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, 1941
Day of Week 1st » World War II: German forces launch a major attack on Tobruk.
Day of Week 6th » The first flight of the Republic Aviation known as Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
Day of Week 8th » The German Luftwaffe launches a Nottingham Blitz named bombing raid on Nottingham and Derby
Day of Week 9th » World War II: The German submarine German submarine U-110 (1940) named 'U-110' is captured by the Royal Navy. On board is the latest Enigma cryptography machine which Allies of World War II or Allied cryptographers later use to break coded German messages
Day of Week 10th » World War II: The British House of Commons e.g House of Commons in London is damaged by the Luftwaffe in an airstrike called air raid.
10th » World War II: Rudolf Hess parachutes into Scotland to try to negotiate a peace deal between the United Kingdom and Nazi Germany.
Day of Week 13th » World War II: Kingdom of Yugoslavia called Yugoslav royal colonel Dragoljub Mihailović starts fighting with German occupation troops, beginning the Serbian resistance.
Day of Week 15th » First flight of the Gloster E.28/39 the first British and Allied jet aircraft.
Day of Week 19th » Viet Minh, a communist coalition, formed at Cao Bằng Province, Vietnam.
Day of Week 20th » World War II: Battle of Crete Nazi Germany called German Fallschirmjäger (World War II) or paratroops invade Crete.
Day of Week 24th » World War II: In the Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945) Battle of the Atlantic, the German battleship Bismarck German Battleship 'Bismarck' sinks then-pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood 51 6, killing all but three crewmen.
Day of Week 27th » World War II: The President of the United States named U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaims an "unlimited national emergency".
27th » World War II: The German battleship 'German battleship Bismarck or Bismarck' is sunk in the North Atlantic killing almost 2,100 men.
Day of Week 30th » World War II: Manolis Glezos and Apostolos Santas climb the Athenian Acropolis and tear down the Nazi swastika.
Day of Week 31st » A Bombing of Dublin in World War II named Luftwaffe air raid on Dublin, Ireland, claims 38 lives.
18th » Lobby Loyde, Australian guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, Purple Hearts (Australian band) called Purple Hearts, Wild Cherries, and Rose Tattoo) (d. 2007)
19th » Nora Ephron, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2012)
19th » Igor Judge, Baron Judge, Maltese-English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
19th » Tania Mallet, English model and actress
20th » Goh Chok Tong, Singaporean politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Singapore
20th » John Strasberg, American actor
21st » Martin Carthy, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Steeleye Span, The Watersons, Waterson:Carthy, Brass Monkey (band) called Brass Monkey, and Blue Murder (folk) called Blue Murder)
21st » Bobby Cox, American baseball player and manager
21st » Ambrose Greenway, 4th Baron Greenway, English photographer and politician
21st » Ronald Isley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (The Isley Brothers)
22nd » Menzies Campbell, Scottish sprinter and politician
22nd » Nangolo Ithete, Namibian politician (d. 2002)
22nd » Martha Langbein, German runner
24th » Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Traveling Wilburys)
24th » Patricia Hollis, Baroness Hollis of Heigham, English academic and politician
24th » George Lakoff, American linguist and academic
25th » Vladimir Voronin, Moldovan economist and politician, 3rd President of Moldova