What Happened in May 1975

Historical Events

Event of Interest

May 7 US President Gerald Ford declares an end to "Vietnam Era"

May 9 Brian Oldfield shot puts 22.86 m ('unofficial' world record, due to his professional status) in El Paso, Texas
May 10 Brian Oldfield of US put shot 75', an unofficial record
May 11 Israel signs an agreement with European Economic Market

Inseparable

May 11 Natalie Cole releases her debut album "Inseparable" (wins 2 Grammy Awards)

May 12 US merchant ship Mayaguez seized by Cambodian forces
May 13 "Rodgers & Hart" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 108 performances
May 13 Hail stones as large as tennis balls hit Wernerville, Tennessee
May 14 Cult feminist film "Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles" written and directed by Chantal Ackerman and starring Delphine Seyrig premieres at Cannes
May 14 Dynamo Kyiv of the Soviet Union win 15th European Cup Winner's Cup over Ferencvár osi TC of Hungary 3-0
May 14 French press reports massive deportation from Cambodia
May 14 US forces raid Cambodian island of Koh Tang to free Mayaguez ship
May 14 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
May 16 India annexes Principality of Sikkim
May 16 Junko Tabei from Japan becomes 1st woman to reach summit of Mt Everest

Boxing Title Fight

May 16 Muhammad Ali TKOs Ron Lyle in 11 for heavyweight boxing title

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali

May 16 Wings release "Listen to What the Man Said" in UK
May 17 "Funky Gibbon" by The Goodies hits #79
May 17 100th Preakness: Darrel McHargue aboard Master Derby wins in 1:56.4
May 17 10CC releases "I'm Not in Love"
May 17 NBC pays $5M for rights to show "Gone With The Wind" one time

Music History

May 17 Singer Mick Jagger (31) punches a restaurant window, needs 20 stitches for repairs

27th Emmy Awards

May 19 27th Emmy Awards: "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", Robert Blake & Jean Marsh win

May 19 Farm truck packed with wedding party struck by a train, killing 66 in truck, 40 miles south of Poona, India
May 21 Lowell W Perry confirmed as chairman of US Equal Opportunity Commission
May 21 Trial against Baader-Meinhof-group begins in Stuttgart
May 22 8th ABA Championship: Kentucky Colonels beat Ind Pacers, 4 games to 1
May 23 28th Cannes Film Festival: "Chronicle of the Years of Fire" directed by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina wins the Palme d'Or
May 24 Dutch government of De Uyl decides to obtain an F-16
May 25 29th NBA Championship: Golden Warriors sweep Wash Bullets in 4 games
May 25 Cleveland's Dennis Eckersley, debuts shutting out the A's 6-0

Indy 500

May 25 Indianapolis 500: Bobby Unser wins rain-shortened race ahead of defending champion Johnny Rutherford and pole-sitter A. J. Foyt for his second Indy title

Rhinestone Cowboy

May 26 "Rhinestone Cowboy" single released by Glen Campbell (Billboard Song of the Year, 1975)

May 26 Tennis game in Surrey championships lasts 31 minutes

Venus and Mars

May 27 Paul McCartney & Wings release their "Venus and Mars" album

May 27 Stanley Cup Final, The Aud, Buffalo, NY: Philadelphia Flyers win back-to-back titles; shutting out Buffalo Sabres, 2-0 for a 4-2 series win; goaltender Bernie Parent wins 2nd consecutive Conn Smyth trophy as playoff MVP
May 27 Worst motor vehicle disaster in UK; brakes fail on a bus full of elderly women and it plunges 17 feet off the road at Dibble's Bridge, Yorkshire, killing 33; a similar accident occurred there killing 11 in 1925
May 28 19th European Cup: Bayern Munich beats Leeds United 2-0 at Paris
May 28 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is established by the Treaty of Lagos
May 28 Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 18 launches
May 30 European Space Agency (ESA) forms
May 31 "Fight the Power" single released by The Isley Brothers (Billboard Song of the Year, 1975)
May 31 Fred Newman makes 12,874 baskets in a one-day exhibition

Goodtime Charley

May 31 Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady's historical musical comedy "Goodtime Charley", based on King Charles VII of France, and starring Joel Grey, closes at Palace Theater, NYC, after 104 performances

Events in 1975

Famous Birthdays

May 1 Alexei Smertin, Russian soccer midfielder/executive (55 caps; Zarya Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Bordeaux), born in Barnaul, Russia
May 1 Austin Croshere, American basketball forward (Indiana Pacers) and broadcaster (Fox Sports Indiana Pacers analyst), born in Los Angeles, California
May 1 Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroon soccer midfielder (62 caps; collapsed during international match, died; Lens, West Ham, Lyon), born in Yaounde, Cameroon (d. 2003)

David Beckham (48 years old)

May 2 English soccer midfielder (115 caps [58 as captain]; Man Utd, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Paris SG, LA Galaxy) and owner (Inter Miami CF, Salford City), born in London, England

