Timeline May 1975

Events in May 1975 9

• 1897 – 1975 Moe Howard (1897-1975) American comedian, the bossy leader of the Three Stooges.
• 1903 – 1975 Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975) Died 20 May 1975, aged 72 Barbara Hepworth was a British sculptor renowned for her abstract works in wood, stone, and bronze. She was one of the few women to achieve international recognition in modern sculpture during her lifetime. She died in a fire at her studio in St Ives, Cornwall.
• 1975 1975 World Snooker Championship Reardon Title 4 Held in Australia. Winner: Ray Reardon; Runner-up: Eddie Charlton. Score: 31–30.
• 1975 Willie Nelson releases Red Headed Stranger Sparse concept album A stripped-down western concept album — Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.
• 1975 – present David Beckham Becks Global icon known for his crossing, free-kicks, and massive celebrity profile.
• 1975 Moe Howard dies in Los Angeles Moe Howard dies aged 77.
• 1975 Sony launches Betamax videotape format Home video recording goes on sale in Japan Sony released the first Betamax videocassette recorder in Japan on 10 May 1975, bringing home video recording to consumers for the first time. The format would soon compete with JVC's rival VHS system in a format war that VHS ultimately won. Betamax nonetheless established the home video recorder as a mainstream consumer product.
• 1975 – 2015 Jonah Lomu The winger who turned rugby into a global spectacle Jonah Tali Lomu was a New Zealand rugby union winger widely credited as the sport's first global superstar. Combining a 120kg frame with sprinter-level speed, he redefined what a back-line player could be and forced the laws and tactics of the game to adapt around him. His explosive performances at the 1995 Rugby World Cup arrived just as rugby turned professional, and the two events together are often cited as the moment the sport became a worldwide commercial product. Off the field he battled a serious kidney disorder for two decades, undergoing a transplant in 2004 before dying suddenly in 2015 at age 40.
• 1975 Jonah Lomu born in Pukekohe, Auckland A childhood shaped by Tongan heritage and South Auckland rugby league culture Jonah Lomu was born on 12 May 1975 in Pukekohe, south of Auckland, to Tongan parents. He grew up in the working-class suburb of Mangere amid gang violence and family hardship, and was sent to boarding school partly to steer him away from trouble. His size and athleticism were apparent from childhood, and he initially excelled at rugby league and athletics before rugby union became his path.