Historical Events
- May 6 KTM-AM in Los Angeles California changes call letters to KEHE (now KABC)
- May 6 Pulitzer prize awarded to Audrey Wurdemann (Bright Ambush)
- May 8 MLB Cincinnati Reds catcher Ernie Lombardi doubles in 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th in 15-4 victory over Phillies, in game one of a double header at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl
- May 11 60th Preakness: Willie Saunders aboard Omaha wins in 1:58.4
- May 14 LA's Griffith Planetarium opens, 3rd in US
- May 14 Northamptonshire County Cricket Club gains (over Somerset at Taunton by 48 runs) what proved to be their last victory for 99 matches, a record in the County Championship. Their next Championship win was not until May 29, 1939.
- May 14 Plebiscite in the Philippines ratifies independence agreement
- May 15 MLB Pittsburgh Pirates squeak past Phillies 20-5 at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl
- May 15 Moscow Metro opens to public; initial phase was 11 km (6.8 mi) long and included 13 stations
- May 18 English batsman Harold Gimblett scores 123 in 80 minutes on his County Cricket debut for Somerset CCC vs Essex at Frome
Canonization of John Fisher and Thomas More
May 19 English Cardinal John Fisher and statesman Thomas More, both executed by Henry VIII, canonized as saints by Pope Pius XI
The Greatest 45 Minutes in Sports
May 25 Legendary American athlete Jesse Owens equals or breaks 4 world records in 45 minutes at a Big Ten meet at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan; remembered as "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport"
- May 29 French liner Normandie begins its maiden voyage, arrived in NYC on June 3rd
- May 29 Hague local museum opens
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Kelly Petillo accompanied by riding mechanic Jimmy Dunham win; Pete DePaolo becomes first to win race separately as a driver (1925) and owner
- May 30 Philadelphia pitcher Jim Bivin retires Babe Ruth on an infield grounder in "the Babe's" final MLB at-bat; Ruth plays just 1 inning in Boston Braves, 11-6 loss to Phillies at the Baker Bowl
- May 31 7.7 magnitude earthquake destroys Quetta in Balochistan, British India (now Pakistan) killing an estimated 40,000 people
Famous Birthdays
Luis Suárez Miramontes (1935-2023)
May 2 Spanish soccer midfielder (32 caps; Barcelona, Inter Milan, Sampdoria) and manager (Spain 1988-91; Cagliari, SPAL, Como, Inter Milan, Deportivo La Coruña), born in A Coruña, Spain
- May 3 Donald P Hodel, US Secretary of Interior (1985-89), born in Portland, Oregon
- May 3 Ron Popeil, American inventor and TV personality who popularized the phrase "But wait, there's more!", born in New York City (d. 2021) [1]
- May 5 Douglas Marland, American soap opera writer (Gen Hospital), born in West Sand Lake, New York (d. 1993)
- May 5 Edward "Kidd" Jordan, American jazz saxophonist and music educator, born in Crowley, New Orleans
- May 7 Isobel Warren, Canadian author and journalist
- May 7 Jorge Griffa, Argentine soccer defender (4 caps; CA Newell's Old Boys, Atlético Madrid 227 games), born in Casilda, Argentina (d. 2024)
- May 7 Kevin O'Connor, actor (Bogie, Special Effects), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- May 8 Jack Charlton, English soccer defender (35 caps; World Cup 1966; Leeds United) and manager (Middlesborough, Sheffield Wed, Newcastle, Rep of Ireland), born in Ashington, England (d. 2020)
- May 8 Jerry Moss, American music promoter record label executive (co-founded A&M Records, with Herb Alpert), born in New York City (d. 2023)
- May 8 Lucius Cary, 15th Viscount Falkland, British peer (Lib-Dem), born in UK
- May 8 Salome Jens, American actress (From Here to Eternity (TV mini-series); Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and dancer, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- May 9 Nole "Nokie" Edwards, American surf-rock guitarist (The Ventures) and actor (Deadwood), born in Lahoma, Oklahoma (d. 2018)
- May 9 Roger Hargreaves, English author and illustrator of children's books (Mr. Men and Little Miss), born in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire (d. 1988)
- May 10 Larry Williams, American R&B singer-songwriter ("Dizzy, Miss Lizzie"; "Slow Down"), born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 1980)
- May 11 Christopher "Kit" Lambert, British record producer and manager of The Who, born in Knightsbridge, London (d. 1981)
- May 11 Doug McClure, American actor (Checkmate, Virginian, Roots), born in Glendale, California (d. 1995)
- May 11 Francisco Umbral, Spanish novelist (d. 2007)
- May 12 Felipe Alou, Dominican baseball utility (MLB All-Star 1962, 66, 68; SF Giants, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves) and manager (Montreal Expos 1992–2001, SF Giants 2003–06), born in Haina, Dominican Republic
- May 12 Gary Peacock, American jazz bassist (Keith Jarrett Trio), born in Burley, Idaho (d. 2020)
- May 12 Johnny Bucyk, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Edmonton, Alberta
- May 13 Dominic Cossa, American baritone, and voice teacher, born in Jessup, Pennsylvania
- May 13 Nigel Butterley, Australian pianist, composer (The True Samaritan), educator, and radio broadcaster, born in Sydney, Australia (d. 2022) [1]
- May 13 Yizhak Sadai, Israeli composer, born in Sofia, Bulgaria (d. 2019)
- May 15 (Bruce) "Utah" Phillips, American folk singer-songwriter ("Green Rolling Hills"; "The Goodnight-Loving Trail") storyteller, poet, and labor organizer, born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2008)
