Historical Events
Godfather of AI Sounds Alarm
May 1 Geoffrey Hinton 'the Godfather of AI" resigns from Google to speak out about the dangers of AI - eliminating jobs and creating a world where many may “not be able to know what is true anymore” [1]
Russian Losses Mount
May 1 US White Houses estimates Russia has lost 100,000 troops so far in 2023 invading Ukraine, with 20,000 killed. Half of those losses from Wagner mercenaries. [1]
- May 2 40-year-old US weight loss company Jenny Craig announces it will close after failing to secure further financial backing [1]
- May 2 First non-invasive mind reader developed by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin by combing functional magnetic resonance imaging with AI (results hit and miss so far) [1]
- May 2 Joel Embiid wins the NBA Most Valuable Player Award
- May 2 Writers Guild of America votes to begin striking over pay and industry changes, bringing television production to a halt [1]
- May 3 13-year-old Serbian student shoots and kills nine people at his Belgrade school, eight students and a security guard, before handing himself in [1]
Sports History
May 3 Manchester City's Norwegian striker Erling Haaland scores in a 3-0 win over West Ham to set a new record for most goals scored in a single Premier League season (35)
- May 3 MLB LA Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani joins NY Yankee legend Babe Ruth as only pitcher to strike out 500 batters and hit over 100 career home runs in 6-4 over the Cardinals in St. Louis
Drone Attack on the Kremlin
May 3 Mysterious explosive drone attack on the Kremlin in Moscow has no clear motive or link to people behind it, despite Russian claim it was attempt to assassinate Vladimir Putin, amid Ukrainian and US denials [1]
Walk of Fame Star for Carrie Fisher
May 4 Actress and writer Carrie Fisher, best known as Princess Leia from the Star Wars films, is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame [1]
Ed Sheeran Cleared of Copyright Infringement
May 4 Ed Sheeran found not guilty of copying Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On" for his 2014 single “Thinking Out Loud" by a Manhattan federal jury; copyright infringement suit was filed by the heirs of Gaye's co-writer Ed Townsend [1]
- May 4 In 2022 Covid-19 slipped from third to fourth leading cause of death in the US (behind heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries) according to National Center for Health Statistics [1]
- May 4 WHO declares Covid-19 over as a global health emergency, but remains a significant threat, with seven million known deaths (real total likely to be 20 million) [1]
- May 6 149th Kentucky Derby: Venezuelan jockey Javier Castellano and trainer Gustavo Delgado win their first Derby with 15-1 chance Mage
- May 6 Canadian province Alberta declares a state of emergency over unprecedented wildfires, more than 100, that have forced the evacuation of 25,000 people [1]
- May 6 Coronation of King Chares III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey, London - first monarch crowned in the UK in 70 years [1]
- May 7 Man rams car into group of migrants waiting at a bus stop in Brownsville, Texas, killing eight people and injuring at least 10 [1]
- May 7 Syria is readmitted into the influential Arab League, more than ten year after being thrown out for repressing pro-democracy protesters [1]
- May 8 Death toll from flash floods and landslides in Kalehe, Congo, passes 400 with President Felix Tshisekedi declaring a national day of mourning for the victims [1]
The Little Mermaid
May 8 Disney live-action film musical "The Little Mermaid" starring Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy, directed by Robb Marshall, premieres in the US [1]
PM Imran Khan Arrested
May 9 Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan dramatically arrested at the High Court in Islamabad, prompting violent protests between his supporters and security forces [1]
Trump Guilty in E. Jean Carroll Trial
May 9 Former US President Donald Trump is found guilty of sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll in a New York court and ordered to pay $5 million for battery and defamation [1]
'Here Comes The Sun' Hits 1B Streams
