Browse Historical Events by Month:
Battles, revolts, and explorations. Learn about the noteworthy events in May that have taken place throughout the ages. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Naval engagement of Tsushima, starts on May 27, 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War resulting in the final, crushing defeat of the Russian navy in that conflict. The Japanese ships were superior in speed and armament and sunk two-thirds of the Russian Fleet and captured six ships during the two-day battle. More
Battle of Tsushima, 1905, a painting by Tōjō Shōtarō. Public domain. Via Wikimedia
Earth passed through the tail of Halley's Comet on May 19, 1910, as the comet passed near Earth. Halley's Comet is a famous periodic comet, known for its regular appearances in Earth's night sky, making it a celestial event of great historical and scientific interest.
One of the substances discovered in the tail by spectroscopic analysis was the toxic gas cyanogen, leading to press speculation that life on Earth could be endangered. Despite reassurances from scientists that the gas would not present any danger, public panic buying of gas masks was recorded, and quack "anti-comet pills" were sold. No harm was done by the comet.
Halley makes a close approach to Earth every 75-76 years. The first certain appearance of Halley's Comet in the historical record is a description from 240 BC, in the Chinese chronicle Records of the Grand Historian or Shiji, which describes a comet that appeared in the east and moved north. It was last seen in 1986, and is expected to return in 2061. More
"The Nine Sovereigns at Windsor", all present on May 20, 1910 for the funeral of King Edward VII. It represents one of the largest gatherings of European royalty in that period of history.
Standing, from left to right: King Haakon VII of Norway, Tsar Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Manuel II of Portugal, Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire, King George I of Greece and King Albert I of Belgium. Seated, from left to right: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King-Emperor George V of the United Kingdom and King Frederick VIII of Denmark.
Photographer: W. & D. Downey. Date taken: May 20, 1910 - Location taken: Windsor, England Source: Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain.
The Union of South Africa is created, on May 31, 1910, becoming a sovereign state within the British empire as General Louis Botha forms a government as prime minister.
The U.S. Congress passes the 17th Amendment, on May 13, 1912, modifying Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution by allowing voters to cast direct votes for U.S. senators. Prior to its passage, senators were chosen by state legislatures. The amendment was ratified on April 8, 1913. More
President Wilson makes his first Mothers Day proclamation on May 9, 1914, after the U.S. Congress set the second Sunday of every May as the official Mothers Day celebration. By then most U.S. States were already celebrating Mother's Day.
Julia Ward Howe (1872), a key women's rights figure and participant in the American Woman Suffrage Association and Anna Jarvis (1907) are also credited for suggesting and promoting the idea. The custom developed of wearing a red or pink carnation to represent a living mother or a white carnation for a mother who was deceased. The modern American version of the holiday has been criticized for becoming too commercialized. Many other countries have a multi-century history of a day to celebrate mothers on different dates. More
The passenger liner RMS Lusitania was sunk on, May 7, 1915, by a German submarine during World War I, killing 1,198 people. More
Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary, on May 23, 1915. When World War I began in July 1914, Italy was a partner in the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, but decided to remain neutral. However, a strong sentiment existed within the general population and political factions to go to war against Austria-Hungary, Italy’s historical enemy.
Britain and France ratified on May, 16, 1916, the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement, negotiated with Russian and Italian assent. The agreement divided most of the Arab lands under the Ottoman Empire into British and French spheres of influence after their expected WWI victory over the Ottoman Empire.
The initial agreement negotiations had been concluded and initialed by Sykes and Picot, on January 3, 1916, effectively demarcated areas of direct control and influence for both nations.
Image Info: The original image uploader was Ian Pitchford at English Wikipedia., Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons. Image link
The Battle of Jutland, World War I’s largest naval conflict, took place on May 31 to June 1, 1916, off the coast of Denmark. It resulted in Britain losing 14 ships (including three battlecruisers) and 6,784 men and Germany losing 11 ships and 3,209 men. Although a numerical advantage for Germany, it was not able to meaningfully re-engage the British Navy during the remaining of the war.
Three shepherd children, Lucia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, report seeing the Virgin Mary on May 13, 1917, near the village of Fátima, Portugal. In Roman Catholicism, "Our Lady of Fátima" is the title given to the Virgin Mary, referring to her six appearances before the three peasant children.
Her appearances were always on the 13th of the month, Mary reportedly entrusted the children with messages, including the "Three Secrets of Fatima". Since that revelation, millions of the faithful have made pilgrimages to the site. The Roman Catholic Church officially recognized the Fátima events as “worthy of belief” in 1930. More
The image is attributed to Joshua Benoliel - http://www.santuario-fatima.pt in Ilustração Portuguesa no. 610, 29 October 1917, Public Domain,
Congress passed the Selective Service Act, on May 18, 1917, authorizing the United States federal government to raise a national army for service in World War and to temporarily expand the military through conscription. The act eventually required all men between the ages of 21 to 45 to register for military service. More
The first US transatlantic convoy to reach Great Britain departs Hampton Roads, Virginia, on May 24, 1917, marking a critical shift in Allied naval strategy during World War I. This convoy of nine ships, escorted by HMS Roxburgh, was the first to implement the convoy system to protect against German U-boats, ensuring essential, safe transit across the North Atlantic.
Vice Admiral William Sims, former President of the Naval War College and commander of all U.S. naval forces, was a strong supporter of the convoy system and the Royal Navy decided to adopt it. The Hampton Roads convoy, escorted by HMS Roxburgh coupled with the American "Dazle" camouflage system contributed to the war effort and lost only one ship to the u-boat attack. The convoy. More
The U.S. Postal Service opens its first regularly scheduled airmail route between New York City and Washington, D.C. via Philadelphia. This historic event marked the beginning of a new era in both mail transportation and aviation. More
6-cent 1903 air mail United States postage stamp, depicting the Curtiss Jenny,.
The U.S. Congress passes the Sedition Act. on May 16, 1918, extending the Espionage Act of 1917 to cover a broader range of offenses, notably speech and the expression of opinion. " Among other things, it forbade the use of "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States government, its flag, or its armed forces. At least 877 people were convicted in 1919 and 1920. Those convicted under the act generally received sentences of imprisonment for five to 20 years. The law was repealed on December 13, 1920. More
The National Council of Georgia declared, on May 26, 1918, its independence from the Russian Empire in the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution.
Azerbaijan Independence Day - Commemorates the date on which the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) was founded on May 28, 1918, as the first secular democratic state in the Muslim East. Until 2021, it was marked as Republic Day. In October 2021, it was renamed Independence Day.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lands at Samsun on the Black Sea coast, on May 19, 1919, starting the Turkish War of Independence. More
The Socialist Party nominates Eugene V. Debs, on May 13, 1920, as its candidate for president in the upcoming November, 1920, election. It was the fifth nomination for the 64-year-old, Indiana-born labor leader. At the time Debs was in jail, serving a 10-year sentence at a federal penitentiary in Atlanta.
He was convicted of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, controversial laws pushed through Congress by President Woodrow Wilson to silence critics of U.S. involvement World War I. He wasn't due to get out until 1928. Debs had promised to pardon himself if elected. Harding, the newly elected President, pardoned Debs. More
The Tulsa Race Massacre began on May 31, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as deputies and armed by city government officials, attacked Black people, Black institutions, and Black wealth.
An estimated 300 people were killed and approximately 35 acres of commercial and residential property within the Greenwood District, known as Black Wall Street, were destroyed. The Tulsa city Riot is considered one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history. More
Image source: The Library of Congress, Public domain.
