May 12th
Today in America's Present Past
1780 | War of Independence: General Lincoln surrenders Charleston to the British.
1784 | War of Independence: Ratified copies of the Treaty of Paris, ending the War of Independence, were exchanged between the US and Britain in Paris.
1789 | Revolutionary War soldiers formed the Society of St Tammany, which later became an infamous group of NYC political bosses.
1790 | SCOTUS: Justice James Iredell is sworn in.
1814 | Founder Robert Treat Paine died.
1850 | Politician Henry Cabot Lodge was born.
1865 | Civil War: The last land action of the war at Palmito Ranch, Texas
1907 | Actress Katherine Hepburn was born.
1915 | Entrepreneur Mary Kay Ash was born.
1918 | Soviet Spy Julius Rosenberg was born.
1925 | Baseball Pro Yogi Berra was born.
1925 | Poet Amy Lowell died.
1928 | Musician Burt Bacharach was born.
1937 | Comedian George Carlin was born.
1943 | WWII: America achieves victory in North Africa over Axis troops.
1958 | The U.S. joins with Canada to form the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).
1967 | A Long, hot summer of riots continues in Jackson, Mississippi.
1972 | Gainesville, Florida riots.
1981 | Actor Remi Malek was born.