1st » The Memphis Riots of 1866 named Memphis Race Riots begin. In three days time, 46 blacks and two whites were killed. Reports of the atrocities influenced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
2nd » Peruvian defenders fight off the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
5th » Memorial Day first celebrated in United States at Waterloo, New York.
10th » Romania National Holiday 1866-1947, The Modern Monarchy Instauration of the Kingdom of Romania, Carol I of Romania
16th » The United States Congress e.g U.S. Congress eliminates the half dime coin and replaces it with the five cent piece, or nickel (U.S. coin) named nickel.
Famous Birthdays on May in 1866
5th » Thomas B. Thrige, Danish businessman (d. 1938)
9th » Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Indian politician (d. 1915)
10th » Léon Bakst, Russian painter and costume designer (d. 1924)
17th » Erik Satie, French pianist and composer (d. 1925)
Famous Deaths for May 1866
13th » Nikolai Brashman, Czech-Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1796)
29th » Winfield Scott, American general and politician (b. 1786)