Historical Events
Iron Man
May 2 First film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe released: "Iron Man" directed by Jon Favreau, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark
Kentucky Derby
May 3 134th Kentucky Derby: Kent Desormeaux aboard Big Brown wins by nearly 5 lengths; runner-up Eight Belles euthanised after fracturing both front ankles; first fatality in Derby history
Agreement of Interest
May 4 Seth MacFarlane reaches an agreement worth $100 million with Fox to keep "Family Guy" and "American Dad" on television until 2012, making MacFarlane the world's highest paid television writer
Home Before Dark
May 5 American/Columbia Records releases "Home Before Dark", the twenty-seventh studio album by Neil Diamond; tops charts in US, UK and NZ
- May 6 Chaiten Volcano erupts in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
Event of Interest
May 7 Dmitry Medvedev is sworn in as the 3rd President of the Russian Federation
Event of Interest
May 8 Dmitry Medvedev appoints Vladimir Putin as Russian Prime Minister
Music Concert
May 8 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Brian Wilson, Chris Botti, Feist, Roberto Alagna, and Natalie Clein
Event of Interest
May 10 Philippine court acquits Imelda Marcos in a 17-year-old case of 32 counts of illegal transfer of wealth totaling $863 million in Swiss bank accounts
PGA Players Championship
May 11 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: Sergio García of Spain claims the biggest win of his career to date in a sudden-death playoff over American Paul Goydos
- May 12 Wenchuan earthquake, measuring 7.8 in magnitude occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 87,000, injuring 374,643 and leaving homeless between 4.8 million and 11 million people
Album Release
May 13 Jason Mraz releases his third studio album, "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things."
- May 15 California becomes the second U.S. state after Massachusetts in 2004 to legalize same-sex marriage after the state's own Supreme Court rules a previous ban unconstitutional.
- May 17 133rd Preakness: Kent Desormeaux aboard Big Brown wins in 1:54.80
Sports History
May 17 Dale Jarrett's final race, the All-Star race, before joining ESPN's NASCAR coverage full-time
- May 17 English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (82,752): Portsmouth beats Cardiff City, 1-0; Nwankwo Kanu scores 37' winner
Film & TV History
May 18 "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Harrison Ford, and produced by George Lucas' Lucasfilms, premiers at the Cannes Film Festival
Academy of Country Music Awards
May 18 43rd Academy of Country Music Awards: Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, and Carrie Underwood win
- May 18 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 1
- May 19 NHL Western Conference Final: Detroit Red Wings beat Dallas Stars, 4 games to 2
- May 21 UEFA Champions League Final, Moscow: Manchester United beats Chelsea, 6-5 on penalties after scores tied at 1-1 after extra time; first all-English final in the competition's history
- May 23 The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries.
- May 24 53rd Eurovision Song Contest: Dima Bilan for Russia wins singing "Believe" in Belgrade
- May 25 61st Cannes Film Festival: "The Class" directed by Laurent Cantet wins the Palme d'Or
- May 25 Indianapolis 500: Scott Dixon of New Zealand wins ahead of Vítor Meira and Marco Andretti; 19th winner from pole and first victor from NZ
Senior PGA Championship
May 25 Senior PGA Championship, Oak Hill CC: Jay Haas wins his second title in the event by 1 stroke from Germany’s Bernhard Langer
- May 28 The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.
Sports History
May 30 Stacy Lewis helps the U.S. team win the Curtis Cup, going 5-0 in the matches, and turns professional immediately afterward
Super Rugby Final
May 31 Super Rugby Final, Christchurch: Canterbury Crusaders claim their 7th title with a 20-12 win over NSW Waratahs; Dan Carter kicks 4 penalties & a dropped goal for the home team
Bolt Sets 100m Record
May 31 Usain Bolt breaks the world record in the 100m sprint, with a wind-legal (+1.7m/s) 9.72 seconds
2008 History
Famous Weddings
- May 10 President George W. Bush's daughter Jenna Bush (26) weds Henry Hager (30) at the Bush family ranch in Crawford, Texas
- May 17 American singer-songwriter and actress Ashlee Simpson (23) weds American rock band Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz (28) in Encino, California; divorce in 2011
- May 17 Eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II, Peter Phillips (30) weds management consultant Autumn Kelly (30) at St. George’s chapel in Windsor Castle
Jessica Alba
May 19 Film actress Jessica Alba (31) weds film and TV producer Cash Warren (33) at the Beverly Hills Courthouse in Beverly Hills, California
- May 24 Prince Joachim of Denmark (38) weds second wife Marie Cavallier (32) at Møgeltønder Church in Denmark
Charlie Sheen
May 30 Film actor Charlie Sheen (42) weds socialite Brooke Mueller (30) at a private estate in Los Angeles, California
- May 31 "Law & Order" actress Alana De La Garza (31) weds writer Michael Roberts in Orlando, Orange County, Florida
Famous Divorces
- May 9 "The View" former co-host Star Jones (46) divorces investment banker Al Reynolds (39) after three-and-a-half years of marriage
Kiefer Sutherland
May 16 "24" actor Kiefer Sutherland (37) divorces former model Elizabeth Kelly Winn (42) due to irreconcilable differences after nearly 8 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- May 1 Anthony Mamo, Malta's first President (b. 1909)
