Events in Sport
- 1877 3rd Kentucky Derby: Billy Walker aboard Baden-Baden wins in 2:38
- 1883 Cubs' Billy Sunday's 1st at bat, begins 14 consecutive strikes out
- 1884 1-armed pitcher Hugh Daily fanned 13 hitters
- 1885 13th Preakness: Jim McLaughlin aboard Tecumseh wins in 2:49
- 1902 36th Belmont: John Bullman aboard Mastermam wins in 2:22.6
- 1906 10th anniversary Olympic games close in Athens, Greece
- 1906 31st Preakness: Walter Miller aboard Whimsical wins in 1:45
- 1911 Braves pitcher, Cliff Curtis, loses his 23rd game in a row
- 1927 Dodgers beat Phillies, 20-4
- 1938 Dodgers announce contracts to install lights at Ebbets Field
- 1954 79th Preakness: Johnny Adams aboard Hasty Road wins in 1:57.4
- 1955 Oldest man to drive in the Grand Prix (aged 55) finishes 6th
- 1957 Red Sox set AL record by smashing 4 HRs in 6th inning in 11-0 win
Baseball Record
1962 Roger Maris walks 5 times (record 4 intentionally) in a 9 inning game
Roger Maris
Event of Interest
1963 Mickey Mantle hits a ball off Yankee Stadium's facade
Mickey Mantle
- 1963 8th European Cup: Milan beats Benfica 2-1 at London
- 1968 Pitts Pirate Willie Stargell hits 3 HRs, a double & a single
- 1974 Soccer team Veendam forms
- 1975 8th ABA Championship: Kentucky Colonels beat Ind Pacers, 4 games to 1
- 1976 St Louis Cardinal Reggie Smith hits 3 HR
- 1977 Red Sox (6) & Brewers (5) tie single game HR record of 11
- 1983 Toronto Blue Jay Cliff Johnson hits record 18th pinch hit HR
Golf Major
1988 34th LPGA Championship won by Sherri Turner
Sherri Turner
Baseball Record
1990 Andre Dawson receives a record 5 intentional walks in a game
Andre Dawson
Event of Interest
1990 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
Boxing Title Fight
1993 Riddick Bowe TKOs Jesse Ferguson in 2 for heavyweight boxing title
Riddick Bowe
Event of Interest
2002 Mike Babcock is named head coach of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Mike Babcock
- 2003 In Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman to play the PGA Tour in 58 years.
- 2004 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Tampa Bay Lightning beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 3
- 2004 ACT Brumbies claim their 2nd Super 12 Rugby title with a 47-38 win over the Canterbury Crusaders at Canberra Stadium; Brumbies wingers Mark Gerrard (3) and Joe Roff (2) combine for 5 tries
- 2007 NHL Western Conference Final: Anaheim Ducks beat Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 2
- 2010 18th UEFA Champions League Final: Internazionale beats Bayern Munich 2-0 at Madrid
- 2012 NHL Western Conference Finals: Los Angeles Kings beat Phoenix Coyotes, 4 games to 1
- 2015 Pakistan begin the first test-playing nation cricket tour of Zimbabwe since 2009
Birthdays in Sport
- 1826 George Parr, cricketer (legendary Notts batsman, 1st Eng touring capt)
- 1879 Warwick Armstrong, cricketer (Big Ship Great Aussie skipper 1920-21)
- 1902 Al Simmons, American baseball outfielder (A's), lifetime batting avg of .334 (d. 1956), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- 1908 Horton Smith. American golfer (d. 1963)
- 1927 Eric Petrie, cricketer (NZ wicketkeeper of the late 1950's)
- 1934 Arne Harris, American television sports director (d. 2001)
- 1935 Ron Piché, Quebec baseball player
- 1940 Erapalli Prasanna, cricketer (one of India's big four spinners)
- 1941 Martha Langbein, German athlete
- 1943 Tommy John, pitcher (Yankee/Dodger)
- 1946 George Best, Northern Irish footballer (Manchester United, Northern Ireland), born in Belfast
- 1946 Howard Kendall, English footballer and football manager (Everton), born in Ryton, County Durham (d. 2015)
- 1952 R W Eaks, American professional golfer, born in Colorado Springs, Clorado
- 1953 Cha Bum-Kun, Korean footballer
- 1962 Andrew Donald Magee, PGA golfer (1988 Pensacola Open), born in Paris, France
