- May 1 Last British concert by the Beatles at Empire Pool in Wembley, London
- May 1 Radio RSA, South Africa begins shortwave transmitting
- May 1 US troops shooting targets in Cambodia
Event of Interest
May 2 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography awarded to Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. for "A Thousand Days" about JFK's presidency
- May 3 WDHO (now WNWO) TV channel 24 in Toledo, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting
- May 4 Soviet government signs accord about building Fiat factory in USSR
- May 5 Borussia Dortmund of West Germany win 6th European Cup Winner's Cup against Liverpool of England 2-1 in Glasgow
- May 5 Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Montreal Canadiens earn back-to-back titles; beat Detroit Red Wings, 3-2 in OT for a 4-2 series victory
- May 6 Canadian Minister of Finance announces a $20 Centennial gold coin
- May 6 Most runs scored in 11th inning (9) Phils score 5 to beat Pirates 8-7
- May 6 Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors Murders in England
Paint It Black
May 6 The Rolling Stones release the single "Paint It Black", featuring prominent sitar played by Brian Jones, in the US
Baseball Record
May 8 Only HR ever hit out of Baltimore's Memorial Park, by Oriole outfielder Frank Robinson
- May 9 Andrew F. Brimmer is the first black member of Federal Reserve Board
- May 9 China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
- May 10 25°F lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in May
- May 11 European Cup Final, Heysel Stadium, Brussels: Fernando Serena scores the winner as Real Madrid beats Partizan Belgrade, 2-1; Madrid's 6th title
- May 12 St Louis' Busch Memorial Stadium opens, Braves lose to Cards 4-3 in 12 innings
- May 13 The Rolling Stones release "Paint it Black" in the UK
- May 13 US Federal education funding is denied to 12 school districts in the South because of violations of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
- May 14 1st reported monitoring of pirate radio station WBBH (NJ)
- May 14 A Lover's Concerto by Mrs Miller hits #95
- May 15 1st day of Sunday play in County Cricket, Essex v Somerset
- May 15 South Vietnamese army battle Buddhists, about 80 die
- May 16 Capitol Records releases the Beach Boys 11th studio album "Pet Sounds"; the groundbreaking work includes hit singles "Sloop John B", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "God Only Knows"
- May 16 National Welfare Rights Organization organizes
- May 16 Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party releases the "May 16 Notification", Chairman Mao's official justification for the Cultural Revolution
- May 16 Stokely Carmichael named chairman of Student Nonviolent Coordinating
- May 17 KFDO (now KVIJ) TV channel 8 in Sayre, Oklahoma (ABC) begins broadcasting
- May 20 19th Cannes Film Festival: "A Man and a Woman" directed by Claude Lelouch and "The Birds, the Bees and the Italians" directed by Pietro Germi jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
- May 21 "Downtown" by Mrs Miller hits #82
- May 21 "Time for Singing" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 41 performances
- May 21 91st Preakness: Don Brumfield aboard Kauai King wins in 1:55.4
- May 21 A "loyalist" group calling itself the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) issued a statement declaring war on the Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Theatrical Finale
May 21 James Goldman's stage drama "The Lion in Winter", starring Robert Preston, Rosemary Harris, and Christopher Walken, closes at the Ambassador Theatre, NYC, after 92 performances, and a Tony Award win for Harris
- May 21 Louie Louie by The Kingsmen reentered the chart & hits #97
Boxing Title Fight
May 21 Muhammad Ali TKOs Henry Cooper in 6 for heavyweight boxing title
Emmy Awards
May 22 18th Emmy Awards: "The Fugitive", Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore win
Mame
May 24 Jerry Herman's musical "Mame", starring Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur, opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 1508 performances, wins 3 Tony Awards
- May 25 "Au Hasard Balthazar", French film directed by Robert Bresson, starring Anne Wiazemsky and François Lafarge, is released
- May 25 Peru & Argentina soccer fans fight in Lima; 248 die
- May 26 Buddhist sets himself on fire at US consulate in Hué, South Vietnam
- May 26 Guyana (formerly British Guiana) declares independence from the United Kingdom
- May 27 55th German F-104 Starfighter crashes
- May 27 6 French fighters crash above Spain
- May 28 "Ballad Of Irving", parody song by Frank Gallop peaks at #34 in US
Music History
May 28 Dmitri Shostakovich's 11th String quartet premieres in Leningrad
- May 30 300 US airplanes bomb North Vietnam
Indy 500
May 30 Indianapolis 500: English 1962 F1 World Champion Graham Hill wins after leading for a total of only 10 laps; first rookie winner since 1927
- May 30 The Beatles release single "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" in US; "Rain" featured experimental studio tricks of slowed down bass and drums tracks, and backwards vocals in the fade out
- May 30 US launches Surveyor 1 to Moon
Authors
Dictators
Explorers
Outlaws
Queens
Spies