See what makes May 1 special at Famous Daily.
History, birthdays, holiday, and a quote!
What happened on May 1
- May 1, 0305 Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor.
- May 1, 1045 Gregory VI is appointed Pope.
- May 1, 1048 Bishop Bernold flees St Pieterskerk for Utrecht Netherlands
- May 1, 1171 "Death - Dermot MacMurrough last Irish king of Leinster, dies"
- May 1, 1238 Birthday - Magnus VI Lagabuter King of Norway (1263-80)
- May 1, 1245 "Birthday - Philippe III Poissy Yvelines France, King of France (1270-85)"
- May 1, 1277 "Death - Stefanus IV Uros I de Great King of Serbia (1243-76), dies"
- May 1, 1308 "Death - Albrecht I van Habsburg German King (1298-1308), murdered"
- May 1, 1394 "Ekiho, exorcised the Zen temple & it's surroundings from an old badger"
- May 1, 1447 "Death - Louis VII Duke of Baveria (1413-43), dies"
- May 1, 1456 "Death - Hugues de Lannoy Flemish viceroy of Holland/Zealand, dies"
- May 1, 1471 "Death - Thomas a Kempis spiritual writer (Navolging of Christ), dies at 91"
- May 1, 1493 "Birthday - Phillippus Paracelsus Switzerland, physician/alchemist"
- May 1, 1523 Danish king Christian III arrives in Veere
- May 1, 1528 P nfilo the Narva‚z begins exploration to with 350 men to Florida
- May 1, 1544 Turkish troops occupy Hungary
- May 1, 1545 "Birthday - Franciscus Junius [Franois du Jon], French/Netherlands calvinist theologist"
- May 1, 1551 Council of Trente resumes
- May 1, 1555 "Death - Marcellus II [Marcello Cervini] Italian Pope (1555), dies at 53"
- May 1, 1567 Birthday - Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt Dutch royal painter
- May 1, 1572 "Death - Pius V [Antonio Ghislieri] great-inquisiteur/Pope (1566-72), dies"
- May 1, 1576 "Stefan Batory, the reigning Prince of Transylvania, marries Anna Jagiellon and they become the co-rulers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth."
- May 1, 1577 Birthday - Franois van Kinschot Dutch treasurer
- May 1, 1582 Birthday - Marco da Gagliano Italian opera composer
- May 1, 1592 Birthday - Johann A Schall von Bell German missionaries/astronomer
- May 1, 1598 Jacob van Necks merchant fleet departs for Java
- May 1, 1625 Portuguese & Spanish expedition recaptures Salvador (Bahia)
- May 1, 1628 Meiboom in Quincy MA degenerates into orgy with Indian women
- May 1, 1633 Birthday - Sbastien le Prestre de Vauban French fortress architect
- May 1, 1672 "Birthday - Joseph Addison England, essayist (Spectator)"
- May 1, 1679 "Death - Esaias Reusner composer, dies at 43"
- May 1, 1682 Louis XIV & his court inaugurate Paris Observatory
- May 1, 1700 "Death - John Dryden English poet/playwright (Rival Ladies), dies"
- May 1, 1703 Battle at Rultusk: Swedish army beats Russians
- May 1, 1703 "Death - Kiva Yoshinaka Japanese monarch, murdered"
- May 1, 1704 Boston Newsletter publishes first newspaper ad
- May 1, 1707 "England, Wales & Scotland form UK of Great Britain"
- May 1, 1707 The Act of Union joins the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- May 1, 1711 Arch duke Karel of Austria/Hungarian rebellion sign Peace of Szatmar
- May 1, 1725 Spain & Austria sign trade treaty
- May 1, 1733 "Death - Nicolas Coustou French sculptor (San), dies at 75"
- May 1, 1735 Birthday - John H van Kinsbergen Dutch Lieutenant-Admiral/founder of Dutch Marines Corps
- May 1, 1751 The first cricket match is played in America.
- May 1, 1753 "Publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature."
- May 1, 1757 Austria & France divide Prussia
- May 1, 1759 "Birthday - Jacob Albright [Albrecht], German/US predictor"
- May 1, 1759 "British fleet occupies Guadeloupe, West-Indies, on France"
- May 1, 1764 Birthday - Benjamin Henry Latrobe engineer/architect (built Capitol)
- May 1, 1764 Birthday - Gottfried Rieger composer
- May 1, 1769 "Birthday - Arthur Wellesley Duke of Wellington, British PM (C) (1828-30)"
- May 1, 1770 Forby Sutherland is laid to rest at Botany Bay. He is the first European to be buried in New South Wales.
- May 1, 1771 Birthday - George Guest composer
- May 1, 1772 "Death - Gottfried Achenwall German lawyer/statistics/economist, dies at 52"
- May 1, 1775 Birthday - Jacob-Joseph-Balthasar Martinn composer
- May 1, 1776 Adam Weishaupt founds the secret society of Illuminati
- May 1, 1776 "Establishment of the Illuminati in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria), by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt."
- May 1, 1781 Emperor Jozef II decrees protection of population
- May 1, 1786 "Mozart's opera ""Marriage of Figaro"" premieres in Wien (Vienna)"
- May 1, 1786 "Opening night of the opera The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna, Italy."
- May 1, 1786 "Wolfgang Mozart premieres his opera, The Marriage of Figaro, in Vienna"
- May 1, 1800 "Birthday - Ret Thomas Aloysius Dornin Commander (Union Navy), died in 1874"
- May 1, 1807 "Birthday - John Bankhead ""Prince John"" Magruder Major General (Confederate Army)"
- May 1, 1818 Birthday - Jos Amador de los Ros Spanish historian/poet
- May 1, 1819 "Birthday - William Steele Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1885"
- May 1, 1822 John Phillips becomes first mayor of Boston
- May 1, 1825 "Birthday - George Inness US landscape painter (""Delaware Water Gap"")"
- May 1, 1829 Birthday - Jos M de Alencar Brazilian writer/minister of Justice
- May 1, 1830 "Birthday - Mary Harris Jones [Mother Jones], hell-raiser"
- May 1, 1831 "Death - Antonius van Alphen apostle vicar of De Bosch, dies at 82"
- May 1, 1833 The passenger ship Lady of the Lake sinks after striking an iceberg
- May 1, 1834 The British colonies abolish slavery.
