- May 1 "Prelude to a Kiss" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC
- May 2 "Some Americans Abroad" opens at Vivian Beaumont NYC for 62 performances
- May 2 South Africa & African National Congress open talks to end apartheid
Event of Interest
May 4 Angela Bowie reveals that ex-husband David slept with Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
- May 4 Latvia's parliament votes 138-0 (1 abstention) for Independence
- May 4 Oriole Gregg Olson sets relief pitcher rec of 41 cons scoreless inns
- May 4 Pakistan beat Australia by 36 runs to win Austral-Asia Cup, Sharjah
- May 5 116th Kentucky Derby: Craig Perret aboard Unbridled wins in 2:02
- May 5 ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Chris Warren
- May 5 35th Eurovision Song Contest: Toto Cutugno for Italy wins singing "Insieme: 1992" in Zagreb
Event of Interest
May 6 Former president P. W. Botha quits South Africa's ruling National Party
P. W. Botha
Event of Interest
May 6 Tom Cruise is ticketed for careless operation of a vehicle in South Carolina
Tom Cruise
- May 8 Cuyahoga County voters approve sin tax to build Cleveland Gateway
- May 8 Reindependence Day of Estonia
- May 9 NY Newsday reporter Jimmy Breslin suspended for a racial slur
- May 9 Sampdoria of Italy win 30th European Cup Winner's Cup against Anderlecht of Belgium 2-0 in Gothenburg
- May 9 NHL Prince of Wales Conference Final: Boston Bruins beat Washington Capitals, 4 games to 0
- May 10 "Zoya's Apartment" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 45 performances
- May 10 French TGV-train hits record speed of 510.6 kph
Event of Interest
May 10 Howard Stern holds a mock funeral for rival John DeBella
Howard Stern
- May 11 NY Yankees trade Dave Winfield to Angels for Mike Witt
- May 12 Comic Relief USA '90 (4th one) raises $4.7 million
Event of Interest
May 12 Nora Dunn and Sinead O'Connor boycott "Saturday Night Live" to protest Andrew Dice Clay's hosting which was perceived as sexist; the show uses a time delay for the third time in its history
Event of Interest
May 14 46th time opposing pitchers hit HR, Fernando Valenzuela (Dodgers)/Gross (Expos)
Fernando Valenzuela
Event of Interest
May 15 "Portrait of Doctor Gachet" by Vincent van Gogh sells for $82.5 million
Vincent van Gogh
Mikhail Kalashnikov Meets Eugene Stoner
May 16 Eugene Stoner and Mikhail Kalashnikov, the creators of the M16 rifle and the AK-47 rifle respectively, meet in Washington, D.C.
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- May 16 Dominican Republic President Joaquín Ricardo Balaguer re-elected
Event of Interest
May 17 "Cheers" star Kelsey Grammer sentenced to jail for 30 days for DWI
Kelsey Grammer
Event of Interest
May 18 Edmonton right wing Jari Kurri sets record for scoring in a Stanley Cup Finals game with 3 goals and 2 assists in 7-2 win at Boston Garden
Jari Kurri
Event of Interest
May 19 "Elvis" TV Drama about early life of Elvis Presley last airs on ABC
Elvis Presley
Event of Interest
May 21 43rd Cannes Film Festival: "Wild at Heart" directed by David Lynch starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern wins the Palme d'Or
Baseball Record
May 22 Andre Dawson receives a record 5 intentional walks in a game
Andre Dawson
Event of Interest
May 22 Deion Sanders becomes involved in a dispute with Chicago White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, one of the most infamous incidents of Sanders' baseball career
Deion Sanders
- May 23 Cost of rescuing savings & loan failures is put at up to $130 billion
- May 23 Dow Jones average hits a record 2,856.26
- May 23 NY Yankees hit 6 home runs to beat Minnesota Twins 12-0
- May 23 34th European Cup: Milan beats Benfica 1-0 at Vienna
- May 24 Stanley Cup Final, Boston Garden, Boston, MA: Edmonton Oilers beat Boston Bruins, 4-1 for a 4-1 series win; Oilers' 5th Cup win in 7 years
- May 24 A car carrying American Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney explodes in Oakland, California, critically injuring both
- May 26 China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
Event of Interest
May 26 Philadelphia Phillies retire future Baseball Hall of Fame 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt's uniform #20
Mike Schmidt
- May 27 74th Indianapolis 500 runs
- May 27 Caesar Gaviria Trujillo chosen President of Colombia
- May 27 Radical Democratic Party holds 1st political meetings in Moscow
- May 28 Cesar Gaviria Trujillo installed as president of Colombia
- May 28 "Dave Thomas Comedy Show" debuts on CBS-TV
- May 28 Eugenia Charles' Dominican Freedom Party wins election in Dominica
- May 28 Longest wheelie (David Robilliard with 5h12m33s (Channel Islands)
- May 29 An earthquake hits Peru, killing over 200
Election of Interest
May 29 Boris Yeltsin is elected President of the Russian Republic
Boris Yeltsin
Baseball Record
May 29 Rickey Henderson steals record 893rd base, breaking Ty Cobb's record
Rickey Henderson
Ty Cobb