Historical Events
- May 21 1st bicycles (swift walkers) in US introduced in NYC
'Ship in Distress' Sails Into History Books
May 22 The SS Savannah sets sail from Savanah Harbor in Georgia on an historic journey to become the 1st steam propelled vessel to cross the Atlantic
Famous Birthdays
- May 1 William Steele, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Albany, New York (d. 1885)
- May 3 Nicola De Giosa, Italian composer, born in Bari, Italy (d. 1885)
- May 5 Stanisław Moniuszko, Polish conductor, composer (Straszny dwór - The Haunted Manor), and teacher, born in Ubiel, Minsk Governate, Russian Empire (now Belarus) (d. 1872)
- May 15 Thomas Leonidas Crittenden, American lawyer, politician, and Major General (Union Army), born in Russellville, Kentucky (d. 1893)
- May 16 Daniel Ammen, Capt (Union Navy), (d. 1898)
- May 17 Johann Nepomuk Kafka, Bohemian pianist and composer, born in Neustadt an der Mettau (d. 1886)
- May 18 Julius Hopp, Austrian composer, born in Vienna (d. 1885)
Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
May 24 Queen of the United Kingdom and Ireland (1837-1901), born in London
- May 27 Julia Ward Howe, American poet (Battle Hymn of the Republic), author, abolitionist, and women's suffragist, born in New York City (d. 1910)
- May 28 William Birney, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Huntsville, Alabama (d. 1907)
- May 30 William McMurdo, British army officer (d. 1894)
Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
May 31 American poet (Leaves of Grass) and volunteer nurse during the Civil War, born in West Hills, New York
Famous Deaths
- May 2 Mary Moser, English painter (Flowers Still Life), dies at 74
