What Happened in May 2010

Historical Events

  • May 1 136th Kentucky Derby: Calvin Borel wins aboard Super Saver, his third Derby success in 4 years

Performing Arts Award

May 1 Canadian singer Bryan Adams is given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts

  • May 1 Car bomb fails to go off in Times Square, New York City

Film & TV History

May 4 Julia Louis-Dreyfus receives the 2,407th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, although on the original star her name is spelled incorrectly

  • May 8 Barrow AFC wins English FA Trophy at Wembley, makes them only team to win it at both Old & New Wembley stadiums
  • May 8 Last piece of Yankee Stadium falls in the Bronx, New York, marking the end of the two year demolition process
  • May 9 Oakland A's Dallas Braden becomes 19th pitcher to throw a perfect game (4-0 vs Tampa Bay)
  • May 9 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: South African Tim Clark fires a final round 67 for his first PGA Tour victory, 1 stroke ahead of Robert Allenby of Australia

Pro Wrestling

May 10 Flavor Flav guest hosts the wrestling show WWE Raw

Election of Interest

May 11 David Cameron becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after forming a coalition government between the Liberal Democrats and his own Conservative Party

Election of Interest

May 11 Imelda Marcos wins election to the House of Representatives of the Philippines, representing Ilocos Norte province

  • May 12 An Afriqiyah Airways Flight crashes and kills everyone but one person on board

Music Concert

May 13 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Debbie Harry, Lady Gaga, Shirley Bassey, Nile Rodgers and Chic

  • May 14 The 51,700 seat Aviva Stadium is officially opened on the site of the famous old Lansdowne Road Stadium in Dublin by Irish Prime Minister, Brian Cowan
  • May 15 135th Preakness: Martin Garcia aboard Lookin At Lucky wins in 1:55.47

FA Cup Final

May 15 English FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, London (88,335): Chelsea beats Portsmouth,1-0; Didier Drogba scores 59' winner; Blues' 6th title

  • May 15 Jessica Watson at age 16 becomes the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world
  • May 16 ICC Men's Cricket T20 World Cup, Bridgetown, Barbados: England beats Australia by 7 wickets with 3 overs to spare for their first title; Player of the Series: England batsman Kevin Pietersen (248 runs)
  • May 16 ICC Women's Cricket T20 World Cup, Bridgetown, Barbados: Elise Perry with 3 for 18 off 4 overs leads Australia (106/8) to 3 run victory over New Zealand 103/6
  • May 18 Police officer James Crooker is asked to leave the Red and Black Café in Portland, Oregon after co-owner John Langley claimed Crooker's uniformed presence made him uncomfortable

Copernicus Reburied

May 22 Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus' remains are reburied in Frombork Cathedral, Poland after a 200 year search for his tomb

UEFA Champions League Final

May 22 UEFA Champions League Final, Madrid: Internazionale beats Bayern Munich, 2-0; Inter's 3rd title and first treble (Italian Serie A & Cup)

  • May 23 63rd Cannes Film Festival: "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul wins the Palme d'Or
  • May 23 NHL Western Conference Finals: Chicago Black Hawks beat San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 0
  • May 24 Andrew Wakefield, doctor at the center of MMR vaccination scare, struck off the UK medical register after being found guilty of serious professional misconduct
  • May 24 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Philadelphia Flyers beat Montreal Canadians, 4 games to 1

Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)

May 28 "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" single released by Alicia Keys (Billboard Song of the Year, 2010)

  • May 29 55th Eurovision Song Contest: Lena for Germany wins singing "Satellite" in Oslo
  • May 29 In an all South African Super 14 Rugby final, the Bulls (Pretoria) retain title, 25-17 over the Stormers (Cape Town) at the Orlando Stadium, Soweto; Morné Steyn kicks 6 penalties and a conversion for the Bulls
  • May 29 Philadelphia Phillies' Roy Halladay becomes 20th pitcher to throw a perfect game (1-0 vs Florida Marlins), in Miami
  • May 29 Super Rugby Final, Orlando Stadium, Soweto: Bulls (Pretoria) successfully defend their title with a 25-17 win over the Stormers (Cape Town) in an all-South African final

Indy 500

May 30 Indianapolis 500: Scotsman Dario Franchitti driving for Target Chip Ganassi Racing wins his 2nd Indy title ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti

Senior PGA Championship

May 30 Senior PGA Championship, Colorado GC: Tom Lehman wins first of 3 Champions Tour major titles with a par on the first hole of a playoff with Fred Couples and David Frost

