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, 1980
Day of Week 5th » Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
Day of Week 8th » The World Health Organization confirms the eradication of smallpox.
Day of Week 9th » In Florida, Liberian freighter 'MV Summit Venture' collides with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge over Tampa Bay, making a 1,400-ft. section of the southbound span collapse. Thirty-five people in six cars and a Greyhound bus fall 150 ft. into the water an
9th » In Norco, California, five masked gunmen hold up a Security Pacific bank, leading to Norco shootout named a violent shoot-out and one of the largest pursuits in History of California known as California history. Two of the gunmen and one police officer ar
Day of Week 13th » An Fujita Scale named F3 tornado Kalamazoo Tornado of 1980 known as hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.
Day of Week 17th » On the eve of presidential elections, Maoism or Maoist guerrilla warfare called guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho, starting the Internal conflict in Peru.
Day of Week 18th » 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens: Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington (state) known as Washington, United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.
18th » Gwangju Massacre: students in Gwangju, South Korea begin demonstrations calling for democratic reforms.
Day of Week 20th » In a 1980 Quebec referendum named referendum in Quebec, the population rejects by a 60% vote the proposal from its government to move towards independence from Canada.
Day of Week 22nd » Namco releases the highly influential arcade game 'Pac-Man'.
Day of Week 27th » The Gwangju Massacre: Airborne and army troops of South Korea retake the city of Gwangju from civil militias, killing at least 207 and possibly many more.