What Happened in May 1928

Historical Events

The Bridge of the Luis Rey

May 7 Pulitzer prize awarded to Thornton Wilder for his novel "The Bridge of San Luis Rey"

May 7 The United Kingdom lowers age of women voters from 30 to 21
May 11 53rd Preakness: Raymond Sonny Workman aboard Victorian wins in 2:00.2

63rd British Open

May 11 63rd British Open Men's Golf Championship, Royal St George's GC: Walter Hagen wins 3rd of his 4 Open Championship titles, 2 strokes ahead of fellow American Gene Sarazen

May 11 General Electric opens 1st TV-station in Schenectady, New York

Mussolini Ends Women's Suffrage

May 12 Benito Mussolini announces moves to end women's suffrage in a speech to the Senate in Italy

May 12 Second Opium Law introduced - international law to control drugs
May 14 John McGraw is knocked down by a taxicab & suffers a broken leg
May 15 Mickey Mouse makes his 1st ever appearance in silent film "Plane Crazy"
May 19 "Firedamp" explodes in Mather coal mine, Pennsylvania, killing 195 of 273 miners
May 19 51 frogs enter 1st annual "Frog Jumping Jubilee" (Angel's Camp, California)
May 19 54th Kentucky Derby: Chick Lang aboard Reigh Count wins in 2:10.4
May 22 US Congress accept Jones-White Merchant Naval Act
May 23 Bomb attack on Italian embassy in Buenos Aires, 22 die
May 24 Italian aviator Umberto Nobile flies airship Italia over North Pole again (crashes onto ice pack a day later)

Twelve Famers on One Field

May 24 Record 12 future Baseball Hall of Famers take the field as NY Yankees beat Philadelphia A's, 9-7 at Shibe Park; managers Miller Huggins & Connie Mack, umpire Tom Connolly also HOF'ers

Dodge and Chrysler Merge

May 28 Dodge Brothers Inc and Chrysler Corporation merge

Automobile Pioneer and Founder of Chrysler Walter Chrysler

May 29 Fritz von Opel reaches 200 kph in experimental rocket car
May 30 Indianapolis 500: Rookie driver Louis Meyer takes first of 3 career Indy victories after 20 lap duel with Tony Gulotta and Jimmy Gleason
May 31 1st aerial crossing of Pacific takes off from Oakland
May 31 Charlie Hallows scores his 1,000th run of Cricket season

Events in 1928

Famous Birthdays

May 1 Desmond Titterington, Northern Irish racer (d. 2002)
May 1 Raoul Servais, Belgian cartoonist/pres (l'ASIFA)
May 3 Dave Dudley, American country singer (Six Days on the Road), born in Spencer, Wisconsin (d. 2003)
May 3 Jeanne Bal, American actress (Pat-Love & Marriage, Star Trek- The Man Trap), born in Santa Monica, California (d. 1996)

Betsy Rawls (1928-2023)

May 4 American golfer (US Women's Open: 1951, 53, 57, 60; PGA C'ship 1959, 69; Western Open 1952, 59), born in Spartanburg, South Carolina

Hosni Mubarak (1928-2020)

May 4 Egyptian president (1981-2011) who was ousted during the Arab spring, born in Kafr-El Meselha, Egypt

May 4 Maynard Ferguson, Canadian jazz trumpeter (Roulette), born in Verdun, Quebec (d. 2006)
May 4 Wolfgang von Trips, German auto racer (29 x F1 GP, 2 wins), born in Cologne, Germany (d. 1961)
May 5 Marshall Grant, American bassist (Johnny Cash's Tennessee Two), born in Bryson City, North Carolina (d. 2011)
May 5 Pierre Schoendoerffer, French Academy Award-winning director and screenwriter (The Anderson Platoon), born in Chamalieres, France (d. 2012)
May 6 Robert Poujade, French politician (Mayor of Dijon 1971-2001), born in Moulins, France
May 7 John Ingle, American actor (Edward Quartermaine-General Hospital), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 2012)
May 7 Marvin Mitchelson, American celebrity attorney, born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2004)
May 8 Larry Levine, American sound engineer (Phil Spector's wall of sound; Herb Alpert; Beach Boys), born in New York City (d. 2008)
May 8 Theodore Sorenson, American presidential advisor to JFK and author (Kennedy), born in Lincoln, Nebraska (d. 2010)
May 8 William Jay Sydeman, American avant-garde composer, born in New York City (d. 2021)
May 9 Barbara Ann Scott, Canadian figure skater (Olympic gold 1948, World champion 1947-48), born in Ottawa, Ontario (d. 2012)
May 9 Páll Pampichier Pálsson, Austrian-Icelandic composer, born in Graz, Austria (d. 1966)
May 9 Pancho González, American tennis player (US National C'ships singles 1948-49; Wimbledon & French Open Doubles, 1949; 13 x Pro Grand Slam titles), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1995)
May 9 Ralph Goings, American painter
May 10 Arnold Rüütel, Estonian president
May 11 Brother Andrew [Andrew van der Bijl], Dutch Christian missionary (Open Doors), born in Alkmaar, Netherlands (d. 2022)
May 11 Yaacov Agam, Israeli sculptor, born in Rishon LeZion, Mandate Palestine

