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May 12
5 moments across history
2016 – Brazil Impeaches President Dilma Rousseff
On May 12, 2016, Brazil's Senate voted to suspend President Dilma Rousseff and begin her impeachment trial over accusations that her administration manipulated budget accounts. The vote ended more than a decade of Workers' Party control of the presidency and elevated Vice President Michel Temer during a deep recession and the Lava Jato corruption scandal. The impeachment remains one of Brazil's defining modern political ruptures, exposing the fragility of its post-dictatorship democratic consensus.
Brazil's Senate votes to suspend President Dilma Rousseff during the 2016 impeachment crisis.
2008 – Sichuan Earthquake Devastates China
Rescuers search through collapsed buildings after the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
The quake killed tens of thousands and forced China into a massive rebuilding effort.
On May 12, 2008, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Sichuan province in China, killing more than 69,000 people and destroying towns, schools, roads, and factories. The disaster triggered a massive national rescue and rebuilding effort while raising public anger over poorly built schools that collapsed with children inside. It became one of modern China's deadliest natural disasters and reshaped debates over disaster response, construction standards, and public accountability.
1965 – Luna 5 Crash-Lands on the Moon
The Soviet Luna program pushes toward a controlled robotic landing on the Moon.
Luna 5 failed to land softly, but its data helped improve later lunar missions.
On May 12, 1965, the Soviet Union's Luna 5 spacecraft crashed into the Moon after a guidance failure prevented a planned soft landing. Although the mission failed, it provided engineers with crucial data during the intense U.S.–Soviet race to master lunar exploration. The lessons from Luna 5 helped lead to later Soviet robotic successes, including Luna 9's first soft landing on the Moon in 1966.
1962 – General Douglas MacArthur Gives Farewell Address
Douglas MacArthur addresses West Point cadets in his 'Duty, Honor, Country' farewell speech.
The 1962 address became one of the defining statements of American military service.
On May 12, 1962, General Douglas MacArthur delivered his famous 'Duty, Honor, Country' farewell address to cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Speaking near the end of his public life, MacArthur framed military service as a lifelong commitment to discipline, sacrifice, and national duty. The speech became one of the most quoted American military addresses of the twentieth century and helped define MacArthur's legacy beyond the battlefields of World War II and Korea.
1949 – Berlin Blockade Ends
Allied aircraft keep West Berlin supplied during the Soviet blockade.
The blockade's end confirmed the Berlin Airlift as an early Cold War victory for the West.
On May 12, 1949, the Soviet Union lifted the Berlin Blockade, ending its attempt to cut off Allied access to West Berlin. For nearly a year, the United States and its allies had sustained the city through the Berlin Airlift, flying in food, fuel, and supplies despite intense Cold War pressure. The blockade's failure strengthened Western resolve, accelerated the division of Germany, and helped turn NATO from an agreement into a working security alliance.