May 2
May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar (123rd in
leap years). There are 243 days remaining.
*
1194 - King
Richard I of England gives
Portsmouth its first
Royal Charter.
*
1335 -
Otto the Merry, Duke of
Austria, becomes
Duke of Carinthia.
*
1568 -
Mary I of Scotland escapes from
Loch Leven Castle.
*
1670 - King
Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the
Hudson's Bay Company to open up the
fur trade in
North America.
*
1672 -
John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.
*
1808 -
Peninsular War: The people of
Madrid rise up in rebellion against
French occupation.
*
1816 -
Léopold of Saxe-Coburg and
Charlotte Augusta are wed.
*
1829 - After anchoring nearby, Captain
Charles Fremantle of
HMS Challenger, declares the
Swan River Colony in
Australia.
*
1863 -
American Civil War:
Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering for the
Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia 8 days later.
*
1866 - Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the
Battle of Callao.
*
1885 -
Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time.
* 1885 -
Cree and
Assiniboine warriors won the
Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over
Canadian forces during the
North-West Rebellion.
* 1885 - The
Congo Free State is established by King
Léopold II of Belgium.
*
1889 -
Menelik II, Emperor of
Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with
Italy, which gives Italy control over
Eritrea.
*
1900 -
Oscar II, King of Sweden, declares support for
Britain at the time of the
Second Boer War.
*
1918 -
General Motors acquires the
Chevrolet Motor Company of
Delaware.
*
1920 - The first game of the
Negro National League baseball is played in
Indianapolis, Indiana.
*
1932 - Comedian
Jack Benny's radio show airs for the first time.
*
1933 - The first modern sighting of the
Loch Ness monster is reported.
* 1933 -
Gleichschaltung:
Adolf Hitler bans
trade unions.
*
1939 -
Lou Gehrig's streak of 2130 consecutive
Major League Baseball games played comes to an end. The record will stand for 56 years before
Cal Ripken, Jr. breaks it.
*
1945 -
World War II:
Fall of Berlin â€" The
Soviet Union announces the capture of
Berlin and Soviet soldiers hoist their red flag over the
Reichstag building.
German forces surrender in
Italy. German forces surrender to the
New Zealand Army in
Trieste.
*
1946 - "
Battle of Alcatraz" -
Alcatraz Federal prison,
San Francisco is taken over by six inmates following failed escape attempt
*
1953 -
Hussein is crowned King of
Jordan.
*
1955 -
Tennessee Williams wins the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama for
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
*
1963 -
Berthold Seliger launches near
Cuxhaven a rocket with three stages with a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
*
1964 -
Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the
USS Card while docked at
Saigon.
Viet Cong forces are suspected of placing a bomb on the ship.
*
1969 - The
British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to
New York City.
*
1972 -
Buddy Baker became the first stock car driver to finish a 500-mile race in less than three hours en route to winning the Winston Select 500 at the
Alabama International Motor Speedway in
Talladega,
Alabama.
*
1982 -
Falklands War: The
British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser
ARA General Belgrano.
*
1986 - The
1986 World Exposition in
Vancouver,
British Columbia,
Canada, opens.
*
1997 - The
Labour Party's Tony Blair becomes
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, ending 18 years of
Conservative Party rule. At 44, he is the youngest prime minister for 185 years.
*
1998 - The
European Central Bank is founded in
Brussels in order to define and execute the
EU's monetary policy.
*
1999 -
Panamanian election:
Mireya Moscoso became the first woman to be elected
President of
Panama.
*
2000 -
Bill Clinton announces that
GPS access equivalent to the
U.S. military would be available for regular citizens.
*
2000 -
Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet of the
Netherlands unveiled the
Man With Two Hats monument in
Ottawa on May 11, 2002, and the other in
Apeldoorn on May 2, 2000. Symbolically linking both
Netherlands and
Canada for their assistance throughout the
Second World War.
*
1360 -
Yongle, Emperor of China (d.
1424)
*
1451 -
René II, Duke of Lorraine (d.
1508)
*
1551 -
William Camden, English historian (d.
1623)
*
1601 -
Athanasius Kircher, German Jesuit scholar (d.
1680)
*
1660 -
Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d.
1725)
*
1695 -
Jean-Nicolas Servan, French architect and painter (d.
1766)
*
1702 -
Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian (d.
