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, 2008
Day of Week 1st » The London Agreement (2000) called London Agreement on translation of European patents, concluded in 2000, enters into force in 14 of the 34 Contracting States to the European Patent Convention.
Day of Week 2nd » Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.
2nd » Chaitén (volcano) named Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
Day of Week 10th » An Enhanced Fujita Scale named EF4 tornado strikes the Oklahoma–Kansas state line, killing 21 people and injuring over 100.
Day of Week 12th » An 2008 Wenchuan earthquake or earthquake (measuring around 8.0 magnitude) occurs in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people.
12th » U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts the Postville Raid e.g largest-ever raid of a workplace in Postville, Iowa, arresting nearly 400 Immigration to the United States named immigrants for identity theft and document fraud.
Day of Week 13th » The Jaipur bombings in Rajasthan, India results in dozens of deaths.
Day of Week 22nd » The Late-May 2008 tornado outbreak sequence unleashes 235 tornadoes, including an Enhanced Fujita scale EF4 and an Enhanced Fujita scale EF5 tornado, between May 22 and May 31, 2008. The tornadoes strike 19 U.S. state states and one Canadian province.
Day of Week 23rd » The International Court of Justice (ICJ) awards Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Pedra Branca, Singapore called Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) to Singapore, ending a 29-year Pedra Branca dispute named territorial dispute between the two countries.
Day of Week 26th » 2008 South China floods or Severe flooding begins in eastern and southern China that will ultimately cause 148 deaths and force the evacuation of 1.3 million.
Day of Week 28th » The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Nepal formally declares Nepal a republic, ending the 240-year reign of the Shah dynasty.
Day of Week 29th » A 2008 Iceland earthquake known as strong earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale strikes Iceland near the town of Selfoss (town) called Selfoss, injuring 30 people.
Famous Deaths for May 2008
1st » Anthony Mamo, Maltese politician, 1st President of Malta (b. 1909)
1st » Deborah Jeane Palfrey, American madam (b. 1956)
1st » Philipp von Boeselager, German soldier and economist (b. 1917)
2nd » Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (b. 1940)
2nd » Izold Pustõlnik, Estonian astronomer (b. 1938)
3rd » Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, Spanish politician, Prime Minister of Spain (b. 1926)
4th » Kishan Maharaj, Indian tabla player (b. 1923)