May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. May is a month of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere (Summer in Europe). Therefore May in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of November in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa.
May symbols: The birthstone of May is the emerald which is emblematic of love and success. The May birth flower is the Lily of the Valley and the Crataegus monogyna. The mayflower Epigaea repens is a North American harbinger of May, and the floral emblem of both Nova Scotia and Massachusetts. Its native range extends from Newfoundland south to Florida, west to Kentucky in the southern range, and to Northwest Territories in the north. The zodiac signs for the month of May are Taurus (until May 20) and Gemini (May 21 onwards).
Historical Events for May, 1843
Day of Week 16th » The first major wagon train heading for the Pacific Northwest sets out on the Oregon Trail with one thousand pioneers from Elm Grove, Missouri.
Day of Week 18th » The Disruption of 1843 or Disruption in Edinburgh of the Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900) or Free Church of Scotland from the Church of Scotland.
Famous Birthdays on May in 1843
2nd » Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American engineer (d. 1929)
5th » William George Beers, Canadian dentist and patriot (d. 1900)
6th » Grove Karl Gilbert, American geologist (d. 1918)
10th » Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish author (d. 1920)
21st » Charles Albert Gobat, Swiss lawyer and politician, Nobel Peace Prize e.g Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1914)
Famous Deaths for May 1843
24th » Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician (b. 1765)
28th » Noah Webster, American lexicographer and author (b. 1758)