May 21

American Red Cross is founded by Clara Barton (1881); FIFA, world governing body of association football, founded (1904); Nobel Peace Prize laureate Jane Addams dies (1935); Rapper Notorious BIG born (1972).

May 20

Christopher Columbus dies (1506); Amelia Earhart departs from Newfoundland, Canada, becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (1932); Singer-songwriter Cher born (1946); First photograph sent from Hubble Space Telescope (1990).

May 19

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, is beheaded (1536); TE Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia, dies (1935); André the Giant born (1946); Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis dies (1994); Prince Harry marries Meghan Markle (2018).

May 18

Supreme Court rules “separate but equal” in Plessy v. Ferguson case (1896); Pope John Paul II born in Poland (1920); Comedian Tina Fey born (1970); India detonates its first nuclear test bomb “Smiling Buddha” (1974); Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington state (1980); Musician Chris Cornell dies (2017).

May 17

Aristides is first winner of the Kentucky Derby (1875); Brown v. Board of Education decision outlaws racial segregation in public schools (1954); Boxer Sugar Ray Leonard born (1956); First legal same-sex marriages performed in the US (2004); Singer Donna Summer dies (2012).

May 15

National Woman Suffrage Association founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1869); Poet Emily Dickinson dies (1886); Mickey Mouse makes first cartoon appearance (1928); Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright born (1937); Soviet Union begins withdrawal of 115,000 troops from Afghanistan (1988).

May 16

First Academy Awards hosted (1929); Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends (1943); Singer Janet Jackson born (1966); Entertainer Andy Kaufman dies (1984); "Muppets" creator Jim Henson dies (1990); Performer Sammy Davis Jr. dies (1990). 

NATIONAL BIOGRAPHER’S DAY

"On May 16 honors National Biographer's Day as a day to commemorate the anniversary of the first meeting of Samuel Johnson, an English writer, and his biographer James Boswell in London, England on May 16, 1763."https://nationaldaycalendar.com/celebrations/national-biographers-day-may-16

MALCOLM X DAY

"Today is Malcolm X Day on the National Day Calendar. Though his official birthday is May 19, we honor the birthday and life of Malcolm X on the third Friday in May. Join us as we explore his life and see how one man became an inspiration for change and equality inspiring Malcolm X Day."

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/celebrations/malcolm-x-day-third-friday-in-may

May 13

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embark on their famous expedition (1804); "Star Wars" creator George Lucas born (1944); Skylab, the first US space station, launched (1973); Singer Frank Sinatra dies (1998); Blues musician BB King dies (2015).

May 12

Modern nursing innovator Florence Nightingale born (1820); Actress Katharine Hepburn born (1907); Charles Lindbergh’s son found dead two months after being kidnapped (1932); Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk born (1968); Ex-President Jimmy Carter visits Cuba, the first American president to visit since 1959 revolution (2002).

May 13

The US declares war against Mexico in dispute over Texas (1846); "Golden Girls" actress Bea Arthur born (1922); Stevie Wonder born (1950); Pope John Paul II is shot, survives assassination attempt (1981); Actress and singer Doris Day dies (2019).

May 9

Billy Joel born (1949); Impeachment proceedings begin against President Richard Nixon (1974); Singer and civil rights activist Lena Horne dies (2010); Rock legend Little Richard dies (2020).

May 10

First American transcontinental railroad is completed (1869); Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of the UK (1940); Former NASA astronaut Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman in space, born (1958); Actress Joan Crawford dies (1977); Nelson Mandela inaugurated as president of South Africa (1994).

May 11

First chartered hospital in the US founded in Philadelphia (1751); Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí born (1904); Hit musical "Cats" debuts in London (1981); American singer Sabrina Carpenter born (1999); "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" author Douglas Adams dies (2001). 

May 8

President Harry Truman born (1884); Coca-Cola is sold for the first time at a pharmacy in Atlanta (1886); Mount Pelée in Martinique erupts, beginning the deadliest volcanic event of the 20th century (1902); Germany surrenders, ending World War II in Europe (1945); Smallpox is eradicated (1980).

May 7

Edwin H. Land, inventor of instant photography, born (1909); Ishirō Honda, Japanese film director and cowriter of 1954 film "Godzilla," born (1911); German submarine sinks RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 (1915); Eva "Evita" Perón born (1919); Sony Corporation founded (1946).

May 6

Famed neurologist Sigmund Freud born (1856); Baseball great Willie Mays born (1931); Hindenburg disaster kills 36 (1937); Roger Bannister becomes first person to run a mile in under 4 minutes (1954); Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich dies (1992).

May 5

Napoleon Bonaparte dies while in exile (1821); Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla (1862); Alan Shepard becomes first American in outer space (1961); Singer-songwriter Adele born (1988); "Spider-Man" becomes the first movie to top $100M in its opening weekend (2002)

May 4

Abraham Lincoln buried in Springfield, Illinois (1865); US officially takes over Panama Canal construction (1904); Actress Audrey Hepburn born (1929) First Grammy Awards ceremony held (1959); Yugoslavian dictator Josip Tito dies (1980).

May 3

Philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli born (1469); Boxer Sugar Ray Robinson born (1921); Musician James Brown born (1933); Margaret Mitchell wins Pulitzer for "Gone With the Wind" novel (1937); First bulk spam email is sent (1978).

May 2

Leonardo da Vinci dies (1519); Playwright Tennessee Williams wins Pulitzer Prize for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955); Fashion designer Donatella Versace born (1955); Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson born (1972); Osama bin Laden is killed by US special forces (2011).

May 1

Frontierswoman and sharpshooter Calamity Jane born (1852); Dwarf planet Pluto is named (1930); Empire State Building opens in NYC (1931); Country artist Tim McGraw born (1967); Actress Olympia Dukakis dies (2021).