So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

May 12th


- International Nurses Day, commemorating the birthday of Florence Nightingale in . (International)
- Christian Feast day

May 12th


- 2010 - An Afriqiyah Airways Flight crashes and kills everyone but one person on board.
- 2008 - An earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.
- 2007 - Riots in which over 50 people are killed and over 100 are injured take place in Karachi upon the arrival in town of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
- 2006 - Mass unrest by the Primeiro Comando da Capital begins in Săo Paulo (Brazil), leaving at least 150 dead.
- 2003 - The Riyadh compound bombings, carried out by Al Qaeda, kill 26 people.
- 2003 - Fifty-nine Democratic lawmakers bring the Texas Legislature to a standstill by going into hiding in a dispute over a Republican congressional redistricting plan.
- 2002 - Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro's revolution.
- 1982 - During a procession outside the shrine of the Virgin Mary in Fátima, Portugal, security guards overpower Juan Fernandez Krohn before he can attack Pope John Paul II with a bayonet. Krohn, an ultraconservative Spanish priest opposed to the Vatican II reforms, believed that the Pope had to be killed for being an "agent of Moscow".
- 1981 - Francis Hughes starves to death in the Maze Prison in a Republican campaign for political prisoner status to be granted to Provisional IRA prisoners.
- 1978 - In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Shaba (now known as Katanga). The local government asks the U.S.A., France and Belgium to restore order.
- 1975 - Mayagüez incident: the Cambodian navy seizes the American merchant ship SS Mayaguez in international waters.
- 1965 - The Soviet spacecraft Luna 5 crashes on the Moon.
- 1965 - West Germany and Israel establish diplomatic relations.
- 1962 - Douglas MacArthur delivers his Duty, Honor, Country valedictory speech at the United States Military Academy.
- 1958 - A formal North American Aerospace Defense Command agreement is signed between the United States and Canada.
- 1955 - The last section of the IRT Third Avenue Elevated in Manhattan closes.
- 1952 - Gaj Singh is crowned Maharaja of Jodhpur.
- 1949 - The Soviet Union lifts its blockade of Berlin.
- 1949 - The western occupying powers approve the Basic Law for the new German state: the Federal Republic of Germany.
- 1945 - Argentinian labour leader José Peter declares the Federación Obrera de la Industria de la Carne dissolved.
- 1942 - World War II: Second Battle of Kharkov: in eastern Ukraine, Red Army forces under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko launch a major offensive from the Izium bridgehead, only to be encircled and destroyed by the troops of Army Group South two weeks later.
- 1942 - Holocaust: 1,500 Jews are sent to gas chambers in Auschwitz.
- 1941 - Konrad Zuse presents the Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.
- 1937 - George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- 1935 - Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith (founders of Alcoholics Anonymous) meet for the first time in Akron, Ohio, at the home of Henrietta Siberling.
- 1932 - Ten weeks after his abduction Charles Jr., the infant son of Charles Lindbergh is found dead in Hopewell, New Jersey, just a few miles from the Lindberghs' home.
- 1926 - UK General Strike 1926: In the United Kingdom, a nine-day general strike by trade unions ends.
- 1885 - North-West Rebellion: the four-day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel Métis against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.
- 1881 - In North Africa, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate.
- 1873 - Oscar II is crowned King of Sweden.
- 1870 - The Manitoba Act is given the Royal Assent, paving the way for Manitoba to become a province of Canada on July 15.
- 1865 - American Civil War: the Battle of Palmito Ranch: the first day of the last major land action to take place during the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory.
- 1864 - American Civil War: the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House: thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers die in "the Bloody Angle".
- 1863 - American Civil War: Battle of Raymond: two divisions of James B. McPherson's XVII Corps (ACW) turn the left wing of Confederate General John C. Pemberton's defensive line on Fourteen Mile Creek, opening up the interior of Mississippi to the Union Army during the Vicksburg Campaign.