May 9 George Harrison's "Here Comes The Sun" becomes 1st Beatles song to register a billion streams on Spotify, it is also the oldest song to do so
- May 10 Boston Red Sox reliever Kenley Jansen becomes seventh MLB pitcher to earn 400 career saves, in 5-2 victory over Braves in Atlanta
- May 10 First children born in the UK with DNA from three people, using mitochondrial replacement therapy (MRT) - in attempt to prevent baby from inheriting mitochondrial DNA mutations [1]
- May 10 First draft of a human ‘pangenome’ published, with DNA from 47 people, including from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe in effort to capture entirety of human genetic variation, "like going from black-and-white television to 1080p” [1]
- May 10 Heaviest fighting in months between Israel and Palestinian militants as both sides launch air attacks, leaving over 20 dead in Gaza [1]
- May 12 US pandemic-era expulsion policy Title 42, which expelled most migrants, expires [1]
- May 13 67th Eurovision Song Contest: Loreen wins for Sweden, for the second time, singing "Tattoo", in Liverpool, England, hosting on behalf of Ukraine [1]
- May 14 Cyclone Mocha makes landfall on Rakhine coast, Myanmar, near southern border of Bangladesh with at least 400 killed. Second strongest storm on record in the North Indian Ocean. [1]
- May 14 Thai General Election: Military-backed government loses out to other parties with the Move Forward Party securing 36% of the vote [1]
Cover Model Martha Stewart
May 15 Martha Stewart is Sports Illustrated oldest-ever cover model at 81, appearing as part of its swimsuit issue [1]
- May 16 "Ëxceptional" missile attack on Kyiv by Russian forces largely repelled by Ukrainian air defense [1]
- May 16 ChatGPT developer OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, supports oversight of AI, in appearance before US Senate Committee saying they “might consider a combination of licensing and testing requirements" [1]
- May 16 Intense floods in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy causes 23 rivers to burst their banks, resulting in at least 13 deaths and cancellation of the F1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix [1]
- May 17 Montana is the first US state to ban TikTok, with Governor Greg Gianforte signing legislation to ban the Chinese-owned social media network to protect against alleged intelligence gathering [1]
- May 17 Nepali Sherpa Kami Rita Sherpa (53) climbs of Mt. Everest for a record 27th time [1]
- May 17 Scientists discover comb jellies (ctenophores) are the closest relative to the very first animals that evolved half a billion years ago, by focusing on groups of genes on chromosomes [1]
- May 17 The oldest near-complete Hebrew Bible, The Codex Sassoon, from late 9th / early 10th century, sold for $38.1 million at Sotheby's in New York, one of the highest prices for a book at auction [1]
- May 17 World now likely to pass the key warming threshold of 1.5C, with scientists predicting 66% this will happen chance between now and 2027 [1]
- May 17 World's oldest architectural plans revealed on two stone monoliths mapping huge prehistoric stone structures called desert kites - thought to trap wild animal herds, in Southeastern Jordan and Northern Saudi Arabia [1]
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
May 18 Final Indiana Jones film "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" premieres at the Cannes Film Festival, starring Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, directed by James Mangold and executive produced by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas
- May 18 Harrison Ford is presented with an honorary Palme d'Or lifetime achievement award at the Cannes Film Festival in France
Seven Psalms
May 19 Owl/Legacy Recordings releases "Seven Psalms", the fifteenth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Paul Simon
- May 19 Pop-R&B vocal group the Spinners donate nearly 400 stage outfits to the Motown Museum in Detroit, Michigan
- May 20 English ITV This Morning TV presenter Phillip Schofield resigns after 20 years in the role. It later emerges he was having an affair with a younger colleague and lied about it.
