May 2018 in History

Events in History

Event of Interest

May 7 Iran-Contra figure Oliver North announced as the new President of the US National Rifle Association

May 7 More mudslides in Rwanda kill 18 people bringing the year's death toll to 200

Event of Interest

May 7 Vladimir Putin is sworn in as Russian President for another 6 years

May 8 Ebola outbreak declared in north-west Democratic Republic of Congo with 2 confirmed cases and 17 deaths
May 8 Largest-ever wave at 23.8m recorded in the South Hemisphere at Campbell Island by New Zealand scientists
May 8 Paris St-Germain seals the French domestic football treble with a 2-0 win over 3rd Div Les Herbiers in the French Cup Final at the Stade de France

Event of Interest

May 8 President Trump pulls the US out of the multilateral Iran nuclear deal

45th US President, Businessman and TV Personality Donald Trump

May 9 Argentina announces talks with the IMF amid a new financial crisis with interest rates at 40%
May 9 Dam bursts after heavy rains near Solai, Kenya, killing at least 41

Malaysian 14th General Election

May 9 Historic win in Malaysian general election by opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan led by 92 year old former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, defeating Prime Minister Najib Razak and ending 61 years of rule by the Barisan Nasional coalition

Fails to Protect Taj Mahal

May 9 India's Supreme Court criticises the country’s archaeological conservation body for failing to protect the Taj Mahal from discoloration and green slime

The Taj Mahal in all its glory, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan I for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal

May 9 Nicaraguan anti-government protests involving tens of thousands take place in Managua and Matagalpa y Chinandega
May 9 Oldest viral DNA, a form of hepatitis B, reported discovered in 7,000 year old skeleton found in Germany

US Leaves Iran Nuclear Deal

May 9 President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and some Iranians react angrily to President Trump pulling the US out of the Iran Nuclear deal

May 9 Walmart takes a majority stake in Indian online retailer Flipkart for 16 billion
May 10 China announces plans for the world's largest weather-control mechanism, rain-inducing machines for the Tibetan Plateau (area the size of Alaska)
May 10 Israel fires missiles at 70 Iranian targets inside Syria after Iran fires missiles into the Golan Heights, with claims Israel struck first in attack on Baath

Event of Interest

May 10 Mahathir Mohamad is sworn in as the seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia, the world's oldest leader at 92

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad

Event of Interest

May 10 New record auction price for a Latin American artwork of $9.76 million for Diego Rivera's "The Rivals"

May 11 Mass murder-suicide in Margaret River, Australia, grandfather shoots six members of his family and himself
May 11 Most popular names in the US for 2017 revealed as Emma for girls, Liam for boys
May 12 Insurgent group attacks the town of Muse, Myanmar, killing at least 19 people, Ta’ang National Liberation Army claim responsibility
May 13 China's first domestically built aircraft carrier begins sea trials in Dalian, China
May 13 Family of six carry out 3 church bombings in Surabaya, Indonesia, killing at least 13. Islamic State claims responsibility.
May 14 Boulder City Council in Colorado votes to ban assault weapons
May 14 Chinese mountain climber and double amputee Xia Boyu reaches the summit of Mt Everest
May 14 Indian politician Shashi Tharoor is charged by police with driving his wife to commit suicide
May 14 Successful memory transfer in snails achieved by scientists from University of California published in journal "eNeuro"
May 15 "Laurel vs Yanny" disagreement over what word heard in an audio file begins across social media
May 15 58 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and 1700 hospitalized on the Gaza border protesting opening of US embassy in Jerusalem and 70 year founding of Israel
May 15 Controversial Kerch bridge linking Russia and annexed Crimea opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin. At 19km the longest bridge in Europe.
May 15 Flyover collapses in Varanasi, India, killing at least 18
May 15 Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim is released from prison after being pardoned by King Muhammad V
May 15 North Korea threatens to pull out of summit with US and South Korea saying it can "not hide our feeling of repugnance" towards US security advisor John Bolton
May 15 Taliban forces attack and claim to has seized control of the western city of Farah, Afghanistan
May 17 Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo spreads to the city of Mbandaka
May 17 Gina Haspel confirmed as the first female director of the CIA by the US Senate

Event of Interest

May 18 All of Chile's 34 Roman Catholic bishops offer their resignation to Pope Francis in wake of child sex scandal

May 18 Mexican Damojh airlines flight crashes near Havana airport, Cuba, killing 110 with just 3 survivors
May 18 Santa Fe High School shooting; 17 year-old shooter kills 10 and injures 10 in Santa Fe, Texas

