Kentucky Derby
May 2 124th Kentucky Derby: Kent Desormeaux aboard Real Quiet wins in 2:02.20
- May 2 Battle of Hogwarts: fictional battle that ended the Second Wizarding War with the death of Lord Voldemort at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Agreement of Interest
May 4 A federal judge in Sacramento, California, gives "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski four life sentences plus 30 years after Kaczynski accepts a plea agreement sparing him from the death penalty.
- May 4 The Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, designed by Renzo Piano to celebrate indigenous Kanak culture, is inaugurated near Nouméa, New Caledonia [1]
Baseball Record
May 6 Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros to tie the major league record held by Roger Clemens. He threw a one-hitter and did not walk a batter in his 5th career start.
Election of Interest
May 10 Viktor Orbán elected Prime Minister of Hungary after his Fidesz party forms a centre-right coalition the Independent Smallholders Party and Hungarian Democratic Forum
- May 11 India conducts three underground nuclear tests in Pokhran, including a thermonuclear device
- May 13 Chelsea of England win 38th European Cup Winner's Cup against Stuttgart of Germany 1-0 in Stockholm
- May 13 India carries out two nuclear tests at Pokhran, in addition to the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.
- May 13 Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped
- May 16 123rd Preakness: Kent Desormeaux aboard Real Quiet wins in 1:54.80
LPGA Championship
May 17 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, DuPont CC: 20-year-old rookie Se Ri Pak leads wire-to-wire to win the first of her 5 majors, 3 strokes ahead of runners-up Donna Andrews and Lisa Hackney
- May 17 New York Yankees pitcher David Wells tosses a perfect game in a 4-0 win against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium, NY
- May 18 44th British Academy Television Awards: "I'm Alan Partridge" Best Comedy, "Jonathan Creek" Best Drama
- May 18 United States v. Microsoft: The United States Department of Justice and 20 U.S. states file an antitrust case against Microsoft.
Event of Interest
May 22 Lewinsky scandal: a federal judge rules that United States Secret Service agents can be compelled to testify before a grand jury concerning the scandal, involving President Bill Clinton
- May 23 The Good Friday Agreement is accepted in a referendum in Northern Ireland with 75% voting yes
- May 24 51st Cannes Film Festival: "Mia aioniotita kai mia mera / Eternity and a Day" by Theo Angelopoulos wins the Palme d'Or
- May 24 Indianapolis 500: American ex-Formula One driver Eddie Cheever Jr finishes 3 seconds ahead of 1996 winner Buddy Lazier; first Indy fully sanctioned by the IRL
Event of Interest
May 26 Date for Paula Jones sex harassment trial vs President Clinton
- May 26 The United States Supreme Court rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York
- May 27 Oklahoma City bombing: Michael Fortier is sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $200,000 for failing to warn authorities about the terrorist plot.
- May 28 Nuclear testing: Pakistan responds to a series of Indian nuclear tests with five of its own, prompting the United States, Japan, and other nations to impose economic sanctions.
- May 30 A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits northern Afghanistan, killing up to 5,000.
- May 30 Super Rugby Final, Eden Park, Auckland: In an all-NZ final, Andrew Mehrtens lands 2 penalties & 2 conversions as the Canterbury Crusaders beat the Blues, 20-13; Crusaders' first title
Authors
Dictators
Explorers
Outlaws
Queens
Spies