Historical Events
Film Premier
May 3 "Going My Way", directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby premieres in New York (Best Picture 1945)
Bing Crosby
Film Release
May 4 "Gaslight", starring an 18-year-old Angela Lansbury in her film debut, is released
Angela Lansbury
Event of Interest
May 5 Mahatma Gandhi freed from prison
Mahatma Gandhi
Josip Broz Tito
- May 8 33 communist resistance fighter sentenced to death
- May 9 1st eye bank opens in New York
- May 9 Country singer Jimmie Davis becomes Governor of Louisiana
- May 9 Dutch resistance fighter Gerard Musch arrested
- May 9 Joe McCarthy returns as Yankee manager after an illness
- May 9 Russians recapture Crimea by taking Sevastopol
- May 10 Chinese offensive in West-Yunnan
- May 10 Smith v Allwright (excluding Blacks from primary voting) is illegal
- May 11 Opposition group surprise attack post office Washer
- May 11 Slomp Resistance fighter (Frits de Zwerver) freed from Arnhem prison
- May 12 900+ 8th US Air Force bombers attack Zwikau, Bohlen & Brux
- May 12 Crimea purged of Nazi troops
- May 12 German police arrest Dutch resistance member Gerrit van der Veen and later execute him
- May 13 69th Preakness: Conn McCreary aboard Pensive wins in 1:59.2
- May 14 91 German bombers harass Bristol
- May 14 British troops occupy Kohima
Erwin Rommel
Adolf Hitler
Event of Interest
May 15 Eisenhower, Montgomery, Churchill & George VI discuss D-Day plan
Dwight D. Eisenhower
George VI
D-Day
May 17 General Eisenhower sets D-Day for June 5th
Learn More >>
- May 17 Operation Straightline: Allies land in Dutch New Guinea
- May 18 Polish 2nd Army corps captures convent of Monte Cassino, Italy
- May 18 Expulsion of more than 200,000 Tartars from Crimea by Soviet Union begins, they are accused of collaborating with the Germans
- May 19 240 gypsies transported to Auschwitz from Westerbork, Netherlands
- May 19 German defense line in Italy collapses
- May 20 US Communist Party dissolves
Adolf Hitler
- May 23 British and Canadian troops occupy Pontecorvo, Italy
- May 23 Chinese counter offensive at Hunan front
- May 23 Operation Buffalo: Allied break out from Anzio bridgehead
- May 23 Polo Grounds host 1st NYC night game since 1941
- May 24 Enver Hoxha becomes head of Albania anti fascists
- May 24 Icelandic voters severe all ties with Denmark
- May 25 Partisan leader Tito escapes Germans surrounding Bosnia
- May 27 Allies land on Biak, Indonesia (operation Horlicks)
- May 27 Japanese advance in Hangkhou China
Event of Interest
May 27 Jean-Paul Sartres' "Huis Clos" premieres in Paris
Jean-Paul Sartre
Famous Birthdays
- May 1 Suresh Kalmadi, Indian politician
- May 2 Franz Innerhofer, Austrian writer (Beautiful Days), born in Krimml, Salzberg
- May 2 John Verity, English rocker (Argent), born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
- May 2 Bob Henrit, English pop drummer (Argent - Hold Your Head Up; Kinks), born in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, England
- May 3 Ian Peter Leslie Smith, British journalist, born in Bristol, England (d. 1997)
- May 3 Pete Staples, English rocker (Troggs-Wild Thing), born in Andover, Hampshire, England
- May 4 Peggy Santiglia, American singer-songwriter (Angels), born in Belleville, New Jersey
- May 5 Jean-Pierre Léaud, French actor (Detective), born in Paris, France
- May 5 John Rhys-Davies, Welsh actor (Sir Edward-Quest, Sliders), born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
- May 5 Bo Larsson, Swedish football striker, born in Malmö, Sweden
- May 5 Roger Rees, Welsh Tony winning stage and screen actor (Cheers), born in Aberystwyth (d. 2015)
- May 6 Tommie Smith, American 200m dash (Olympic gold 1968), born in Clarksville, Texas
