What Happened in May 1937

Historical Events

Neutrality Act Signed

May 1 US President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Neutrality Act, banning travel on belligerent ships and imposes an arms embargo on warring nations

Gone With The Wind Wins Pulitzer

May 3 Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer Prize for "Gone With The Wind"

The Age of Zeppelins

May 6 German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and 1 on the ground

The Hindenburg bursts into flames as it approaches its mooring mast. Thirty-six people died.

May 8 63rd Kentucky Derby: Charley Kurtsinger on War Admiral wins 2:03.2
May 9 Reds beat Phillies 21-10 (Ernie Lombardi goes 6 for 6)
May 10 Busmen strike in London
May 11 Los Glaciares National Park established in Patagonia, Argentina, the country's largest national park (UNESCO World Heritage Site 1981) [1]

Coronation of George VI

May 12 Coronation of King George VI of Great Britain (and his other realms and territories beyond the sea) at Westminster Abbey, London

May 12 St Louis Cards beat Philadelphia Phillies, 15-3
May 15 62nd Preakness: Charley Kurtsinger aboard War Admiral wins in 1:58.4
May 17 Juan Negrin succeeds Largo Caballero as Spain's premier

Room Service

May 19 John Murray and Allen Boretz's stage comedy "Room Service", starring Sam Levene, Eddie Albert, and Phillip Loeb, opens at the Cort Theatre, NYC; runs for 500 performances

May 25 1st airmail letter to circle globe returns to NY
May 26 Dutch Rail NV at law forms
May 27 Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to pedestrians

Hubbell's Record Win

May 27 New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell wins his MLB record 24th consecutive game in a 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field; streak starts July 17, 1936

May 28 Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to vehicular traffic

Chamberlain Prime Minister

May 28 Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain

20th PGA Championship

May 30 20th PGA Championship Men's Golf, Pittsburgh Field Club: Defending champion Denny Shute defeats Jug McSpaden in 37 holes

May 30 42nd Men's French Championships: Henner Henkel beats Bunny Austin (6-1, 6-4, 6-3)
May 30 42nd Women's French Championships: Hilde Sperling beats Simonne Mathieu (6-2, 6-4)
May 30 Memorial Day Massacre: Chicago Police Department shoot and kill 10 unarmed demonstrators during the "Little Steel Strike" in the United States
May 31 1st quadruplets to finish college (Baylor University)
May 31 German warships bombard Almeria, Spain
May 31 Indianapolis 500: Wilbur Shaw and riding mechanic 'Jigger' Johnson win race from Ralph Hepburn by 2.16 seconds, closest finish to that point; Johnson last winning riding mechanic
May 31 Second largest crowd in Polo Grounds history (61,756) sees Brooklyn Dodgers beat NY Giants, 10-3, ending Carl Hubbell's record consecutive-game winning streak at 24

Events in 1937

Famous Birthdays

May 1 Bo Nilsson, Swedish composer (Doppelspiel), born in Skellefteå, Sweden (d. 2018)
May 1 Roger Brown, College Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle (Maryland Eastern Shore; 6 x Pro-Bowl; Detroit Lions, LA Rams), born in Surry County, Virginia (d. 2021)
May 1 Una Stubbs, English actress (Till Death Us Do Part; Sherlock - "Mrs. Hudson"), born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire (d. 2021)
May 2 Gisela Elsner, German writer (Die Riesenzwerge, Rowohlt), born in Nuremberg, Middle Franconia (d. 1992)
May 2 Lorenzo Music, American writer, actor and voice actor (Rhoda - "Carlton, the doorman"; Garfield), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2001)
May 2 Ted [Samuel Frederick] Dabney, American engineer, founder of Atari (Pong), born in San Francisco, California (d. 2018)
May 2 Torbjörn Hultcrantzn, Swedish jazz double bass player, born in Stockholm, Sweden (d. 1994)
May 3 Hans Cieslarczyk, German soccer striker (7 caps; West Germany; Borussia Dortmund, Karlsruher SC) and manager (FC Augsburg), born in Herne, Germany (d. 2020)
May 3 Nélida Piñon, Brazilian writer (The Republic of Dreams), born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
May 4 Dick Dale [Mansour], American surf-rock guitarist ("Let's Go Tripping"; "Misirlou"; "Pipeline"), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2019)
May 4 Hans Ulrich Lehmann, Swiss composer, born in Biel, Switzerland (d. 2013)
May 4 Mr. Fuji [Harry Masayoshi Fujiwara], American professional wrestler, born in Honolulu, Hawaii (d. 2016)
May 4 Ron Carter, American jazz double bassist and cellist (Ron Carter Meets Bach), born in Ferndale, Michigan
May 5 Delia Derbyshire, English musician and composer (Doctor Who theme; White Noise), born in Coventry, England (d. 2001)
May 5 Rob Van Gennep, Dutch publisher, born in Wassenaar, Netherlands (d. 1994)
May 6 Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, American boxer (famous murder conviction overturned after 19 years imprisonment), born in Clifton, New Jersey (d. 2014)

