- May 1 Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (Tour de France 1923), dies of a gunshot wound at 46
- May 11 Edward Herbert Thompson, American archaeologist (Mayan civilization), dies at 78
Józef Piłsudski
May 12 Józef Piłsudski, Father of the Second Polish Republic who served as its Chief of State (1918-22), Marshall of Poland and later its de facto leader (1926-35), dies at 67

Józef Piłsudski
Magnus Hirschfeld
May 14 Magnus Hirschfeld, German physician and gay rights advocate, dies of a heart attack at 67

Magnus Hirschfeld
T. E. Lawrence
May 19 T. E. Lawrence [Lawrence of Arabia], British author, soldier and diplomat famous for his liaison role in Arabia during WWI, dies at 46, in a motorcycle accident in Dorset, England

T. E. Lawrence
Jane Addams
May 21 Jane Addams, a founder of ACLU (Nobel 1973), dies at 65

Jane Addams