May 2 Kate Baldwin, American stage actress and singer (Hello, Dolly!), born in Evanston, Illinois
May 2 Mark Johnson, baseball pitcher (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Dayton, Ohio
May 3 Christina Hendricks, American actress (Mad Men), born in Knoxville, Tennessee
May 3 Dulé Hill, American actor (The West Wing), born in Orange, New Jersey
May 3 Eva Santolaria, Spanish actress (7 Vidas), born in Barcelona, Spain
May 3 Maksim Mrvica, Croatian pianist, born in Šibenik, Croatia
May 4 Laci Peterson, American murder victim, born in Modesto, California (d. 2002)
May 4 Pablo Ruiz, Spanish singer, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
May 7 Gunhild Carling, Swedish jazz trombonist, trumpeter, and multi-instrumentalist (Carling Family; Carling Big Band), and singer (Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox), born in Gothenburg, Sweden

Enrique Iglesias (48 years old)

May 8 Spanish singer-songwriter and King of Latin Pop ("Bailamos"; "Hero"), born in Madrid, Spain

May 8 Gastón Mazzacane, Argentine racing driver

Jodhi May (48 years old)

May 8 British actress (A World Apart; Sister My Sister; The Other Boleyn Girl), born in Camden Town, London, England

May 8 Jussi Markkanen, Finnish ice hockey player
May 9 Brian Deegan, American freestyle motocross cyclist, born in Omaha, Nebraska
May 9 Chris Diamantopoulos, Canadian actor (The Three Stooges; Silicon Valley), and cartoon Voice (Mickey Mouse, 2013-present), born in Toronto, Ontario
May 9 Tamia [Washington], Canadian R&B, hiphop, and pop singer, born in Windsor, Ontario
May 10 Adam Deadmarsh, Canadian-American NHL center (Colorado Avalanche, Olympics 1998), born in Trail, British Columbia
May 10 Hélio Castroneves, Brazilian race car driver
May 12 Jared Polis, American businessman and politician, Governor of Colorado (2018-), born in Boulder, Colorado

Jonah Lomu (1975-2015)

May 12 New Zealand rugby union winger (youngest ever All Black, 63 internationals), born in Auckland, New Zealand

May 12 Lawrence Phillips, American football running back (Grey Cup, CFL All-Star 2002 Montreal Alouettes; St Louis Rams 1996-97), born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 2016)
May 14 Nicki Sørensen, Danish road cyclist

Ray Lewis (48 years old)

May 15 American Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (13 × Pro Bowl; Super Bowl MVP 2000; Baltimore Ravens), born in Bartow, Florida

May 16 B. Slade [Anthony Williams] (formerly known as Tonéx), American gospel, hip-hop, R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and social activist, born in San Diego, California
May 16 Tony Kakko, Finnish power metal singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Sonata Arctica), born in Kemi, Finland
May 17 Alex Wright, German professional wrestler
May 17 Cheick Kongo, French martial artist
May 17 Jonti Picking, British cartoonist
May 17 Kostas Sommer, Greek actor
May 17 Laura Voutilainen, Finnish pop singer, born in Jyväskylä, Finland
May 18 Jack Johnson, American singer-songwriter (In Between Dreams, "Upside Down"), born in Oahu, Hawaii
May 18 Jem [Jemma Griffiths], Welsh pop-rock and "folktronica" singer-songwriter, and keyboard player, born in Penarth, Wales
May 18 John Higgins, Scottish snooker player (4-time world champion), born in Wishaw, Scotland
May 18 Peter Iwers, Swedish heavy metal bassist (In Flames, 1999-2018), born in Stockholm, Sweden
May 18 Zach Gill, American singer-songwriter, pianist, accordion player, and banjo picker (Animal Liberation Orchestra; Jack Johnson), born in Santa Clara County, California
May 19 London Fletcher, American football player
May 19 Masanobu Ando, Japanese actor
May 19 Pretinha, Brazilian footballer
May 20 Isaac Gálvez, Spanish cyclist (d. 2006)
May 20 Mark Zupan, American quadriplegic rugby player
May 21 Abbas [Mirza Abbas Ali], Indian Tamil film actor and model (Kadhal Desam), born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India
May 21 Lee Gaze, Welsh guitarist (No Devotion), born in Pontypridd, Wales
May 22 Jaane Niinimaa, Finnish NHL defenseman (Finland Olympic bronze 1998, Flyers), born in Raahe, Finland
May 22 Salvador Ballesta, Spanish footballer (Atlético Madrid, Valencia), born in Zaragoza, Spain
May 23 Kim Sung-soo, South Korean actor
May 23 Vincent Goossens, soccer player (Dordrecht '90)
May 24 Katie King-Crowley, American ice hockey forward (USA, Olympics 1998), born in Salem, New Hampshire
May 24 Marc Gagnon, Canadian short track speed skater (Olympic gold 1998, 2002), born in Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada
May 24 Maria Lawson, British soul and R&B singer (Ti.Pi.Cal.), born in London
May 24 Yannis Goumas, Greek footballer (Greece national team), born in Ampelonas, Greece
May 26 Kwasi Kwarteng, British politician (Chancellor of the Exchequer), born in London, England