- May 21 First female Arab astronaut Rayyanah Barnawi, from Saudi Arabia goes into space on Axiom Space's second private mission, with fellow Saudi Ali Alqarni and Americans, Peggy Whitson and John Shoffner [1]
- May 21 Greek General Election: ruling conservative party New Democracy, led by PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis leads opposition Syriza party by 20% [1]
- May 21 Iam Tongi wins season 21 of American idol - first person of Pacific Island descent to win [1]
PGA Championship
May 21 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Oak Hill CC: Brooks Koepka claims his third career PGA C'ship and fifth major title by 2 shots over Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler
- May 21 Popocatépetl volcano eruption causes Mexican authorities to warn 3 million people living nearby to prepare for a possible evacuation [1]
Josh Freese Joins the Foo Fighters
May 21 Rock band Foo Fighters introduce new drummer Josh Freese in a live stream event promoting new album and tour
G7 Summit
May 21 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky makes a surprise appearance at G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, with world leaders also making a statement to condemn Chinese acts of "economic coercion" [1]
- May 22 New deal cutting water usage of the Colorado River agreed by California, Arizona and Nevada, aims to conserve 3 million acre-feet of water by 2026 [1]
- May 22 US and Papua New Guinea bilateral defense cooperation agreement signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby, as US and China strive for influence in the region [1]
- May 23 451 Illinois Catholic clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children over 70 years, according to state's attorney general’s office [1]
- May 23 International Booker Prize awarded to "Time Shelter" by Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov, translated by Angela Rodel is announced in London [1]
Election of Interest
May 24 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' launch of his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Twitter is marred by glitches and outages [1]
Censorship in Florida
May 24 Former US Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman's poem, “The Hill We Climb” is placed on a restricted reading list at Bob Graham Education Center, Miami Lakes, amid increasing censorship across Florida
- May 24 Man with paralysis walks naturally for the first time in 12 years after a Swiss team created a neurological link between the brain and spinal cord, findings published in "Nature" [1]
- May 24 Mercenary Wagner Group says it is handing over the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, after capturing it for Russia, in one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the war so far [1]
- May 24 Test for a possible alien transmission to earth to see if humans can decode it, sent from ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, the spacecraft orbiting Mars [1]
- May 25 Oath Keepers militia founder Stewart Rhodes sentenced to 18 years in prison for organizing Jan 6 attack on the US Capitol - first person to be sentenced for seditious conspiracy and longest sentence so far [1]
- May 25 US population aged at its fastest rate for 130 years, over 65 years olds grew by a third (2010 - 2020), median age of an American jumps from 37.2 to 38.8, according to new census figures [1]
- May 26 At least 828 civilians have now died and 3,688 have been injured over six weeks of fighting in Sudan, according to the Sudanese American Physicians Association [1]
- May 26 Philadelphia Phillies reliever Craig Kimbrel becomes eighth MLB pitcher to earn 400 career saves, in 6-4 victory over Braves in Atlanta
- May 27 76th Cannes Film Festival: French director Justine Triet's "Anatomy of a Fall" wins the Palme d'Or [1]
- May 27 Texas House of Representatives votes to impeach Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton - just the third official in Texan history [1]
Harris Delivers Commencement Address
May 27 Vice President Kamala Harris becomes 1st woman to deliver commencement address at US Military Academy graduation ceremony in West Point, New York
