- May 3
- Tropical cyclone Nargis passes through western Myanmar killing over 140,000 people and destroying thousands of homes. Winds reached 120 mph and tidal waves reached 12 feet high. 2-3 million residents are left homeless. This is the country's deadliest natural disaster ever in recorded history. [35] [57] [149.49] [209.11] [310] [377.26] [426.41]
- May 4
- German-owned 30,000 gross ton cruise ship Mona Lisa with 984 passengers runs aground off Latvia in the Baltic Sea. [57]
- May 5
- Crude oil prices for June delivery in the US hit a record US$120.36 per barrel. [35]
- May 6
- In Jackson, Georgia, USA, convicted murderer William Earl Lynd is executed by lethal injection, at age 53. Lynd was convicted of killing Ginger Moore in December 1988. [35]
- May 7
- In Moscow, Russia, Vladimir Putin formally steps down as president. Dmitry Medvedev is sworn in as Russian president, and nominates his predecessor Putin as prime minister. [35] [142.64] [149.60] [310]
- May 8
- Start of armed clashes and fighting in Lebanon. [310]
- Silvio Berlusconi is sworn into office as Italy's Prime Minister. [57]
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- May 11
- Tornadoes and strong storms across central United States kill 22 and severely damage towns of Picher, Oklahoma, and Seneca, Missouri. [57]
- General election in Serbia. Coalition of President Boris Tadic wins 39 percent, the Radicals win 29 percent. [149.61] [208.66]
- Myanmar holds a constitutional referendum. [310]
- May 12
- A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hits China's southwestern Sichuan province, killing about 90,000, injuring 300,000, leaving 5 million homeless. [35] [57] [105] [310]
- Death of Irena Sendler, Polish humanitarian, at age 98. Sendler saved Jews from Warsaw ghetto during World War II, and received Poland's White Eagle in 2003. [209.110] [310]
- May 13
- In Jaipur, India, seven bombs explode in the crowded streets of the walled quarter, killing 61 people and wounding 216. An 8th bomb explodes outside a nearby Hindu temple. [35] [208.54] [310]
- May 14
- The U.S. government lists polar bears as a threatened species under its Endangered Species Act because of the effects of global warming. [105]
- Microsoft reports total sales of the Xbox 360 video game system have reached 10 million, beating the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3 to that sales level. [35]
- A Francis Bacon triptyck sells for US$86.3 million at Sotheby's auction in New York. [208.79]
- Price of a gallon of regular gasoline hits a US record $4 (on average) in Alaska. [35]
- NASA announces the discovery of Supernova remnant G1.9+0.3. [310]
- May 15
- CBS announces it will buy web media company CNET Networks for about US$1.8 billion. [35]
- An explosion along Nigeria's oil pipeline in Lagos, ruptured accidentally by a bulldozer, kills over 100. [57] [310]
- In Egypt, Abdullah Kamel Mohammed is sentenced to 1,000 years in prison for defrauding hundreds of people out of about US$52 million since the 1980s. [57]
- California Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage. [209.11]
- Death of the former Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah al-Sabah. [57] (May 13 [310])
- Vietnamese police seize a shipment of cannabis resin hidden with blue jeans in two trucks heading for the Chinese border. Value of the illegal drugs is estimated at US$90 million, the largest ever seizure in Vietnam. [57]
- A letter written by Albert Einstein in which he dismissed belief in God as a "product of human weaknesses" sells at auction for more than US$330,000 in London, England, to a private collector. [105]
- May
- A rare blue diamond (3.73 carats) sells for a record US$5 million at auction by Sotheby's, setting the world record price per carat for any gemstone at auction. [57]
- May 17
- In Kuwait, elections for parliament are held. Sunni and Shia Islamists win nearly half of the 50 seatsm a gain from 2006's election. [57]
- In two southern Indian states, poisonous illegally-brewed alcohol results in the deaths of about 150, with a further 135 people in hospital. [57]
- President Leonel Fernandez wins re-election (53 percent) in the Dominican Republic. [57]
- May 19
- Nintendo launches the Wii Fit exercise game for the Nintendo Wii video game system in the US, initially only in New York City. Price is US$90 including game and balance board input device. [35]
- May 20
- Canada's S&P/TSX composite index closes at a record high above 15,000 (15,047). [105]
- In the US Presidential Democratic race, caucus voting results in Oregon and Kentucky give Illinois Senator Barak Obama a majority of pledged delegates. [35]
- US Senator Edward Kennedy (age 76) is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. [105]
