May 12

 Holidays and Observances
(Alphabetical Order)

2026 Daily Holidays that fall on May 12, include:

• International Awareness Day
• International MCS Awareness Day - May 12
• International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Day 
• International Nurses Day 
• Limerick Day 
• National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day 
• National Hospital Day
• National Nutty Fudge Day 
• National Odometer Day
• Sex Differences in Health Awareness Day - May 12, 2026 (Tuesday of National Women's Health Week)

2026 Weekly Holidays that include May 12, are:

• American Craft Beer Week - May 11-17, 2026
• Armed Forces Week - May 9-16, 2026 (Second Saturday to Third Saturday in May)
• Data Innovation Day - May 11-12, 2026
• Food Allergy Awareness Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Second Full Week in May)
• Hospital Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Second Full Week of May)
• International Coaching Week - May 11-17, 2026
• MCS Awareness Week or Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Awareness Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Second Full Week in May)
• National Bike to Work Week - May 11-17, 2026 
• National Bike Week - May 9-17, 2026 
• National Charter Schools Week - May 11-17, 2026
• National Etiquette Week - May 11-17, 2026 (Begins Second Monday of Full Week in May)
• National Hamburger Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Second Full Week in May)
• National Hospital Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Second week in May)
• National Hug Holiday Week - May 7-13
• National Nurses Week - May 6-12
• National Police Week - May 10-16, 2026
• National Prevention Week - May 10-16, 2026 
• National Public Gardens Week - May 8-17, 2026 (Friday before to the Sunday after Mother's Day)
• National Return to Work Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Second Full Week in May)
• National Salvation Army Week - May 11-17, 2026
• National Skilled Nursing Care Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Starts on Mother's Day to Following Saturday)
• National Stationary Week - May 11-17, 2026
• National Stuttering Awareness Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Second Full Week in May)
• National Transportation Week - May 11-17, 2026 (Always has Third Friday in May)
• National Women's Health Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Week Starting with Mother's Day)
• Prepare Tomorrow's Parents Month - May 10 - June 21, 2026 (Mother's Day to Father's Day)
• Reading is Fundamental Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Second Full Week in May) 
• Salute to Moms 35+ Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Starts on Mother's Day)
• Salvation Army Week - May 11-17, 2026 (Starts the Day after Mother's Day)
• The Biggest Week in American Birding - May 8-17, 2026
• UN Global Road Safety Week - May 8-12, 2026
• Universal Family Week - May 10-16
• Work at Home Mom's Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Starts on Mother's Day)
• World Cocktail Week - May 6-13
• World Trade Week - May 10-16, 2026 (Third Week in May)

2026 Monthly Holidays that include May 12, are:

There are too many monthly holidays to include here, so please check out our May Holidays page to see all of the holidays that are celebrated the entire month of May.

NOTE:

1. A page on each holiday will be coming soon and linked above.
2. If a date is a movable holiday, that is different every year, I'll include the year as well as the date rule above. Otherwise, the holiday falls on the same date each year.

World Festivals and Events
(Date Order)

• Cannes International Film Festival - May 12-23, 2026, in Cannes, France is the most prestigious and most publicized film festival in the World.

Astrological Sign

The Astrological Sign for May 12 is Taurus.

Birth Flower of the Month

The Birth Flower(s) for the Month for May are:

• The Lily of the Valley - Humility, Chastity and Sweetness - signifies a return to happiness
• Hawthorn

Birthstone

The Birthstone(s) for May is the Emerald which is a symbol of rebirth and is believed to grant the owner foresight, good fortune, and youth.

Famous Birthdays

• 1820 - Florence Nightingale, Italian-English nurse during the Crimean War, known as the "Lady with the Lamp" because she made rounds at night
• 1907 - Katharine Hepburn, American actress and singer (On Golden Pond, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner)
• 1918 - Mary Kay Ash, American businesswoman who founded Mary Kay Cosmetics (d. 2001)
• 1925 - Lawrence "Yogi" Berra, American baseball player and manager (New York Yankees, Mets)
• 1928 - Burt Bacharach, American pianist, composer, and producer (I'll Never Fall in Love Again)
• 1937  - George Carlin, American comedian, actor, and author (d. 2008)
• 1948 - Steve Winwood, English singer, songwriter, and guitarist (A Higher Love) (Traffic)
• 1950 - Bruce Boxleitner, American actor and author (Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Babylon 5, Tron movies)
• 1950 - Gabriel Byrne, Irish actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1955 - Kix Brooks, American country singer, songwriter (Brooks & Dunn)
• 1959 - Ving Rhames - American actor (Mission Impossible movies)
• 1962 - Emilio Estevez, American actor, director, and screenwriter (Mighty Ducks, Young Guns)
• 1966 - Stephen Baldwin, American actor, director, and producer (Usual Suspects)
• 1968 - Tony Hawk - American skateboarder