Election of Interest

May 20 President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela wins a second term in an election marked by boycotts and accusations of vote rigging

May 20 Two cyclists attacked by a cougar, 1 dies, in North Bend, Washington State
May 21 Mushrooms have poisoned more than 800 in western Iran, killing 11
May 21 Teenager who started California's 2017 Eagle Creek Fire ordered to pay $36.6 million to cover damages by district judge
May 21 Truckers begin a 10 strike in Brazil, blocking roads in protest at the price of diesel leading to country-wide shortages
May 21 US Justice Department says it is expanding its internal investigation into whether FBI infiltrated Donald Trump's 2016 campaign
May 22 Australian court finds Archbishop of Adelaide Philip Wilson guilty of covering up sexual abuse in 1970s, most senior Catholic priest to be convicted

Event of Interest

May 22 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is questioned by members of the European parliament in Brussels in wake of its security scandal

May 22 New York Stock Exchange announces Stacey Cunningham will be its first woman head in its 226-year history
May 22 Outbreak of Nipah virus confirmed to have killed 10 including a nurse in Kozhikode, India
May 22 Stacey Abrams is the first black woman to be nominated as US state governor - for Georgia
May 23 Hamburg, Germany, becomes the first city to ban diesel cars on some roads
May 24 At least 14 children reported mauled to death by wild dogs near Khairabad, India after closure of slaughterhouses
May 24 Bangladeshi police reported to have shot 52 suspected drug traffickers in anti-narcotics crackdown in 10 days
May 24 Record US fentanyl seizure of 120lbs (54kg) confirmed by police in Nebraska in April, enough to kill 26 million people, one of largest drug busts in US history
May 24 US President Donald Trump cancels summit with North and South Korea because of hostile statements from North Korea
May 24 US President Donald Trump signs into law the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act easing financial regulations and reducing oversight for banks
May 24 World's largest cat-proof fence (44 km / 27.3 miles) completed at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary, central Australia to protect endangered species
May 25 Barbados elects its first female Prime Minister Mia Mottley, who leads the Barbados Labour Party to victory
May 26 Ireland votes to repeal their 8th amendment to allow legalized abortion, 66.4% vote yes

Event of Interest

May 27 Italian PM-designate Giuseppe Conte gives up attempt to form coalition government after President Sergio Matarella vetoes his choice of economy minister

May 27 Oil workers for Brazilian state oil company Petrobrás join the truckers' national strike
May 28 Coco-Cola launches its first alcoholic drink - Lemon-Do on island of Kyushu, Japan
May 28 One million French smokers quit in one year after anti-smoking measures introduced according to Public Health France
May 29 Death toll on Puerto Rico 70 times higher than official figure, likely 4,600 died from Hurricane Maria according to Harvard University study
May 29 Heatwave in Karachi, Pakistan, kills 65 as temperatures soar above 110 degrees Fahrenheit
May 29 Missouri Governor Eric Greitens resigns over an extramarital affair and illegal use of a donor list
May 29 Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko fakes his own death with Ukrainian security services to foil an assassination plot
May 29 Starbucks closes more than 8,000 US stores early for racial bias training after two black men wrongly arrested in a store in April
May 31 Danish government bans garments that cover the face, including the niqab and burqa
May 31 Uganda's parliament imposes tax on social media to stop gossip

Deaths in History

May 1 Ashok Mitra, Indian economist and politician, dies at 90
May 1 Bob Woffinden, British journalist and author, dies of mesothelioma at 89
May 1 Carl W. Duckworth, American politician (Utah House of Representatives, 1955–1958), dies of bone cancer at 53
May 1 Chuck Missler, American evangelist and author, dies at 83
May 1 Elmar Altvater, German political scientist, dies at 79
May 1 Ninalee Craig, American-born Canadian teacher and photograph subject, dies at 90 of complications from lung cancer
May 1 Peter Temple-Morris, Baron Temple-Morris, British politician and life peer (MP for Leominster, 1974–2001), dies at 80
May 1 Phil Gowan, American historian (RMS Titanic), dies of cancer at 65
May 1 Raymond D. Dzendzel, American politician (Michigan House of Representatives, 1955–1958; Senate, 1959–1970), dies at 96
May 1 Reg Gadney, British author, dies at 77
May 1 Robert B. Kennedy, American politician (Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1975–1979), dies at 78
May 2 Chris Walsh, American politician (Massachusetts House of Representatives, 2010–2018), dies of lymphoma at 66
May 2 Dick Edell, American lacrosse coach (Maryland Terrapins), dies at 74 of pneumonia
May 2 Gord Brown, Canadian politician (MP, 2004–2018), dies of a heart attack at 57
May 2 Harald Range, German jurist (Attorney General, 2011–2015), dies at 70
May 2 James Thorp, American electrical engineer, dies at 81

