Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/May
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| An archive of historical anniversaries that appeared on the Main Page 2008 day arrangement |
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May 1: Ascension Thursday (Western Christianity, 2008); Yom HaShoah in Israel (2008); May Day; International Workers' Day; Beltane in Ireland and Scotland
- 1707 – The Kingdoms of England and Scotland merged to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, a single kingdom encompassing the entire island of Great Britain with a single parliament and government based in Westminster.
- 1840 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland first issued the Penny Black (pictured), the first official adhesive postage stamp.
- 1893 – The World's Columbian Exposition, a World's Fair to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World, opened in Chicago.
- 1898 – The American Asiatic Squadron under Commodore George Dewey defeated the Spanish Pacific Squadron under Admiral Patricio Montojo at the Battle of Manila Bay, the first engagement of the Spanish-American War.
- 1956 – A doctor in Japan reported an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system", marking the official discovery of Minamata disease.
More events: April 30 – May 1 – May 2
May 2: Teachers' Day in Iran; Flag Day in Poland
- 1670 – A Royal Charter granted the Hudson's Bay Company a monopoly in the fur trade in Rupert's Land.
- 1808 – Beginning of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rebelled against French occupation of the city.
- 1829 – Captain Charles Fremantle of the Royal Navy established the Swan River Colony, the first British settlement on the west coast of Australia.
- 1945 – World War II: General Helmuth Weidling (pictured), commander of the German troops in Berlin, surrendered the city to Soviet forces led by General Georgy Zhukov, ending the Battle of Berlin.
- 1982 – HMS Conqueror launched three torpedoes and sank ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands War.
- 1986 – Henri Toivonen died while leading the Tour de Corse rally, resulting in FISA, the sport governing body for motor racing events, banning the powerful and popular Group B rally cars for the following season.
More events: May 1 – May 2 – May 3
May 3: Constitution Day in Poland and Japan, World Press Freedom Day
- 1791 – The Polish Constitution of May 3, one of the earliest codified national constitutions in the world, was adopted by the Sejm.
- 1808 – Finnish War: Sweden lost the fortress of Suomenlinna to Russia.
- 1815 – Austrian troops led by Frederick Bianchi, Duke of Casalanza (pictured) defeated the forces under King Joachim Murat of Naples at the Battle of Tolentino, the decisive battle of the Neapolitan War.
- 1945 – World War II: German ocean liner Cap Arcona, left to float defencelessly in the Bay of Lübeck with thousands of prisoners from various concentration camps on board, was attacked and sunk by RAF Typhoons.
- 1947 – A new Constitution of Japan went into effect, providing for a parliamentary system of government, guaranteeing certain fundamental rights, and relegating the Japanese monarchy to a purely ceremonial role.
More events: May 2 – May 3 – May 4
May 4: Remembrance of the Dead in the Netherlands; Greenery Day in Japan
- 1493 – Pope Alexander VI issued the papal bull Inter caetera, establishing a Line of Demarcation dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal.
- 1855 – American adventurer William Walker (pictured) and a group of mercenaries sailed from San Francisco to conquer Nicaragua.
- 1886 – An unknown assailant threw a bomb into a crowd of police, turning a peaceful labor rally in Chicago into the Haymarket massacre, resulting in the deaths of seven police officers and an unknown number of civilians.
- 1942 – World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy engaged Allied naval forces at the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged each other, and the first naval battle in history in which neither side's ships sighted or fired directly upon the other.
- 1979 – Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- 1990 – The Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR declared the restoration of independence of Latvia, stating that the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940 were illegal.
More events: May 3 – May 4 – May 5
May 5: Cinco de Mayo; Liberation Day in Denmark, Ethiopia, and the Netherlands; Children's Day in Japan and South Korea
- 1789 – The Estates-General convened in Versailles to discuss a financial crisis in France, triggering a series of events that led to the French Revolution.
- 1891 – New York City's Carnegie Hall, built by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, officially opened with a concert conducted by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
- 1949 – Ten European countries signed the Treaty of London, creating the Council of Europe, today one of the oldest international organisations working for European integration.
- 1950 – Prince Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned in Bangkok as King Rama IX of Thailand, currently the world's longest-serving head of state.
