- May 1 "Ben Franklin in Paris" closes at Lunt Fontanne NYC after 215 performances
- May 2 1st performance of Roger Sessions' 8th Symphony
- May 2 22nd NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 2
- May 2 Gold reaches then record high ($39.35 per ounce) in London
- May 2 Israeli television begins transmitting
- May 3 Holland Pirate Radio Station VRON becomes Radio Veronica Intl
- May 4 1st ABA championship: Pitts Pipers beat NO Buccaneers, 4 games to 3
- May 4 94th Kentucky Derby: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Forward Pass wins
- May 4 Dancer Image disqualified due to drugs after winning 94th Kent Derby in 2:02½
- May 6 Street battle between students & troops in Paris, 1,000 injured
- May 6 Giants reliever Lindy McDaniel sets NL record of 225th consecutive errorless game (108 chances consecutively since June 16, 1964)
- May 6 Spain closes border to Gibraltar except to Spaniards
- May 8 Jim (Catfish) Hunter of Oakland pitches perfect game vs Twins (4-0)
- May 8 Pulitzer prize awarded to William Styron (Confessions of Nat Turner)
- May 10 Vietnam peace talks began in Paris between the US and North Vietnam
Event of Interest
May 11 Richard Harris releases "MacArthur Park"
Richard Harris
- May 11 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Defenceman J. C. Tremblay fires home the winner as Montreal Canadiens edge St Louis Blues, 3-2 for a 4-0 series sweep
- May 11 Students & police battle in Paris, 100s injured
- May 11 Toronto Transit Commission opens the largest expansion of its Bloor-Danforth Line, going to Scarborough in the east, Etobicoke in the west
- May 12 "March of Poor" under Rev Abernathy reach Washington, D.C.
- May 12 WSKG TV channel 46 (PBS) in Binghamton, NY, begins broadcasting
Event of Interest
May 13 1,000,000 French demonstrate against Charles de Gaulle & Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Charles de Gaulle
- May 14 Beatles announce formation of Apple Corp
Event of Interest
May 14 Czech government announces liberalizing reforms under Alexander Dubček
Alexander Dubček
- May 14 RAF-leader Andreas Baader sentenced to 3 years in West Berlin
Film Premier
May 15 "Wonderwall" with George Harrison premieres at Cannes Film Festival
George Harrison
TV Show Appearance
May 15 Paul McCartney & John Lennon appear on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson", to promote Apple Records, Joe Garagiola is substitute host
- May 16 Earthquake kills 47 in Japan
- May 16 In the Stormont (Northern Ireland parliament) by-election in the city of Londonderry (Derry) the Ulster Unionists retain the seat
- May 17 European Space Research Org launches 1st satellite
- May 17 Frank Howard belts record 8th HR in 5th straight game
- May 17 US performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site
- May 18 93rd Preakness: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Forward Pass wins in 1:56.8
Event of Interest
May 18 AL Kaline hits his 307th HR, surpassing Hank Greenberg as a Tiger
Hank Greenberg
- May 18 Frank Howard ties AL record with HR in his 6th consecutive game his 10 home runs in the most in 6 games
- May 19 20th Emmy Awards: "Get Smart", "Mission Impossible" & Barbara Bain win
- May 19 Frank Howard fails to homer, after hitting 10 in 6 consecutive games
- May 19 Pirate Radio Brumble of Northern England 1st heard
Event of Interest
May 20 Terence O'Neill, then Northern Ireland Prime Minister, is showered with eggs, flour and stones after a meeting of the Woodvale Unionist Association, a loyalist vigilante group
Terence O'Neill
- May 21 Cubs Billy Williams sets outfielder record of 695 straight game
- May 21 Paul McCartney and girlfriend Jane Asher attend an Andy Williams concert
- May 21 USSR performs nuclear test (underground)
- May 21 WEKW TV channel 52 in Keene, NH (PBS) begins broadcasting
- May 21 Nuclear-powered sub USS Scorpion, with 99 men, reported missing & is later found at the bottom of the ocean off Azores
Baseball Record
May 22 Pitts Pirate Willie Stargell hits 3 HRs, a double & a single
Willie Stargell
Event of Interest
May 24 Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithfull arrested for drug possession
Mick Jagger
Event of Interest
May 24 French President Charles de Gaulle proposes referendum & students set fire to Paris bourse
Charles de Gaulle
- May 24 FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City
- May 24 American boxer Bob Foster defeats holder Dick Tiger for the world light-heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Gardens, New York (goes on to defend title 14x)
- May 25 BPAA All-Star Bowling Tournament won by Jim Stefanich
- May 25 BPAA US Women's Bowling Open won by Dotty Fothergill
- May 25 Gateway Arch in St Louis dedicated
- May 25 Rolling Stones release "Jumping Jack Flash"
- May 25 Unicorn by The Irish Rovers hits #7
- May 27 6th Mayor's Trophy Game, Mets beat Yanks 4-3
- May 27 NL awards Montreal & SD major league franchises
- May 27 The meeting of the Union Nationale des Étudiants de France (National Union of the Students of France) takes place. 30,000 to 50,000 people gather in the Stade Sebastien Charlety.
Event of Interest
May 27 George Halas retires from coaching, finishing with 318 regular-season wins and 6 NFL titles
George Halas
Event of Interest
May 28 Senator Eugene McCarthy wins Democrate primary in Oregon
Eugene McCarthy
- May 29 US Truth in Lending Act signed into law
- May 29 UN resolves sanctions on white-minority-ruled Rhodesia
- May 29 European Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London: Bobby Charlton scores twice as Manchester United beats Benfica, 4-1; first English club to win the trophy
- May 30 Beatles begin work on their only double album "Beatles"
- May 30 President De Gaulle disbands French parliament
- May 30 University church in Leipzig, German DR, blown up
- May 30 West German Parliament accepts emergency crisis law
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Bobby Unser wins in 3:16:13.786 (246.040 km/h)
Event of Interest
May 31 Movie star James Stewart retires from the US Air Force after 27 years of service
James Stewart