May 2 Katherine O'Regan, New Zealand politician (MP for Waipa, 1984–1996; list MP, 1996–1999), dies of cancer at 71
May 2 Kottayam Pushpanath, Indian author, dies at 80
May 2 Paul Dick, Canadian politician, dies at 77 of a heart attack
May 2 Sir Keith Williamson, British air force commander (Chief of the Air Staff, 1982–1985), dies at 90
May 3 Alfonso Dhlakama, Mozambican politician and opposition leader (RENAMO), dies of a heart attack at 65
May 3 David Pines, American physicist, dies at 93
May 3 Demetrio Túpac Yupanqui, Peruvian academic and Quechua translator, dies at 94
May 3 Doina Cornea, Romanian human rights activist and professor, dies at 88
May 3 H. Basil S. Cooke, South African-Canadian geologist and paleontologist, dies at 102
May 3 Jim Argue, American politician (Arkansas Senate, 1996–2008), dies of kidney cancer at 66
May 3 Junior Rodriguez, American Louisiana politician who criticized FEMA's Hurricane Katrina response, dies at 82
May 3 Monica Barnes, Irish politician (Teachta Dála, 1982–1992, 1997–2002; Senator, 1982), dies at 82
May 4 Barnet Fain, American businessman and artist, dies at 86
May 4 BN Vijaya Kumar, Indian politician, dies at 59 of a heart attack
May 4 Bobbie Louise Hawkins, American poet and author, dies at 87
May 4 Edwin G. Burrows, American historian and professor, dies at 74
May 4 Paul Bloodgood, American artist, dies at 58 of Alzheimer's disease
May 4 Renate Dorrelstein, Dutch writer and journalist, dies of cancer at 64
May 5 Aaron D. Panken, American rabbi, dies in a plane crash at 53
May 5 Ludwig Harig, German writer, dies at 90

May 5 Rosemarie Schruder, German writer, dies at 89
May 5 Stanley Falkow, American microbiologist (molecular mechanisms of infectious diseases), dies at 84
May 6 Brad Steiger, American author and paranormal researcher, dies at 82
May 6 Cirilo Bautista, Filipino writer and poet, dies at 76
May 6 George G. Hall, Northern Irish applied mathematician, dies at 93
May 6 Herbert E. Brekle, German typographer and linguist, dies at 82
May 6 Khaled Mohieddin, Egyptian military officer (member of the Revolutionary Command Council), dies at 95
May 7 Isyaku Rabiu, Nigerian businessman and Islamic scholar, dies at 92
May 7 Jeremy D. Safran, Canadian-born American clinical psychologist, is killed during a burglary
May 7 Mikhail German, Russian writer, dies at 85
May 7 Miki Muster, Slovenian artist, dies at 92
May 7 Tore Torell, Norwegian magician, dies of cancer at 76
May 8 Ernest Medina, American soldier and commanding officer of the unit responsible for the My Lai Massacre of 16 March 1968, dies at 81
May 8 George Deukmejian, American politician, 35th Governor of California (1983-91), dies at 89
May 8 Mahmoud Hammoud, Lebanese politician and diplomat, dies at 82 or 83
May 9 Delphine Gibson, American supercentenarian & former oldest person in the US, dies at 114 years and 265 days
May 9 Duke Friedrich of Württemberg, German aristocrat & heir to the House of Württemberg, dies at 56 in a traffic collision
May 9 Poldine Carlo, American writer & Koyukon elder, dies at 97
May 9 Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Australian heroin smuggler (Bali Nine), dies of stomach cancer at 34
May 12 Dennis Nilsen, Scottish serial killer, dies at 72
May 14 Tom Wolfe, American journalist and author (The Right Stuff), dies at 88
May 15 Ian Denholm, Scottish shipping CEO (Murray Investment Trust), dies at 91
May 23 Homer Neal, African-American particle physicist, dies of a stroke at 75
May 24 Gudrun Burwitz [Himmler], German daughter of SS leader Heinrich Himmler, dies at 88
May 26 Alan Bean, American Naval captain and astronaut (Ap 12, Skylab 3, 4th to walk on the moon), dies at 86
May 27 Connie Kurtz, American Gay Rights advocate, dies at 81
May 27 Donald Herod Peterson, American USAF Colonel, and NASA astronaut (STS-6), dies of Alzheimer's disease and bone cancer, at 84
May 28 Jens Christian Skou, Danish scientist (Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1997), dies at 99