31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in May 2026

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries in May 2026 (listed six months in advance so you have time to write about them)

Historical anniversaries are great for ‘On This Day in History’ features, articles, biographies and other anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with newspaper and magazine readers and radio stations, and editors, producers and presenters love them. They’re easy to research too. You can also turn them into movies, documentaries, novels, use them to plan events and exhibitions, and much more. (Find out more at the end of this article.)

We’ve randomly selected an anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2026, which lists more than 3,600 anniversaries. The Date-A-Base Book 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030 are also available.

Each edition is available in British and U.S. versions. Both have the same content, but with different date formats and spellings. If you click on the links above, you should be directed to the correct version, based on your location. We’ve taken the anniversaries below from the British version.

1 May 1776 – 250 years ago
The Illuminati (officially the Bavarian Illuminati), a secret society, was founded in Bavaria, Germany. Its purpose was to oppose superstition, religious influence on public life, the government’s abuse of power, and the deliberate presentation of information in an obscure manner to prevent understanding and inquiry. The society was banned in 1784, but continued to operate underground. Other secret groups have used the same name, and are the subject of conspiracy theories.

2 May 1946 to 4th – 80 years ago
The Battle of Alcatraz. Alcatraz federal prison in San Francisco Bay, California, USA was taken over by prisoners after a failed escape attempt. A violent battle ensued.

3 May 1966 – 60 years ago
The game Twister was featured on The Tonight Show in the USA. Host Johnny Carson played it with actress and socialite Eva Gabor. It became an immediate success with people queuing up to buy it the next day. The manufacturer, Milton Bradley, had been considering withdrawing it as they thought it was too risqué.

4 May 1776 – 250 years ago
American Revolution: Rhode Island became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown and declare independence.

5 May 1961 – 65 years ago
Alan Shepard became the first American to travel into space. He made a fifteen-minute sub-orbital flight aboard Freedom 7.

6 May 1966 – 60 years ago
The Moors Murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, were sentenced to life imprisonment in the UK. Brady was convicted of three murders and Hindley of two, though they later confessed to a total of five. Their victims were aged between 10 and 17.

7 May 1946 – 80 years ago
Sony, the Japanese consumer electronics company, was founded (as the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation).

8 May 1946 – 80 years ago
Two schoolgirls blew up a Soviet war memorial in Tallinn, Estonia to avenge the Soviet destruction of Estonian war memorials. They were arrested and sent to a forced labour camp. The memorial was replaced in September 1947 with a new memorial: the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn.

9 May 1951 – 75 years ago
The Lake District National Park was established in England. It was Britain’s second national park.

10 May to 10 Nov 1876 – 150 years ago
The Centennial International Exposition was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It celebrated the 100^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was the first World’s Fair to be held in the USA.

11 May 2001 – 25 years ago
Death of Douglas Adams, British comic writer and dramatist. Best known for the radio/TV/novel series and film The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

12 May 1926 – 100 years ago
The first undisputed flight over the North Pole was made by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and fifteen others in the airship Norge. (Three earlier claims in 1908, 1909, and 9^th May 1926 are all disputed.)

13 May 1946 – 80 years ago
The first trial of staff from the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria ended. All 61 defendants were convicted, with 58 sentenced to death and the others to life imprisonment. Nine of those sentenced to death later had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment. The others were executed in May 1947.

14 May 1926 – 100 years ago
Birth of Eric Morecambe, British comedian (Morecambe and Wise). (Died 1984.)

15 May 2001 – 25 years ago
The British High Court abolished price-fixing on non-prescription drugs. Supermarkets immediately slashed the price of over-the-counter medicines.

16 May 1966 – 60 years ago
The Beach Boys’ album Pet Sounds was released.

17 May 1996 – 30 years ago
Megan’s Law came into effect in the USA. The public must be notified if dangerous sex offenders are released into their community.

18 May 1961 – 65 years ago
The first community nuclear fallout shelter in the USA was dedicated: the Highlands Community Fallout Shelter in Boise, Idaho. It could hold 1,000 people. Family membership cost $100.

19 May 2001 – 25 years ago
Apple opened its first two retail stores in the USA, at Tysons Corner Center in Virginia, and Glendale Galleria in California.

20 to 29 May 526 – 1500 years ago
Antioch earthquake, Syria. Around 250,000 people were killed, especially in the city of Antioch where a fire destroyed most of the buildings that had been left standing. The ruins of the city are near the modern city of Antakya in Turkey.
The exact date of the earthquake is uncertain.

21 May 1901 – 125 years ago
Connecticut became the first U.S. state to introduce speed limits for motor vehicles: 12 mph in cities and 15 mph on rural roads.

22 May 1946 – 80 years ago
The first U.S. rocket to reach space (a WAC Corporal) was launched at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. (A German V-2 was the first rocket to reach space, in June 1944.)

23 May 1951 – 75 years ago
China annexed Tibet after pressuring Tibetan negotiators to sign the Seventeen Point Agreement – which many argue they had no real authority to sign and is therefore invalid. The Tibetan government remained in place, but was dissolved in 1959 following an uprising that forced the Dalai Lama into exile. Tibet Autonomous Region was established in 1965.

24 May 1956 – 70 years ago
The first Eurovision Song Contest was held in Lugano, Switzerland. It was won by Switzerland.

25 May 1726? – 300 years ago
The world’s first Circulating Library (lending library) was launched by Scottish poet and bookseller Allan Ramsay at his bookshop in Edinburgh, Scotland. He rented the books from his shop to his customers. Lending libraries soon became popular – several opened in England in 1728. (The date is uncertain. Sources give various dates between 1725 and 1728.)

26 May 1926 – 100 years ago
Birth of Miles Davis, American jazz trumpeter, bandleader and composer. (Died 1991.)

27 May 1926 – 100 years ago
The Rif War in Morocco ended and the Republic of the Rif was dissolved.

28 May 1951 – 75 years ago
The first episode of the radio comedy series The Goon Show was broadcast in the UK. It ran until 1960. (The first series was called Crazy People).

29 May 1826 – 200 years ago
Birth of Ebenezer Butterick, American tailor who invented tissue paper dress patterns in multiple sizes with his wife Ellen. Their invention revolutionised home dressmaking.

30 May 1966 – 60 years ago
British rock band the Beatles released the song Paperback Writer. The B-side of the single was the song Rain, which was the first record to feature backward vocals.

31 May 1996 – 30 years ago
Death of Timothy Leary, American psychologist and writer. A leading advocate of LSD and other psychedelic drugs.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2026.

The 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030 editions are also available if you work further ahead.

Each edition is available as a PDF ebook (with a free Excel spreadsheet) or as a printed paperback book, in British or U.S. versions.

How to use the anniversaries:

How can you turn the anniversaries listed here and in The Date-A-Base Books into articles for magazines, newspapers and websites? How do you get paid for writing them, and how can you make a great living from it?

Download our free guide Ditch Your Day Job. It tells you everything you need to know!