May 1: UNRWA operations begin.

May 6: The town of Cazin (Bosnia) rises up against Communist agrarian reforms. - Tollund Man is unearthed in Denmark.

May 9: Robert Schuman presents his proposal for the creation of a pan-European organisation, which he believes to be indispensable to the maintenance of permanently peaceful relations between the different nations of the continent. This proposal, known as the "Schuman declaration", is considered to be the beginning of the creation of what is now the European Union. - L. Ron Hubbard publishes Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.

May 11: The Kefauver Committee hearings into U.S. organized crime begin.

May 13: The first race in the inaugural FIA Formula One World Championship is held at Silverstone, England.

May 14: The Huntsville Times runs the headline, "Dr. von Braun Says Rocket Flights Possible to Moon."

May 17 Israeli Air Force Spitfires intercept a Royal Air Force Short Sunderland when it inadvertently crosses into Israeli airspace, and force it to land at Lod Airport. The Sunderland's crew had been issued maps that did not depict Israel, as Britain had not recognized the country when they were issued.

May 22: Celal Bayar becomes the third president of Turkey. - Adnan Menderes of DP forms the new government of Turkey (19th government)

May 24: Maritime Administration (under Department of Commerce).

May 25: The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel is formally opened to traffic.

May 29: St. Roch, the first ship to circumnavigate North America, arrives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. (source: Wikipedia)