May 12th in History

1881: Tunisia becomes a French protectorate
1937: British King George VI coronated in Westminster Abbey
1949: The blockade of the city of Berlin, by the USSR, is officially lifted

May 12th birthdays

1567: Claudio Monteverdi, Italian composer
1820: Florence Nightingale, English pioneer of nursing
1828: Dante Rossetti, English artist and poet
1929: Burt Bacharach, American Composer