On This Day in May: 31 of the Month’s Biggest Moments

Follow along with the biggest moments in May history in this visual journey of photos from the Shutterstock Editorial archive.

Photography has given us a rich visual archive of the most important events in history — everything from tragedies to the pinnacles of human achievement. Photos can bring us back to a tragic event that broke our collective hearts, a cultural moment that we rejoiced over, or a scientific breakthrough that made us see the world differently. Each month we’ll share photographs from the Shutterstock Editorial archive that show a significant historical or cultural event for each day of that month.

This month, we take a visual journey through May.

May 1

1931: President Herbert Hoover officially dedicates the Empire State Building in New York.

Photo by AP/Shutterstock.
May 2

2011: Osama Bin Laden killed by United States special forces in Pakistan.

Photo by Jacquelyn Martin/AP/Shutterstock.
May 3

2002: Spider-Man starring Tobey Maguire premieres.

Photo by Paul Lovelace/Shutterstock.
May 4

1970: Four student anti-war protesters are killed at Kent State by the National Guard.

Photo by AP/Shutterstock.
May 5

2018: Childish Gambino releases “This is America” to critical acclaim.

Photo by John Salangsang/Invision/AP/Shutterstock.
May 6

2004: The finale of Friends airs on NBC.

Photo by Ann Johansson/AP/Shutterstock.
May 7

2000: Vladimir Putin becomes President of Russia.

Photo by Yuri Kochetkov/EPA/Shutterstock.
May 8

1963: The first James Bond movie, Dr. No, starring Sean Connery is released.

Photo by Danjaq/Eon/Ua/Kobal/Shutterstock.
May 9

1958: Vertigo by director Alfred Hitchcock and starring Jimmy Stewart is released.

Photo by Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock.
May 10

1994: Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black President.

Photo by David Brauchli/AP/Shutterstock.
May 11

1985: Fifty-six football fans died in the Bradford City stadium fire.

Photo by Robert T Kell/Shutterstock.
May 12

1994: Pulp Fiction directed by Quentin Tarintino premieres at the Cannes Film Festival.

Photo by Gilbert Tourte/AP/Shutterstock.
May 13

1981: Pope John Paul II survives an assassination attempt.

Photo by Arturo Mari/AP/Shutterstock.
May 14

1998: The finale of Seinfeld airs on NBC.

Photo by Suzanne Plunkett/AP/Shutterstock.
May 15

1928: Mickey Mouse makes his first screen appearance for Disney.

Photo by Snap/Shutterstock.
May 16

1929: The first Academy Awards are held in Hollywood, California.

Photo by Ampas/Kobal/Shutterstock.
May 17

2000: The final episode of Beverly Hills 90210 airs on Fox.

Photo by Randy Bauer/Shutterstock.
May 18

1980: Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington, killing fifty-seven people.

Photo by AP/Shutterstock.
May 19

2006: The Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks premieres.

Photo by Scott Myers/Shutterstock.
May 20

2003: America’s Next Top Model created by Tyra Banks debuts on UPN.

Photo by Michael Yarish/Cw Network/Kobal/Shutterstock.
May 21

1927/1932: Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic ocean; five years later Amelia Earhart became the first woman to complete the feet.

Photo by AP/Shutterstock.
Photo by AP/Shutterstock.
May 22