- 1966 Donald Royal, NBA forward (Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic)
- 1966 José Mesa, Dominican MBL pitcher (Cleveland Indians), born in Pueblo Viejo, Dominican Republic
- 1968 Alan Levine, Baseball pitcher (Chicago White Sox), born in Park Ridge, Illinois
- 1968 Carmie Vairo, softball infielder (Olympics 1996), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- 1968 Mike Harbold, sprint kayaker (Olympics 1996), born in Oakland, California
- 1968 Randy Brown, NBA guard (Chicago Bulls)
- 1969 Tim Wiley, kayak (alt-Olympics 1996), born in Lexington, Massachusetts
- 1969 Vaughn Eshelman, pitcher (Boston Red Sox), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 1970 Clyde Johnson, cornerback (KC Chiefs)
- 1970 Eric Wunderlich, American 200m breaststroke (Olympic 7th 1996)
- 1970 Marcus Dowdell, NFL wide receiver/kick returner (Arizona Cardinals)
- 1970 Pedro Diniz, Brazilian Formula One driver
- 1971 Corey Croom, NFL running back (NE Patriots)
- 1971 Troy Barnhart, water polo 2m offense (Olympics 1996), born in Hanford, California
- 1972 Mike Hollis, NFL kicker (Jacksonville Jaguars)
- 1972 Rich Owens, NFL defensive end (Washington Redskins)
- 1973 Aaron Graham, professional American football player (Arizona Cardinals), born in Las Vegas, New Mexico
- 1973 Daniel Tiatto, Australian soccer midfielder (Olyroos, Olympics 1996)
- 1973 Julian Tavarez, Santiago Dom Rep, pitcher (Cleveland Indians)
- 1973 Leslie Ratliffe, WLAF offensive tackle (Rhein Fire)
- 1974 Greg Jones, linebacker (Washington Redskins)
- 1975 Jaane Niinimaa, Raahe FIN, NHL defenseman (Finland Olympic bronze 1998, Flyers)
- 1975 Salvador Ballesta, Spanish Footballer.
- 1976 Christian Vande Velde, cyclist (Olympics 1996), born in Chicago, Illinois
- 1977 Dre Bly, American Football Player
- 1980 Chad Tracy, American baseball player
- 1981 Jürgen Melzer, Austrian tennis player
- 1982 Apolo Anton Ohno, American short track speed skater
- 1983 John Hopkins, Anglo-American motorcycling racer
- 1985 Tranquillo Barnetta, Swiss footballer
- 1985 Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Canadian ice hockey player
Novak Đoković
1987 Novak Đoković [Novak Djokovic], Serbian tennis player (14 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Belgrade, Serbia
Novak Đoković
Weddings in Sport
- 2011 R&B singer Keyshia Cole (28) weds NBA Cleveland Cavaliers Daniel Gibson (25) in Cleveland, Ohio
Deaths in Sport
- 1954 Charles "Chief "Bender, American MLB pitcher and only American Indian in baseball's Hall of Fame (Philadelphia Athletics), dies at 70
- 1966 Tom Goddard, cricketer (22 wkts in 8 Tests for England 1930-39), dies
- 1975 Lefty Grove, American Baseball Player (b. 1900)
- 1990 Rocky Graziano, boxer/writer/actor (Mr Rock & Roll), dies at 71 of heart failure
- 1994 Norman Read, New Zealand 50K walker (Olympic gold 1956), dies at 62
- 2004 Mikhail Voronin, Russian and Soviet gymnast (1968 Olympics: 7 medals including 2 gold, 1972 Olympics: 2 silver medals), dies at 59
- 2015 Marques Haynes, NBA player and hall of famer (World's Greatest Dribbler, Harlem Globetrotters), dies at 88
- 2017 Nicky Hayden, American motorcycle racer (MotoGP Champion 2006), dies after being hit by a car at 35
- 2018 Dave Garcia, MLB manager (California Angels, Cleveland Indians), dies at 97
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, 1956
Memories of Elvis
Only one actor has appeared on film with both the Beatles and Elvis Presley: the little-known Norman Rossington.
May 21, 1999
President 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, 1920
Ship that Changed the Face of Britain
Britain was on its knees after the Second World War, its economy and infrastructure in tatters. For help the Mother Country turned to the Commonwealth.
May 27, 1948