Historical Events
Event of Interest
May 1 Anastasio Somoza Debayle becomes President of Nicaragua
- May 1 Jelle Zijlstra becomes president of Netherlands Bank
- May 1 Pulitzer Prize awarded to Bernard Malamud (Fixer)
Stanley Cup
May 2 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: Terry Sawchuk makes 40 saves as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 in Game 6 to take title, 4-2
- May 3 African American students seize finance building at Northwestern University
- May 4 Lunar Orbiter 4 launched by US; begins orbiting Moon May 7
- May 5 The Kinks release "Waterloo Sunset" as a single; peaks at #2 on the British charts
- May 6 400 students seize administration building at Cheyney State College, Pennsylvania
- May 6 93rd Kentucky Derby: Bobby Ussery on Proud Clarion wins in 2:00.6
- May 6 Maureen Wilton runs female world record marathon (3:15:22)
- May 6 Zakir Husain elected 1st Muslim President of India
Muhammad Ali Indicted
May 8 Muhammad Ali is indicted for refusing induction in US Army
Sports History
May 10 Hank Aaron hits his only inside the park HR off of Phillies' Jim Bunning, in Philadelphia
Music History
May 10 Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, and singer Mick Jagger arrested on drug charges, based on evidence gathered in a February police raid of Richards' mansion in West Wittering, England
- May 10 Stockholm Vietnam Tribunal declares US aggression in Vietnam and Cambodia
- May 10 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- May 11 "Sing, Israel Sing" opens at Brooks Atkinson Theatre NYC for 14 performances
- May 11 100,000,000th US phone connected
- May 11 Great Britain, Ireland & Denmark apply for membership of the EEC
Music Concert
May 12 1st quadraphonic concert by Pink Floyd at the Games for May concert in London
- May 12 20th Cannes Film Festival: "Blowup" directed by Michelangelo Antonioni wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
Good Times
May 12 Columbia Pictures releases "Good Times" a musical comedy western starring Sonny & Cher and George Sanders; Cher's 1st starring role is also the feature debut of director William Friedkin
- May 12 H. Rap Brown replaces Stokely Carmichael as chairman of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
Are You Experienced
May 12 Track Records releases "Are You Experienced" album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience - one of the most influential debut albums ever
- May 13 Dutch counterculture movement Provo disbands
- May 13 Octagonal boxing ring is tested to avoid corner injuries
- May 13 Zakir Husain is elected the third President of India
Sports History
May 14 NY Yankee Mickey Mantle hits career HR #500 off Baltimore Oriole's Stu Miller
- May 15 "In re Gault", US Supreme Court rules juveniles accused of crimes should be given same legal rights as adults
Paul Meets Linda
May 15 Paul McCartney meets his future wife, American photographer Linda Eastman
- May 16 Philalphia voters approve a $13 million bond issue to build a new stadium
- May 17 Dylan's 1965 UK Tour is released as film "Don't Look Back"
- May 18 Silver hits record $1.60 an ounce in London
- May 18 Tennessee Governor Ellington approves repeal of the Butler Act (or "Monkey Law") - prohibiting the teaching of evolution, upheld in 1925 Scopes Trial
- May 19 USSR ratifies treaty with Britain & US banning nuclear weapons in space
- May 20 10,000 demonstrate against war in Vietnam
Preakness Stakes
May 20 92nd Preakness: Bill Shoemaker aboard Damascus wins in 1:55.2
- May 20 BBC bans the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" because of drug references
- May 21 "Sing, Israel Sing" closes at Brooks Atkinson NYC after 14 performances
Event of Interest
May 22 Egyptian President Nasser closes the Straits of Tiran to Israel
- May 22 Fire at L'Innovation department store kills 322 (Brussels, Belgium)
- May 23 Government bans submarines near South Africa
- May 24 AFL grants a franchise to Cincinnati Bengals
- May 25 European Cup Final, Estádio Nacional, Lisbon: Glasgow Celtic beats Internazionale, 2-1; first British team to win the Cup
Music History
May 25 John Lennon takes delivery of his psychedelically painted Rolls Royce
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
