What Happened in May 1976

Historical Events

Kentucky Derby

May 1 102nd Kentucky Derby: Puerto Rican jockey Ángel Cordero Jr wins aboard Bold Forbes, the second of 3 Derby successes

May 1 Empress Lilly, replica of a paddle steamer, dedicated at Walt Disney World, Florida
May 3 Panama 747SP lands after record flight around world (46:26)

Event of Interest

May 3 Pulitzer prize awarded to Saul Bellow (Humboldt's Gift)

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

May 4 Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner's musical "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" opens at Mark Hellinger, NYC; runs for 7 performances

Conductor and Composer Leonard Bernstein

May 4 Schiedam train accident kills 24 people and injures 11
May 5 Train collision at Schiedam, Netherlands, kills 24
May 6 An earthquake strikes Friuli in Northern Italy, causes 989 deaths and the destruction of entire villages
May 8 Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner's musical "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" closes at Mark Hellinger, NYC, after 7 performances
May 8 The rollercoaster Revolution (roller coaster), the first steel coaster with a vertical flip, opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain
May 9 Stan Daniels' musical "So Long 174th Street", starring Robert Morse, closes at Harkness Theater, NYC, after 16 performances

Radio Premiere

May 10 Paul Harvey's daily syndicated program "The Rest of the Story" premieres on the ABC Radio Networks, continuing until his death in 2009

May 11 Emmy 3rd Daytime Award presentation
May 11 Last broadcast of "Marcus Welby, MD" on ABC-TV
May 12 20th European Cup: Bayern Munich beats Saint-Etienne 1-0 at Glasgow
May 13 9th & final ABA championship: NY Nets beat Denver Nuggets, 4 games to 2
May 14 Lowell Thomas ends 46 years as radio network reporter
May 14 Oil tanker Urqui Ola explodes off Spanish coast
May 15 "Fonz Song" by Heyettes hits #91
May 15 101st Preakness: John Lively aboard Elocutionist wins in 1:55
May 15 Kentucky Moonrunner by Cledus Maggard hits #85
May 15 The Provisional Irish Republican Army kill 3 Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers in County Fermanagh and 1 in County Down
May 15 The Ulster Volunteer Force launch gun and bomb attacks on 2 pubs in County Armagh, killing 4 Catholic civilians and wounding many more; a British Army soldier is later convicted for taking part in the attacks

Stanley Cup

May 16 Stanley Cup Final, The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA: Guy Lafleur and Pete Mahovlich each have a goal and 2 assists as Montreal Canadiens beat Philadelphia Flyers, 5-3 for a 4 games series sweep

Emmy Awards

May 17 28th Emmy Awards: "The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Jack Albertson & Michael Learned win

May 17 Earthquake in Uzbekistan: thousands killed

Turnstiles

May 19 Columbia Records releases "Turnstiles", singer-songwriter Billy Joel's fourth studio album

Pianist, Songwriter and Composer Billy Joel

May 19 Gold ownership legalized in Australia
May 19 Senate establishes permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
May 19 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
May 20 USSR performs nuclear test at Sary Shagan USSR
May 22 NASA launches space vehicle S-179
May 22 St Louis Cardinal Reggie Smith hits 3 HR
May 24 1st commercial SST flight to North America (Concorde to Washington, D.C.)
May 24 In the Judgment of Paris, wine testers rate wines from California higher than their French counterparts, challenging the notion of France being the foremost producer of the world's best wines

Boxing Title Fight

May 24 Muhammad Ali TKOs Richard Dunn in 5 for heavyweight boxing title in Munich

Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali

May 27 Musical whodunit "Something's Afoot" opens at Lyceum Theater, NYC; runs for 61 performances

Cannes Film Festival

May 28 29th Cannes Film Festival: "Taxi Driver" directed by Martin Scorsese wins the Palme d'Or

Music History

May 29 Car tune "One Piece At A Time" by Johnny Cash hits #29

May 29 Only HR of Joe Niekro's 22-year career, comes off brother Phil
May 30 Indianapolis 500: Polesitter Johnny Rutherford awarded race after taking the lead on lap 80, and leading when rain halted the race on lap 103; shortest Indy 500 in history
May 30 LPGA Championship Women's Golf, Pine Ridge GC: Betty Burfeindt wins her only major title, 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Judy Rankin
May 31 The Who set the record for the loudest concert of all time, 120 decibels at 50 meters, at The Valley in Charlton, London