- May 1, 1835 "Birthday - Alfred Napoleon Alexander ""Natti"" Duffie Brigadier General (Union volunteers)"
- May 1, 1839 Birthday - Chardonnet inventor (rayon)
- May 1, 1840 "The first adhesive postage stamps (""Penny Blacks"" from England) issued"
- May 1, 1840 "The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, was issued in the United Kingdom."
- May 1, 1841 The first emigrant wagon train leaves Independence MO for California
- May 1, 1844 Samuel Morse sends first telegraphic message
- May 1, 1844 Whig convention nominates Henry Clay as presidential candidate
- May 1, 1846 Ida Pfeiffer (48) begins trip around world
- May 1, 1848 "The Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta was founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania."
- May 1, 1850 John Geary becomes first San Fransisco mayor
- May 1, 1851 Birthday - Eberhard Nestle German orintalist/biblical scholar
- May 1, 1851 "Great Exhibition opens in London's Hyde Park, at Crystal Palace"
- May 1, 1851 The Great Exhibition opens in London by Queen Victoria.
- May 1, 1852 Birthday - Calamity [Martha] Jane [Burke] frontier adventurer/Indian fighter
- May 1, 1853 Argentina adopts it's constitution
- May 1, 1857 "William Walker, conqueror of Nicaragua, surrenders to US Navy"
- May 1, 1858 Birthday - Anthony Johnson Showalter composer
- May 1, 1859 Birthday - Bohuslav Jeremias composer
- May 1, 1859 Birthday - Willem J Leyds Dutch/South Africa lawyer/politician/diplomat
- May 1, 1861 Lee orders Confederate troops under T J Jackson to Harper's Ferry
- May 1, 1862 Birthday - Anthony G Krller entrepreneur/government advisor/husband of Helene Mller
- May 1, 1862 Birthday - Marcel Prvost French publisher/writer (Les demis-vierges)
- May 1, 1862 Union captain David Farragut conquers New Orleans
- May 1, 1863 "Battle of Chancellorsville VA (29,000 injured or died)"
- May 1, 1863 "Battle of Port Gibson, Mississippi"
- May 1, 1863 "Confederate ""National Flag"" replaces ""Stars & Bars"""
- May 1, 1863 Confederate congress passed resolution to kill black soldiers
- May 1, 1863 "Death - Edward Dorr Tracy US Confederate Brigadier-General, dies in battle at 29"
- May 1, 1864 "Atlanta campaign, Georgia"
- May 1, 1864 Battle at Alexandria LA (Red River Campaign)
- May 1, 1864 Wilderness campaign
- May 1, 1866 American Equal Rights Association forms
- May 1, 1867 "Reconstruction of South begins, black voter registration"
- May 1, 1869 """Folies-BergŠre"" opens in Paris France"
- May 1, 1869 A colt is reported killed by a meteorite near New Concord OH
- May 1, 1869 Death - ? colt reported killed by a meteorite near New Concord OH
- May 1, 1869 The Folies Bergre opens in Paris.
- May 1, 1870 Death - Francisco Solano Lpez fieldmarshal/President of Paraguay
- May 1, 1872 "Birthday - Hugo Alfvn Stockholm Sweden, composer (Midsommarvaka)"
- May 1, 1872 "Death - Amalia princess of Weimar/wife of prince Hendrik the Navigator, dies"
- May 1, 1873 "Death - David Livingstone British physician/explorer (Africa), dies at 60"
- May 1, 1873 Emperor Franz Jozef opens 5th World's Fair in Wien (Vienna)
- May 1, 1873 The first US postal card issued
- May 1, 1874 "Death - Vilem Blodek composer, dies at 39"
- May 1, 1875 "238 members of ""Whiskey Ring"" accused of anti-US activities"
- May 1, 1880 Birthday - Conrad Weiss German writer/poet (Tantum dic verbo)
- May 1, 1881 "Birthday - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin France, philosopher/paleontologist"
- May 1, 1883 """Buffalo Bill"" Cody put on his first Wild West Show"
- May 1, 1883 Amsterdam World's Fair opens
- May 1, 1884 Birthday - Felipe Boero composer
- May 1, 1884 Proclamation of the demand for eight-hour workday in the United States.
- May 1, 1885 "Maria ""Goeie Mie"" Swanenburg sentence to life for killing 27 in Netherlands"
- May 1, 1886 Death - Conrad Busken Huet writer (Country of Rubens)
- May 1, 1886 "Death - Heinrich Franz Daniel Stiehl composer, dies at 56"
- May 1, 1886 The start of the general strike which eventually wins the eight-hour workday in the United States. These events are today commemorated as May Day or Labor Day in most industrialized countries.
- May 1, 1886 "US general strike for 8 hour day, begins"
- May 1, 1887 Birthday - Alan Gordon Cunningham Irish/British general/director of Palestine (1945-48)
- May 1, 1889 Bayer introduces aspirin in powder form (Germany)
- May 1, 1892 "Birthday - Howard Barlow Plain City OH, conductor (Voice of Firestone)"
- May 1, 1892 "Death - Willem A Scholten manufacturer (potatoes), dies at 89"
- May 1, 1892 "US Quarantine Station opens on Angel Island, San Fransisco Bay"
- May 1, 1893 The World's Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago.
