What Happened in May 1942

Historical Events

May 8 1st twilight game in 24 years, the Dodgers top Giants 7-6 raising $60,000 for Navy Relief Fund
May 8 Aircraft carrier USS Lexington sunk by Japanese air attack in Coral Sea
May 8 German summer offensive opens in Crimea
May 9 67th Preakness: Basil James aboard Alsab wins in 1:57
May 10 World War II: The Thai Phayap Army invades the Shan States during the Burma Campaign
May 11 Japanese troops conquer Kalewa

Go Down, Moses

May 11 William Faulkner's collections of short stories, "Go Down, Moses", is published

Author and Nobel Laureate William Faulkner

May 12 1,500 Jews gassed in Auschwitz

Ben-Gurion Departs

May 12 David Ben-Gurion leaves Jewish state in Palestine

1st Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion

May 12 Nazi U-boat sinks American cargo ship at mouth of Mississippi River
May 12 Russia occupies Crackow, until Aug 23, 1943
May 13 Helicopter makes its 1st cross-country flight
May 13 Pitcher Jim Tobin belts 3 HRs in a game
May 14 US Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) forms

Lincoln Portrait

May 14 World premiere performance of Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" with: Andre Kostelanetz conducting the Cincinnati Symphony in Cincinnati, Ohio

May 15 Gasoline 1st rationed in US (17 Eastern States)
May 15 Nazi occupiers in Netherlands arrest 2,000 Dutch officers
May 16 1st transport of British and Dutch prisoners to South Burma

Dutch SS Vows Loyalty

May 17 Dutch SS vows loyalty to Hitler

May 18 NYC ends night baseball games for rest of WW II
May 19 Braves Paul Waner is 3rd NLer to get 3,000 hits (Anson & Wagner)
May 20 US Navy 1st permitted black recruits to serve
May 21 Convoy PQ16 departs Great Britain for Russia
May 22 Mexico declares war on Nazi-Germany & Japan
May 22 The Steel Workers Organizing Committee disbands, and a new trade union, the United Steelworkers, is formed
May 25 First commercial fluid catalytic cracking facility begins production at Exxon - now produces half the world's gasoline, developed by the "Four Horsemen” research team at Exxon [1]
May 26 Anglo-Soviet Treaty signed in London
May 26 Belgium Jews are required by Nazis to wear a Jewish star
May 26 Tank battle at Bir Hakeim: Afrika Korps vs British army

Event of Interest

May 27 Adolf Hitler orders 10,000 Czechs murdered in revenge for attempted assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich (who eventually dies). Leads in June to annihilation of Lidice.

May 27 Attempted assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich by a grenade thrown by Czech rebels in Prague during Operation Anthropoid; he would die a week later of an infection
May 27 Dorie Miller awarded navy cross for deeds at Pearl Harbor
May 27 Italian army begin siege of French western Fort Bir Hachim
May 28 1,800 Czechs murdered by Nazis during attack on Heydrich

Yankee Doodle Dandy

May 29 "Yankee Doodle Dandy", based on life of George M. Cohan, directed by Michael Curtiz, starring James Cagney and Joan Lesley, premieres in NYC (Academy Awards Best Actor 1943)

Composer, Actor and Singer George M. Cohan

White Christmas

May 29 Bing Crosby records Irving Berlin's song "White Christmas", with the John Scott Trotter Orchestra and the Ken Darby Singers, in just 18 minutes; becomes world's best-selling single (estimated 100 million copies sold)

May 30 1,047 bombers bomb Cologne in RAF's raid of WW II

Himmler in Prague

May 30 Reichsfuehrer Herman Himmler arrives in Prague

Leading Nazi and Reichsführer of the SS Heinrich Himmler

Paige Defeats Dizzy Dean All-Stars

May 30 Satchel Paige pitches 5 innings to defeat Dizzy Dean All-Stars 8-1

Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher Satchel Paige

May 30 US aircraft carrier Yorktown leaves Pearl Harbor

25th PGA Championship

May 31 25th PGA Championship Men's Golf, Seaview CC: Sam Snead beats Jim Turnesa, 2 & 1 for his first PGA Tour major title

