Historical Events
Citizen Kane
May 1 "Citizen Kane", directed by Orson Welles and starring himself, Joseph Cotten and Dorothy Corningore, premieres at the Palace Theater in New York City
- May 1 General Mills introduces CheeriOats (renamed Cheerios in 1945) an oat-based, ready-to-eat cold cereal
- May 1 German assault on Tobruk
- May 1 US savings bonds go on sale to help finance the war effort
- May 2 FCC approves regular scheduled commercial TV broadcasts to begin July 1
Sports History
May 2 MLB player Ted Williams' lowest average (.308) in year he hit over .400
- May 2 Nazi occupied Netherlands lays off Jewish journalists
- May 3 -4] German air raid on Liverpool
67th Kentucky Derby
May 3 67th Kentucky Derby: Eddie Arcaro aboard Whirlaway, 1st leg of successful Triple Crown
- May 3 WPAT-AM radio in Patterson, New Jersey begins broadcasting
- May 5 2 Fokker employees flee Nazi occupied Netherlands to England
Haile Selassie Returns
May 5 Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie returns to Addis Ababa
- May 5 Pulitzer prize awarded to Robert E Sherwood (There shall be no night)
Stalin Becomes Premier
May 6 Joseph Stalin becomes Premier of the Soviet Union, replacing his foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov
Chattanooga Choo Choo
May 7 Glenn Miller records "Chattanooga Choo Choo" for RCA, it becomes 1st record to be designated "gold"
- May 8 German Q-ship Pinguin sinks in Indian Ocean
Enigma Code Broken
May 9 British intelligence at Bletchley Park breaks German spy codes after capturing Enigma machines aboard the weather ship Muenchen
Head of Murder Inc. Arraigned
May 9 Murder Inc. head Louis Buchalter arraigned in a New York state court for 1936 Joseph Rosen murder along with three other murders (leads to his conviction and execution)
- May 10 66th Preakness: Eddie Arcaro wins aboard Whirlaway, 2nd leg of successful Triple Crown
Rudolf Hess's Escape
May 10 Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess escapes to Britain to open secret negotiations with the Allies, parachuting into Scotland
- May 10 British House of Commons & Holborn Theatre damaged in an air raid
Queen Wilhelmina's Radio Warning
May 10 Queen Wilhelmina on Radio Orange warns against treason
Bormann Becomes Hitler's Deputy
May 12 Martin Bormann succeeds Rudolf Hess as Adolf Hitler's deputy
- May 13 Martin Bormann is named head of Nazi Chancellery in Germany
- May 13 Trial against resistance fighter comte d'Estienne d'Orves begins
- May 13 Willy Lewis' US jazz band performs in Switzerland
- May 14 3,600 Parisian Jews arrested
- May 15 1st British turbojet flies
- May 15 British attack Halfaya-pass & Fort Capuzzo in Egypt and Libya
- May 15 English engineer Frank Whittle successfully tests his design for the first turbojet engine aboard a Gloster E.28/39 flying from RAF Cranwell [1]
DiMaggio Starts Streak
May 15 Joe DiMaggio starts 56-game hitting streak; Yanks lose 13-1
- May 15 Nazi occupiers in Netherlands forbid Jewish music
- May 16 First US radio performance of Robert Russell Bennett's "Symphony in D for the Dodgers"
- May 16 Italian army under Aosta surrenders to Britain at Amba Alagi, Ethiopia
- May 16 Last great German air attack on Great Britain (Birmingham)
- May 16 Nazis forbid Dutch Organization of Actors (NOT)
- May 17 Pennsylvania declares legal holiday to honor A's manager Connie Mack
- May 18 Italian army in Ethiopia under general Aosta surrenders to Britain
- May 19 Germany occupiers in Holland forbid bicycle taxis
- May 19 New Nazi battleship Bismarck leaves Gdynia, Poland
- May 20 Archer's "Christian Calendar & Gregorian Reform" published
- May 20 Former Dutch PM Hendrikus Colijn says Dutch Indies not ready for independence
- May 20 Germany begins airborne invasion of Crete
- May 20 White Sox Taft Wright sets AL record of RBIs in 13 consecutive games
- May 21 German airforce occupies airport at Maleme, Crete
- May 21 Singer Johan Heesters visits Dachau concentration camp
- May 21 SS Robin Moor becomes the first US ship sunk by a U-boat during World War II
- May 22 British troops attack Baghdad
- May 24 German athlete Rudolf Harbig runs world record 1,000m in 2:21.5 at Dresden, Germany
- May 24 German battleship Bismarck sinks the British battle cruiser HMS Hood; 1,416 die, 3 survive
- May 25 5,000 drown in a storm at Ganges Delta region in India
- May 25 Ted Williams raises his batting average over .400 for 1st time in 1941
- May 26 Aircraft from HMS Ark Royal sights German battleship Bismarck
