1733
May 12, Maria Theresa was crowned queen of Bohemia in Prague.



1928
May 12, In Italy Mussolini abolished women suffrage under a new law that restricted the franchise to men 21 and over who pay syndicate rates or taxes or 100 lire.


1948
May 12, Queen Wilhelmina resigned.


1969
May 12, Winnie Mandela was detained under South Africa’s Terrorism Act and was placed in solitary confinement for seventeen months. In 1970 she was placed under house arrest.


1997
May 12, Susie Maroney, Australian swimmer, became the first woman to swim the 105 mile swim from Cuba to Key West, Fla., in 24 hours and 31 min. AP says 118-mile distance in 24 1/2 hours


2003
May 12, US officials said Rihab Rashid Taha, called "Dr. Germ" for her work with germ warfare agents, was reported to be in coalition custody. Ibrahim Ahmad Abd al Sattar Muhammad, No. 11 on the most-wanted list, was also reported in custody.

2003
May 12, In Toronto, Canada, Holly Jones (10) disappeared after she walked a friend home in broad daylight. Less than 24 hours later, a man found some of the girl's remains in a gym bag off Ward's Island in Lake Ontario. More body parts were found some distance away on the mainland. Michael Briere (35) was arrested for the murder on Jun 20.


2007
May 12, A pregnant Nicaraguan teenager (17) shot Kenneth A. Kinzel (53), her American lover, and enlisted her siblings to help dismember the body. She shot her live-in boyfriend because he threatened to kill her.


2007
May 12, In Nigeria Lora Kabir, a Russian woman, set off with 50 volunteers on a 225-kilometer (140-mile) walk from polio-endemic Nigeria's most populous city Kano to raise public awareness among parents of the dangers of polio.


2011
May 12, In Washington state Hana Williams (~13), an adopted girl from Ethiopia, was found dead in the backyard of the family home in Sedro-Woolley, about 60 miles north of Seattle. An autopsy found she died of hypothermia, with malnutrition and a stomach condition as contributing factors. On Sep 9, 2013, Larry and Carri Williams were convicted of manslaughter and faced long prison terms.