  • May 31 Gaza Flotilla raid: Israeli Shayetet 13 soldiers board ships trying to break blockade of Gaze, during violent confrontation aboard MV Mavi Marmara 9 activists killed and several activists and soldiers injured
2010 History

Famous Birthdays

  • May 20 Lady Cosima Windsor, daughter of Alexander Windsor, Earl of Ulster
  • May 28 Prince Louis of Bourbon, elder son of Prince Louis, Duke of Anjou
Born in 2010

Famous Weddings

  • May 1 Actor-producer Seth Green (36) weds actress Clare Grant (30) at George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch in Nacasio, California

Jensen Ackles

May 15 Actress and model Danneel Harris (33) weds actor Jensen Ackles (34) at the Rosewood Crescent Court Hotel in Dallas, Texas

  • May 16 British comedian David Walliams (38) weds supermodel Lara Stone (26) at Claridge's Hotel in London

David Krumholtz

May 22 "Numb3rs" star David Krumholtz (32) weds actress Vanessa Britting (29) at The Plaza Hotel in New York City

Alanis Morissette

May 22 Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Alanis Morissette (38) weds American rapper Mario Treadway (32) in Los Angeles

  • May 28 "Beverly Hills 90210" actor Ian Ziering (46) weds Erin Kristine Ludwig at the Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, California
  • May 29 "Survivor: Fiji" winner Earl Cole (39) weds pharmacist Shelley Lee at the St. Regis Princeville Resort on Kauai

Jane Lynch

May 31 Actress Jane Lynch marries clinical psychologist Lara Embry in Sunderland, Massachusetts (divorced 2014)


Famous Divorces

  • May 21 American rapper and actor Nas (37) divorces American R&B singer Kelis (31) after 5 years of marriage

Shania Twain

May 29 Five-time Grammy Award singer Shania Twain (42) divorces music producer Robert John Lange (59) after 14 years of marriage


Famous Deaths

  • May 1 Antonio Mastrogiovanni, Uruguayan composer, dies at 73
  • May 1 Danny Aiello III, American film and television stunt performer, stunt coordinator, and actor, dies of pancreatic cancer at 53
  • May 1 Helen Wagner, American actress (Mister Peepers; As The World Turns), dies of natural causes at 91
  • May 1 Rob McConnell, Canadian jazz composer, arranger and valve trombonist (The Boss Brass), dies of liver cancer at 75

Lynn Redgrave (1943-2010)

May 2 British-American actress (Gods and Monsters, Georgy Girl), dies of cancer at 67

