Historical Events in May 1908

May 5 Great White Fleet arrives in San Francisco

May 7 Emperor Franz-Joseph celebrates his golden jubilee with festivities throughout the Austro-Hungarian empire
May 9 Dirk Fock becomes governor of Suriname
May 10 1st Mother's Day observed (Philadelphia)

May 12 George Bernard Shaw's play "Getting Married" premieres in London

May 12 Wireless Radio Broadcasting is patented by Nathan B. Stubblefield
May 14 1st passenger flight in an airplane
May 15 Reich Association Law comes into force
May 21 1st American horror movie silent film "Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde" premieres in Chicago
May 23 Dirigible explodes over San Francisco Bay, 16 passengers fall, none killed
May 23 Part of Great White Fleet arrives in Puget Sound, Washington
May 24 Belgium Catholic socialist/liberal parliamentary election
May 24 John Masefields "Tragedy of Nan" premieres in London
May 26 Mr & Mrs Jacob Murdock and their children become 1st family to travel across United States by car: Los Angeles to NYC in a Packard Thirty (32 days, 5 hours and 25 minutes)
May 26 At Masjed Soleyman (مسجد سليمان) in southwest Persia, the first major commercial oil strike in the Middle East is made, rights acquired by the United Kingdom
May 27 Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Din iss elected the first Khalifa of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
May 30 1st federal workmen's compensation law approved
May 30 42nd Belmont: Joe Notter aboard Colin win
May 30 Aldrich Vineland Currency Act forerunner to Federal Reserve System
May 30 Paris advocate E Archdeacon is 1st passenger in a airplane
May 30 US Assay Office in Salt Lake City, Utah authorized
May 31 Miss Pottelsberghe de la Pottery is 1st airplane passenger (Belgium)