New Parliament House
May 28 India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates India's new parliament building, amid a boycott by opposition parties (who wanted the President to open it) [1]
- May 28 Indianapolis 500: Josef Newgarden produces an audacious pass of defending champion Marcus Ericsson for his first Indy victory; team owner Roger Penske 19th race win
- May 28 Surgeons complete world's first whole eyeball transplant with a partial facial transplant, for a US veteran lineman injured in an accident, at NYU Langone Health [1]
Erdoğan Re-elected
May 28 Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan re-elected after a run-off election, beating Kemal Kilicdaroglu with 52.14% of the vote, for an historic third term [1]
- May 28 TV Comedy Drama "Succession" created by Jesse Armstrong bows out after four seasons
- May 29 Canadian hiker Delaney Irving (19) wins perilous Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling in Brockworth, Glocestershire, England, despite being knocked unconscious [1]
- May 29 IPL Cricket Final, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad: Ravinda Jadeja hits a boundary off the final ball for the Chennai Super Kings to beat the Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets; CSK 5th title
- May 30 400 leading AI industry experts sign letter warning “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.” [1]
- May 30 A drone strike on Moscow is the first attack on a Russian residential neighbourhood (with no casualties) since the invasion of Ukraine began [1]
Holmes Begins Prison Sentence
May 30 Former American start-up founder Elizabeth Holmes begins her 11-year prison sentence for defrauding investors with her blood-testing company Theranos [1]
- May 31 Latvia elects its Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics as President - first openly gay leader of a Baltic state [1]
- May 31 Los Angeles County jury convicts American actor Danny Masterson on two of three counts of forcible rape
- May 31 NASA panel investigating unidentified flying objects at its first open meeting highlights stigma involved in reporting sightings and lack of high-quality data (mysterious radio signals turned out to be a local microwave) [1]
Famous Weddings
- May 20 Actress Beanie Feldstein and producer Bonnie-Chance Roberts marry in Hudson Valley, New York
Famous Deaths
Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
May 1 Canadian folk singer ("Sundown"; "The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald"), dies at 84 [1]
- May 2 Alice Coleman, English geographer (directed UK Land Use Survey), dies at 99
- May 2 Bernard Lapasset, French rugby union executive (Chairman World Rugby 2008-16; President French Federation of Rugby Union 1991-2008), dies at 75
- May 2 Christian Larièpe, French soccer defender (FC Montceau Bourgogne) and sporting director (AS Saint-Étienne, FC Lausanne-Sport, FC Nantes), dies at 63
- May 2 Damir Šolman, Croatian basketball small forward (World Cup gold 1970, silver 1974 Yugoslavia; Olympic silver 1968, 76; FIBA European Selection 1974; Mladost Zagreb, Jugoplastika), dies at 74
- May 2 Frank Phillips, Australian golfer (Australian Open 1957, 61; Hong Kong Open 1966, 73; Singapore Open 1961, 65), dies at 90
- May 2 Tori Bowie, American athlete (Olympic gold 4×100 m relay, silver 100m, bronze 200m 2016; World C'ship gold 100m, 4x100m relay 2017), dies at 32
- May 3 Lance Blanks, American basketball guard (Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves), executive (GM Phoenix Suns 2010-13), and broadcaster (ESPN, Longhorn Network), takes his own life at 56
- May 3 Linda Lewis [Fredericks], British pop-rock-soul singer-songwriter, and guitarist ("Rock-a-Doodle-Doo"), dies at 72
- May 4 Petr Klíma, Czech NHL right wing, 1985-99 (Detroit Red Wings; Edmonton Oilers, and 3 other teams), dies at 58
- May 5 Arsenio Iglesias, Spanish soccer manager (Deportivo La Coruña, Hércules, Zaragoza, Elche, Real Madrid), dies at 92
- May 5 Chris Strachwitz, German-born American folk, roots, and world music record producer and label founder (Arhoolie Records), dies at 91 [1]
