Moments in History - May
May 1, 1931: The Empire State Building was officially opened in New York. At the time, it was the tallest building in the world.
May 2, 1977: in Longreach, Queensland, scientists discovered what was believed to be the largest concentration of dinosaur footprints in the world. Scientists claimed it was the scene of a battle between a huge dinosaur and a herd of smaller ones about 100 million years ago.
May 3, 1961: Australian parliament voted 57-39 to deny Aborigines the right to vote.
May 4, 1965: The first Australian Army battalion left for Vietnam.
May 5, 1970: More than 200,000 demonstrators around Australia took to the streets to protest against the nation's continuing involvement in the Vietnam War. Unlike other protests these demonstrators were not just university students but Australians of every age and background.
May 6, 1889: The Paris Exposition formally opened, featuring the just-completed Eiffel Tower.
May 7, 2006: 60 Minutes journalist Richard Carleton died at a media conference covering the trapped miners' story in Beaconsfield, Tasmania. He was 62.
May 8, 1997: Melbourne's Crown Casino was opened by Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett.
May 9, 1988: The Queen opened Australia's new Parliament House.
May 10, 1959: 150,000 people turned out to see American evangelist Billy Graham in Sydney.
May 11, 1990: Australian mountaineer, Tim Macartney-Snape, climbed Mt Everest from sea-level in the Bay of Bengal.
May 12, 1997: 22-year-old marathon swimmer Susie Maroney became the first person to swim from Cuba to the United States. She swam the 175km, shark-infested Florida Straits in 24 hours and 31 minutes.
May 13, 1981: Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded in an assassination attempt as he blessed the crowd in St Peter's Square, Rome. Police detained a Turkish jail escapee, Mehmet Ali Agca, over the shooting.
May 14, 1984: Australian $1 coins went into circulation.
May 15, 2004: Tasmanian Mary Donaldson married Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark.
May 16, 2002: Alex Campbell, the last surviving Australian Anzac soldier, died at the age of 104.
May 17, 1947: Champion racehorse Seabiscuit died at the age of 14.
May 18, 2003: Australia's front line troops were officially welcomed home from Iraq with the nation's leaders describing them as one of the finest forces in the world.
May 19, 2002: Former Australian Prime Minister, John Gorton, died of respiratory failure at the age of 90.
May 20, 1929: Australia's first Airmail stamp was issued.
May 21, 1977: "Advance Australia Fair" won the national anthem poll with 2.9 million votes.
May 22, 1957: Australian actor Gary Sweet was born.
May 23, 1980: The Australian Olympic Federation voted 6-5 in favour of attending the Moscow Olympics after Prime Minister Fraser requested a boycott.
May 24, 1960: The Victorian State Parliament passed a bill to legalize off-course betting for horse racing - the TAB.
May 25, 1930: Most of Darwin turned out to see flyer Amy Johnson after her 19-day solo flight from London. She was the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia.
May 26, 1889: The first Eiffel Tower elevator was opened to the public.
May 27, 2005: Schapelle Corby was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in Kerobokan Prison in Bali, Indonesia for drug smuggling.
May 28, 1986: Derryn Hinch was sentenced to six weeks in jail for broadcasting the name of a Catholic priest charged with sex offences.
May 29, 1967: $5 notes were introduced for the first time in Australia. This was also the day that the National Service Act was passed, increasing penalties for evasion of military training.
May 30, 2001: Australian telecommunications company One.Tel collapsed.
May 31, 1991: At the age of 102, Minnie Munro became the world's oldest bride when she married Dudley Reid, 83, in Australia
