History of Today in India – 02 May

Explore the history of today 02 May in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 02 May 2026, 04:21 AM

📜 Important Events on 02 May in World History

02 May 2014: Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing. Read more
02 May 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. Read more
02 May 2011: Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted fugitive, is killed by the United States Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Read more
02 May 2011: An E. coli outbreak strikes Europe, mostly in Germany, leaving more than 30 people dead and many others are taken ill. Read more
02 May 2008: Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless. Read more
02 May 2008: Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people. Read more
02 May 2004: The Yelwa massacre concludes. It began on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims killed 78 Christians at Yelwa, Nigeria. In response, about 630 Muslims were killed by Christians on May 2. Read more
02 May 2000: President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military. Read more
02 May 1999: Panamanian general election: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama. Read more
02 May 1998: The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy. Read more
02 May 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. Read more
02 May 1989: Cold War: Hungary begins dismantling its border fence with Austria, which allows a number of East Germans to defect. Read more
02 May 1986: Chernobyl disaster: The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster. Read more
02 May 1982: Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano. Read more
02 May 1972: In the early morning hours a fire breaks out at the Sunshine Mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, Idaho, killing 91 workers. Read more
02 May 1970: ALM Flight 980 ditches in the Caribbean Sea near Saint Croix, killing 23. Read more
02 May 1969: The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City. Read more
02 May 1964: Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the American aircraft carrier USNS Card while it is docked at Saigon. Two Viet Cong combat swimmers had placed explosives on the ship's hull. She is raised and returned to service less than seven months later. Read more
02 May 1964: First ascent of Shishapangma, the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders. Read more
02 May 1963: Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres (62 mi) near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany. Read more
02 May 1952: A De Havilland Comet makes the first jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers, from London to Johannesburg. Read more
02 May 1945: World War II: The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin. Read more
02 May 1945: World War II: The surrender of Caserta comes into effect, by which German troops in Italy cease fighting. Read more
02 May 1945: World War II: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp finding 1,000 dead prisoners, most of whom starved to death. Read more
02 May 1945: World War II: A death march from Dachau to the Austrian border is halted by the segregated, all-Nisei 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. Army in southern Bavaria, saving several hundred prisoners. Read more
02 May 1941: World War II: 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. Read more
02 May 1933: Germany's independent labor unions are replaced by the German Labour Front. Read more
02 May 1920: The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis. Read more
02 May 1906: Closing ceremony of the Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece. Read more
02 May 1889: Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs the Treaty of Wuchale, giving Italy control over Eritrea. Read more
02 May 1885: Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion. Read more
02 May 1876: The April Uprising breaks out in Ottoman Bulgaria. Read more
02 May 1867: Albert Günther publishes the first study to recognise that the New Zealand tuatara is not a lizard. Read more
02 May 1866: Peruvian defenders fight off the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao. Read more
02 May 1863: American 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. Read more
02 May 1829: After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger declares the Swan River Colony in Australia. Read more
02 May 1812: The Siege of Cuautla during the Mexican War of Independence ends with both sides claiming victory. Read more
02 May 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. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 02 May in World History

02 May 2015: Princess Charlotte of Wales, British royal, and third in line to the British throne Princess Charlotte of Wales is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and a granddaughter of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. She is third in the line of succession to the British throne. Read more
02 May 1997: BamBam, Thai singer Kunpimook Bhuwakul, known professionally as BamBam, is a Thai rapper and singer based in South Korea, and a member of the South Korean boy band Got7. Read more
02 May 1996: Cherprang Areekul, Thai singer Cherprang Areekul is a former member of the Thai idol girl group BNK48, an international sister group of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48.
She is one of the first-generation members of the group, and is also the group's first captain. She had developed her role from captain to general manager (Shihainin) during her late time as an idol and continued such role even after her graduation. In June 2025, she decided to pass on her managing role, after which she moved on to full-time acting. In August 2025, she temporarily moved to Tokyo, Japan, to pursue her one-year MBA program with Globlis University while still traveling back and forth to work in Bangkok. Read more
02 May 1996: Julian Brandt, German footballer Julian Brandt is a German professional footballer who plays as a left winger or attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team. Read more
02 May 1996: Schuyler Bailar, American swimmer Schuyler Miwon Hong Bailar is an American swimmer, author, educator, and advocate for LGBTQ rights. He is the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer, and also the first publicly documented NCAA D1 transgender man to compete as a man in any sport. Read more
02 May 1995: Lucy Dacus, American singer-songwriter Lucy Elizabeth Dacus is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus first gained fame following the release of her debut album, No Burden (2016), which led to a deal with Matador Records. Historian, her second album, was released in 2018 to critical acclaim. Home Video, her third studio album, was released in 2021. Forever Is a Feeling, her fourth album, was released in 2025. Read more
02 May 1993: Owain Doull, Welsh track cyclist Owain Daniel Doull is a Welsh road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike. Doull specialises in the team pursuit on the track, and won a gold medal in the discipline at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro; as a result, he became the first Welsh-speaking athlete to win Olympic gold. Read more
02 May 1993: Isyana Sarasvati, Indonesian singer Isyana Sarasvati is an Indonesian singer-songwriter and the founder of Redrose Records. She is a graduate of Singapore's Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and London's Royal College of Music. Known for her original compositions, she wrote all of the songs on her 2015 debut pop album, Explore!, and on her three subsequent albums, Paradox (2017), Lexicon (2019) and ISYANA (2023). She has also performed as an opera singer in Singapore. She is the recipient of numerous Indonesian and international awards. Read more
02 May 1993: Huang Zitao, Chinese singer and rapper Huang Zitao, also known by his stage name Tao (Korean: 타오), is a Chinese rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is a former member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo and its Chinese sub-unit, Exo-M. After leaving Exo, he made his solo debut in China in 2015 with the mini-album TAO, under the stage name Z.Tao. Huang made his acting debut in the romantic movie You Are My Sunshine, followed by TV series Negotiator and The Brightest Star in the Sky. Read more
02 May 1992: Sunmi, South Korean singer Lee Sun-mi, known mononymously as Sunmi, is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the group in 2010 to pursue her studies. After a three-year hiatus, Sunmi resumed her career as a soloist with her 2013 debut extended play, Full Moon, spawning the number two singles "24 Hours" and "Full Moon" on the national Gaon Digital Chart. Read more
02 May 1992: María Teresa Torró Flor, Spanish tennis player María Teresa Torró Flor is a Spanish former professional tennis player. Read more
02 May 1991: Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean actor and singer Jeong Jin-woon (Korean: 정진운), most often credited as Jinwoon, is a South Korean singer and actor. Debuting as a member of the group 2AM in July 2008, he began his acting career in 2012 with the KBS series Dream High 2, playing Jin Yoo-jin. Read more
02 May 1991: Jonathan Villar, Dominican baseball player Jonathan Rafael Villar Roque is a Dominican professional baseball second baseman for the Caliente de Durango of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels. Prior to 2017, Villar was primarily a shortstop. Read more
02 May 1990: Kay Panabaker, American actress Stephanie Kay Panabaker is an American zookeeper and former actress. She is best known for her work with the Disney Channel, starring in popular productions like Phil of the Future (2004–2006) and Read It and Weep (2006), and her role on the teen drama Summerland (2004–2005). Read more
02 May 1990: Paul George, American basketball player Paul Clifton Anthony George Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of the All-NBA Team, as well as a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. Read more
02 May 1988: Neftalí Feliz, Dominican baseball player Neftalí Feliz Antonio is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Feliz won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2010. Read more
02 May 1987: Saara Aalto, Finnish singer and actress Saara Sofia Aalto is a Finnish singer, songwriter and voice actress. In 2012, she came second in the first season of The Voice of Finland. Read more
