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, 1978
Day of Week 3rd » The first unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail (which would later become known as "spam (electronic) named spam") is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.
Day of Week 8th » The first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler.
Day of Week 12th » In Zaire, rebels occupy the city of Kolwezi, the mining center of the province of Katanga Province or Shaba (now known as Katanga). The local government asks the U.S.A., France and Belgium to restore order.