May 1942 in History

Events in History

May 8 German summer offensive opens in Crimea
May 10 World War II: The Thai Phayap Army invades the Shan States during the Burma Campaign
May 11 Japanese troops conquer Kalewa

Historic Publication

May 11 William Faulkner's collections of short stories, "Go Down, Moses", is published

Author and Nobel Laureate William Faulkner

May 12 1,500 Jews gassed in Auschwitz

Event of Interest

May 12 David Ben-Gurion leaves Jewish state in Palestine

1st Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion

May 12 Nazi U-boat sinks American cargo ship at mouth of Mississippi River
May 12 Russia occupies Crackow, until Aug 23, 1943
May 14 US Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) forms
May 15 Gasoline 1st rationed in US (17 Eastern States)
May 15 Nazi occupiers in Netherlands arrest 2,000 Dutch officers
May 16 1st transport of British and Dutch prisoners to South Burma

Event of Interest

May 17 Dutch SS vows loyalty to Hitler

May 20 US Navy 1st permitted black recruits to serve
May 21 Convoy PQ16 departs Great Britain for Russia
May 22 Mexico declares war on Nazi-Germany & Japan
May 22 The Steel Workers Organizing Committee disbands, and a new trade union, the United Steelworkers, is formed
May 26 Anglo-Soviet Treaty signed in London
May 26 Belgium Jews are required by Nazis to wear a Jewish star
May 26 Tank battle at Bir Hakeim: Afrika Korps vs British army
May 27 Dorie Miller awarded navy cross for deeds at Pearl Harbor
May 27 Hitler orders 10,000 Czechs murdered
May 27 Italian army begin siege of French western Fort Bir Hachim

Event of Interest

May 27 Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich is mortally wounded by a grenade thrown by Czech rebels in Prague during Operation Anthropoid; he would die a week later

May 28 1,800 Czechs murdered by Nazis during attack on Heydrich
May 30 1,047 bombers bomb Cologne in RAF's raid of WW II

German History

May 30 Reichsfuehrer Herman Himmler arrives in Prague

Leading Nazi and Reichsführer of the SS Heinrich Himmler

May 30 US aircraft carrier Yorktown leaves Pearl Harbor
May 31 German Luftwaffe bombs Canterbury, England
May 31 U-boats sink and damage 146 allied ships this month (722,666 tons)

Birthdays in History

May 3 Butch Otter, American politician, 32nd governor of Idaho, born in Caldwell, Idaho
May 3 Dave Marash, American television journalist, born in Atlanta, Georgia
May 6 Rin Kaiho, Taiwanese professional Go player, born in Shanghai, China
May 8 Norman Lamont, British politician, (Chancellor of Exchequer), born in Lerwick, Shetland
May 9 John D Ashcroft, (Gov-MO)
May 10 Youssouf Sambo Bâ, Burkinabé politician
May 11 Rachel Billington, British author (A Woman's Age, Bodily Harm), born in Oxford, England
May 12 Barry Longyear, American sci-fi author (City of Baraboo), born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
May 12 Dumitru Dediu, Romanian cosmonaut (Soyuz 40 backup)
May 13 Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Soviet cosmonaut (Soyuz 27, 39, T-6, T-12, T-13), born in Iskandar, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
May 14 Byron Dorgan, American politician and author (Rep-D-ND, 1981-92, Senator-D-ND 1992-2011), born in Dickinson, North Dakota
May 14 Lord McAlpine, English contractor/multi-millionaire
May 15 Anthony Wayne England, PhD/astronaut (STS 51-F), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
May 15 Doug Lowe, 35th Premier of Tasmania
May 17 Caroline Charles, fashion designer
May 18 Keith Hellawell, English Chief Constable (West Yorkshire) and government 'drugs czar', born in Kirkburton, England

May 18 Simon Isaacs, 4th Marquess of Reading, English aristocrat, banker and philanthropist

Gary Kildall (1942-1994)

May 19 American computer scientist and entrepreneur who created the CP/M operating system, born in Seattle, Washington

May 19 James Topping, author of CP/M
May 20 Carlos Hathcock, American Marine Corps sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills (Vietnam War), born in Little Rock, Arkansas (d. 1999)
May 21 David Hunt, British Conservative politician, born in Glyn Ceiriog, Wales
May 21 Robert C. Springer, American Army Colonel USMC/astronaut (STS-29, STS-38), born in St. Louis, Missouri
May 22 Pallo Jordan, South African politician and ANC member, born in Kroonstad, Free State

Ted Kaczynski (1942-2023)

May 22 American serial killer and terrorist known as the "Unabomber", born in Evergreen Park, Illinois

May 23 Gabriel Liiceanu, Romanian philosopher
May 27 Lee Baca, American law enforcement official
May 27 Roger Freeman, British minister of transport
May 28 Stanley B. Prusiner, American scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
May 29 Pierre Bourque, Canadian politician (40th Mayor of Montreal), born in Montreal, Quebec
May 30 Dan Miller, American politician (Rep-R-Florida 1993-2003), born in Highland Park, Michigan
May 31 John Daniel, British Vice-Chancellor (Open U)

Weddings in History

Robert Hofstadter

May 9 Physicist Robert Hofstadter (27) weds Nancy Givan

Jack Kirby

May 23 Comic book artist Jack Kirby (24) weds Roz Goldstein

Deaths in History

May 3 Johan H. Westerveld, Dutch WW II resistance fighter and leader of Order Service (OD), executed at 61
May 3 Thorvald Stauning, Prime Minister of Denmark (1924-26, 1929-42), dies at 68
May 5 Qemal Stafa, Albanian politician (b. 1920)
May 16 Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski, anthropologist, dies
May 19 Nicoline Magdalene Roll Anker, Norwegian author (Enken), dies at 69
May 20 Hector Guimard, French Art Nouveau architect and designer (entrances to Paris Metros),
May 27 Chen Duxiu, Chinese revolutionary socialist and author who co-founded the Chinese Communist Party with Li Dazhao and was the 1st General Secretary (1921-27), dies at 62
May 29 Akiko Yosano, Japanese poet (Tangled Hair), dies at 63