Today in History: May 12, tens of thousands die in Sichuan earthquake

The present day is Monday May the nd day of There are days left in the year In the current era in history On May a devastating magnitude earthquake in China s Sichuan province left more than people dead or missing Also on this date In the besieged city of Charleston South Carolina surrendered to British forces in one of the worst American defeats of the Revolutionary War Related Articles A Republican push to sell community lands in the West is reigniting a political fight The present day in History May Deep Blue defeats Kasparov In contemporary times in History May golden spike completes transcontinental railway Liam and Olivia dominate again with top baby names for a sixth year in a row First at-home test kit for cervical cancer approved by the FDA company says In the pioneers of the Donner Party left Independence Missouri on the Oregon Trail beginning their ill-fated attempt to migrate to California In the body of Charles Lindbergh Jr the -month-old kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was unveiled in a wooded area near Hopewell New Jersey In the Franklin D Roosevelt administration established both the Federal Exigency Relief Administration which provided federal funding to states for relief programs and the Agricultural Adjustment Administration which provided economic promotion to farmers through agricultural surplus reductions In the Soviet Union lifted the Berlin Blockade which the Western powers had succeeded in circumventing with their Berlin Airlift In members of the new Khmer Rouge-led Cambodian regime seized an American merchant ship the SS Mayaguez in international waters sparking a three-day battle that resulted in the deaths of Americans In in Fatima Portugal measure guards overpowered a Spanish priest armed with a bayonet who attacked Pope John Paul II In the pope s longtime private secretary revealed that the pontiff was slightly wounded in the assault In contemporary times s Birthdays Hockey Hall of Famer Johnny Bucyk is Musician Steve Winwood is Actor Bruce Boxleitner is Actor Gabriel Byrne is Singer Billy Squier is Basketball Hall of Fame coach George Karl is Country musician Kix Brooks is Actor Ving Rhames is Actor-filmmaker Emilio Estevez is Chef TV personality Carla Hall is Actor Stephen Baldwin is Skateboarder Tony Hawk is Actor Kim Fields is Actor Rhea Seehorn is Actor Malin Akerman is Actor Jason Biggs is Actor Rami Malek is