By The Associated Press
                - Today is Wednesday, May 12, the 132nd day of 1999. There are 233
                  days left in the year.

                - On May 12th, 1949, the Soviet Union announced an end to the Berlin
                  Blockade.
                - In 1820, the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, was
                  born in Florence, Italy.
                - In 1870, Manitoba entered Confederation as a Canadian province.
                - In 1932, the body of the kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh
                  was found in a wooded area of Hopewell, N.J.
                - In 1937, Britain's King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
                - In 1943, during World War II, Axis forces in North Africa
                  surrendered.
                - In 1965, West Germany and Israel exchanged letters establishing
                  diplomatic relations.
                - In 1970, the Senate voted unanimously to confirm Harry A. Blackmun
                  as a Supreme Court justice.
                - In 1975, the White House announced the new Cambodian government had
                  seized an American merchant ship, the "Mayaguez," in international
                  waters.
                - In 1978, the Commerce Department said hurricanes would no longer be
                  given only female names.
                - In 1982, in Fatima, Portugal, security guards overpowered a Spanish
                  priest armed with a bayonet and trying to reach Pope John Paul II.
                - Ten years ago: The nation's largest airline computer reservation
                  system, the American Airlines Sabre system, shut down for nearly 12
                  hours, disrupting the operations of thousands of travel agencies
                  nationwide.
                - Five years ago: The Senate joined the House in passing a bill
                  banning blockades, violence and threats against clinics where
                  abortions were being performed. British Labor Party leader John
                  Smith died unexpectedly at age 55.
                - One year ago: A day after India's first atomic test blasts in 24
                  years, neighboring Pakistan said it was ready to test a nuclear
                  device itself. Indonesian President Suharto's security forces killed
                  at least six student demonstrators.

                *Happy Birthday*
                - Actress Katharine Hepburn is 92.
                - Journalist Howard K. Smith is 85.
                - Critic John Simon is 74.
                - Baseball Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra is 74.
                - Composer Burt Bacharach is 70.
                - Former talk show host Tom Snyder is 63.
                - Comedian George Carlin is 62.
                - Actress Millie Perkins is 61.
                - Former White House press secretary Ronald L. Ziegler is 60.
                - Rock singer-composer Ian Dury is 57.
                - Country singer Billy Swan is 57.
                - Actress Linda Dano is 56.
                - Musician Ian McLagan (Small Faces; The Faces) is 54.
                - Actress Lindsay Crouse is 51.
                - Singer-musician Steve Winwood is 51.
                - Actor Gabriel Byrne is 49.
                - Actor Bruce Boxleitner is 49.
                - Singer Billy Squier is 49.
                - Country singer Kix Brooks (Brooks and Dunn) is 44.
                - Actress Kim Greist is 41.
                - Actor Ving Rhames is 38.
                - Rock musician Billy Duffy (The Cult) is 38.
                - Actor Emilio Estevez is 37.
                - Actress Vanessa Williams ("Melrose Place") is 36.
                - Country musician Eddie Kilgallon (Ricochet) is 34.
                - Actor Stephen Baldwin is 33.
                - Actress Kim Fields Freeman is 30.
                - Actress Samantha Mathis is 29.
                - Actress Jamie Luner is 28.
                - Actor Mackenzie Astin is 26.
                - Singer Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisholm (Spice Girls) is 23.