What Happened in May 1934

Historical Events

  • May 1 Austria signs pact with Vatican
  • May 1 Philippine legislature accepts US proposal for independence
  • May 1 Water state kingdom dismisses NSB-leader Anton Mussert
  • May 2 Nazi Germany begins People's Court
  • May 5 60th Kentucky Derby: Mack Garner aboard Cavalcade wins in 2:04

Red Sox's Record Inning

May 6 Red Sox score 12 runs in 4th inning including record 4 consecutive triples hit by Carl Reynolds, Moose Solters, Rick Ferrell, & B Walters

  • May 7 Part of Khabarovsk becomes a Jewish Autnomous Region

Juliana Canal

May 7 Princess Juliana of the Netherlands opens Juliana Canal between Maastricht and Maasbracht

  • May 7 Pulitzer prize awarded to Sidney Kingsley for his play "Men in White"
  • May 7 World's largest pearl (6.4 kg) found at Palawan, Philippines

Cocktails For Two

May 12 "Cocktails For Two" by Duke Ellington hits #1

  • May 12 59th Preakness: Robert Jones aboard High Quest wins in 1:58.2
  • May 13 Great dustbowl storm sweeps across US prairies
  • May 15 Karlis Ulmanis names himself fascist dictator of Latvia
  • May 15 US Department of Justice offers $25,000 reward for Dillinger, dead or alive
  • May 18 Trans-Word Airlines (TWA) begins commercial service
  • May 19 Military coup by Colonel Damian Veltsjev in Bulgaria
  • May 19 Sherlock Holmes crossword puzzle in "Saturday Review of Literature"; males who solved puzzle became members of Baker Street Irregulars [1]
  • May 21 Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes first US city to fingerprint its citizens

Bonnie and Clyde Killed

May 23 American outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow - Bonnie and Clyde, are killed by police in an ambush near Sailes, Louisiana

  • May 23 The Auto-Lite Strike culminates in the "Battle of Toledo", a five-day melée between 1,300 troops of the Ohio National Guard and 6,000 picketers
  • May 24 Colombia & Peru sign accord about harbor city Leticia

Cantata Profana

May 25 Béla Bartók's "Cantata Profana - The Nine Enchanted Stags" premieres in London, England, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Wireless Chorus conducted by Aylmer Buesst

  • May 26 Century of Progress Exposition reopens in Chicago

Cricket History

May 28 Jack Hobbs scores his 197th (or 199th) and last 1st class cricket century at 51 years and 163 days of age [1]

  • May 28 Near Callander, Ontario, the Dionne quintuplets are born to Olivia and Elzire Dionne, later becoming the first quintuplets to survive infancy
  • May 28 The Glyndebourne festival in Sussex, England, inaugurated
  • May 30 Indianapolis 500: Indianapolis native Bill Cummings accompanied by riding mechanic Earl Unversaw wins race where only 12 of 33 entrants finish
  • May 31 The Barmen Declaration is published by a group of church leaders in Germany including Karl Barth to help Christians withstand the challenges of the Nazi party
1934 History

