On This Day — May 1

Famous events, births, and deaths from May 1 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

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82 events · 230 births · 79 deaths recorded for May 1.

🕰️ Notable Events on May 1

2011 — Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI. Wikipedia ↗
2009 — Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden. Wikipedia ↗
2004 — Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin. Wikipedia ↗
2003 — Invasion of Iraq: In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech, on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (off the coast of California), U.S. President George W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended". Wikipedia ↗
2002 — OpenOffice.org released version 1.0, the first stable version of the software. Wikipedia ↗
2001 — Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declares the existence of "a state of rebellion", hours after thousands of supporters of her arrested predecessor, Joseph Estrada, storm towards the presidential palace at the height of the EDSA III rebellion. Wikipedia ↗
1999 — The body of British climber George Mallory is found on Mount Everest, 75 years after his disappearance in 1924. Wikipedia ↗
1999 — SpongeBob SquarePants premieres on Nickelodeon after the 1999 Kids' Choice Awards. Wikipedia ↗
1995 — Croatian forces launch Operation Flash during the Croatian War of Independence. Wikipedia ↗
1994 — Three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna is killed in an accident whilst leading the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Dingiri Banda Wijetunga became president of Sri Lanka automatically after killing of R Premadasa in LTTE bomb explosion Wikipedia ↗
1990 — The former Philippine Episcopal Church (supervised by the Episcopal Church of the United States of America) is granted full autonomy and raised to the status of an Autocephalous Anglican Province and renamed the Episcopal Church in the Philippines. Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States. Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Pope John Paul II beatifies Edith Stein, a Jewish-born Carmelite nun who was gassed in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. Wikipedia ↗
1983 — The Sydney Entertainment Centre is opened. Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Operation Black Buck: The Royal Air Force attacks the Argentine Air Force during Falklands War. Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Japan's Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone. Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Thirty-six people are killed in Taksim Square, Istanbul, during the Labour Day celebrations. Wikipedia ↗
1974 — The Argentine terrorist organization Montoneros is expelled from Plaza de Mayo by president Juan Perón. Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) takes over operation of U.S. passenger rail service. Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Protests erupt following the announcement by Richard Nixon that American and South Vietnamese forces would attack Vietnamese communists in a Cambodian Campaign. Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Battle of Dong-Yin, a naval conflict between ROC and PRC, takes place. Wikipedia ↗
1961 — The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections. Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Formation of the western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra; also known as "Maharashtra Day". Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Cold War: U-2 incident: Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis. Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Thirty-four people are killed when a Vickers Viking airliner crashes in Hampshire, England. Wikipedia ↗
1956 — The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public. Wikipedia ↗
1956 — A doctor in Japan reports an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system", marking the official discovery of Minamata disease. Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Guam is organized as a United States commonwealth. Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Portella della Ginestra massacre against May Day celebrations in Sicily by the bandit and separatist leader Salvatore Giuliano where 11 persons are killed and 33 wounded. Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Start of three-year Pilbara strike of Indigenous Australians. Wikipedia ↗
1946 — The Paris Peace Conference concludes that the islands of the Dodecanese should be returned to Greece by Italy. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: A German newsreader officially announces that Adolf Hitler has "fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany". The Soviet flag is raised over the Reich Chancellery, by order of Stalin. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and his wife Magda commit suicide in the Reich Garden outside the Führerbunker. Their children are also killed by having cyanide pills inserted into their mouths by their mother, Magda. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: Forces of the Soviet Red Army liberate Allied prisoners of war imprisoned at Stalag Luft I near Barth, Germany. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: Up to 2,500 people die in a mass suicide in Demmin following the advance of the Red Army. Wikipedia ↗