- 1862 - U.S. federal troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
- 1821 - The first big battle of the Greek War of Independence against the Turks occurs in Valtetsi.
- 1797 - First Coalition: Napoleon I of France conquers Venice.
- 1780 - American Revolutionary War: Charleston, South Carolina is taken by British forces.
- 1743 - Maria Theresa of Austria is crowned Queen of Bohemia after defeating her rival, Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor.
- 1689 - King William's War: William III of England joins the League of Augsburg starting a war with France.
- 1588 - French Wars of Religion: Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry of Guise enters the city.
- 1551 - National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, is founded in Lima, Peru.
- 1364 - Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland, is founded in Kraków, Poland.
- 1328 - Antipope Nicholas V, a claimant to the papacy, is consecrated in Rome by the Bishop of Venice.
- 1264 - The Battle of Lewes, between King Henry III of England and the rebel Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, begins.
- 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre who is crowned Queen consort of England the same day.
- 922 - After much hardship, Abbasid envoy Ahmad ibn Fadlan arrived in the lands of Volga Bulgars.

May 12th


- 1995 - Luke Benward, American actor
- 1992 - Malcolm David Kelley, American actor
- 1990 - Jacory Harris, American football player
- 1989 - Matthew Hann, American basketball player
- 1988 - Marky Cielo, Filipino dancer and actor (d. 2008)
- 1988 - Marcelo Vieira da Silva Júnior, Brazilian footballer
- 1987 - Gianluca Sansone, Italian footballer
- 1986 - Emily VanCamp, Canadian actress
- 1986 - Mouhamed Sene, Senegalese basketball player
- 1985 - Tally Hall, American footballer
- 1985 - Jeroen Simaeys, Belgian footballer
- 1984 - Tommaso Reato, Italian rugby player
- 1983 - Charilaos Pappas, Greek footballer
- 1983 - Alina Kabayeva, Russian gymnast
- 1983 - Virginie Razzano, French tennis player
- 1982 - David Thaxton, British stage actor and singer
- 1981 - Kentaro Sato, Japanese composer
- 1981 - Rami Malek, American actor
- 1981 - Dennis Trillo, Filipino actor and singer
- 1980 - Keith Bogans, American basketball player
- 1980 - Felipe Lopez, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1979 - Andre Carter, American football player
- 1979 - Callum Chambers, Australian rules footballer
- 1979 - Robert Key, English cricketer
- 1979 - Erdinç Saçan, Turkish-Dutch politician
- 1979 - Steve Smith, American football player
- 1979 - Aaron Yoo, Korean-American actor
- 1978 - Jason Biggs, American actor
- 1978 - Malin Ĺkerman, Swedish-Canadian actress and model
- 1978 - Wilfred Le Bouthillier, Canadian singer
- 1978 - Aya Ishiguro, Japanese singer (Morning Musume)
- 1978 - Josh Phelps, American baseball player
- 1978 - Hossein Reza Zadeh, Iranian weightlifter
- 1977 - Lorena Bernal, Argentine/Spanish model and actress
- 1977 - Graeme Dott, British snooker player
- 1977 - Rebecca Herbst, American actress
- 1975 - Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby union footballer
- 1975 - Lawrence Phillips, American football player
- 1973 - Kendra Kassebaum, American stage actress
- 1973 - Travis Lutter, American mixed martial arts fighter
- 1973 - Lutz Pfannenstiel, German footballer
- 1973 - Robert Tinkler, Canadian voice actor
- 1971 - Doug Basham, American professional wrestler
- 1971 - Jamie Luner, American actress
- 1970 - Mike Weir, Canadian golfer
