1568 – Battle of Langside: The forces of Mary, Queen of Scots, are defeated by a confederacy of Scottish Protestants under James Stewart, Earl of Moray, her half-brother.
1619 – Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason.
1648 – Construction of the Red Fort at Delhi is completed.
1787 – Captain Arthur Phillip leaves Portsmouth, England, with eleven ships full of convicts (the “First Fleet”) to establish a penal colony in Australia.
1846 – Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on Mexico.
1861 – American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a “proclamation of neutrality” which recognizes the breakaway states as having belligerent rights.
1862 – The USS Planter, a steamer and gunship, steals through Confederate lines and is passed to the Union, by a southern slave, Robert Smalls, who later was officially appointed as captain, becoming the first black man to command a United States ship.
1864 – American Civil War: Battle of Resaca: The battle begins with Union General Sherman fighting toward Atlanta, Georgia.
1865 – American Civil War: Battle of Palmito Ranch: In far south Texas, more than a month after Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender, the last land battle of the Civil War ends with a Confederate victory.
1880 – In Menlo Park, New Jersey, Thomas Edison performs the first test of his electric railway.
1912 – The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom.
1917 – Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.
1922 – Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (d. 2009) was born.
1930 – Mike Gravel, American lieutenant and politician was born.
1931 – Jim Jones, American cult leader, founder of the Peoples Temple (d. 1978) was birthed.
1937 – Trevor Baylis, English inventor, invented the wind-up radio was born.
1937 – Roger [Joseph] Zelazny, sci-fi author (6 Hugos, Chronicles of Amber) Born
1939 – Harvey Keitel, actor (Taxi Driver, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs) Born
1939 – The first commercial FM radio station in the United States is launched in Bloomfield, Connecticut. The station later becomes WDRC-FM.
1940 – World War II: Germany’s conquest of France begins as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his “blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech to the House of Commons.
1940 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands flees her country to Great Britain after the German invasion. Princess Juliana takes her children to Canada for their safety.
1941 – Joe Brown, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and game show host was born.
1941 – Ritchie Valens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1959) was born.
1945 – Lou Marini, American saxophonist and composer (The Blues Brothers) was born.
1948 – 1948 Arab-Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre is committed by Arab irregulars, the day before the declaration of independence of the state of Israel on May 14.
1950 – Danny Kirwan, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (Fleetwood Mac) was born.
1950 – The first round of the Formula One World Championship is held at Silverstone.
1950 – Stevie Wonder, Saginaw, Michigan, American singer-songwriter (You are the Sunshine of My Love) Born
1958 – The trademark Velcro is registered.
1958 – Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey.
1960 – Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Thirty-one students are arrested, and the Free Speech Movement is born.
1961 – Dennis Rodman, American basketball player, wrestler, and actor was born.
1963 – The U.S. Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland is decided.
1966 – Darius Rucker, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Hootie & the Blowfish) was born.
1967 – Chuck Schuldiner, American musician (Death, Control Denied) (d. 2001) Born
1969 – Buckethead, American guitarist and songwriter (Guns N’ Roses, Colonel Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains, Praxis, and Deli Creeps) was born.
1972 – The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.
1972 – Dan Blocker, American actor (Hoss-Bonanza), dies at 43
1985 – Police release a bomb on MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia to end a stand-off, killing 11 MOVE members and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
1988 – Chet Baker, jazz trumpeter, fell to death out of a hotel window at 59
1989 – Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike.
1994 – Johnny Carson makes his last television appearance on Late Show with David Letterman.
1998 – India carries out two nuclear tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.
2005 – Eddie Barclay, French record producer, founded Barclay Records (b. 1921) died.
2011 – Bruce Ricker, American jazz and blues documentarian (b. 1942) dies
2012 – Donald “Duck” Dunn, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (Booker T. & the M.G.’s, The Blues Brothers, and The Mar-Keys) (b. 1941) died.
2013 – Joyce Brothers, American psychologist, dies from respiratory failure at 85