- 1961 – Project Mercury: Aboard the American spacecraft Freedom 7, astronaut Alan Shepard (pictured) made a sub-orbital flight, becoming the second person to travel into outer space after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
More events: May 4 – May 5 – May 6
May 6: St George's Day in Bulgaria; Đurđevdan in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina; Yuri's Day in Russia
- 1682 – King Louis XIV of France moved the French royal court and the seat of government from Paris to the Château de Versailles in Versailles.
- 1863 – American Civil War: The Army of Northern Virginia, led by Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, scored a decisive Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville near Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia.
- 1937 – The German zeppelin Hindenburg caught fire (pictured) and was destroyed while trying to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, killing over 30 people on board.
- 1954 – At Oxford's Iffley Road Track, English athlete Roger Bannister became the first person to run the mile in under four minutes.
- 1994 – The Channel Tunnel, a 50.5-kilometre (31.4 mi) undersea rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover connecting Folkestone, Kent, England to Coquelles, France, officially opened.
More events: May 5 – May 6 – May 7
May 7: Yom Hazikaron in Israel (2008); Radio Day in Russia and Bulgaria
- 1272 – The first session of the Second Council of Lyon was held to discuss, among others, the pledge by Byzantine Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos to end the Great Schism and reunite the Eastern church with the West.
- 1763 – Chief Pontiac (pictured) of the Ottawa Native American tribe led an attempt to seize Fort Detroit and drive out the British settlers, beginning Pontiac's Rebellion.
- 1895 – Alexander Stepanovich Popov presented his radio receiver, refined as a lightning detector, to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society.
- 1915 – World War I: The German submarine Unterseeboot 20 torpedoed and sank the ocean liner RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 on board.
- 1920 – Soviet Russia recognized the independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia by signing the Treaty of Moscow, only to invade the country six months later.
More events: May 6 – May 7 – May 8
May 8: Yom Ha'atzmaut in Israel (2008); Victory in Europe Day; World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
- 1429 – Siege of Orléans: French troops led by Joan of Arc lifted the English siege and turned the tide of the Hundred Years' War.
- 1541 – The expedition led by Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reached the Mississippi River.
- 1794 – French chemist and economist Antoine Lavoisier, a former royal tax collector with the Ferme Générale, was tried, convicted, and guillotined on the same day during the Reign of Terror.
- 1886 – In Atlanta, Georgia, American pharmacist John Pemberton first sold his carbonated beverage Coca-Cola as a patent medicine, claiming that it cured a number of diseases.
- 1945 – Most armed forces under German control ceased active operations by 23:01 hours CET at the end of World War II in Europe, in accordance with the capitulation documents signed by General Alfred Jodl (pictured) on behalf of Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz the day before.
More events: May 7 – May 8 – May 9
May 9: Victory Day in various Eastern European countries; Europe Day in the European Union
- 1671 – Irish-born Colonel Thomas Blood (pictured) was caught trying to steal the English Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
- 1901 – The first Parliament of Australia opened in the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne.
- 1945 – End of World War II in Europe: The signing of a second German Instrument of Surrender by General Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, specifying the military surrender of all German forces to the high commands of the Soviet Army and Allied Expeditionary Force, was announced.
- 1950 – French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presented the Schuman Declaration, a proposal to place France's and West Germany's coal and steel industries under joint management, triggering a series of events that eventually led to the founding of the European Union.
- 1950 – Speculative fiction author L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health was first published, describing his self-improvement techniques known as Dianetics.
More events: May 8 – May 9 – May 10
May 10: World Fair Trade Day (2008); Mother's Day in various countries; Constitution Day in the Federated States of Micronesia
- 1503 – Christopher Columbus and his crew became the first Europeans to visit the Cayman Islands, naming them Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles there.
- 1857 – The Sepoy Rebellion broke out in colonial India, threatening the rule of the British East India Company.
- 1869 – The First Transcontinental Railroad of North America was completed with the golden spike ceremony in Promontory Summit, Utah.
- 1924 – J. Edgar Hoover (pictured) became the first director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- 1940 – British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned and formally recommended Winston Churchill as his successor.
More events: May 9 – May 10 – May 11
May 11: Pentecost in Western Christianity (2008); Mother's Day in several countries (2008)
- 1745 – War of the Austrian Succession: French forces defeated the Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian "Pragmatic Army" at the Battle of Fontenoy in the Austrian Netherlands in present day Belgium.
