What Happened in May 1759

Historical Events

  • May 1 British fleet occupies Guadeloupe, West Indies, capturing it from France
  • May 31 The Province of Pennsylvania bans all theater productions

Famous Birthdays

  • May 1 Jacob Albright, German-American Christian leader, founder of Albright's People (Evangelical Association), born in Fox Mountain, Pennsylvania (d. 1808)
  • May 6 Francois GJS Andrieux, French writer/politician
  • May 15 Maria Theresia von Paradis, composer
  • May 18 Charles Duquesnoy, composer
  • May 20 William Thornton, British-American architect (Capitol Building in Washington, D.C), born in Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands (d. 1828)
  • May 22 Gervais-Francois Couperin, composer
  • May 23 Antoinio da Silva Leite, composer

Person of interestWilliam Pitt the Younger

May 28 William Pitt the Younger, British Prime Minister (Tory: 1783-1801, 1804-06), born in Hayes, Kent, England (d. 1806)

British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger
British Prime Minister
William Pitt the Younger

Famous Deaths

  • May 12 Lambert-Sigisbert Adam, French sculptor, dies at 58