Historical Events
- May 7 Indiana Territory organized
Lamarck Outlines his Theories of Evolution
May 11 French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck gives his first lecture outlining his theories of evolution at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, France
- May 14 Friedrich von Schiller's "Macbeth" premieres in Weimar
Assassination Attempt on George III
May 15 King George III survives a second assassination attempt
Pope Pius VII's Call
May 15 Pope Pius VII calls on French bishops to return to Gospel principles
Famous Birthdays
- May 1 Thomas Aloysius Dornin, American naval officer, born in Ireland (d. 1874)
- May 5 Louis Christophe François Hachette, French publisher (Librairie Hachette), born in Rethel, Ardennes, France (d. 1864)
- May 6 Ferdinand Marcucci, Italian harpist and composer, born in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany (d. 1871)
- May 6 Roman Sanguszko, Polish aristocrat and general, born in Volhynia (d. 1881)
John Brown (1800-1859)
May 9 American abolitionist and revolutionary (Harpers Ferry), born in Torrington, Connecticut
- May 10 Nikolai Titov, Russian Major General, violinist, and composer, born in St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 1875)
- May 17 Carl Friedrich Zöllner, German composer, born in Mittelhausen, Electorate of Saxony (now Germany) (d. 1860)
- May 30 Karl Wilhelm Feuerbach, German mathematician (Position of Feuerbach), born in Jena, Saxe-Weimar, Holy Roman Empire (d. 1834)
Famous Deaths
- May 7 Laurens Pieter van de Spiegel, Dutch Grand Pensionary of Zeeland and Holland (1787-95), dies at 64
- May 7 Niccolò Piccinni, Italian classical, opera, and sacred music composer (Roland; Buona Figliuola), dies at 72
- May 18 Alexander Suvorov, Russian general, dies at 70
- May 19 French Bosbeeck, veterinarian/robber, hanged
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