What Happened in May 1966

Historical Events

Sports History

May 6 Canadian Minister of Finance announces a $20 Centennial gold coin
May 6 Most runs scored in 11th inning (9) Phils score 5 to beat Pirates 8-7
May 6 Myra Hindley and Ian Brady are sentenced to life imprisonment for the Moors Murders in England

Paint It Black

May 6 The Rolling Stones release the single "Paint It Black", featuring prominent sitar played by Brian Jones, in the US

Guitarist and Multi-Instrumentalist Brian Jones

May 7 92nd Kentucky Derby: Donald Brumfield aboard Kauai King wins in 2:02
May 7 Mamas & Papas "Monday Monday" hits #1
May 7 NY Yankees fire manager Johnny Keane
May 8 Last game at old Busch stadium, St Louis Card lose 10-5 to San Francisco

Baseball Record

May 8 Only HR ever hit out of Baltimore's Memorial Park, by Oriole outfielder Frank Robinson

Baseball Outfielder and Manager Frank Robinson

May 9 1st black member of Federal Reserve Board (A F Brimmer)
May 9 China performs nuclear test at Lop Nor, PRC
May 10 25°F lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in May
May 11 European Cup Final, Heysel Stadium, Brussels: Fernando Serena scores the winner as Real Madrid beats Partizan Belgrade, 2-1; Madrid's 6th title
May 12 St Louis' Busch Memorial Stadium opens, Braves lose to Cards 4-3 in 12 innings
May 13 The Rolling Stones release "Paint it Black" in the UK
May 13 US Federal education funding is denied to 12 school districts in the South because of violations of the 1964 Civil Rights Act
May 14 1st reported monitoring of pirate radio station WBBH (NJ)
May 14 A Lover's Concerto by Mrs Miller hits #95
May 15 1st day of Sunday play in County Cricket, Essex v Somerset
May 15 South Vietnamese army battle Buddhists, about 80 die
May 16 "May 16 Notification" released, Mao's official justification for the Cultural Revolution
May 16 National Welfare Rights Organization organizes
May 16 Stokely Carmichael named chairman of Student Nonviolent Coordinating
May 16 The Beach Boys release their groundbreaking album "Pet Sounds", containing hit singles "Sloop John B" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "God Only Knows"
May 17 KFDO (now KVIJ) TV channel 8 in Sayre, Oklahoma (ABC) begins broadcasting
May 20 19th Cannes Film Festival: "A Man and a Woman" directed by Claude Lelouch and "The Birds, the Bees and the Italians" directed by Pietro Germi jointly awarded the Grand Prix du Festival International du Film
May 21 "Downtown" by Mrs Miller hits #82
May 21 "Time for Singing" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 41 performances
May 21 91st Preakness: Don Brumfield aboard Kauai King wins in 1:55.4
May 21 A "loyalist" group calling itself the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) issued a statement declaring war on the Irish Republican Army (IRA)

Theatrical Finale

May 21 James Goldman's stage drama "The Lion in Winter", starring Robert Preston, Rosemary Harris, and Christopher Walken, closes at the Ambassador Theatre, NYC, after 92 performances, and a Tony Award win for Harris

May 21 Louie Louie by The Kingsmen reentered the chart & hits #97

Boxing Title Fight

May 21 Muhammad Ali TKOs Henry Cooper in 6 for heavyweight boxing title

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali

Emmy Awards

May 22 18th Emmy Awards: "The Fugitive", Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore win

Mame

May 24 Jerry Herman's musical "Mame", starring Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur, opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 1508 performances, wins 3 Tony Awards

Tony and Emmy Award-Winning Actress Bea Arthur

May 25 "Au Hasard Balthazar", French film directed by Robert Bresson, starring Anne Wiazemsky and François Lafarge, is released
May 25 Peru & Argentina soccer fans fight in Lima; 248 die
May 26 Buddhist sets himself on fire at US consulate in Hué, South Vietnam
May 26 Guyana (formerly British Guiana) declares independence from the United Kingdom
May 27 55th German F-104 Starfighter crashes
May 27 6 French fighters crash above Spain
May 28 "Ballad Of Irving", parody song by Frank Gallop peaks at #34 in US

Music History

May 28 Dmitri Shostakovich's 11th String quartet premieres in Leningrad

May 30 300 US airplanes bomb North Vietnam

Indy 500

May 30 Indianapolis 500: English 1962 F1 World Champion Graham Hill wins after leading for a total of only 10 laps; first rookie winner since 1927

May 30 The Beatles release single "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" in US; "Rain" featured experimental studio tricks of slowed down bass and drums tracks, and backwards vocals in the fade out
May 30 US launches Surveyor 1 to Moon