02 May 1987: Nana Kitade, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress Nana Kitade is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to being the lead singer of the rock band The Teenage Kissers, she has success as a solo artist, model, actress, and fashion designer. Kitade is particularly known for her songs appearing in various anime, TV shows, doramas and movie opening and endings. Kitade was featured on the cover of the Gothic & Lolita Bible, as well as featured in Neo and Kera magazines. She has toured Asia, Europe, and North America. Read more
02 May 1987: Pat McAfee, American sports analyst and football player Patrick Justin McAfee is an American sports analyst, color commentator, former professional wrestler, and former professional football punter and kickoff specialist. He is an analyst on College GameDay and the host of the sports talk show The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his tenure in WWE, as a color commentator and an occasional wrestler. Read more
02 May 1987: Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player Kris Russell is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played in the 2021–22 season, for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted in the third round, 67th overall, by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2005 NHL entry draft and played four seasons with the team before moving on to the St. Louis Blues, Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars. He has also played for TPS and Oulun Kärpät in the Finnish Liiga. Read more
02 May 1986: Yasir Shah, Pakistani cricketer Yasir Shah SI is an international cricketer from Pakistan. He plays as a bowler, and is the joint-second fastest bowler in the history of Test cricket to take 100 wickets, as well as the fastest to pick up 200 wickets, having broken the previous record held by Australian bowler Clarrie Grimmett. Read more
02 May 1985: Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter and actress Lily Rose Beatrice Allen is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her accolades include a Brit Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivier Award. Read more
02 May 1985: Kyle Busch, American race car driver Kyle Thomas Busch is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing and part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Spire Motorsports. A highly accomplished racer, Busch is the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, winning titles in 2015 and 2019. He currently ranks ninth on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list and first in overall wins between the top three NASCAR divisions. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers of his generation and in NASCAR history, known for his dominance across the sport's three major series. Additionally, Busch briefly held the WWE 24/7 Championship. He is the younger brother of 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Kurt Busch. Read more
02 May 1985: Ashley Harkleroad, American tennis player Ashley Harkleroad Adams is an American former professional tennis player. She reached a career-high ranking in singles of 39 in June 2003. Read more
02 May 1985: Sarah Hughes, American figure skater Sarah Elizabeth Hughes is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic Champion and the 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies' singles. Read more
02 May 1984: Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer Saulius Mikoliūnas is a Lithuanian former professional footballer who played as a right winger. He has previously played for Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian and Ukrainian Premier League club Arsenal Kyiv, among others. With 101 caps, Mikoliūnas is the Lithuania national team's second-most capped player. Read more
02 May 1984: Thabo Sefolosha, Swiss basketball player Thabo Patrick Sefolosha is a Swiss former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Turkish Basketball League, LNB Pro A, and Lega Basket Serie A. In 2006, Sefolosha became the first player from Switzerland to play in the NBA, and in 2013, he was labelled the best Swiss basketball player of all time by Swiss newspaper Freiburger Nachrichten. Read more
02 May 1983: Alessandro Diamanti, Italian footballer Alessandro Diamanti is an Italian professional football coach and former midfielder who is the manager for Melbourne City Youth. Read more
02 May 1983: Maynor Figueroa, Honduran footballer Maynor Alexis Figueroa Róchez is a Honduran former professional footballer who played as a left-back or centre-back. He is best known for his time at Wigan Athletic, where he made 179 Premier League appearances and won the 2013 FA Cup. Figueroa made 181 international appearances between 2003 and 2022, including appearances at seven CONCACAF Gold Cups, two FIFA World Cups and the 2012 Summer Olympics. Read more
02 May 1983: Tina Maze, Slovenian skier Tina Maze is a retired Slovenian World Cup alpine ski racer. She is the most successful Slovenian ski racer in history with a career that culminated with two gold medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Maze was awarded the title of the Slovenian Sportswoman of the Year in 2005, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and with her four medals she is the most decorated Slovenian athlete at the Winter Olympics. Read more
02 May 1983: Daniel Sordo, Spanish race car driver Daniel "Dani" Sordo Castillo is a Spanish rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship for Hyundai Motorsport. He achieved his first WRC victory at the 2013 Rallye Deutschland. Read more
02 May 1982: Johan Botha, South African cricketer Johan Botha is a South African-Australian cricket coach, cricketer, and long-distance runner who played for the South African national team between 2005 and 2012. He moved to Australia in 2012 to play in the country's domestic leagues, and in 2016 became an Australian citizen. In January 2019, he retired from all forms of the game. However, in December 2020, he made a comeback as a replacement player for the Hobart Hurricanes in the 2020–21 Big Bash League. Read more
02 May 1981: Robert Buckley, American actor Robert Earl Buckley is an American actor, known for his roles as Kirby Atwood on the NBC dramedy series Lipstick Jungle, Clay Evans on The CW drama series One Tree Hill, Brian Leonard on the ABC horror-drama series 666 Park Avenue, Major Lilywhite on The CW dramedy series iZombie, and Evan Kincaid on the Hallmark Channel drama series Chesapeake Shores. Read more
02 May 1981: Chris Kirkland, English footballer Christopher Edmund Kirkland is an English football coach and former professional goalkeeper. As a player, he made 321 league and cup appearances in an 18-year professional career from 1998 to 2016 and won one cap for the England national team in 2006. Read more
02 May 1981: Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer Tiago Cardoso Mendes, known simply as Tiago, is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Read more
02 May 1980: Tim Borowski, German footballer Tim Borowski is a German football manager and former player. Read more
02 May 1980: Ellie Kemper, American actress, comedian and writer Elizabeth Claire Kemper is an American actress and comedian, best known for her roles of Erin Hannon in the sitcom The Office (2009–2013) and Kimmy Schmidt in the sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2019). She has also appeared in films, notably Bridesmaids (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), Sex Tape (2014), and Home Sweet Home Alone (2021). In 2018, she released her debut book, My Squirrel Days. Read more
02 May 1980: Zat Knight, English footballer Zatyiah Knight is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back. Read more
02 May 1980: Troy Murphy, American basketball player Troy Brandon Murphy is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Murphy was born in Morristown, New Jersey but grew up in Sparta Township. He attended the Delbarton School and the University of Notre Dame, both of which are Roman Catholic schools. During his time at Notre Dame, he was a two-time consensus All-American before declaring himself for the 2001 NBA draft, where he was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 14th overall pick. Murphy has since graduated from Columbia University. Read more
02 May 1980: Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player Bradley Ray Richards is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Richards was drafted in the third round, 64th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL entry draft and played for the Lightning, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, and Detroit Red Wings during his National Hockey League (NHL) career. Read more
02 May 1978: Kumail Nanjiani, Pakistani-American actor, stand-up comedian, and screenwriter Kumail Ali Nanjiani is a Pakistani and American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. His accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and two Emmy Awards. In 2018, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Read more
02 May 1976: Jeff Gutt, American singer-songwriter Jeffrey Adam Gutt is an American singer and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist for Stone Temple Pilots since November 2017. He is also the former lead vocalist for the nu metal band Dry Cell. Read more
02 May 1975: David Beckham, English footballer, coach, and model Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City F.C.. Primarily a right midfielder and known for his range of passing, crossing ability and set-piece taking, Beckham is considered one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest set-piece specialists of all time. He won 19 major trophies in his career, and is the only English player to win league titles in four different countries: England, France, Spain, and the United States. Read more
02 May 1975: Joe Wilkinson, English comedian, actor and writer Joseph Roland Wilkinson is an English comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He began his comedy career in 2004 and has supported Alan Carr and Russell Howard on tour. In 2006, Wilkinson won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year. Read more
02 May 1973: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German director and screenwriter Florian Maria Georg Christian Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck is a German-Austrian film director. He is best known for writing and directing the 2006 dramatic thriller Das Leben der Anderen , which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He also wrote and directed the 2010 romantic thriller The Tourist starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, and the 2018 epic drama Never Look Away. Read more
