- May 2 Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch military leader (Brigadier-General) and Governor-General (Dutch-East Indies, 1808-11; Dutch Gold Coast, 1811-15), dies at 55
- May 7 Leopold Koželuch [Jan Antonín Koželuh], Czech pianist, composer, kapellmeister, and teacher, dies at 70 [1]
- May 8 Franz Ignaz Kaa, German composer, dies at 78
Paul Revere (1735-1818)
May 10 American silversmith and patriot who alerted the colonial militia to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, dies at 83
Assassination
Car Crash
Hanging
Killed in Action
Plane Crash
Poisoning