- 987 Louis V, last Carlovingians King of France (966-987), dies
- 1254 Conrad IV, King of Germany, Jerusalem and Sicily, dies at 26
- 1471 King Henry VI of England (1422-1471) is executed in the Tower of London at 49
- 1481 Christian I, king of Denmark/Norway/Sweden, dies
- 1512 Pandolfo Petrucci, Italian ruler of the Republic of Siena (1500-12) during the Renaissance, dies at 60
- 1524 Thomas Howard 2nd duke of Norfolk, general/premier, dies at about 80
Hernando de Soto
1542 Hernando de Soto, Spanish conquistador and 1st European to discover the Mississippi River, dies while searching for gold, near the Mississippi River at about 46
Hernando de Soto
- 1607 John Rainolds, English scholar (b. 1549)
- 1639 Tommaso Campanella, Italian theologian, philosopher and poet, dies at 70
- 1647 Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, poet/playwright (Warenar), dies at about 65
- 1650 James Graham, Marquis of Montrose "the Great Montrose", Scottish general, hanged at 37
- 1664 Elizabeth Poole, Puritan businesswoman
- 1670 Niccolò Zucchi, Italian astronomer, dies at 83
- 1686 Otto von Guericke, German scientist, inventor, and politician, dies at 83
- 1690 John Eliot, English missionary in Massachusetts, dies at 85
- 1703 Roemer Vlacq, Dutch admiral, dies in battle
- 1719 Pierre Poiret, French mystic, dies at 73
- 1725 Robert Haley earl of Oxford, English Whig-premier (1710-4), dies at 63
- 1742 Lars Roberg, Swedish physician (b. 1664)
- 1771 Christopher Smart, English poet & journalist (Ceremony of Carols), dies at 49
- 1786 Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Swedish pharmacist and chemist (lemon acid), dies of mercury poisoning at 43
- 1790 Thomas Warton, English critic and poet (Pleasures of Melancholy) British Poet Laureate (1785-90), dies at 62
- 1806 Maria Antonia of Naples and Sicily, Princess of Asturias, dies at 21
- 1810 Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont, French spy, dies at 81
- 1865 Christian Jürgensen Thomsen, Danish Archaeologist, created Stone, Bronze, Iron age system, dies at 76
- 1879 Arturo Prat, Chilean naval officer (b. 1848)
- 1894 August A Kundt, German physicist, (test of Kundt), dies at 54
- 1894 Emile Henry, French anarchist (b. 1872)
- 1895 Mary Harris Thompson, 1st American woman surgeon, dies at 66
- 1911 Williamina Fleming, Scottish-born astronomer (b. 1857)
- 1915 Leonid Gobyato, Russian general (b. 1875)
- 1919 Victor A D Segalen, [Max Anely], French ship's doctor/writer, dies
- 1919 Yevgraf Fyodorov, Russian mathematician (b. 1853)
- 1920 Venustiano Carranza, Mexican President (1917-1920), executed by army generals after his decision that the next President be a civilian (61)
- 1924 Bobby Franks, American school boy killed by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, at 14
- 1926 Ronald Firbank, British novelist (The Flower Beneath the Foot), dies at 40
Archibald Primrose
1929 Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, British Prime Minister (Liberal: 1894-95), dies at 82
Archibald Primrose
Jane Addams
1935 Jane Addams, a founder of ACLU (Nobel 1973), dies at 65
Jane Addams
- 1949 Klaus Mann, German writer, dies at 42
- 1964 James Franck, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1882)
- 1965 Geoffrey de Havilland, British aircraft designer, dies at 82
- 1970 E. L. Grant Watson, Australian biologist (b. 1885)
- 1973 Carlo E Gadda, Italian engineer/writer (War Diary), dies at 79
- 1978 Jo Spier [Joseph Spier], Dutch cartoonist and water color painter, dies at 77
- 1981 Patsy O'Hara, Irish hunger striker (b. 1957)
- 1981 Raymond Mccreesh, Irish hunger striker (b. 1957)
- 1983 Kenneth Clark, English art historian (Civilisation), dies at 79
- 1988 Dino Conte Grandi, Italian Fascist politician and delegate to league of nations (1925-32), dies at 92
- 1988 Bruno Frei [Benedikt Freistadt], Austrian Marxist journalist, dies at 91
- 1990 Mary Victor Bruce, who flew around empire state bldg in 1930, dies
- 1990 Moelvi Mohammed Farouk, Indian spiritual leader, murdered
- 1991 Jean Van Joutte, Prime Minister of Belgium (1952-54), dies
Rajiv Gandhi
1991 Rajiv Gandhi, Indian Prime Minster (1984-89), assassinated at 46 by a suicide bomber from the LTTE
Rajiv Gandhi
- 1992 Brendan Nulholland, Daily Mail reporter, dies at 59
- 1992 Elizabeth David, British cookbook writer, dies
- 1992 Mrithi, gorilla (Gorilla in the Mist), dies at 24
- 1993 John Frost, English soldier who led the defence of Arnhem Bridge during Operation Market Garden, dies at 80
- 1994 Forsyth Hardy, documentary film pioneer, dies at 84
- 1994 Giovanni Goria, Prime Minister of Italy (1987-88), dies
- 1994 John Henry Weidner, Dutch/US resistance fighter, dies at 81
- 1995 Kieron Walsh, academic, dies at 46
- 1995 Les Aspin, US sec of Defense (1993-95), dies of stroke at 56
- 1996 Bobby Tulloch, ornithologist, dies at 67
- 1996 Eric Stuart Woord, archaeologist, dies at 83
- 1996 Laurence Dowdall, lawyer, dies at 91
- 1996 Mary Perot Nichols, American journalist, dies at 79
- 2000 Barbara Cartland, English romance author (Camfield #69), dies at 98
- 2000 Mark R. Hughes, American entrepreneur (b. 1956)
- 2002 Niki de Saint Phalle, French artist (b. 1930)
- 2003 Frank D. White, American politician (b. 1933)
- 2008 Brian Keenan, Irish Provisional IRA member who played a key role in Northern Ireland's peace process (1998), dies of cancer at 66
- 2009 Allen Greenwood, British aeronautical engineer and aerospace executive, dies at 91
- 2016 Marco Pannella, Italian politician and activist, dies at 86
May in History
My Fair Lady's Special Day
This was a day to remember for Eliza Doolittle, the 'My Fair Lady' of the stage and film musical that won and broke hearts.
May 20, 1956Memories of Elvis
Only one actor has appeared on film with both the Beatles and Elvis Presley: the little-known Norman Rossington.
May 21, 1999President Falls From Grace
Paul Deschanel had the makings of a fine President of France – until a series of bizarre incidents culminated in him falling out the window of a moving train.
May 23, 1920Westminster Bridge Defies a King and the Church
London's present Westminster Bridge was opened on this day, bringing to an end years of conflict which even involved the payment of a big bribe to the King.
May 24, 1862