02 May 1972: Dwayne Johnson, American actor and wrestler Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known by his ring name "The Rock", is an American-Canadian actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Johnson was integral to the development and success of the World Wrestling Federation during the Attitude Era. He wrestled for the WWF full-time for eight years before pursuing an acting career. His films have grossed over $11.4 billion worldwide, making him one of the world's highest-grossing actors of all time. He is a co-owner of the United Football League, a member of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings—the parent company of UFC and WWE—and co-founder of Seven Bucks Productions. Read more
02 May 1971: Musashimaru Kōyō, Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna Musashimaru Kōyō is an American-born Japanese-naturalized former professional sumo wrestler. He was born in American Samoa, before moving to Hawaii at the age of 10. At 18 he moved to Japan and made his professional sumo debut in 1989, reaching the top makuuchi division in 1991. After reaching the rank of ōzeki in 1994 his progress seemed to stall, but in 1999 he became only the second foreign-born wrestler in history to reach the sport's highest rank of yokozuna. Musashimaru won over 700 top division bouts and took twelve top division tournament championships during his career. His sheer 235 kg (518 lb) bulk combined with 1.92 m of height made him a formidable opponent, and he was remarkably consistent and injury-free for most of his career. An amiable personality, his fan base was helped by a surprising facial resemblance to Japanese warrior hero Saigō Takamori. After becoming a Japanese national in 1996 and retiring in 2003, he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and founded the Musashigawa stable in 2013. Read more
02 May 1969: Brian Lara, Trinidadian cricketer Brian Charles Lara is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely renowned as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket, with 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994, and the record for the highest individual score in an international Test innings, after scoring 400 not out at Antigua during the 4th test against England in 2004. He is nicknamed "The Prince of Port of Spain" or simply "The Prince". Read more
02 May 1968: Jeff Agoos, American footballer Jeffrey Alan Agoos is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. Agoos won a record five MLS championships: three with D.C. United and two with the San Jose Earthquakes. He also won the 1996 U.S. Open Cup and was the 2001 MLS Defender of the Year. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2009. Read more
02 May 1968: Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress Siti Roziana Zain is a Malaysian pop singer and actress. Her music career began in the early '90s with her signature single, "Madah Berhelah" followed by hits like "Terlerai Kasih", "Setia Ku Di Sini" and "Puncak Kasih". In 1995, she was crowned Voice of Asia in Kazakhstan. Read more
02 May 1967: Mika Brzezinski, American journalist and author Mika Emilie Leonia Brzezinski Scarborough is an American talk show host who co-hosts MS NOW's weekday morning broadcast show Morning Joe alongside her husband Joe Scarborough. She was formerly a CBS News correspondent, and was their principal "Ground Zero" reporter during the morning of the September 11 attacks. In 2007, she joined MSNBC as an occasional anchor, and was subsequently chosen as co-host of Morning Joe. Read more
02 May 1967: David Rocastle, English footballer (died 2001) David Carlyle Rocastle was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder in the roles of a playmaker and a winger. Read more
02 May 1966: Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and politician Belinda Caroline Stronach is a Canadian businesswoman and former politician. She served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2004 to 2008, initially as a Conservative and later as a Liberal. During her political career, Stronach served as the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development from May 17, 2005, to February 6, 2006, and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal from May 17, 2005, to February 6, 2006, both in Paul Martin's Cabinet. Read more
02 May 1963: Gina Yoginda, Indonesian army general and diplomat Gina Yoginda is an Indonesian military officer and diplomat who is currently serving as ambassador of Indonesia to North Korea since 2025. Prior to his ambassadorship, Gina served within intelligence units at the Indonesian armed forces, with his last position as deputy chief of the armed forces intelligence agency. Read more
02 May 1962: Michael Grandage, English director and producer Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer. He is currently artistic director of the Michael Grandage Company. From 2002 to 2012 he was artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse in London and from 2000 to 2005 he was artistic director of Sheffield Theatres. Read more
02 May 1962: Jimmy White, English snooker player James Warren White is an English professional snooker player who has won ten ranking events. Nicknamed "The Whirlwind" because of his swift and attacking style of play, White has reached six World Snooker Championship finals during his career but finished runner-up on each occasion. He has won two of snooker's Triple Crown events, the 1984 Masters and the 1992 UK Championship. White is a record four-time World Seniors Champion, winning in 2010, 2019, 2020 and 2023. Read more
02 May 1960: Stephen Daldry, English director and producer Stephen David Daldry CBE is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway and an Olivier Award for his work in the West End. He has received three Academy Awards nominations for Best Director, for the films Billy Elliot (2000), The Hours (2002), and The Reader (2008). Read more
02 May 1960: Royce Simmons, Australian rugby league player and coach Royce Michael Simmons is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. A one-club man, he played as a hooker for the Penrith Panthers in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) from 1980 to 1991, winning a premiership in his final season. He later coached the Panthers from 1994 to 2001, in between coaching English sides Hull F.C. (1992–94) and St Helens (2011–12). Read more
02 May 1959: Tony Wakeford, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Anthony Charles Wakeford is a British neofolk musician, who primarily records under the name Sol Invictus. He is also a member of the punk rock band Crisis and a co-founder of Death in June. Read more
02 May 1958: Yasushi Akimoto, Japanese songwriter and producer Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Total sales of the singles he has written exceed 100 million copies, making him the best-selling lyricist in Japan. Read more
02 May 1958: David O'Leary, English-Irish footballer and manager David Anthony O'Leary is a football manager and former player. The majority of his 20-year playing career was spent as a central defender at Arsenal, where his tally of 722 appearances stands as a club record. He played 68 times for the Republic of Ireland from 1976 to 1993, and was part of the squad that reached the quarter-finals of the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Read more
02 May 1956: Régis Labeaume, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Quebec City Régis Labeaume is a Canadian businessman, writer and politician. He served as mayor of Quebec City from 2007 to 2021. He was first elected on December 2, 2007, after the death of former mayor Andrée Boucher. He was reelected in 2009, 2013, and 2017. Read more
02 May 1955: Willie Miller, Scottish footballer William Ferguson Miller MBE is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, who made a club record 560 league appearances for Aberdeen. Sir Alex Ferguson described Miller as "the best penalty box defender in the world". Read more
02 May 1955: Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer Donatella Francesca Versace, is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion company Versace, with whom she worked closely on the development of the brand and in particular its combining of Italian luxury with pop culture and celebrity. Read more
02 May 1954: Elliot Goldenthal, American composer and conductor Elliot Goldenthal is an American composer of contemporary classical music and film and theatrical scores. A student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, he is best known for his distinctive style and ability to blend various musical styles and techniques in original and inventive ways. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2002 for his score to the motion picture Frida, directed by his longtime partner Julie Taymor. Read more
02 May 1954: Dawn Primarolo, English politician Dawn Primarolo, Baroness Primarolo, is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Bristol South from 1987 until 2015, when she stood down. She was Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families at the Department for Children, Schools and Families from June 2009 to May 2010 and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons from 2010 to 2015. She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for political service. She was nominated for a life peerage in the 2015 Dissolution Honours. Read more
02 May 1953: Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor and director Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is currently general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre and of the Bolshoi Theatre and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg. He was formerly chief conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and of the Munich Philharmonic. Read more
02 May 1953: Jamaal Wilkes, American basketball player Jamaal Abdul-Lateef, better known as Jamaal Wilkes, is an American former basketball player who was a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star, he won four NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Nicknamed "Silk", he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Read more
