The Fly and the Bicycles
Two bicyclists were facing each other with the front of their wheels exactly 20 miles apart.
Both cyclists started moving towards each other.
Cyclist A at exactly 6 mph and cyclist B at 4 mph.
However, cyclist A had a fly on his wheel.
When they started moving, the fly took off towards cyclist B traveling at 30 mph (a very fast fly!).
As soon as the fly hit cyclist B's wheel, he instantly turned back towards cyclist A still traveling at exactly 30 mph, eventually hitting cyclist A's wheel, turning back towards cyclist B and repeating the process.
Eventually the two front tires hit, squishing the fly.
If you were to add up each segment the fly flew, how far did the fly travel before getting squished?
Since cyclist A is moving at 6 mph and cyclist B is moving at 4 mph, their total speed towards each other is 10 mph.
That means they will cover the 20 miles in 2 hours.
If the fly is traveling 30 mph, it will travel 60 miles in those 2 hours.
What Happened On
The Finding of the Crosses
The Finding of the Crosses
Cross of Jesus Sold
May 12, 1993
Two small slivers of olive wood that are claimed to be from Jesus' cross are auctioned for $18,587. The two pieces of wood were just one-tenth and two-tenths of an inch long. Accompanying the bits of wood were two certificates, an 1885 certificate from the Vatican authenticating the wood as part of Jesus' cross and another dated 1856 recording that it was a gift from the patriarch of Jerusalem to Edouard Thouvenel, at the time France's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (the predecessor of present-day Turkey). The collection was sold by Thouvenel's heirs. According to Catholic tradition, St. Helena found the True Cross in Jerusalem in AD 320.
Lindbergh Kidnapping
May 12, 1932
Charles Lindbergh's 20-month-old son is found dead after having been kidnapped two months earlier. A 50,000 ransom had been paid the previous month with the promise that the child was safe.
Bruno Hauptmann was arrested for the crime in September 1934 after using one of the ransom money bills at a gas station. $14,600 of the $50,000 of ransom money was found in his garage. Hauptmann claimed the money was left with him by his former business partner who returned to Germany, where he died March 29, 1934. A search of Hauptmann's home found further evidence linked to the crime.
Hauptmann was found guilty of first degree murder and executed by electric chair in 1936. He claimed his innocence to the end, and turned down a last-minute offer to commute his sentence to life-without-parole in exchange for a confession.
1939 WPA poster
1939 WPA poster
First U.S. Planetarium
May 12, 1930
The Adler Planetarium and Astronomical Museum of Chicago opens. It was the first public planetarium in the U.S., as well as the Western Hemisphere. Philanthropist Max Adler donated the funds for its construction, a Zeiss projector, and a collection of antique scientific instruments.
Adler was a concert violinist before he became a vice president at Sears Roebuck & Co. after marrying into the family that controlled the company.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
May 12, 1861
Julia Ward Howe's song is performed for the first time at a flag-raising ceremony for Union recruits at Fort Warren near Boston. Also known as Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, it is sung to the tune of John Brown's Body.
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on."
Civil Rights
May 12, 1950
The American Bowling Congress ends its 34-year-old ban of membership to blacks.
First Worldwide Radio Broadcast
May 12, 1937
The coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth is broadcast by the BBC.
Spitting
May 12, 1896
The New York City Department of Health passes the first ban in the U.S. on spitting in public places and transit systems. It was punishable by a $1 to $5 fine and up to a year in jail. The ban was intended to help prevent the spread of diseases, such as tuberculosis.
Birthdays
George Carlin
Born May 12, 1937 d. 2008
American Grammy-winning comedian. He hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live (1975). Albums: Class Clown (1972, which contained the classic 
Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television, which he was arrested for performing in Milwaukee).
Yogi Berra (Lawrence Peter Berra)
Born May 12, 1925 d. 2015
American baseball Hall of Famer, MVP (1951, 54-55). His famous quotes include:
• "It ain't over till it's over."
• "A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore."
• "Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours."
• "If the people don't want to come to the park, nobody's going to stop 'em."
Katharine Hepburn
Born May 12, 1907 d. 2003
American Oscar-Emmy-winning actress. Film: Morning Glory (1933, Oscar), Bringing Up Baby (1938), The African Queen (1951), and On Golden Pond (1981, Oscar). She teamed with Spencer Tracy for numerous films. She is the only person to have won four Oscars.
Four-Legged Girl from Texas
Myrtle Corbin (Josephine Myrtle Corbin)
Born May 12, 1868 d. 1928
American sideshow performer. She was born with two separate pelvises side by side from the waist down, as a result of her body axis splitting as it developed. Even though each inner leg was paired with an outer leg, the inner legs were smaller and weaker than her outer legs. She could move her inner legs, but they were too weak to walk on. She began performing in sideshows at the age of 13, billed as "The Four-Legged Girl from Texas." She married at age 19 and gave birth to four daughters and a son.