  • May 4 Ernie Harwell, American baseball broadcaster (Detroit Tigers, 1960-2002), dies at 92
  • May 4 Zvonimir Levačić - Ševa, Croatian humorist and entertainer (b. 1943)
  • May 5 Alfons Kontarsky, German concert pianist (best known for duo-piano performance with his brother, Aloys), dies at 77
  • May 6 Robin Roberts, American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (7 x MLB All Star; won 28 consecutive complete games 1952-53; Philadelphia Phillies), dies at 83
  • May 7 Adele Mara [Adelaida Delgado], American actress, singer and dancer (Cool Million; Wheels), dies at 87
  • May 7 Wally Hickel, American politician (Governor-R-Alaska 1966-69, US Secretary of Interior 1969-71), dies at 90
  • May 9 Lena Horne, American actress and Grammy Award-winning singer (Cabin in the Sky; Stormy Weather; The Wiz), dies at 92
  • May 9 Otakar Motejl, Czechoslvakian politician, dies at 77
  • May 10 Frank Frazetta [Frazzetta], American fantasy illustrator of comic book, paperback, album cover art, dies of a stroke at 82
  • May 12 Lev Vasilyevich Vorobyov, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz 13), dies at 79
  • May 13 Lode Backx, Flemish pianist, dies at 87
  • May 14 Goh Keng Swee, former Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore (b. 1918)
  • May 15 Besian Idrizaj, Footballer (b. 1987)
  • May 15 Diether de la Motte, German composer and music theorist, dies at 82
  • May 15 Moshe Greenberg, American-Israeli Bible scholar, dies at 81
  • May 16 Hank Jones, American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer, dies at 91
  • May 16 Ronnie James Dio [Padavona], American singer, songwriter and musician (Elf; Rainbow; Black Sabbath; Dio; and Heaven & Hell), dies at 67
  • May 17 Bobbejaan Schoepen, Belgian singer, entertainer and professional whistler, dies at 85
  • May 17 Walasse Ting, Chinese-American painter (b. 1929)
  • May 17 Yvonne Loriod, French pianist, composer (Mélopées africaines), and teacher, dies at 86
  • May 21 Trevor Meale, New Zealand cricketer (batted in 2 Tests NZ v England 1958), dies at 81
  • May 22 Martin Gardner, American mathematician and scientific writer (Scientific American math & puzzles columnist), dies at 95
  • May 23 Billy Francis, American keyboardist (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - "Cover of the Rolling Stone"), dies at 68
  • May 23 Gane Todorovoski, Macedonian literary critic, poet, & publicist (b. 1929)
  • May 23 Jose Lima, Dominican baseball player (b. 1972)
  • May 23 Leonida Georgievna, Grand Duchess Of Russia (b. 1914)
  • May 23 Simon Monjack, English actor, producer, and writer (b. 1970)
  • May 24 Anneliese Rothenberger, German operatic lyric soprano, 1942-83, dies at 85
  • May 24 Morrie Martin, American MLB baseball pitcher, 1949-59 (Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Athletics, and 5 other teams), and double Purple Heart Army veteran, dies at 87
  • May 24 Paul Gray, American heavy metal bassist (Slipknot), dies of a drug overdose at 38
  • May 24 Petr Muk, Czech new-wave and pop musician, and singer-songwriter (Oceán; Shalom), dies from mixing alcohol and prescription medications at 45
  • May 24 Ray Alan, English ventriloquist and television entertainer (Lord Charles), dies at 79
  • May 24 Raymond V. Haysbert, African-American business executive and civil rights leader (b. 1920)
  • May 24 Tapen Chatterjee, Bengali actor from India (b. 1937)
  • May 24 Virendra Bhatia, Indian politician (b. 1947)
  • May 25 Alan Hickinbotham, Australian businessman, football player, & football coach (b. 1925)
  • May 25 Alexander Belostenny, Ukrainian basketball player (b. 1959)
  • May 25 Gabriel Vargas, Mexican cartoonist (b. 1915)
  • May 25 Michael H. Jordan, businessman and former CEO PepsiCo and CBS Corporation (b. 1936)
  • May 25 Robert Muczynski, American classical pianist, composer (Time Pieces), and educator, dies at 81
  • May 25 Silvius Magnago, Italian politician (b. 1914)
  • May 25 Siphiwo Ntshebe, South African operatic tenor, dies of meningitis at 35
  • May 26 Art Linkletter, Canadian-American radio and television personality (People are Funny), dies at 97
  • May 26 Christopher Moran, British Air Chief Marshal (b. 1956)
  • May 26 Jean Constantin, Romanian actor (b. 1928)
  • May 26 Kieran Phelan, Irish senator (b. 1949)
  • May 27 John William Finn, American US Navy sailor, awarded the 1st Medal of Honor of WWII for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor, dies at 100
  • May 27 Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator (The Adventure of Sudsakorn), dies at 81
  • May 28 Eddie Barth [Edward Bartholetti], American actor and voiceover artist nicknamed "Mr. Gravel" for his raspy vocals (Shaft, Simon & Simon), dies at 78
  • May 28 Gary Coleman, American actor (Diff'rent Strokes), dies at 42
  • May 28 Hugh Ford, British mechanic engineer, dies at 96
  • May 28 Jacob Kistemaker, Dutch nuclear physicist (ultra centrifuge), dies at 93

Dennis Hopper (1936-2010)

May 29 American actor and director (True Grit, Blue Velvet, Easy Rider), dies at 74

  • May 29 Randolph Stow, Australian author and poet (Suburbs of Hell), dies of a pulmonary embolism at 74
  • May 30 Duff Roblin, Canadian politician (b. 1917).
  • May 31 Benjamin Lees [Lisniansky], American composer (Kalmar Nyckel; Memorial Candles), dies at 86
  • May 31 Brian Duffy, British photographer and film producer (b. 1933)

Chris Haney (1950-2010)

May 31 Canadian journalist who created the board game "Trivial Pursuit", dies at 59

  • May 31 Louise Bourgeois, French-born American sculptor, painter and print maker, dies at 98
  • May 31 Merata Mita, New Zealander filmmaker (Mauri, Patu!), dies at 67
  • May 31 Rubén Juárez, Argentine bandoneonist, dies of cancer at 62
  • May 31 William A. Fraker, American cinematographer (b. 1923)