- May 1, 1893 World Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago
- May 1, 1895 "Birthday - Leo Sowerby Grand Rapids MI, composer (Pulitzer 1946)"
- May 1, 1896 "Death - Naser ed-Din shah of Persia (1848-96), murdered at 65"
- May 1, 1898 "Birthday - Eugene R Black US, President of World Bank (1953-62)"
- May 1, 1898 "Death - Alphonse Wauters Belgian historian, dies at 81"
- May 1, 1898 "George Dewey commands, ""You may fire when you are ready, Gridley"" as US route Spanish fleet at Manila"
- May 1, 1899 "Birthday - Jn Leifs Iceland, composer/conductor"
- May 1, 1900 "Birthday - Ignazio Silone Italy, novelist/politician (Bread and Wine)"
- May 1, 1900 "Death - Mihly von Munkcsy [Michael von Lieb], German painter, dies at 56"
- May 1, 1900 Premature blast collapses mine tunnel killing 200 at Scofield UT
- May 1, 1900 "The Scofield mine disaster kills 200 in Scofield, Utah in the now fifth-worst mining accident in United States history."
- May 1, 1901 Pan-American Exposition opens in Buffalo
- May 1, 1901 "The Pan-American Exposition opens in Buffalo, New York."
- May 1, 1902 "Death - John Glover English chemist (production sulfuric acid), dies at 85"
- May 1, 1903 "Death - Arthur Haygarth cricketer (compiler of ""Scores & Biographies""), dies"
- May 1, 1903 "Death - Luigi Arditi violist/composer, dies at 80"
- May 1, 1904 "Death - Antonn Dvorak Czechoslovakia, composer (Slavic Dancing), dies at 62"
- May 1, 1905 "Birthday - Leila Hyams New York NY, actress (Big House, Ruggles of Red Gap)"
- May 1, 1905 Birthday - Nikolai Tikhonov Soviet PM (1980-85)
- May 1, 1907 Belgian Government of De Trooz forms
- May 1, 1907 Birthday - Jan Pauw CEO (Aruban Theater Group)
- May 1, 1907 "Birthday - Kate Smith Greenville AL, singer (God Bless America)/Philadelphia Flyer luck charm"
- May 1, 1907 Indian Mine Laws passes (concessions from Netherlands-Indies)
- May 1, 1908 "Birthday - Giovanni Guareschi Italian writer (Don Camillo, Peppone)"
- May 1, 1908 "World's most intense rain shower (2.47"" in 3 minutes) at Portobelo Panama"
- May 1, 1909 Birthday - Ethel Jane Cain original UK Speaking Clock voice
- May 1, 1909 Birthday - George Melachrino composer
- May 1, 1909 Birthday - Yannis Ritsos Greek poet
- May 1, 1909 Netherlands begins unity with Belgium
- May 1, 1909 Prohibition goes into effect in Ontario.
- May 1, 1910 "Birthday - Cliff Battles Akron OH, NFL hall of famer (Braves, Redskins)"
- May 1, 1912 Beverly Hills Hotel opens
- May 1, 1912 Birthday - Anna Pollak mezzo-soprano
- May 1, 1912 Birthday - Felipe Padilla de Leon composer
- May 1, 1912 Canada issues first five-dollar bank note.
- May 1, 1913 "Birthday - Walter Susskind Praha (Prague) Czechoslovakia, conductor"
- May 1, 1913 The Australian Government releases the first commonwealth banknote ? ten shillings.
- May 1, 1914 China's first president Yuan Shikai wins dictatorial qualification
- May 1, 1915 "British Lusitania leaves New York, for Liverpool"
- May 1, 1915 German submarine sinks US ship Gulflight
- May 1, 1915 "RMS Lusitania departs New York City on her two hundred and second and final crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship was torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives, including 128 Americans, rousing American sentiment against Germany."
- May 1, 1916 "Birthday - Glenn Ford Qubec Canada, actor (Cade's County, Big Heat, Midway)"
- May 1, 1916 "Birthday - Jack Parr Canton OH, TV host (Jack Paar Show)"
- May 1, 1916 "Birthday - Jane Jacobs Scranton PA, urbanologist"
- May 1, 1917 "Birthday - Danielle Darrieux France, actress (Alexander the Great, Mayerling)"
- May 1, 1917 "Birthday - John Beradino Los Angeles CA, actor (Steve Hardy-General Hospital)"
- May 1, 1917 "Birthday - Louis G ""Lo"" van Hensbergen actor/author (Amsterdam Affair)"
- May 1, 1917 "Death - Jos E Rodo Uruguayan writer (Motivos de proteo), dies"
- May 1, 1919 Birthday - Alwyn Farquharson Scottish clan-captain/large landowner
- May 1, 1919 "Birthday - Dan O'Herlihy Ireland, actor (Fail Safe, Last Starfighter, Robocop)"
- May 1, 1919 "Mount Kelud (Indonesia) erupts, boiling crater lake which broke through crater wall killing 5,000 people in 104 small villages"
- May 1, 1919 "Mount Kelud erupts in Indonesia, killing 5,000 people."
- May 1, 1920 Belgian-Luxembourg toll tunnel opens
- May 1, 1921 Birthday - 12th Lord Middleton English large landowner/multi-millionaire
- May 1, 1921 Birthday - Paul Daels president (Flemish Iron Pilgrimage committee)
- May 1, 1921 "Death - Louis Campbell-Tipton composer, dies at 43"
- May 1, 1921 Drusian sultan Pasja al-Atrasj elected Governor of Suwayda
- May 1, 1922 "Birthday - Louis Nye Hartford CT, comedian (Steve Allen, Happy Days)"
- May 1, 1923 "Birthday - Joseph Heller Brooklyn NY, novelist (Catch-22, 1963 Arts & Letters Award)"
- May 1, 1924 Admiral Paul Koundouri¢tis becomes President of Greece
- May 1, 1924 "Birthday - Art Fleming Bronx NY, TV host (Jeopardy)"
- May 1, 1924 Birthday - Earl George composer
- May 1, 1924 Birthday - Enrico Josif composer
- May 1, 1924 Birthday - Patricia Roberts Harris 1st US black woman cabinet member
- May 1, 1924 Birthday - Terry Southern writer
- May 1, 1924 "Death - August Cuppens Flemish author (Limburgs Driemanschap), dies at 62"
- May 1, 1925 "Birthday - Chuck Bednarik Pennsylvania, NFL hall of fame center/linebacker (Philadelphia)"
- May 1, 1925 "Birthday - Malcolm Scott Carpenter Boulder CO, astronaut (Mercury 7-Aurora 7)"
- May 1, 1925 Cyprus becomes a British Crown Colony
- May 1, 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."