Famous Birthdays

  • May 1 Alette Beaujon, Curacaos poet (Gedichten on the Bay & Elsewhere)
  • May 1 Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Mexican politician
  • May 1 Nev MacEwan, New Zealand rugby union #8 (20 caps; Wellington 133 games), born in Auckland, New Zealand
  • May 1 Shirley Horn, American jazz pianist and vocalist (Embers and Ashes), born in Washington D.C. (d. 2005)
  • May 3 Frankie Valli [Francesco Stephen Castelluccio], American singer (Four Seasons - "Sherry"; "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You"), born in Newark, New Jersey
  • May 3 Georg Kröll, German composer, born in Linz
  • May 3 Henry Cooper, English boxer (British, European, C'wealth heavyweight champion; famous defeats to Muhammad Ali 1963, 66), born in London, England (d. 2011)
  • May 4 Frederik von Pallandt, Danish-Dutch pop singer and guitarist (Nina & Frederik), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1994)
  • May 4 Pete Barbutti, American comedian (Garry Moore Show), born in Scranton, Pennsylvania
  • May 5 Campbell Forsyth, Scottish soccer goalkeeper (4 caps; St Mirren, Kilmarnock, Southampton), born in Plean, Scotland (d. 2020)
  • May 5 John "Ace" Cannon, American pop, rock and country music saxophonist (Tuff Sax), born in Grenada, Mississippi (d. 2018)
  • May 6 Richard Shelby, American politician (Senator-D+R-Alabama 1987-, Rep-D-Alabama 1979-87), born in Birmingham, Alabama
  • May 7 Heinz Marti, Swiss composer, born in Bern
  • May 8 Leonard Hoffmann, South African-British high court judge, born in Cape Town, South Africa
  • May 8 Maurice Norman, English soccer centre half (23 caps; Norwich City, Tottenham Hotspur), born in Mulbarton, England (d. 2022)
  • May 8 Roger Kendrick, British governor (Dartmoor Prison) (d. 2009)
  • May 9 Alan Bennett, English playwright and actor (The Madness of King George, The History Boys), born in Armley, Leeds
  • May 9 John Robertson, deputy chairman (Barclays de Zoete Wedd)
  • May 9 Roy Massey, Master of Choristers (Hereford Cathedral)
  • May 10 Cliff Wilson, snooker player
  • May 10 Gary Owens, American disc jockey/TV host (Laugh In, Gong Show), born in Mitchell, South Dakota
  • May 10 Jeanine Basinger, American film scholar
  • May 10 William Lithgow, Scottish industrialist/multi-millionaire
  • May 11 Jim. Jeffords, American politician (Senator-R+I-Vermont 1989-2007, Rep-R-VT, 1975-89), born in Rutland, Vermont (d. 2014)
  • May 12 Elechi Amadi, Nigerian novelist (The Concubine), born in Aluu (d. 2016)
  • May 13 Adolf Muschg, Swiss writer (Gruppe Olten), born in Zollikon
  • May 13 Leon Wagner, American baseball outfielder (MLB All-Star 1962, 63; LA Angels), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee (d. 2004)
  • May 14 Grady Gaines, American jazz, blues, and R&B tenor saxophonist (Little Richard; Sam Cooke, James Brown, Jackie Wilson), born in Waskom, Texas (d. 2021)
  • May 14 Siân Phillips, Welsh actress
  • May 15 David Robin Francis Guy Greville, 8th Duke of Warwick
  • May 15 Frank McAtamney, New Zealand rugby union prop (1 Test; Otago 38 games), born in Middlemarch, New Zealand (d. 2022)
  • May 16 Anthony Walker, British army officer (Commandant of the Royal College of Defense Studies)
  • May 16 Nicholas Goodison, CEO (TSB Group)
  • May 17 Abe Terry, English rugby league front rower (11 Tests; Challenge Cup 1961 St. Helens RLFC [216 games]), born in St. Helens, England (d. 2024)
  • May 17 Earl Morrall, American NFL quarterback (Super Bowl 1970, 72, 73; Pro Bowl 1957, 68; First-team All-Pro 1968, 72; NFL MVP 1968; Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins), born in Muskegon, Michigan (d. 2014)
  • May 18 Dwayne Hickman, American actor (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis; How to Stuff a Wild Bikini), and network executive, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2022) [1]
  • May 19 David Sinclair, actor (Love & Hate)
  • May 19 James Charles Lehrer, news anchor (McNeil-Lehrer Report), born in Wichita, Kansas
  • May 19 Jan Wijn, Dutch classical pianist and pedagogue, born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 2022)
  • May 19 Ruskin Bond, Indian author
  • May 21 (Elbert) "Sonny" Forriest, American guitarist (The Coasters; Ray Charles; Hank Crawford), born in Pendleton, North Carolina (d. 1999)
  • May 21 Bengt I. Samuelsson, Swedish biochemist, (1982 Nobel laureate for Medicine or Physiology for prostaglandins), born in Halmstad, Sweden
  • May 21 Phillip King, British sculptor, born in Tunis, French Tunisia
  • May 22 Arne Harris, American television sports director, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2001)
  • May 22 Peter Nero [Bernard Nierow], American conductor (Philadelphia POPS, 1979-2013), pianist and composer (Sunday in New York), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2023) [1]
  • May 23 Malcolm Gill, deputy head (Bank for Intl Settlements)
  • May 23 Mason Rudolph, American golfer (Ryder Cup 1971; PGA C'ship 1973 3rd), born in Clarksville, Tennessee (d. 2011)
  • May 23 Robert Moog, American engineer (Moog synthesizer, Moog Music), born in New York City (d. 2005)
  • May 23 Syd Millar, Irish rugby union prop (37 Tests Ireland; 9 British & Irish Lions; Ballymena RFC, Ulster), coach (Ireland, B&I Lions 1974) and executive (IRFU President 1995-96), born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland (d. 2023)
  • May 24 Barry Rose, English choir-trainer and organist, born in Chingford, England
  • May 25 David Burke, English actor (The Woman in Black), born in Liverpool, England
  • May 25 Ron Nesson, American press secretary (Gerald Ford), born in Washington, D.C.
  • May 26 Dullah Omar, South African attorney and UDF-leader, born in Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa (d. 2004)
  • May 27 Harlan Ellison, American sci-fi author and screenwriter (Star Trek -"The City on the Edge of Forever"), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2018)
  • May 28 Rob du Bois, Dutch composer, born in Amsterdam (d. 2013)
  • May 29 Mick Meagan, Irish soccer defender (17 caps; Everton, Huddersfield Town) and manager (Republic of Ireland 1969-71), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 2022)
  • May 29 Nanette Newman, English writer and actress (Endless Game, Of Human Bondage), born in Northampton, England

