Mayaguez Incident: Cambodia Seizes an American Ship, Marines Attack
Cambodian Khmer Rouge naval forces seized the American merchant vessel SS Mayaguez in the Gulf of Thailand, provoking the last official battle of the Vietnam War era. President Ford ordered a military rescue that freed the crew but cost 41 American lives, revealing the limits of post-Vietnam military intervention and Washington's determination to project strength after Saigon's fall.
May 12, 1975
51 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 12
en la ciudad de Farsalia (Grecia), Julio César anota que ha visto en el cielo una «bola de fuego llameante» (posiblemente un meteorito).
en Roma se inaugura la Columna de Trajano, diseñada por el arquitecto Apolodoro de Damasco para celebrar la conquista de Dacia (actual Rumania) por parte del em…
Pope Stephen I ascended to the papacy, inheriting a church deeply fractured by debates over whether to readmit Christians who had renounced their faith during R…
Stephen became pope in 254 and immediately decided that baptisms performed by heretics still counted. The Novatianists—rigorists who believed lapsed Christians …
Diocletian's executioner faced a kid who'd barely hit puberty. Fourteen-year-old Pancras refused to burn incense to Roman gods—a crime punishable by death durin…
Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai to abdicate, shattering the Tang Dynasty's three-century grip on China and plunging the realm into the chaotic Five Dynasties period. …
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.