Betsy Ross House
May 26 American Flag House (Betsy Ross' Home) given to city of Philadelphia
- May 26 German occupiers begin youth labor
29th Indianapolis 500
May 30 29th Indianapolis 500: Floyd Davis/Mauri Rose win final 500 prior to United States involvement in WWII; final time one car would carry 2 drivers to victory at Indy
- May 30 British Army enters Baghdad, chasing pro-German coup government
- May 31 -June 1) 32.0 cm rain falls on Burlington Kansas (state record)
- May 31 1st issue of "Parade" goes on sale
- May 31 A Luftwaffe air raid in Dublin, in neutral Ireland, claims 38 lives
- May 31 German occupiers forbids Jews access to beach & swimming pools
- May 31 Nazi occupiers forbid Jews access to beaches and swimming pools in the Netherlands
Famous Birthdays
- May 1 Barbara Barendrecht [BHM Wurfbain], actress (Dirty Picture)
- May 1 Brian Glencross, Australian field hockey defender (93 caps; Olympic bronze 1964, silver 1968) and coach (Australia women Olympic gold 1988; Champions Trophy 1989, 91), born in Narrogin, Australia (d. 2022)
- May 1 Juraj Hatrík, Slovak composer (Monumento malinconico; Dispute Over a Plastered Dwarf), and educator, born in Orkucany, Slovak Republic (d. 2021)
- May 2 Clay Carroll, American baseball player, born in Clanton, Alabama
- May 2 Jules Wijdenbosch, Surinamese politician, President of Suriname (1996-2000), born in Paramaribo, Surinam
- May 3 Edward Malloy, 16th president of the University of Notre Dame, born in Washington, D.C.
- May 3 Frank Collett [Taglieri], American jazz pianist and bandleader, born in Brooklyn, NYC (d. 2016)
- May 3 Nona Gaprindashvili, Georgian world women's chess champ (1962-78), born in Zugdidi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
- May 4 David LaFlamme [Gary Posie], American electric rock violinist (It's A Beautiful Day - "White Bird"), born in New Britain, Connecticut (d. 2023)
- May 4 George Will, American political analyst (Night Line), born in Champaign, Illinois
- May 4 Nickolas "Nick" Ashford, American songwriter, record producer("Ain't No Mountain High Enough"; "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)"), and singer (Ashford & Simpson - "Solid"), born in Fairfield, South Carolina (d. 2011)
- May 5 Alexander Ragulin, Russian ice hockey player (Olympic gold 1964, 68, 72), born in Moscow (d. 2004)
- May 5 Stanley Cowell American jazz pianist (Heath Brothers), record label co-founder (Strata-East), and educator, born in Toledo, Ohio (d. 2020)
- May 5 Terry Baker, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1962, Oregon State), born in Pine River, Minnesota
- May 6 Fred J. Eckert, American politician (U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, Tuvalu, Kiribati & Tonga), born in Rochester, New York
- May 6 Ghena Dimitrova, Bulgarian operatic soprano, born in Pleven, Kingdom of Bulgaria (d. 2005)
- May 6 Ivan Osim, Bosnian soccer midfielder (19 caps Yugoslavia; FK Željezničar, RC Strasbourg, CS Sedan) and manager (Yugoslavia, Sturm Graz, Japan), born in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina (d. 2022)
- May 7 Grahame Bilby, New Zealand cricketer (two Tests NZ v England 1966), born in Wellington, New Zealand
- May 8 James A. Traficant Jr, American politician (Rep-D-OH, 1985-2002), born in Youngstown, Ohio, (d. 2014)
- May 8 Jim Mitchum, American actor (Blackout; Invincible 6), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
- May 8 John Fred [Gourrier], American pop singer (John Fred and His Playboy Band - "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)"), born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (d. 2005)
- May 8 Mahmoud Ahmed, Ethiopian singer, born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia [some sources cite May 18]
- May 8 Maurice Lindsay, British sports administrator (chairman Preston North End FC, Wigan Warriors RLFC; CEO RFL 1992-99), born in Horwich, England (d. 2022)
- May 9 Danny Rapp, American pop singer (Danny & Juniors - "At The Hop"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1983)
- May 9 Dorothy Hyman, English athlete (Olympic silver 100m, bronze 200m 1960; bronze 4×100m relay 1964), born in Cudworth, England
- May 9 Howard Komives, American NBA star (NY Knicks, Buffalo Braves), born in Toledo, Ohio (d. 2009)
- May 9 Jan Dibbets, sculptor/artist (Dutch Mountains)
- May 9 Pete Birrell, British rock bassist (Freddie and The Dreamers - "I'm Telling You Now"), born in Wythenshawe, Cheshire, England
