2 May, 1952 – The jet age began with the first scheduled flight of the De Havilland Comet 1

Precisely one year after the maiden flight from London to Johannesburg, a Comet 1 crashed due to structural problems. A series of similar accidents soon led to the grounding of the entire Comet fleet.

3 May, 1978 – The Digital Equipment Corporation sent the world's first spam email

A representative sent out 600 emails and sold computers for $12 million. Unsolicited bulk emails have since become a scourge of the digital age.

4 May, 1959 – The Grammy was presented for the first time

It is one of the most prestigious awards in the music industry. Winners of the first edition included Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Mancini, and Frank Sinatra.

5 May, 1934 – The first Three Stooges film was released

The comedy trio soon became famous, especially in the U.S., for their short films featuring slapstick humour.

6 May, 2004 – The final episode of Friends was aired

The immensely popular sitcom about Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, and Ross had been produced since 1994. The final episode The Last One was watched by 52 million viewers.

7 May, 1946 – Sony was founded

The company started as Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering. It is now one of the leading manufacturers of electronic products.

8 May, 1978 – Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler climbed Mount Everest without oxygen supply

Prior to the Italian and Austrian mountaineers' ascent, it was thought to be impossible to conquer the world's highest mountain without supplemental oxygen.