May 26 EMI rush releases The Beatles' album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" in London and select markets in the UK, prior to nation-wide release; it would go to number one for 15 weeks in the US and 22 weeks in the UK
- May 26 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- May 27 Australians vote in favor of a constitutional referendum granting the Australian government the power to make laws to benefit Indigenous Australians and count them in the national census
- May 27 British folk-jazz fusion group Pentangle gives debut performance at the Royal Festival Hall, London, England
Music Concert
May 28 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 2nd Violin concert
Event of Interest
May 28 Francis Chichester arrives home at Plymouth from Round-the-world trip
- May 28 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- May 29 Australian Paul McManus water skis barefoot for 1:30:19
Music History
May 29 Elvis and Priscilla Presley hold a wedding reception at Graceland for friends and family not at the original ceremony
One Hundred Years of Solitude
May 30 Argentinian author Gabriel García Márquez's most important work "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is published in Buenos Aires
- May 30 King Hussein of Jordan visits Cairo
- May 30 Republic of Biafra, a predominantly Igbo secessionist state in eastern Nigeria, is founded by Lt. Col. Odumegwu Ojukwu
Whitey Ford Retires
May 30 Yankee Whitey Ford, nearing 41, announces his retirement from baseball
- May 31 Bayern Munchen of West Germany wins 7th European Cup Winner's Cup against Rangers of Scotland 1-0 in Nuremberg
Indy 500
May 31 Indianapolis 500: A. J. Foyt weaves his way through a pileup on the final lap to win his third Indy 500 victory; first Indy 500 win for Goodyear tires since 1919
Famous Birthdays
- May 1 Regie Hamm, American pop and contemporary Christian songwriter ("The Time of My Life"; "I Surrender All"), and singer, born in Nashville, Tennessee
- May 1 Scott Coffey, American actor (Shag; Shout; Satisfaction), and director (Ellie Parker), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
Tim McGraw (56 years old)
May 1 American country music singer-songwriter ("Live Like You Were Dying"; "Humble and Kind"), record producer, and actor (1883), born in Delhi, Louisiana
- May 1 Yael Arad, Israeli middleweight judoka (first Israeli to win an Olympic medal - silver 1996), born in Tel Aviv, Israel
- May 4 Ana Gasteyer, American actress (Saturday Night Live), born in Washington, D.C.
- May 4 Kate Garraway, English TV presenter (ITV Breakfast), born in Abingdon-on-Thames, Berkshire
- May 4 Matthew Crane, American actor (Matt Cory-Another World), born in Kimberton, Pennsylvania
- May 5 Brad Baxter, American NFL fullback (NY Jets), born in Dothan, Alabama
- May 5 Charles Nagy, American baseball pitcher (Olympic gold 1988; MLB All-Star 1992, 96, 99; Cleveland Indians), born in Fairfield, Connecticut
- May 5 Maro Mavri, Greek fashion model and actress, born in Athens, Greece
- May 5 Takehito Koyasu, Japanese seiyu (voice actor), born in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
- May 6 Mark Bryan, American songwriter, and lead guitarist (Hootie & the Blowfish - "Only Wanna Be With You", born in Silver Spring, Maryland
- May 8 James Hurt, American jazz pianist, and composer (Dark Grooves – Mystical Rhythms), born in Memphis, Tennessee
- May 10 Jon Ronson, British journalist and author
- May 10 Nobuhiro Takeda, Japanese footballer and sportscaster
- May 10 Scott Brison, Canadian politician
- May 10 Young MC [Marvin Young], British American rapper (Bust a Move), born in London, England
- May 11 Eric Young, infielder (Colorado Rockies), born in New Brunswick, New Jersey
- May 11 Jamie Brayshaw, cricketer (son of Ian WA & SA right-handed batsman)
- May 11 Kenneth Gould, Welterweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1988), born in Chicago, Illinois
- May 12 Cara Coughenour, American pitcher (Colorado Silver Bullets), born in Sioux City, Iowa
- May 12 Robert Blackmon, American defensive back (Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks), born in Bay City, Texas
- May 12 Warren Rychel, Canadian NHL left wing (Colorado Avalanche), born in Strathroy, Ontario