- May 21
- U.S. crude oil price passes US$130 per barrel, rising $5 above the previous day to a record high of US$134. [35]
- In Kenya, eleven elderly people accused of being witches are burned to death by a mob. [57]
- General election in Georgia. President Mikheil Saakashvili wins 60 percent of vote. David Gamkrelidze of opposition part wins 15 percent. [209.70]
- May 23
- At a summit in Brazil, the leaders of 12 South American nations sign a treaty creating the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), a regional body aimed at boosting economic and political integration in the region. The Unasur members are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. [57] [210.41] [310]
- At the Belgrade Arena in Serbia, the Eurovision Song Contest is held. Russian singer Dima Bilan wins with ballad "Believe". This is Russia's first win in the contest. [57]
- The International Court of Justice awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca to Singapore, ending a 29-year territorial dispute between the two countries. [310]
- The film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is released to theaters in Canada. This is the fourth movie in the series starring Harrison Ford. [131.15]
- May 24
- In central Colombia (55km from Bogota), a 5.7 earthquake occurs, killing at least six people, causing landslides and shaking buildings. [57]
- (to May 28) Auction sale of the Millennia Collection by Ira and Larry Goldberg, in Hollywood, California. The collection of 1212 world coins was a special five-year $15 million project. Some highlights:
- Rome 223 CE gold aureus of Severus Alexander NGC AU $920,000 a record price for an ancient Roman coin;
- Roman Imperatorial 42 BCE gold aureus issued by Marcus Junius Brutus NGC choice AU $661,250;
- Rome circa 68 CE gold aureus of Galba NGC choice AU US$448,500;
- Great Britain 1703 gold VIGO 5 guineas of Queen Anne NGC MS-61 US$414,000;
- Austria circa 1511-1519 gold 7 ducats of Maximillian I NGC MS-63 US$632,500;
- Russia 1795 gold novodel Ruble of Peter I 13 ducat weight NGC MS-63 US$391,000;
- Mexico circa 1535-36 silver 8 real of Carlos and Joanna NGC EF-40 US$310,500;
- Mexico 1714 gold 8-escudo of Philip V NGC MS-65 US$310,500.
[394.25] [409.51] [414.4,62]
- May 25
- NASA's Mars Phoenix lander touches down in the far north of Mars, sending back to Earth pictures of a region never previously seen up close. [57] [210.83] [310]
- Lebanon's parliament elects army commander General Michel Suleiman as president. [57]
- Death of Jack Simplot, American multibillionaire potato farmer, at age 99. [215.105]
- May 27
- A Standard & Poor's/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas in the USA reports prices of single-family homes dropped a record 14.4 percent in March from a year earlier. The US Commerce Department reports sales of new homes in April were down 42 percent from a year ago, the largest year-over-year drop in nearly 27 years. [35]
- Nepal's constituent assembly in Kathmandu votes 597 to 4 to abolish 240 years of royal rule, becoming a democratic republic nation. [57] [310] [1113.49]
- May 29
- In Panama City, Panama, a helicopter crashes into a warehouse, killing eleven people, including Chile's national police chief, General Jose Alejandro Bernales. [57]
- An earthquake measuring 6.1 hits southern Iceland, 50km from Reykjavik. [57]
- In the USA, Bear Stearns shareholders vote 84 percent in favor of selling the 85-year-old investment banking company to JPMorgan Chase & Company for US$9.32 a share, a total of US$1.5 billion. Shares in the company had traded at a record high of US$173 in January 2007. [35]
- May 30
- In Dublin, Ireland, diplomats from 111 countries, have formally adopt the Convention on Cluster Munitions treaty banning cluster bombs. The United States, Russia, China, Israel, India, and Pakistan didn't participate. [105] [310]
- June 1
- Elections in Macedonia: ruling Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's coalition wins a majority. [211.64]
- A large fire ravages a theme park at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, destroying a King Kong attraction and a set from the film Back to the Future. Over 300 firefighters fought the blaze. [57] [201.49]
- At the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles, California, the 17th annual MTV Movie Awards are announced. Some winners:
- Best movie: Transformers,
- Best director: Michael Bay for Transformers,
- Best comedic performance: Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,
- Best villain award: Johnny Depp as Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,
- Best male performance: Will Smith in I Am Legend,
- Best female performance: Ellen Page in Juno,
- Lifetime achievement: Adam Sandler.