- 1970 - Samantha Mathis, American actress
- 1970 - Steve Palframan, South African cricketer
- 1970 - Mark Foster, British swimmer
- 1970 - Jim Furyk, American golfer
- 1969 - Kim Fields, American actress
- 1969 - Kevin Nalty, American YouTube personality
- 1968 - Mark Clark, American baseball player
- 1968 - Tony Hawk, American skateboarder
- 1968 - Scott Schwartz, American actor
- 1968 - Catherine Tate, British comedian
- 1967 - Paul D'Amour, American bass guitarist (Tool)
- 1967 - Joe McKinney, Irish actor
- 1966 - Stephen Baldwin, American actor
- 1966 - Bebel Gilberto, Brazilian singer
- 1964 - Pierre Morel, French film director
- 1963 - Panagiotis Fasoulas, Greek basketball player, Mayor of Piraeus
- 1963 - Gavin Hood, South African film director
- 1963 - Stefano Modena, Italian racing driver
- 1963 - Charles Pettigrew, American singer (Charles and Eddie) (d. 2001)
- 1963 - Jerry Trimble, American actor
- 1963 - Deborah Kara Unger, Canadian actress
- 1963 - Vanessa A. Williams, American actress
- 1962 - Emilio Estevez, American actor
- 1962 - Brett Gurewitz, American songwriter (Bad Religion) and record producer (Epitaph Records)
- 1961 - Paul Begala, American political commentator
- 1961 - Billy Duffy, British guitarist (The Cult)
- 1961 - Thomas Dooley, German-American soccer player
- 1961 - Lar Park Lincoln, American actress
- 1961 - Bruce McCulloch, Canadian actor
- 1960 - Paul Arcand, Quebec radio host, journalist and film director
- 1960 - Ian Khan, British racing driver
- 1959 - Ving Rhames, American actor
- 1958 - Andreas Petroulakis, Greek political caricaturist
- 1958 - Eric Singer, American drummer
- 1957 - Lou Whitaker, American baseball player
- 1956 - Bernie Federko, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1956 - Glenn Robbins, Australian comedian
- 1956 - Asad Rauf, Pakistani cricket umpire
- 1953 - Kevin Grevey, American basketball player
- 1952 - Norbert Stolzenburg, German footballer
- 1951 - George Karl, American basketball player and head coach
- 1950 - Bruce Boxleitner, American actor
- 1950 - Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor
- 1950 - Billy Squier, American singer and musician
- 1948 - David Heineman, American politician, current governor of Nebraska
- 1948 - Joe Tasker, British mountaineer (d. 1982)
- 1948 - Steve Winwood, British musician (The Spencer Davis Group; Traffic)
- 1947 - Michael Ignatieff, Canadian politician
- 1947 - Micheline Lanctôt, American film actor, director and screenwriter
- 1947 - Catherine Yronwode, American writer and editor
- 1946 - L. Neil Smith, American science fiction author
- 1946 - Daniel Libeskind, American architect
- 1945 - Alan Ball, Jr., English footballer (d. 2007)
- 1945 - Nicky Henson, British actor
- 1945 - Ian McLagan, British keyboardist (Small Faces)
- 1945 - Patrick Ricard, French businessman
- 1944 - Chris Patten, British politician
- 1942 - Ian Dury, British musician (d. 2000)
- 1942 - Michel Fugain, French singer and songwriter
- 1942 - Billy Swan, American songwriter and singer
- 1939 - Miltiadis Evert, Greek politician
- 1939 - Reg Gasnier, Australian Rugby League footballer
- 1939 - Ron Ziegler, U.S. White House Press Secretary (d. 2003)
- 1939 - Jalal Dabagh, Kurdish politician
- 1938 - Millie Perkins, American film actress
- 1937 - George Carlin, American comedian (d. 2008)
- 1937 - Susan Hampshire, British actress
- 1937 - Beryl Burton, British cyclist (d. 1996)
- 1936 - Guillermo Endara, President of Panama (d. 2009)
- 1936 - Tom Snyder, American television personality (d. 2007)