- May 1, 1926 British coal-miners go on strike
- May 1, 1926 "Death - Nicolaus Adriani translator (Middle-Celebes Language), dies at 60"
- May 1, 1926 Satchel Paige makes pitching debut in Negro Southern League
- May 1, 1927 "Birthday - Greta Andersen Denmark, 100 meter freestyle swimmer (Olympics-gold-1948)"
- May 1, 1927 "Birthday - Harry [Harold George Jr] Belafonte New York NY, calypso singer (The Banana Boat Song)"
- May 1, 1927 Birthday - Israr Ali cricket pace bowler (Pakistan in 4 Tests 1952-59)
- May 1, 1927 Birthday - Lord Bathurst English earl/large landowner/multi-millionaire
- May 1, 1927 Birthday - Roland Verhavert Flemish screen writer (Sea Gulls Die in the Harbor)
- May 1, 1927 Birthday - William Mitchell Byers musician
- May 1, 1927 The first British airliner to serve cooked meals (Imperial Airways)
- May 1, 1927 The first cooked meals on a scheduled flight are introduced on an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris.
- May 1, 1927 The Union Labor Life Insurance Company is founded by the American Federation of Labor.
- May 1, 1928 "6 children die & 10 injured by hailstones in Klausenburg, Romania"
- May 1, 1928 Birthday - Raoul Servais Belgian cartoonist/president (l'ASIFA)
- May 1, 1928 Drunken fascist Erich Wichman attacks VARA-radio transmitter
- May 1, 1928 Lei Day begun (a Hawaiian celebration)
- May 1, 1928 Pitcairn Airlines (later Eastern) begins service
- May 1, 1929 "Birthday - Sonny James [James Loden] Hackelburg AL, rocker (Young Love)"
- May 1, 1929 Birthday - Sonny Ramadhin cricket spin bowler (great West Indies spin bowler)
- May 1, 1929 Farm workers strike begins in East-Groningen
- May 1, 1929 "In Iran a 7.4 earthquake resulted in 3,300 deaths. One of the world's deadliest earthquakes."
- May 1, 1929 Police kill 19 Mayday demonstrators in Berlin
- May 1, 1930 Birthday - Little Walter [Marion Walter Jacobs] rocker
- May 1, 1930 "Birthday - Ollie Matson NFL halfback (Cardinals, Rams, Lions, Eagles)"
- May 1, 1930 "Bradman scores 236 Australia vs Worcestershire, his first f-class innings in England"
- May 1, 1930 The dwarf planet Pluto is officially named.
- May 1, 1931 Empire State Building opens in New York NY
- May 1, 1931 Norway claims Peter I Island
- May 1, 1931 Singer Kate Smith begins her long-running radio program on CBS
- May 1, 1931 The 102-story Empire State Building is dedicated today in New York City
- May 1, 1931 The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.
- May 1, 1932 "Death - Paul Doumer President of France (1931-32), assassinated by Russia's Paul Gargalov"
- May 1, 1932 First Suriname union congress at Paramaribo
- May 1, 1933 "Birthday - Joan Hackett East Harlem New York NY, actress (Defenders, Another Day)"
- May 1, 1933 Birthday - Uwe Gremann writer
- May 1, 1934 """Der Sturmer's"" special 14-page issue accuses Jews of using Christian blood in their Passover baking and in other Judaic rituals."
- May 1, 1934 Austria signs pact with Vatican
- May 1, 1934 Birthday - Alette Beaujon Curaaos poet (Gedichten on the Bay & Elsewhere)
- May 1, 1934 "Death - Alexander Alexandrovich Davidenko composer, dies at 35"
- May 1, 1934 Philippine legislature accepts US proposal for independence
- May 1, 1935 Boulder Dam completed
- May 1, 1935 Canada's first silver dollar is circulated
- May 1, 1935 "Royal Canadian Mint circulates Canada's first silver dollar, to commemorate the silver jubilee of the reign of George V"
- May 1, 1936 FBI's J Edgar Hoover arrests Alvin Karpis
- May 1, 1937 Birthday - Bo Nilsson Swedish composer (Doppelspiel)
- May 1, 1937 "Death - Snitz Edwards actor (Phantom of the Opera, College), dies at 75"
- May 1, 1937 FDR signs act of neutrality
- May 1, 1939 Batman Comics hit the street
- May 1, 1939 "Birthday - Judy Collins Seattle WA, singer (Send in the Clowns, Both Sides Now, Clouds)"
- May 1, 1939 "Birthday - Max Robinson Richmond VA, black news anchor (ABC Evening News)"
- May 1, 1939 "Birthday - Ray Aranha Miami FL, actor (Nick-Married People)"
- May 1, 1939 "Death - Wilhelm Normann German chemist (harden van olin), dies"
- May 1, 1939 Pulitzer Prize awarded to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (The Yearling)
- May 1, 1940 140 Palestinian Jews die as German planes bomb their ship
- May 1, 1940 The 1940 Olympics are cancelled
- May 1, 1940 The 1940 Summer Olympics are cancelled due to war.
- May 1, 1941 """Citizen Kane"", directed by & starring Orson Welles, premieres in New York"
- May 1, 1941 Allied evacuation from Greece completed
- May 1, 1941 "Birthday - Barbara Barendrecht [BHM Wurfbain], actress (Dirty Picture)"
- May 1, 1941 Birthday - Juraj Hatrick composer
- May 1, 1941 "Death - John R Locksmith de Brown vicar/CHU-politician, dies at 71"
- May 1, 1941 General Mills introduces Cheerios
- May 1, 1941 German assault on Tobruk
- May 1, 1941 "Orson Welles stars in Citizen Kane, premiering today in New York, NY"
- May 1, 1941 Orson Welles's Citizen Kane premieres in New York City.
- May 1, 1942 "Birthday - Stephen Macht Philadelphia PA, actor (Joe-Knots Landing, Cagney & Lacey)"
- May 1, 1942 "Japanese forces take Mandalay, Burma, in World War II while British retreat along Chindwin Valley to India."