- May 5 Siiri Rantanen, Finnish cross country skier (Olympic gold 3 × 5k relay 1956, bronze 1960; bronze 10k 1952), dies at 98
- May 5 Terry Lewis, Australian disgraced police officer (Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service, 1976-87), and convict (corruption, forgery), dies at 95
- May 6 Menahem Pressler, Israeli-American classical pianist (Beaux Arts Trio, 1955-2008), and educator (Indian University, 1955-2023), dies at 99
- May 6 Newton N. Minow, American lawyer, statesman (FCC Chairman, 1961-63), and public broadcasting advocate, dies at 97 [1]
Vida Blue (1949-2023)
May 6 American baseball pitcher (6 x MLB All-Star; Cy Young Award & AL MVP 1971; World Series 1972, 73, 74 Oakland A's; SF Giants, KC Royals), dies at 73
- May 7 Don January, American golfer (PGA Championship 1967; 10 x PGA Tour wins; 22 x PGA Tour Champions wins), dies at 93
Grace Bumbry (1937-2023)
May 7 American mezzo-soprano (Venus in Tannhäuser, 1st Black singer to sing at Bayreuth Festival), dies at 86 [1]
- May 7 Larry Mahan, American rodeo rider (PRCA All-Around Champion 1966–70, 73; ProRodeo Hall of Fame), dies at 79
- May 7 Vic Stasiuk, Canadian ice hockey left winger (Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins) and coach (Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks), dies at 93
- May 8 Joe Kapp, American College / Canadian Football HOF quarterback (UC Berkeley; NFL C'ship & Pro Bowl 1969 Minnesota Vikings; CFL Grey Cup 1964 BC Lions; CFL All-Star 1963, 64), dies at 85
- May 8 Rita Lee [Jones], Brazilian rock singer, songwriter and musician (Os Mutantes), dies at 75 [1]
- May 9 Antonio Carbajal, Mexican soccer goalkeeper (32 caps; Club León 364 games) and manager (León, Unión de Curtidores, Atlético Morelia), dies at 93
- May 9 Denny Crum, American College Basketball & Basketball Hall of Fame coach (University of Louisville 1971-2001; NCAA C'ship 1980, 86; 6 x Final Fours), dies at 86
- May 9 Heather Armstrong 'Queen of the Mommy bloggers', American web writer (Dooce blog), dies of suicide at 47 [1]
- May 9 Jackie Zeman, American actress (General Hospital - "Bobbie Spencer"), dies of cancer at 70
- May 9 John Bland, South African golfer (British Senior Open 1997, 99, 2000 runner-up; US Senior Open 1997 runner-up), dies from cancer at 77
- May 10 Ed Flanagan, American football center (Pro Bowl 1969, 70, 71, 73; Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers), dies from heart problems at 79
- May 10 Leonid Kravchuk, Ukrainian politician (1st President of Ukraine, 1991-94), dies at 88
- May 10 Rolf Harris, Australian-British comedian, actor, painter, singer-songwriter ("Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport"), and convicted sex offender, dies at 93 [1]
- May 10 Thelston Payne, West Indian cricket wicketkeeper (1 Test, 5 dismissals; 7 ODIs, HS 60; Barbados), dies from pancreatic cancer at 66
- May 11 Barry Newman, American film and television actor (Vanishing Point; Amy; Petrocelli), dies of throat cancer at 92
- May 11 Futoshi Nakanishi, Japanese Baseball HOF infielder (Nishitetsu Lions; Pacific League MVP 1956; 7×Best Nine Award) and manager (Nishitetsu Lions), dies at 90
- May 11 Kenneth Anger [Anglemeyer], American Underground Filmmaker (Magick Lantern Cycle), dies at 96
- May 12 Bruce Robertson, New Zealand rugby union centre (34 Tests, 22 tries; Counties Manukau RFU), dies at 71
- May 12 Don Denkinger, American baseball umpire (World Series: 1974, 80, 85, 91; MLB All-Star Game 1971, 76, 87; "The Call"), dies at 86
- May 12 Owen Davidson, Australian tennis player (mixed doubles Grand Slam 1967 [Lesley Turner Bowrey, Billie Jean King]; Australian Open doubles 1972, US Open doubles 1973), dies at 79
- May 13 Keiko Tanaka-Ikeda, Japanese gymnast (World C'ship gold balance beam 1954; Olympic bronze team 1964; first Japanese female to win a world title), dies at 89
- May 13 Weldon Olsen, American ice hockey center (Olympic gold 1960, silver 1956; Michigan State University), dies at 90
- May 14 Doyle Brunson, American poker player (10 x bracelets; World Series of Poker Main Event champion 1976, 77; Poker HOF), dies at 89
- May 14 Ferran Olivella, Spanish soccer defender (18 caps Spain, 2 Catalonia; FC Barcelona 214 games), dies at 86
