May 2015 in History

Events in History

May 7 British General Elections: Conservative Party win outright majority and David Cameron returns as Prime Minister

May 9 A gun fight erupts in Macedonian town of Kumanovo between police and Albanian separatists adding to the government crisis

May 11 Record price for a work of art at auction: Picasso's The Women of Algiers (Version ‘O’) sells for US$179.3 million at Christies in New York

May 15 Carl Icahn invests $100 million in Lyft, a ride-sharing service

May 17 A mudslide hits the alpine town of Salgar in Western Colombia killing over 50 people
May 17 Canada defeats Russia to win gold at the 2015 IIHF World Championship
May 17 Gun fight between rival biker gangs and police in Waco, Texas leaves 9 dead and 18 injured. 170 later arrested for organised crime.
May 17 Melbourne Victory FC defeats Sydney FC to win the Australian A-League

May 19 Historic first handshake between Prince Charles and Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams at the National University of Ireland in Galway

May 19 UK inflation is recorded as a negative for the first time since 1960
May 20 5 major world banks (JPMorgan, Barclays, Citigroup, RBS and UBS) fined US$5.7bn for manipulating currency markets - some of the largest ever fines
May 20 Journal Nature publishes findings of the oldest human-made tools from Kenya’s Turkana basin - 3.3 million years, 1st found to pre-date the Homo genus
May 22 Ireland becomes 1st country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote
May 29 Heat wave in India centered in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states is reported to have killed 1800 people in a week

May 29 Muhammadu Buhari is sworn in as the President of Nigeria

May 29 Sepp Blatter is controversially elected to a fifth term as President of FIFA despite bribery scandals; resigns 5 days later

May 30 FC Barcelona defeat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in the 2014–15 Copa del Rey final
May 30 Namibia defeat Mozambique 2-0 to win the 2015 COSAFA Cup

May 2 Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, daughter of Prince William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, 3rd in line to the English throne, born in London

May 1 Dan Farley, American racing journalist (President National Turf Writer's Association), dies at 72
May 2 Ruth Rendell, English thriller writer (Inspector Wexford novels), dies at 85
May 6 Jim Wright, American Democratic politician and Speaker of the House (1987-89), dies at 92
May 7 Sir Samuel "Sam" Edwards, Welsh physicist (condensed matter physics), dies at 87
May 9 Kenan Evren, Turkish soldier & politician, (President of Turkey 1980-1989 by military coup), dies at 97
May 12 Ruth Mompati, South African politician and Secretary of Nelson Mandela, dies at 89
May 14 Zdzisław Żygulski, Jr., Polish art historian, dies at 93
May 20 Brian Cubbon, British senior civil servant, dies at 87
May 22 John Horlock, British vice-chancellor (Open College), dies at 87
May 24 Tanith Lee, British Science-fiction author (The Flat-Earth Cycle), dies of cancer at 67
May 27 Gordon Hobday, English scientist (developed penicillin with Alexander Fleming, worked on Ibuprofen), dies at 99
May 30 Joseph [Beau] Biden III, American politician and son of Vice President Joe Biden, dies of cancer at 47
May 30 L. Tom Perry, American religious leader (LDS apostle), dies at 92