Historical Events
EDSA III Revolt
May 1 President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares existence of "a state of rebellion", after thousands of supporters of her arrested predecessor, Joseph Estrada, storm towards the presidential palace at the height of the EDSA III rebellion
- May 3 The United States loses its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947.
- May 4 The Milwaukee Art Museum addition, the first Santiago Calatrava-designed structure in the United States, opens to the public
- May 5 127th Kentucky Derby: Jorge Chavez aboard Monarchos wins in 1:59.97
Event of Interest
May 6 During a trip to Syria, Pope John Paul II becomes the first pope to enter a mosque
- May 9 Accra Sports Stadium Disaster: 129 Ghanaian football fans die in a stampede caused by the firing of teargas by police following a decision by the referee in a crucial match between arch-rivals Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko
- May 12 46th Eurovision Song Contest: Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL for Estonia wins singing "Everybody" in Copenhagen
- May 12 English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (72,500): Liverpool beats Arsenal, 2-1 with Michael Owen scoring twice for the Reds
Music Concert
May 12 Ringo Starr's seventh All-Starr Band debuts in concert; members include: Roger Hodgson, Ian Hunter, Howard Jones, Greg Lake, Sheila E., and Mark Rivera
- May 13 47th British Academy Television Awards: "Da Ali G Show" Best Comedy, "Clocking Off" Best Drama
Election of Interest
May 13 Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing "House of Freedoms" coalition wins the Italian general election
Fiesta
May 15 "Fiesta" single released by R. Kelly featuring Jay-Z and Boo & Gotti (Billboard Song of the Year 2001)
Mulholland Drive
May 16 "Mulholland Drive", directed by David Lynch, starring Justin Theroux and Naomi Watts, premieres at the Cannes Film Festival
Event of Interest
May 17 US President George W. Bush calls for reduced regulations to encourage more oil, gas, and nuclear production
- May 18 101-year-old Harold Stilson becomes oldest golfer to record a hole-in-one when he aces the 108-yard, par-3, 16th hole at Deerfield CC, FL
- May 18 Saudi Arabia selects the eight foreign companies to take part in its "Gas Initiative," three core venture gas projects that have an anticipated worth of $25 billion
- May 19 126th Preakness: Gary Stevens aboard Point Given wins in 1:55.40
- May 19 Manchester United lose 3-1 to Tottenham at White Hart Lane but win English Premier League title for the 3rd consecutive season
- May 21 French Taubira law officially recognizes the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as crimes against humanity.
- May 21 NHL Western Conference Final: Colorado Avalanche beat St. Louis Blues, 4 games to 1
- May 21 The Enron Corporation's power generating venture in India, the Dabhol Power Company, serves formal notice that it will terminate its power supply contract and pull out
Laureus Awards
May 22 Laureus World Sports Awards, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco: Sportsman: Tiger Woods; Sportswoman: Cathy Freeman; Team: French Men's National Football team
- May 22 NHL Eastern Conference Final: New Jersey Devils beat Pittsburgh Penguins, 4 games to 1
- May 23 9th UEFA Champions League Final: Bayern Munich beats Valencia (1-1, 5-4 on penalties) at Milan
- May 23 Marco Siffredi becomes the first person to snowboard down Mount Everest via the Norton Couloir (some share record accreditation with Stefan Gatt)
- May 24 Mountain climbing: 15-year-old Sherpa Temba Tsheri becomes the youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest.
- May 24 The Democrats gain control of the US Senate for the first time since 1994 when Senator James Jeffords of Vermont abandons the Republican Party and declares himself an independent
- May 24 The Versailles wedding hall disaster in Jerusalem, Israel, kills 23 and injures over 200 in Israel's worst-ever civil disaster.
- May 25 32-year-old Erik Weihenmayer, of Boulder, Colorado, becomes the first blind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest
- May 25 54th Cannes Film Festival: "The Son's Room" directed by Nanni Moretti wins the Palme d'Or
- May 26 Super Rugby Final, Canberra: Fullback Andrew Walker kicks 5 penalties & 3 conversions as the ACT Brumbies win their first title; beat Coastal Sharks (Durban), 36-6
- May 27 Indianapolis 500: race rookie Hélio Castroneves of Brazil leads for the final 52 laps to win first of 4 Indy 500s; Penske Racing sweeps 1st-2nd with Gil de Ferran the runner-up
- May 29 International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers inaugurated.
