Historical Events
- May 1 Mark Sandrich and Sidney Michaels' musical "Ben Franklin in Paris", starring Robert Preston, closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NYC, after 215 performances
- May 2 22nd NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 2
- May 2 Gold reaches then record high ($39.35 per ounce) in London
- May 2 Israeli television begins transmitting
Music History
May 2 Roger Sessions' 8th Symphony premiers in New York City with William Steinberg conducting the New York Philharmonic
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison
May 6 Columbia Records releases "Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison", the first live album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, recorded in January 1968
- May 6 Giants reliever Lindy McDaniel sets NL record of 225th consecutive errorless game (108 chances consecutively since June 16, 1964)
- May 6 Spain closes border to Gibraltar except to Spaniards
- May 6 Street battle between students & troops in Paris, 1,000 injured
- May 8 Jim (Catfish) Hunter of Oakland pitches perfect game vs Twins (4-0)
- May 8 Pulitzer prize awarded to William Styron (Confessions of Nat Turner)
- May 10 Vietnam peace talks began in Paris between the US and North Vietnam
MacArthur Park
May 11 Irish actor Richard Harris releases single "MacArthur Park"; it becomes a million-seller topping the charts in Canada and Australia, and peaking at #2 in US and #4 in UK
- May 11 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Defenceman J. C. Tremblay fires home the winner as Montreal Canadiens edge St Louis Blues, 3-2 for a 4-0 series sweep
- May 11 Students & police battle in Paris, 100s injured
- May 11 Toronto Transit Commission opens the largest expansion of its Bloor-Danforth Line, going to Scarborough in the east, Etobicoke in the west
Event of Interest
May 12 "March of the Poor" under Rev Ralph Abernathy reaches Washington, D.C.
- May 12 WSKG TV channel 46 (PBS) in Binghamton, NY, begins broadcasting
Event of Interest
May 13 1,000,000 French demonstrate against Charles De Gaulle & Georges Pompidou
- May 14 Beatles announce formation of Apple Corp
Event of Interest
May 14 Czech government announces liberalizing reforms under Alexander Dubček
Event of Interest
May 14 RAF-leader Andreas Baader sentenced to 3 years in West Berlin
Wonderwall
May 15 "Wonderwall" with music by George Harrison, premieres at Cannes Film Festival
- May 15 1st AL game played in Milwaukee, is a 4-2 California win against Chicago
TV Show Appearance
May 15 Paul McCartney & John Lennon appear on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", to promote Apple Records, Joe Garagiola is substitute host
- May 15 Tornado strikes Jonesboro, Arkansas at 10 PM, killing 36
- May 16 Earthquake kills 47 in Japan
- May 16 In the Stormont (Northern Ireland Parliament) by-election in the city of Londonderry (Derry) the Ulster Unionists retain the seat
- May 17 European Space Research Org launches 1st satellite
- May 17 Frank Howard belts record 8th HR in 5th straight game
- May 17 US performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site
- May 18 93rd Preakness: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Forward Pass wins in 1:56.8
Baseball Record
May 18 AL Kaline hits his 307th HR, surpassing Hank Greenberg as a Tiger
- May 18 Frank Howard ties AL record with HR in his 6th consecutive game his 10 home runs in the most in 6 games
- May 19 20th Emmy Awards: "Get Smart", "Mission Impossible" & Barbara Bain win
- May 19 Frank Howard fails to homer, after hitting 10 in 6 consecutive games
- May 19 Pirate Radio Brumble of Northern England 1st heard
Event of Interest
May 20 Terence O'Neill, then Northern Ireland Prime Minister, is showered with eggs, flour and stones after a meeting of the Woodvale Unionist Association, a loyalist vigilante group
- May 21 Billy Williams of the Chicago Cubs sets outfielder record of 695 straight MLB games
- May 21 Nuclear-powered sub USS Scorpion, with 99 men, reported missing & is later found at the bottom of the ocean off Azores
- May 21 Paul McCartney and girlfriend Jane Asher attend an Andy Williams concert
- May 21 USSR performs nuclear test (underground)
- May 21 WEKW TV channel 52 in Keene, NH (PBS) begins broadcasting
Baseball Record
