Here are 50 newsworthy anniversaries in May 2013 for you to write about (and make money from). The anniversaries are listed 6 months in advance to give you enough time for research and writing.
We have painstakingly cross-checked every entry, but you are advised to check all facts again as part of your research. Please let us know of any errors you find.
This list is a small sample of the entries for May in The Date-A-Base Book 2013. There are more than 300 anniversaries for this month in the book.
The Date-A-Base Book 2013 covers the whole of 2013 from January to December, and gives details of more than 4,000 anniversaries.
The 2014 edition will be available in about 3 weeks.
200 years ago (5 May 1813)
Birth of Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher, theologian, religious writer and critic; had a major influence on Existentialism
200 years ago (22 May 1813)
Birth of Richard Wagner, major German composer, best known for his dramatic operas
200 years ago (25-27 May 1813)
War of 1812 – the Battle of Fort George, Ontario, Canada. U.S. victory, which forced the British to abandon the entire Niagara frontier
150 years ago (10 May 1863)
Death of Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson, Confederate general during the American Civil War
150 years ago (15 May 1863)
Birth of Frank Hornby, British inventor and businessman who created Hornby model trains, Meccano construction sets, and Dinky toys
150 years ago (16 May 1863)
American Civil War – the Battle of Champion’s Hill, Mississippi; Union victory; the pivotal (and bloodiest) battle of the Vicksburg Campaign, which led to the Siege of Vicksburg
150 years ago (21 May 1863)
The Seventh-day Adventist Church was founded in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA
100 years ago (3 May 1913)
The first full-length Indian feature film ‘Raja Harishchandra’ was released, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry
100 years ago (6 May 1913)
Birth of Stewart Granger, British-born American film actor; a popular leading man, known for his heroic roles (‘King Solomon’s Mines’, ‘Scaramouche’, ‘The Prisoner of Zenda’, ‘Beau Brummel’ and others)
100 years ago (8 May 1913)
Birth of Sid James, South African-born British comedy actor; known for the ‘Carry On…’ films, ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’ and ‘Bless This House’
100 years ago (14 May 1913)
The Rockefeller Foundation was founded in New York City, USA
100 years ago (16 May 1913)
Birth of Woody Herman, American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer and bandleader
100 years ago (25 May 1913)
Birth of Richard Dimbleby, pioneering British journalist and broadcaster; one of the greatest figures in British broadcasting history
100 years ago (26 May 1913)
The Actors’ Equity Association was founded in New York City, USA as a trade union to represent live theatrical performers and managers
100 years ago (26 May 1913)
Birth of Peter Cushing, British actor, known for his many horror films, including ‘The Curse of Frankenstein’ and ‘Dracula’
100 years ago (30 May 1913)
The First Balkan War ended with the signing of the Treaty of London
80 years ago (2 May 1933)
Adolf Hitler banned all trade unions in Nazi Germany; all workers had to join the German Labour Front (DAF) instead
80 years ago (10 May 1933)
The Nazis staged massive public burnings of ‘un-German’ books outside Berlin University
80 years ago (12 May 1933)
Great Depression/New Deal: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA), which began operating on 22nd May. It created jobs for more than 20 million people and distributed funds of over $3 billion. It was superseded in 1935 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA)
75 years ago (26 May 1938)
The House Committee on Un-American Activities was established in the USA. Its job was to investigate subversive or disloyal citizens, public employees and organisations, particularly those suspected of having links with the communists or fascists
70 years ago (16 May 1943)
Holocaust: the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in Poland ended
70 years ago (16-17 May 1943)
World War II – the Dambusters Raid. Britain’s RAF launched Operation Chastise, deploying bouncing bombs to bypass anti-torpedo nets and breach dams, causing catastrophic flooding in Germany’s Ruhr Valley
65 years ago (14 May 1948)