- May 10 Ken Berry [Allen Kent Berry], American baseball player (White Sox, Angels, Brewers, Indians), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- May 10 Ken Kennedy, Irish rugby union hooker (45 Tests Ireland, 4 British & Irish Lions; London Irish RFC), born in Rochester, England (d. 2022)
- May 10 Win Bischoff, CEO (Schroders)
- May 11 Eric Burdon, British rock vocalist (Animals - "House of the Rising Sun"; "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"; War - "Spill The Wine"), born in Walker-on-Tyne, England
- May 11 Graham Miles, English snooker player (World C'ship 1974 runner-up; Pot Black 1974, 75), born in Birmingham, England (d. 2014)
- May 11 Ian Redpath, Australian cricket batsman (66 Tests, 8 x 100, HS 171; Victoria), born in Geelong, Australia
- May 12 Anthony Newman, American harpsichordist and organist (Bhajeb), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 12 Ruud de Wolff, Dutch Indonesian singer and guitarist (Blue Diamonds), born in Batavia
- May 13 Joe Brown, British singer, guitarist and ukulele player ("A Picture of You"; "I'll See You In My Dreams"), born in Swarby, England
- May 13 Ritchie Valens [Valenzuela], American rock singer ("Donna"; "La Bamba"), born in Pacoima, California (d. 1959)
- May 13 Senta Berger, Austrian stage and screen actress (Cast a Giant Shadow), born in Vienna, Austria
- May 14 Nasim-ul-Ghani, cricketer (Pakistani left-handed all-rounder 1958-73)
- May 15 Cyril Cooray, cricketer (Sri Lankan Test umpire on intl panel)
- May 15 K. T. Oslin, American country singer (80's Ladies), born in Crossett, Arkansas (d. 2020)
- May 15 Lainie Kazan [Levine], American stage and screen singer and actress (Lust in the Dust; Beaches: My Big Fat Greek Wedding), born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 15 Richard Edward Wilson, American contemporary classical pianist, composer (Diablerie; The Cello Has Many Secrets; Æthelred the Unready), and educator (Vassar, 1966-2016), born in Cleveland, Ohio
Aldrich Ames (82 years old)
May 16 American CIA officer and spy for the Soviet Union, born in River Falls, Wisconsin
- May 16 Maurice Weddington, American composer (Epiphany), born in Chicago, Illinois [1]
- May 17 Ben Nelson. American politician
- May 17 David Cope, American composer, born in San Francisco, California
- May 17 Grace Zabriskie, American actress
- May 17 Malcolm Hale, American pop musician (Spanky and Our Gang), born in Butte, Montana (d. 1968)
- May 18 Diane McBain, American actress (Surfside Six, Spinout, Donner Pass), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- May 18 Lobby Loyde [John Lyde], Australian rock guitarist and songwriter (The Purple Heart; Wild Cherries; Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs), born in Longreach, Queensland (d. 2007)
- May 18 Malcolm Longair, British physicist (Jacksonian chair at Cavendish Laboratory), born in Dundee, Scotland
- May 18 Miriam Margolyes, British-Australian character actress (Babe; Romeo and Juliet), born in Oxford, England
- May 19 Jane Brody, writer/nutritionist
- May 19 Jimmy Hoffa Jr, son of union leader Jimmy Hoffa
- May 19 Marc-Antonio Consoli, Italian-American organist, composer (Odefonia), and educator, born in Catania, Italy
Nora Ephron (1941-2012)
May 19 American novelist (Heartburn), screenwriter (Silkwood; When Harry Met Sally), and director (Sleepless In Seattle), born in New York City
- May 20 Goh Chok Sole, premier of Singapore (1990- )
- May 20 John Strasberg, American actor
- May 21 Anatoly Levchenko, Soviet cosmonaut (TM-4), born in Krasnokutsk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR (d. 1988)
- May 21 Bobby Cox, American Baseball HOF manager (World Series 1977 [coach NY Yankees], 1995 Atlanta Braves; 4 × Manager of the Year; Toronto Blue Jays), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- May 21 Martin Carthy, English folk musician, born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire
- May 21 Ronald Isley, American singer (Isley Brothers - "Twist and Shout"; "This Old Heart Of Mine"), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
- May 22 Martha Langbein, German athlete (Olympic silver 1960), born in Heidelberg, Germany
- May 22 Menzies Campbell, British politician (Member of Parliament for North East Fife), born in Glasgow
- May 22 Paul Winfield, American actor (Star Trek II, Huckleberry Finn, Mars Attack), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2004)