May 22 Pittsburgh Pirates future Baseball HOF outfielder Willie Stargell hits 3 HRs, a double and a single in a 13-6 rout of the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field
- May 23 AC Milan of Italy win 8th European Cup Winner's Cup against Hamburger SV of West Germany 2-0 in Rotterdam
- May 23 Beatles open 2nd Apple Boutique at 161 New Kings Road, London
- May 24 American boxer Bob Foster defeats holder Dick Tiger for the world light-heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Gardens, New York (goes on to defend title x 14)
- May 24 FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City
Event of Interest
May 24 French President Charles De Gaulle proposes referendum & students set fire to Paris bourse
- May 24 Haiti closes down shortwave station 4VEH for 40 days
Music History
May 24 Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull arrested for drug possession in England
- May 25 BPAA All-Star Bowling Tournament won by Jim Stefanich
- May 25 BPAA US Women's Bowling Open won by Dotty Fothergill
- May 25 Gateway Arch in St Louis dedicated
- May 25 Rolling Stones release song "Jumping Jack Flash"
- May 25 Unicorn by The Irish Rovers hits #7
Sports History
May 27 George Halas retires from coaching, finishing with 318 regular-season wins and 6 NFL titles
- May 27 Meeting of the Union Nationale des Étudiants de France (National Union of the Students of France) takes place. 30,000 to 50,000 people gather in the Stade Sebastien Charlety
- May 27 NL awards Montreal & SD major league franchises
- May 28 MLB: AL announces it is splitting into 2 divisions
- May 28 MLB: NL grants San Diego Padres a franchise
Event of Interest
May 28 Senator Eugene McCarthy wins Democratic presidential primary in Oregon
- May 29 European Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Bobby Charlton scores twice as Manchester United beats Benfica, 4-1; first English club to win the trophy
- May 29 UN resolves sanctions on white-minority-ruled Rhodesia
- May 29 US Truth in Lending Act signed into law
- May 30 Beatles begin work on their only double album "Beatles"
Indy 500
May 30 Indianapolis 500: Bobby Unser driving a piston-powered Offenhauser beats Dan Gurney to win his first of 3 Indy 500 triumphs
- May 30 President De Gaulle disbands French parliament
- May 30 University church in Leipzig, German DR, blown up
- May 30 West German Parliament accepts emergency crisis law
Film & TV History
May 31 Movie star James Stewart retires from the US Air Force after 27 years of service
Famous Birthdays
- May 1 D'arcy Wretzky, American rock bassist (The Smashing Pumpkins), born in South Haven, Michigan
- May 1 Mark Scott, American rock drummer (Trixter - "Give It To Me Good"), born in Paramus, New Jersey
- May 1 Oliver Bierhoff, German soccer striker (Germany 70 caps; Ascoli, Udinese, AC Milan), born in Karlsruhe, Germany
- May 1 Sol Kyung-gu, South Korean actor
- May 2 Eric Holcomb, American politician, Governor of Indiana (2017-), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
- May 2 Jeff Agoos, Swiss-American soccer player, born in Geneva, Switzerland
- May 2 Midorikawa Hikaru, Japanese voice actor, born in Otawara, Tochigi, Japan
- May 2 Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer and actress, born in Merlimau, Malacca, Malaysia
- May 3 Debora Caprioglio, Italian actress (Big Game Hunter), born in Mestre, Italy
- May 3 Jay Darlington, English keyboardist (Kula Shaker), born in London
- May 3 Shane Minor, American country music singer, born in Modesto, California
- May 4 Eddie Pérez, Venezuelan baseball catcher (World Series 1995, 2021 [coach]; NLCS MVP 1999; Atlanta Braves), born in Ciudad Ojeda, Venezuela
- May 4 Julian Barratt, English comedian and musician, one half of The Mighty Boosh, born in Leeds, England
- May 5 Craig Hendrickson, CFL tackle (Winnipeg Blue Bombers), born in Tucson, Arizona
- May 5 Tim Neilsen, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (South Australian 1991), born in Forest Gate, London, England
- May 6 Andy Kelly, American football quarterback (Nashville Kats, Rhein Fire), born in Dayton, Tennessee
- May 6 Lætitia Sadier, French singer (Stereolab), born in Vincennes, France
- May 7 Eagle Eye Cherry, Swedish pop rock singer-songwriter ("Save Tonight"), born in Stockholm, Sweden
- May 7 Joe King, American NFL safety (Oakland Raiders), born in Dallas, Texas
- May 8 Chris Lighty, music executive and manager (Violator), born in The Bronx New York (d. 2012)