02 May 1952: Chris Anderson, Australian rugby league player and coach Christopher Anderson is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian Kangaroos and New South Wales Blues representative winger, he featured in Canterbury-Bankstown's third grand final win and captained Halifax to both League and Cup success. Read more
02 May 1952: Christine Baranski, American actress and singer Christine Jane Baranski is an American actress. She received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcom Cybill (1995–1998). Baranski is also known for her roles as Diane Lockhart in the legal drama series The Good Wife (2009–2016) and its spin-off series The Good Fight (2017–2022), and as Agnes van Rhijn in the period drama series The Gilded Age (2022–present); both roles earned her Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Read more
02 May 1951: John Glascock, English singer and bass player (died 1979) John Glascock was a British musician. He was the bassist and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Carmen from 1972 to 1975; and the bass guitarist for progressive rock band Jethro Tull from 1976 until his death in 1979. Glascock died at the age of 28 as a result of a congenital heart valve defect, which was worsened by an infection caused by an abscessed tooth. Read more
02 May 1950: Frank Curry, Australian rugby league player and coach (died 2022) Frank Curry Jr. was an Australian rugby league player and coach of the South Sydney Rabbitohs club. Read more
02 May 1950: Duncan Gay, Australian businessman and politician Duncan John Gay is a former Australian politician who served as the Vice-President of the Executive Council of New South Wales and the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council from May 2014 to January 2017; and the Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight from April 2015 to January 2017. Gay served as the Leader of the Nationals in the Legislative Council until January 2017 and was a member of the Council from 1988 to 2017, representing the Nationals. Read more
02 May 1950: Lou Gramm, American singer-songwriter Louis Andrew Grammatico, known professionally as Lou Gramm, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as co-founder and original frontman of the rock band Foreigner from 1976 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2003, during which time the band had numerous successful albums and singles. Read more
02 May 1949: Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener and author Alan Fred Titchmarsh is an English gardener, author and broadcaster. After working as a professional gardener and a horticultural journalist, he became a radio and television presenter and a novelist. Read more
02 May 1949: Alfons Schuhbeck, German celebrity chef, author and businessman Alfons Schuhbeck is one of Germany's top chefs, as well as being a restaurateur, celebrity chef, author and businessman. Read more
02 May 1948: Larry Gatlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers are an American country music vocal group. The group consists of lead singer Larry Gatlin and his brothers, Rudy and Steve Gatlin. The group achieved considerable success within the country music genre, performing on 33 top 40 country singles. Read more
02 May 1947: James Dyson, English businessman, founded the Dyson Company Sir James Dyson is an English inventor, industrial designer, farmer, and business magnate who founded the Dyson company. He is best known as the inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the principle of cyclonic separation. In the Sunday Times Rich List 2023, he was the fifth-richest person in the United Kingdom, with an estimated family net worth of £23 billion. As of March 2025, Forbes lists Dyson's net worth as $13.3 billion. Read more
02 May 1946: Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (died 2015) Lesley Gore was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song "It's My Party", a U.S. number one in 1963. She followed it up with ten further U.S. Billboard top 40 hits including "Judy's Turn to Cry" and "You Don't Own Me". Gore said she considered "You Don't Own Me" her signature song. Read more
02 May 1946: David Suchet, English actor Sir David Courtney Suchet is an English actor. He is known for his work on stage and in television. He portrayed Edward Teller in the television serial Oppenheimer (1980) and received the RTS and BPG awards for his performance as Augustus Melmotte in the British serial The Way We Live Now (2001). International acclaim and recognition followed his performance as Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989–2013), for which he received a 1991 British Academy Television Award for Best Actor nomination. Read more
02 May 1945: Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (died 1998) Alexander Minto Hughes, better known as Judge Dread, was an English reggae and ska musician. He was the first white recording artist to have a reggae hit in Jamaica, and the BBC has banned more of his songs from radio and television than those of any other recording artist, because of his frequent use of sexual innuendo and double entendres. Following his death, Rolling Stone reported, "He sold several million albums throughout his 25-plus year career and was second only to Bob Marley in U.K. reggae sales during the 1970s". Read more
02 May 1945: Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan-American model, actress, and activist Bianca Jagger is a Nicaraguan social activist, human rights advocate, and a former actress. She gained international prominence in the 1970s through her marriage to Mick Jagger, the frontman of the Rolling Stones. Renowned for her influential style, Jagger was inducted into the International Best Dressed Hall of Fame in 1976. Read more
02 May 1944: Robert G. W. Anderson, English chemist, historian, and curator Robert Geoffrey William Anderson, is a British museum curator and historian of chemistry. He has interests in the history of chemistry, including the history of scientific instrumentation, the work of Joseph Black and Joseph Priestley, the history of museums, and the involvement of the working class in material culture. He has been Keeper at the Science Museum, London, and Director of the National Museums of Scotland, and the British Museum, London, and president and CEO of the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia. Read more
02 May 1943: Mustafa Nadarević, Bosnian actor and film director (died 2020) Mustafa Nadarević was a Bosnian and Croatian actor. Widely considered one of the greatest actors from the former Yugoslavia, he starred in over 70 films, including The Smell of Quinces (1982), When Father Was Away on Business (1985), Reflections (1987), The Glembays (1988), Kuduz (1989), Silent Gunpowder (1990), The Perfect Circle (1997), Days and Hours (2004), Mirage (2004) and Halima's Path (2012). Read more
02 May 1942: Jacques Rogge, Belgian businessman (died 2021) Jacques Jean Marie, Count Rogge was a Belgian sports administrator, former athlete, and physician, who served as the eighth president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2013. In 2013, Rogge became the IOC's honorary president, a lifetime position, which he held until his death from Parkinson's disease in August 2021. Read more
02 May 1941: Clay Carroll, American baseball player Clay Palmer Carroll is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1964 through 1978, most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won three division titles, one National League pennant and the 1975 World Series title. He also played for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Read more
02 May 1938: Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (died 1996) Moshoeshoe II, previously known as Constantine Bereng Seeiso, was the Paramount Chief of Basutoland, succeeding paramount chief Seeiso from 1960 until the country gained full independence from Britain in 1966. He was King of Lesotho from 1966 until his exile in 1990, and from 1995 until his death in 1996. Read more
02 May 1937: Lorenzo Music, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 2001) Gerald David "Lorenzo" Music was an American actor, composer, musician, performer, writer and producer. Music began his career in the 1960s with his wife, Henrietta, forming the comedy duo Gerald and His Hen. He then became a writer and a regular performer on the controversial CBS variety show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. In the 1970s, Music co-created the sitcom The Bob Newhart Show with David Davis and composed its theme music with his wife. He also wrote episodes for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, and got a major voiceover role for playing the unseen, but often heard, Carlton the Doorman in Rhoda. Music gained fame in the 1980s for voicing Jim Davis' comic strip character Garfield in twelve animated specials, and later an animated series, video games, and commercials. His distinctive drawling voice of Garfield was emulated by later actors following his death in 2001. Read more
02 May 1936: Norma Aleandro, Argentinian actress, director, and screenwriter Norma Aleandro is an Argentine actress. She is considered one of the most celebrated and prolific Argentine actresses of all time and is recognized as a cultural icon in her home country. Read more
02 May 1936: Engelbert Humperdinck, English singer and pianist Arnold George Dorsey, MBE, known professionally as Engelbert Humperdinck, is a British singer described by AllMusic as "one of the finest middle-of-the-road balladeers around". He achieved international prominence in 1967 with his recording of "Release Me". Read more
02 May 1935: Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager (died 2023) Luis Suárez Miramontes was a Spanish professional footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, España Industrial, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Sampdoria; he also represented the Spain national team between 1957 and 1972. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Spanish football players of all time, Suárez was noted for his elegant and fluid style of play and also regarded to be one of the greatest midfielders in the history of the sport. Read more
02 May 1935: Faisal II of Iraq, the last King of Iraq (died 1958) Faisal II was the last King of Iraq. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the 14 July Revolution. This regicide marked the end of the thirty-seven-year-old Hashemite monarchy in Iraq, which then became a republic. Read more