- May 1, 1942 "Radio Orange calls to defy order to wear ""Jewish star"""
- May 1, 1942 Townsville put on invasion alert
- May 1, 1943 "Birthday - Joy Harmon St Louis MO, actress (Cool Hand Luke)"
- May 1, 1943 Final assault on Tunis by Allied troops begins.
- May 1, 1943 Food rationing begins in US
- May 1, 1943 German plane sinks boat loaded with Palestinian Jews bound for Malta
- May 1, 1943 German Wehrmacht deployed in order to break Dutch strikes
- May 1, 1944 "Birthday - Rita Coolidge Nashville TN, singer (Higher & Higher, We're All Alone)"
- May 1, 1944 Pulitzer prize awarded to Martin Flavin (Journey in the Dark)
- May 1, 1944 "Surprise attack on Weteringschans Amsterdam, fails"
- May 1, 1945 900 occupiers of Demmin Vorpommeren commit suicide
- May 1, 1945 "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""."
- May 1, 1945 Admiral Karl Doenitz forms German government
- May 1, 1945 Australian & Dutch troops lands on Tarakan
- May 1, 1945 Australia's 26th Brigade troops invade Tarakan on Borneo's east coast
- May 1, 1945 "Death - Desider Antalffy-Zsiross Hungarian organist/composer, dies at 59"
- May 1, 1945 "Death - Paul Josef Goebbels Nazi minister on propoganda, commits suicide"
- May 1, 1945 General Belgian Labor Union (ABVV) party forms
- May 1, 1945 "Radio Budapest, Hungary re-enters shortwave broadcasting after WWII"
- May 1, 1945 Seys-Inquart flees to Flensburg
- May 1, 1945 Soviet army reach Rostock
- May 1, 1945 "Soviet troops raise the Soviet Flag over the Reichstag, in Berlin."
- May 1, 1946 Birthday - Bruce Robinson actor (Story of Adele H)
- May 1, 1946 "Birthday - Jerry Weiss New York NY, rocker (Blood Sweat & Tears)"
- May 1, 1946 "Birthday - Joanna Lumley Kashmir India, actress (Ab Fab, On Her Majesty's Secret Service)"
- May 1, 1946 "Birthday - Nick Fortune [Nicholas Fortuna], rock bassist (Buckinghams Chicago)"
- May 1, 1946 Birthday - Tony Ashton rocker
- May 1, 1946 "Death - Edward Cuthbert Bairstow composer, dies at 71"
- May 1, 1946 "Death - Percy William Whitlock composer, dies at 42"
- May 1, 1946 Fieldmarshal Montgomery appointed British supreme commander
- May 1, 1946 "Mrs Emma Clarissa Clement named ""American Mother of the Year"""
- May 1, 1946 Start of 3 year Pilbara strike of Indigenous Australians.
- May 1, 1946 The Paris Peace Conference decided that the islands of the Dodecanese are to return to Greece by the Italians.
- May 1, 1947 Birthday - Carlos Ward rocker (B T Express)
- May 1, 1947 Birthday - Ghulam Abbas cricketer (scored 12 & 0 in only Test for Pakistan 1967)
- May 1, 1947 "Death - Sanner leader of Norger blood bath, executed"
- May 1, 1947 "Lieutenant General Hoyt S Vandenberg, USA, ends term as 2nd head of CIA"
- May 1, 1947 Radar for commercial & private planes first demonstrated
- May 1, 1947 "Rear Admiral Roscoe H Hillenkoetter, USN, becomes 3th director of the CIA"
- May 1, 1948 Birthday - James Wise US soul singer (Archie Bell & the Drells)
- May 1, 1948 "Death - Christos Ladas Greek minister of Justice, murdered"
- May 1, 1948 "Glenn Taylor, Idaho Senator, arrested in Birmingham AL for trying to enter a meeting through a door marked ""for Negroes"""
- May 1, 1948 North Korea proclaims itself People's Democratic Republic of Korea
- May 1, 1948 "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is established, with Kim Il-sung as president."
- May 1, 1949 "Birthday - Douglas Barr Cedar Rapids IA, actor (Howie-The Fall Guy)"
- May 1, 1949 "Birthday - Margo Miller San Fransisco CA, fencer-epee (Olympics-96)"
- May 1, 1949 "Gerard Kuiper discovers Nereid, (2nd satellite of Neptune)"
- May 1, 1950 Birthday - Marina Stepanova Russian hurdler (world record 1986)
- May 1, 1950 Guam is organized as a United States commonwealth.
- May 1, 1950 Mayor of Brussels reluctantly bans May Day parade
- May 1, 1950 New marriage laws enforced in People's Republic China
- May 1, 1951 "600,000 march for peace & freedom in Germany"
- May 1, 1951 Birthday - Gordon Greenidge cricketer (great West Indian opener 1974-91)
- May 1, 1951 Dutch Reformed Church introduces new church choir
- May 1, 1951 Mickey Mantle's first homerun
- May 1, 1951 The 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade Group sent to join United Nations forces in Korea.
- May 1, 1952 "Death - William Fox [Fried] US film pioneer (Nickelodeon), dies at 73"
- May 1, 1952 Marines take part in an atomic explosion training in Nevada
- May 1, 1952 "Mr Potato Head, introduced"
- May 1, 1952 TWA introduces tourist class
- May 1, 1953 Birthday - Elquemedo Willett cricketer (West Indies lefty spinner early 70's)
- May 1, 1953 Birthday - Felix Hanemann rocker (Zebra)
- May 1, 1953 Birthday - Mindy Moore LPGA golfer
- May 1, 1954 Birthday - Michael Scott reporter (Entertainment Tonight)
- May 1, 1954 "Birthday - Ray Parker Jr Detroit MI, rock guitarist/vocalist (Ghostbusters-Who You Gonna Call?)"
