Historical Events
- May 10 1st US Navy ship, the "United States," is launched
- May 12 Nore Mutiny: British Royal Navy sailors mutiny on the Thames, England and blockade London
Famous Birthdays
Abraham Gesner (1797-1864)
May 2 Canadian geologist (inventor of kerosene), born in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia
- May 6 Joseph Brackett, American religious leader (Shakers) and composer (Simple Gifts), born in Cumberland, Maine (d. 1882)
- May 12 Johann Hermann Kufferath, German composer, born in Mülheim an der Ruhr (d. 1864)
- May 18 Frederick Augustus II, King of Saxony (1836-54), born in Dresden, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1854)
- May 19 Maria Isabel of Portugal, queen of Spain (d. 1818)
- May 30 Johann Christian Lobe, German composer, born in Weimar, Germany (d. 1881)
Famous Weddings
- May 5 Napoleon I's sister Elisa marries Felix Bacciochi
William Wilberforce
May 30 Abolitionist William Wilberforce (37) weds Barbara Spooner (25) at St Swithins Church in Walcot, Bath
