Historical Events
Mission Accomplished
May 1 In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech, U.S. President George W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended" on board the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of California
- May 3 129th Kentucky Derby: Jose Santos aboard Funny Cide wins in 2:01.19
- May 3 New Hampshire's famous Old Man of the Mountain collapses.
- May 7 Arsenal thrash Southampton, 6-1 at Highbury to start Gunners' amazing English Premier League record 49-game unbeaten streak; ends 24 October, 2004 with 2-0 defeat at Manchester United
- May 10 The May 2003 tornado outbreak sequence takes place.
- May 12 Fifty-nine Democratic lawmakers bring the Texas Legislature to a standstill by going into hiding in a dispute over a Republican congressional redistricting plan
- May 12 The Riyadh compound bombings, carried out by Al Qaeda, 26 killed
- May 16 Calcutta high court rules Calcutta does not have a birthday and that British East India employee Job Charnock is not the city's founder as previously claimed
- May 16 In Casablanca, Morocco, 33 civilians are killed and more than 100 people are injured in terrorist attacks
- May 16 NHL Western Conference Final: Anaheim Ducks beat Minnesota Wild, 4 games to 0
- May 17 128th Preakness: Jose Santos aboard Funny Cide wins in 1:55.61
- May 17 English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (73,726): Arsenal beats Southampton, 1-0; Robert Pires scores 38' winner for Gunners' 9th title
Laureus Awards
May 20 Laureus World Sports Awards, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco: Sportsman: Lance Armstrong (rescinded); Sportswoman: Serena Williams; Team: Brazil Men's National Football team
America's Next Top Model
May 20 Reality TV series "America's Next Top Model", created by Tyra Banks, debuts on UPN
Academy of Country Music Awards
May 21 38th Academy of Country Music Awards: Toby Keith, Martina McBride & Kenny Chesney win
- May 21 An earthquake hits northern Algeria killing more than 2,000 people.
Golf Tournament
May 22 In Fort Worth, Texas, Annika Sörenstam becomes the first woman to play the PGA Tour in 58 years.
- May 23 NHL Eastern Conference Final: New Jersey Devils beat Ottawa Senators, 4 games to 3
- May 23 The Euro exceeds its initial trading value as it hits $1.18 for the first time since its introduction in 1999
- May 24 48th Eurovision Song Contest: Sertab Erener for Turkey wins singing "Everyway That I Can" in Riga
Music Concert
May 24 Paul McCartney performs in his first-ever concert in Russia, in Moscow's Red Square, to a crowd of over 100,000 people
- May 24 Super Rugby Final, Eden Park, Auckland: Auckland Blues beat defending champion Canterbury Crusaders, 21-17 for their 3rd title
- May 25 56th Cannes Film Festival: "Elephant" directed by Gus Van Sant wins the Palme d'Or
- May 25 Indianapolis 500: French born Brazilian driver Gil de Ferran passes Penske teammate and defending champion Hélio Castroneves with 31 laps remaining for his first Indy 500 win
- May 25 Néstor Kirchner becomes President of Argentina after defeating Carlos Menem. He is the first elected President since the economic crisis.
- May 26 Only three days after a previous record, Sherpa Lakpa Gelu climbs Mount Everest in 10 hours 56 minutes. The tourism ministry of Nepal confirms this record in July that year.
- May 28 11th UEFA Champions League Final: Milan beats Juventus (0-0, 3-2 on penalties) at Manchester
Sports History
May 28 Patrick Roy officially announces his retirement from the NHL
- May 28 Peter Hollingworth becomes the first Governor-General of Australia to resign his office as a result of criticism of his conduct
Finding Nemo
May 30 Animated fish tale "Finding Nemo", directed by Andrew Stanton, and starring Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres premieres in US and Canada
2003 History
Famous Birthdays
- May 5 Carlos Alcaraz, Spanish tennis player (US Open 2022, Wimbledon 2023), born in Villena, Spain
- May 12 Madeleine McCann, English child who mysteriously disappeared on holiday in Spain in 2007, born in Leicester, England
- May 19 JoJo Siwa, American dancer, singer and YouTube personality, born in Omaha, Nebraska
Famous Weddings
Matt LeBlanc
May 3 American "Friends" actor Matt LeBlanc (35) weds former model Melissa McKnight (38) at a private estate overlooking Anini Beach in Kilauea, Hawaii; divorce in 2006
Rahul Dravid
May 4 Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid (30) weds surgeon Vijeta Pendharkar in Bangalore, India
- May 10 "Broadway" singer-actress Carol Channing (82) weds Harry Kullijian at Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, California
Steven Soderbergh
May 10 "Ocean's Eleven" director and producer Steven Soderbergh (40) weds former fashion model Jules Asner (35) in Manhattan, New York