Burt Bacharach (1928-2023)

May 12 American Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer ("I'll Never Fall in Love Again"; "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"; "Promises, Promises"), born in Kansas City, Missouri [1]

May 12 Henry Cosby, American songwriter, musician and producer for Motown ("Tears of a Clown"; "For Once In My Life"), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2002)
May 12 Ivan Král, Czech-American bass player, songwriter, record producer (Patti Smith; Iggy Pop; John Waite), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (d. 2020)
May 12 Manuel Lujan Jr, American politician (Rep-R-NM, 1969-89), born in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico (d. 2019)
May 13 Édouard Molinaro, French film actor, director and screenwriter (La Cage aux Folles), born in Bordeaux, France (d. 2013)
May 13 Enrique Bolaños, President of Nicaragua (2002-07), born in Masaya, Nicaragua (d. 2021)
May 13 Jim Shoulders, American champion rodeo cowboy, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma (d. 2007)
May 14 Frederik H. Kreuger, Dutch scientist and inventor
May 14 Will "Dub" Jones, American bass singer (The Coasters - "Charlie Brown"), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2000)
May 15 Gene Kenney, American soccer coach (Michigan State Spartans 1956-69; NCAA C'ship 1967, 68), born in Urbana, Illinois (d. 2022)

Billy Martin (1928-1989)

May 16 American baseball 2nd baseman (MLB All Star 1956; World Series 1951, 52, 53, 56; NY Yankees) and manager (World Series 1977 NY Yankees), born in Berekeley, California

May 16 Hiroshi Nakajima, Japanese physician and medical researcher (WHO Director-General, 1988-98), born in Chiba, Japan (d. 2013)
May 16 Reginald Askew, dean (King's College London)
May 17 Donald Cameron Watt, historian
May 17 Ian Griggs, bishop (Ludlow)
May 17 Vivian Moses, biotechnologist
May 18 Pernell Roberts, American actor (Bonanza - "Adam"; Trapper John, M.D.), born in Waycross, Georgia (d. 2010)
May 18 Peter Hammersley, British Rear-Admiral who served on submarines, born in Stoke-on-Trent, England (d. 2020)
May 19 Colin Chapman, English automotive engineer and founder of Lotus Cars, born in Richmond (d. 1982)

Dolph Schayes (1928-2015)

May 19 American basketball Hall of Famer (Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers, 1948-63) and coach (76ers, 1963-66; Buffalo Braves, 1970-72) and coach, born in New York City

May 20 Al Aronowitz, American music journalist (New York Post; Saturday Evening Post), introduced The Beatles to Bob Dylan, born in Bordentown, New Jersey (d. 2005)
May 20 David Berriman, CEO (Rose Thomson Young group of Lloyds Trustees)
May 21 Alice Drummond, American actress (Awakenings), born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island (d. 2016)
May 22 Roscoe Robinson, American gospel and soul singer, born in Dermott, Arkansas

T. Boone Pickens (1928-2019)

May 22 American businessperson and oil tycoon (Shamrock, Mesa Petroleum Co) known as the 'Oracle of Oil', born in Holdenville, Oklahoma