02 May 1933: Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales Harry Kenneth Woolf, Baron Woolf is a British life peer and retired barrister and judge. He was Master of the Rolls from 1996 until 2000 and Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2000 until 2005. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 made him the first Lord Chief Justice to be President of the Courts of England and Wales. He was a Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong from 2003 to 2012. He sits in the House of Lords as a crossbencher. Read more
02 May 1931: Phil Bruns, American actor and stuntman (died 2012) Philip Bruns was an American television and movie actor and writer. He portrayed George Shumway, the father of Mary Hartman on the 1970s comedic series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and Morty Seinfeld, the father of Jerry Seinfeld, in the 1990 second episode of Seinfeld. Read more
02 May 1930: Yoram Kaniuk, Israeli painter and critic (died 2013) Yoram Kaniuk was an Israeli writer, painter, journalist, and theatre critic. Read more
02 May 1930: Marco Pannella, Italian journalist and politician (died 2016) Marco Pannella was an Italian politician, journalist and activist. He was well known in his country for his nonviolence and civil rights' campaigns, like the right to divorce, the right to abortion, the legalization of cannabis and the abolition of nuclear power. Internationally, he supported human rights and self-determination causes, like the Tibetan independence and campaign against persecution of Montagnard in Vietnam. Read more
02 May 1929: Édouard Balladur, Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France Édouard Balladur is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under François Mitterrand from 29 March 1993 to 17 May 1995. He unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1995 French presidential election, coming in third place. Read more
02 May 1929: Link Wray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2005) Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s. His 1958 instrumental single "Rumble" reached the top 20 in the United States, and was one of the earliest songs in rock music to use distortion and tremolo. Read more
02 May 1929: Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan (died 1972) Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was King of Bhutan from 30 March 1952 until his death in 1972. Read more
02 May 1927: Ray Barrett, Australian actor and singer (died 2009) Raymond Charles Barrett was an Australian actor. During the 1960s, he was a leading actor on British television, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters (1965–1971). From the 1970s, he appeared in lead and character roles in Australian films and television series. Read more
02 May 1927: Michael Broadbent, British wine critic and writer (died 2020) John Michael Broadbent, MW, was a British wine critic, writer and auctioneer in a capacity as a Master of Wine. He was an authority on wine tasting and old wines. Read more
02 May 1925: John Neville, English-Canadian actor (died 2011) John Reginald Neville CM OBE was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned more than sixty years. He was renowned for his roles on both stage and screen in genres ranging from classical theatre to fantasy and science fiction. Read more
02 May 1924: Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 2015) Theodore Meir Bikel was an Austrian-American actor, singer, and political activist. Read more
02 May 1924: Hugh Cortazzi, English soldier, historian, and diplomat, British Ambassador to Japan (died 2018) Sir Arthur Henry Hugh Cortazzi, was a British diplomat. He was also a distinguished international businessman, academic, author and prominent Japanologist. He was Ambassador from the United Kingdom to Japan (1980–84), President of the Asiatic Society of Japan (1982–1983) and Chairman of the Japan Society of London (1985–95). Read more
02 May 1923: Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (died 2008) Patrick John Hillery was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1976 to December 1990. He also served as vice-president of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Social Affairs from 1973 to 1976, Minister for External Affairs from 1969 to 1973, Minister for Labour from 1966 to 1969, Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1965 to 1969 and Minister for Education from 1959 to 1965. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Clare constituency from 1951 to 1973. Read more
02 May 1922: Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (died 2007) Roscoe Lee Browne was an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his many guest appearances on TV series from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as movies like The Cowboys (1972) with John Wayne, and The World's Greatest Athlete (1973) with John Amos and Jan-Michael Vincent, but his biggest roles were as narrator in Babe and Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties, which grossed $400 million combined. Read more
02 May 1922: A. M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born American journalist and author (died 2006) Abraham Michael "Abe" Rosenthal was a Canadian-born American journalist who served as The New York Times executive editor from 1977 to 1986. Previously he was the newspaper's metropolitan editor and managing editor. Following his tenure as executive editor, he became a columnist (1987–1999). Later, he had a column for the New York Daily News (1999–2004). Read more
02 May 1921: B. B. Lal, Indian archaeologist (died 2022) Braj Basi Lal was an Indian writer and archaeologist. He was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from 1968 to 1972 and has served as Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla. Lal also served on various UNESCO committees. Read more
02 May 1921: Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1992) Satyajit Ray was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential film directors in the history of cinema. He is celebrated for works including The Apu Trilogy (1955–1959), The Music Room (1958), The Big City (1963), Charulata (1964), and the Goopy–Bagha trilogy (1969–1992).[a] Read more
02 May 1920: Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson, Scottish pianist and composer Joseph Turner Henderson, known as Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson, was a Scottish pianist, composer and recording artist who became well-known in Britain in the 1950s, with his entertainment career continuing into the 1960s and 1970s. Read more
02 May 1917: Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (died 2002) Văn Tiến Dũng was a Vietnamese general in the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), PAVN chief of staff (1954–1974); PAVN commander in chief (1975–1980); member of the Central Military–Party Committee (CMPC) (1984–1986) and Socialist Republic of Vietnam defense minister (1980–1987). Read more
02 May 1915: Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (died 2003) Doris Fisher was an American singer and songwriter, collaborating both as lyricist and composer. She co-wrote many popular songs in the 1940s, including "Whispering Grass", "You Always Hurt the One You Love", "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall", "That Ole Devil Called Love", and "Put the Blame on Mame." Her songs were recorded by the Ink Spots, Louis Prima, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, the Andrews Sisters, Pearl Bailey, the Mills Brothers and Ella Fitzgerald amongst others. Read more
02 May 1915: Peggy Mount, English actress (died 2001) Margaret Rose Mount was an English actress. As a child, she found acting an escape from an unhappy home life. After playing in amateur productions, she was taken on by a repertory company and spent nine years in various British towns, learning her craft. In 1955, she got her big break in the comic play Sailor Beware!: she created the leading role in a repertory production and, though unknown to London audiences, was given the part when the play was presented in the West End. She became known for playing domineering middle-aged women in plays, films and television shows. Read more
02 May 1912: Axel Springer, German journalist and publisher, founded Axel Springer AG (died 1985) Axel Cäsar Springer was a German publisher and founder of what is now Axel Springer SE, the largest media publishing firm in Europe. By the early 1960s his print titles dominated the West German daily press market. His Bild Zeitung became the nation's tabloid. Read more
02 May 1912: Marten Toonder, Dutch comic strip creator (died 2005) Marten Toonder was a Dutch comic strip creator. He was probably the most successful comic artist in the Netherlands and had a great influence on the Dutch language by introducing new words and expressions. He is most famous for his series Tom Puss and Panda. Read more
02 May 1912: Nigel Patrick, English actor and director (died 1981) Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman was an English actor and stage director born into a theatrical family. Read more
02 May 1910: Alexander Bonnyman Jr., American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1943) Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman Jr. was a United States Marine Corps officer who was killed in action on Betio Atoll in the Gilbert Islands during World War II. Read more
02 May 1910: Edmund Bacon, American urban planner, architect, educator, and author (died 2005) Edmund Norwood Bacon was an American urban planner, architect, educator, and author. During his tenure as the executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission from 1949 to 1970, his visions shaped today's Philadelphia, the city of his birth, to the extent that he is sometimes described as "The Father of Modern Philadelphia". He authored the seminal urban planning book Design of Cities. He was the father of actor Kevin Bacon. Read more
02 May 1907: Pinky Lee, American comedian and television host (died 1993) Pinky Lee was an American actor of stage, screen, radio, and television. He is best known as a children's-TV personality of the 1950s. Read more
02 May 1905: Charlotte Armstrong, American author (died 1969) Charlotte Armstrong Lewi was an American writer. Under the names Charlotte Armstrong and Jo Valentine she wrote 29 novels, as well as short stories, plays, and screenplays. She also worked for The New York Times' advertising department, as a fashion reporter for Breath of the Avenue, and in an accounting firm. Additionally, she worked for the New Yorker magazine, publishing only three poems for them. Read more