David Ben-Gurion declared Israel an independent state as the British mandate in Palestine came to an end. The neighbouring Arab states of Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq invaded Israel the following day in support of the Palestinians, and Saudi Arabia invaded 3 days later
65 years ago (20 May 1948)
Chiang Kai-shek became the first President of the Republic of China
65 years ago (26 May 1948)
The first apartheid government was elected in South Africa. Daniel Malan became the first apartheid prime minister (inaugurated 4th June)
60 years ago (6 May 1953)
The first successful open-heart surgery on a human, using a heart-lung machine, was performed by John Gibbon in Pennsylvania, USA
60 years ago (25 May 1953)
Road haulage in Britain was denationalised
60 years ago (29 May 1953)
New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest
50 years ago (1 May 1963)
Jim Whittaker became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest
50 years ago (3-7 May 1963)
The Birmingham Campaign, Alabama, USA. Police used high-power fire hoses on African-American protesters who were campaigning against racial segregation and attempting to integrate themselves. Many of the protesters were children, and the shockingly violent images, along with reports of mass arrests of children, brought the U.S. civil rights movement to worldwide attention. The campaign succeeded, and over the following days and weeks the city was desegregated
50 years ago (24 May 1963)
Death of Elmore James, ‘the King of the Slide Guitar’, American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter; had a significant influence on the development of rock music
50 years ago (25 May 1963)
The Organisation of African Unity was established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (It was succeeded by the African Union in 2009)
40 years ago (3 May 1973)
Sears Tower (now Willis Tower) in Chicago, Illinois was completed. At the time it was the world’s tallest building, and it is still the tallest building in the USA (at the time of writing)
40 years ago (14 May 1973)
NASA launched Skylab – the USA’s first manned space station. The first manned mission to Skylab launched on 25th May, and included 3 space walks to repair damage that Skylab sustained during launch
40 years ago (17 May 1973)
The Watergate hearings began in the U.S. Senate, and were televised nationally
40 years ago (19 May 1973)
Cod Wars: Britain sent Royal Navy frigates to protect fishing trawlers in the disputed area around Iceland
40 years ago (25 May 1973)
The album ‘Tubular Bells’ by Mike Oldfield was released. It was the first album released by Virgin Records
30 years ago (4 May 1983)
U.S. President Ronald Reagan declared public support for the Nicaraguan Contras who aimed to overthrow the Sandinista government
30 years ago (20 May 1983)
The journal ‘Science’ reported the discovery of the virus that causes AIDS
30 years ago (25 May 1983)
Death of King Idris I of Libya, the first and only king of Libya
25 years ago (8 May 1988)
Death of Robert A. Heinlein, American science fiction writer
25 years ago (9 May 1988)
The new Australian Parliament House in Canberra was officially opened
25 years ago (11 May 1988)
Death of Kim Philby, British intelligence officer and Soviet double agent, a member of the Cambridge spy ring
20 years ago (24 May 1993)
Eritrea became independent from Ethiopia
15 years ago (4 May 1998)
‘Unabomber’ Theodore (‘Ted’) Kaczynski was given four life sentences by a court in Sacramento, California, USA
15 years ago (23 May 1998)
The people of Northern Ireland voted to accept the Good Friday Agreement, with 75% in favour of a Northern Ireland Assembly
10 years ago (5 May 2003)
Death of Walter Sisulu, South African anti-apartheid activist, Secretary-General of the African National Congress (ANC) (1949-54)
10 years ago (11 May 2003)
Death of Noel Redding, British rock bassist (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
10 years ago (24 May 2003)
Death of Rachel Kempson, Lady Redgrave, British stage, film and television actress; matriarch of the Redgrave/Richardson acting dynasty
10 years ago (30 May 2003)
Death of Mickie Most, British record producer, founder of RAK Records; discovered many successful pop artists including The Animals, Herman’s Hermits, Donovan, Lulu, Mud, Suzi Quatro and Hot Chocolate
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