Lauryn Hill (48 years old)

May 26 American singer-songwriter (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill), born in East Orange, New Jersey

May 26 Travis Lee, baseball 1st baseman (Olympic bronze 1996), born in San Diego, California
May 27 André 3000 [Benjamin], American rapper (Outkast), and actor, born in Atlanta, Georgia
May 27 Jadakiss [Jason Phillips], American rapper (The Lox), born in Yonkers, New York
May 27 Jamie Oliver, British chef and television personality, born in Claverling, England
May 27 Michael Hussey, Australian cricketer
May 27 ZP Theart, British heavy metal rock singer and musician (DragonForce; Skid Row), born in Clanwilliam, South Africa
May 28 Mike Fisher, soccer midfielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Naperville, Illinois
May 29 Alexander Zhurik, Belarusian hockey defenseman (Belarus, Olympics 1998), born in Minsk, Belarus
May 29 Bianca Langham, Australian field hockey player (Olympic-96)

Melanie Brown (48 years old)

May 29 English pop singer "Scary Spice" (Spice Girls), and television personality (America's Got Talent; X-FActor), born in Leeds, England

May 29 Shoshanna Lonstein, American fashion designer and ex-girlfriend of Jerry Seinfeld, born in New York City
May 30 Andrew Farrell, English rugby league and union footballer
May 30 CeeLo Green [Thomas Callaway], American Grammy winning singer-songwriter (Crazy; F*** You), reality TV judge (The Voice, 2011-13), record producer, and actor, born in Atlanta, Georgia
May 30 Marissa Mayer, American technology executive (CEO of Yahoo, designed Google home page), born in Wausau, Wisconsin

Born in 1975

Famous Weddings

Sean Connery

May 6 Actor Sean Connery (44) weds Micheline Roquebrune in Casablanca

Famous Deaths

May 3 Samuel Gonard, Swiss lawyer and chairman (International Red Cross), dies at 78

Moe Howard (1897-1975)

May 4 American actor and comedian (The 3 Stooges), dies at 77

May 6 József Mindszenty [József Pehm], Hungarian cardinal who opposed fascism and communism in Hungary, dies at 83
May 8 Avery Brundage, American businessman (5th President International Olympic Committee 1952-72), dies at 87
May 9 Philip Dorn, Dutch actor (Enemy Agent; I Remember Mama), dies of a heart attack at 73
May 11 Walter Kinsella, American actor (Martin Kane Private Eye), dies at 74
May 12 Joe Mooney, American jazz and pop accordionist, organist, and vocalist, dies at 64
May 13 Bob Wills, American musician, known as the 'King of Western Swing' ("Steel Guitar Rag"), dies from bronchial pneumonia at 69
May 13 Vladislav Zolotaryov, Soviet Russian bayanist (button accordion player), and composer (Six Children's Suites), takes his own life at 53
May 14 Ernst Alexanderson, Swedish-American television pioneer (Alexanderson alternator), dies at 97 [1]
May 16 Michael X, (Abdul Malik), hanged in Trinidad, for murder
May 17 Arthur Trappier, American jazz drummer (Blanche Calloway: Fats Waller), dies at 64

Kazimierz Fajans (1887-1975)

May 18 Polish-American physical chemist (Fajans' rules), dies at 84

May 18 Leroy Anderson, American composer (Syncopated Clock), dies at 66
May 20 Barbara Hepworth, English abstract artist, sculptor and child actress (Rescued by Rover), dies in an accidental fire at her Trewyn studios at 72
May 20 Jacques Stehman, Belgian pianist and composer (Symphonie de poche), dies at 62
May 21 Boris Klyuzner, Russian Soviet composer, dies at 65
May 22 Robert "Lefty" Grove, American Baseball HOF pitcher (6 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1929, 30; AL MVP 1931; Triple Crown 1930, 31; Philadelphia A's, Boston Red Sox), dies from a heart attack at 75
May 22 Torben Myer, Danish actor (Girl Who Came Back; Judgment at Nuremberg; Sullivan's Travels), dies at 90
May 23 Jackie Moms Mabley, American comedian and actress (Amazing Grace), dies at 81

Ezzard Charles (1921-1975)

May 27 American world heavyweight boxing champion (1949-51), dies of ALS at 53

May 28 Eric Emerson, entertainer, dies
May 28 Roy Roberts, American actor (Petticoat Junction, Lucy Show), dies from a heart attack at 69
May 30 Michel Simon, Swiss actor (Panic, Plague, Two of Us), dies at 80
May 30 Tatsuo Shimabuku, Japanese martial artist and founder of Isshinryu Karate, dies at 66

On This Day