- May 1, 1954 "Birthday - Taslim Arif cricketer (Pakistan keeper/batsman, 210 vs Australia 1980)"
- May 1, 1954 "Death - Tom Tyler actor (Lost Ranch, Coyote Trails), dies at 50"
- May 1, 1954 HSA-UWC Established (Unification Church) (The Moonies)
- May 1, 1955 Birthday - Julien Wiener cricketer (Australian opening batsman 1979-80)
- May 1, 1956 "A doctor in Japan reports an ""epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system"", marking the official discovery of Minamata disease."
- May 1, 1956 "Birthday - Byron Stewart Baxter Springs KS, actor (Warren Coolidge-St Elsewhere)"
- May 1, 1956 The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
- May 1, 1957 Birthday - Dick Swett (Representative-D-NH)
- May 1, 1957 "Birthday - Paul D Ronney Los Angeles CA, ScD/astronaut (STS 83 alternate)"
- May 1, 1957 Birthday - Rick Darling cricketer (accident-prone/dashing Aussie opener 1978-79)
- May 1, 1957 Birthday - Steve Farris rock guitarist (Mr Mister)
- May 1, 1957 "Death - Grant Mitchell actor (Great Lie, Laura, Cairo, Conflict), dies at 82"
- May 1, 1957 Larry King's first radio broadcast
- May 1, 1957 US give Poland credit of $95 million
- May 1, 1957 Vanguard TV-1 booster test reaches 195 km
- May 1, 1958 Ambonese rebellion bombed Ambon/conquer Morotai
- May 1, 1958 Arturo Frondizi sworn in as President of Argentina
- May 1, 1958 "Birthday - John Diehl Cincinnati OH, actor (Detective Zito-Miami Vice)"
- May 1, 1959 "Birthday - Eddie Johnson NBA guard/forward (Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers)"
- May 1, 1959 Birthday - Paul Smith rock saxophonist (Haircut 100)
- May 1, 1959 "Death - Oscar Torp Norwegian premier, dies"
- May 1, 1959 Floyd Patterson KOs Brian London in 11 for heavyweight boxing title
- May 1, 1959 Streetcars in Ottawa replaced by buses.
- May 1, 1959 West Germany introduces 5 day work week
- May 1, 1960 "Birthday - Albert McDonald Dartmouth Nova Scotia, US canoe (alternate-Olympics-96)"
- May 1, 1960 "CIA agent Francis Gary Powers, piloting an American U-2 reconnaissance plane, is shot down over the Soviet Union near Sverdiovsk"
- May 1, 1960 "Cold War: U-2 Crisis Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Soviet Union, sparking off a diplomatic crisis."
- May 1, 1960 "Formation of western Indian state,Maharashtra."
- May 1, 1960 India's Bombay state split into Gujarat & Maharashtra states
- May 1, 1960 Pancho Gonzalez retires from tennis
- May 1, 1961 "Birthday - Charlie O'Brien Tulsa OK, catcher (Brewers, Mets, Braves, Blue Jays)"
- May 1, 1961 Birthday - Steven Cauthen jockey (1978 Kentucky Derby-Affirmed)
- May 1, 1961 Fidel Castro announces there will be no more elections in Cuba
- May 1, 1961 Tanganyika granted full internal self-government by Britain
- May 1, 1961 "The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections."
- May 1, 1962 Birthday - Gary Clark NFL wide receiver (Miami Dolphins)
- May 1, 1962 "Birthday - Paula Weishoff Hollywood CA, volleyballer (Olympics-silver-84, bronze-92, 96)"
- May 1, 1962 Birthday - Reggie Pleasant CFL cornerback (Edmonton Eskimos)
- May 1, 1962 JFK authorizes Area Redevelopment Act (ARA)
- May 1, 1962 The first French underground nuclear experiment in the Sahara
- May 1, 1963 "Birthday - Robert Seguso Minneapolis MN, tennis star"
- May 1, 1963 Indonesia takes control of Irian Jaya (west New Guinea) from Netherlands
- May 1, 1963 The first American (James Whittaker) conquers Mount Everest
- May 1, 1964 "Birthday - Bruno Ravel Paris France, rocker (Danger Danger-Screw It)"
- May 1, 1964 Birthday - Carlos Aalbers Dutch soccer player (NEC)
- May 1, 1964 Birthday - Ruth Picardie journalist
- May 1, 1964 Birthday - Sarah FE Armstrong-Jones daughter of princess Margaret & Lord Snowdon
- May 1, 1964 The first BASIC program runs on a computer (Dartmouth)
- May 1, 1965 "Battle of Dong-Yin, a naval conflict between ROC and PRC."
- May 1, 1965 "Birthday - Jon Warren Akron OH, 1.5k runner"
- May 1, 1965 "Death - Leo Spies composer, dies at 65"
- May 1, 1965 "Death - Spike Jones composer (Spike Jones Show), dies at 53"
- May 1, 1965 USSR launches Luna 5; later impacts on Moon
- May 1, 1966 "Birthday - Armando Reynoso San Luis Potosi Mxico, pitcher (Colorado Rockies)"
- May 1, 1966 "Birthday - Charlie Schlatter New York NY, actor (18 Again, Heartbreak Hotel)"
- May 1, 1966 "Birthday - Johnny Colt Cherry Point NC, rock bassist (Black Crowes-Shake Your Money Maker)"
- May 1, 1966 "Birthday - Mark Coogan Manhaset NY, marathoner (Olympics-96)"
- May 1, 1966 First tournament of the Society for Creative Anachronism.
