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May 2 is the 122nd day of the year (123rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. 243 days remain until the end of the year.

Events[]

  • 1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter.
  • 1230William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
  • 1335Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, becomes Duke of Carinthia.
  • 1536Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
  • 1559John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the nascent Scottish Reformation.
  • 1568Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle.
  • 1611 – The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.
  • 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.
  • 1672John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.
  • 1808 – Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
  • 1812 – The Siege of Cuautla during the Mexican War of Independence ends with both sides claiming victory after Mexican rebels under José María Morelos y Pavón abandon the city after 72 days under siege by royalist Spanish troops under Félix María Calleja.
  • 1816 – Marriage of Léopold of Saxe-Coburg and Princess Charlotte of Wales.
  • 1829 – After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.
  • 1863American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days later.
  • 1866Peruvian defenders fight off the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
  • 1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Bulgaria.
  • 1879 – The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is founded in Madrid by Pablo Iglesias.
  • 1885Cree and Assiniboine warriors win 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.
  • 1889Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs the Treaty of Wuchale, giving Italy control over Eritrea.
  • 1906 – Closing ceremony of the Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece.
  • 1918General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
  • 1920 – The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis.
  • 1933Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler bans trade unions.
  • 1941 – Following the coup d'état against Iraq Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah earlier that year, the United Kingdom launches the Anglo-Iraqi War to restore him to power.
  • 1945World War II: Fall of Berlin: The Soviet Union announces the capture of Berlin and Soviet soldiers hoist their red flag over the Reichstag building.
  • 1945 – World War II: Italian Campaign: General Heinrich von Vietinghoff signs the official instrument of surrender of all Wehrmacht forces in Italy.
  • 1945 – World War II: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp finding 1000 dead prisoners, most of whom starved to death.
  • 1952 – The world's first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1 makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg.
  • 1955Tennessee Williams wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
  • 1963Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
  • 1964Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the USS Card while it is docked at Saigon. Viet Cong forces are suspected of placing a bomb on the ship. She is raised and returned to service less than seven months later.
  • 1964 – First ascent of Shishapangma the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders.
  • 1969 – The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.
  • 1972 – In the early morning hours a fire breaks out at the Sunshine Mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, Idaho, killing 91 workers.
  • 1980Referendum on system of government held in Nepal.
  • 1982Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
  • 1986Chernobyl disaster: The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster
  • 1989 – Hungary begins dismantling its border fence with Austria, which allows a number of East Germans to defect.
  • 1994 – A bus crashes in Gdańsk, Poland killing 32 people.
  • 1995 – During the Croatian War of Independence, the Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina fires cluster bombs at Zagreb, killing seven and wounding over 175 civilians.
  • 1998 – The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy.
  • 1999Panamanian general election, 1999: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
  • 2000 – President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.
  • 2004 – The Yelwa massacre concludes. It began on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims killed 78 Christians at Yelwa. In response, about 630 Muslims were killed by Christians on May 2nd.
  • 2008Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.
  • 2008 – Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
  • 2011Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted man, is killed by the United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
  • 2011 – An E. coli outbreak strikes Europe, mostly in Germany, leaving more than 30 people dead and many others sick from the bacteria outbreak.
  • 2011 – The 41st Canadian federal election is held, in which the governing Conservative Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper, increases their number of seats from a minority to a majority.
  • 2012 – A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction, setting a new world record for a work of art at auction.
  • 2014Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing.

Births[]

