Radio Premiere
May 1 Larry King makes his first radio broadcast on station WAHR (1490 AM) in Miami Beach, Florida
May 1 - US gives Poland credit of $95 million
May 1 - Vanguard TV-1 booster test reaches an altitude of 121 miles (195 km)
A Moon for the Misbegotten
May 2 - Eugene O'Neill's stage drama "A Moon for the Misbegotten" premieres at the Bijou Theatre in NYC and runs for 68 performances
May 2 - Gangster Frank Costello escapes an assassination attempt made by rival mobsters
The Curse of Frankenstein
May 2 - Hammer Film Productions releases its first color horror film, "The Curse of Frankenstein," starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee
May 4 - 83rd Kentucky Derby: Bill Hartack aboard Iron Liege wins in 2:02.2
May 4 - Alan Freed hosts "Rock n' Roll Show" 1st prime-time network rock show, cancelled after 4 episodes
Anne Frank Foundation
May 4 - Anne Frank Foundation forms in Amsterdam
May 5 - Adolf Schärf (67) is elected President of Austria
May 6 - Last broadcast of "I Love Lucy" on CBS-TV
Pulitzer Prize
May 6 - Pulitzer Prize for Biography awarded to John F. Kennedy for "Profiles in Courage"
May 7 - MLB Cleveland Indians pitcher Herb Score is hit in the face by a line drive by New York Yankees Gil McDougald at Municipal Stadium; Score misses the rest of the season
Diệm Visits the US
May 8 - South Vietnamese President, Ngô Đình Diệm, arrives in the United States on a state visit
May 10 - 1st meeting of legislative of Cameroon
Music Premiere
May 10 - Dmitri Shostakovich's 2nd Piano concerto premieres, played by his son Maxim at his graduation concert at Moscow's conservatory
May 11 - Gabriel Paris forms government of Colombia
May 14 - Bob Merrill's musical "New Girl in Town", starring Gwen Verdon and Thelma Ritter, opens at 46th St Theater, NYC; runs for 432 performances and wins 2 Tony Awards
Billy Graham's Crusade
May 15 - Evangelist Billy Graham launches his "crusade" in front of 18,000 people at Madison Square Garden in NYC
UK Tests a Hydrogen Bomb
May 15 - Operation Grapple: Britain tests its first hydrogen bomb near Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. May 15 - The Soviet Union tests the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile, the R-7, crashes prematurely after 400 km (250 mi)
May 16 - Belgian politician Paul-Henri Spaak takes of as the second Secretary-General of NATO, succeding UK's Hastings Ismay
Copacabana Incident
May 16 - NY Yankee players including Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Hank Bauer are involved in a brawl at the Copacabana nightclub while watching Sammy Davis Jr. perform, leads to Billy Martin trade
Catholic Encyclical
May 16 - Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Invicti Athletae
May 16 - US launches its 3rd atomic submarine, USS Skate, at Groton, Connecticut
10th Cannes Film Festival
May 17 - 10th Cannes Film Festival: "Friendly Persuasion" directed by William Wyler wins the Palme d’Or
May 17 - Bobby Cain becomes the first Black student to graduate from an integrated public high school in the South.
May 17 - Prayer Pilgrimage, biggest civil rights demonstration to date (DC)
Preakness Stakes
May 18 - 82nd Preakness: Eddie Arcaro aboard Bold Ruler wins in 1:56.2
French History
May 21 - French government of Guy Mollet resigns
May 22 - KBTX TV channel 3 in Bryan, TX (CBS) begins broadcasting
May 22 - Red Sox set AL record by smashing 4 HRs in 6th inning in 11-0 win
May 22 - South Africa's government approves race separation in universities
May 24 - Anti-American riots breakout in Taipei, Taiwan
May 24 - Heavy earthquake strikes Colombia
May 25 - "Shinbone Alley" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 49 performances
Sports History
May 25 Legendary rugby player Colin Meads makes his All Black debut against Australia - New Zealand win 25-11 in Sydney
May 27 - Toronto's CHUM-AM, (1050 kHz) becomes Canada's first radio station to broadcast only top 40 Rock n' Roll music format
May 28 - NL approves baseball's Brooklyn Dodgers' & NY Giants' move to the US west coast
May 28 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
May 28 - WPSD TV channel 6 in Paducah, KY (NBC) begins broadcasting
May 29 - Algerian rebels kill 336 collaborators
May 29 - Laos government of prince Suvanna Phuma resigns
May 29 - NYC Mayor Robert Wagner says he plans to confer with the Giants and Dodgers baseball teams about the proposed move to the west coast
European Cup Final
May 30 - European Cup Final, Madrid: Alfredo Di Stéfano and Francisco Gento score as defending champions Real Madrid beats Fiorentina, 2-0
May 30 - Indianapolis 500: Sam Hanks wins in his thirteenth attempt; first driver to win a $100,000 single-race payday
May 31 - Great Britain performs nuclear test at Christmas Island (atmospheric)