[35]
- June 2
- A car bomb explodes outside the Danish embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing at least five. [310]
- China Merchants Bank of China announces it will buy Hong Kong's Wing Lung Bank for US$4.76 billion. [211.86]
- June 3
- US Democratic Party presidential candidate Barack Obama wins the support of a group of uncommitted delegates, giving him more than the required 2118 to win the party's nomination. [35]
- June 4
- J.M. Smucker Company announces it will acquire Folgers, the largest U.S. coffee business, from Procter & Gamble Company for stock in a deal valued at US$2.95 billion. [35]
- June 5
- Verizon Wireless announces it will buy mobile phone service provider Alltel for US$28.1 billion. [35]
- In New York City, Siegel Auction Galleries conducts an auction of South American postage stamps. Some highlights:
- Brazil two 1843 30-reis stamps and one 60-reis stamp, unique strip of three, cancelled: US$2,185,000, a record for a Brazilian philatelic item;
- Buenos Aires 1859 1-peso Barquitos stamps, tete-beche pair, probably unique: US$661,250;
- Chile 1854 5-centavo Christopher stamps, horizontal block of 14 on cover: US$632,500.
[780.1] [798.3]
- June 7
- US Senator Hillary Clinton suspends her campaign to become the Democratic nominee for US president, and asks her supporters to help elect Barack Obama. [57]
- June 8
- Southern Greece is struck by a 6.5-magnitude earthquake, killing two, injuring 20, and collapsing some buildings. [57]
- In the Akihabara area of Tokyo, Japan, a 25-year-old man stabs seven to death and wounds ten, before being arrested. [310]
- June 9
- An IBM supercomputer under development sets a computing milestone, operating at one thousand trillion calculations per second (1 petaflop). The computer, codenamed Roadrunner, incorporates 20,000 4-GHz Cell processors, the same processor used in the Sony PlayStation 3. [57]
- Afghan and British forces uncover a stash of 237 tonnes of hashish in Kandahar province of Afghanistan, believed to be the world's biggest seizure of drugs by weight. [57]
- June 10
- Death of Vo Van Kiet, prime minister of Vietnam (1991-97), architect of Vietnam's transformation from a socialist system to a market economy, at age 85 in Singapore. [57]
- A Sudan Airways Airbus A-310 passenger jet carrying more than 200 passengers bursts into flames after veering off a runway at an airport in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, killing at least 28 people. [105] [310]
- 700,000 protesters assemble in Seoul, South Korea, to protest the resumption of beef imports from the USA, calling for the resignation of President Lee Myung-bak. Prime Minister Han Seung-soo, all 15 cabinet ministers, and nine of Lee's senior aides offer ro resign. [215.60]
- June 11
- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivers in the House of Commons an unqualified apology to the assembled leaders of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people, for the poor treatment of them from 1870 to 1996. 100,000 aboriginal children were forced to attend state-funded Christian boarding schools aimed at assimilating them. [57] [215.50] [310]
- The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope is launched. [310]
- June 12
- A public vote in Ireland on the European Union's Lisbon treaty results in a "no" decision, by 53.4 percent to 46.6. All members of the European Union must ratify the treaty for it to take effect. [57] [149.64] [216.18] [310]
- June 13
- Oil company OGX, started in 2007 by Eike Batista in Brazil, raises US$3.6 billion in its initial public stock offering. The company has no proven reserves, and has not even started drilling. [216.86]
- In Kandahar, Afghanistan, a group of Taliban armed fighters and suicide-bombers blast open the Sarposa prison, releasing over 1000 inmates. [216.53]
- June 14
