May 1, 1776: A secret society called “The Illuminati” is founded in Bavaria. It has become a staple element of various conspiracy theories.
May 3, 1926: The 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service is awarded to the Columbus (Georgia) Enquirer-Sun for (among other things) its opposition to the enactment of a law that would ban the teaching of evolution.
May 13, 1956: In Parade magazine, American psychic Jeane Dixon predicts a tall, young, blueeyed Democrat will be elected president in 1960 and die in office. She would often later cite this as a correct prediction of the JFK assassination—ignoring her many other errors.