May 7 Aviard Gavrilovich Fastovets, Russian cosmonaut, born in Kovrov, Vladimir Oblast, Russia (d. 1991)
May 7 Claude Raymond, Quebec baseball player, born in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec
May 8 Carlos Gaviria Díaz, Colombian politician
May 8 Daniel Robberechts, Belgian writer (Labia Majora)
May 8 Dennis DeConcini, American politician (Sen-D-AZ, 1977-95), born in Tucson, Arizona
May 8 Michael Simmons, Air Marshal (British Ministry of Defense)
May 8 Mike Cuellar, Cuban baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star 1967, 70, 71, 74; World Series 1964, 70; AL Cy Young Award 1969; Baltimore Orioles), born in Santa Clara, Cuba (d. 2010)
May 8 Thomas Pynchon, American novelist (V, Gravity's Rainbow), born in Glen Cove, New York
May 9 Dave Prater, American soul singer (Sam & Dave - "Soul Man"), born in Ocilla, Georgia (d. 1988)
May 9 José Rafael Moneo, Spanish architect
May 9 Sonny Curtis, American guitarist and singer-songwriter (The Crickets - " I Fought The Law"; solo - "Love Is All Around"), born in Meadow, Texas

Arthur Kopit (1937-2021)

May 10 American playwright ('Wings', 'Nine'), born in New York City

May 10 Jim Hickman, American baseball utility (MLB All Star 1970 Chicago Cubs; 1st NY Met to hit for cycle), born in Henning, Tennessee (d. 2016)
May 10 Mike Melvoin, American jazz and studio pianist, composer, and arranger, born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin (d. 2012)
May 10 Tamara Press, Soviet athlete (Olympic gold shot put 1960, 64; discus 1960, 64), born in Kharkiv, Ukraine (d. 2021)
May 11 David Allan, cricketer (West Indian wicketkeeper 1962-66)
May 12 Beryl Burton, British cyclist won record (7) women's cycling titles
May 12 George Carlin, American comedian (7 dirty words, AM & FM, Carwash), born in The Bronx, New York (d. 2008)
May 12 Gerry Studds, American politician (Rep-D-MA, 1973-97), first openly gay member of US Congress, born in Mineola, New York (d. 2006)
May 13 John Cope, British politician (UK Paymaster General)
May 13 Judith Somogi, American conductor (Frankfurt Opera-1982), born in New York City

Roch Carrier (86 years old)

May 13 Canadian novelist (The Hockey Sweater), born in Sainte-Justine, Quebec

May 13 Roger Zelazny, American poet and sci-fi author (Chronicles of Amber), born in Euclid, Ohio (d. 1995)
May 13 Teddy Randazzo, American pop singer-songwriter (I'm on the Outside Looking In), born in New York City (d. 2003)
May 13 Trevor Baylis, English inventor of the wind-up radio, born in Kilburn, London (d. 2018)
May 13 Zohra Lampert, American actress (Doctor's Hospital, Girl With Something Extra), born in New York City
May 14 Dick Howser, American baseball shortstop (MLB All Star All-Star 1961, 61²; KC A's) and manager (World Series 1977, 78 NY Yankees; KC Royals 1985), born in Miami, Florida (d. 1987)
May 14 Eric Herfst, Dutch cabaret performer (Lurelei) and actor (Floris), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands (d. 1985)
May 14 Peter Williams, British organist and musicologist, born in Wolverhampton, England (d. 2016)
May 14 Vic Flick, British studio guitarist ("James Bond Theme"; George Martin Orchestra; John Barry Seven), film score composer and arranger, born in Worcester Park, Surrey, England
May 15 (Trinidad) "Trini" Lopez, American singer and guitarist ("If I Had A Hammer"; "Lemon Tree"), and actor (The Dirty Dozen), born in Dallas, Texas (d. 2020) [1]
May 15 Joe Tait, American sports broadcaster (Cleveland Cavaliers [radio], Cleveland Indians [TV & radio]), born in Evanston, Illinois (d. 2021)
May 15 Karin Krog, Norwegian jazz singer and composer, born in Oslo, Norway

