May 19, 1930 – Playwright Lorraine Hansberry, whose work “A Raisin in the Sun” was the first drama by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway (in 1959), is born in Chicago.
May 20, 1908 – Academy Award winning actor James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story), is born in Indiana, Pennsylvania. Stewart is also known for his portrayals in It’s a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Harvey. He was also a decorated World War II Air Force officer and remained in the Air Force reserves after the war, retiring as a Brigadier General.
May 22, 1859 – Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
May 25, 1803 – American author and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson is born in Boston, Massachusetts.