May 1st to May 7th
Wednesday, May 1st, 1968 - Philadelphia Phillies pitcher John Boozer is ejected by umpire Ed Vargo at Shea Stadium for throwing spitballs during his warm-up pitches. The Phillies go on to beat the Mets 7-2.
Thursday, May 2nd, 1968 - To quell growing student unrest in Paris, authorities shut down the University of Paris at Nanterre. The closure leads to a city-wide student strike which quickly grows, over the course of the month, to a widespread general strike involving 10 million workers and bringing France to the edge of revolutionary collapse.
Friday, May 3rd, 1968 - Paramount Pictures releases the comedy film "The Odd Couple", starring Jack Lemon and Walter Matthau.
Saturday, May 4th, 1968 - The 94th Kentucky Derby is won by jockey Bobby Ussery and his horse "Dancer's Image" in a near-record time of 2:02.
Sunday, May 5th, 1968 - The group Buffalo Springfield perform their final concert at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California.
Monday, May 6th, 1968 - James Michener's book "Iberia", a detailed and illustrated exploration of Spain, is released by Random House Publishing.
Tuesday, May 7th, 1968 - Three days after winning the Kentucky Derby (see May 4th), "Dancer's Image" becomes the only winning horse in Derby history to be disqualified when traces of a painkiller are discovered in a post-race urinalysis. The winning title goes to second-place winner "Forward Pass", and the scandal is later named the top sports story of 1968 by Sports Illustrated magazine.