Dashed left edge = started before May 1981 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond May 1981
Events in May 1981 8
1945 – 1981Bob Marley (1945-1981)Died 11 May 1981, aged 36Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley, the most influential figure in reggae music, died of cancer in Miami on 11 May 1981. He had brought reggae to a worldwide audience with albums such as Exodus and songs including "No Woman, No Cry" and "One Love". He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
1981François Mitterrand elected President of FranceFirst Socialist to win the French presidency under the Fifth RepublicFrançois Mitterrand defeated incumbent Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in the French presidential runoff on 10 May 1981. He was the first Socialist elected president under the Fifth Republic and went on to serve fourteen years in office. His government nationalized major banks and industries soon after taking power.
1981Bob Marley dies in MiamiAged 36Dies of cancer, aged 36. He is given a state funeral in Jamaica.
1981Assassination attempt on Pope John Paul IIPope shot in St Peter's SquareMehmet Ali Agca shot and seriously wounded Pope John Paul II in St Peter's Square on 13 May 1981. The Pope underwent emergency surgery and survived after months of recovery. He later visited Agca in prison to forgive him.
1981 – presentIker CasillasSaint IkerCaptain of Spain's World Cup and double Euro winning teams; a Real Madrid legend.
1981Peter Sutcliffe convicted as the Yorkshire RipperSerial killer sentenced for thirteen murdersPeter Sutcliffe was convicted on 22 May 1981 of murdering thirteen women across northern England between 1975 and 1980. The five-year police hunt for the killer, dubbed the Yorkshire Ripper, had been one of the largest manhunts in British history. He was sentenced to twenty concurrent life terms.
1981The Clash play Bond's CasinoNew York residencyFire marshals cut ticket numbers, so the band plays 17 shows.
1981Assassination of Ziaur RahmanBangladeshi president killed in an army coup attemptBangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated by rebel army officers in Chittagong on 30 May 1981. The coup attempt that followed his killing was suppressed within days. His death triggered a period of political instability that eventually brought General Hussain Muhammad Ershad to power.