- 1792 – Merchant sea-captain Robert Gray (pictured) first entered the Columbia River, the largest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean from North America.
- 1812 – British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons.
- 1867 – The major powers in Europe signed the Second Treaty of London to solve the Luxembourg Crisis between France and Prussia over the political status of Luxembourg.
- 1918 – The Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus was established, with Tapa Tchermoeff as the first prime minister.
- 1949 – Siam was officially renamed Thailand, a name unofficially in use since it was first coined by Prime Minister and dictator Plaek Pibulsonggram in 1939.
More events: May 10 – May 11 – May 12
May 12: Whit Monday (Western Christianity, 2008); Buddha's Birthday in Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea (2008); International Nurses Day
- 1551 – The National University of San Marcos, the oldest university in the Americas, was founded in Lima, Peru.
- 1885 – North-West Rebellion: Louis Riel (pictured) and the Métis rebels were decisively defeated by Canadian forces under Major-General Frederick Middleton in Batoche, Saskatchewan.
- 1926 – A general strike by British trade unions "in defence of [coal] miners' wages and hours" ended after nine days.
- 1941 – German engineer Konrad Zuse presented the Z3, the world's first working programmable, fully automatic computer, in Berlin.
- 1958 – Canada and the United States signed a formal agreement establishing the North American Air Defense Command to provide aerospace warning and defense for North America.
More events: May 11 – May 12 – May 13
May 13: Rotuma Day in Fiji
- 1619 – Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt was executed in The Hague after having been accused of treason.
- 1846 – The United States declared war on Mexico after a series of disputes in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, starting the Mexican–American War.
- 1848 – Maamme, the national anthem of Finland written by German composer Fredrik Pacius and Finnish poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, was performed for the first time.
- 1888 – Isabel the Redeemer (pictured) signed the Lei Áurea into law, formally abolishing slavery in Brazil.
- 1912 – The Royal Flying Corps (later the Royal Air Force) was established in the United Kingdom.
- 1917 – Our Lady of Fatima: Ten-year-old Lúcia Santos and her siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto reportedly began experiencing a Marian apparition near Fátima, Portugal.
- 1969 – Chinese-Malay race riots began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, leaving at least 190 people dead, and leading the government to declare a state of emergency and suspend Parliament until 1971.
More events: May 12 – May 13 – May 14
May 14: Feast day of Saint Matthias and Saint Mochuda (Roman Catholic Church)
- 1264 – Second Barons' War: King Henry III was captured at the Battle of Lewes in Sussex, making Simon de Montfort the de facto ruler of England.
- 1607 – An expedition led by Edward Maria Wingfield, Christopher Newport, and John Smith established the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America.
- 1804 – The Lewis and Clark Expedition led by explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (pictured) left Camp Dubois near present-day Hartford, Illinois and began the first American overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back.
- 1943 – World War II: The Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine off the coast of Queensland, killing 268 people aboard.
- 1948 – David Ben-Gurion publicly read the Israeli Declaration of Independence at the present-day Independence Hall in Tel Aviv, officially establishing a new Jewish state in parts of the former British Mandate of Palestine.
More events: May 13 – May 14 – May 15
May 15: Independence Day in Paraguay (1811); Teachers' Day in Mexico and South Korea; Nakba Day in Palestinian communities
- 1602 – English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold became the first European to discover Cape Cod.
- 1836 – English astronomer Francis Baily first observed "Baily's beads", a phenomenon during a solar eclipse in which the rugged lunar limb topography allows beads of sunlight to shine through (example pictured).
- 1932 – Japanese Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated in the May 15 incident, an attempted coup d'état by radical elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
- 1957 – The United Kingdom tested its first hydrogen bomb over Malden Island in Operation Grapple.
- 1990 – Vincent van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gachet was sold at auction in Christie's New York office for a total of US$82.5 million, at the time the world's most expensive painting.
More events: May 14 – May 15 – May 16
May 16: Teacher's Day in Malaysia
- 1204 – Fourth Crusade: Count Baldwin IX of Flanders was crowned the first Latin Emperor in Constantinople.
- 1811 – Peninsular War: An allied force of British, Spanish, and Portuguese troops clashed with the French at the Battle of Albuera south of Badajoz, Spain.