- May 1 Buzzie Bavasi, American MLB executive (Brooklyn & LA Dodgers, San Diego Padres, California Angels), dies at 93
- May 1 Deborah Jeane Palfrey, American escort owner, commits suicide at 52
- May 2 Beverlee McKinsey (née Magruder), American actress (Another World, 1972-80 - "Iris Carrington"; Guiding Light, 1984-92 - "Alexandra Spaulding"), dies from kidney transplant complications at 72
- May 3 Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo, Spanish former Primer Minister (b. 1926)
- May 3 Michael Kaye, British arts director (LSO, South Bank), dies at 83
- May 3 Uroš Krek, Slovenian composer, dies at 85
- May 5 Irv Robbins, Canadian-American entrepreneur (co-founded the Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor chain), dies at 90
- May 5 Jerry Wallace, American country and pop singer ("Primrose Lane"; "If You Leave Me Tonight I'll Cry"), dies of heart failure at 79
- May 5 Thomas Boggs, American rock drummer (Box Tops), dies at 63
- May 8 Eddy Arnold, American country music singer ("Make The World Go Away"; "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye"), dies at 89
- May 8 François Sterchele, Belgian football player (b. 1982)
- May 8 Larry Levine, American sound engineer (Phil Spector's wall of sound; Herb Alpert; Beach Boys), dies of emphysema on his 80th birthday
- May 9 Jack Gibson, Australian rugby league footballer and coach, dies at 79
- May 9 Nuala O'Faolain, Irish journalist, dies at 68
- May 10 Jessie Jacobs, Australian Actress (b. 1990)
- May 10 Leyla Gencer, Turkish soprano (b. 1928)
- May 11 Bruno Neves, Portuguese cyclist, dies in competition at 26
- May 11 Dottie Rambo [Joyce Luttrell], American gospel singer, dies when her tour bus crashes at 74
- May 11 John Rutsey, Canadian drummer (Rush, 1968-1974), dies from a heart attack at 55
- May 12 Irena Sendler [née Krzyżanowska], Polish nurse, social worker, and WWII heroine who helped smuggle Jewish ghetto children to safety, dies at 98 [1]
- May 12 Robert Rauschenberg, American artist (b. 1925)
- May 13 John Phillip Law, American actor (Death Rides a Horse), dies at 70
- May 13 Ron Stone, American television reporter, dies at 72
- May 13 Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah, Sheikh of Kuwait, dies at 78
- May 15 Alexander Courage, American composer of original Star Trek theme, dies at 88
- May 15 Ray Wilson, English footballer (1966 World Cup team), dies at 83
- May 15 Robert Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcycle racer, younger brother of Joey Dunlop, dies after a crash at 47
- May 15 Tommy Burns, Scottish soccer midfielder (8 caps; Celtic, Kilmarnock) and manager (Scotland, Celtic, Kilmarnock, Reading), dies of melanoma at 51
- May 15 Walt Dickerson, American jazz vibraphone player, and composer ("To My Queen"), dies of cardiac arrest at 80 [1]
- May 15 Willis Lamb, American physicist (Nobel 1955), dies at 94
- May 16 Wilfrid Howard Mellers, English musicologist and composer (François Couperin and the French Classical Tradition), dies at 94
- May 18 Joseph Pevney, American television director, dies at 96
- May 19 George Huntington Hartford II, American heir (A&P), dies at 97
- May 19 Vijay Tendulkar, Indian playwright, (b. 1928)
- May 20 Ali Sadikin, Indonesian politician and governor of Jakarta (1966-77), dies at 79
- May 20 Hamilton Jordan, former Carter White House Chief of Staff (b. 1944)
- May 21 Brian Keenan, Irish Provisional IRA member who played a key role in Northern Ireland's peace process (1998), dies of cancer at 66
- May 22 Robert Asprin, American author (b. 1946)
- May 23 (Bruce) "Utah" Phillips, American folk singer-songwriter ("Green Rolling Hills"; "The Goodnight-Loving Trail") storyteller, poet, and labor organizer, dies of heart disease at 73
- May 23 David Mitton, British television director (b. 1939)
- May 24 Dick Martin [Thomas Richard], American actor and comedian (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Carbon Copy), dies of respiratory complications at 86
- May 25 David Gahr, American photographer noted for his work with folk, jazz and rock musicians (Time Magazine; Folkways albums), dies at 85 [1]
- May 25 Georgette Amowitz, French choreographer and educator, dies at 78
- May 25 J. R. Simplot, American potato farmer (b. 1909)
- May 26 Earle Hagen, American big band trombonist (Isham Jones; Tommy Dorsey; Benny Goodman), and Emmy Award-winning television composer (The Dick Van Dyke Show; The Andy Griffith Show; I Spy; The Mod Squad; "Harlem Nocturne"), dies at 88
- May 26 Harding Lemay, American writer (head writer for soap "Another World"), dies at 96
Sydney Pollack (1934-2008)
May 26 American Academy and Emmy Award-winning director, producer (Tootsie; Out of Africa), and occasional actor, dies of cancer at 73
- May 27 Franz Künstler, Last remaining Austro-Hungarian Empire World War I veteran (b. 1900)
- May 28 Beryl Cook, British painter, dies at 81
- May 28 David Mitton, Scottish-born director (b. 1938)
- May 28 Dennis Moss, British jazz tenor saxophonist, dies at 80
- May 28 Jerry Cole [Jerald Kolbrak], American session guitarist and arranger (Wrecking Crew), dies of a heart attack at 58
- May 28 Robert Justman, American television producer (b. 1926)
- May 29 Dianne Odell, American medical figure (b. 1947)
- May 29 Harvey Korman, American actor (The Carol Burnett Show; Blazing Saddles; High Anxiety), dies at 81
- May 30 Boris Shakhlin, Russian gymnast (Olympic gold, 1956, 1960, 1964; World Champion, 1958; European Champion, 1955), dies at 76
- May 30 Lorenzo Odone, American medical figure (b. 1978)
