Dashed left edge = started before May 1983 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond May 1983
Events in May 1983 6
1895 – 1983Jack Dempsey (1895-1983)Died 31 May 1983, aged 87Jack Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight championship from 1919 to 1926 and became one of the most popular sports figures of his era. His aggressive fighting style helped popularize boxing as a major American spectator sport. He remains a celebrated figure in boxing history.
19831983 World Snooker ChampionshipSteve Davis Title 2Winner: Steve Davis; Runner-up: Cliff Thorburn. Score: 18–6.
1983F-15 lands with one wingNegev mid-air collisionAfter a collision with an A-4 tears off most of its right wing, an Israeli F-15D lands safely — its fuselage generating enough lift to fly.
1983HIV Identified as Cause of AIDSPasteur Institute team isolates the retrovirusResearchers led by Luc Montagnier and Francoise Barre-Sinoussi at the Pasteur Institute in Paris reported isolating a new retrovirus from a patient with AIDS-related symptoms. The virus was later named HIV and confirmed as the cause of AIDS. The discovery opened the path to testing and treatment research worldwide.
1983The Police release Every Breath You TakeNumber one for eight weeksOne of the most played songs in radio history.
1983Return of the Jedi ReleasedStar Wars trilogy concludes in theatersThe third film in the original Star Wars trilogy premiered, concluding the saga of Luke Skywalker and the fall of the Galactic Empire. It became the highest-grossing film of 1983 worldwide. The film cemented Star Wars as a global cultural phenomenon.