Events in 1966

Famous Birthdays

May 1 Armando Reynoso, Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks), born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico
May 1 Charlie Schlatter, American actor (18 Again, Heartbreak Hotel), born in New York City
May 1 Johnny Colt [Charles Brandt], American rock bassist (Black Crowes), born in Cherry Point, North Carolina
May 1 Olaf Thon, German soccer midfielder (52 caps; Bayern Munich, Schalke 04), born in Gelsenkirchen, Germany
May 2 Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman and politician, born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
May 3 Darren Morgan, Welsh snooker player, born in Newport, Wales
May 3 Firdous Bamji, Indian-American actor (The War Within), born in Bombay, India
May 3 M-16 [Ernest Mateen], American cruiserweight boxing champion, born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2012)
May 3 Peter Abbay, American actor (Another World), born in Brooklyn, New York
May 4 Jane McGrath, British-Australian co-founder of the McGrath Foundation for breast cancer, born in Paignton, Devon (d. 2008)
May 5 Mike Stapleton, Canadian NHL center (Winnipeg Jets), born in Sarnia, Ontario
May 5 Shawn Drover, Canadian heavy metal drummer (Megadeth), born in Montreal, Quebec
May 7 Anderson Cummins, Barbados Canadian cricketer (in Packer's Valley Barbados & WI quickie), born in Christ Church, Barbados
May 8 Cláudio Taffarel, Brazilian soccer goalkeeper (101 caps; World Cup 1994; Internacional, Parma, Atlético Mineiro, Galatasaray), born in Santa Rosa, Brazil
May 8 Daniel Glass, American jazz and R&B drummer, music writer, historian and educator (Royal Crown Revue; Daniel Glass Trio), born in Lincoln, Nebraska
May 8 Marta Sánchez, Spanish singer (De Mujer a Mujer), born in Madrid, Spain

May 9 Mark Tinordi, Canadian NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals), born in Red Deer, Alberta
May 10 Jonathan Edwards, British athlete (Olympics gold triple jump 2000, silver 1996; World C'ship gold 1995, 2001), born in London, England
May 10 Mikael Andersson, Swedish NHL left wing (Tampa Bay Lightning), born in Malmö, Sweden
May 11 Chris Mohr, NFL punter (Buffalo Bills)
May 11 Christoph Schneider, German drummer (Rammstein), born in Pankow, East Germany
May 11 Julian Joseph, British jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, (Dance of the Three Legged Elephants), and broadcaster (BBC), born in London, England
May 11 Trenidad Hubbard, American MLB outfielder (Colorado Rockies), born in Chicago, Illinois
May 12 Bebel Gilberto, Brazilian-American pop and bossa nova singer, born in New York City
May 12 Rafael Bournigal, Dominican infielder (Oakland A's), born in Azua, Dominican Republic
May 12 Stephen Baldwin, American actor (The Usual Suspects), born in Massapequa, New York
May 13 Alison Goldfrapp, English singer-songwriter (Seventh Tree), born in London
May 13 Darius Rucker, American rock singer (Hootie & the Blowfish - "Only Wanna Be With You"), born in Charleston, South Carolina
May 13 Kamen Vodenicharov, Bulgarian entertainer
May 13 Nikos Aliagas, Greek TV show host
May 14 Fab Morvan, French singer-songwriter, dancer, and de-frocked Grammy Award winner (Milli Vanilli with Rob Pilatus), born in Paris, France

May 14 Leroy Blugh, CFL defensive end (Edmonton Eskimos)
May 14 Marianne Denicourt, French actress
May 14 Mike Inez, American rock bassist (Alice in Chains - "Facelift"; Ozzy Osbourne), born in San Fernando, California
May 14 Pooh Richardson, NBA guard (NBA All-Rookie First Team 1990 Minnesota Timberwolves; Los Angeles Clippers), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 14 Raphael Saadiq, American musician (Tony! Toni! Toné!), born in Oakland California
May 15 Paul Ysebaert, Canadian NHL player (Tampa Bay Lightning), born in Sarnia, Ontario

Janet Jackson (57 years old)

May 16 American pop singer (Control, "Nasty"), sister of Michael, born in Gary, Indiana