- May 10 Fashion designer Shoshanna Lonstein (28) weds investment analyst Joshua Gruss at the Metropolitan Club in New York City
Dennis Rodman
May 13 NBA star Dennis Rodman (42) weds his third wife, Michelle Moyer in a small civil ceremony in Newport Beach, California, on his birthday; divorce in 2012
- May 18 Actress Rena Sofer (34) weds director and producer Sanford Bookstaver (29) in Malibu, California
Kevin Hart
May 22 American actor and comedian Kevin Hart (23) weds Torrei Skipper (25); divorce in 2011
Kenneth Branagh
May 24 Actor and film director Kenneth Branagh (42) weds film art director Lindsay Brunnock in a secret ceremony
Kate Winslet & Sam Mendes
May 24 Oscar winning-actress Kate Winslet (27) weds director Sam Mendes (36) in Anguilla Island
Famous Divorces
Angelina Jolie & Billy Bob Thornton
May 27 Actress Angelina Jolie (26) divorces actor Billy Bob Thornton (47) due to irreconcilable differences
Famous Deaths
- May 1 Miss Elizabeth [Hulette], pro wrestling valet (Randy Savage), dies of overdose at 42
- May 1 Wim van Est, Dutch road cyclist (3 x stage winner Tour de France), dies at 80
- May 2 George Wyle [Bernard Weissman], American composer ("The Ballad of Gilligan's Island"; "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"), and orchestra leader (The Flip Wilson Show), dies at 87
- May 3 Suzy Parker, American model and actress (Chamber of Horrors), dies at 70
- May 5 David Lewin, American composer, dies at 69
- May 5 Walter Sisulu, South African activist (b. 1912)
- May 9 Russell B. Long, American politician (Sen-D-LA, 1948-86), dies at 84
- May 10 Milan Vukcevich, Yugoslavian chemist and a grandmaster of chess problem composition, dies at 66
Ernie Toshack (1914-2003)
May 11 Australian cricket fast bowler (12 Tests, 47 wickets), dies at 88
- May 11 Noel Redding, English bassist (The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Purple Haze"), dies from cirrhosis of the liver at 57
- May 12 Michael Richardson, British investment banker and advisor to Margaret Thatcher known as "Mr Privatisation", dies at 78
- May 12 Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French UN High Commissioner for Refugees (b. 1933)
Dave DeBusschere (1940-2003)
May 14 American NBA forward (NY Knicks) and last ABA commissioner (1975-76), dies of a heart attack at 62
- May 14 Robert Stack, American actor (The Untouchables, Unsolved Mysteries, Written on the Wind), dies of a heart attack at 84
- May 14 Wendy Hiller, English actress (Major Barbara, David Copperfield), dies at 90
- May 14 William Jackson [Pepper LaBeija], American drag queen and fashion designer, dies of a heart attack at 54
- May 15 Desmond Dreyer, British admiral (battle of the River Plate), dies at 93 [1]
- May 15 George Francis, British gangster (b. 1940)
June Carter Cash (1929-2003)
May 15 American Grammy Award-winning country singer (The Carter Family; Johnny Cash Show), songwriter ("Ring of Fire"), and actress, dies from complications after heart valve replacement surgery at 73
- May 16 Mark McCormack, American businessman (b. 1930)
- May 17 Frank "Pop" Ivy, American and Canadian football coach (b. 1916)
- May 18 Anna Santisteban, Puerto Rican beauty contest organizer, dies at 89
- May 18 Barb Tarbox, Canadian anti-smoking crusader, dies at 42
- May 21 Alejandro de Tomaso, Argentine auto racer and car manufacturer (De Tomaso Automobili), dies at 74
- May 21 Frank D. White, American politician (b. 1933)
- May 22 Ousmane Zongo, Burkinabé shooting victim
- May 23 Csaba Szabo. Hungarian composer, dies at 67
- May 23 Edward Boguslawski, Polish composer, dies at 62
- May 23 Jean Yanne, French actor and director (b. 1933)
- May 24 Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910)
- May 25 Jeremy Michael Ward, American musician (The Mars Volta), dies of a heroin overdose at 27
- May 25 Sloan Wilson, American novelist ("The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit"; "A Summer Place"), dies at 83
- May 26 Gerald S. Hawkins, English-American astronomer (archaeoastronomy), dies at 75
- May 26 Kathleen Winsor, American writer (b. 1919)
- May 27 Francois Bondy, Swiss writer and journalist (Preuves), dies at 88
- May 27 Luciano Berio, Italian composer (Chemins), dies at 77
- May 28 Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (b. 1917)
- May 28 Janet Collins, American ballerina, choreographer, and teacher, dies at 86
- May 28 Martha Scott, American actress (The Ten Commandments, Our Town, Ben-Hur), dies of natural causes at 90
- May 28 Oleg Makarov, cosmonaut (b. 1933)
- May 29 David Jefferies, British motorcycle racer, dies at 30
- May 30 Mickie Most [Michael Hayes], British record producer (Herman's Hermits; The Nashville Teens; Donovan; Lulu), dies of stomach cancer at 64
- May 31 Billy Wade, South African cricket wicketkeeper (11 Tests, 1 x 100, 17 dismissals; Natal), dies at 88