- At RM's Joe's Garage sale in Tustin, California, a 1960 Meskowski Bowes Seal Fast Special race car sells for US$462,000. Also, a 1923 Miller 122 Supercharged race car sells for US$2,035,000. [288.128]
- The space shuttle Discovery returns to Earth after a 14-day mission, landing at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Among the returning is Garrett Reisman, after 95 days in space. [105]
- In Iwate, northern Japan, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake occurs, killing nine, injuring over 200, and causing landslides. [35] [57] [310]
- Expo 2008 is held in Zaragoza, Spain, with the topic of "Water and sustainable development". [310]
- June 15
- Kosovo's constitution goes into effect. [105]
- Death of Arthur Galston, botanist, age 88; discovered Agent Orange herbicide. [221.94]
- June 16
- California performs its first legally recognized same-sex weddings. [35]
- June 17
- Mozilla releases the Firefox 3.0 web browser for download. 8.3 million downloads are recorded in the first 24 hours. [57]
- A car bomb explodes in a market area of Baghdad, Iraq, killing 51 people and wounding 75. The blast set fire to 20 shops and leveled a multi-storey building. [35]
- June 19
- Queen Elizabeth II gives royal assent to the European Union's Lisbon Treaty for the United Kingdom. [221.57]
- June 20
- The Janus-2 satellite is launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, atop a Delta-2 rocket. The satellite will be used for measuring the shape of the world's oceans. [57]
- June 21
- The Princess of the Stars ferry capsizes off the Philippines in heavy seas, caught in Typhoon Fengshen. Over 800 people are killed, only 38 survive. [35] [57] [105] [221.49] [310]
- June 23
- Research firm Gartner estimates that the number of personal computers in use around the world has surpassed 1 billion. [35]
- June 25
- At Christie's auction house in New York, an unused life jacket from the Titanic ship sells for US$68,500. [35]
- Queen Elizabeth II strips Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe of his honorary knighthood. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces that Britain no longer recognizes Mugabe as Zimbabwe's legitimate leader. [105]
- In London, England, a Claude Monet painting, Le Bassin Aux Nympheas, sells at Christie's auction for £40.9 million (US$80.5 million), a record for any Claude Monet work. [57]
- June 26
- The U.S. Senate approves US$161.8 billion in new funds to continue fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the next year. [35]
- The US Supreme Court overturns District of Columbia's handgun ban, asserting that individuals have the right to own guns. [222.38]
- Shares of General Motors Corporation drop to their lowest level since 1955, after Goldman Sachs gives the stock a "sell" rating. [35]
- June 27
- Robert Mugabe wins re-election in Zimbabwe's presidential run-off election, unopposed. [222.7] [310]
- Company founder Bill Gates leaves his full-time executive role at Microsoft, to focus on his philanthropic organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. [35] [310]
- Death of Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, former army chief, in India, at age 94. [222.95] [310]
- June 29
- Robert Mugabe is sworn in for a sixth term as Zimbabwe's president, after electoral officials declare him the country's run-off election. [105]
- June 30
- At the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Nebraska, American swimmer Michael Phelps sets a world record in the 400-metre individual medley at 4:05.25. Katie Hoff also wins the women's 400-metre individual medley, in 4:31.12. [105]
- US President George Bush signs a US$162 billion war spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan. [105]
- (month unknown)
- A Baden 1851 9-kreuzer postage stamp, printed on blue-green paper instead of deep rose, unused, one of four known, sells for 1,314,500 euros. [554.19]
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