- May 22 Sebastian Forbes, British conductor, composer and music professor (The Aeolian Singers), born in Buckinghamshire, England
- May 23 General Johnson, American soul singer and songwriter (Chairmen of the Board - "Give Me Just a Little More Time"), and songwriter ("Patches"; "Want Ads"), born in Norfolk, Virginia (d. 2010)
- May 23 Jackson Hill, American composer and educator (Voices of Autumn), born in Birmingham, Alabama
- May 24 Andrés García, Mexican-Dominican actor (Tiger Shark), born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bob Dylan (82 years old)
May 24 American singer-songwriter ("Blowin' In The Wind"; "The Times They Are A-Changin'"; "Positively Fourth Street") and cultural icon, born in Duluth, Minnesota
- May 24 Charles Earland, American jazz Hammond organist, and bandleader, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 1999)
- May 24 Konrad Boehmer, German-Dutch composer, born in Berlin, Germany (2014)
- May 24 Martin Mogg, governor (British Durham Prison)
- May 24 Patricia Hollis, Baroness Hollis of Heigham, English Labour politician, born in Plympton, Plymouth (d. 2018)
- May 24 Tony Valentino, Italian-American rock guitarist (Standells - "Dirty Water"), born in Sicily, Italy
- May 25 Bill Young, American rocker, born in Daingerfield, Texas (d. 1999)
- May 26 Art Sharp, British rock singer (Nashville Teens - "Tobacco Road"), born in Woking, Surrey, England
- May 26 Imants Kalniņš, Latvian classical, choral and rock composer ("Hey, You There!"), born in Riga, Latvian SSR
- May 26 John Kaufman, sculptor
- May 26 John Maxwell Geddes, Scottish composer and pedagogue, born in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2017)
- May 26 Reg Bundy, British performer (d. 2003)
- May 27 Adriaan Venema, Dutch journalist/author (Mussert)
- May 27 Davina Phillips, actress
- May 28 Beth Howland, actress (Vera - Alice, Company), born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 2015)
- May 28 Guntram Vesper, writer
- May 29 Bob Simon, American TV correspondent (CBS, 60 Minutes), born in the Bronx, New York (d. 2015)
- May 29 Doug Scott, English mountaineer (first ascent of south-west face of Mount Everest), born in Nottingham, England (d. 2020) [1]
- May 29 Pepi Bader, German bobsledder (World C'ship gold 2-man 1970; Olympic silver 1968, 72), born in Grainau, Germany (d. 2021)
- May 29 Roy Crewdson, British rock guitarist (Freddie and The Dreamers - "I'm Telling You Now"), born in Manchester, England
- May 31 Gil Morgan, American golfer (Senior Players C'ship 1998, The Tradition 1997, 98), born in Wewoka, Oklahoma
- May 31 June Clark, British Professor of Nursing (Middlesex U)
- May 31 Kenneth Cooper, American harpsichordist, pianist, musicologist, and professor (Barnard College, Brooklyn, NYC), born in New York City (d. 2021)
- May 31 Louis J. Ignarro, American pharmacologist, (1968 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for work on nitric oxide), born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 31 William Nordhaus, American economist (Nobel Prize 2018, climate change modelling), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico
- May 31 Wolfgang Fahrian, German soccer goalkeeper (10 caps DRG; SC Fortuna Köln), born in Blaustein, Germany (d. 2022)
Famous Weddings
Tom Bradley
May 4 Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley (23) weds Ethel Arnold
Famous Deaths
- May 1 John R Locksmith de Brown, vicar/CHU-politician, dies at 71
- May 5 Natalija Obrenović, Queen of Serbia (b. 1859)
- May 7 David Wijnkoop, Dutch socialist, and later communist politician, and journalist, dies of a heart attack at 65
- May 7 James George Frazer, Scottish anthropologist and folklorist (The Golden Bough), dies at 87
- May 8 Heinrich Zöllner, German composer, dies at 86
- May 12 Ruth Stonehouse, American silent film actress and director, dies at 48
- May 17 José Leite de Vasconcelos, Portuguese archeologist, ethnologist, and writer (Etnografia Portuguesa), dies at 82
- May 18 Werner Sombart, German historical economist (Modern Capitalism), dies at 78
- May 23 Herbert Austin, English automobile designer and builder (founder of Austin Motor Company), dies at 74
- May 23 Slavko Osterc, Slovenian composer (Iz Satanovega Dnevnika (From Satan's Diary); Illusions), and pedagogue, dies at 45
- May 24 Lancelot Holland, British vice-admiral (WW II-Hood), dies in battle
- May 27 AH Borgesius, tutor/experimentator/amateur astronomer, dies at 76
- May 30 Prajadhipok, Rama VII, last absolute king of Siam (1925–35), dies at 47