- 1936 - Frank Stella, American painter
- 1935 - Felipe Alou, Dominican baseball player and manager
- 1935 - Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1933 - Andrey Voznesensky, Russian poet
- 1930 - Jesús Franco, Spanish film director
- 1929 - Dollard St. Laurent, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1929 - Sam Nujoma, first President of Namibia
- 1928 - Burt Bacharach, American composer
- 1928 - Henry Cosby, American songwriter (d. 2002)
- 1925 - Yogi Berra, American baseball player
- 1924 - Alexander Esenin-Volpin, Russian mathematician
- 1924 - Tony Hancock, British comedian (d. 1968)
- 1924 - Maxine Cooper Gomberg, American actress (d. 2009)
- 1922 - Marco Denevi, Argentine writer (d. 1998)
- 1921 - Joseph Beuys, German artist (d. 1986)
- 1921 - Farley Mowat, Canadian writer and naturalist
- 1918 - Julius Rosenberg, American-born spy for the Soviet Union (d. 1953)
- 1918 - Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman (d. 2001)
- 1917 - Frank Clair, American-born Canadian football coach (d. 2005)
- 1916 - Albert Murray, American writer
- 1914 - Bertus Aafjes, Dutch poet (d. 1993)
- 1914 - Howard K. Smith, American journalist (d. 2002)
- 1914 - James Bacon, American entertainment columnist and reporter
- 1912 - Archibald Cox, U.S. Solicitor General (d. 2004)
- 1910 - Charles B. Fulton, American jurist (d. 1996)
- 1910 - Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, British biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
- 1907 - Leslie Charteris, British author and screenwriter (d. 1993)
- 1907 - Katharine Hepburn, American actress (d. 2003)
- 1903 - Wilfrid Hyde-White, British actor (d. 1991)
- 1900 - Helene Weigel, German actress (d. 1971)
- 1900 - Joseph Rochefort, American naval officer and cryptanalyst (d. 1976)
- 1899 - Indra Devi, Latvian Yoga Instructor (d. 2002)
- 1895 - William Giauque, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1982)
- 1895 - Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (d. 1986)
- 1892 - Fritz Kortner, Austrian-born director (d. 1970)
- 1889 - Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank (d. 1980)
- 1885 - Paltiel Daykan, Russian-born Israeli jurist (d. 1969)
- 1880 - Lincoln Ellsworth, American explorer (d. 1951)
- 1874 - Clemens von Pirquet, Austrian physician (d. 1929)
- 1867 - Hugh Trumble, Australian cricketer (d. 1938)
- 1850 - Henry Cabot Lodge, U.S. statesman (d. 1924)
- 1845 - Gabriel Fauré, French composer (d. 1924)
- 1842 - Jules Massenet, French composer (d. 1912)
- 1840 - Alejandro Gorostiaga, Chilean military, participated on Battle of Huamachuco (d. 1912)
- 1829 - Pavlos Carrer, Greek composer (d. 1896)
- 1828 - Dante Gabriel Rossetti, British painter (d. 1882)
- 1820 - Florence Nightingale, British nurse (d. 1910)
- 1812 - Edward Lear, British author and poet (d. 1888)
- 1806 - Johan Vilhelm Snellman, Finnish statesman (d. 1881)
- 1804 - Robert Baldwin, Canadian politician (d. 1858)
- 1803 - Justus von Liebig, German chemist (d. 1873)
- 1767 - Manuel de Godoy, Spanish statesman (d. 1851)
- 1725 - Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (d. 1785)
- 1700 - Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect (d. 1773)
- 1670 - Frederick Augustus I of Poland (d. 1733)
- 1626 - Louis Hennepin, Flemish missionary (d. 1705)
- 1622 - Louis de Buade de Frontenac, Governor General of New France (d. 1698)
- 1590 - Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (d. 1621)
- 1496 - Gustav I of Sweden (d. 1560)
- 1401 - Emperor Sh?k?, 101st Japanese Emperor (d. 1428)