Florence Nightingale
Born May 12, 1820 d. 1910
English nurse and hospital reformer. She contributed greatly to the development of modern hospital practices and the nursing profession and in 1860 established the world's first secular nursing school. She came to prominence during the Crimean War, working as a nurse manager and trainer, becoming known as "The Lady with Lamp" due to her nighttime rounds caring for wounded soldiers.
Masada on the Dead Sea, Edward Lear, 1858
Masada on the Dead Sea, Edward Lear, 1858
Popularized Limericks
Edward Lear
Born May 12, 1812 d. 1888
English artist, author. Writings: Book of Nonsense (1846), which was responsible for popularizing limericks.
There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, "It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!"
Kim Fields
Born May 12, 1969
American actress. TV: The Facts of Life (Tootie).
Emilio Estevez
Born May 12, 1962
American actor. Film: Repo Man (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), St. Elmo's Fire (1985), and Young Guns (1988).
Bruce Boxleitner
Born May 12, 1950
American actor. TV: The Scarecrow and Mrs. King (Lee Stetson).
Billy Squier
Born May 12, 1950
American singer. Music: Don't Say No (1981).
Steve Winwood
Born May 12, 1948
British Grammy-winning singer, songwriter. Music: Back in the High Life (1986) and Higher Love (1986, #1, Grammy).
Tom Snyder
Born May 12, 1936 d. 2007
American talk show host. TV: Tomorrow Show (1973-82) and The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder (1995-99) and anchor of the primetime NBC News Update, consisting of one-minute capsules of news updates in primetime.
"Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air."
Burt Bacharach
Born May 12, 1928 d. 2023
American Oscar-winning composer. Music: Magic Moments (1958), What's New Pussycat? (1965), Do You Know the Way to San Jose? (1968), Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head (1969, Oscar, Grammy), Close To You (1970), and Arthur's Theme (1981, Oscar).
Ethel and Julius after being found guilty
Ethel and Julius after being found guilty
Julius Rosenberg
Born May 12, 1918 d. 1953
American traitor. He and his wife Ethel Rosenberg became the first U.S. citizens executed for treason during peace time. They had been convicted of selling top secret information to the Soviets.
Otto Frank
Born May 12, 1889 d. 1980
German businessman, Jewish war victim. His daughter Anne Frank's diary, which chronicled their family and friends hiding from the Nazis in an attic, has been read by millions. He was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust. He had served in the Imperial German Army during World War I.
Lincoln Ellsworth
Born May 12, 1880 d. 1951
American explorer. He led the first trans-arctic flights (1926) and the first trans-Antarctic flights (1935).
1939 WPA poster
1939 WPA poster
Max Adler
Born May 12, 1866 d. 1952
American philanthropist. He was key to creating the first U.S. public planetarium, the Adler Planetarium and Astronomical Museum (1930), in the city of Chicago. Adler donated the funds for its construction, a Zeiss projector, and a collection of antique scientific instruments.
Adler was a concert violinist before he became a vice president at Sears Roebuck & Co. after marrying into the family that controlled the company.
Justus von Liebig
Born May 12, 1803 d. 1873
German organic chemist. His work in replacing soil minerals laid the foundation for modern fertilization.
Deaths
Perry Como (Pierino Como)
Died May 12, 2001 b. 1912
American singer, Emmy-winning TV personality. Music: Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes (1952, #1) and It's Impossible (1970).
Roy J. Plunkett
Died May 12, 1994 b. 1910
American chemist, inventor of Teflon (1938). He was working with refrigerant gases when he and his co-workers discovered that the sample had polymerized spontaneously into a white, waxy solid to form polytetrafluoroethylene.
Robert Reed as Mike Brady
Robert Reed as Mike Brady
Robert Reed (John Robert Rietz)
Died May 12, 1992 b. 1932
American actor. TV: The Brady Bunch (1969-74, father Mike Brady), Mannix (1969-75, Lieutenant Adam Tobias), The Defenders (1961-65, Kenneth Preston), Rich Man, Poor Man (1976, Teddy Boylan), and Roots (1977, Dr. William Reynolds). Reed died of colon cancer with his HIV-positive status considered a significant contributing factor.
Dick Calkins (Richard W. Calkins)
Died May 12, 1962 b. 1894
American cartoonist. Original artist for Buck Rogers (1929-47), the first science fiction comic strip.
Erich Von Stroheim (Erich Oswald Stroheim)
Died May 12, 1957 b. 1885
German-born actor, director. He was billed as "The Man You Love to Hate."
Sergius IV
Died May 12, 1012 b. ????
Italian religious leader, 142nd Pope (1009-12).
Sylvester II (Gerbert)
Died May 12, 1003 b. circa 945
religious leader, 139th Pope (999-1003). He introduced the abacus to Europe.