  • 1360Yongle Emperor of China (d. 1424)
  • 1451René II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)
  • 1458Eleanor of Viseu (d. 1525)
  • 1533Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (d. 1596)
  • 1551William Camden, English historian and topographer (d. 1623)
  • 1601Athanasius Kircher, German priest and scholar (d. 1680)
  • 1660Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1725)
  • 1695Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French painter and architect (d. 1766)
  • 1702Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian and theosopher (d. 1782)
  • 1707Jean-Baptiste Barrière, French cellist and composer (d. 1747)
  • 1729Catherine the Great of Russia (d. 1796)
  • 1737William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1805)
  • 1740Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1821)
  • 1750John André, English soldier and spy (d. 1780)
  • 1752Ludwig August Lebrun, German oboe player and composer (d. 1790)
  • 1754Vicente Martín y Soler, Spanish composer (d. 1806)
  • 1772Novalis, German author and poet (d. 1801)
  • 1773Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher and poet (d. 1845)
  • 1797Abraham Pineo Gesner, Canadian physician and geologist (d. 1864)
  • 1802Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d. 1870)
  • 1806Catherine Labouré, French nun and saint (d. 1876)
  • 1810Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (d. 1874)
  • 1815William Buell Richards, Canadian lawyer and judge, 1st Chief Justice of Canada (d. 1889)
  • 1828Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist and photographer (d. 1915)
  • 1830Otto Staudinger, German entomologist and author (d. 1900)
  • 1843Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American engineer (d. 1929)
  • 1859Jerome K. Jerome, English author and playwright (d. 1927)
  • 1860John Scott Haldane, Scottish physiologist, physician, and academic (d. 1936)
  • 1860 – Theodor Herzl, Jewish-Austrian philosopher, journalist and author (d. 1904)
  • 1865Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d. 1909)
  • 1867Giuseppe Morello, Italian-American mobster (d. 1930)
  • 1873Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (d. 1944)
  • 1879James F. Byrnes, American stenographer and politician, 49th United States Secretary of State (d. 1972)
  • 1880Bill Horr, American football player, discus thrower, and coach (d. 1955)
  • 1881Alexander Kerensky, Russian lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Russia (d. 1970)
  • 1885Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (d. 1966)
  • 1886Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (d. 1956)
  • 1887Vernon Castle, English-American dancer (d. 1918)
  • 1887 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)
  • 1889Ki Hajar Dewantara, Indonesian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1959)
  • 1890E. E. Smith, American engineer and author (d. 1965)
  • 1892Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (d. 1918)
  • 1894Joseph Henry Woodger, English biologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1981)
  • 1895Lorenz Hart, American playwright and lyricist (d. 1943)
  • 1897John Frederick Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)
  • 1898Henry Hall, English bandleader, composer, and actor (d. 1989)
  • 1901Bob Wyatt, English cricketer (d. 1995)
  • 1902Brian Aherne, English actor (d. 1986)
  • 1903Benjamin Spock, American rower, pediatrician, and author (d. 1998)
  • 1904Bill Brandt, German-English photographer and journalist (d. 1983)
  • 1906Philippe Halsman, Latvian-American photographer (d. 1979)
  • 1907Pinky Lee, American comedian and television host (d. 1993)
  • 1910Alexander Bonnyman, Jr., American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1943)
  • 1912Axel Springer, German journalist and publisher, founded Axel Springer AG (d. 1985)
  • 1913Pietro Frua, Italian coachbuilders and car designers (d. 1983)
  • 1913 – Nigel Patrick, English actor and director (d. 1981)
  • 1913 – Aydın Sayılı, Turkish historian and academic (d. 1993)
  • 1915Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
  • 1915 – Peggy Mount, English actress (d. 2001)
  • 1917Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder
  • 1917 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (d. 2002)
  • 1920Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