02 May 1903: Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician, activist, and author (died 1998) Benjamin McLane Spock, widely known as Dr. Spock, was an American pediatrician, Olympic athlete, and left-wing political activist. His book Baby and Child Care (1946) is one of the best-selling books of the 20th century, selling 500,000 copies in the six months after its initial publication and 50 million by the time of Spock's death in 1998. The book's premise told mothers, "You know more than you think you do." Spock was widely regarded as a trusted source for parenting advice in his generation. Read more
02 May 1902: Brian Aherne, English actor (died 1986) William Brian de Lacy Aherne was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States. Read more
02 May 1898: Henry Hall, English bandleader, composer, and actor (died 1989) Henry Robert Hall was an English bandleader who performed regularly on BBC Radio during the British dance band era of the 1920s and 1930s, through to the 1960s. Read more
02 May 1897: John Frederick Coots, American songwriter (died 1985) John Frederick Coots, better known as J. Fred Coots or Fred Coots, was an American songwriter. He composed more than 700 popular songs and more than a dozen Broadway shows. In 1934, Coots wrote the melody with his then chief collaborator, lyricist Haven Gillespie, for the biggest success of either man's career, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town." The song became one of the biggest sellers in American history. Read more
02 May 1895: Lorenz Hart, American playwright and lyricist (died 1943) Lorenz Milton Hart was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include "Blue Moon"; "The Lady Is a Tramp"; "Manhattan"; "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"; and "My Funny Valentine". Read more
02 May 1894: Norma Talmadge, American actress of the silent era (died 1957) Norma Marie Talmadge was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most popular idols of the American screen. Read more
02 May 1894: Joseph Henry Woodger, English biologist, philosopher, and academic (died 1981) Joseph Henry Woodger was a British theoretical biologist and philosopher of biology whose attempts to make biological sciences more rigorous and empirical was significantly influential to the philosophy of biology in the twentieth century. Karl Popper, the prominent philosopher of science, claimed "Woodger… influenced and stimulated the evolution of the philosophy of science in Britain and in the United States as hardly anybody else". Read more
02 May 1892: Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (died 1918) Rittmeister Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Read more
02 May 1890: E. E. Smith, American engineer and author (died 1965) Edward Elmer Smith was an American food engineer and science-fiction author, best known for the Lensman and Skylark series. He is sometimes called the father of space opera. Read more
02 May 1889: Ki Hajar Dewantara, Indonesian philosopher, academic, and politician (died 1959) Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat, better known by the name Ki Hajar Dewantara since 1922, was a leading Indonesian independence movement activist, writer, columnist, politician, and pioneer of education for native Indonesians in Dutch colonial times. He founded the Taman Siswa school, an institution that provided education for indigenous commoners, which otherwise was limited to the Javanese aristocracy and the Dutch colonials. Read more
02 May 1887: Vernon Castle, English-American dancer (died 1918) Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and in silent films in the early 20th century. They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dancing. Castle was a stage name: Vernon was born William Vernon Blyth in England. Irene was born Irene Foote in the United States. Read more
02 May 1887: Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (died 1951) Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr., nicknamed "Cocky", was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1930 for the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox. A graduate of Columbia University, Collins holds major league career records in several categories and is among the top few players in several other categories. In 1925, Collins became just the sixth person to join the 3,000 hit club – and the last for the next 17 seasons. His 47 career home runs are the fewest of any player with 3,000 hits. Collins is the only non-Yankee to win five or more World Series titles with the same club as a player. He is also the only player to have been a member of all five World Series championships won by the Athletics during the franchise's time in Philadelphia. Read more
02 May 1886: Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (died 1956) Gottfried Benn was a German poet, essayist, and physician. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. He was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1951. Read more
02 May 1885: Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (died 1966) Elda Furry, known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings, Hopper named suspected Communists and was a major proponent of the Hollywood blacklist. Hopper continued to write her gossip column until her death in 1966. Her work appeared in many magazines and later on radio. She had an extended public feud with Louella Parsons, an arch-rival and fellow gossip columnist. Read more
02 May 1884: John Boland, American politician (died 1958) John Abram Boland Sr. was an American politician and businessman from South Dakota. He was an early supporter of Mount Rushmore and served as treasurer for its construction costs between 1929 and 1938. He served as mayor of Rapid City, South Dakota, between 1924 and 1925, and as a member of the South Dakota Senate between 1929 and 1936. Boland also owned a number of stores and businesses in the area and helped oversee South Dakota's financial support for World War I. He was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 1978. Read more
02 May 1882: Isabel González, Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans' American citizenship (died 1971) Isabel González was a Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans to be given United States citizenship. As a young unwed pregnant woman, González had her plans to find and marry the father of her unborn child derailed by the United States Treasury Department when she was excluded as an alien "likely to become a public charge" upon her arrival in New York City. González challenged the Government of the United States in the groundbreaking case Gonzales v. Williams. Officially the case was known as Isabella Gonzales, Appellant, v. William Williams, United States Commissioner of Immigration at the Port of New York No. 225, argued December 4, 7, 1903, and decided January 4, 1904. Her case was an appeal from the Circuit Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York, filed February 27, 1903, after also having her writ of habeas corpus dismissed. Her Supreme Court case is the first time that the Court confronted the citizenship status of inhabitants of territories acquired by the United States. González actively pursued the cause of U.S. citizenship for all Puerto Ricans by writing letters published in The New York Times. Read more
02 May 1881: Harry J. Capehart, American lawyer, politician, and businessperson (died 1955) Harry Jheopart Capehart Sr. was an American lawyer, politician, and businessperson in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Capehart served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing McDowell County for three consecutive terms, from 1919 to 1925. He also served as an assessor, city councilperson, and city attorney for Keystone, West Virginia. Read more
02 May 1880: Bill Horr, American football player, discus thrower, and coach (died 1955) Marquis Franklin "Bill" Horr was an American college football player and coach and Olympic track and field athlete. Read more
02 May 1879: James F. Byrnes, American stenographer and politician, 49th United States Secretary of State (died 1972) James Francis Byrnes was an American judge and politician from South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as in the executive branch, most prominently as the 49th U.S. Secretary of State under President Harry S. Truman. Byrnes was also the 104th governor of South Carolina. Read more
02 May 1873: Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (died 1944) Jurgis Baltrušaitis was a Lithuanian Symbolist poet and translator who wrote in Lithuanian and Russian, and was an exponent of iconology. He was the father of art historian and critic Jurgis Baltrušaitis Jr. Read more
02 May 1872: Ichiyō Higuchi, Japanese writer (died 1896) Natsuko Higuchi , known by her pen name Higuchi Ichiyō , was a Japanese writer during the Meiji era. She was Japan's first professional woman writer of modern literature, specializing in short stories and poetry, and was also an extensive diarist. Her portrait was used on the 5000 yen banknote in Japan. Read more
02 May 1867: Giuseppe Morello, Italian-American mobster (died 1930) Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello, also known as "the Old Fox", was the first boss of the Morello crime family and later top adviser to Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. He was known as Piddu and his rivals the Castellammarese knew him as Peter Morello. He had a deformed right hand with only one finger, resembling a claw. Read more
02 May 1865: Clyde Fitch, American playwright (died 1909) William Clyde Fitch was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time. Read more
02 May 1860: John Scott Haldane, Scottish physiologist, physician, and academic (died 1936) John Scott Haldane was a Scottish physician physiologist and philosopher famous for his often-dangerous self-experimentation that led to many important discoveries about the human body and the nature of gases. He also experimented on his son, the celebrated and polymathic biologist J. B. S. Haldane, even when he was quite young. Haldane locked himself in sealed chambers breathing potentially lethal cocktails of gases while recording their effect on his mind and body. Read more
02 May 1860: Theodor Herzl, Austro-Hungarian Zionist philosopher, journalist and author (died 1904) Theodor Herzl was a Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the Zionist Organization and promoted Jewish immigration to Palestine, which, in the late 19th century was part of the Ottoman Empire, in an effort to form a Jewish state. Due to his Zionist work, he is known in Hebrew as Chozeh HaMedinah, lit. 'Visionary of the State'. He is specifically mentioned in the Israeli Declaration of Independence and is officially referred to as "the spiritual father of the Jewish State". Read more
