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, 1972
Day of Week 2nd » In the early morning hours a fire breaks out at the Sunshine Mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, ID, killing 91 workers.
Day of Week 5th » Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
Day of Week 6th » Deniz Gezmiş, Yusuf Aslan and Hüseyin İnan are executed in Ankara for attempting to overthrow the Constitutional order.
Day of Week 8th » Vietnam War U.S. President Richard Nixon announces his order to place Naval mine or mines in major North Vietnamese ports in order to stem the flow of weapons and other goods to that nation.
8th » Four Black September terrorists Sabena Flight 571 hijacking called hijack Sabena Flight 571. Israeli Sayeret Matkal commandos recapture the plane the following day.
Day of Week 13th » Faulty electrical wiring ignites a fire underneath the Sennichi Department Store Building fire named Playtown Cabaret in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators lead to 118 fatalities, with many victims leaping to their deaths.
13th » The Troubles: a car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks Battle at Springmartin named a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.
Day of Week 15th » Okinawa Prefecture known as Okinawa, under U.S. military governance since its Battle of Okinawa named conquest in 1945, reverts to Japanese control.
15th » In Laurel, Maryland, Arthur Bremer shoots and paralyzes Governor of Alabama known as Alabama Governor George Wallace while he is campaigning to become President.
Day of Week 22nd » Ceylon adopts a new constitution, thus becoming a Republic, changes its name to Sri Lanka, and joins the Commonwealth of Nations.
Day of Week 26th » Willandra National Park is established in Australia.
26th » The United States and the Soviet Union sign the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
Day of Week 30th » The Angry Brigade goes on trial over a series of 25 bombings throughout the United Kingdom.
30th » In Tel Aviv, Israel, members of the Japanese Red Army carry out the Lod Airport massacre, killing 24 people and injuring 78 others.