  • 1920 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian-Brazilian journalist and activist (d. 2000)
  • 1920 – Vasantrao Deshpande, Indian singer and sitar player (d. 1983)
  • 1920 – Guinn Smith, American pole vaulter, soldier, and pilot (d. 2004)
  • 1921Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
  • 1922Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (d. 2007)
  • 1922 – A. M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born American journalist and author (d. 2006)
  • 1923Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (d. 2008)
  • 1924Jamal Abro, Pakistani lawyer and author (d. 2004)
  • 1924 – Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2015)
  • 1924 – Hugh Cortazzi, English soldier, historian, and diplomat, British Ambassador to Japan
  • 1925John Neville, English-Canadian actor (d. 2011)
  • 1926Gérard D. Levesque, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1993)
  • 1927Ray Barrett, Australian actor and singer (d. 2009)
  • 1928Hans Trass, Estonian ecologist and botanist
  • 1929Édouard Balladur, Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France
  • 1929 – James Dillion, American discus thrower (d. 2010)
  • 1929 – Link Wray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
  • 1930Yoram Kaniuk, Israeli painter and critic (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Marco Pannella, Italian journalist and politician
  • 1931Phil Bruns, American actor and stuntman (d. 2012)
  • 1931 – Martha Grimes, American author and poet
  • 1932Maury Allen, American journalist, actor, and author (d. 2010)
  • 1933Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
  • 1935Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager
  • 1936Norma Aleandro, Argentinian actress, director, and screenwriter
  • 1936 – Engelbert Humperdinck, English singer and pianist
  • 1936 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (d. 1972)
  • 1937Klaus Enders, German motorcycle sidecar racer
  • 1937 – Lorenzo Music, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1938Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d. 1996)
  • 1939Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist and engineer
  • 1941Tony Adamowicz, American race car driver
  • 1941 – Bruce Cameron, Scottish bishop
  • 1941 – Clay Carroll, American baseball player
  • 1942Jacques Rogge, Belgian businessman
  • 1943Sundar Popo, Indo-Trinidadian chutney musician (d. 2000)
  • 1944Robert G. W. Anderson, English chemist, historian, and curator
  • 1944 – Bob Henrit, English drummer
  • 1945Randy Cain, American soul singer (d. 2009)
  • 1945 – Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
  • 1945 – Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan-American model, actress, and activist
  • 1946Peter L. Benson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2011)
  • 1946 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
  • 1946 – David Suchet, English actor
  • 1946 – Indrek Tart, Estonian sociologist and poet
  • 1947James Dyson, English businessman, founded the Dyson Company
  • 1947 – Lynda Myles, English screenwriter and producer
  • 1948Larry Gatlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
  • 1949Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener and author
  • 1950Simon Gaskell, English chemist and academic
  • 1950 – Duncan Gay, Australian businessman and politician
  • 1950 – Lou Gramm, American rock singer-songwriter
  • 1950 – Richard Ground English lawyer and judge (d. 2014)
  • 1951John Glascock, English singer and bass player (d. 1979)
  • 1952 – Chris Anderson Australian rugby league player and coach
  • 1952 – Christine Baranski, American actress and singer
  • 1952 – Isla St Clair, Scottish singer and actress
  • 1953Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor and director
  • 1954Elliot Goldenthal, American composer and conductor
  • 1954 – Dawn Primarolo, English politician
  • 1954 – Stephen Venables, English mountaineer and author
  • 1955Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
  • 1956Régis Labeaume, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Quebec City
  • 1958Yasushi Akimoto, Japanese songwriter and producer
  • 1958 – Stanislav Levý, Czech footballer and manager
  • 1958 – David O'Leary, English-Irish footballer and manager
  • 1959Alan Best, Canadian animator, director, and producer
  • 1959 – Tony Wakeford, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