- 1866 – Root beer (pictured) was first prepared commercially by American pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires.
- 1877 – President Patrice de Mac-Mahon dismissed Jules Simon and installed Albert, Duc de Broglie as Prime Minister, triggering a political crisis in the French Third Republic.
- 1929 – The first Academy Awards were handed out at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles.
- 1966 – Chinese leader Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution officially as a campaign to rid China of its liberal bourgeoisie elements and to continue revolutionary class struggle.
More events: May 15 – May 16 – May 17
May 17: Armed Forces Day in the United States (2008); Constitution Day in Norway; Galician Literature Day in Galicia, Spain
- 1590 – Anne of Denmark (pictured) was crowned Queen Consort of Scotland in the abbey church at Holyrood Palace.
- 1865 – The International Telecommunication Union, an international organization that standardizes and regulates international radio and telecommunications, was founded as the International Telegraph Union in Paris.
- 1900 – Second Boer War: The Siege of Mafeking in South Africa was lifted after 217 days, a decisive victory for the British against the Boers.
- 1943 – World War II: Royal Air Force Dam Busters successfully deployed bouncing bombs on German dams in Operation Chastise.
- 1954 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal".
More events: May 16 – May 17 – May 18
May 18: Trinity Sunday (Western Christianity, 2008); International Museum Day
- 1268 – Baibars and his Mamluk forces captured Antioch, capital of the crusader state, the Principality of Antioch.
- 1848 – During the aftermath of the March Revolution in the German Confederation, the Frankfurt Parliament opened in the Paulskirche in Frankfurt am Main.
- 1896 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Plessy v. Ferguson, upholding the legality of racial segregation in public transportation under the "Separate but equal" doctrine.
- 1958 – The F-104 Starfighter, a supersonic interceptor aircraft, set a world speed record of 1,404.19 miles per hour (2,259.82 km/h).
- 1980 – The stratovolcano Mount St. Helens erupted (pictured), killing 57 people in southern Washington State, reducing hundreds of square miles to wasteland, and causing over a billion U.S. dollars in damage.
More events: May 17 – May 18 – May 19
May 19: Pesach Sheni (Judaism, 2008); Victoria Day in Canada (2008); Vesak (Buddhism, 2008); Youth and Sports Day in Turkey
- 1536 – Anne Boleyn (pictured), the second wife and queen consort of Henry VIII of England, was beheaded at the Tower of London for adultery, incest, and high treason.
- 1643 – Thirty Years' War: The French led by Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé scored a decisive victory against the Spanish in Rocroi, France.
- 1649 – The Rump Parliament passed an act to formally establish the Commonwealth of England.
- 1802 – Napoléon Bonaparte, First Consul of the French Republic, established the Légion d'honneur order as a reward to commend civilians and soldiers.
- 1919 – Mustafa Kemal Atatürk traveled to Samsun to establish the Turkish National Movement to resist the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, marking the start of the Turkish War of Independence.
- 1922 – The Young Pioneer Organization of the Soviet Union, a mass pioneer movement for children of age 10–15, was founded.
More events: May 18 – May 19 – May 20
May 20: National Day in Cameroon; Independence Day in East Timor
- 325 – The First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, was formally opened in present-day Iznik, Turkey to resolve disagreements in the Church of Alexandria over the nature of Jesus in relationship to God the Father.
- 1498 – Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama (pictured) arrived at Calicut, India, opening up trade with the Far East directly by sea.
- 1570 – The first modern atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by cartographer Abraham Ortelius, was issued.
- 1873 – Clothing manufacturer Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis were granted a patent for using copper rivets to strengthen the pockets of denim overalls, paving the way for their business Levi Strauss & Co. to start manufacturing their first line of blue jeans.
- 2002 – East Timor became the first new sovereign state of the twenty-first century after Indonesia relinquished control of the territory.
More events: May 19 – May 20 – May 21
- 1758 – French and Indian War: Ten-year-old Mary Campbell was taken captive from her Pennsylvania home by members of the Native American group Lenape, presumably becoming the first white child to travel to the Connecticut Western Reserve.
- 1894 – The Manchester Ship Canal (pictured), linking Greater Manchester in North West England to the Irish Sea, officially opened, becoming the largest navigation canal in the world at the time.
