12 Ordibehesht 1405

Events

• 1611 (415 years ago) The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.
• 1808 (218 years ago) Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
• 1889 (137 years ago) Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs the Treaty of Wuchale, giving Italy control over Eritrea.
• 1941 (85 years ago) World War II: Following the coup d'état against Iraq Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah earlier that year, the United Kingdom launches the Anglo-Iraqi War to restore him to power.
• 1982 (44 years ago) Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
• 1998 (28 years ago) The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy.
• 2008 (18 years ago) Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
• 2008 (18 years ago) Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.

Births

• 1729 (297 years ago) Catherine the Great of Russia,
• 1772 (254 years ago) Novalis, German author and poet (died 1801)
• 1859 (167 years ago) Jerome K. Jerome, English author and playwright (died 1927)
• 1860 (166 years ago) Theodor Herzl, Austro-Hungarian Zionist philosopher, journalist and author (died 1904)
• 1921 (105 years ago) Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1992)
• 1972 (54 years ago) Dwayne Johnson, American actor and wrestler
• 1975 (51 years ago) David Beckham, English footballer, coach, and model
• 1985 (41 years ago) Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter and actress

Deaths

• 373 (1653 years ago) Athanasius of Alexandria, Egyptian bishop and saint (born 298)
• 1519 (507 years ago) Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (born 1452)
• 1857 (169 years ago) Alfred de Musset, French dramatist, poet, and novelist (born 1810)
• 1945 (81 years ago) Martin Bormann, German politician (born 1900)
• 1957 (69 years ago) Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, judge, and politician (born 1908)
• 1969 (57 years ago) Franz von Papen, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (born 1879)
• 1979 (47 years ago) Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1903)
• 2011 (15 years ago) Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founder of Al-Qaeda (born 1957)

All 344 events, births and deaths of May 2