May 16 Scott Reeves, American actor (Ryan-Young & Restless), born in Santa Monica, California
May 16 Thurman Thomas, American College/Pro Football HOF running back (Oklahoma State Uni; NFL MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year 1991; First-team All-Pro 1990, 91; 5 x Pro Bowl; Buffalo Bills), born in Houston, Texas
May 17 Danny Manning, American basketball forward (NBA All-Star 1993, 94; NBA Sixth Man of the Year 1998; Phoenix Suns), born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi
May 17 Mark Kratzmann, Australia, tennis star
May 17 Qusay Hussein, Iraqi politician, military leader, and second son of Saddam Hussein, born in Baghdad, Iraq (d. 2003)
May 18 Michael Tait, American Christian musician (dc Talk, Tait), born in Washington D.C.
May 19 Keith Jennings, NFL tight end (Chicago Bears)
May 19 Marc Bureau, Trois Rivieres, NHL center (Montreal Canadiens)
May 19 Polly Walker, British actress
May 19 Sophia Crawford, English actress and martial artist (Power Rangers), born in London, England
May 20 Dan Abrams, American TV reporter (Nightline)
May 20 Gina Ravera, American actress
May 20 Lawyer Tillman, NFL tight end (Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers)
May 20 Liselotte Neumann, Swedish golfer (US Open 1988; 13 LPGA Tour titles), born in Finspang, Sweden
May 20 Mindy Cohn, American actress (The Facts of Life - "Natalie"), born in Los Angeles, California
May 20 Paolo Seganti, actor (Damian-As the World Turns)
May 21 Manon Kelley, Canadian actress (Red Lips 2), born in Quebec City, Québec
May 22 Donald Royal, American NBA forward (Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
May 22 José Mesa, Dominican MLB baseball pitcher, 1987-2007, 2X All-Star (Cleveland Indians; Philadelphia Phillies, and 6 other teams), born in Pueblo Viejo, Dominican Republic
May 22 Kenny Hickey, American guitarist (Type O Negative), born in New York City
May 23 Gary Roberts, Canadian ice hockey left wing (NHL All-Star 1992, 93, 2004; Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs), born in North York, Ontario
May 23 Graeme Hick, English cricket batsman (65 Tests, 6 x 100s; 120 ODIs; Worcestershire), born in Harare, Zimbabwe
May 24 Eric Cantona, French footballer and actor (Looking for Eric), born in Marseille, France
May 24 Ricky Craven, American NASCAR driver, born in Newburgh, Maine
May 24 Tony Jones, American NFL tackle (Super Bowl 1997, 98; Second-team All-Pro 1994; Pro Bowl 1998; Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos), born in Royston, Georgia (d. 2021)
May 25 Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, wife of Prince Constantijn and sister-in-law of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, born in Leiden, Netherlands
May 26 Grant Bradburn, New Zealand cricketer and coach (son of Wynne NZ off-spinner), born in Hamilton, New Zealand

Helena Bonham Carter (57 years old)

May 26 British actress (Harry Potter, Fight Club, The King's Speech, Enid, The Wings of the Dove), born in London, England

May 26 Zola Budd Pieterse, Bloemfontein South Africa, track star (Olympics 1988)
May 27 Eric Leckner, NBA center (Detroit Pistons)
May 27 John Jaha, infielder (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Portland, Oregon
May 27 Ray Sheppard, Pembroke, NHL right wing (Florida Panthers)
May 27 Sean Kinney, American rock drummer (Alice in Chains - "Check My Brain"; "Hollow"), born in Renton, Washington
May 30 Gary Martin, cricket pace bowler (Zimbabwe ODI)
May 30 Stephen Malkmus, American songwriter, singer and guitarist (Pavement), born in Santa Monica, California
May 31 Jeremy Hotz, Canadian stand-up comedian
May 31 Jessica Monroe, Canadian rower (Olympic gold coxless four, eight 1992, silver eight 1996), born in Palo Alto, California
May 31 Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lankan cricket batsman (52 Tests, 4 x 100, HS 225; 213 ODIs; Colombo CC, Bloomfield CC), born in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Born in 1966

Famous Weddings

Dolly Parton

May 30 American country singer-songwriter Dolly Parton (20) weds Carl Dean (23) in Ringgold, Georgia

Famous Deaths

May 3 Wylie Watson, dies at 77
May 4 Juan María Thomas Sabater, Spanish composer, dies at 69
May 9 Alfred Mendelsohn, Romanian composer, and conductor (Romanian National Opera, 1944-63), and teacher, dies at 56
May 9 Wilhelmus Marinus Bekkers, Dutch Roman Catholic bishop of Hertogenbosch, dies at 58
May 12 Felix Martin Julius Steiner, German Heer and Waffen-SS officer (b. 1896)
May 13 Henk [Hendrik M] Randwijk, Dutch poet and editor in chief (Vrij Nederland), dies at 56
May 14 Georgia BD Camp Johnson, American poet/playwright, dies at 88
May 14 Megan Lloyd George, English politician (1st female MP for Welsh - Carmarthen), dies at 64
May 15 Kathryn Forbes, American short story writer (mama's bank account), dies at 58
May 16 Randy Turpin, British boxer (NYSAC, NBA and The Ring middleweight titles 1951-53), shot dead in his home at 37
May 18 Paul Althaus, German theologist (That Christian Wahrheit), dies at 78
May 19 Tortoise, reportedly given to Tonga's King by Captain James Cook in 1773, dies at around 193
May 21 Pat O'Malley, silent film actor (Wild One, Quiet Man), dies at 75
May 22 Tom Goddard, English cricket off-spin bowler (8 Tests; 22 wickets @ 26.72; Gloucestershire), dies at 65
May 23 Demchugdongrub, Mongolian politician (b. 1902)
May 23 Ruth Gates, Denton TX, actress (Aunt Jenny-Mama), dies at 79
May 24 Emil Fahrenkamp, German architect (Shell-Haus in Berlin), dies at 80

Jim Barnes (1886-1966)

May 24 English golfer (PGA C'ship 1916, 19; US Open 1921, British Open 1925; World Golf HOF), dies at 80

May 25 Ricardo Castillo, Guatemalan composer, dies at 71
May 26 Don Castle, American actor (Born to Speed; The Invisible Wall), and television producer (Lassie), dies of accidental pain medication overdose at 48
May 26 Neal Dodd, actor (Only Women, You Belong to Me), dies at 86
May 30 Bob Thompson, African American painter, dies of a drug overdose at 28

On This Day