Willis A. Gorman is born in Flemingsburg, Kentucky. He was appointed second territorial governor of Minnesota in 1853 and later served in the legislature. He commanded the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Civil War, and was St. Paul's city attorney from 1869 until his death on May 20, 1876.

The Minnesota Forestry Association is formed to work for the passage of conservation laws to protect the state's forests. At one time boasting 10,000 members, the association proved so successful that state agencies and civic groups took on its activities, and in 1948 the group voted itself out of existence.

In a milestone of Minnesota's transportation history, Alexander T. Heine flies the first airplane over Minneapolis.

Hubert H. Humphrey dies. Humphrey was born in Wallace, South Dakota, on May 27, 1911. State campaign manager for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 and a founder of the anticommunist group Americans for Democratic Action, Humphrey entered the national spotlight after delivering a rousing address on civil rights at the 1948 Democratic National Convention. He served in the Senate beginning in 1948 and was elected vice president under Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Stillwater's first post office is established, with Elam Greeley as postmaster.

The Hallie Q. Brown House, named for the African American civil rights advocate and suffragist, moves into its first permanent building in St. Paul. Offering tutoring and day camps for children as well as emergency food and clothing for needy families, the community center would later relocate and combine with the Martin Luther King Center in St. Paul.

Ann Bancroft of St. Paul reaches the South Pole by skis, becoming the first woman to travel overland to both the North and South Poles (see May 2). She leads the American Women's Expedition on a sixty-seven-day trek during which the four women cover 660 miles on skis. Additionally, in 2001 Ann Bancroft and Liv Arneson would become the first women to ski across Antarctica.

Jacob H. Stewart is born. In 1864 Dr. Stewart would become St. Paul's first Republican mayor, and he would also serve the state as a congressman and as surgeon general. Stewart Avenue in St. Paul is named for him.

James M. Goodhue, editor of the Minnesota Pioneer, brawls in the street with Joseph Cooper, brother of territorial judge David Cooper. Cooper is upset because Goodhue printed a libelous column about his brother, which included the phrases "He is . . . a miserable drunkard . . . stuffed with arrogance, self conceit, and a ridiculous affectation of dignity." Goodhue is stabbed and Cooper shot during the fracas, but both survive.

The Winona Daily News announces that thirty-six chinchillas, along with feed, cages, and other supplies, have been donated by a student and his father to the biology department of St. Mary's College, to be used in research on improving the breed, whose fur is often made into expensive coats for women.

Stephen A. Douglas, senator from Illinois, introduces a bill to organize Minnesota Territory.