- May 29 Natural gas futures plunge 6% to a 10-month low on speculation that growing US inventories will help power plants meet summer demand for air-conditioning
- May 29 U.S. Supreme Court rules that disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments
Famous Birthdays
- May 3 Rachel Zegler, American actress, singer and YouTuber (West Side Story), born in Hackensack, New Jersey
- May 22 Emma Chamberlain, American influencer (YouTube), born in San Mateo, California
- May 25 Chloe Lukasiak, American dancer and TV personality (Dance Moms), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- May 31 Iga Świątek, Polish tennis player (French Open 2020, 22, 23, 24; US Open 2022), born in Warsaw, Poland
Famous Weddings
Billie Piper
May 6 English actress-singer Billie Piper (18) weds British media mogul Chris Evans (35) at the Little Church of the West in Las Vegas, Nevada; divorce 2007
- May 11 American actress Suzanne Pleshette (64) weds American actor Tom Poston (79) at Manhattan City Hall, New York City (her third marriage, his fifth) until his death in 2007
- May 12 American actor Eddie Cibrian (28) weds TV personality Brandi Glanville (28) at the beachfront Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles
- May 17 Fourth line of succession to the Dutch throne Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (31) weds Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands (35) in The Hague, Netherlands
Famous Divorces
Jane Fonda & Ted Turner
May 22 Actress and former fitness guru Jane Fonda (63) divorces CNN founder Ted Turner (62) due to irretrievably broken marriage 10 years after getting married
Famous Deaths
- May 2 Gina Mastrogiacomo, American actress (Goodfellas), dies at 39
- May 2 Ted Rogers, British comedian and game show host (3-2-1), dies after emergency open-heart surgery at 65
- May 3 Billy Higgins, American jazz drummer, dies at 64
- May 4 Bonnie Lee Bakley, American second wife of actor Robert Blake murdered in her car outside a Studio City, California restaurant at 44
- May 5 Cliff Hillegass, American publisher (Cliffsnotes), dies at 83
- May 7 Simon Slåttvik, Norwegian cross country skier (Olympic gold 18 km individual 1952), dies at 83
- May 9 James E. Myers, American songwriter (Rock Around the Clock) and producer, dies at 81
- May 9 William T. Stearn, British botanist, dies at 90
- May 10 Deborah Walley, American actress (b. 1943)
- May 11 Klaus Schlesinger, German writer, dies at 64
- May 12 (Pierino) Perry Como, American singer ("Catch A Falling Star") and TV personality (The Perry Como Show), dies at 89
- May 12 Alexei Tupolev, Russian aircraft designer (b. 1925)
- May 12 Didi (Waldyr Pereira), Brazilian soccer midfielder (68 caps; Fluminense), dies at 72
- May 13 Jason Miller, American actor and writer (Exorcist, Light of Day), dies at 62
- May 14 Gil Langley, Australian cricketer (Australian wicket-keeper 1951-56), dies at 81
- May 16 Brian Pendleton, English musician (The Pretty Things) (b. 1944)
- May 17 Frank G. Slaughter [C.V. Terry], American novelist and physician (Sangaree), dies at 93
- May 17 Gerd Buchdahl, German-British historian of philosophy and Kant scholar, dies at 86
- May 17 Ikuma Dan, Japanese composer (Yūzuru), dies at 77
- May 19 Mike Sammes, British arranger, session, pop and easy-listening vocalist (The Mike Sammes Singers; Disneyland; The Beatles - "I Am The Walrus", "Good Night"; Olivia Newton-John - "Let Me Be There"), dies at 73
- May 19 Susannah McCorkle, American singer (b. 1946)
- May 20 Renato Carosone, Italian canzone napoletana singer, pianist, songwriter ("Tu vuò fà l'americano" - "You Want to Be American"), and accordionist, dies at 81
- May 22 Jack Watling, British actor (Nanny, Adventure for 2, Naked Heart), dies at 78
- May 22 Lorez Alexandria, American jazz and gospel singer (Alexandria the Great), dies at 71
- May 22 Whitman Mayo, American actor (Grady Wilson-"Sanford & Son"), dies at 70
- May 23 Alessadro Natta, Italian political leader (Communist Party), dies at 83
- May 23 Tommy Eyre, British touring and session keyboardist, and musical director (Joe Cocker, Gerry Rafferty, Wham!), dies of esophageal cancer at 51
- May 25 Malcom McLean, American trucking fleet owner (SeaLand - invented containerized shipping), dies at 87 [1]
- May 26 Anne Haney, American actress (Mrs. Doubtfire - "Mrs. Sellner"; Liar Liar - "Greta"), dies of congestive heart failure at 67
- May 26 Moven Enock Mahachi, Defence Minister of Zimbabwe (b. 1952)
- May 26 Vittorio Brambilla, Italian racing driver (b. 1937)
- May 27 Ramon Bieri, American actor (Badlands, The Andromeda Strain), dies at 71
- May 27 Victor Kermit Kiam II, American businessman (Remington shavers) and NFL owner (New England Patriots 1988–91), dies at 74
- May 28 Francisco Varela, Chilean biologist and philosopher (b. 1946)
- May 28 Joe Moakley, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts (1973-2001), dies at 74
- May 28 Tony Ashton, British musician (Ashton, Gardner & Dyke), dies of cancer at 55
- May 28 Vulimiri Ramalingaswami, Indian medical scientist, dies at 79
- May 31 Arlene Francis, American actress and radio and television personality (What's My Line?), dies at 93
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