Madeleine Albright (1937-2022)

May 15 American diplomat (UN Delegate, 1993-97), and 1st female US Secretary of State (1997-2001), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia

May 16 James Hunt Jr, American politician (Governor of North Carolina 1993-2001), born in Greensboro, North Carolina
May 16 Yvonne Craig, actress (Batgirl-Batman, Kissin Cousin), born in Taylorville, Illinois (d. 2015)
May 17 Hazel R. O'Leary, United States Secretary of Energy

Brooks Robinson (1937-2023)

May 18 American Baseball HOF third baseman (18 x MLB All Star; World Series 1966, 70 [MVP]; 16 × Gold Glove Award; Baltimore Orioles), born in Little Rock, Arkansas [1] [2]

May 18 Jacques Santer, Luxembourg politician (President of the European Commission 1995-99), born in Wasserbillig, Lexembourg
May 19 Pat Roach, English actor and wrestler (d. 2004)
May 19 Sanne Sannes, Dutch photographer
May 20 Dave Hill, American golfer (13 PGA Tour titles), born in Jackson, Michigan (d. 2011)
May 22 Viktor Ponedelnik, Russian soccer striker (29 caps Soviet Union; FC SKA Rostov-on-Don), born in Rostov-on-Don, Russia (d. 2020)
May 25 (Trevor) Tom Phillips, English visual artist, printmaker and collagist, born in Clapham, England (d. 2022)
May 25 Mark Shields, American political journalist and commentator (PBS NewsHour, 1988-2020; CNN Capitol Gang, 1998-2005), born in Weymouth, Massachusetts (d. 2022)
May 26 Monkey Punch [Kazuhiko Kato], Japanese manga cartoonist (Lupin III), born in Hamanaka, Hokkaido, Empire of Japan (d. 2019)
May 26 Yehuda Yannay, Romanian-Israeli-American composer (Exit Music at Century's End), and educator (University of Wisconsin, 1970-2004), born in Timișoara, Romania
May 27 Allan Carr, American producer and director (Grease, Happiest Millionaire), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1999)
May 27 Andrei Bitov, Russian writer (Pushkin House), born in Leningrad, Russia (d. 2018)
May 29 Alwin Schockemöhle, German equestrian rider (Olympic gold team jumping 1960, individual jumping 1976), born in Meppen, Province of Hanover, Germany
May 29 Charles W. Pickering, American judge (Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi), born in Laurel, Mississippi
May 29 Harry Statham, American basketball coach (McKendree Uni; 1,122 wins in 52 seasons), born in Brookport, Illinois
May 29 Hibari Misora [Kazue Katō], Japanese pop singer ("Kawa no nagare no yō ni" - Like the Flow of the River), and actress, born in Yokohama, Japan (d. 1988)
May 29 Irmin Schmidt, German keyboardist and rocker (Can), born in Berlin, Germany
May 29 Peter Kolman, Austrian composer, born in Bratislava, Slovakia
May 30 Arthur C. Jacobs, Scottish poet, born in Glasgow (d. 1994)
May 30 George Zweig, Russian-American physicist (Quark model), born in Moscow, Soviet Union
May 31 Bob Ferry, American basketball forward (St. Louis Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets) and executive (GM Washington Bullets; NBA Exec of the Year 1979, 82), born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2021)

Born in 1937

Famous Deaths

May 1 Snitz Edwards [Edward Neumann], Hungarian-American stage and silent film actor ("Phantom of the Opera"; "College"), dies at 69
May 2 Arthur Somervell, English composer, dies at 73
May 4 Noel Rosa, Brazilian guitrist, mandolin player, and songwriter, dies of tuberculosis at 26

Walter Mittelholzer (1894-1937)

May 9 Swiss aviation pioneer (Swiss Air) and aerial photographer, dies in a climbing accident on an expedition in Styria at 43 [1]

May 10 William Tedmarsh, British silent movie actor (Two Beds and No Sleep), dies at 61
May 11 Ellen Hansell, American tennis player (US National champion 1887), dies at 67
May 11 Viliam Figuš-Bystrý, Slovak composer, dies at 62
May 15 Phillip Snowden, British politician first Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, dies at 72

John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937)

May 23 American industrialist and founder of Standard Oil, dies at 97

May 25 Henry Ossawa Tanner, American artist, dies at 77
May 27 Frank Grant, American Baseball HOF 2nd baseman (International League; pioneer early Negro leagues; considered greatest African-American player of 19th century), dies at 71

Alfred Adler (1870-1937)

May 28 Austrian psychiatrist (Inferiority Complex), dies at 67

On This Day