Historical Events
- May 2 79th Kentucky Derby: Hank Moreno aboard Dark Star wins in 2:02
- May 2 Feisal II installed as King of Iraq
- May 2 Hussein I installed as King of Jordan
- May 2 KYTL (now KPNX) TV channel 12 in Mesa/Phoenix, Arizona AZ (NBC) begins broadcasting with a telethon to benefit United Cerebral Palsy
- May 3 Westchester conference of American Library Association proclaims "Freedom to Read"
- May 3 WTVO TV channel 17 in Rockford, IL (NBC) begins broadcasting
Pulitzer to Hemingway
May 4 Pulitzer Prize for Literature awarded to Ernest Hemingway for "The Old Man and The Sea"
Can-Can
May 7 Cole Porter's musical "Can-Can" opens at the Shubert Theatre, NYC; runs for 892 performances
Event of Interest
May 11 Winston Churchill criticizes US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles' domino theory
- May 12 KUHT TV channel 8 (PBS) in Houston, TX, begins broadcasting
Marciano KOs Walcott
May 15 In his first world heavyweight title defense, Rocky Marciano KOs former champion Jersey Joe Walcott in the 1st round at Chicago Stadium
- May 15 Osip Zadkine's monument to "The destroyed city" unveiled in Rotterdam
- May 15 The Urey-Miller experiment using primordial soup to show how life of earth might have originated, written by Stanley Miller, is published in the journal "Science" [1]
- May 16 Philadelphia Phillies Curt Simmons gives up a lead-off single, then retires next 27 in a row in 3-0 win over Braves at County Stadium in Milwaukee
- May 17 Yanks & Browns use record 41 players in a game
- May 18 American Jacqueline Cochran becomes the first woman to break the sound barrier
- May 19 Nuclear explosion in Nevada (fall-out in St George, Utah)
- May 21 French government of René Mayer resigns
Event of Interest
May 22 US President Eisenhower signs Offshore Oil Bill
- May 22 Yankee Irv Noren hits into a triple-play, Yanks beat Wash 12-4
- May 23 78th Preakness: Eric Guerin aboard Native Dancer wins in 1:57.8
- May 23 WHIZ TV channel 18 in Zanesville, OH (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting
- May 25 1st atomic cannon electronically fired at Frenchman Flat, Nevada
- May 25 1st non-commercial educational television station - Houston, Texas
- May 25 Braves Max Surkont strikes out record 8 Reds in a row
- May 26 Dutch Convair crashes at Schipholweg, 2 die
- May 27 Dutch social democratic/Dutch Liberal Party win municipal elections
- May 28 Premier of 1st animated 3-D cartoon in Technicolor-"Melody"
Mount Everest Conquered
May 29 Edmund Hillary (NZ) and Tenzing Norgay (Nepal) are first to reach the summit of Mount Everest as part of a British Expedition
- May 30 1st major league network baseball game-Cleveland 7, Chicago 2
French Open Men's Tennis
May 30 French Championships Men's Tennis: Ken Rosewall of Australia wins his 2nd Grand Slam title, beating American Vic Seixas 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
French Open Women's Tennis
May 30 French Championships Women's Tennis: Maureen Connolly beats fellow American Doris Hart 6-2, 6-4 for the 2nd leg of her Grand Slam
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Labelled "Hottest 500" due to high temperatures, Bill Vukovich wins first of 2 consecutive Indy 500 victories; Carl Scarborough drops out of race, and later dies of heat prostration
- May 31 Lebanese president Camille Shamun disbands government
- May 31 WSUN TV channel 38 in St Petersburg-Tampa, FL (IND) 1st broadcast
Famous Birthdays
- May 1 Elquemedo Willett, West Indian cricket spin bowler (5 Tests, 11 wickets), born in Charlestown, Nevis
- May 1 Felix Hanemann, American rocker (Zebra), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- May 1 Glen Ballard, American songwriter and record producer (Alanis Morissette; Michael Jackson; Wilson Phillips; Jack Wagner), born in Natchez, Mississippi
- May 2 Jamaal Wilkes, American NBA forward (Golden State-Rookie of Yr 1975), born in Berkeley, California
- May 2 Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor (Mariinsky Orchestra, 1988 -present; Munich Philharmonic, 2015-22; Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, 1995-2008), born in Moscow, USSR
- May 3 Bruce Hall, American rock bassist (Reo Speedwagon), born in Champaign, Illinois
- May 3 Gary Young, American rock drummer (Pavement), born in Mamaroneck, New York (d. 2023)
- May 6 Graeme Souness, Scottish soccer midfielder (54 caps; Middlesbrough FC, Liverpool FC 247 games) and manager (FA Cup: 1991–92 Liverpool; 3 x SPD Rangers), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