02 May 1859: Jerome K. Jerome, English author and playwright (died 1927) Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889). Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886) and Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow; Three Men on the Bummel, a sequel to Three Men in a Boat; and several other novels. Read more
02 May 1844: Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American engineer (died 1929) Elijah J. McCoy was a Canadian-American engineer of African-American descent who invented lubrication systems for steam engines. Born free on the Ontario shore of Lake Erie to parents who fled enslavement in Kentucky, he traveled to the United States as a young child when his family returned in 1847, becoming a U.S. resident and citizen. His inventions and accomplishments were honored in 2012 when the United States Patent and Trademark Office named its first regional office, in Detroit, Michigan, the "Elijah J. McCoy Midwest Regional Patent Office". Read more
02 May 1830: Otto Staudinger, German entomologist and author (died 1900) Otto Staudinger was a German entomologist and a natural history dealer considered one of the largest in the world specialising in the collection and sale of insects to museums, scientific institutions, and individuals. Read more
02 May 1828: Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist and photographer (died 1915) Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay was a French traveller and archaeologist notable both for his explorations of Mexico and Central America, and for the pioneering use of photography to document his discoveries. Read more
02 May 1822: Jane Miller Thengberg, Scottish-Swedish governess and educator (died 1902) Jane Miller Thengberg was a Swedish-Scottish teacher. She founded and managed the girls' school Klosterskolan in Uppsala from 1855 to 1863 and was the principal of the Högre lärarinneseminariet in Stockholm from 1863 to 1868. She organized the rules of the newly founded Högre lärarinneseminariet, was an active participant in the contemporary debate about the educational system in Sweden, and is regarded as a pioneer of the education of girls and women in Sweden. Read more
02 May 1815: William Buell Richards, Canadian lawyer and judge, 1st Chief Justice of Canada (died 1889) Sir William Buell Richards was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and judge, and served as the first Chief Justice of Canada. Read more
02 May 1813: Caroline Leigh Gascoigne, English novelist and poet (died 1883) Caroline Leigh Gascoigne was a 19th-century English poet and novelist from London. The daughter of a wealthy banker, she began writing at an early age and went on to publish several works in both prose and verse, including Temptation and Evelyn Harcourt. She was married to a Member of Parliament (MP) and had three children. Read more
02 May 1810: Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (died 1874) Hans Christian Lumbye was a Danish composer of waltzes, polkas, mazurkas and galops, among other things. Read more
02 May 1806: Catherine Labouré, French nun and saint (died 1876) Catherine Labouré, DC was a French member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and a Marian visionary. She is believed to have relayed the request from the Blessed Virgin Mary to create the Miraculous Medal, now worn by millions of people around the world. Labouré spent forty years caring for the aged and infirm. For this, she is called the patroness of seniors. Read more
02 May 1802: Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (died 1870) Heinrich Gustav Magnus was a German experimental scientist. His training was mostly in chemistry but his later research was mostly in physics. He spent the great bulk of his career at the University of Berlin, where he is remembered for his laboratory teaching as much as for his original research. He did not use his first given name, and was known throughout his life as Gustav Magnus. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 02 May in World History

02 May 2025: Ricky Davao, Filipino actor and director (born 1961) Frederick Charles Abiera Davao was a Filipino actor and television director. Read more
02 May 2025: George Ryan, American politician, 39th Governor of Illinois (born 1934) George Homer Ryan was an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Illinois from 1999 to 2003. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Secretary of State of Illinois from 1991 to 1999 and as lieutenant governor from 1983 to 1991. He was later convicted of federal racketeering, bribery, extortion, money laundering, and tax fraud stemming from his time in office. Read more
02 May 2024: Sjoukje Dijkstra, Dutch figure skater (born 1942) Sjoukje Rosalinde Dijkstra was a Dutch competitive figure skater. She was the 1964 Olympic champion in ladies' singles, the 1960 Olympic silver medalist, a three-time World champion (1962–1964), five-time European champion (1960–1964), and the six-time Dutch national champion (1959–1964). She was the first Dutch athlete to win a Winter Olympics gold medal. Read more
02 May 2024: Darius Morris, American basketball player (born 1991) Darius Aaron Morris was an American professional basketball player. Morris was selected as the 41st pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and played the point guard position. He also played for the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA as well as the Los Angeles D-Fenders and Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA D-League. He also played overseas in China, Russia and France. Read more
02 May 2024: Peter Oosterhuis, English golfer and broadcaster (born 1948) Peter Arthur Oosterhuis was an English professional golfer and broadcaster. He played on the European circuit from 1969 to 1974, winning 10 tournaments and taking the Harry Vardon Trophy for heading the Order of Merit for four consecutive seasons from 1971 to 1974. From 1975 he played on the PGA Tour, winning the Canadian Open in 1981. Oosterhuis was twice runner-up in the Open Championship, in 1974 and 1982. Later he became a golf analyst on TV, initially in Europe and then in the United States. In 2015, he announced that he had Alzheimer's disease. Read more
02 May 2021: Marcel Stellman, Belgian record producer and lyricist (born 1925) Marcel Leopold Stellman was a Belgian born British record producer and lyricist. Among the many artists who recorded Stellman’s songs are Cilla Black, Petula Clark, Charles Aznavour, the Shadows, Kathy Kirby, and Tony Bennett. In the UK he is best known as the man who brought the French show Des chiffres et des lettres to the UK as Countdown. His pseudonyms as a lyricist include Gene Martyn and Leo Johns. Read more
02 May 2020: Arif Wazir, Pakistani politician, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (born 1982) Arif Wazir was a Pakistani politician, activist, and a leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). He was a member of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) and its president for the South Waziristan chapter. He also headed the FATA Political Alliance South Waziristan, which campaigned for the rights of the people of former Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Read more
02 May 2016: Afeni Shakur, American music businesswoman, activist, and Black Panther (born 1947) Afeni Shakur Davis was an American political activist and member of the Black Panther Party. Shakur was the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur and the executor of his estate. She founded the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation and was the CEO of Amaru Entertainment, Inc., a record and film production company she founded. Read more
02 May 2015: Stuart Archer, English colonel and architect (born 1915) Colonel Bertram Stuart Trevelyan Archer,, known as Stuart Archer, was a recipient of the George Cross, the highest British and Commonwealth award for gallantry not in the face of the enemy. On 3 February 2015 Archer became the first recipient of the Victoria Cross or the George Cross to reach 100 years of age. Read more
02 May 2015: Michael Blake, American author and screenwriter (born 1945) Michael Lennox Blake was an American author, best known for the film adaptation of his novel Dances With Wolves, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Read more
02 May 2015: Guy Carawan, American singer and musicologist (born 1927) Guy Hughes Carawan Jr. was an American folk musician and musicologist. He served as music director and song leader for the Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tennessee. Read more
02 May 2015: Maya Plisetskaya, Russian-Lithuanian ballerina, choreographer, actress, and director (born 1925) Maya Mikhailovna Plisetskaya was a Soviet and Russian ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress. In post-Soviet times, she held both Lithuanian and Spanish citizenship. She danced during the Soviet era at the Bolshoi Theatre under the directorships of Leonid Lavrovsky, then of Yury Grigorovich; later she moved into direct confrontation with him. In 1960, when famed Russian ballerina Galina Ulanova retired, Plisetskaya became prima ballerina assoluta of the company. Read more
02 May 2015: Ruth Rendell, English author (born 1930) Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries. Read more
02 May 2014: Tomás Balduino, Brazilian bishop (born 1922) Tomás Balduíno, O.P. was a diocesan bishop of the Catholic Church in Brazil. Read more
02 May 2014: Žarko Petan, Slovenian director, playwright, and screenwriter (born 1929) Žarko Petan was a Slovenian writer, essayist, screenwriter, and theatre and film director. He is best known as a writer of aphorisms. Read more
02 May 2014: Efrem Zimbalist Jr., American actor (born 1918) Efrem Zimbalist Jr. was an American actor and theatre producer. Known for his "mellifluous voice and air of sophistication," he was known to television audiences for his starring roles on the crime drama series 77 Sunset Strip (1958–64) and The F.B.I. (1965–74), his recurring role as "Dandy Jim" Buckley on Maverick (1957–58), and as the voice of Alfred Pennyworth in the DC Animated Universe. He also appeared in numerous films and on the Broadway stage. He was a Golden Globe Award winner and a two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee. Read more
