ON THIS DATE: MAY 12
Historical events from May 12 are brought to you by Encyclopaedia Britannica. Explore more at britannica.com.
2008: A massive earthquake struck Sichuan province in China, causing great destruction and killing some 90,000 people.
1972: The British rock group the Rolling Stones released Exile on Main Street, a double album that is considered one of their defining works.
1949: The Soviet Union lifted its blockade of Berlin.
1937: King George VI of the United Kingdom was crowned following the abdication of Edward VIII.
1926: Aboard the semirigid airship Norge, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, American scientist Lincoln Ellsworth, and Italian engineer Umberto Nobile made the first undisputed flight over the North Pole on this day in 1926.
1925: American baseball player, manager, and coach Yogi Berra was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
1907: Born this day in 1907, American actress Katharine Hepburn brought a spirited individuality and depth of character to her roles that made her one of Hollywood’s most dynamic leading ladies and earned her four Academy Awards.
1846: The ill-fated Donner party left Independence, Missouri, for California; months later the group became trapped in the Sierra Nevada and some members reportedly resorted to cannibalism when the food ran out.
1820: English nurse Florence Nightingale, who founded trained nursing as a profession for women, was born in Florence, Italy; International Nurses Day is celebrated on her birthday.