- May 6 Lynn Whitfield, American actress (Josephine Baker; Equal Justice), born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- May 6 Michelle Courchesne, Quebec politician
Tony Blair (70 years old)
May 6 British Prime Minister (Labour: 1997-2007), born in Edinburgh, Scotland
- May 7 Ian McKay, British soldier (VC recipient), born in Wortley, South Yorkshire, England (d. 1982)
- May 7 Pat McInally, American National Football League player, born in Villa Park, California
- May 8 Alex Van Halen, Dutch-American rock drummer (Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher"), born in Amsterdam The Netherlands,
- May 8 Andreas P. Nielsen, Danish author and composer, born in Kolding, Denmark (d. 2011)
- May 8 Billy Burnette, American rock guitarist (Fleetwood Mac, 1987-95), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- May 8 Devi Shetty, Indian surgeon and health entrepreneur (Narayana Health), born in Dakshina Kannada, India
- May 9 Amy Hill, American comedian and actress (All-American Girl - "Grandma"; Magnum, PI - "Kumu"), born in Deadwood, South Dakota
- May 9 Gregory Beecroft, Chorpus Christi TX, actor (Guiding Light)
- May 9 Ron Jackson, baseball player
- May 9 Scott McInnis, American politician who apologised for plagiarism (Rep-R-Colorado 1993-2005), born in Glenwood Springs
- May 10 Alex Foster, American jazz and session saxophonist (SNL Band; Mingus Big Band), born in Oakland, California
- May 10 John Diamond, English journalist, born in London, England (d. 2001)
- May 10 Lawrence Lau, actor (Jamie Frame-Another World)
- May 10 Steve Thomas, American drummer (Shooting Star - "Summer Sun"), born in Kansas City, Missouri
- May 10 Tito Santana, Mexican-American professional wrestler
- May 11 Boyd Gaines, American actor (Mark-One Day at a Time, Sure Thing), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- May 11 David Gest, American television producer, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2016)
- May 12 Phil Beer, English multi-instrumentalist and composer (Show of Hands), born in Exminster, Devon
- May 14 Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia
- May 14 Tom Cochrane, Canadian rock vocalist and guitarist (Red Rider - "Lunatic Fringe"), born in Toronto, Ontario
George Brett (70 years old)
May 15 American Baseball Hall of Fame 3rd baseman (13 x MLB All Star; World Series 1985; AL MVP 1980; KC Royals), born in Glen Dale, West Virginia
- May 15 Mike Oldfield, British musician and composer (Tubular Bells), born in Reading, Berkshire
- May 16 David Maclean, British minister of state
Pierce Brosnan (70 years old)
May 16 Irish actor (Remington Steele, the 5th James Bond, 1995-2004), born in Drogheda, Ireland
- May 16 Richard Page, American singer and bassist (Mr Mister- "Broken Wings"; "Kyrie"), born in Keokuk, Iowa
- May 16 Rick Rhoden, American baseball pitcher (MLB All-Star (1976, 86; Silver Slugger Award 1984–86; LA Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, NY Yankees), born in Boynton Beach, Florida
- May 17 George Johnson, rocker (Brothers Johnson), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 17 Kathleen Sullivan, American newscaster (ABC-TV, CBS Morning Show), born in Pasadena, California
- May 17 Nicholas Bacon, premier baronet of England
- May 17 Yoko Shimada, Kumamota Japan, author (Kir Royal)/actress (Shogun)
- May 18 (Feliciano) "Butch" Tavares, American R&B singer (Tavares - "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel"), born in Providence, Rhode Island
- May 18 Helen Chadwick, English artist, born in Croydon, England (d. 1996)
- May 19 Dawud M. Mu'Min, American convicted murderer (d. 1997)
- May 19 Henry Lascelles, English grandson of princess Mary
- May 19 Roddy Lorimer, Scottish session and touring trumpeter and flugelhorn player (Waterboys; Blur; Pete Townshend; Spiritualized; Dr. John), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- May 19 Shavarsh Karapetyan, Soviet Armenian finswimmer
- May 19 Victoria Wood, British comedian and actress (Dinner Ladies), born in Bury, Lancashire (d. 2016)
- May 20 Robert Doyle, Australian politician
- May 22 Cha Bum-Kun, South Korean footballer and manager, born in Hwaseong, South Korea
- May 22 Doris Barnett, German politician, born in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, West Germany
- May 22 John Edward Stevens, American bank robber (FBI Most Wanted List), born in New York City
- May 22 Paul Mariner, English soccer striker (35 caps; Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town, Arsenal, Portsmouth) and coach (Plymouth Argyle, Toronto FC), born in Farnworth, England (d. 2021)
