What Happened in May 1965

Historical Events

Kentucky Derby

May 1 91st Kentucky Derby: Bill Shoemaker wins aboard Lucky Debonair, the third of his 4 Derby victories

  • May 1 Battle of Dong-Yin, a naval conflict between ROC and PRC, takes place.
  • May 1 Stanley Cup, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Dick Duff has a goal and 2 assists as Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago Blackhawks, 4-0 in Game 7 to take title 4-3
  • May 1 USSR launches Luna 5; later impacts on Moon
  • May 2 "New Faces of 1965" opens at Booth Theater NYC for 52 performances
  • May 2 Early Bird satellite goes into commercial service
  • May 3 1st use of satellite TV, Today Show on Early Bird Satellite
  • May 3 Cambodia drops diplomatic relations with the US
  • May 3 Don Steele, begins a 40+ year radio career at KRTH (Los Angeles California)
  • May 3 KTCI TV channel 17 in St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN (PBS) 1st broadcast
  • May 3 Pulitzer prize awarded to Irwin Unger (Greenback Era)

Baseball Record

May 4 Willie Mays 512th HR breaks Mel Ott's 511th NL record

  • May 5 First large-scale US Army ground units arrive in South Vietnam
  • May 6 Bill Lawry (210) & Bob Simpson (201) complete record opening stand of 382 in Australia's 1st innings, drawn 4th Test v West Indies in Bridgetown
  • May 6 Jerry Sloan is selected by the Baltimore Bullets as the fourth overall pick of the 1965 NBA draft
  • May 7 WAOW TV channel 9 in Wausau, Wisconsin (ABC) begins broadcasting
  • May 8 1st shut put over 70' (Randy Matson 70' 7")
  • May 9 Luna 5 launched (USSR) 1st attempt to soft land on Moon (fails)
  • May 9 The Beatles attend a Bob Dylan concert, at the Royal Albert Hall in London
  • May 11 1st of 2 cyclones in less than a month kills 35,000 (India)
  • May 11 Bangladesh windstorm kills 17,000

Statue of Liberty

May 11 Ellis Island added to Statue of Liberty National monument

Flora, the Red Menace

May 11 John Kander and Fred Ebb's musical "Flora, the Red Menace", Their first collaboration stars Liza Minnelli (19) in her Broadway debut, opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 87 performances and earns Liza a Tony Award

  • May 11 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
  • May 11 West Indies becomes 1st holders of the Frank Worrell Cricket Trophy
  • May 12 Israel and West Germany establish diplomatic relations with an exchange of letters

Music History

May 12 The Rolling Stones record their smash hit single "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"

  • May 13 Several Arab nations break ties with West Germany after it established diplomatic relations with Israel
  • May 14 2nd Chinese atom bomb explodes
  • May 14 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
  • May 15 90th Preakness: Ron Turcotte aboard Tom Rolfe wins in 1:56.2
  • May 15 Canadian Football Players Association organizes
  • May 15 Igor Vodic beats Mad Dog Vachon in Omaha, to become NWA champ
  • May 16 "Roar of the Greasepaint" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 232 performances
  • May 16 18th Cannes Film Festival: "The Knack...and How to Get It" directed by Richard Lester wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film

Baseball History

May 16 Baltimore Oriole Jim Palmer's pitching debut, beats Yankees 7-5 & homers

  • May 16 Bomb destroys USAF base Bien Hoa, South Vietnam
  • May 16 The Campbell Soup Company introduces SpaghettiOs under its Franco-American brand
  • May 16 WNJU TV channel 47 in NY-Linden, NY (TEL) begins broadcasting

Dolby Laboratories Founded

May 18 American engineer Ray Dolby founds Dolby Laboratories in London, England

  • May 18 Gene Roddenberry suggests 16 names for Star Trek Captain; they include Kirk
  • May 18 WTAF TV channel 29 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (IND) begins broadcasting
  • May 19 Patricia R. Harris named 1st US black female ambassador (Luxembourg)
  • May 19 West Ham United of England win 5th European Cup Winner's Cup against 1860 München of West Germany 2-0 in London
  • May 20 Pakistani Boeing 720-B crashes at Cairo Egypt, killing 121
  • May 20 Yorkshire all out for 23 v Hampshire at Middlesbrough
  • May 22 "Super-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-docious", from the film "Mary Poppin" hits #66
  • May 22 Beatles' "Ticket to Ride" single goes #1
  • May 22 Mad Dog Vachon beats Igor Vodic in Omaha, to become NWA champ
  • May 23 Franz Jonas elected President of Austria
  • May 23 Pontoon ferry overturned on Shire River, Malawi, kills 150
  • May 24 Supreme Court declares federal law allowing post office to intercept communist propaganda is unconstitutional
  • May 25 Dave Davies of The Kinks knocked unconscious in an on stage scuffle with drummer Mick Avory at Cardiff’s Capital Theatre
  • May 25 Fighting along the Indian and Pakistan border