- May 15 Don Bragg, American pole vaulter (Olympic gold, 1960), born in Penns Grove, New Jersey (d. 2019)
- May 15 Gordon Mills, British songwriter (Tom Jones - "It's Not Unusual"), born in Madras, India (d. 1986)
- May 15 Ted Dexter, English cricket all-rounder and captain (62 Tests, 4,502 runs @ 47.89, 9 x 100s, 66 wickets; Sussex), born in Milan, Italy (d. 2021)
- May 16 Jimmy LIndley, English jockey (2,000 Guineas 1963, 66; St Leger 1964) and broadcaster (BBC), born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, England (d. 2022)
- May 16 Yvon Douis, French soccer striker (20 caps; Lille, Le Havre, Monaco, Cannes), born in Les Andelys, France (d. 2021)
- May 17 Dennis Potter, British TV dramatist (The Singing Detective, Karaoke, Midnight Movie), born in Gloucestershire, England (d. 1994)
- May 17 Ivan Slone, world-famous watchmaker
- May 18 Arne Legernes, Norwegian soccer midfielder (41 caps; Molde FC, Larvik Turn), born in Molde, Norway (d. 2022)
- May 19 David Hartman, American actor and TV personality (Good Morning America), born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island
- May 19 Esmond Bulmer, English cider brewer, and Conservative Lower house leader
- May 19 Fritz Rudolf Fries, German writer, born in Bilbao, Spain (d. 2014)
José Mujica (88 years old)
May 20 40th President of Uruguay (2010-2015), champion of the poor and former urban guerrilla with the Tupamaros, born in Montevideo, Uruguay
- May 21 Johnny Majors, American College Football Hall of Fame halfback (All American 1956; U of Tennessee) and coach (Iowa State; National C'ship 1976, Pittsburgh; Tennessee), born in Lynchburg, Tennessee (d. 2020)
- May 21 Terry Lightfoot, British clarinetist and bandleader (New Orleans Jazzmen), born in Potters Bar, England (d. 2013)
- May 22 Barry Rogers, American jazz, salsa, and session trombonist (Eddie Palmiere; Fania All-Stars; Chaka Khan; Todd Rundgren), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 1991)
- May 22 Ron Piché, Quebec baseball player (Milwaukee Braves), born in Verdun, Quebec, Canada (d. 2011)
- May 23 Juliet Campbell, British ambassador (to Luxembourg)
- May 23 Lasse Strömstedt, Swedish writer and actor, born in Gävle, Sweden (d. 2009)
- May 23 Lord Grenfell, head of External affairs European office, world bank
- May 24 Joan Micklin Silver, American film director (Hester Street; Crossing Delancey), born in Omaha, Nebraska (d. 2020)
- May 24 Valerie Capers, American jazz pianist, composer ("Sing About Love"; "Sojourner"), and educator, born in New York City
- May 25 Cookie Gilchrist, American football fullback (AFL All Star 1962-65; AFL MVP 1962; CFL All Star 1956-60), born in Brackenridge, Pennsylvania (d. 2011)
- May 25 Victoria Shaw, Australian-American actress (Alvarez Kelly, Westworld), born in Sydney, Australia (d. 1988)
- May 26 Sheila Steafel, South African-British actress (The 10th Kingdom), born in Johannesburg, South Africa (d. 2019)
- May 27 Elias Gistelinck, Flemish composer, born in Beveren Leie, Belgium
- May 27 Lee Meriwether, Miss America (Time Tunnel, Barnaby Jones), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 27 Len Chandler, American folk music singer-songwriter ("Beans in Ears"), and civil rights activist, born in Summit County, Ohio (d. 2023)
- May 27 Mal Evans, British Beatles roadie and assistant, born in Liverpool, England (d. 1976)
- May 27 Ramsey Lewis, American Grammy Award-winning jazz-pop pianist ("The In Crowd"; "Wade in the Water"), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2022) [1]
- May 28 Kenneth Kleinwort, English banker/multi-millionaire
- May 28 Luciano Macías, Ecuadorian soccer defender (21 caps; Barcelona de Ecuador), born in Ancón, Ecuador (d. 2022)
- May 29 André Brink, South African writer (Dry White Season), born in Vrede, Free State
- May 29 Denis Worrall, South African politician and leader (DP), born in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa
- May 29 Martin Garrod, Commandant General Royal Marines, born in Darjeeling, British India (d. 2009)
- May 29 Sylvia Robinson, American singer (Mickey & Sylvia - "Love Is Strange"; solo - "Pillow Talk"), record producer, and record label executive (Sugar Hill Records), born in Harlem, New York (d. 2011)
- May 30 Bill Mallory, College Football coach (Miami, Colorado, Northern Illinois, Indiana), born in Sandusky, Ohio (d. 2018)
- May 30 Ni Kuang, Hong Kong-American novelist and screenwriter (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin), born in Shanghai, China (d. 2022) [1]
- May 31 Albert "Tootie" Heath, American jazz hard bop drummer (John Coltrane; Art Farmer; Jimmy Heath; Tete Montoliu, Yusef Lateef), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2024) [1]
- May 31 Jim Bolger, New Zealand politician 35th Prime Minister of New Zealand, born in Opunake, New Zealand
Famous Weddings
- May 24 Swedish princess Ingrid marries Danish crown prince Frederik (IX)
Famous Deaths
Józef Piłsudski (1867-1935)
May 12 Father of the Second Polish Republic who served as its Chief of State (1918-22), Marshall of Poland and later its de facto leader (1926-35), dies at 67
Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935)
May 14 German physician and gay rights advocate, dies of a heart attack at 67
T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935)
May 19 British author, soldier and diplomat famous for his liaison role in Arabia during WWI, dies at 46, in a motorcycle accident in Dorset, England
Jane Addams (1860-1935)
May 21 American pacifist, social activist, feminist, author, co-founder of ACLU (Nobel Prize for Peace, 1931), dies at 65 [1]
