Historical Events
Penn Begins Emancipation Meetings
May 7 William Penn begins monthly meetings for blacks advocating emancipation
Famous Birthdays
- May 7 Gerard van Swieten, Dutch-Austrian physician (Austrian Empress Maria Theresa's personal physician), born in Leiden, Netherlaands (d. 1772)
- May 12 Luigi Vanvitelli, Italian architect (Palace of Caserta), born in Naples, Kingdom of Naples (now Italy) (d. 1773)
- May 19 José de Escandón, Spanish colonial governor (d. 1770)
- May 26 Nicolaus Ludwig, Imperial Count von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf, German religious and social reformer, born in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1760)
Famous Deaths
John Dryden (1631-1700)
May 1 English poet ("Absalom and Achitophel"), satirist ("Mac Flecknoe"; "The Medall") and playwright who was the first English Poet Laureate (1668-1700), dies at 68 [1]
- May 28 Jan Six, Dutch merchant and Mayor of Amsterdam (friend and subject of painter Rembrandt), dies at 82
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