- May 1, 1966 Last British concert by the Beatles (Empire Pool in Wembley)
- May 1, 1966 "Radio RSA, South Africa begins shortwave transmitting"
- May 1, 1966 US troops shooting targets in Cambodia
- May 1, 1967 Anastasio Somoza Debayle becomes President of Nicaragua
- May 1, 1967 "Birthday - Bill Schultz NFL/WLAF offensive tackle (Denver Broncos, Scot Claymores)"
- May 1, 1967 Birthday - Marvcus Patton NFL linebacker (Washington Redskins)
- May 1, 1967 "Birthday - Scott Coffey Hawaii, actor (Satisfaction, Shout)"
- May 1, 1967 "Birthday - Tawni Cable Salem OR, playmate (June 1989)"
- May 1, 1967 "Birthday - Yael Arad Israel, Women's half middleweight judoka (Olympics-1996)"
- May 1, 1967 Elvis Presley & Pricilla Beaulieu wed in Las Vegas
- May 1, 1967 "In Greece a 5.75-6.0 earthquake in the mountainous area of northern Arta Province, 9 were killed, 56 injured, and over 100 houses destroyed"
- May 1, 1967 Jelle Zijlstra becomes president of Netherlands Bank
- May 1, 1967 "Singer Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Beaulieu in Las Vegas, Nevada."
- May 1, 1968 Birthday - Anton Scheutjens soccer player (Roda JC)
- May 1, 1968 "Birthday - Lisa Campbell Victoria Australia, badminton player (Olympics-96)"
- May 1, 1968 "Birthday - Mark Scott Paramus NJ, rock drummer (Trixter-Give It To Me Good)"
- May 1, 1968 "Death - Harold G Nicolson English author (English sense of humor), dies at 71"
- May 1, 1969 43 Unification church couples wed in NYC
- May 1, 1969 Birthday - Billy Owens NBA forward/guard (Sacramento Kings)
- May 1, 1969 "Birthday - Bryan Marchment Scarborough, NHL defenseman (Edmonton Oilers)"
- May 1, 1969 "Birthday - Carrie Stevens Buffalo NY, playmate (June 1997)"
- May 1, 1969 Birthday - Roy Rosello singer (Menudo-Cannonball)
- May 1, 1969 "Death - Ella Logan actress (52nd Street, Woman Chases Man), dies at 56"
- May 1, 1969 "Death - George Parker cricketer (2 Tests for South Africa 1924), dies"
- May 1, 1969 Pirate Radio Station 259 (England/France) begins transmitting
- May 1, 1970 Birthday - Alex Van Pelt NFL quarterback (Buffalo Bills)
- May 1, 1970 Birthday - Allen DeGraffenreid WLAF wide receiver (Scotland Claymores)
- May 1, 1970 Birthday - Alundis Brice NFL cornerback (Dallas Cowboys)
- May 1, 1970 "Birthday - Damon Diletti Australian field hockey goal keeper (Olympics-silver-92, 96)"
- May 1, 1970 "Protests erupt in Seattle, Washington, following the announcement of President Richard Nixon that U.S. Forces in Vietnam would pursue enemy troops into Cambodia, a neutral country."
- May 1, 1971 Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) is formed to take over U.S. passenger rail service.
- May 1, 1971 Amtrak railroad begins operation
- May 1, 1971 "Amtrak, the U S passenger railroad system that combines the operations of 18 intercity railroads, goes into service"
- May 1, 1971 "Birthday - Ethan Albright NFL tackle (Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills)"
- May 1, 1971 Birthday - Jamie Marie Swenson Miss USA-South Dakota (1997)
- May 1, 1971 "Birthday - Renee Poetschka Australian 200 meter/400 meter (Olympics-92, 96)"
- May 1, 1971 "Birthday - Stuart Appleby Cohuna Australia, Nike golfer (1994 Victorian PGA)"
- May 1, 1971 "Death - Edith Day actress (Romance of Air), dies at 75"
- May 1, 1971 "Death - Glenda Farrell actress (Grand Slam, Exposed), dies at 66"
- May 1, 1971 Number one hit on UK music charts - Dave & Ansil Collins - Double Barrel
- May 1, 1972 """Different Times"" opens at ANTA Theater NYC for 24 performances"
- May 1, 1972 "Birthday - Bobby Chouinard Manilla Phillipines, pitcher (Oakland A's)"
- May 1, 1972 "Death - Fernand Ansseau Belgian operator (Orfeo), dies at 82"
- May 1, 1972 Radio's Mutual Black Network premieres
- May 1, 1973 Birthday - Curtis Martin NFL running back (New England Patriots)
- May 1, 1973 Birthday - Frank Beede NFL center (Seattle Seahawks)
- May 1, 1974 "Birthday - Keri Phebus Laguna Beach CA, tennis star"
- May 1, 1974 Birthday - Matthew Hatchette NFL wide receiver (Minnesota Vikings)
- May 1, 1974 Birthday - Vladimir Zavyalov hockey forward (Team Kazakhstan Olympics-1998)
- May 1, 1975 Birthday - Austin Croshere NBA forward (Indiana Pacers)
- May 1, 1975 "Canada to bring 3,000 South Vietnamese refugees to Canada."
- May 1, 1976 "Birthday - Darius McCrary Walnut CA, actor (Edward Winslow-Family Matters)"
- May 1, 1976 "Death - Rex O'Malley actor (Camille, Zara, Midnight, Thief), dies at 75"
- May 1, 1977 "36 people was killed in Istanbul, Taksim Square during the Labour Day celebrations."
- May 1, 1977 "Birthday - Anna Louise Wilson Dunedin New Zealand, 100 meter breast stroke (Olympics-96)"
- May 1, 1977 Debbie Austin wins LPGA Birmingham Golf Classic
- May 1, 1978 "Death - Aram Katchaturian Russian composer (The Earth), dies at 74"
- May 1, 1978 "Japan's Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone."
- May 1, 1978 Naomi Uemura became first to reach North Pole overland alone
- May 1, 1978 "The first unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail (which would later become known as ""spam"") was sent by a DEC marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States."
