- May 1 Flevo Boys Football Club is established in Emmeloord, the Netherlands
Radio Premiere
May 1 Larry King's 1st radio broadcast
Historic Event
May 2 Eugene O'Neill's stage drama "A Moon for the Misbegotten" premieres at the Bijou Theatre, NYC; runs for 68 performances
Assassination Attempt
May 2 Gangster Frank Costello escapes an assassination attempt made by rival mobsters
Film Release
May 2 Hammer Film Productions releases its 1st color horror title - "The Curse of Frankenstein" starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee
Historic Event
May 4 Anne Frank Foundation forms in Amsterdam
- May 5 Adolf Scharf elected president of Austria
Historic Event
May 6 Italian government of Antonio Segni resigns
- May 6 Last broadcast of "I Love Lucy" on CBS-TV
Historic Event
May 6 Pulitzer prize awarded to John F. Kennedy (Profiles in Courage)
- May 7 Indians' pitcher Herb Score is hit by a line drive off Gil McDougald
Historic Event
May 8 South Vietnamese President, Ngô Đình Diệm, arrives in the United States on a state visit
- May 10 1st meeting of legislative of Cameroon
Music Premiere
May 10 Dmitri Shostakovich's 2nd Piano concerto premieres in Moscow
Historic Event
May 15 Evangelist Billy Graham launches his "crusade" in front of 18,000 people at Madison Square Garden in NYC
UK Tests a Hydrogen Bomb
May 15 Operation Grapple: Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb near Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean
- May 16 US launches its 3rd atomic submarine, USS Skate, at Groton, Connecticut
Sports History
May 16 Yanks involved in Copacabana Incident, leads to Billy Martin trade
Cannes Film Festival
May 17 10th Cannes Film Festival: "Friendly Persuasion" directed by William Wyler wins the Palme d'Or
Sports History
May 18 82nd Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Bold Ruler wins in 1:56.2
- May 19 Adone Zoli forms Italian government
- May 21 French government of Guy Mollet resigns
- May 22 KBTX TV channel 3 in Bryan, TX (CBS) begins broadcasting
- May 22 Red Sox set AL record by smashing 4 HRs in 6th inning in 11-0 win
- May 22 South Africa's government approves race separation in universities
- May 24 Anti-American riots breakout in Taipei, Taiwan
- May 24 Heavy earthquake strikes Colombia
- May 25 "Shinbone Alley" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 49 performances
- May 27 Toronto's CHUM-AM, (1050 kHz) becomes Canada's first radio station to broadcast only top 40 Rock n' Roll music format
- May 28 NL approves baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers' & NY Giants' move to the US west coast
- May 28 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- May 28 WPSD TV channel 6 in Paducah, KY (NBC) begins broadcasting
- May 29 Algerian rebels kill 336 collaborators
- May 29 Laos government of prince Suvanna Phuma resigns
- May 29 NYC Mayor Robert Wagner says he plans to confer with the Giants & Dodgers about the proposed move to the west coast
- May 30 Test Cricket debut for Rohan Kanhai v England at Edgbaston
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Sam Hanks wins in his thirteenth attempt; first driver to win a $100,000 single-race payday
Sports History
May 30 European Cup Final, Madrid: Alfredo Di Stéfano and Francisco Gento score as defending champions Real Madrid beats Fiorentina, 2-0
- May 31 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Christmas Island (atmospheric)