- May 1 "Romance/Romance" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 297 performances
- May 1 Two IRA attacks in and near Roermond, Netherlands, kills 3 British servicemen and wounds 3 more
- May 2 Baltimore Orioles sign a 15 year lease to remain in Baltimore and get a new park
- May 2 David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" premieres in NYC
Event of Interest
May 2 Jackson Pollock's "Search" sold for $4,800,000
Jackson Pollock
- May 3 4,200 kg Colombian cocaine in seized at Tarpon Springs Florida
- May 3 Jasper Johns' "Diver" sold for $4,200,000
- May 4 USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
- May 5 Eugene A Marino installed as 1st African American archbishop
- May 6 Graeme Hick scores 405 for Worcs v Somerset 35 fours 11 sixes
- May 6 Doughnutgate incident: NJ Devils' coach Jim Schoenfeld tells referee Don Koharski to 'eat another doughnut you fat pig!,' he is suspended
- May 7 114th Kentucky Derby: Gary Stevens on Winning Colors wins in 2:02.2
- May 7 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- May 8 "Oba Oba" closes at Ambassador Theater NYC after 46 performances
Election of Interest
May 8 Francois Mitterrand elected President of France
Francois Mitterrand
- May 8 Juli Inkster wins LPGA Crestar Golf Classic
Event of Interest
May 8 Mike Tyson crashes his $183,000 Bently on Varick St in New York City
Mike Tyson
- May 8 Amateur referees work NJ Devil-Boston Bruin playoff games, as NHL referees walk-off, due to a restraining order brought by Devils
Event of Interest
May 9 Australia's new parliament house is opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Canberra
Elizabeth II
Event of Interest
May 11 Mario Andretti records fastest Indianapolis 500 lap (221.565 mph)
Mario Andretti
- May 11 NHL Clarence Campbell Conference Final: Edmonton Oilers beat Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 1
- May 12 "Carrie" opens at Virginia Theater NYC for 5 performances
- May 14 "Mail" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 36 performances
- May 14 1st non-pitcher (Jose Oquendo) in 20 years to get a decision in a baseball game, he & St Louis Cards lose to Braves 7-5 in 19 inn
- May 14 Carrollton bus collision: a drunk driver going the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky, United States hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group. The crash and ensuing fire kill 27.
- May 14 NHL Prince of Wales Conference Final: Boston Bruins beat New Jersey Devils, 4 games to 3
- May 15 "Carrie" closes at Virginia Theater NYC after 5 performances
- May 15 "Gospel at Colonus" closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 61 performances
Event of Interest
May 15 2nd American Comedy Award: Robin Williams & Tracey Ullman
Robin Williams
- May 15 USSR begins withdrawing its 115,000 troops from Afghanistan
- May 16 US Surgeon General C Everett Koop reports nicotine as addictive as heroin
- May 16 US Supreme Court rules trash may be searched without a warrant
- May 18 In just Oakland's 39th of the season, pitcher Dave Stewart breaks record with his 12th balk en route to 16
- May 19 Red Sox retire Bobby Doerr's #1
- May 19 Carlos Lehder Rivas, of Colombia's Medellin drug cartel, is convicted in Florida for smuggling more than 3 tons of cocaine into US
- May 20 Howard Stern fans disrupt WMMR's & John DeBella's "Louie Louie" parade
Event of Interest
May 20 Mike Schmidt hits his 535th HR, moving into 8th place
Mike Schmidt
- May 21 "Da'Butt" by EU hits #35
Event of Interest
May 21 "Fat" by Weird Al Yankovic hits #99
Weird Al Yankovic
Golf Major
May 22 34th LPGA Championship won by Sherri Turner
Sherri Turner
- May 22 Károly Grósz succeeds party leader Janos Kádár in Hungary
- May 23 Maryland stops sale of cheap pistols on Jan 1, 1990
- May 23 41st Cannes Film Festival: "Pelle erobreren" directed by Bille August wins the Palme d'Or
- May 24 John Moschitta set record for fast talking: 586 words per minute
- May 24 Porntip Nakhirunkanok, 19, of Thailand, crowned 37th Miss Universe
- May 24 Power outage in Boston Garden in NHL's Stanley Cup finals
- May 24 Section 28 passed as law by Parliament in the United Kingdom prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality. Repealed 2001/2004
- May 25 32nd European Cup: PSV Eindhoven beats Benfica (0-0, 6-5 on penalties) at Stuttgart
- May 26 Stanley Cup: Edmonton Oilers sweep Boston Bruins in 4 games
- May 27 Senate ratified a treaty eliminating medium-range nuclear missiles
- May 29 Graeme Hick scores his 1,000th run of 1st-class cricket season
- May 29 Pakistan President Zia ul-Haq dismisses government and disbands parliament