Historical Events
Event of Interest
May 2 Former US Vice President Spiro Agnew disbarred
- May 2 Six Catholic civilians killed and eighteen wounded when the UVF explode a bomb at Rose & Crown Bar on Ormeau Road, Belfast
Kentucky Derby
May 4 100th Kentucky Derby: Puerto Rican jockey Ángel Cordero Jr. wins aboard Cannonade for first of 3 Derby victories
Music History
May 6 American composer Roger Sessions receives special Pulitzer Prize for his life's work in music
- May 6 Bundy victim Roberta Parks disappears from OSU, Corvallis, Ore
- May 6 Oakland A's pitcher Paul Lindblad makes an errant throw in 1st inning of 6-3 loss to Baltimore, ending his record streak of 385 consecutive errorless games
- May 6 Scotland Yard recovers stolen Johannes Vermeer oil painting "The Guitar Player" at the cemetery of St Bartholomew-the-Great, in London's financial
- May 6 Smallest attendance at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium (4,149)
Event of Interest
May 6 West German Chancellor Willy Brandt resigns amidst controversy over his aide Günter Guillaume's ties with the Stasi (East German secret service)
Trudeau Government Falls
May 8 Canadian government of Pierre Trudeau falls
- May 8 FC Magdenburg of East Germany win 14th European Cup Winner's Cup against AC Milan of Italy 2-0 in Rotterdam
- May 9 US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee begins formal hearings on Nixon impeachment
- May 10 7th ABA championship: NY Nets beats Utah Stars, 4 games to 1
- May 11 "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield hits #7
Rikki Don't Lose That Number
May 11 ABC Records releases Steely Dan single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" from the "Pretzel Logic "album; it peaks at #4 in the US, making it their biggest hit
- May 12 28th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat Milwaukee, 4 games to 3
- May 14 Underground America Day is 1st observed to honor the 6,000 Americans that make their homes in the Earth
- May 15 Beginning of the Ulster Workers' Council strike called by Ulster loyalists and unionists who were against the Sunningdale Agreement, which proposed the sharing of political power with Irish nationalists
- May 15 Ma'alot massacre: Palestinian terrorist take school hostage, 25 mostly children killed and 68 injured
- May 15 Walter Scheel succeeds Gustav Heinemann as West German President
Event of Interest
May 16 Helmut Schmidt becomes West German Chancellor
- May 16 USSR performs nuclear Test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- May 17 18th European Cup: Bayern Munich beats Atletico Madrid 4-0 at Brussels
Music History
May 17 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 15th String quartet
- May 17 Symbionese Liberation Army shoot-out with Los Angeles police kills six SLA members in the gunfire and resulting fire. One of the largest police shootouts in US history, with more than 9,000 rounds fired.
- May 17 Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) explode four bombs in Republic of Ireland, killing 33 civilians, wounding 300 (highest number of casualties in a single incident during "The Troubles")
- May 18 99th Preakness: Miguel Rivera aboard Current Little wins in 1:54.6
- May 18 India becomes the sixth nation to explode an atomic bomb
- May 18 Nigeria announces 55 percent government participation in all oil concessions
#1 in the Charts
May 18 Novelty song "The Streak" by Ray Stevens hits #1
- May 19 Stanley Cup Final, The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA: Goaltender Bernie Parent and the Flyers shut out the Boston Bruins, 1-0, to win series 4-2, become 1st "expansion" team to win Stanley Cup; Parent named playoff MVP
- May 19 Valeri Giscard d'Estaing wins French presidential election
Music History
May 22 "Julie and Jackie: How Sweet It Is" music and comedy variety special starring Julie Andrews and Jackie Gleason airs on ABC-TV
- May 22 Ruffian begins her racing career as a filly and dies 14 months later
- May 22 Soccer team Veendam forms
- May 22 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- May 23 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- May 23 Italian Red Brigade officer Mario Sossi freed
Television Finale
May 24 "The Dean Martin Show" last airs on NBC-TV
Cannes Film Festival
May 24 27th Cannes Film Festival: "The Conversation" directed by Francis Ford Coppola wins the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
Diamond Dogs
May 24 RCA releases "Diamond Dogs", David Bowie's 8th studio album, recorded in London and the Netherlands, with cover design by artist Guy Peellaert, it peaks in the U.S. charts at No. 5, and goes to No. 1 in the U.K. and Canada
- May 26 During a David Cassidy concert at London's White City, a 14-year-old is trampled, and dies four days later
- May 26 Indianapolis 500: Johnny Rutherford claims first of his three Indy victories; first Sunday start of the event
