Slate SoundBites for May 12, 2026
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The most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar, marking the birth, enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha. Observed across Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and wherever Buddhist communities gather.
+2National Limerick Day
May 12th is Edward Lear's birthday — the Victorian poet who popularised the limerick form in his 1846 Book of Nonsense. The limerick's AABBA rhyme scheme is believed to date to 14th-century French poetry, but Lear made it immortal. A man from Nantucket famously misunderstood the assignment.
+1Saint Andrew the First-Called Day
Saint Andrew the First-Called Day is observed in Georgia (წმინდა მოციქულის ანდრია პირველწოდებულის საქართველოში შემოსვლის დღე). Recognized nationally.
International Nurses Day
Marks Florence Nightingale's birthday and the work of everyone who's ever held a hand through a 3 AM crisis. Buy a nurse a coffee.
