- May 1 6 children die and 10 injured by hailstones in Klausenburg, Romania
- May 1 Drunken fascist Erich Wichman attacks VARA-radio transmitter
- May 1 Lei Day begins (a Hawaiian celebration)
The Bridge of the Luis Rey
May 7 Pulitzer prize awarded to Thornton Wilder for his novel "The Bridge of San Luis Rey"
- May 7 The United Kingdom lowers age of women voters from 30 to 21
- May 11 53rd Preakness: Raymond Sonny Workman aboard Victorian wins in 2:00.2
63rd British Open
May 11 63rd British Open Men's Golf Championship, Royal St George's GC: Walter Hagen wins 3rd of his 4 Open Championship titles, 2 strokes ahead of fellow American Gene Sarazen
- May 11 General Electric opens 1st TV-station in Schenectady, New York
Mussolini Ends Women's Suffrage
May 12 Benito Mussolini announces moves to end women's suffrage in a speech to the Senate in Italy
- May 12 Second Opium Law introduced - international law to control drugs
- May 14 John McGraw is knocked down by a taxicab & suffers a broken leg
- May 15 Mickey Mouse makes his 1st ever appearance in silent film "Plane Crazy"
- May 19 "Firedamp" explodes in Mather coal mine, Pennsylvania, killing 195 of 273 miners
- May 19 51 frogs enter 1st annual "Frog Jumping Jubilee" (Angel's Camp, California)
- May 19 54th Kentucky Derby: Chick Lang aboard Reigh Count wins in 2:10.4
- May 22 US Congress accept Jones-White Merchant Naval Act
- May 23 Anarchist bomb attack on Italian Consulate in Buenos Aires, Argentina kills 7 and injures dozens
- May 24 Italian aviator Umberto Nobile flies airship Italia over North Pole again (crashes onto ice pack a day later)
Twelve Famers on One Field
May 24 Record 12 future Baseball Hall of Famers take the field as NY Yankees beat Philadelphia A's, 9-7 at Shibe Park; managers Miller Huggins & Connie Mack, umpire Tom Connolly also HOF'ers
- May 29 Fritz von Opel reaches 200 kph in experimental rocket car
- May 30 Indianapolis 500: Rookie driver Louis Meyer takes first of 3 career Indy victories after 20 lap duel with Tony Gulotta and Jimmy Gleason
- May 31 1st aerial crossing of Pacific takes off from Oakland
- May 31 Charlie Hallows scores his 1,000th run of Cricket season
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