Emmy Awards
May 28 26th Emmy Awards: M*A*S*H, Alan Alda & Mary Tyler Moore win, 1st Daytime Award presentation and "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman" wins 5 awards, including Cicely Tyson for Dramatic Performance
- May 28 Italian fascists bomb demonstrators in Brescia, 6 killed
- May 28 Stephen Schwartz' musical "Magic Show" opens at Cort Theater, NYC; runs for 1859 performances
- May 29 Northern Ireland is brought under direct rule from Westminster
- May 31 Israel and Syria sign an agreement concerning Golan Heights
- May 31 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
Famous Birthdays
- May 2 Andy Johnson, Welsh soccer midfielder (15 caps; WBA, Nottingham Forest), born in Bristol, England
- May 2 Garðar Thór Cortes, Icelandic tenor, born in Reykjavík, Iceland
- May 2 Miles Joseph, American soccer forward (3 caps; MetroStars, Columbus Crew; Olympic gold 1996), born in West Springfield, Massachusetts
- May 3 Princess Haya bint Hussein of Jordan, daughter of King Hussein of Jordan and his third wife, Queen Alia, born in Amman, Jordan
- May 5 Seiji Ara, Japanese auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 2004), born in Chiba, Japan
- May 7 Breckin Meyer, American voice actor and actor (Robot Chicken), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- May 7 Scott Whittaker, center/tackle (Oakland Raiders)
- May 8 Colin Daynes, Canadian 68 kg Greco Roman wrestler (Olympic-96), born in Windsor, Ontario
- May 8 Jon Tickle, English TV presenter (Brainiac), born in Norwich, England
- May 8 Korey Stringer, American NFL football tackle, 1995-2000 (Minnesota Vikings), born in Warren, Ohio (d. 2001)
- May 9 Stephane Yelle, NHL center (Colorado Avalanche), born in Ottawa, Ontario
- May 10 Sylvain Wiltord, French footballer
- May 11 Benoît Magimel, French actor
- May 11 Billy Kidman, American professional wrestler
- May 11 Darren Ward, Welsh footballer
- May 11 Stanley Gene, Papua New Guinean rugby league utility (16 Tests; Hull KR, Hull FC, Huddersfield Giants, Bradford Bulls) and coach (HC PNG Kumuls 5 Tests), born in Goroka, PNG
- May 13 Brian Geraghty, American actor (Broadwalk Empire, Big Sky), born in Toms River, New Jersey
- May 13 Lisa Jacob, American swimmer (Olympic gold 4x100m freestyle, 4×200m freestyle 1996), born in United States of America
- May 13 Tim McMahon, American hardcore punk rock singer (Mouthpiece:, Hands Tied: Triple Threat), born in New Jersey
- May 14 Jennifer Allan, American model
- May 14 Ken Belanger, Sault-ste-marie Ca, NHL left wing (NY Islanders)
- May 14 Keram Malichi-Sanchez, actor (No Contest, Catwalk, Boulevard)
- May 15 A J Hinch, Wavely IA, baseball catcher (Olympic bronze 1996)
- May 15 Addilson dos Santos, soccer player (Sparta)
- May 15 Ahmet Zappa, American musician, actor (2 Hip 4 TV), novelist, and filmmaker (The Odd Life Of Timothy Green), born in Los Angeles, California
- May 15 Jennifer Rizzotti, Basketball Hall of Fame point guard (Uni of Connecticut) and coach (George Washington), born in White Plains, New York
- May 15 Russell Hornsby, American television and film actor (Grimm; Fences), born in Oakland, California
- May 15 Shiney Ahuja, Indian actor
- May 16 Adam Richman, American TV personality (Man v Food), born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 16 Keith Thibodeaux, cornerback (Washington Redskins)
- May 16 Laura Pausini, Italian pop singer-songwriter ("Tra te e il mare"; "Surrender"), and television personality (La Voz; La Banda; Factor X), born in Faenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
- May 16 Sonny Sandoval, American metal singer-songwriter, and rapper (P.O.D. - "Youth of the Nation"), born in San Diego, California
- May 17 Andrea Corr, Irish Celtic folk rock singer, pianist, ukulele player (The Corrs - "What Can I Do"), and actress, born in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland
- May 17 Sendhil Ramamurthy, American actor
- May 17 Wiki González, Venezuelan baseball player
- May 18 Nelson Figueroa, American baseball player and analyst, born in Brooklyn, New York
- May 19 Andrew Johns, Australian rugby league halfback (26 Tests, 23 games NSW; Newcastle RLFC, Warrington; RL "Immortal") and broadcaster (9 Network), born in Cessnock, Australia
- May 19 Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Indian actor (Gangs of Wasseypur- Faizal Khan), born in Budhana, Uttar Pradesh
- May 21 Fairuza Balk, American actress (The Craft, Gas Food Lodging), born in Point Reyes, California
- May 21 Havoc [Kejuan Muchita], American rapper (Mobb Deep), born in Queensbridge, Queens, New York
- May 22 A. J. Langer, American actress ("My So-Called Life"; "Baywatch"), born in Columbus, Ohio
- May 22 Sean Gunn, American actor (Gilmore Girls - "Kirk"; Marvel superhero films), born in St. Louis, Missouri
- May 23 Charlie Yeung, Hong Kong actress and singer (Seven Swords), born in Hong Kong
