What happened on Sunday May 12, 1940?

About May 12th, 1940, in brief:

  • Historical events: German troops launched a strategic invasion of France by advancing through the dense Ardennes Forest, successfully reaching critical river crossing points at Sedan, Monthermé, and Dinant along the Meuse River. This maneuver was a key part of the German Blitzkrieg strategy, bypassing the heavily fortified Maginot Line.
  • Day of the week: May 12th, 1940 was a Sunday
  • Zodiac Sign: Taurus (in western zodiac), Dragon (in Chinese zodiac)
  • Moon Phase: Waxing crescent
  • Popular movie: Waterloo Bridge directed by Mervyn LeRoy

More about May 12th, 1940? See below for more news and curiosities on May 12th, 1940.

history

May 12, 1940: What happened on that day?


Here's what happened on May 12, 1940:

  • German Invasion of France through Ardennes Forest German troops launched a strategic invasion of France by advancing through the dense Ardennes Forest, successfully reaching critical river crossing points at Sedan, Monthermé, and Dinant along the Meuse River. This maneuver was a key part of the German Blitzkrieg strategy, bypassing the heavily fortified Maginot Line.
  • German Blitzkrieg Begins Across Meuse River The German military initiated its rapid conquest of France by crossing the Meuse River, marking the beginning of a swift and devastating military campaign that would ultimately lead to the fall of France in just six weeks.
  • First Major Tank Battle on Western Front The first significant tank engagement of the Western Front occurred near Hannut, Belgium, where French tanks successfully destroyed a substantial number of German tanks, demonstrating the emerging importance of armored warfare in World War II.
  • German Forces Break Belgian Defense Line German military forces successfully penetrated the defensive line between Maastricht and Hasselt in Belgium, signaling the beginning of the German invasion of the Low Countries.
  • German Tanks Capture Moerdijkbrug German armored units captured the strategically important Moerdijkbrug, a bridge in the Netherlands, as part of their rapid military advance through the Low Countries.
  • British Internment of German and Austrian Nationals The British government initiated a comprehensive internment policy, detaining male German and Austrian nationals aged 16-60 in military areas along the eastern and southern coasts as a wartime security measure.

Events in 1940

May 12, 1940: What were the magazines covers and newspapers that day?

LIFE Magazine

Magazines from May. 12, 1940

Newspapers from May. 12, 1940

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What day of the week was May 12, 1940?


May 12, 1940 was a Sunday and it was the 133rd day of the year 1940 in the Gregorian calendar.

May 12, 1940 can also be written as 5/12/1940 in the US and as 12/5/1940 in UK and Europe.

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Birth chart on this day

Discover the planets positions on May 12th, 1940 as well as what the sky looked like at your place

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Planetary positions on  - Geocentric view
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Who was born on May 12, 1940?


Famous people born on May 12, 1940:

  • Norman Whitfield

    Legendary Motown songwriter and record producer who wrote numerous hit songs for The Temptations and other soul artists, significantly...

Famous people born in 1940

Famous people born on May 12th

RIP

May 12, 1940: What famous people died on that day?


Famous people died on May 12, 1940:

  • Stefan Walczykiewicz

Famous people who died in 1940

Famous people who died on May 12th

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May 12, 1940: What is The Zodiac Sign for that day?


 zodiac sign

The Zodiac and Astrological sign for May 12th is Taurus.

Discover the zodiac sign and horoscope for any day in the past.

Taurus is the 2nd sign in the Western Zodiac. People born between April 20th and May 20th belong to the Taurus sign: discover Taurus personality and who should a Taurus marry.

Babies born in May are either Taurus or Gemini. People born before May 20th are Taurus, while people born from May 21st have the sign of Gemini.

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May 12, 1940: What is the Chinese Zodiac Sign for that day?

Dragon chinese zodiac sign

The Chinese Zodiac sign for May 12, 1940 is Dragon and the associated element is Metal.

Discover the Dragon personality and how the Metal Element might affect a person's traits and compatibility with other signs according to the Chinese zodiac.

Try our calculator to discover your Chinese zodiac sign based on your date of birth
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May 12, 1940: What was the moon phase on that day?


Moon phase

31%

The moon phase on May 12, 1940 was Waxing crescent.

The moon phase refers to the appearance of the Moon in the night sky on May 12, 1940 and is determined by the portion of the Moon's illuminated surface that is visible from Earth.

An observer located in New York City on May 12, 1940 at 10pm, would see the moon, being 31% full, rising at 10:10 am and setting at 12:32 am.

The previous full moon was on Apr 22, 1940 while the next full moon would come on May 21, 1940.

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Your place in the Universe on May 12, 1940

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How old is someone born on May 12, 1940?


Someone born on May 12, 1940 is:

85 years and 2 days old,

or 1020 months and 2 days old,

or 4435 weeks and 3 days old,

or 31048 days old,

Enjoy a trip down memory lane: discover what the world looked like when you turned 18 years old, 30 years old, 40 years old

Use our How old am I? Calculator to know the age of a person today or use the Age Calculator to determine the interval between two dates.

How many days until your next birthday if you were born on May 12, 1940?

There are 363 days until your next birthday, which will occur on Tuesday May 12th 2026.

Try out our Countdown calculator to find out are many days are left until your special moments.

What generation do you belong to if you were born on May 12, 1940?

You belong to the Silent Generation if you were born on May 12, 1940.

Discover what generation people belong to with our generation calculator.

Sunday May 12, 1940