1945 — World War II: Yugoslav Partisans liberate Trieste. Wikipedia ↗
1944 — World War II: Two hundred Communist prisoners are shot by the Germans at Kaisariani, Athens in reprisal for the killing of General Franz Krech by partisans at Molaoi. Wikipedia ↗
1941 — World War II: German forces launch a major attack on Tobruk. Wikipedia ↗
1931 — The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City. Wikipedia ↗
1930 — The dwarf planet Pluto is officially named. Wikipedia ↗
1929 — The 7.2 Mw Kopet Dag earthquake shakes the Iran-Turkmenistan border region with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing up to 3,800 and injuring 1,121. Wikipedia ↗
1927 — The Union Labor Life Insurance Company is founded by the American Federation of Labor. Wikipedia ↗
1925 — The All-China Federation of Trade Unions is officially founded. Today it is the largest trade union in the world, with 134 million members. Wikipedia ↗
1919 — German troops enter Munich to squash the Bavarian Soviet Republic. Wikipedia ↗
1915 — The RMS Lusitania departs from New York City on her 202nd, and final, crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives. Wikipedia ↗
1900 — The Scofield Mine disaster kills over 200 men in Scofield, Utah in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in United States history. Wikipedia ↗
1898 — Spanish-American War: Battle of Manila Bay: The United States Navy destroys the Spanish Pacific fleet in the first major battle of the war. Wikipedia ↗
1894 — Coxey's Army, the first significant American protest march, arrives in Washington, D.C. Wikipedia ↗
1893 — The World's Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago. Wikipedia ↗
1886 — Rallies are held throughout the United States demanding the eight-hour work day, culminating in the Haymarket affair in Chicago, in commemoration of which May 1 is celebrated as International Workers' Day in many countries. Wikipedia ↗
1885 — The original Chicago Board of Trade Building opens for business. Wikipedia ↗
1884 — Proclamation of the demand for eight-hour workday in the United States. Wikipedia ↗
1884 — Moses Fleetwood Walker becomes the first black person to play in a professional baseball game in the United States. Wikipedia ↗
1875 — Alexandra Palace reopens after being burned down in a fire in 1873. Wikipedia ↗
1869 — The Folies Bergère opens in Paris. Wikipedia ↗
1866 — The Memphis Race Riots begin. In three days time, 46 blacks and two whites were killed. Reports of the atrocities influenced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Wikipedia ↗
1865 — The Empire of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay sign the Treaty of the Triple Alliance. Wikipedia ↗
1863 — American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville begins. Wikipedia ↗
1862 — American Civil War: The Union Army completes its capture of New Orleans. Wikipedia ↗
1856 — The Province of Isabela was created in the Philippines in honor of Queen Isabela II. Wikipedia ↗
1851 — Queen Victoria opens The Great Exhibition at The Crystal Palace in London. Wikipedia ↗
1846 — The few remaining Mormons left in Nauvoo, Illinois, formally dedicate the Nauvoo Temple. Wikipedia ↗
1844 — Hong Kong Police Force, the world's second modern police force and Asia's first, is established. Wikipedia ↗
1840 — The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom. Wikipedia ↗
1820 — Execution of the Cato Street Conspirators Wikipedia ↗
1794 — War of the Pyrenees: The Battle of Boulou ends, in which French forces defeat the Spanish and regain nearly all the land they lost to Spain in 1793. Wikipedia ↗
1786 — In Vienna, Austria, Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro is performed for the first time. Wikipedia ↗
1785 — Kamehameha I, the king of Hawaiʻi, defeats Kalanikūpule and establishes the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Wikipedia ↗
1778 — American Revolution: The Battle of Crooked Billet begins in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. Wikipedia ↗
1776 — Establishment of the Illuminati in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria), by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt. Wikipedia ↗
1759 — Josiah Wedgwood founds the Wedgwood pottery company in Great Britain. Wikipedia ↗
1753 — Publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Wikipedia ↗
1707 — The Act of Union joins the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. Wikipedia ↗
1576 — Stephen Báthory, the reigning Prince of Transylvania, marries Anna Jagiellon and they become co-rulers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Wikipedia ↗
1455 — Battle of Arkinholm, Royal forces end the Black Douglas hegemony in Scotland. Wikipedia ↗
1328 — Wars of Scottish Independence end: By the Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton the Kingdom of England recognises the Kingdom of Scotland as an independent state. Wikipedia ↗
1169 — Norman mercenaries land at Bannow Bay in Leinster, marking the beginning of the Norman invasion of Ireland. Wikipedia ↗
880 — The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches. Wikipedia ↗
524 — King Sigismund of Burgundy is executed at Orléans after an 8-year reign and is succeeded by his brother Godomar. Wikipedia ↗
305 — Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor. Wikipedia ↗
Roman consul Publius Valerius Poplicola celebrates a Roman triumph for his victory over Veii and the Sabines. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on May 1