1782)
*
1729 - Sophie Augusta Fredericka of Anhalt-Zerbst,
Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia (d.
1796)
*
1740 -
Elias Boudinot, American president of the Continental Congress (d.
1821)
*
1772 -
Novalis, German writer (d.
1801)
*
1773 -
Henrik Steffens, Norwegian-German philosopher (d.
1845)
*
1802 -
Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d.
1870)
*
1810 -
Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer (d.
1874)
*
1828 -
Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist (d.
1915)
*
1860 -
Theodor Herzl, Austrian journalist and Zionist leader (d.
1904)
*
1865 -
Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d.
1909)
*
1873 -
Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet (d.
1944)
*
1881 -
Alexander Kerensky, Russian politician (d.
1970)
*
1884 -
Elijah McCoy, Canadian-born inventor (d.
1929)
*
1885 -
Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (d.
1966)
*
1886 -
Gottfried Benn, German author (d.
1956)
*
1887 -
Vernon Castle, English dancer (d.
1918)
* 1887 -
Eddie Collins, baseball player (d.
1951)
*
1890 -
E. E. Smith, American writer (d.
1965)
*
1892 -
Manfred von Richthofen, German World War I pilot (d.
1918)
*
1895 -
Lorenz Hart, American lyricist (d.
1943)
*
1903 -
Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and author (d.
1998)
*
1906 -
Philippe Halsman, American photographer (d.
1979)
*
1907 -
Pinky Lee, American vaudeville performer and television host (d.
1993)
*
1910 -
Alexander Bonnyman, U.S. Marine (d.
1943)
*
1912 -
Axel Cäsar Springer, German publisher (d.
1985)
*
1913 -
Nigel Patrick, English actor (d.
1981)
*
1915 -
Doris Fisher, American singer and songwriter (d.
2003)
*
1920 -
Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss conductor (d.
2004)
*
1921 -
Satyajit Ray, Indian director (d.
1992)
*
1922 -
A.M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born newspaper editor
*
1924 -
Theodore Bikel, Austrian-born actor and singer
*
1925 -
Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor
*
1929 -
Link Wray, American guitarist (d.
2005)
*
1935 - King
Faisal II of Iraq (d.
1958)
* 1935 -
Lance LeGault, American actor
*
1936 -
Engelbert Humperdinck, British/American singer
* 1936 -
Michael Rabin, American violinist (d.
1972)
*
1937 -
Lorenzo Music, American writer and producer (d.
2001)
*
1938 - Paramount Chief
Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d.
1996)
*
1939 -
Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist
*
1941 -
Clay Carroll, baseball player
*
1942 -
Jacques Rogge, Belgian International Olympics Committee president
*
1945 -
Sarah Weddington, American attorney
* 1945 -
Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan activist
*
1946 -
Lesley Gore, American singer
* 1946 -
David Suchet, English actor
*
1948 -
Larry Gatlin, American musician and songwriter
*
1949 -
Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener, television presenter, and writer
*
1950 -
Lou Gramm, US singer (Foreigner)
*
1952 -
Christine Baranski, American actress
*
1953 -
Valery Gergiev, Russian-born conductor
*
1955 -
Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
*
1956 -
David Rhodes, English guitarist
*
1961 -
Steve James, English snooker player
*
1962 -
Jimmy White, English snooker player
*
1962 -
Ray Traylor, aka The Big Boss Man, professional wrestler (d.
2004)
*
1965 -
Félix José, baseball player
* 1967 -
Mika Brzezinski, American journalist
*
1968 -
Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer and actress
*
1969 -
Brian Lara, West Indian cricketer
*
1972 -
The Rock, American professional wrestler and actor
* 1972 -
Paul Adcock, English footballer
*
1974 -
Andy Johnson, Welsh footballer
*
1975 -
David Beckham, English footballer
*
1978 -
Steve Bays, Canadian musician
*
1979 -
Roman Lyashenko, Russian hockey player (d.
2003)
*
1980 -
Brad Richards, NHL hockey superstar
*
1980 -
Zat Knight, English footballer
* 1980 -
Troy Murphy, American basketball player
*1980 -
Tim Borowski, German footballer
*
1981 -
Maria Kanellis, American professional wrestler
*
1982 -
Lorie, French singer
*
1984 -
Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer
*
1985 -
Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
* 1985 -
Kyle Busch, American race car driver
* 1985 -
Lily Allen, British singer-songwriter
*
1987 -
Nana Kitade, Japanese singer
*
1990 -
Kay Panabaker, American actress
*
373 -
Athanasius,
Patriarch of Alexandria (b.