- May 6 Anton Furst, American production designer (Batman), born in London (d. 1991)
- May 6 Masanori Murakami, Japanese baseball player in major leagues, born in Ōtsuki, Yamanashi, Japan
- May 7 Alison Bauld, Australian composer, born in Sydney, Australia
- May 7 Sivi Aberg, Swedish actress (Batman TV show), born in Gävle, Sweden
- May 7 Eva Norvind, Norwegian-Mexican actress, born in Trondheim, Norway (d. 2006)
- May 7 Richard O'Sullivan, British comedy actor, born in Chiswick, London
- May 8 Gary Glitter, [Paul Gadd], England, rocker (Rock & Roll Part II)
- May 8 Bill Legend [William Fifield], British musician and rock drummer (T. Rex), born in Barking, Essex
- May 9 Don Dannemann, rocker (Cyrkle)
- May 9 Richard Furay, Ohio, rock vocalist (Buffalo Springfield, Poco)
- May 10 Abdul Kadir, cricketer (Pakistani batsman-keeper in 4 Tests 1964-65)
- May 10 Jackie Lomax, English singer-songwriter (Is This What You Want), born in Liverpool, England (d. 2013)
- May 10 Jim Abrahams, Shorewood WI, director (Hot Shots, Top Secret)
- May 10 Marie-France Pisier, Daclat, Vietnam, French actress and writer (Love on the Run, Cousin cousine)
- May 11 John Benaud, Australian cricketer (brother of Richie, Australian bat 1972-73), born in Auburn, New South Wales
- May 12 Eva Demski, German writer, born in Regensburg
- May 12 James Purify, American singer (I'm Your Puppet)
- May 13 Betsy Finley Ashton, broadcast journalist/author/lecturer
- May 13 Carolyn Franklin, American singer-songwriter (Angel), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1988)
- May 13 Clive Radley, cricketer (England batsman in 8 Tests 1978)
- May 13 Crispin Agnew of Lochnaw, British explorer/genealogist
- May 13 Armistead Maupin, American author
- May 14 Francesca Annis, actress (Madame Bovary, Dune), born in London, England
- May 14 Gene Cornish, rock bassist/vocalist (Fotomaker, Rascals), born in Ottawa, Ontario
George Lucas
May 14 George Lucas, American director (Star Wars, Indiana Jones), born in Modesto, California
George Lucas
- May 14 Troy Shondell, rocker (Many Sides of Troy Shondell)
- May 15 Gunilla Hutton, Goteborg Sweden, actress (Petticoat Junction)
- May 15 Miruts Yifter 'Yifter the Shifter', Ethiopian runner (Olympic golds 1980), born in Adigrat (d. 2016)
- May 15 Ian "Tich" Amey, British rock musician (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich), born in Salisbury Wiltshire
- May 15 Bill Alter, Missouri State Senator
- May 16 Billy Cobham, Panamanian-American jazz drummer (Mahavishnu Orchestra), born in Colón, Panama
- May 16 Danny Trejo, American actor
- May 17 Arif Butt, Pakistani cricketer (pace bowler for Pakistan in three Tests 1964-65), born in Lahore, Punjab, British India (d. 2007)
- May 17 Canon P B Price, general secretary, USPG
- May 17 Jesse Winchester, singer/songwriter (Learn to Love it), born in Shreveport, Louisiana (d. 2014)
- May 17 Paul Crossley, concert pianist
- May 18 Albert Hammond, rocker (It Never Rains In Southern California ), born in London
- May 18 Peter Ryan, British national director (Police Training)
- May 18 W. G. Sebald, German-born writer (d. 2001)
- May 19 Peter Mayhew, British-American actor ( Chewbacca in Star Wars), born in London, England (d. 2019)
- May 20 Boudouin de Groot, Dutch singer (Good night mister president)
- May 20 Cipa Dichter, pianist/wife of Misha Dichter, born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- May 20 David M Walker, Capt USN/astron (STS 51-A 30, 53, 69), born in Columbus, Georgia
Joe Cocker
May 20 Joe Cocker, English rock vocalist (With a Little Help from My Friends), born in Sheffield England, (d. 2014)
Joe Cocker
- May 20 Keith Fletcher, cricket captain (Essex & England)
