Sports History
May 1 After scoring 50 points in Game 1, NBA Eastern Conference playoff series, Michael Jordan has 55 in Chicago Bulls 106-101 win vs Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2; first to score 50+ points in consecutive playoff games
- May 1 Keith Herrmann and Barry Harman's musical "Romance/Romance" opens at the Helen Hayes Theatre, NYC; runs for 297 performances
- May 1 Two IRA attacks in and near Roermond, Netherlands, kills 3 British servicemen and wounds 3 more
- May 2 Baltimore Orioles sign a 15 year lease to remain in Baltimore and get a new park
Event of Interest
May 2 David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" premieres in NYC
Event of Interest
May 2 Jackson Pollock's painting "Search" sells for $4,800,000
- May 3 4,200 kg Colombian cocaine in seized at Tarpon Springs Florida
- May 3 Jasper Johns' painting "Diver" sells for $4,200,000
- May 4 PEPCON chemical plant in Henderson, Nevada explodes killing 2 and injuring 372 causing damage within 10-mile (16 km) radius
- May 4 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- May 5 Eugene A. Marino installed as 1st African American Catholic archbishop, in Atlanta, Georgia
- May 6 Doughnutgate incident: NJ Devils' coach Jim Schoenfeld tells referee Don Koharski to 'eat another doughnut you fat pig!,' he is suspended
- May 6 Graeme Hick scores 405 for Worcs v Somerset 35 fours 11 sixes
- May 7 114th Kentucky Derby: Gary Stevens on Winning Colors wins in 2:02.2
- May 7 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
- May 8 Amateur referees work NJ Devil-Boston Bruin playoff games, as NHL referees walk-off, due to a restraining order brought by Devils
- May 8 Brazilian musical revue "Oba Oba" closes at Ambassador Theater, NYC, after 46 performances
Election of Interest
May 8 François Mitterrand elected President of France
Sports History
May 8 Mike Tyson crashes his $183,000 Bently on Varick St in New York City
Parliament House Opens
May 9 Australia's new parliament house is opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Canberra
- May 9 Belgium: 8th government of Martens forms
Event of Interest
May 10 Edgar Degas' "Danseresje of 14" sold for $10,120,000
- May 11 France performs nuclear test
- May 11 KV Mechelen of Belgium win 28th European Cup Winner's Cup against Ajax of Netherlands 1-0 in Strasbourg
- May 11 NHL Clarence Campbell Conference Final: Edmonton Oilers beat Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 1
- May 12 "Carrie" opens at Virginia Theater NYC for 5 performances
- May 14 1st non-pitcher (Jose Oquendo) in 20 years to get a decision in a baseball game, he & St Louis Cards lose to Braves 7-5 in 19 inn
- May 14 Carrollton bus collision: a drunk driver going the wrong way on Interstate 71 near Carrollton, Kentucky, United States hits a converted school bus carrying a church youth group. The crash and ensuing fire kill 27.
- May 14 NHL Prince of Wales Conference Final: Boston Bruins beat New Jersey Devils, 4 games to 3
- May 15 "Gospel at Colonus" closes at Lunt Fontanne Theater NYC after 61 performances
Film & TV History
May 15 2nd American Comedy Award: Robin Williams & Tracey Ullman
Carrie
May 15 Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford's musical "Carrie", based on Stephen King's novel, closes at Virginia Theater, NYC, after 5 performances
- May 15 Michael Rupert and Jerry Colker's musical "Mail" closes at Music Box Theater, NYC, after 37 performances
- May 15 The Soviet Union begins withdrawing its 115,000 troops from Afghanistan
- May 16 US Supreme Court rules trash may be searched without a warrant
- May 16 US Surgeon General C Everett Koop reports nicotine as addictive as heroin
- May 18 In just Oakland's 39th of the season, pitcher Dave Stewart breaks record with his 12th balk en route to 16
- May 19 Carlos Lehder Rivas, of Colombia's Medellin drug cartel, is convicted in Florida for smuggling more than 3 tons of cocaine into US
Sports History
May 19 Red Sox retire Bobby Doerr's #1
- May 20 Howard Stern fans disrupt rival radio station WMMR's & DJ John DeBella's "Louie Louie" parade in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sports History
May 20 Philadelphia Phillies Mike Schmidt hits his 535th HR, moving into 8th place
Music History
May 21 Weird Al Yankovic's "Fat" (a parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad") hits #99
- May 22 Károly Grósz succeeds party leader Janos Kádár in Hungary
LPGA Championship
May 22 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Jack Nicklaus GC: Sherri Turner birdies final 2 holes to win her only major title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Amy Alcott
- May 23 41st Cannes Film Festival: "Pelle erobreren" directed by Bille August wins the Palme d'Or
- May 23 Maryland stops sale of cheap pistols on Jan 1, 1990
- May 24 John Moschitta set record for fast talking: 586 words per minute
- May 24 Porntip Nakhirunkanok, 19, of Thailand, crowned 37th Miss Universe
- May 24 Power outage in Boston Garden in NHL's Stanley Cup finals
- May 24 Section 28 passed as law by Parliament in the United Kingdom prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality. Repealed 2001/2004
- May 25 32nd European Cup: PSV Eindhoven beats Benfica (0-0, 6-5 on penalties) at Stuttgart
- May 26 Stanley Cup Final, Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, AL: Edmonton Oilers beat Boston Bruins, 6-3 for 4 game series sweep
- May 27 Senate ratified a treaty eliminating medium-range nuclear missiles
- May 29 Graeme Hick scores his 1,000th run of 1st-class cricket season
- May 29 Indianapolis 500: Rick Mears claims his third-career Indy 500 victory; 50th victory in Championship racing for owner Roger Penske and Penske Racing
- May 29 Pakistan President Zia ul-Haq dismisses government and disbands parliament
Authors
Dictators
Explorers
Outlaws
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