298)
*
756 -
Emperor Shomu,
Emperor of Japan (b.
701)
*
907 -
Boris I of Bulgaria*
1230 -
William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny (b.
1197)
*
1300 -
Blanche of Artois, regent of Navarre (b.
1248)
*
1450 -
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English military leader (b.
1396)
*
1519 -
Leonardo da Vinci, Italian inventor and painter (b.
1452)
*
1564 -
Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian humanist (b.
1500)
*
1627 -
Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, Italian composer (b.
1560)
*
1667 -
George Wither, English writer (b.
1588)
*
1683 -
Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and scientist (b.
1613)
*
1711 -
Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English statesman (b.
1641)
*
1802 -
Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch statesman (b.
1762)
*
1819 -
Mary Moser, English painter (b.
1744)
*
1857 -
Alfred de Musset, French writer (b.
1810)
*
1864 -
Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer (b.
1791)
*
1927 -
Ernest Starling, British physiologist (b.
1866)
*
1945 -
Martin Bormann, Nazi official (b.
1900)
* 1945 -
Ludwig Stumpfegger, SS doctor (b.
1910)
* 1945 -
Joe Corbett, baseball player (b.
1875)
*
1957 -
Joseph McCarthy, U.S. Senator (b.
1908)
*
1960 -
Caryl Chessman, American robber and rapist (b.
1921)
*
1964 -
Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-born politician (b.
1879)
*
1969 -
Franz von Papen,
Chancellor of Germany (b.
1879)
*
1972 -
J. Edgar Hoover, director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (b.
1895)
*
1979 -
Giulio Natta, Italian chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1903)
*
1980 -
George Pál, Hungarian-born film director (b.
1908)
*
1983 -
Norm Van Brocklin, American football star (b.
1926)
*
1984 -
Jack Barry, television game show producer and host (b.
1918)
*
1985 -
Attilio Bettega, Italian rallydriver (b.
1951)
*
1986 -
Henri Toivonen, Finish rallydriver (b.
1956)
*
1989 -
Giuseppe Cardinal Siri, Roman Catholic Cardinal (b.
1906)
* 1989 -
Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (b.
1902)
*
1990 -
David Rappaport, English actor (b.
1951)
*
1992 -
Wilbur Mills, American politician (b.
1909)
*
1995 -
Michael Hordern, English actor (b.
1911)
*
1997 -
John Carew Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist,
Nobel laureate (b.
1903)
* 1997 -
Paulo Freire, Brazilian educator (b.
1921)
*
1998 -
Hideto "hide" Matsumoto, Japanese musician (b.
1964)
* 1998 -
Kevin Lloyd, British actor (b.
1949)
*
1999 -
Oliver Reed, English actor (b.
1938)
*
2001 -
Ted Rogers, British comedian (b.
1935)
* 2001 -
Gina Mastrogiacomo, American actress (b.
1961)
*
2002 -
John Nathan-Turner, English television producer (b.
1947)
* 2002 -
W. T. Tutte, English-born codebreaker (b.
1917)
*
2005 -
Kenneth B. Clark, American psychologist (b.
1914)
* 2005 -
Wee Kim Wee, 4th
President of Singapore (b.
1915)
*
2006 -
Louis Rukeyser, American columnist (b.
1933)
*
Poland -
Flag Day, an official
holiday to honour the
Flag of Poland*
Bahá'à Faith: Last day of the Festival of
Ridván*
Madrid Region - Day of the Region.
*
Slovenia - second day of
Labour Day*
Iran -
Teacher's Day*
Indonesia -
Indonesia National Education Dayin the
Roman Catholic Church:
*
Saint Athanasius*
Saint Boris*
Saints Exuperius and Zoe*
Saint Germanus*
Saint Waldebert, Walbert or
Gaubert*
Saint Mafalda*
Saint Zoein the
Bulgarian Orthodox Church:
*
saint tsar Boris*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This Day*
On this day in CanadaMay 1 -
May 3 -
April 2 -
June 2 â€"
listing of all days
