C. Clarke

British science fiction writer, inventor, and futurist (1917–2008)

*December 16th, 1917, Minehead †March 19th, 2008, Colombo

61

Park Chung Hee

3rd President of the Republic of Korea

*November 14th, 1917, Gumi †October 26th, 1979, Jongno District

103

Vera Lynn

British singer (1917–2020)

*March 20th, 1917, East Ham †June 18th, 2020, Ditchling

67

Heinrich Böll

German writer (1917–1985)

*December 21st, 1917, Cologne †July 16th, 1985, Langenbroich

91

Robert Anderson

American playwright, screenwriter, and theater producer (1917-2009)

*April 28th, 1917, Manhattan †February 9th, 2009, Manhattan

81

Hurd Hatfield

American actor (1917–1998)

*December 7th, 1917, New York City †December 26th, 1998, Rathcormac

49

William Tracy

American actor (1917-1967)

*December 1st, 1917, Pittsburgh †July 18th, 1967, Hollywood

92

Carl Ballantine

American entertainer (1917-2009)

*September 27th, 1917, Chicago †November 3rd, 2009, Hollywood Hills

70

Henry Ford II

American automotive industry executive (1917–1987)

*September 4th, 1917, Detroit †September 29th, 1987, Detroit

87

Ramanand Sagar

Indian film director (1917-2005)

*December 29th, 1917, Lahore †December 12th, 2005, Mumbai

95

Phyllis Diller

American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist (1917–2012)

*July 17th, 1917, Lima †August 20th, 2012, Brentwood

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 1917 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1917