May 23 Buster Welch, American cutting horse trainer (4 x NCHA World Championship; 5 x NCHA World Championship Futurity), born in Sterling City Texas (d. 2022)
May 23 Jeannie Carson [Shufflebottom], British-born comedian, actress, singer and dancer (As Long as They're Happy; An Alligator Named Daisy), born in Yorkshire, England
May 23 Nigel Davenport, British actor (Without a Clue, Masada), born in Cambridge, England (d. 2013)
May 23 Nina Otkalenko, USSR, 800m runner (9 world records)
May 23 Pauline Julien, Canadian singer-songwriter, social and political activist, born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec (d. 1998)
May 23 Rosemary Clooney, American singer ("Come On-a My House"), and actress (White Christmas), born in Maysville, Kentucky (d. 2002)
May 24 Peter Griffiths, British politician (C), controversially won his seat (1964), born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire (d. 2013)
May 24 William Trevor, Irish writer (Children of Dynmouth, Fools of Fortune), born in Mitchelstown, Ireland (d. 2016)
May 25 Frigyes Hidas, Hungarian composer, and musical director (Hungarian National Theater, 1951-66; Budapest Operetta, 1974-79), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2007)
May 25 Mary Tuck, British social researcher and civil servant (d. 1996)

Jack Kevorkian (1928-2011)

May 26 American pathologist and right-to-die activist, born in Pontiac, Michigan

May 27 Thea Musgrave, Scottish composer (Mary Queen of Scots; Pontalba), born in Barnton, Edinburgh, Scotland
May 28 Albert Booth, British government minister
May 28 Arno Marsh, American jazz saxophonist (Woody Herman), and bandleader, born in Grand Rapids, Michigan (d. 2019)
May 29 Felix Rohatyn, American investment banker (NY Big MAC Bonds), born in Vienna, Austria
May 29 Freddie Redd, American hard-bop jazz pianist, organist, and composer, born in Harlem, New York (d. 2021)
May 29 Sandy Mosse, American jazz tenor saxophonist, and bandleader (Pieces of Eight), born in Detroit, Michigan, (d. 1983)
May 30 Agnès Varda, Belgium-born French director (Vagabond), born in Ixelles, Belgium (d. 2019)
May 30 Glyn Moses, Welsh rugby league fullback (2 caps Wales. 9 Great Britain; Salford, St. Helens), born in Nant-y-Moel, Wales (d. 2021)
May 30 Gustav Leonhardt, Dutch harpsichordist, organist and conductor, born in 's-Graveland, Netherlands (d. 2012)
May 30 John Keith Wright, English economist, Assistant Secretary of State (1971-84)
May 30 Pro Hart, Australian artist (d. 2006)
May 31 Derek Ufton, English soccer defender (1 cap; Charlton Athletic), manager (Plymouth Argyle) and cricket wicketkeeper (Kent), born in Crayford, England (d. 2021)
May 31 Gabriella Kotsis, Hungarian Volleyball HOF coach (Hungary Olympics 1972, 76, 80), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2023)
May 31 Jacob Lateiner, Cuban-American concert pianist, and professor (Juilliard School, 1966-2010), born in Havana, Cuba (d. 2010)
May 31 Pankaj Roy, Indian cricket batsman (45 Tests, 5 x 100, HS 173; WR opening partnership [Vinoo Mankad] 413; Bengal), born in Dhaka, Bangladesh (d. 2001)

Born in 1928

Famous Deaths

May 1 Ebenezer Howard, English founder of the garden city movement and author (To-Morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform), dies at 78
May 4 Barry Pain, English writer (Punch), dies at 63
May 7 Alexander Spendiaryan, Armenian-Soviet conductor and composer (Three Palms; Yerevan Sketches), dies at 56
May 9 Constantin Dimitrescu, Romanian composer (Dans ţănănesc), dies at 81
May 16 Edmund Gosse, English poet, author (Father & Son) and critic, dies at 78
May 19 Henry F. Gilbert, American composer, and folk song collector, dies at 59
May 19 Max Scheler, German philosopher, dies at 53
May 22 William Henry Temple Gairdner, British Christian missionary in Cairo, Egypt (Church Missionary Society). dies at 54
May 28 Charles Edward Montague, English journalist and author (Fiery Particles), dies at 61
May 31 Ludwig Enneccerus, German politician and legal scholar, dies at 85
May 31 Manuel de Oliveira Lima, Brazilian historian, dies at 60