Ali KOs Liston

May 25 Muhammad Ali KOs Sonny Liston at 2:12 of round 1 at Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston to retain his WBC/WBA heavyweight boxing title

  • May 25 Roel van Duyn, Martijn Ananar & Rob Faado align in Provo
  • May 26 Dutch Voting Rights Bill passes
  • May 26 Revised International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea takes effect
  • May 27 10th European Cup Final, San Siro, Milan: Jair da Costa scores winner as defending champions Internazionale beat Benfica, 1-0
  • May 28 Fire & explosion at Dhori mine in Dhanbad India kills 400

World Record

May 29 American long jumper Ralph Boston sets then world record 27' 4 3/4" (8.35m) at Modesto, California

French Open Men's Tennis

May 29 French Championships Men's Tennis: Fred Stolle beats fellow Australian Tony Roche 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title

  • May 29 French Championships Women's Tennis: Australian Lesley Turner Bowrey wins her 2nd French singles crown; upsets doubles partner Margaret Smith 6-3, 6-4
  • May 29 Phillies Dick Allen hits 529' HR out of Connie Mack Stadium
  • May 30 France performs nuclear test at Ecker Algeria (Underground)
  • May 30 Viet Cong offensive against US base Da Nang, begins
  • May 30 Vivian Malone is 1st black to graduate from University of Alabama
  • May 31 12th National Film Awards (India): "Charulata" wins the Golden Lotus

Indy 500

May 31 Indianapolis 500: Scottish F1 driver Jim Clark becomes first foreigner in 49 years to win; only driver in history to win Indy 500 and F1 World C'ship in the same year


1965 History

Famous Birthdays

  • May 2 Matthew Barley, British classical, contemporary, and jazz cellist (The Peasant Girl), born in London, England
  • May 3 John Jensen, Danish football player and manager, born in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • May 3 Nina Garcia, Colombian-American fashion expert and television personality (Project Runway), born in Barranquilla, Colombia
  • May 3 Rob Brydon, Welsh comedian and actor (Marion & Geoff), born in Baglan, Glamorgan, Wales
  • May 5 Glenn Seton, Australian racing driver
  • May 6 Bob Bassen, NHL center (Dallas Stars), born in Calgary, Alberta
  • May 6 Ken Harvey, American NFL linebacker (Washington Redskins), born in Austin, Texas
  • May 6 Nathalie Stutzmann (née Dupuy), French concert contralto and conductor (Orfeo 55, 2009-19), born in Suresnes, France
  • May 6 Norman Whiteside, Northern Ireland football player, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • May 6 Paul Frase, American NFL defensive end (Green Bay Packers-Super Bowl 31), born in Elmira, New York
  • May 6 Zahid Sadiq, Kenyan cricketer, born in Nairobi, Kenya
  • May 7 Chris O'Connor, American alternative rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist (The I-Rails; Primitive Radio Gods - "Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand"), born in California
  • May 7 Owen Hart, Canadian-American professional wrestler, born in Calgary, Alberta (d. 1999)
  • May 9 Ken Nomura, Japanese auto racer (D1 Grand Prix 2006, 08 runner-up), born in Fukuoka, Japan
  • May 9 Marc Logan, NFL running back (Washington Redskins), born in Lexington, Kentucky

Steve Yzerman (58 years old)

May 9 Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame forward (Olympic gold 2002, Detroit Red Wings), born in Cranbrook, British Columbia

