What Happened on May 12?

May 12 is International Nurses Day — honoring Florence Nightingale, born this day in 1820. It also marks when the Berlin Airlift broke the Soviet blockade in 1949 and when Britain crowned King George VI in 1937.

• 1780 — British forces capture Charleston during the Revolutionary War

  After a long siege, American defenders surrendered Charleston, South Carolina, to the British on May 12, 1780 — the war's worst American defeat. Read the full story →

• 1820 — Florence Nightingale is born in Florence, Italy

  Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, 1820 — the nurse whose Crimean War work and hospital reforms founded modern nursing. Read the full story →

• 1937 — King George VI is crowned at Westminster Abbey

  George VI was crowned king of the United Kingdom on May 12, 1937, after his brother Edward VIII abdicated — the ceremony later echoed in the film The King's Speech. Read the full story →

• 1949 — Soviet blockade of Berlin ends after the Allied airlift

  On May 12, 1949, the Soviet Union lifted its blockade of West Berlin — a victory for the massive Allied airlift that flew food and fuel into the divided city. Read the full story →

• 1965 — West Germany and Israel establish diplomatic relations

  On May 12, 1965, West Germany and Israel exchanged ambassadors — a historic step twenty years after the Holocaust. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) · Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003) · Yogi Berra (1925–2015) · Emilio Estevez (1962)

Days & observances

International Nurses Day · National Limerick Day · National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day · International Day of Plant Health