The City Wears a Slouch Hat

May 31 Avant-garde radio play "The City Wears A Slouch Hat" with music by John Cage and script by Kenneth Patchen broadcast in Chicago

May 31 German Luftwaffe bombs Canterbury, England
May 31 U-boats sink and damage 146 allied ships this month (722,666 tons)

Events in 1942

Famous Birthdays

May 1 Jean Saubert, American alpine ski racer (Olympic giant slalom silver, slalom bronze 1964), born in Roseburg, Oregon (d. 2007)
May 1 Stephen Macht, American actor (Joe-Knots Landing, Cagney & Lacey), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 2 Alexis Mardas, Greek electronics engineer, entrepreneur, and Beatles hanger-on also known as "Magic Alex", born in Athens, Greece (d. 2017)
May 2 Jacques Rogge, Belgian sports administrator, (8th President International Olympic Committee 2001-13), born in Ghent, Belgium (d. 2021)
May 3 Butch Otter, American politician, 32nd governor of Idaho, born in Caldwell, Idaho
May 3 Dave Marash, American television journalist, born in Atlanta, Georgia
May 3 Lynn Farleigh, English actress (Lovers of Their Time), born in Bristol, England
May 3 Věra Čáslavská, Czech gymnast (7 Olympic gold 1964, 68), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (d. 2016)
May 4 Ronnie Bond, British drummer (Troggs - "Wild Thing"; "Love Is All Around"), born in Andover, Hampshire, England (d. 1992)
May 5 Marc Alaimo, American actor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Tammy Wynette (1942-1998)

May 5 American country singer ("Stand By Your Man"; "D-I-V-O-R-C-E"), born in Itawamba County, Mississippi