Alexey Leonov (89 years old)

May 30 Russian cosmonaut (Voskhod 2, first person to walk in space), and visual artist, born in Listvyanka, Soviet Union (d. 2019)

  • May 30 Alketas Panagoulias, Greek footballer and coach (d. 2012)
  • May 31 Bent Peter Rasch, Danish canoeist (Olympic gold C-2 1000m 1952), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 1988)
  • May 31 Jim Hutton, American actor (Ellery Queen), born in Binghamton, New York
  • May 31 Karl-Erik Welin, Swedish composer, born in Genarp, Sweden (d. 1992)
Born in 1934

Famous Divorces

Curly Lambeau

May 23 First wife Marguerite Van Kessel divorces NFL player Curly Lambeau (36) after 14 years of marriage

Famous Deaths

  • May 1 Alexander Alexandrovich Davidenko, Soviet composer, dies at 35
  • May 2 Sergey Lebedev, Russian chemist, inventor of first commercially viable, mass-produced polybutadiene synthetic rubber for tires, and synthetic motor oil for aircraft engines, dies at 59
  • May 7 Edward Naylor, English composer, dies at 67
  • May 11 Orest Khvolson, Russian physicist and honorary member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences (1920), dies at 81

Bonnie Parker (1910-1934)

May 23 American outlaw of Bonnie and Clyde fame, killed in police ambush in Louisiana at 23

Clyde Barrow (1909-1934)

May 23 American bank robber and outlaw (Bonnie & Clyde), killed in police ambush in Louisiana at 25

  • May 25 Gustav Holst, English composer (The Planets; Ode to Death), dies at 59
  • May 27 Meijer Linnewiel [Prof Cockadorus], Amsterdam famous street hawker, dies at 67
  • May 29 Eugenie Besserer, American actress (Anna Christie, Madame X), dies at 65
  • May 30 Tōgō Heihachirō, Imperial Japanese Navy admiral and one of Japan's greatest naval heroes, dies at 86