Historical Events
- May 1 Habsburg Emperor Charles VI and Hungarian nobles including Sándor Károlyi sign Peace of Szatmar ending rebellion led by Francis II Rákóczi
An Essay on Criticism
May 15 Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism" is published anonymously
Famous Birthdays
David Hume (1711-1776)
May 7 Scottish philosopher and historian (A Treatise of Human Nature), born in Edinburgh, Scotland [OS 26 April]
- May 18 Roger Boscovich [Ruđer Bošković], Croatian-Italian astronomer. physicist, poet, and priest, born in Ragusa (Dubrovnik), Republic of Ragusa (now Croatia) (d. 1787)
Famous Deaths
- May 2 Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English statesman (b. 1641)
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