Events in 1976

Famous Birthdays

May 1 Darius McCrary, actor (Edward Winslow-Family Matters)
May 3 Jeff Halpern, American ice hockey player, born in Potomac, Maryland
May 4 Ben Grieve, American baseball outfielder (MLB All-Star & AL Rookie of the Year 1998; Oakland A's), born in Arlington, Texas
May 4 Heather Kozar, playmate (Jan, 1998), born in Akron, Ohio
May 5 Anastasios Pantos, Greek footballer, born in Korydallos, Greece
May 5 Dieter Brummer, Australian TV actor (Home and Away: Underbelly), born in Sydney, New South Wales (d. 2021)
May 5 Juan Pablo Sorín, Argentine footballer (Argentine national team FIFA World Cups), born in Buenos Aires, Argentina
May 5 Sage Stallone, American actor (Rocky V) and the eldest son of Sylvester Stallone, born in Los Angeles, California
May 6 Lindsay Page, figure skater (1997 E Great Lakes Sr-3rd), born in Madison, Wisconsin
May 8 Ian "H" Watkins, Welsh pop singer (Steps - "Heartbeat"; "Stomp"), actor, and television personality, born in Llwynypia, Wales
May 8 Martha Wainwright, Canadian-American musician and songwriter, born in Montréal, Quebec
May 8 Oleg Tverdovsky, Russian-American NHL defenseman (Winnipeg Jets), born in Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
May 10 Rob Malda, American internet writer and editor who co-founded Slashdot, born in Holland, Michigan
May 10 Stuart Braithwaite, Scottish guitarist and songwriter (Mogwai, born in South Lanarkshire, Scotland)
May 10 Udo Mechels, Belgian singer (Isn't It Time), born in Brussels, Belgium**-
May 11 Lloyd Pierce, American basketball head coach (Atlanta Hawks 2019), born in San Jose, California

May 12 Matt Mangano, American country-rock bass player (Zac Brown Band), born in Visalia, CA
May 13 Mark Delaney, Welsh footballer (Aston Villa), born in Haverfordwest, Wales
May 14 Brian Lawrence, American baseball player
May 14 Hunter Burgan, American punk rock bassist (AFI), born in Los Angeles County, California
May 14 Martine McCutcheon, British actress
May 14 Terrance Cauthen, lightweight boxer (Olympic bronze 1996), born in Trenton, New Jersey
May 15 Jacek Krzynówek, Polish footballer
May 15 Ryan Leaf, American football player
May 17 Daniel Komen, Nyaru Kenya, 5k runner
May 17 Rochelle Aytes, American actress (Mistresses), born in Harlem, New York
May 17 Wang Leehom, American-Taiwanese pop and musical theater singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer, born in Rochester, New York
May 19 Kevin Garnett, American basketball forward (15-time NBA All Star), born in Greenville, South Carolina
May 20 Ramón Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
May 20 Tomoya Satozaki, Japanese baseball player
May 21 Christopher Tin, American film, television, and video game score composer (Baba Yetu), born in Redwood City, California

May 21 Deron Miller, American rock musician (CKY), born in Chester, Pennsylvania
May 21 Kardinal Offishall [Jason Drew Harrow], Canadian rapper, born in Scarsborough, Ontario
May 22 Christian Vande Velde, American road cyclist (Tour de France 1 TTT stage 2011; Giro d'Italia 2 TTT stages 2008, 12) and broadcaster (NBC Sports), born in Chicago, Illinois
May 23 Kelly Marie Monaco, playmate (April, 1997), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 23 Ricardinho, Brazilian footballer
May 24 Alessandro Cortini, Italian rock musician (Nine Inch Nails, 2005-08 & 2018-present), born in Bologna, Italy
May 24 Bob Maesen, Belgian flatwater canoer, born in Neerpelt, Pelt, Belgium
May 24 Catherine Cox, Australian netballer, born in Whangarei, New Zealand
May 25 Cillian Murphy, Irish actor (28 Days Later), born in Douglas, County Cork, Ireland
May 25 Ethan Suplee, American actor (American History X), born in Manhattan, New York
May 25 Sandra Nasić, German singer (Guano Apes), born in Göttingen, Germany
May 25 Tarik Glenn, American football offensive tackle (Pro Bowl 2004-06; Super Bowl 2006; Indianapolis Colts), born in Cleveland, Ohio
May 26 Benji Gregory, American actor (Brian Tanner-Alf), born in Encino, California
May 26 Justin Pierre, American punk-pop singer and guitarist (Motion City Soundtrack), born in Mahtomedi, Minnesota
May 26 Scott Humphries, Greely Colo, tennis star (1995 doubles Binghampton)

May 27 Darrell Russell, American football defensive tackle (Pro Bowl 1998, 99; First-Team All-Pro 1998; Oakland Raiders), born in Pensacola, Florida (d. 2005)
May 27 Richard Park, Seoul Kor, NHL center (Pitts Penguins)
May 27 RJD2, American hip-hop producer
May 28 Alexei Nemov, Russian gymnast
May 28 Glenn Morrison, Rugby League Player
May 28 Liam O'Brien, American voice actor, writer and director (Dungeons & Dragons), born in Weehawken, New Jersey
May 28 Pamelia Stickney, American theremin player and jazz bassist, born in California
May 29 Caçapa, Brazilian soccer defender (Brazil 3 caps, Lyon), born in Lavras, Brazil
May 29 David Buckner, American drummer (Papa Roach, 1993-2007 - "Last Resort"), born in Vacaville, California
May 29 Jerry Hairston Jr., American baseball infielder/outfielder, broadcaster (Baltimore Orioles), born in Des Moines, Iowa
May 29 Yegor Titov, Russian soccer midfielder, coach (Russia 41 caps), born in Moscow, Russia
May 29 Yūsuke Iseya, Japanese model and actor
May 30 Magnus Norman, Swedish tennis player
May 30 Omri Hairi Katz, actor (Marshall Teller-Eerie Indiana), born in Los Angeles, California