- May 8 Johan Pehrson, Swedish politician (leader of Liberals Party)
Omar Camporese (55 years old)
May 8 Italian tennis player (2 x WTA singles, 5 x doubles titles; world #18 1992), born in Bologna, Italy
- May 9 Bruce Pickens, NFL cornerback (Oakland Raiders)
- May 9 David Benoit, NBA forward (Utah Jazz, NJ Nets)
- May 9 Marie-José Pérec, French track and field athlete (Olympic gold 200m, 400m 1996), born in Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe
- May 9 Scott Pruitt, American politician (EPA head 2017-18), born in Danville, Kentucky
- May 9 Vince Workman, NFL running back (Packers, Panthers, Colts)
- May 10 Al Murray, British comedian
- May 10 Erik Palladino, American actor
- May 10 Julie Smith, softball infielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Glendora, California
- May 11 Jeffrey Donovan, American actor
- May 11 Sławomir Dobrzański, Polish concert pianist and music professor, born in Wrocław, Poland
- May 12 Scott Schwartz, American actor, born in Sacramento, California
Tony Hawk (55 years old)
May 12 American skateboarder, born in Carlsbad, California
- May 13 Miguel Ángel Blanco, Spanish politician (d. 1997)
- May 13 PMD [Parrish J. Smith], American rapper (EPMD), born in Smithtown, New York
Scott Morrison (55 years old)
May 13 Australian politician, Prime Minister of Australia (2018-22), born in Waverley, Australia
- May 14 Greg Davis, Welsh-born, British stand-up comedian, actor, and former secondary school teacher (We Are Klang, The Inbetweeners, Cuckoo, Taskmaster), born in St Asaph, Denbighshire
- May 15 Cecilia Malmström, Swedish politician
- May 15 Leroy Hoard, American NFL running back, 1990-99 (Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, and 2 other teams), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- May 15 Seth Putnam, American hard-core punk vocalist and songwriter, born in Newton, Massachusetts (d. 2011)
- May 15 Todd Porter, American actor (Whiz Kids - "Hamilton"), born in Montclair, New Jersey
- May 16 Andrew Nethsingha, British organist, choral conductor, and music director (St John's College, Cambridge, 2007-), born in Exeter, England
- May 16 Chingmy Yau, Hong Kong actress (Naked Killer), born in Hong Kong
- May 16 Patrick Waite, British reggae-rock bassist (Musical Youth - "Pass the Dutchie"), born in Birmingham, England (d. 1993)
- May 16 Ralph Tresvant, American singer (New Edition), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- May 17 Dave Abbruzzese, American drummer (Pearl Jam), born in Stamford, Connecticut
- May 17 Tim Grunhard, NFL center (KC Chiefs)
- May 19 Jeanne Basone, Brubank California, wrestler (Hollywood-GLOW)
- May 19 Paul Justin, NFL quarterback (Indianapolis Colts)
- May 20 Damon Mays, NFL wide receiver (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- May 20 Timothy Olyphant, American stage and screen actor (Deadwood; Justified; Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- May 20 Waisale Serevi, Fijian rugby union and rugby sevens footballer, born in Suva, Fiji
- May 21 Julie Vega, Filipina child actress and singer, born in Quezon City, Philippines (d. 1985)
- May 21 Matthias Ungemach, German rower
- May 22 Alan Levine, Baseball pitcher (Chicago White Sox), born in Park Ridge, Illinois
- May 22 Kevin Carolan, American actor and comedian
- May 22 Randy Brown, American NBA point guard and executive (NBA C'ship 1996-98, Chicago Bulls), born in Chicago, Illinois
- May 23 Guinevere Turner, American actress
- May 24 Jerry Dipoto, American baseball pitcher (NY Mets), born in Jersey City, New Jersey
- May 25 Kendall Gill, American NBA guard & forward (NJ Nets), born in Chicago, Illinois
- May 25 Nathalie Schneyder, American synchronized swimmer (Olympic gold 1996), born in San Francisco, California
- May 25 Shawn Bouwens, American NFL guard (Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Lincoln, Nebraska
- May 26 Fernando León de Aranoa, Spanish film director
- May 26 Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, born in Copenhagen, Denmark
- May 26 Pat Kenney [Simon Diamond], American professional wrestler, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- May 26 Rachael Sporn, Australian basketball forward (Olympic bronze 1996)
- May 26 Steve Sedgley, English footballer
- May 27 Cedric Smith, NFL running back (Wash Redskins, Arizona Cardinals)
