Historical Events
Historic Invention
May 20 Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patent the first blue jeans with copper rivets

Levi Strauss
- May 23 1st Preakness Stakes: G. Barbee aboard Survivor wins in 2:43 at Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Maryland
- May 23 Canada's North West Mounted Police Force forms (it didn't get the "Royal" until 1904)
- May 23 Postal cards sold in San Francisco for 1st time
- May 24 Leo Delibes' opera "Le Roi l'a Dit" premieres in Paris
Notable Fireworks
May 24 Alexandra Palace opens on Queen Victoria's 54th birthday with a grand celebration including concerts, recitals and fireworks

Queen Victoria
Historic Discovery
May 27 Heinrich Schliemann discovers "Priam's Treasure" a cache of gold and other objects in Hisarlik (Troy) in Anatolia

Heinrich Schliemann
Famous Birthdays
- May 3 Nicoline Magdalene Roll Anker, Norwegian author (Kvinnen og Den), born in Møre og Romsdal, Norway (d. 1942)
- May 3 Pavlo Skoropadsky, Ukrainian politician and general, born in Wiesbaden, Germany (d. 1945)
- May 4 Joe De Grasse, Canadian film director, born in Bathurst, New Brunswick Canada (d. 1940)
- May 7 Clarence Dickinson, American composer, born in Lafayette, Indiana (d. 1969)
- May 8 Henry Leveson-Gower, cricketer (England capt 1909-10 later official)
Howard Carter
May 9 Howard Carter, British archaeologist and egyptologist who found King Tutankhamun's tomb, born in London (d. 1939)

Howard Carter
- May 9 Lilian Mary Baylis, English theatrical manager (Old Vic & Sadler's Wells Theater), born in London (d. 1937)
- May 9 Anton Cermak, American politician (44th Mayor of Chicago, 1931-33), born in Kladno, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary (d. 1933)
- May 10 Carl J Eldh, Swedish sculptor
- May 10 Jan Kalf, literary/art historian (Preservation of museums)
- May 15 Nikolay Tcherepnin, Russian composer of ballets, born in St Petersburg, Russia [OS: 03/05]
- May 17 Dorothy M. Richardson, English novelist (Pilgrimage), born in Abington, Berkshire (d. 1957)
- May 17 Henri Barbusse, French novelist (Le Feu), born in Asnieres, France (d. 1935)
- May 19 Federico Gerdes, composer
- May 21 Emil Ermatinger, Swiss literature historian, born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland (d. 1953)
- May 21 Everard Verachtert, Flemish translator (I speak beschaafd Dutch)
- May 21 Hans Berger, German neuroscientist (d. 1941)
- May 23 Leo Baeck, rabbi/president (World Union for Progressive Judaism)
- May 26 C.G.N. de Vooys, Dutch translator and founder (New Taalgids), born in Gouda, Netherlands (d. 1955)
- May 26 Olaf Gulbransson, Norwegian artist, born in Oslo, Norway (d. 1958)
Famous Deaths
David Livingstone
May 1 David Livingstone, British physician/explorer (Africa), dies at 60

David Livingstone
- May 6 José Antonio Páez, President of Venezuela (1830-35), dies at 82
John Stuart Mill
May 8 John Stuart Mill, English philosopher, political economist and utilitarian, dies of erysipelas at 66

John Stuart Mill
- May 13 Kaspar Masek, composer, dies at 79
- May 14 Gideon Brecher, Austrian physician and writer (b. 1797)
- May 15 Alexander J Cuza, monarch of Moldavia/Romania, dies at 53
- May 20 Sir George-Étienne Cartier, French-Canadian statesman (b. 1814)
- May 26 August Conradi, German organist and composer, dies at 51