- May 13 Chuck Schuldiner, American heavy metal singer-songwriter and guitarist (Death; Control Denied), born on Long Island, New York (d. 2001)
- May 13 Melanie Thornton, American pop-dance singer (La Bouche - "Be My Lover"), born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 2001)
- May 14 Deirdre Gribbin, Northern Ireland classical composer (Hey Persephone!; Unity of Being), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- May 14 Natasha Elaine Kaiser-Brown, 400m runner, born in Des Moines, Iowa
- May 14 Tony Siragusa, American football defensive tackle (Super Bowl 2000 Baltimore Ravens; Indianapolis Colts) and broadcaster (Fox, The Sopranos, Man Caves), born in Kenilworth, New Jersey (d. 2022)
- May 14 Valeria Marini, Italian sports commentator (Italian Soccer), born in Rome, Italy
- May 15 John Smoltz, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (8 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1995; NL Cy Young Award 1996; Atlanta Braves), born in Warren, Michigan
- May 15 Madhuri Dixit, Indian actress
- May 16 Kirmo Lintinen, Finnish jazz and contemporary classical pianist, conductor, and composer (Cantata Proverbiorum), born in Saarijärvi, Finland
- May 17 Cameron Bancroft, actor (Beverly Hills 90210)
- May 17 Debbie Dutch, Titusville NJ, actress (Hell's Paradox)
- May 18 Heinz-Harald Frentzen, German F1 driver (Williams), born in Mönchengladbach, Germany
- May 18 Karl Dunbar, American NFL defensive tackle (Arizona Cardinals), born in Opelousas, Louisiana
- May 18 Martin Duffy, British rock keyboardist (Primal Scream), born in Birmingham, England (d. 2022)
- May 18 Rob Base [Ginyard], American rapper (Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock - "It Takes Two"), born in Harlem, New York
- May 19 John Friesz, NFL quarterback (Seattle Seahawks)
- May 19 Massimo Taccon, Italian painter and sculptor
- May 20 Beate Reinstadler, Stuttgart Ger, tennis star (1989 Futures Israel)
- May 20 Gabriele Muccino, Italian film director
- May 20 Ramzi Yousef, Kuwaiti-born Pakistani terrorist
- May 22 Brooke Smith, American actress (Grey's Anatomy - Dr. Erica Hahn), born in New York City
- May 22 John Vanderslice, American rock musician and producer, born in Gainesville, Florida
- May 23 Anna Ibrisagic, Swedish politician
- May 23 Craig Monk, New Zealand sailor (Olympic Finn class bronze 1992; America's Cup), born in Auckland, New Zealand
- May 23 Freddie "Junior" Waite, British reggae-rock drummer (Musical Youth - "Pass the Dutchie"), born in Birmingham, England
- May 23 Philip Selway, British alternative-rock drummer (Radiohead - "Creep"; "Lucky"), and singer-songwriter, born in Oxfordshire, England
- May 24 Heavy D [Dwight Errington Myers], Jamaican-American rapper, born in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica (d. 2011)
- May 24 Steve McDonald, American rocker (Redd Kross), born in Hawthorne, California
- May 25 Luc Nilis, Belgian soccer player (RSC Anderlecht/PSV), born in Hasselt, Belgium
- May 25 Poppy Z. Brite [Billy Martin], American author (Lost Souls, Drawing Blood), born in Bowling Green, Kentucky
- May 25 Ruthie Bolton, American basketball guard (Olympic gold 1996), born in Lucedale, Mississippi
- May 26 Kristen Pfaff, American rock bassist (Hole, 1993-94), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 1994)
- May 26 Phil Doyle, Australian writer
- May 27 Chin Yang, Laos-born American jockey
- May 27 Doug West, NBA guard (Minnesota Timberwolves)
- May 27 George McCloud, NBA forward/guard (Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns)
- May 27 Paul Gascoigne, English soccer midfielder (57 caps; Newcastle United, Tottenham H, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton), born in Gateshead, England
- May 28 Glen Rice, American basketball guard and forward (3-time NBA All Star; NBA C'ship 2000; Charlotte Hornets, NY Knicks), born in Jacksonville, Arkansas
- May 28 Kari Wuhrer, American actress (Eight Legged Freaks), born in Brookfield, Connecticut
- May 28 Tory Epps, NFL defensive tackle (New Orleans Saints)
- May 29 Mark Nightingale, British jazz and session trombonist, composer, and arranger, born in Evesham, Worcestershire, Engalnd