May 6 Rin Kaiho, Taiwanese professional Go player, born in Shanghai, China
May 8 (Euclid) Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood, American rock saxophonist and vocalist (Mothers Of Invention), born in Arkansas City, Kansas (d. 2011)
May 8 Benoît Dauga, French rugby union lock, #8 (63 caps; Stade Montois), born in Montgaillard, Landes, France (d. 2022)
May 8 Norman Lamont, British politician, (Chancellor of Exchequer), born in Lerwick, Shetland
May 8 Robin Hobbs, English cricket spin bowler who played 7 Tests, 12 wickets; Essex CCC, Glamorgan CCC), born in Chippenham, England (d. 2024)
May 8 Terry Neill, Northern Irish soccer defender (59 caps; Arsenal, Hull City FC) and manager (Hull City FC, Tottenham, Arsenal), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland (d. 2022)
May 9 George Wilson. American basketball center (NCAA C'ship 1962 Uni of Cincinnati; Olympic gold 1964; Cincinnati Royals, Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns), born in Meridian, Mississippi (d. 2023)
May 9 John D Ashcroft, (Gov-MO)
May 9 Mike Millward, British guitarist (The Fourmost - "A Little Loving"), born in Bromborough, Cheshire, England (d. 1966)
May 9 Tommy Roe, American pop-rock singer ("Sheila"; "Dizzy"), born in Atlanta, Georgia
May 9 Val Garay, American record producer and engineer (Bette Davis Eyes), born in San Francisco, California
May 10 Bill Coday, American musician and singer (You’re Gonna Want Me), born in Coldwater, Mississippi (d. 2008)
May 10 Ingram Douglass Marshall, American composer (Alcatraz; Fragility Cycles), born in Mount Vernon, New York
May 10 Jim Calhoun, American College Basketball & Basketball Hall of Fame coach (Men's NCAA National C'ship 1999, 2004, 11; UConn; University of Saint Joseph), born in Braintree, Massachusetts
May 10 Youssouf Sambo Bâ, Burkinabé politician
May 11 Rachel Billington, British author (A Woman's Age, Bodily Harm), born in Oxford, England
May 12 Barry Longyear, American sci-fi author (City of Baraboo), born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
May 12 Billy Swan, American country-rock singer-songwriter ("I Can Help"), born in Cape Giradeau, Louisiana
May 12 Dumitru Dediu, Romanian cosmonaut (Soyuz 40 backup)
May 12 Ian Dury, English rock musician (The Blockheads) and actor (Judge Dredd), born in Upminster, Essex (d. 2000)
May 13 Jim Douglas, Scottish jazz guitarist, born in Gifford, East Lothian
May 13 Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Soviet cosmonaut (Soyuz 27, 39, T-6, T-12, T-13), born in Iskandar, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
May 14 Byron Dorgan, American politician and author (Rep-D-ND, 1981-92, Senator-D-ND 1992-2011), born in Dickinson, North Dakota
May 14 Gerald Shapiro, American classical and electro-acoustic composer (The Voice of the Dharma; In Time's Sahdow), and educator (Brown university), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 14 Lord McAlpine, English contractor/multi-millionaire
May 14 Rüdiger Vogler, German actor
May 14 Tony Pérez, Cuban Baseball HOF infielder (7 x MLB All Star; World Series 1975, 76 Cincinnati Reds) and manager (Cincinnati Reds 1993, Florida Marlins 2001), born in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba
May 14 Valeriy Brumel, Soviet athlete (d. 2003)
May 15 Anthony Wayne England, PhD/astronaut (STS 51-F), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
May 15 Doug Lowe, 35th Premier of Tasmania
May 17 Caroline Charles, fashion designer
May 17 Myles Brand, American sports administrator (4th NCAA President), born in Brooklyn, NY (d. 2009)
May 17 Taj Mahal [Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, Jr.], American singer-songwriter (Real Thing), born in Harlem, New York
May 18 Keith Hellawell, English Chief Constable (West Yorkshire) and government 'drugs czar', born in Kirkburton, England
May 18 Nobby Stiles, English soccer midfielder (28 caps; World Cup 1966; Manchester United 311 games) and manager (Preston NE, WBA), born in Manchester, England (d. 2020)
May 18 Rodney Dillard, American musician (Glittergrass), born in Salem, Missouri
May 18 Simon Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading, English aristocrat, banker and philanthropist
May 19 Curly Neal, American basketball guard (Harlem Globetrotters 1963-85), born in Greensboro, North Carolina (d. 2020)
May 19 Frank Froehling, American tennis player (US C'ships 1963 runner-up; doubles, mixed doubles 1965 runner-up), born in Islamorada, Florida (d. 2020)

Gary Kildall (1942-1994)

May 19 American computer scientist and entrepreneur who created the CP/M operating system, born in Seattle, Washington

May 19 James Topping, author of CP/M
May 19 Robert Kilroy-Silk, British politician and television presenter
May 20 Carlos Hathcock, American Marine Corps sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills (Vietnam War), born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 1999)
May 20 Lynn Davies, Welsh athlete (Olympic gold long jump 1964), born in Nantymoel, Wales
May 20 Paula [Jill Jackson], American pop singer ("Hey Paula"), born in McCamey, Texas
May 21 Danny Ongais, American auto racer (inducted Motorsports Hall of Fame of America 2000), born in Kahului, Hawaii (d. 2022)
May 21 David Hunt, British Conservative politician, born in Glyn Ceiriog, Wales
May 21 John Konrads, Australian swimmer (Olympic gold 1500m freestyle, bronze 400m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle 1960; 26 individual world records), born in Riga, Latvia (d. 2021)
May 21 Robert C. Springer, American Army Colonel USMC/astronaut (STS-29, STS-38), born in St. Louis, Missouri
May 22 Barbara Parkins, Canadian-American actress (Betty-Peyton Place, Asylum), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
May 22 Calvin Simon, American funk and gospel vocalist (Parliament/Funkadelic - "Livin' the Life"), born in Beckley, West Virginia (d. 2022)
May 22 Malika Sabirova, Soviet Tajik ballet dancer, born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (d. 1982)
May 22 Pallo Jordan, South African politician and ANC member, born in Kroonstad, Free State