  • 1960Stephen Daldry, English director and producer
  • 1961Steve James, English snooker player
  • 1961 – Sophie Thibault, Canadian journalist
  • 1961 – Phil Vickery, English chef and author
  • 1962Elizabeth Berridge (actress), American actress
  • 1962 – Jimmy White, English snooker player
  • 1965Félix José, Dominican-American baseball player
  • 1966Uwe Freiler, German footballer
  • 1966 – Margus Kolga, Estonian diplomat
  • 1966 – Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and politician
  • 1967Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1995)
  • 1967 – Mika Brzezinski, American journalist and author
  • 1967 – David Rocastle, English footballer (d. 2001)
  • 1968Jeff Agoos, Swiss-American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster
  • 1968 – Julia Hartley-Brewer, English broadcaster and columnist
  • 1968 – Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1969Brian Lara, Trinidadian cricketer
  • 1970Marco Walker, Swiss footballer and coach
  • 1971Musashimaru Kōyō, Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna
  • 1971 – Fatima Yusuf, Nigerian sprinter
  • 1972Paul Adcock, English footballer
  • 1972 – Ahti Heinla, Estonian programmer and businessman, co-developed Skype
  • 1972 – Dwayne Johnson, American-Canadian wrestler, actor, and producer
  • 1973Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German director and screenwriter
  • 1974Horacio Carbonari, Argentinian footballer and manager
  • 1974 – Andy Johnson, English-Welsh footballer
  • 1974 – Janek Meet, Estonian footballer
  • 1975David Beckham, English footballer, coach, and model
  • 1976Jeff Gutt, American singer-songwriter
  • 1977Brian Cardinal, American basketball player
  • 1977 – Jan Fitschen, German runner
  • 1977 – Luke Hudson, American baseball player
  • 1977 – Fredrik Malm, Swedish journalist and politician
  • 1977 – Jenna von Oÿ, American actress and singer
  • 1978Melvin Ely, American basketball player
  • 1978 – Mike Weaver, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1979 – Ioannis Kanotidis, Greek footballer
  • 1980Tim Borowski, German footballer
  • 1980 – Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canadian skateboarder
  • 1980 – Ellie Kemper, American actress, comedian and writer
  • 1980 – Zat Knight, English footballer
  • 1980 – Artūras Masiulis, Lithuanian basketball player
  • 1980 – Troy Murphy, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Lassaâd Ouertani, Tunisian footballer (d. 2013)
  • 1980 – Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1981Robert Buckley, American actor
  • 1981 – Chris Kirkland, English footballer
  • 1981 – Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer
  • 1981 – Matt Murray, English footballer
  • 1981 – Rina Satō, Japanese voice actress and singer
  • 1982Timothy Benjamin, Welsh sprinter
  • 1982 – Johan Botha, South African cricketer
  • 1983Alessandro Diamanti, Italian footballer
  • 1983 – Maynor Figueroa, Honduran footballer
  • 1983 – Tina Maze, Slovenian skier
  • 1983 – Daniel Sordo, Spanish race car driver
  • 1983 – Ove Vanebo, Norwegian politician
  • 1984Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer
  • 1984 – Thabo Sefolosha, Swiss basketball player
  • 1985Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1985 – Kyle Busch, American race car driver
  • 1985 – Ashley Harkleroad, American tennis player
  • 1985 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
  • 1985 – David Nugent, English footballer
  • 1985 – Jarrod Saltalamacchia, American baseball player
  • 1986Katie O'Brien, British tennis player
  • 1987Nana Kitade, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress
  • 1987 – Pat McAfee, American football player
  • 1987 – Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1988Neftalí Feliz, Dominican baseball player
  • 1988 – Stephen Henderson, Irish footballer
  • 1989Jeanette Pohlen, American basketball player
  • 1990Paul George, American basketball player
  • 1991Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean actor and singer
  • 1992María Teresa Torró Flor, Spanish tennis player
  • 1993Owain Doull, Welsh track cyclist
  • 1993 – Isyana Sarasvati, Indonesian female singer
  • 1994Yook Sungjae, South Korean singer, actor, and dancer
  • 2015Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, British royal, and fourth in line to the British throne

