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, 1917
Day of Week 13th » Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.
Day of Week 18th » World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the United States the power of conscription.
Day of Week 19th » the Norwegian football club Rosenborg BK was founded.
Day of Week 21st » The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is established through royal charter to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military forces.
21st » The Great Atlanta fire of 1917 causes $5.5 million in damages, destroying some 300 acres including 2,000 homes, businesses and churches, displacing about 10,000 people but leading to only one fatality (due to heart attack).
Day of Week 26th » Several powerful tornadoes rip through Illinois, including the city of Mattoon, Illinois called Mattoon, killing 101 people and injuring 689.
Day of Week 30th » Alexander of Greece or Alexander I becomes king of Greece.
Famous Birthdays on May in 1917
1st » John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (d. 1996)
1st » Ulric Cross, Trinidadian navigator, judge, and diplomat (d. 2013)
1st » Danielle Darrieux, French actress and singer
1st » Ahron Soloveichik, Russian rabbi and scholar (d. 2001)
2nd » Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder
2nd » Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence (Vietnam) or Minister of Defence for Vietnam (d. 2002)
3rd » Betty Comden, American actress and screenwriter (d. 2006)
4th » Edward T. Cone, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
5th » Pío Leyva, Cuban singer (Buena Vista Social Club) (d. 2006)