- May 23 Duane Clemons, American NFL linebacker (Minnesota Vikings), born in Riverside, California
Jewel Kilcher (49 years old)
May 23 American singer-songwriter ("Pieces Of You"; "You Were Meant For Me"; "Standing Still"), born in Payson, Utah
Ken Jennings (49 years old)
May 23 American game show host and contestant (Jeopardy!), born in Edmonds, Washington
- May 23 Matt Hindle, Canadian bobsledder, born in Calgary, Alberta
- May 23 Mónica Naranjo, Spanish singer, born in Figueres, Spain
- May 24 Ace Custis, American NBA forward (Dallas Mavericks), born in Eastville, Virginia
- May 24 Marcus Coleman, American football defensive back (NY Jets), born in Dallas, Texas
- May 24 Maria Alejandra Vento, Venezuelan tennis star (1995 Futures-Braz), born in Caracas
- May 24 Masahide Kobayashi, Japanese baseball player, born in Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
- May 24 Natalie Neaton, American soccer forward (6 caps, 4 goals; William & Mary Tribe), born in Brighton, Michigan
- May 24 Will Sasso, Canadian-American actor and comedian (The Three Stooges 2012), born in Ladner, British Columbia, Canada
- May 25 Dennis Stallings, American football linebacker (Tennessee Oilers), born in East St. Louis, Illinois
- May 25 Frank Klepacki, American video game composer (Command & Conquer: Red Alert), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
- May 26 Lars Frölander, Swedish swimmer, born in Boden, Sweden
- May 27 Danny Wuerffel, American College Football Hall of Fame quarterback (Heisman Trophy 1996, U of Florida; NFL: New Orleans Saints), born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida
- May 27 Majorie Taylor Greene, American politician and conspiracy theorist (Rep-R-Georgia 2021-), born in Milledgeville, Georgia
- May 28 Alicia Minshew, American actress (Kendall Hart-All My Children), born in Plantation, Florida
- May 29 Myf Warhurst, Australian radio presenter on Triple J and TV personality on Spicks and Specks
- May 29 Stephen Larkham, Australian Rugby Union fly-half, coach (Australia 102 caps), born in Canberra, ACT
- May 30 Big L [Lamont Coleman], American rapper (Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous), born in Harlem, New York (d. 1999)
- May 30 David Wilkie, American NHL hockey defenseman, 1994-2002 (Montreal Canadiens and 2 other teams), born in Ellensbrg, Washigton
- May 30 Konstantinos Chalkias, Greek footballer
- May 31 Adrian Tomine, American contemporary cartoonist (Optic Nerve; The New Yorker), and album art creator (The Eels; Yo La Tango), born in Sacramento, California
- May 31 Chad Campbell, American golfer (US masters 2009 runner-up, 4 PGA Tour titles), born in Andrews, Texas
- May 31 Jim Carey, American NHL goalie, 1994-99 (Washington Capitals, and 2 other teams), born in Dorchester, Massachusetts
- May 31 Steve Martin, American NFL defensive tackle (Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles), born in St. Paul, Minnesota
Famous Divorces
Maggie Smith
May 6 Actress Maggie Smith (39) divorces actor Robert Stephens (42) after 6 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- May 4 Geraldo [Gerald Walcan Bright], British "sweet music" dance band lbandeader (Gaucho Tango Orchestra), dies of a heart attack at 69
- May 4 Israel Citkowitz, Polish-American composer (The Lambs), and pedagogue, dies at 65
- May 4 John Wengraf, Austrian actor (12 to the Moon, Pride & Passion), dies at 77
- May 7 Hans van Werveke, Belgian historian (Diocese Terwaan), dies at 76
- May 8 Graham Bond, British R&B musician, dies jumping under a train at 36
- May 9 Lyubomir Pipkov, Bulgarian pianist, composer, music educator, and (with his father) Antarctic glacier namesake, dies at 69
- May 10 Hal Mohr [Harold Leon Mohr], American Cinematographer and husband of Evelyn Venable (Captain Blood), dies at 74
Denny Shute (1904-1974)
May 13 American golfer (British Open 1933, PGA C'ship 1936-37), dies at 69
- May 13 Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican politician, 2nd Director-General of the UNESCO (1948-52), dies at 72
- May 15 Guy Simonds, Canadian army, youngest General officer, dies at 71
- May 17 Charles Braswell, American actor (Only Game in Town), dies at 49
- May 17 Ernest Nash, German-American photographer and archaeologist, dies at 75
- May 18 Dan Topping, American baseball team owner (NY Yankees), dies at 61
- May 23 Kathleen Cannell, American fashion and dance writer, dies at 82
- May 24 Edward "Duke" Ellington, American bandleader, composer and pianist ("Take the A Train"; "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"), dies of cancer at 75
- May 25 Donald Crisp, British actor and director (How Green Was My Valley, Pollyana), dies at 91
- May 26 Kitty Gordon, English entertainer, dies at 96
- May 26 Silvio Moser, Swiss racing driver (b. 1941)
- May 31 Adelle Davis, American nutritionist and author (Let's Stay Healthy), dies of cancer at 70