- May 29 Mike Keane, Canadian NHL right wing (3-time Stanley Cup winner), born in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Noel Gallagher (56 years old)
May 29 British pop singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Oasis - "Wonderwall"; "Don't Look Back In Anger"; High Flying Birds - "Holy Mountain"), born in Manchester, England
- May 30 Martin Blunt, British rock singer (The Charlatans - "The Only One I Know"), born in West Midlands, England
- May 30 Rechelle Hawkes, Australian field hockey midfielder & captain (Olympic gold 1988, 1996, 2000; World Cup gold 1994, 98; Champions Trophy gold 1991, 93, 95, 97, 99), born in Albany, Australia
- May 31 Kenny Lofton, American MLB outfielder (Cleveland Indians), born in East Chicago, Indiana
- May 31 Phil Keoghan, New Zealand television personality (The Amazing Race), born in Lincoln, New Zealand
- May 31 Sandrine Bonnaire, French actress (Vagabond, Police), born in Clermont, France
Famous Weddings
Elvis Presley & Priscilla Presley
May 1 King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley (32) weds American actress Priscilla Presley née Beaulieu (21) at Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada; divorce in 1973
- May 8 "Bye Bye Birdie" actress Ann-Margret (26) weds actor and screenwriter Roger Smith (34)
Famous Deaths
- May 2 Ernst Friedrich, German pacifist and anarchist (War Against War!), dies at 73
- May 4 Bengt Axel von Torne, Finnish composer, dies at 75
- May 6 Zhou Zuoren, Chinese writer (b. 1885)
- May 7 Judith Evelyn [Evelyn Morris], American actress (13th Letter, Tingler, Rear Window), dies of cancer at 54
- May 8 Barbara Payton [Redfield], American actress known for her tumultuous private life (Dallas, Trapped, Bad Blonde), dies of heart and liver failure due to drug addiction at 39
Elmer Rice (1892-1967)
May 8 American playwright (Pulitzer-Street Scene) and novelist, dies at 74
- May 8 LaVerne Andrews, American pop and swing jazz singer (The Andrews Sisters - "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy"; "Rum and Coca-Cola"), dies of cancer at 55
- May 9 Elmar Berkovich, Hungarian-Dutch industrial designer (Eindhoven theater), dies at 69
- May 9 Philippa Schuyler, African-American child classical piano prodigy, composer, and journalist, dies in a helicopter crash in Vietnam at 35
- May 10 Lorenzo Bandini, Italian auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1963; 24 Hours of Daytona 1967), dies after a race accident in Monaco F1 GP at 31
- May 12 John Masefield, British writer and poet (Salt-Water Ballads), Poet Laureate (1930-67), dies at 88
- May 12 Julius Kalas, Czech composer, dies at 64
- May 13 Frank McGrath, American actor (The Reluctant Astronaut, Wagon Train), dies from a heart attack at 64
- May 15 Edward Hopper, American painter (House by Railroad), dies at 84
- May 15 Jaromír Fiala, Czech composer, dies at 74
- May 17 John Wesley Work III, African-American composer, musicologist and scholar of African-American folklore and music, dies at 65
- May 18 Andy Clyde, Scottish actor (The Real McCoys, Lassie), dies from natural causes at 75
- May 18 Richard Ainley, British actor (I Dood It, As You Like It, Above Suspicion), dies from barbiturate poisoning at 56
- May 19 Elmo Hope, American bebop jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, dies of heart failure at 43
- May 22 Josip Plemelj, Slovenian mathematician, dies at 93
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
May 22 American poet (Weary Blues), playwright (Mulatto), and librettist (Troubled Island), dies at 65
- May 23 Carl-Henrik Norin Swedish jazz saxophonist, and composer ("Mississippi Mood"), dies at 47
- May 23 Philip Coolidge, American actor (North by Northwest, North by Northwest, I Want to Live, Tingler), dies of lung cancer at 58
- May 23 Sanne Sannes, photographer, dies at 30
- May 26 Antoon Spinoy, Belgian politician, dies at 60
- May 26 George E Stone, Polish actor (Viva Villa, Last Mile, 5 Star Final, Front Page), dies at 64
- May 27 Ernst Niekisch, German politician (b. 1889)
- May 29 Geronimo Baqueiro Foster, Mexican composer, dies at 69
- May 30 Claude Rains, British actor (Invisible Man, Casablanca), dies at 77
- May 31 Billy Strayhorn, American pianist and composer ("Take The 'A' Train"), dies of esophageal cancer at 51