- May 15 Ron Northcott, Canadian curler (World C'ship gold 1966, 68, 69), dies at 87
- May 16 Marlene Bauer Hagge, American golfer, co-founder LPGA (Woman's PGA C'ship 1956), dies after a fall at 89
- May 16 Nelsinho Rosa, Brazilian soccer coach (Saudi Arabia, Fluminense, Vasco da Gama), dies at 85
- May 16 Per Røntved, Danish soccer defender (75 caps; Werder Bremen, Brønshøj BK, Randers SK Freja), dies from cancer at 74
- May 16 Uwe Kitzinger, German-British political scientist, educator and administrator (President of Templeton College Oxford), dies of a heart attack at 95
- May 17 "Superstar" Billy Graham [Eldridge Coleman], American pro wrestler (WWWF Heavyweight Champion 1977-78), dies of kidney, heart, and lung problems at 79
- May 18 Buddy Melges, American sailor (Olympic gold Soling 1972; 5 x world champion; America's Cup skipper, America3 1992), dies at 93
Jim Brown (1936-2023)
May 18 American College-Pro Football HOF running back (Syracuse University; Cleveland Browns - NFL Rookie of the Year 1957; NFL MVP 1957, 58, 65; 8 x First-team All-Pro; 9 x Pro Bowl), actor (The Dirty Dozen; ...tick...tick...tick...), and civil rights activist, dies at 87 [1]
- May 19 Andy Rourke British rock bassist (The Smiths - "This Charming Man"; "Ask"), dies of pancreatic cancer at 59
- May 19 Brian Booth, Australian cricket batsman (29 Tests @ 42.21, 5 x 100s, 10 x 50s; NSW), dies at 89
- May 19 Martin Amis, British novelist (London Fields; The Rachel Papers), dies of esophageal cancer at 73
- May 19 Pete Brown, British musician and lyricist (Cream - "I Feel Free"; "White Room"; "Sunshine of Your Love"), dies at 82 [1]
- May 20 Rick Hummel, American sports writer (St. Louis Post-Dispatch; J. G. Taylor Spink Award 2007; president Baseball Writers' Association of America), dies at 77
- May 20 Sante Ranucci, Italian cyclist (gold UCI World C'ships amateur road race 1955), dies at 89
- May 20 Terry McDermott, American speed skater (Olympic gold 500m 1964, silver 1968), dies at 82
- May 21 Ed Ames [Edmund Dantes Urick], American popular singer (Ames Brothers - "My Cup Runneth Over"), and actor (Daniel Boone - "Mingo"), dies at 95 [1]
- May 21 Ray Stevenson, Northern Irish actor (King Arthur, Rome), dies at 58
- May 22 Claude Noel, Tobagonian boxer (WBA Lightweight title 1981), dies at 74
- May 23 (Isaac) "Redd" Holt, American jazz and soul drummer (Ramsey Lewis Trio, 1956-66 - "The In Crowd"; Young-Holt Unlimited - "Soulful Strut"), dies at 91
- May 23 Cotton Nash, American baseball outfielder (Chicago WS, Minnesota Twins) and basketball small forward (LA Lakers, SF Warriors, Kentucky Colonels), dies at 80
- May 23 Ingrid Haebler, Austrian pianist (Haydn/Mozart/Schubert), dies at 96
- May 23 Sheldon Reynolds, American soul and funk guitarist (Commodores, 1983-87; Earth, Wind & Fire, 1987-2002), dies at 63
- May 24 Bill Lee, American session double-bassist, and film score composer (Do The Right Thing; She's Gotta Have It), dies at 94
- May 24 George Maharis, American actor (Route 66 - "Buz"; The Happening; The Most Deadly Game), dies at 94 [1]
- May 24 Jerry Krause, American Basketball HOF coach (Eastern Washington University; director basketball operations Gonzaga 1985-2015), dies of colon cancer at 87
Tina Turner (1939-2023)
May 24 American singer (Ike & Tina - "Proud Mary"; solo - "What's Love Got To Do With It"), dies at 83 [1]
- May 25 Denny Stolz, American college football coach (Alma College, Michigan State University, Bowling Green State Uni, San Diego State Uni), dies at 89
- May 25 Frank Handlen, American artist of marine subjects, dies at 106
- May 26 Jack Lee, American rock singer and songwriter (Blondie - "Hanging on the Telephone"; Paul Young - "Come Back and Stay"), dies of colon cancer at 71
- May 26 Reuben Wilson, American jazz organist ("Got to Get Your Own"), dies of lung cancer at 88
- May 29 Vítězslav Mácha, Czech Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold welterweight 1972, silver 1976; World C'ship gold 1974, 77), dies at 75
- May 30 John Beasley, American actor (Everwood; Rudy), dies at 79
- May 31 Theodoros Pangalos, Greek politician (Deputy Prime Minister), dies at 84
Authors
Dictators
Explorers
Outlaws
Queens
Spies