- 1904 – The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international sport governing body of association football, was founded in Paris.
- 1927 – Aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, American aviator Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight, flying from Roosevelt Field near New York City to Le Bourget Airport near Paris.
- 1998 – Indonesian President Suharto resigned following the collapse of support for his three-decade-long reign.
More events: May 20 – May 21 – May 22
May 22: Corpus Christi (Catholicism, 2008); World Biodiversity Day
- 1455 – Forces led by Richard, Duke of York and Richard, Earl of Warwick captured Lancastrian King Henry VI of England, beginning the Wars of the Roses with a Yorkist victory in the First Battle of St Albans.
- 1809 – War of the Fifth Coalition: Austrian forces under Archduke Charles (pictured) prevented Napoleon I and his French troops from crossing the Danube near Vienna at the Battle of Aspern-Essling.
- 1915 – Five trains were involved in a crash near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246 in the Quintinshill rail crash.
- 1964 – During a speech at the University of Michigan, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the goals of his Great Society domestic social reforms to eliminate poverty and racial injustice.
- 1990 – The Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen merged to become the Republic of Yemen.
More events: May 21 – May 22 – May 23
May 23: Lag Ba'omer (Judaism, 2008)
- 1430 – Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc was captured at the Siege of Compiègne.
- 1498 – Girolamo Savonarola (pictured) of Florence was executed for heresy, uttering prophecies, sedition, and other crimes.
- 1533 – The marriage of Henry VIII of England and his first wife Catherine of Aragon was annulled.
- 1568 – The Dutch Revolt broke out when rebels led by Louis of Nassau invaded Friesland at the Battle of Heiligerlee.
- 1873 – The North West Mounted Police, the forerunner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was established to bring law and order to and assert Canadian sovereignty over the Northwest Territories.
- 1934 – American criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were ambushed and killed by police on a desolate road near their Bienville Parish, Louisiana hideout outside the Town of Gibsland.
More events: May 22 – May 23 – May 24
May 24: Independence Day in Eritrea (1993); Aldersgate Day (Methodism); Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in Bulgaria and the Republic of Macedonia
- 1626 – Director-General of New Netherland Peter Minuit bought Manhattan from Native Americans in exchange for trade goods valued at 60 guilders.
- 1738 – At a Moravian Church meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, John Wesley (pictured) experienced a spiritual rebirth, leading him to launch the Methodist movement.
- 1822 – Ecuadorian War of Independence: Troops led by Antonio José de Sucre secured the independence of Quito from Spain at the Battle of Pichincha.
- 1883 – New York City's Brooklyn Bridge, at the time the longest suspension bridge in the world, was opened.
- 1988 – Section 28 of the United Kingdom Local Government Act of 1988, an amendment stating that a local authority cannot intentionally promote homosexuality, was enacted, generating so much controversy that it was eventually repealed fifteen years later.
More events: May 23 – May 24 – May 25
May 25: Independence Day in Jordan (1946); Liberation Day in Lebanon (2000); African Liberation Day in various African countries
- 1521 – The Diet of Worms declared Protestant Reformer Martin Luther an outlaw and a heretic, banning his literature, and requiring his arrest.
- 1946 – Abdullah bin Husayn (pictured), Emir of the Emirate of Transjordan, was proclaimed King of the renamed "Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan".
- 1961 – During a speech to a Joint Session of the United States Congress, U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced his support for the Apollo space program, with "the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth".
- 1977 – Star Wars, a science fantasy film written and directed by George Lucas, was released, becoming one of the most successful films of all time.
- 2000 – Israel withdrew its army from most of Lebanese territory, 22 years after its first invasion in 1978.
More events: May 24 – May 25 – May 26
May 26: Memorial Day in the United States (2008); Independence Day in Guyana and Georgia; Mother's Day in Poland; National Sorry Day in Australia
- 1828 – Kaspar Hauser (pictured), a foundling with suspected ties to the Royal House of Baden, first appeared in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany.
- 1896 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average, representing twelve stocks from various American industries, was first published by journalist Charles Dow as a stock market index.
- 1918 – The Democratic Republic of Georgia was proclaimed following the breakup of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic.
- 1972 – U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in Moscow, concluding the first round of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks.
- 1986 – The European Community adopted the Flag of Europe, a flag previously adopted by the Council of Europe in 1955.