Ted Kaczynski (1942-2023)

May 22 American serial killer and terrorist known as the "Unabomber", born in Evergreen Park, Illinois

May 23 Gabriel Liiceanu, Romanian philosopher
May 23 K. Raghavendra Rao, Indian film director
May 23 Zalman King, American actor and director (Wild Orchid), born in Trenton, New Jersey (d. 2012)
May 24 Ali Bacher, South African cricketer (South African batsman and captain in 60's), born in Johannesburg, South Africa
May 24 Derek Quinn, British guitarist (Freddie and the Dreamers - "I'm Telling You Now"), born in Manchester, England (d. 2020)
May 24 Hannu Mikkola, Finnish rally driver (World Rally champion 1983), born in Joensuu, Finland (d. 2021)
May 25 Brian "Blinky" Davison, British rocker (The Nice), born in Leicester, England (d. 2008)
May 25 Ron Davies, Welsh soccer forward (29 caps; Norwich City, Southampton, Portsmouth, LA Aztecs), born in Holywell, Wales (d. 2013)
May 26 Ray Ennis, British rock guitarist (Swinging Blue Jeans - "You're No Good"), born in Huyton, England
May 27 Lee Baca, American law enforcement official
May 27 Priscilla McLean (née Taylor), American composer, performer, and music critic, born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
May 27 Roger Freeman, British minister of transport
May 28 Stanley B. Prusiner, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
May 29 Kevin Conway, American actor (Flash Point, Cage of Angels), born in New York City
May 29 Pierre Bourque, Canadian politician (40th Mayor of Montreal), born in Montreal, Quebec
May 30 Dan Miller, American politician (Rep-R-Florida 1993-2003), born in Highland Park, Michigan
May 31 John Daniel, British Vice-Chancellor (Open U), born in Surrey

Born in 1942

Famous Weddings

Robert Hofstadter

May 9 Physicist Robert Hofstadter (27) weds Nancy Givan

Jack Kirby

May 23 Comic book artist Jack Kirby (24) weds Roz Goldstein

Famous Deaths

May 3 Johan H. Westerveld, Dutch WW II resistance fighter and leader of Order Service (OD), executed at 61
May 3 Thorvald Stauning, Prime Minister of Denmark (1924-26, 1929-42), dies at 68
May 5 Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
May 7 (Paul) Felix Weingartner, Austrian pianist, conductor (Vienna Philharmonic, 1907-27; first to record all nine of Beethoven's symphonies), and composer (Die Dorfschule), dies at 78
May 9 Graham McNamee, American sportscaster (originated play-by-play sports broadcasting; Baseball HOF Ford C. Frick Award; 1st Rose Bowl), dies at 53
May 10 Joe Weber, American vaudeville comedian, singer (Weber and Fields), and theatrical producer, dies at 74
May 13 Hyam Greenbaum, British violinist, composer and conductor of the 1st TV orchestra (BBC), dies of alcohol-related problems at 41
May 16 Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski, anthropologist, dies
May 17 Alfred Hollins, British composer, dies at 76
May 19 Nicoline Magdalene Roll Anker, Norwegian author (Enken), dies at 69
May 20 Hector Guimard, French Art Nouveau architect and designer (entrances to Paris Metros),
May 25 Emanuel Feuermann, Ukrainian-born cellist (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), dies of complications during surgery at 39
May 27 Chen Duxiu, Chinese revolutionary socialist and author who co-founded the Chinese Communist Party with Li Dazhao and was the 1st General Secretary (1921-27), dies at 62
May 29 Akiko Yosano, Japanese poet (Tangled Hair), dies at 63

John Barrymore (1882-1942)

May 29 American actor (Beloved Rogue, Dinner at 8), dies from cirrhosis of the liver and kidney failure at 60

On This Day