Famous Deaths

• 1864 - James Ewell Brown "J.E.B." Stuart - American General during the Civil War (b. 1833)
• 1992 - Robert Reed, American actor, singer, and director (The Brady Bunch) (b. 1932)
• 2001 - Perry Como - American singer and actor (b. 1912)

Famous Weddings and Divorces

• 1959 - Actress Elizabeth Taylor marries her 4th husband entertainer Eddie Fisher. They get divorced in 1964.
• 1971 - Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones marries actress and model Bianca Perez-Mora Macia

Quote of the Day

Florence Nightingale, was born on this day, May 12 in 1820.  Today is INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY, and it is NATIONAL NURSES WEEK, so a quote from Florence Nightingale's Nursing Prayer seemed appropriate.

Healthy Diet Habit Tip of the Day 
or a Recipe of the Day

National Women's Health Week is May 10-16, 2026.  The Holidays and Observances Healthy Diet Habit Tip of the Day for March 12th from Kerry of Healthy Diet Habits is to look at the top Diet Mistakes that women make.

Women's Diet Mistakes bring them down, but there are a few really biggies in the struggle for weight control!  Find out more....

Season

May 12th falls within the Spring Season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Spring is one of the four seasons. It follows the Winter Season, and is before the Summer Season. The weather warms up from the dreary cold, rainy and snowy weather, and you can spend more time outside.

The land comes alive in Spring, with grass turning green and early flowers like daffodils, tulips and California poppy's and other wildflowers bringing beauty back into your life!

Check out our Spring Season page for information about Spring, Spring Dates, Major Spring Holidays and Observances, Major Spring Festivals, Fun Facts About Spring, Spring Food Tips, Spring Gardening, Spring Preparation, Spring Quotes, and Spring Weather Information.

Kerry has put together some great information and tips on Spring foods: 

• Spring Weight Loss Tips

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, this day falls in the Fall Season. 

• Fall Cooking

• Fall Foods

• Fall Snacks

• Fall Weight Loss Tips

This Day in History

• 1780 - During the American Revolution War, the British troops occupy Charleston, South Carolina
• 1862 - U.S. Federal troops occupy Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• 1921 - National Hospital Day is 1st observed
• 1926 - The Italian build airship Norge is the 1st vessel to fly over the North Pole
• 1928 - Benito Mussolini ends women's rights in Italy
• 1932 - The body of kidnapped son of Charles Lindbergh is found dead in Hopewell, New Jersey, ten weeks after his abduction
• 1933 - The Agricultural Adjustment Act is formed to restrict agricultural production by paying farmers subsidies
• 1935 - The 1st meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous in Akron, Ohio organized by the founders Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith
• 1937 - The Duke and Duchess of York are crowned as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• 1942 - 1,500 Jews are sent to the gas chambers in Auschwitz concentration camp
• 1942 - German U-Boat U-507 torpedo's and sinks U.S. tanker Virginia, at the mouth of the Mississippi River
• 1949 - The Soviet Union lifts its blockage of Berlin
• 1958 - The U.S. and Canada sign a formal North American Aerospace Defense Command agreement
• 1965 - Luna 5, a Soviet spacecraft crashes on the Moon
• 2008 - Sichuan, China has a 8.0 magnitude earthquake that kills over 69,000 people
• 2015 - 8 people are killed and more than 200 injured when a train derails in Philadelphia

This Day in Music

• 1958 - All I Have to Do is Dream by the Everly Brothers hits #1 and stays on top for 5 weeks
• 1965 - The Rolling Stones records Satisfaction
• 1972 - Mary Had a Little Lamb is released by paul McCartney & Wings
• 1973 - Houses of the Holy, by Led Zeppelin is the #1 album 

Happy Birthday, Steve Winwood!

This Day in Sports

• 1875 - The 1st recorded shutout in pro baseball between Chicago (1), and St. Louis (0)
• 1970 - Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs hits his 500th home run
• 1982 - The US Football League is formed
• 1984 - Joe Lucius scored his 13th hole-in-one on the same hole
• 1997 - Australian Susie Maroney is the 1st to swim from Cuba to Florida

Word of the Day from Wiktionary

Wishing You a Great Day Today!