Famous people born in May include John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the U.S., American actress Megan Fox, American rapper YNW Melly, and Pierce Brosnan who is most famous as James Bond in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day.
Other famous celebrities and personalities with May birthdays are Facebook and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Tony Blair the former Prime Minister of the UK from 1997 to 2007, and the 72nd U.S. Secretary of State since 2025, Marco Rubio. Other famous people born in May are Pope John Paul II and American singer Janet Jackson.
Celebrities and personalities with birthdays in May
37 years old
English singer, songwriter famous as one of world's best-selling artists & for her 2015 lead single, Hello, and Rolling in the Deep (2011)
Died aged 24
American rapper also known as Biggie, famous in East Coast hip-hop, gangsta rap, & hits Big Poppa, One More Chance
Died aged 73
American singer, dancer and musician also known as Mr. Dynamite/ Godfather of Soul & whose hits include Please, Please, Please and Try Me
Died aged 84
American diplomat, political scientist and 64th U.S. secretary of state under president Bill Clinton from 1997 to 2001
Died aged 66
English philosopher of the 19th century, political economist, politician & influential thinker in the history of liberalism and social liberalism
Died aged 93
English actor, singer with a deep commanding voice and famous as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit film trilogies
99 years old
British broadcaster, biologist, historian and writer famous for nature documentary series such as The Blue Planet, Blue Planet II
56 years old
U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who was born in Kenya and promoted on November 14 at a ceremony in Fort Lee, Virginia
64 years old
American actor who has won numerous awards and whose fame began with his role as Dr. Doug Ross in medical drama ER (1994–1999)
Died aged 91
4th president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011, 41st prime minister from 1981 to 1982
May Historical Events
1st May 1707: The Act of Union was signed between England and Scotland. With the signing, the two countries become one kingdom, and the Scottish and English Parliaments became united, thereby forming the Parliament of Great Britain.This new joint house was based in the home of the English Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London. Scotland retained its independence in terms of their legal and religious systems. However, taxation, coinage, trade, parliament, sovereignty and flag became one with Britain.
2nd May 2011: The US Navy SEALS of SEAL Team Six killed 54-year old Osama bin Laden in his compound in the city of Abbottabad, Pakistan. The leader of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda was a mastermind of many notable terrorist attacks against the United States, including the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.4th May 1494: Christopher Columbus, the famous European explorer, discovered Jamaica and met the Arawak and the Taino, the indigenous people of the Caribbean country. 10th May 1994: Nelson Mandela, the famous anti-apartheid activist and former political prisoner, became the first black president of South Africa. His inauguration on this date ended more than three centuries of minority white rule.His winning party, The African National Congress (ANC), won the country's 1st multi-racial elections by taking 62% of the vote. His presidency ended on 14 June, 1999.
21st May 1991: Former Indian Prime Minister and husband to Sonia Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated at the age of 46. He had become the 6th and youngest Indian Prime minister at 40 years of age, and had succeeded his mother, the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who was also assassinated. Rajiv Gandhi served as PM between 1984 and 1989.