More events: May 25 – May 26 – May 27
May 27: Children's Day in Nigeria
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- 1153 – Malcolm IV became King of Scotland at the age of twelve.
- 1703 – Russian Tsar Peter I founded Saint Petersburg after reconquering the Ingrian land from Sweden during the Great Northern War.
- 1860 – Expedition of the Thousand: Giuseppe Garibaldi (pictured) and his Redshirts launched their attack on Palermo, capital of the Two Sicilies.
- 1923 – French racing drivers André Lagache and René Léonard won the first running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans near Le Mans, Sarthe, France.
- 1937 – The Golden Gate Bridge, at the time the world's longest suspension bridge span, connecting the City of San Francisco to Marin County, California, opened.
- 1942 – Operation Anthropoid: Czech resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Prague ambushed and mortally wounded Reinhard Heydrich, the chief of Reich Security Main Office and the Protector of Bohemia and Moravia.
More events: May 26 – May 27 – May 28
May 28: Republic Day in Armenia and Azerbaijan (both 1918)
- 1588 – Anglo-Spanish War: The Spanish Armada (a galleass pictured), with 130 ships and over 30,000 men, set sail from Lisbon for the English Channel to engage English naval forces.
- 1644 – English Civil War: Royalist troops allegedly slaughtered up to 1,600 people during their storm and capture of the Town of Bolton.
- 1918 – The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, one of the first democratic republics in the Muslim world, was proclaimed in Ganja by the Azerbaijani National Council following the breakup of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic.
- 1961 – The British newspaper The Observer published English lawyer Peter Benenson's article The Forgotten Prisoners, starting a letter-writing campaign that grew and became the human rights organization Amnesty International.
- 1998 – Under its nuclear development programme, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission carried out five underground nuclear tests in the Chagai Hills in the Chagai District of the Balochistan province.
More events: May 27 – May 28 – May 29
- 363 – Roman Emperor Julian defeated Sassanid Emperor Shapur II outside the walls of the Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon, but was unable to take the city.
- 1167 – A 1,600-man force of the Holy Roman Empire led by Christian of Buch and Rainald of Dassel defeated a 10,000-man Papal States army.
- 1848 – Wisconsin became the 30th U.S. state admitted to the Union.
- 1913 – The Rite of Spring, a ballet with music by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (pictured), was first performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
- 1953 – New Zealand explorer Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
- 1999 – Olusegun Obasanjo took office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state in Nigeria after 16 years of military rule.
More events: May 28 – May 29 – May 30
May 30: Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago; Lod Massacre Remembrance Day in Puerto Rico
- 1431 – Hundred Years' War: Joan of Arc (pictured) was burned at the stake in Rouen, France after being convicted of heresy in a politically motivated trial.
- 1536 – Henry VIII of England married Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting to his first two queens consort.
- 1913 – The Treaty of London was signed to deal with territorial adjustments arising out of the conclusion of the First Balkan War, declaring, among other things, an independent Albania.
- 1972 – Members of the Japanese Red Army carried out the Lod Airport massacre in Tel Aviv, Israel on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, killing over 20 people and injuring almost 80 others.
- 1989 – Goddess of Democracy, a ten meter (33 ft) high statue made mostly of polystyrene foam and papier-mâché, was erected by student protestors in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
More events: May 29 – May 30 – May 31
May 31: World No Tobacco Day; Feast of the Visitation in Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism
- 1223 – Mongol invasions: Mongol forces defeated a combined army of Kiev, Galich, and the Cumans on the banks of the Kalchik River in present-day Ukraine.
- 1669 – Citing poor eyesight, English naval administrator and Member of Parliament Samuel Pepys (pictured) recorded his last entry in his diary, one of the most important primary sources for the English Restoration period.
- 1889 – The South Fork Dam near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, failed, unleashing a torrent of 18.1 million cubic meters (4.8 billion gallons) of water that killed over 2,200 people.
- 1910 – The previously separate colonies of the Cape, Natal, Transvaal and the Orange Free State united to form the Union of South Africa, exactly 51 years before it would become the Republic of South Africa.
- 1974 – Syria and Israel signed a disengagement agreement to resolve the 20-day Yom Kippur War.
More events: May 30 – May 31 – June 1
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