6th » Captain Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald Thomas Cochrane in the 14-gun HMS Speedy 1782 6 Action of 6 May 1801 captures the 32-gun Spanish frigate El Gamo Spanish frigate 'El Gamo'.
10th » First Barbary War: The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States of America.
Famous Birthdays on May in 1801
9th » Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded the town of Fleetwood (d. 1866)
11th » Henri Labrouste, French architect, designed the Sainte-Geneviève Library (d. 1875)
16th » William H. Seward, American politician, 24th United States Secretary of State (d. 1872)
31st » Johann Georg Baiter, Swiss philologist (d. 1887)
Famous Deaths for May 1801
12th » Nicholas Repnin, Russian general and politician, Governor-General of Baltic provinces (b. 1734)
17th » William Heberden, English physician (b. 1710)