  • May 10 Linda Evangelista, Canadian supermodel (Elite), born in St Catherines, Canada
  • May 10 Mike Butcher, baseball player
  • May 10 Rony Seikaly, NBA center (Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors)
  • May 11 Greg Dulli, American rock guitarist, songwriter, and producer (The Afghan Whigs), born in Hamilton, Ohio
  • May 11 Monsour del Rosario, Filipino martial artist and actor
  • May 12 Nína Margrét Grímsdóttir, Icelandic concert pianist and pedagogue, born in Iceland
  • May 12 Stacy Wilson, Canadian ice hockey forward and captain of Team Canada (Silver medal, Olympics 1998), born in Moncton, New Brunswick
  • May 13 Chris Washburn, American NBA player, born in Hickory, North Carolina
  • May 13 Hikari Ota, Japanese comedian (Bakushō Mondai), born in Kamifukuoka, Japan
  • May 13 José Antonio Delgado, Venezuelan mountain climber (d. 2006)
  • May 13 Lari White, American country music singer and actress (You Can Be A Star winner- 1988), born in Dunedin, Florida (d. 2018)
  • May 13 Natalie Massenet, entrepreneur and founder of Net-a-Porter, born in Los Angeles, California
  • May 13 Tasmin Little, English classical violinist, born in London, England
  • May 14 Curt Harnett, sprint cyclist (Olympic bronze 1992/96), born in Toronto, Ontario
  • May 14 Dave Widell, NFL center/guard (Jacksonville Jaguars)
  • May 14 Eoin Colfer, Irish writer
  • May 14 Joey Cora, Caguas Puerto Rico, infielder (Seattle Mariners)
  • May 14 Kelvin Martin, NFL wide receiver (Philadelphia Eagles)
  • May 15 Dan Stryzinski, NFL punter (Atlanta Falcons)
  • May 15 Jeff Rochlin, American actor (Cutting Class, Splitz, Taps), born in Brooklyn, New York
  • May 15 Raí, Brazilian footballer
  • May 16 Brent Jasmer, actor (Sly-Bold & Beautiful), born in Portland, Oregon
  • May 16 Krist Novoselic, American rock bassist, and accordion player (Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"; Giants In The Trees), born in Compton, California
  • May 17 Jeremy Vine, British radio and TV presenter (Eggheads), born in Epsom, England
  • May 17 Richard Baumhammers, American spree killer

Trent Reznor (58 years old)

May 17 American rock singer-songwriter (Nine Inch Nails - Hurt; The Downward Spiral), Grammy and Academy Award-winning film score composer (The Social Network), born in Mercer, Pennsylvania

  • May 18 Christopher Hall, American rock vocalist (Stabbing Westward; The Dreaming), born in Illinois
  • May 18 Ingo Schwichtenberg, German heavy metal drummer (Helloween), born in Hamburg, West Germany (d. 1995)
  • May 18 Rufus Porter, American NFL linebacker (Pro Bowl 1988-89; Seattle Seahawks), born in Amite, Louisiana
  • May 19 Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot, British pop singer (Curiosity Killed Cat - Keep Your Distance), born in Earls Court, London, England
  • May 19 Joshua Beckett [Joshua Rifkind], American actor (Marshall Chronicles), born in Beverly Hills, California
  • May 19 Maile Flanagan, American actress (Naruto, Lab Rats), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
  • May 20 Bruno Marie-Rose, French runner (world record 200 m indoor)
  • May 20 Fia Porter, Mexia Tx, actress (Audrey Ames-One Life to Live)
  • May 20 Ted Allen, American television host
  • May 23 James Hasty, NFL cornerback (KC Chiefs)
  • May 23 Manuel Sanchís Hontiyuelo, Real Madrid footballer
  • May 23 Melissa McBride, American actress (The Walking Dead), born in Lexington, Kentucky
  • May 23 Tom Tykwer, German film director
  • May 23 Woorkeri Venkat Raman, cricketer (Indian slow left-arm all-rounder)
  • May 24 Chris Jorgis, American badminton player (Olympic-92), born in Palo Alto, California

John C. Reilly (58 years old)

May 24 American actor (Chicago, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story), born in Chicago, Illinois

  • May 24 Shinichirō Watanabe, Japanese anime director (Samurai Champloo), born in Kyoto, Japan
  • May 25 George Hickenlooper, American documentary filmmaker, born in St. Louis, Missouri (d. 2010)
  • May 25 Mark Knight, American rock guitarist (Bang Tango - "Dancin' On Coals"), born in California
  • May 25 Remco Prins, Dutch rockabilly guitarist, mandolin player, and vocalist (Stringcaster; Burma Shave), born in The Hauge, Netherlands
  • May 25 Roef Ragas, Dutch actor (Missing Link, Red Rain, Juju, Mykosch), born in Harderwijk, Netherlands (d. 2007)
  • May 25 Stefka Kostadinova, Bulgaria high jumper (world record 1987), born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Yahya Jammeh (58 years old)