Dietrich Mateschitz
May 20 Dietrich Mateschitz, Austrian businessman and co-creator of Red Bull energy drink, born in Sankt Marein im Mürztal, Styria, Austria
Dietrich Mateschitz
- May 21 Janet Dailey, American author
- May 21 Manual Pina, fashion designer
- May 21 Marcie Blane, American singer, born in New York City
- May 21 Mary Robinson, President of Republic of Ireland (Labour, 1990- )
- May 23 John Newcombe, Australian tennis player (7 singles, 17 Grand Slam doubles), born in Sydney, Australia
- May 23 Giles Smith, TV journalist
- May 23 Ramon "Tiki" Fulwood, US drummer (Funkadelic, Knee Deep)
- May 24 Patti LaBelle, American singer (LaBelle-Lady Marmalade), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- May 25 Frank Oz, American muppetteer (Grover-Sesame Street, Muppet Show), born in Hereford, England
- May 25 Bob Payton, American pizza magnate (The Chicago Pizza Pie Factory), born in Miami, Florida (d. 1994)
- May 25 John Bunnell, former Sheriff of Multnomah County, Oregon and TV personality (World's Wildest Police Videos), born in Pendleton, Oregon
- May 25 Robert MacPherson, American mathematician (invention of intersection homology with Mark Goresk), born in Lakewood, Ohio
- May 26 Verden "Phally" Allen, keyboardist (Mott the Hoople)
- May 26 Sam Posey, American race car driver, TV commentator and author
- May 27 Christopher J Dodd, (Gov/Sen-D-CT, 1981- )
- May 28 Adriaan T "Ad" Zuiderent, poet/critic (On the Droge)
- May 28 Billy Vera, musician (& Beaters-At This Moment, Into the Night)
- May 28 Gladys Knight, American singer known as the Empress of Soul (The Pips, Midnight Train to Georgia), born in Atlanta, Georgia
Rudy Giuliani
May 28 Rudy Giuliani, American Mayor of New York City (Republican: 1994-2001) at the time of the September 11 attacks, born in NYC, New York
Rudy Giuliani
- May 28 Gary Stewart, American country singer (She's Actin' Single), born in Jenkins, Kentucky (d. 2003)
- May 28 Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens, Northern-Irish actress, voice artist and singer (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- May 28 Faith Brown, British actress and impressionist
- May 29 Helmut Berger, actor (Ash Wednesday, Damned, Picture of Dorian Gray)
- May 29 Quentin Davies, MP (C)
- May 30 Lenny Davidson, rocker (Dave Clark 5-Glad All Over), born in London, England
Famous Weddings
Wedding of Interest
May 4 Baseball player Ted Williams marries Doris Soule (divorced 1954)
Ted Williams
Wedding of Interest
May 21 Actor Burgess Meredith (36) weds actress Paulette Goddard (33) at David O Selznick's Beverly Hills home
Burgess Meredith
Wedding of Interest
May 29 Boxing champion Sugar Ray Robinson (23) weds Edna Mae Holly
Sugar Ray Robinson
Famous Deaths
- May 9 Ethel Smyth, English composer, dies at 86
- May 11 Henk Hos, resistance fighter, executed at 37
- May 11 Walter Oesau, German fighter pilot (WWII), dies at 30
- May 12 Arthur T Quiller-Couch [Q], British author/critic, dies at 80
- May 16 George Ade, US novelist/playwright (Counsel Widow), dies at 78
- May 16 Leone Sinigaglia, Italian composer, dies at 75
- May 16 Max Brand, [Frederick Schiller Faust], western author, dies
- May 16 George Ade, American author (b. 1866)
- May 19 Godfrey Wilson, British Anthropologist of social change and colonial problems in Africa, commits suicide as a conscientious objector in WW II
- May 26 Cyril "Froggy" Francois, South African cricketer (WWII, 252 runs in 5 Tests for South Africa), dies at 46
- May 26 Robert van Spaendonck, Dutch resistance fighter, dies at 27
- May 28 Katri Vala, Finnish poet, dies at 42
- May 30 Jessie Ralph, actress (Good Earth, San Francisco), dies at 79