- May 27 Frank Thomas, American Baseball HOF 1st baseman/DH (5 × MLB All-Star; AL MVP 1993, 94; AL batting champion 1997, Chicago White Sox), born in Columbus, Georgia
- May 27 Jeff Bagwell, American Baseball Hall of Fame infielder (MLB All-Star 1994, 96, 97, 99; NL MVP 1994; Gold Glove Award 1994; Houston Astros), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- May 27 Rebekah Brooks, English journalist (implicated in News International phone hacking scandal), born in Warrington, England
Kylie Minogue (55 years old)
May 28 Australian pop singer-songwriter ("Can't Get You Out of My Head"), and actress, born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- May 28 Sandra Bacher, American half-heavyweight judoka (Olympics, 1992, 1996), born in Long Island, New York
- May 28 Tomas P Pukstys, American javelin thrower (Olympics 8th 1996), born in Chicago, Illinois
- May 30 Amy Fuller, American rower (World C'ship gold W 8+, 6 x silver; Olympic silver Coxless four 1992), born in Inglewood, California (d. 2023)
- May 30 Kelley Armstrong, Canadian novelist (Women of the Otherworld), born in Sudbury, Ontario
- May 30 Tim Burgess, English rock vocalist (Charlatans - "Only One I Know"), born in Salford, Lancashire, England
- May 30 Zacarias Moussaoui, French citizen found guilty relating to September 11, 2001 attacks
Famous Weddings
Pete Townshend
May 20 "The Who" guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend (23) weds Karen Astley in England
Famous Deaths
- May 1 Harold Nicolson, English diplomat and author (Good Behaviour), dies at 71
- May 1 Jack Adams, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Vancouver Millionaires, Toronto St. Patricks; Ottawa Senators) and coach / general manager (Detroit Red Wings), dies at 72 [1]
- May 2 Donald L Hall, American airplane designer (Spirit of St Louis), dies at 69
- May 3 Leonid Sabaneyev, Russian composer, dies at 86
- May 5 Albert Dekker, American stage and screen character actor (Dr. Cyclops; Beau Geste; The Wild Bunch), and politician, dies of accidental suffocation at 62
Craig Wood (1901-1968)
May 7 American golfer (US Masters, US Open 1941), dies of a heart attack at 66
- May 7 Lurleen Wallace, American politician (46th Governor of Alabama, 1967-68), dies at 41
- May 9 Finlay Currie, Scottish actor (Quo Vadis, Avengers), dies at 90
- May 9 Harold Gray, American comic strip artist (Little Orphan Annie), dies at 74
- May 9 Marion Lorne [MacDougall] American stage and Emmy Award-winning screen actress (Bewitched - "Aunt Clara"; Mister Peepers - "Mrs. Gurney"; The Graduate), dies of a heart attack at 84
- May 9 Mercedes de Acosta, American poet, playwright, costume designer, and socialite, dies at 75
- May 9 Phil Arnold, American actor (Errand Boy, Stud Lonigan, Damn Yankees), dies from a heart attack at 58
- May 10 Maurie Sievers, cricket medium-pacer (Austral v England 1936-37), dies
- May 10 Philippa Bevans, British actress (Notorious Landlady, World of Henry Orient), dies at 55
- May 10 Scotty Beckett, American actor (Our Gang, Listen Darling, Battleground), dies from either an overdose, or as a result from a beating at 38
- May 14 Husband Edward Kimmel, commandant US Ocean fleet WW II, dies at 86
- May 20 Albert Hartkopf, cricketer (one Test for Australia), dies
- May 20 Kees van Dongen, Dutch-French painter (Fauves style), dies at 91
- May 21 Doris Lloyd, English American actress (Oliver Twist), dies of heart strain at 71
- May 23 James Burke, American actor (Ellery Queen, Army Surgeon), dies at 81
- May 23 Merle Kendrick, orchestra leader (Window on the World), dies at 72
- May 24 Bernard Rogers, American composer (The Warrior; Three Japanese Dances; To The Fallen), and pedagogue (Eastman School, 1929-67), dies at 75
- May 25 Charles K. Feldman, American producer (Casino Royale), dies at 63
- May 25 Georg von Küchler, German field marshal and WWII war criminal, dies at 86
- May 26 William "Little Willie" John, American R&B singer ("Fever"; "Leave My Kitten Alone"), dies in prison while serving a sentence for manslaughter at 30
- May 28 Corbett Davis, American football fullback (#1 overall pick NFL Draft 1938 Cleveland Rams), dies of a ruptured spleen in a boating accident at 53
- May 28 Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper (b. 1908)
- May 29 Jacques Chardonne [Boutelleau], French writer (l'Epithalame), dies at 84
