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, 1987
Day of Week 1st » Pope John Paul II beatifies Edith Stein, a Jewish-born Carmelites called Carmelite nun who was gassed in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz concentration camp known as Auschwitz.
Day of Week 3rd » A crash by Bobby Allison at the Talladega Superspeedway, Alabama fencing at the start-finish line would lead NASCAR to develop the restrictor plate for the following season both at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega.
Day of Week 5th » Iran–Contra affair: start of Congress of the United States or Congressional televised hearings in the United States of America
Day of Week 8th » The Loughgall Ambush: The Special Air Service or SAS kills eight Provisional Irish Republican Army volunteers and a civilian during an ambush in Loughgall, Northern Ireland.
Day of Week 9th » An LOT Polish Airlines Ilyushin Il-62 named Ilyushin IL-62M, 'Tadeusz Kościuszko' (SP-LBG), LOT Flight 5055 or crashes after takeoff in Warsaw, Poland, killing all 183 people on board.
Day of Week 11th » Klaus Barbie goes on trial in Lyon for war crimes committed during World War II.
11th » In Baltimore, Maryland, the first heart–lung transplant takes place. The surgery is performed by Dr. Bruce Reitz of the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Day of Week 15th » The Soviet Union launches the Polyus (spacecraft) known as Polyus prototype orbital weapons platform. It fails to reach orbit.
Day of Week 17th » An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet USS Stark incident fires two missiles into the U.S. Navy warship USS Stark FFG-31 6, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.
22nd » First ever 1987 Rugby World Cup Rugby World Cup kicks off with New Zealand Rugby Union New Zealand playing Italy national rugby union team Italy at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
Day of Week 28th » 19-year-old West Germany known as West German pilot Mathias Rust evades Soviet Union air defenses and lands a private plane in the Red Square in Moscow, Russia. He is immediately detained and will not be released until August 3, 1988.