On This Day

Famous Deaths in May 1978

  • May 1 Aram Katchaturian, Russian composer (The Earth), dies at 74
  • May 3 Wim van Doorne, Dutch auto manufacturer (DAF), dies at 71
  • May 5 Alfred (Harold] Gilligan, English cricketer (4 Tests for England), dies at 81
  • May 6 Ethelda Bleibtrey, US swimmer (Olympics 3 gold-1920), dies at 76
  • May 6 Ko van Dijk Jr, Dutch actor (Zaak M P), dies at 61

MurderAldo Moro

May 9 Aldo Moro, Five times Prime Minister of Italy, assassinated by the Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization Red Brigades at 61

Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro
Italian Prime Minister
Aldo Moro
  • May 11 John Clinge Doorenbos, Dutch journalist/poet, dies at 93
  • May 13 Alby Roberts, New Zealand cricketer (5 Tests for NZ, 7 wickets), dies at 68
  • May 14 Bill Lear, American engineer, manufacturer and CEO (Lear Jet Corp), dies at 75

Person of interestRobert Menzies

May 15 Robert Menzies, 12th Prime Minister of Australia (1939-41, 1949-66) and its longest-serving, dies of a heart attack at 83

12th Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies
12th Australian Prime Minister
Robert Menzies
  • May 16 William Steinberg, German-American conductor (Boston Symphony 1969-71), dies at 78
  • May 17 John Selwyn Brooke Selwyn Lloyd, speaker of house of commons, dies
  • May 17 [John] Selwyn (Brooke) Lloyd, British statesman involved in Suez crisis, dies at 73
  • May 19 George Gladstone, cricketer (one Test WI v England 1930), dies
  • May 21 Jo Spier [Joseph Spier], Dutch cartoonist and water color painter, dies at 77
  • May 22 Bjarne Brustad, Norwegian composer, dies at 83
  • May 26 Cybele, Greek actress (b. 1887)
  • May 28 Arthur Brough, English actor (b. 1905)
  • May 31 József Bozsik, Hungarian footballer (b. 1925)

Search the world's largest, most accurate site for today in history.