Events

• May 1 - Chandra Levy disappears while jogging.

• May 19 - First Apple Store opens.

• May 22 - The finale of 3rd Rock From The Sun airs.

• May 27-28 The Oldham riots take place in Oldham, UK after a string of events create tension between White and Asian communities.

• May 29 - Barbara and Jenna Bush prosecuted for under-age drinking after posing as over-21s in a Texas drinking establishment.

• Eco-terrorists set near simultaneous arson fires at the University of Washington and at a poplar farm in Clatskanie, Ore.

• In Afghanistan, the ruling Taliban militia announces a law requiring Hindus to wear identity labels to distinguish them from Muslims. The measure also requires Hindu women to be veiled for the first time.

Deaths

• May 11 - Douglas Adams, author of the cult science fiction comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, dies at the age of 49.

• May 12 - Perry Como, singer, dies at the age of 89.

• May 26 - Moven Enock Mahachi, politician, Defence Minister of Zimbabwe dies.

Software

• SGI releases XFS under an open source licence.