Deaths[]

  • 373Athanasius of Alexandria, Egyptian bishop and saint (b. 298)
  • 649Marutha of Tikrit, Persian theologian of the Syriac Orthodox Church (b. 565)
  • 821Liu Zong, general of the Tang Dynasty
  • 907Boris I of Bulgaria
  • 1219Leo I, King of Armenia (b. 1150)
  • 1230William de Braose, English son of Reginald de Braose (b. 1197)
  • 1293Meir of Rothenburg, German rabbi (b. c.1215)
  • 1300Blanche of Artois (b. 1248)
  • 1450William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English admiral (b. 1396)
  • 1519Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1452)
  • 1564Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal (b. 1500)
  • 1627Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, Italian composer and educator (b. 1560)
  • 1667George Wither, English poet and author (b. 1588)
  • 1683Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and mathematician (b. 1613)
  • 1711Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1641)
  • 1799Juan Vicente de Güemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo (b. 1740)
  • 1802Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch general and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch Gold Coast (b. 1762)
  • 1810Henry Jerome de Salis, English priest (b. 1740)
  • 1819Mary Moser, English painter and academic (b. 1744)
  • 1857Alfred de Musset, French dramatist, poet, and novelist (b. 1810)
  • 1864Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer and educator (b. 1791)
  • 1880Eberhard Anheuser, German-American businessman, co-founded Anheuser-Busch (b. 1805)
  • 1880 – Tom Wills, Australian cricketer, co-created Australian rules football (b. 1835)
  • 1885Terézia Zakoucs, Hungarian-Slovene author (b. 1817)
  • 1915Clara Immerwahr, German chemist (b. 1870)
  • 1918Jüri Vilms, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1889)
  • 1925Antun Branko Šimić, Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian poet (b. 1898)
  • 1927Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (b. 1866)
  • 1929Charalambos Tseroulis, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister for Military Affairs (b. 1879)
  • 1941Penelope Delta, Greek author (b. 1874)
  • 1945Martin Bormann, German politician (b. 1900)
  • 1945 – Joe Corbett, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1875)
  • 1947Dorothea Binz, German SS officer (b. 1920)
  • 1953Wallace Bryant, American archer (b. 1863)
  • 1957Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1908)
  • 1963Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, peer, politician, poet, author and newspaper editor (b. 1884)
  • 1964Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (b. 1879)
  • 1969Franz von Papen, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1879)
  • 1972J. Edgar Hoover, American 1st director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (b. 1895)
  • 1974James O. Richardson, American admiral (b. 1878)
  • 1979Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
  • 1980Clarrie Grimmett, New Zealand-Australian cricketer (b. 1891)
  • 1980 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (b. 1908)
  • 1983Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
  • 1984Jack Barry, American game show host and producer, co-founded Barry & Enright Productions (b. 1918)
  • 1984 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1913)
  • 1985Attilio Bettega, Italian race car driver (b. 1951)
  • 1985 – Larry Clinton, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1909)
  • 1986Sergio Cresto, American race car driver (b. 1956)
  • 1986 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish race car driver (b. 1956)
  • 1989Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author (b. 1902)
  • 1989 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (b. 1906)
  • 1990David Rappaport, English-American actor (b. 1951)
  • 1991Ronald McKie, Australian journalist and author (b. 1909)
  • 1992Wilbur Mills, American lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
  • 1993André Moynet, French race car driver, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
  • 1994Dorothy Marie Donnelly, American poet and author (b. 1903)
  • 1995John Bunting, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (b. 1918)
  • 1995 – Michael Hordern, English actor (b. 1911)
  • 1997John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
  • 1997 – Paulo Freire, Brazilian philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
  • 1998hide, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1964)
  • 1998 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (b. 1961)
  • 1998 – Gene Raymond, American actor (b. 1908)
  • 1999Douglas Harkness, Canadian colonel and politician (b. 1903)
  • 1999 – Oliver Reed, English actor (b. 1938)
  • 1999 – Robin Humphreys, British scholar of Latin America (b. 1907)
  • 2000Sundar Popo, Trinidadian musician (b. 1943)
  • 2002W. T. Tutte, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1917)
  • 2005Wee Kim Wee, Singaporean journalist and politician, 4th President of Singapore (b. 1915)
  • 2006Louis Rukeyser, American journalist and author (b. 1933)
  • 2007Brad McGann, New Zealand director and screenwriter (b. 1964)
  • 2008Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (b. 1940)
  • 2008 – Izold Pustõlnik, Ukrainian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1938)
  • 2009Marilyn French, American author and academic (b. 1929)
  • 2009 – Kiyoshiro Imawano, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1951)
  • 2009 – Jack Kemp, American football player and politician, 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (b. 1935)
  • 2010Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (b. 1943)
  • 2011Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founder of Al-Qaeda (b. 1957)
  • 2012Fernando Lopes, Portuguese director and screenwriter (b. 1935)
  • 2012 – Tufan Miñnullin, Russian playwright and politician (b. 1936)
  • 2012 – Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Indonesian physician and politician, Indonesian Minister of Health (b. 1955)
  • 2012 – Akira Tonomura, Japanese physicist, author, and academic (b. 1942)
  • 2013Ernie Field, English boxer (b. 1943)
  • 2013 – Jeff Hanneman, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1964)
  • 2013 – Joseph P. McFadden, American bishop (b. 1947)
  • 2013 – Dvora Omer, Israeli author and educator (b. 1932)
  • 2013 – Ivan Turina, Croatian footballer (b. 1980)
  • 2013 – Charles Banks Wilson, American painter and illustrator (b. 1918)
  • 2014Tomás Balduino, Brazilian bishop (b. 1922)
  • 2014 – Žarko Petan, Slovenian director, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
  • 2014 – Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., American actor (b. 1918)
  • 2015Stuart Archer, English colonel and architect (b. 1915)
  • 2015 – Michael Blake, American author and screenwriter (b. 1945)
  • 2015 – Guy Carawan, American singer and musicologist (b. 1927)
  • 2015 – Maya Plisetskaya, Russian-Lithuanian ballerina, choreographer, actress, and director (b. 1925)
  • 2015 – Ruth Rendell, English author (b. 1930)
  • 2016 – Afeni Shakur, American music businesswoman, activist, and Black Panther (b. 1947)


Holidays and observances[]

  • Christian feast day:
    • Athanasius of Alexandria (Western Christianity)
    • Boris I of Bulgaria (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
    • Germanus of Normandy
    • Waldebert (Roman Catholic Church)
    • May 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • The last day of the Festival of Ridván (Bahá'í Faith) (Note that this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March Equinox)
  • Anniversary of the Dos de Mayo Uprising (Community of Madrid, Spain)
  • Birth Anniversary of Third Druk Gyalpo (Bhutan)
  • Flag Day (Poland)
  • Indonesia National Education Day
  • Teachers' Day (Iran)

External links[]


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