May 25 Gambian dictator (1994-2017), born in Kanilai, Gambia

  • May 26 Greg Lloyd, NFL linebacker (Pittsburgh Steelers)
  • May 26 Hazel Irvine, British television presenter
  • May 27 Jacob Brumfield, Bogalusa LA, outfielder (Toronto Blue Jays)

Pat Cash (58 years old)

May 27 Australian tennis player (Wimbledon 1987), born in Melbourne, Victoria

  • May 27 Todd Bridges, actor (Diff'rent Strokes, Fish), born in San Francisco, California
  • May 28 Chris Ballew, American alt rock singer-songwriter, and bassist (The Presidents Of The United States -"Lump"; Caspar Babypants), born in Seattle, Washington
  • May 28 Christa Miller, American actress (Kate-Drew Carey Show), born in New York City
  • May 29 Emilio Sánchez, Spanish tennis player (1988 Olympic bronze, Hopman Cup 1990), born in Madrid, Spain
  • May 29 Jammo Myllys, Finnish hockey goaltender (Finland World C'ship gold 1995), born in Savonlinna, Finland
  • May 30 Billy Donovan Jr., American basketball head coach (Oklahoma City Thunder 2015-19; University of Florida, NCAA Cship 2006-07), born in Rockville Centre, New York
  • May 30 Tammy Parks, actress (Attack of 60' Centerfold), born in Rockville Centre, New York
  • May 30 Tyronne Stowe, NFL linebacker (Seattle Seahawks)
  • May 31 Annette Renee Peters [nee Hand], American 1500/3000 runner, born in Reno, Nevada

Brooke Shields (58 years old)

May 31 American model and actress (Blue Lagoon, Suddenly Susan), born in New York City

  • May 31 DJ Casper [William Perry Jr.], American club DJ and songwriter ("Cha Cha Slide"), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2023)
  • May 31 Steve White, British session and touring drummer (The Style Council; Paul Weller), born in Southwark, London, England
Born in 1965

Famous Weddings

  • May 6 Britis singer Mariane Faithfull weds British artist John Dunbar in Cambridge, England with Peter Asher as the best man; divorce in 1966

Martin Scorsese

May 15 Director Martin Scorsese (22) weds Laraine Brennan in New York

Sugar Ray Robinson

May 25 Boxing champion Sugar Ray Robinson (44) weds Millie Bruce in Los Angeles


Famous Deaths

  • May 1 Leo Spies, Russian-born German composer, dies at 65
  • May 1 Spike Jones [Lindley Armstrong Jones], American bandleader (Der Fueher's Face, Cocktails For Two), dies from emphysema at 53
  • May 3 Howard Spring, Welsh writer and critic (Heaven Lies About Us), dies at 76
  • May 3 Otto Forst de Battaglia, Austrian diplomat and genealogist, dies at 75
  • May 4 Norman Brokenshire, TV moderator (Four Square Court), dies at 66
  • May 7 Charles Sheeler, American Modernist-Precisionist artist, commercial photographer, and the avant-garde film maker (Manhatta), dies at 81
  • May 8 Wally Hardinge, English cricketer (scored 25 & 5 in only Test for England), dies at 79
  • May 9 Leopold Figl, Austrian politician (13th Chancellor of Austria), dies at 62
  • May 10 Hubertus van Mook, Dutch colonial administrator (Acting Governor General of the Dutch East Indies 1942-48), dies at 70
  • May 11 Lode Baekelmans, Belgian writer (Tille), dies at 84
  • May 12 Roger Vailland, French author (Drôle de jeu, La loi) and screenwriter, dies at 57
  • May 14 Frances Perkins, American politician and 1st woman to hold cabinet-level position (Labor 1933-45), dies at 83
  • May 15 Adrian Schoevers, Dutch director (Schoevers Institution), dies
  • May 18 Eduard Jan Dijksterhuis, Dutch historian of science (biography of Archimedes), dies at 72
  • May 19 Maria Dabrowska, Polish writer (Nights and Days), dies at 75
  • May 21 Geoffrey de Havilland, British aircraft designer, dies at 82
  • May 22 Bobby Watson, American comedian (Hitler Gang, Boys Town), dies at 77
  • May 22 Christopher Stone, first disc jockey in the United Kingdom (b. 1882)
  • May 22 Heinrich Barth, Swiss philosopher (Das Sein in der Zeit), dies
  • May 23 David Smith, sculptor, dies
  • May 23 Earl Webb, American baseball outfielder (MLB Record: 67 doubles, single season 1931; Boston Red Sox), dies at 67
  • May 25 Sonny Boy Williamson II [Aleck Miller], American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter, dies at 65