Colin Farrell (47 years old)

May 31 Irish actor (In Bruges, Minority Report), born in Dublin, Ireland

May 31 Matt Harpring, American basketball player (Utah Jazz) and analyst, born in Cincinnati, Ohio

Born in 1976

Famous Weddings

May 10 "KISS" former lead guitarist Ace Frehley (25) weds Janette Trerotola

Famous Deaths

May 1 Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet who fought the military junta in Greece (b. 1939)
May 1 Rex O'Malley, British actor (Camille, Zara, Midnight, Thief), dies at 75
May 1 T.R.M. Howard, civil rights leader, entrepreneur, surgeon (b. 1908)
May 3 David Bruce [Marden Andrew McBroom], American actor (The Mad Ghoul, Flying Tigers), dies from a heart attack at 60
May 3 Ernie Nevers, American College, Pro Football Hall of Fame fullback, coach (Stanford, Chicago Cardinals), dies of heart & kidney ailments at 72
May 4 Henri Bosco, French author and poet (Gogol), dies at 87
May 5 Thomas Burnett Swann, American sci-fi author (Day of Minotaur), dies of cancer at 47
May 6 Karel Cruysberghs, Flemish religious writer (On the Pulpit), dies at 85
May 7 Alan Baxter, American actor (Big Town Girl,;Rags to Riches), dies at 67

Fred McLeod (1882-1976)

May 8 Scottish golfer (US Open 1908), dies at 94

May 8 Ulrike Meinhof, German journalist who lead Germany Red Army Faction ("Baader-Meinhof gang"), dies in uncertain circumstances in prison at 41
May 9 Jens Bjørneboe, Norwegian poet and writer (Dikt, Jonas), dies at 55
May 9 Raymond Chevreuille, Belgian composer, dies at 74
May 9 Valentino Bucchi, Italian composer, dies at 59
May 10 Elias Aslaksen, Leader of Smith's Friends (b. 1888)
May 10 George Curzon, dies at 77
May 11 Alvar Aalto, Finnish architect (Finlandia House) and designer, dies at 78
May 11 Camille Schmit, Belgian composer, dies at 68
May 12 Rudolf Kempe, German conductor (Tonhalle Orch 1965-72), dies at 65
May 14 Keith Relf, British blues-rock singer and harmonica player (The Yardbirds - "For Your Love"; Renaissance, 1969-71), electrocuted while playing an improperly earthed electric guitar at 33
May 15 Samuel Eliot Morison, American historian (Admiral of the Ocean Sea), dies at 88
May 17 Charles Stepney, American pianist, arranger, and record producer (Chess Records; Minnie Riperton; Ramsey Lewis; Earth, Wind & Fire), dies of a heart attack at 45
May 20 Syd Howe, Canadian Hockey HOF left wing (Stanley Cup 1936, 37, 43 Detroit Red Wings), dies from throat cancer at 64
May 20 Zelmar Michelini, Uruguayan politician, member of the Christian-Democrat party, and Héctor Gutiérrez Ruiz "disappeared"
May 21 Harold Blair, Australian tenor and Aboriginal activist, dies at 51
May 21 Sulo Nikolai Salonen, Finnish composer, dies at 77
May 24 Henk [Hendrik Johannes] Lankhorst, Dutch politician (PSP), dies at 62
May 24 Melle Oldeboerrigter, Dutch painter and cartoonist, dies at 65
May 26 Edgar Moon, Australian tennis player (Australian C'ships 1930), dies at 71
May 26 Juan Maino, Chilean leader of MAPU, "disappeared"

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)

May 26 German philosopher (Being & Time), dies at 86

May 27 Ruth McDevitt, actress (Jo-All in the Family), dies at 80
May 28 Steffan Danielsen, Faroese painter, mostly of local landscapes, dies at 53
May 30 Max Carey, American Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder (World Series 1925; 10 × NL stolen base leader; Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Robins) and manager (Brooklyn Dodgers), dies at 86
May 30 Vic Ghezzi, American golfer (PGA C'ship 1941), dies of cancer at 65
May 31 Jacques Monod, French biochemist (1966 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine - genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis), dies at 66
May 31 Martha Mitchell [nee Beall], American wife of US Attorney General John Mitchell (who was kidnapped so she wouldn't talk), dies of multiple myeloma at 57