Neutrality Act Signed
May 1 US President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Neutrality Act, banning travel on belligerent ships and imposes an arms embargo on warring nations
Gone With The Wind Wins Pulitzer
May 3 Margaret Mitchell wins the Pulitzer Prize for her Novel "Gone With The Wind"
The Age of Zeppelins
May 6 German airship Hindenburg explodes in flames at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 of the 97 on board and 1 on the ground
- May 8 63rd Kentucky Derby: Charley Kurtsinger on War Admiral wins 2:03.2
- May 9 Reds beat Phillies 21-10 (Ernie Lombardi goes 6 for 6)
- May 10 Busmen strike in London
- May 11 Los Glaciares National Park established in Patagonia, Argentina, the country's largest national park (UNESCO World Heritage Site 1981) [1]
Room Service
May 19 John Murray and Allen Boretz's stage comedy "Room Service", starring Sam Levene, Eddie Albert, and Phillip Loeb, opens at the Cort Theatre, NYC; runs for 500 performances
Hubbell's Record Win
May 27 New York Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell wins his MLB record 24th consecutive game in a 3-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field; streak starts July 17, 1936
- May 28 Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opens to vehicular traffic
Chamberlain Prime Minister
May 28 Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
20th PGA Championship
May 30 20th PGA Championship Men's Golf, Pittsburgh Field Club: Defending champion Denny Shute defeats Jug McSpaden in 37 holes
- May 30 42nd Men's French Championships: Henner Henkel beats Bunny Austin (6-1, 6-4, 6-3)
- May 30 42nd Women's French Championships: Hilde Sperling beats Simonne Mathieu (6-2, 6-4)
- May 30 Memorial Day Massacre: Chicago Police Department shoot and kill 10 unarmed demonstrators during the "Little Steel Strike" in the United States
- May 31 1st quadruplets to finish college (Baylor University)
- May 31 German warships bombard Almeria, Spain
- May 31 Indianapolis 500: Wilbur Shaw and riding mechanic 'Jigger' Johnson win race from Ralph Hepburn by 2.16 seconds, closest finish to that point; Johnson last winning riding mechanic
- May 31 Second largest crowd in Polo Grounds history (61,756) sees Brooklyn Dodgers beat NY Giants, 10-3, ending Carl Hubbell's record consecutive-game winning streak at 24
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