The World Health Organization declares the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global health emergency.
Mass protests in Greece erupt in response to austerity measures imposed by the government as a result of the Greek government-debt crisis.
Kenya Airways Flight 507 crashes after takeoff from Douala International Airport in Douala, Cameroon, killing all 114 aboard, making it the deadliest aircraft disaster in Cameroon.
The government of Sudan signs an accord with the Sudan Liberation Army.
The signing of the Bishkek Protocol between Armenia and Azerbaijan effectively freezes the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism.
A riot breaks out in the Mt. Pleasant section of Washington, D.C. after police shoot a Salvadoran man.
Iran–Contra affair: Start of Congressional televised hearings in the United States.
Ronald Reagan visits the military cemetery at Bitburg and the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where he makes a speech.
Bobby Sands dies in the Long Kesh prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, aged 27.
Operation Nimrod: The British Special Air Service storms the Iranian embassy in London after a six-day siege.
Secretariat wins the 1973 Kentucky Derby in 1:59.4, an as-yet-unbeaten record.
Alitalia Flight 112 crashes into Mount Longa near Palermo, Sicily, killing all 115 aboard, making it the deadliest single-aircraft disaster in Italy.
The Council of Europe declares May 5 as Europe Day.
Project Mercury: Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel into outer space, on a sub-orbital flight.
The General Treaty, by which France, Britain and the United States recognize the sovereignty of West Germany, comes into effect.