2003 — Lizzy Greene, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1994 — Wallace, Brazilian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Jean-Christophe Bahebeck, French footballer Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Bradley Roby, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Matěj Vydra, Czech footballer Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Bartosz Salamon, Polish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Uriel Álvarez, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Diego Contento, German footballer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Scooter Gennett, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Alejandro Arribas, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Poļina Jeļizarova, Latvian runner Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Leonardo Bonucci, Italian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Amir Johnson, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Shahar Pe'er, Israeli tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Adam Casey, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Jesse Klaver, Dutch politician Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Brent Stanton, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Shahriar Nafees, Bangladeshi cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1984 — David Backes, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Patrick Eaves, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Alexander Farnerud, Swedish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Keiichiro Koyama, Japanese singer and actor Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Víctor Montaño, Colombian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Mark Seaby, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Alain Bernard, French swimmer Wikipedia ↗
1983 — Human Tornado, American wrestler Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Jamie Dornan, Northern Irish model and actor Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Mark Farren, Irish footballer (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Tommy Robredo, Spanish tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Manny Acosta, Panamanian baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Derek Asamoah, Ghanaian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Alexander Hleb, Belarusian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Wes Welker, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Marvin Cabrera, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Rob Davison, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Jan Heylen, Belgian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Jay Reatard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Mauro Bergamasco, Italian rugby player Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Roman Lyashenko, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
1978 — James Badge Dale, American actor Wikipedia ↗
1977 — Vera Lischka, Austrian swimmer and politician Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Patricia Stokkers, Dutch swimmer Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Austin Croshere, American basketball player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2003) Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Nina Hossain, English journalist Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Alexey Smertin, Russian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Oliver Neuville, German footballer Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Yemeni terrorist Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Julie Benz, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Ethan Albright, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Stuart Appleby, Australian golfer Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Kim Grant, South African tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Artur Kohutek, Polish hurdler and soldier Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Ajith Kumar, Indian actor, F2 Racer Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Bernard Butler, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Wes Anderson, American director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Billy Owens, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1968 — D'arcy Wretzky, American bass player and singer (Smashing Pumpkins) Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Tim McGraw, American singer-songwriter and actor Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Yvonne van Gennip, Dutch speed skater Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Maia Morgenstern, Romanian actress Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Ted Sundquist, American football player, coach, and manager Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Clint Malarchuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Marilyn Milian, American judge Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Vasiliy Sidorenko, Russian hammer thrower Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Steve Cauthen, American jockey and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Yasmina Reza, French actress and playwright Wikipedia ↗
1959 — Lawrence Seeff, South African cricketer and basket weaver Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Rick Darling, Australian cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Uberto Pasolini, Italian banker, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Phil Foglio, American illustrator Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Frank Szymanski, German educator and politician
1955 — Alex Cunningham, Scottish politician Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Martin O'Donnell, American composer Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Ray Searage, American baseball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Ray Parker, Jr., American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Joel Rosenberg, Canadian-American author and activist (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Glen Ballard, American songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Richard Blundell, English economist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Kim Lewison, English lawyer and judge Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Peter Smith, Malaysian-born English academic and judge Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Gordon Greenidge, Barbadian cricketer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Geoff Lees, English race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Sally Mann, American photographer Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Dann Florek, American actor and director Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Danny McGrain, Scottish footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Paul Teutul, Sr., American motorcycle designer, co-founded Orange County Choppers Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Jim Clench, Canadian bass player (d. 2010) Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Tim Hodgkinson, English saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Györgyi Balogh, Hungarian sprinter Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Patricia Hill Collins, American sociologist and scholar Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Jacob Bekenstein, Mexican-born Israeli-American theoretical physicist (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Sergio Infante, Chilean-Swedish poet and author Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Joanna Lumley, English actress, voice-over artist, author, and activist Wikipedia ↗
1946 — John Woo, Hong Kong director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Rita Coolidge, American singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Carson Whitsett, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (d. 2007) Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Suresh Kalmadi, Indian businessman and politician Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan politician (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Joe Walsh, Irish politician, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Judy Collins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Wilhelmina Cooper, Dutch model (d. 1980) Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Victor Davies, Canadian pianist, composer, and conductor Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Una Stubbs, English actress and dancer Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Danièle Huillet, French filmmaker (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Hans E. Wallman, Swedish director, producer, and composer (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Mexican politician Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Shirley Horn, American singer and pianist (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Phillip King, Tunisian-English sculptor Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Sandy Woodward, English admiral (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1931 — Naim Attallah, Palestinian author and publisher Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Little Walter Jacobs, American blues harp player and singer (d. 1968) Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Ollie Matson, American sprinter and football player (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Sonny Ramadhin, Trinidadian cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Sonny James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