- May 22 Stuart Elliott, British rock session drummer (Kate Bush; Alan Parsons Project; Al Stewart), born in London, England
- May 23 Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Prime Minister of Rwanda (1993-94) and one of the 1st female political figures in Africa, born in Nyaruhengeri, Rwanda (d. 1994)
- May 23 Rick Fenn, British rock guitarist (10cc - "I'm Not In Love"; "The Things We Do for Love"), born in Oxford, England
- May 24 Alfred Molina, British actor (Spider Man 2, Frida, Chocolat), born in London, England
- May 24 Mark Rivera, American saxophonist, musical director (Billy Joel; Ringo Starr), and corporate entertainment provider, born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 24 Nell Campbell [Laura], Australian actress (Rocky Horror), born in Sydney, New South Wales
- May 25 D. A. Weibring Jr., American golfer (Senior Players Championship 2008), born in Quincy, Illinois
- May 25 Daniel Passarella, Argentine footballer, born in Chacabuco, Argentina
- May 25 Eve Ensler, American playwright (The Vagina Monologues), born in New York City
- May 25 Gaetano Scirea, Italian soccer defender (78 caps, FIFA World Cup 1982; Juventus 377 games), born in Cernusco sul Naviglio, Italy (d. 1989)
- May 25 Jane Priest, Australian model who kissed Prince Charles on the beach, born in Perth, Australia
- May 25 Rich Alves, American country guitarist (Pirates of Mississippi - "Feed Jake"), born in Pleasanton, California
- May 25 Stan Sakai, Japanese-American cartoonist (Usagi Yojimbo), born in Kyoto, Japan
- May 26 Dan Roundfield, American basketball forward (3-time NBA All Star), born in Detroit, Michigan (d. 2012)
- May 26 Michael Portillo, British politician
- May 28 Arto Lindsay, American guitarist, composer (Lounge Lizards; Ambitious Lovers), and producer (Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Lucas Santtana), born in Richmond, Virginia
- May 29 Big Daddy Graham [Edward Gudonis], American comedian, writer, actor, recording artist, and radio personality, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2021)
Danny Elfman (70 years old)
May 29 American singer-songwriter (Oingo Boingo - "Weird Science"), and Emmy and Grammy Award-winning composer (The Simspons Theme; Good Will Hunting; Tim Burton films), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 29 Karla DeVito, American stage and screen actress and singer, born in Mokena, Illionis
- May 29 Ranjy Nanan, West Indian cricket spin bowler (WI 1 Test; Trinidad & Tobago), born in Preysal, Trinidad
- May 29 Rick Henderson, American singer (Mason Dixon - "Karen Comes Around"), born in Beaumont, Texas
- May 30 Colm Meaney, actor (Star Trek Deep Space 9)
- May 30 Peter Townend, Australian surfer (first IPS/ASP World Champion 1976; International Surfing HOF), born in Coolangatta, Australia
- May 31 Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Finnish actor
Famous Weddings
- May 23 John F. Kennedy's sister Eunice Kennedy (31) weds activist and attorney Sargent Shriver at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City
Famous Deaths
- May 4 Edward Shanks, British poet and critic, dies at 60
- May 4 T. Tertius Noble, English composer, dies at 85
- May 7 Ormy Pearse, South African cricketer (55 runs & 3 wkts in 3 Tests for S Af), dies at 68
- May 11 Jean Adair, Canadian actress, dies at 80
- May 14 Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Japanese-American painter, etcher and lithographer, dies at 59
Django Reinhardt (1910-1953)
May 16 Belgium born Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer considered the most significant European jazz musician, dies at 43
- May 17 Eric De Lamarter, American organist, composer and conductor (Chicago Symphony), dies at 73
- May 18 Tom Killick, English cricketer (at the crease 2 Tests for Eng 1929), dies at 69
- May 19 Damaso Berenguer, Spanish soldier and politician (122nd Prime Minister of Spain), dies at 79
- May 22 Vaclav Klicka, Czech composer, dies at 70
- May 24 Cor Hermus, Dutch actor, director and writer (Bleeke Bet, William of Orange, Jantes), dies at 63
- May 26 Albert Spalding, American violinist and composer, dies at 64
- May 27 Jesse Burkett, American Baseball HOF left fielder (NL batting champion 1895-96, 1901; 240 hits in 1896 MLB record for 15 years; Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals), dies at 84
- May 28 Hori Tatsuo, Japanese writer (b. 1904)
- May 29 Man Mountain Dean [Frank Simmons Leavitt], American professional wrestler, dies at 61
- May 30 Dooley Wilson [Arthur Wilson], American musician and actor (Beulah, Casablanca), dies of natural causes at 67
- May 30 George Barnes, cinematographer, dies at 60