- May 1, 1979 "Birthday - Jennifer Botterill ice hockey forward (Canada, Olympics-98)"
- May 1, 1979 Birthday - Kimberly Grigsby Miss Virginia Teen USA (1997)
- May 1, 1979 "Death - Berkeley Bertram McGarrell Gaskin cricketer (2 Tests for West Indies), dies"
- May 1, 1979 Elton John becomes first pop star to perform in Israel
- May 1, 1979 Home rule introduced to Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland)
- May 1, 1979 Marshall Islands (in the Pacific) become self-governing
- May 1, 1980 15th Academy of Country Music Awards: Barbara Mandrell wins
- May 1, 1980 American Book Award: William Styron (Sophie Choice)/T Wolfe (Right Stuff)
- May 1, 1981 Billie Jean King admits to a lesbian affair with Marilyn Barnett
- May 1, 1981 "Death - Dr Clarence A Bacote historian & political scientist, dies at 75"
- May 1, 1981 "Death - Peter Huchel writer, dies at 78"
- May 1, 1981 "Ottawa imposes special tax of $1.15 per barrel to pay for Petro-Canada's purchase of Petrofina, and are Albertans happy NOT"
- May 1, 1981 Radio Shack releases Model III TRSDOS 1.3
- May 1, 1982 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville TN opens
- May 1, 1982 Baptism by fire of Argentine Air Force during Falklands War.
- May 1, 1982 "Death - Gene Sheldon actor (Bernardo-Zorro), dies at 72"
- May 1, 1982 "The 1982 World's Fair opens in Knoxville, Tennessee."
- May 1, 1983 "Death - V N Swamy Indian cricket pace bowler (without distinction), dies"
- May 1, 1983 The Sydney Entertainment Centre opens
- May 1, 1984 "Death - Gordon Jenkins orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour), dies at 73"
- May 1, 1984 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- May 1, 1984 Mick Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac) files for bankruptcy
- May 1, 1985 """Communist"" bomb attack kills 2 firemen in Brussels"
- May 1, 1985 US President Reagan ends embargo against Nicaragua
- May 1, 1986 Bill Elliott sets stock car speed record of 212.229 mph
- May 1, 1986 Tass reports Chernobyl nuclear power plant mishap
- May 1, 1986 Will Stegers expedition reaches North Pole
- May 1, 1987 British Customs seizes Air Canada jet at Heathrow Airport after discovering a major hashish shipment from India; plane released after Air Canada pays substantial fine.
- May 1, 1988 "Death - Carroll Righter astrologer, dies at 88 of postate cancer"
- May 1, 1988 "Death - Paolo Stoppa actor (Garibaldi, Visit, Freedom Fighters), dies"
- May 1, 1988 "IRA attack in Roermond, kills 3"
- May 1, 1989 135 acre Disney's MGM studio officially opens to the public
- May 1, 1989 "Death - David Webster South African white anti-apartheids activist, murdered"
- May 1, 1989 "Death - Douglass Watson actor (Mac Cory-Another World), dies at 68"
- May 1, 1989 "Death - Marion Mack actress (General), dies"
- May 1, 1989 "Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States."
- May 1, 1989 The coat of arms of Greenland is adopted.
- May 1, 1990 "Death - Sunset Carson cowboy actor (El Paso Kid, Oregon Trail), dies at 62"
- May 1, 1991 Actor Robert Duvall weds Sharon Brophy
- May 1, 1991 Angola's civil war ends
- May 1, 1991 A's Rickey Henderson breaks Lou Brocks record with his 939th steal (vs Yankees)
- May 1, 1991 "Death - Richard Thorpe director (Jailhouse Rock, Night Must Fall), dies"
- May 1, 1991 Rickey Henderson steals an all time record 939th base
- May 1, 1991 "Rickey Henderson would steal his 939th base, making him the all-time leader in this category. However, his accomplishment would be overshadowed later that evening by Nolan Ryan, who would pitch his seventh career no-hitter (breaking his own record)."
- May 1, 1991 "Skin-Spit-Skin featuring lesbian, homosexual & heterosexual nude couples caressing, is seen by 5,000 in NYC"
- May 1, 1992 Eric Houston kills 4 in a California HS where he failed history 4 years prior
- May 1, 1992 "On the third day of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, African American criminal Rodney King appeared in public before television news cameras to appeal for calm and plead for peace, asking, ""People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?""."
- May 1, 1993 Bomb attack on Sri Lankan President (26 die)
- May 1, 1993 "Death - Hans [Henri EA] Tuynman provo (Full-time Provo), dies at 50"
- May 1, 1993 "Death - Pierre Brgovoy PM of France (1992-93), commits suicide at 67"
- May 1, 1993 "Death - Ranasinghe Premadasa President (Sri Lanka, 1989-93), assassinated at 68"
- May 1, 1994 Charles Kuralt retires as CBS newsman (On the Road)
- May 1, 1994 "Death - Ayrton Senna Brazilian Grand prix driver, dies in crash at 34"
- May 1, 1994 "Death - Imre Gyngyssy Hungarian director, dies at 64"
- May 1, 1994 "Last day of the standing Spion Kop Grandstand for Liverpool F.C., perhaps the most famous stand in English Football; Three time F1 Drivers' World Champion Ayrton Senna was killed in an accident at the San Marino Grand Prix."
- May 1, 1994 "Tornado & hail storms hit Jiangxi China, 95 killed"
- May 1, 1995 Croatian forces launch Operation Flash during the Croatian War of Independence
- May 1, 1995 Steve Waugh scores 200 for Australia vs West Indies at Sabina Park
- May 1, 1996 "Death - Asher Wallfish journalist, dies at 67"
- May 1, 1996 "Death - Ivo Rudolph Jarosy film scholar/exhibitor, dies at 74"
- May 1, 1996 "Death - William Mitchell Byers musician, dies on 79th birthday"
- May 1, 1997 "Death - Bebe AKA Flipper, dolphin, dies at 40"
- May 1, 1997 Tasmania becomes the last state in Australia to decriminalize homosexuality.
- May 1, 1997 Toni Blair elected PM of UK
- May 1, 1997 Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister as the Labour Party wins the British General Election
- May 1, 1998 "Former Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver dies today in Pomona, California, at age 62"
- May 1, 1999 The body of British mountaineer George Mallory is found on Mount Everest almost 75 years after he disappeared on a climbing expedition.
- May 1, 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."
- May 1, 2006 The Puerto Rican government closes the Department of Education and 42 other government agencies due to significant shortages in cash flows.
- May 1, 2007 "The Los Angeles May Day mle occurred, in which the police response to a May Day pro-immigration rally became a matter of controversy."
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