02 May 2013: Ernie Field, English boxer (born 1943) Ernest "Ernie" Field was an English Amateur Boxing Association of England amateur middleweight and professional light heavy/cruiserweight boxer and rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s. He played at club level for Stanley Rangers ARLFC, Wakefield Trinity (A-Team) and Bramley, as a centre, or loose forward. Read more
02 May 2013: Jeff Hanneman, American guitarist and songwriter (born 1964) Jeffrey John Hanneman was an American musician, best known as a founding member and co-lead guitarist of the thrash metal band Slayer. Hanneman wrote both music and lyrics for every Slayer album until his death in 2013. Read more
02 May 2013: Joseph P. McFadden, American bishop (born 1947) Joseph Patrick McFadden was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Formerly an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, he was installed as bishop of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania on August 18, 2010. He served in that position until his death in 2013. Read more
02 May 2013: Dvora Omer, Israeli author and educator (born 1932) Dvora Omer was an Israeli children's author. She is considered one of Israel’s greatest children’s book writers. Read more
02 May 2013: Ivan Turina, Croatian footballer (born 1980) Ivan Turina was a Croatian professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made one appearance for the Croatia national team. Read more
02 May 2013: Charles Banks Wilson, American painter and illustrator (born 1918) Charles Banks Wilson was an American artist. Wilson was born in Springdale, Arkansas in 1918; his family eventually moved to Miami, Oklahoma, where he spent his childhood. A painter, printmaker, teacher, lecturer, historian, magazine and book illustrator, Wilson's work has been shown in over 200 exhibitions in the United States and across the globe. Read more
02 May 2012: Fernando Lopes, Portuguese director and screenwriter (born 1935) Fernando Lopes, GCIH was a Portuguese film director. He was a Film teacher at the Portuguese National Conservatory, nowadays the Lisbon Theatre and Film School. He died, aged 76, in Lisbon due to throat cancer. Read more
02 May 2012: Zenaida Manfugás, Cuban-born American-naturalized pianist (born 1932) Zenaida Elvira González Manfugás was a Cuban-born American-naturalized pianist, considered to be one of the best Cuban pianists in history. Read more
02 May 2012: Tufan Miñnullin, Russian playwright and politician (born 1936) Miñnullin Tufan Ğabdulla ulı aka Tufan Miñnullin was a famous Tatar writer, playwright, publicist, Tatarstan State Council deputy and honorary citizen of Kazan. He was a permanent member of State Council of the Republic of Tatarstan since 1990. International PEN club member. Read more
02 May 2012: Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Indonesian physician and politician, Indonesian Minister of Health (born 1955) Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih was an Indonesian physician, researcher, and author. She served as Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia from 22 October 2009 until 30 April 2012. Read more
02 May 2012: Akira Tonomura, Japanese physicist, author, and academic (born 1942) Akira Tonomura was a Japanese physicist, best known for his development of electron holography and his experimental verification of the Aharonov–Bohm effect. Read more
02 May 2012: Lourdes Valera, Venezuelan actress (born 1963) Lourdes del Valle Valera Galvis was a Venezuelan actress who took part in over twenty film and television productions during her career, particularly known for her acting in many telenovelas. Read more
02 May 2011: Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founder of Al-Qaeda (born 1957) Osama bin Muhammad bin 'Awad bin Laden was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda from 1988 until his death in 2011. A Salafi jihadist, bin Laden worked towards a pan-Islamist caliphate by using al-Qaeda to organize and fund jihadist militants and terrorists worldwide. Al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks against the United States on 11 September 2001 (9/11) directly killed 2,977 victims, and caused the global War on Terror. Read more
02 May 2010: Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (born 1943) Lynn Rachel Redgrave was a British and American actress. During a career that spanned five decades, she won two Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards, two Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Tony Awards, and a Grammy Award. Read more
02 May 2009: Marilyn French, American author and academic (born 1929) Marilyn French was an American radical feminist author, most widely known for her second book and first novel, the 1977 work The Women's Room. Read more
02 May 2009: Kiyoshiro Imawano, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (born 1951) Kiyoshiro Imawano , born Kiyoshi Kurihara , was a Japanese rock musician, lyricist, composer, musical producer, and actor from Tokyo, Japan. He was dubbed "Japan's King of Rock". He formed and led the influential rock band RC Succession. He wrote many anti-nuclear songs following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. He was known for pioneering the adoption of linguistic characteristics of the Japanese language into his songs. Read more
02 May 2009: Jack Kemp, American football player and politician, 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (born 1935) Jack French Kemp was an American politician, professional football player, and U.S. Army veteran who served as the ninth U.S. secretary of housing and urban development in the administration of President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993. A member of the Republican Party from New York, he previously served nine terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971 to 1989. He was the Republican Party's vice presidential nominee in the 1996 election, as the running mate of Bob Dole; they lost to incumbent president Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore. Kemp had previously contended for the presidential nomination in the 1988 Republican primaries. Read more
02 May 2008: Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (born 1940) Beverlee McKinsey was an American actress. She is best known for her roles on daytime serials, including Iris Cory Carrington on Another World and the spin-off series Texas from 1972 to 1981 and Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light from 1984 to 1992. Read more
02 May 2008: Izold Pustõlnik, Ukrainian-Estonian astronomer and academic (born 1938) Izold Pustõlnik was an eminent Estonian astronomer who authored numerous scientific publications and served as editor of the Central European Journal of Physics and vice-chairman of the non-profit organization Euroscience Estonia. Read more
02 May 2007: Brad McGann, New Zealand director and screenwriter (born 1964) Brad McGann MNZM, was a New Zealand film director and screenwriter. Read more
02 May 2006: Louis Rukeyser, American journalist and author (born 1933) Louis Richard Rukeyser was an American financial journalist, columnist, and commentator, through print, radio, and television. Read more
02 May 2005: Wee Kim Wee, Singaporean journalist and politician, 4th President of Singapore (born 1915) Wee Kim Wee was a Singaporean journalist, diplomat and politician who served as the fourth president of Singapore between 1985 and 1993. Read more
02 May 2002: W. T. Tutte, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (born 1917) William Thomas Tutte was an English and Canadian code breaker and mathematician. During the Second World War, he made a fundamental advance in cryptanalysis of the Lorenz cipher, a major Nazi German cipher system which was used for top-secret communications within the Wehrmacht High Command. Read more
02 May 2000: Sundar Popo, Indo-Trinidadian musician (born 1943) Sundar Popo HBM, born Sundarlal Popo Bahora, was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian musician. He is credited as being the father of chutney music, beginning with his 1969 hit Nana and Nani. Read more
02 May 1999: Douglas Harkness, Canadian politician (born 1903) Douglas Scott Harkness was a Canadian politician. Read more
02 May 1999: Oliver Reed, English actor (born 1938) Robert Oliver Reed was an English actor, known for his upper-middle class, masculine image and his heavy-drinking, "hellraiser" lifestyle. His screen career spanned over 40 years, between 1955 and 1999. At the peak of his career, in 1971, British exhibitors voted Reed fifth-most-popular star at the box office. Read more
02 May 1998: hide, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1964) Hideto Matsumoto , known professionally as Hide, was a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band X Japan from 1987 to 1997 and rose to prominence in Asia as a solo artist from 1993 to 1998, until his death. He also formed the United States–based rock supergroup Zilch in 1996. Read more
02 May 1998: Justin Fashanu, English footballer (born 1961) Justinus Soni "Justin" Fashanu was an English footballer who played for a variety of clubs between 1978 and 1997. He was known by his early clubs to be gay, and came out publicly later in his career, becoming the first professional footballer to be openly gay. He was also one of the first footballers to command a £1 million transfer fee, with his transfer from Norwich City to Nottingham Forest in 1981, and had varying levels of success as a player afterwards, until he retired in 1997. Read more
02 May 1997: John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1903) Sir John Carew Eccles was an Australian neurophysiologist and philosopher who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the synapse. He shared the prize with Andrew Huxley and Alan Lloyd Hodgkin. Read more
02 May 1997: Paulo Freire, Brazilian philosopher and academic (born 1921) Paulo Reglus Neves Freire was a Brazilian educator and Marxist philosopher whose work revolutionized global thought on education. He is best known for Pedagogy of the Oppressed, in which he reimagines teaching as a collaborative act of liberation rather than transmission. A founder of critical pedagogy, Freire’s influence spans literacy movements, liberation theology, postcolonial education, Marxism, and contemporary theories of social justice and learning. He is widely regarded as one of the most important educational theorists of the twentieth century, alongside figures such as John Dewey and Maria Montessori, and considered "The Father of Critical Theory". Read more
02 May 1995: John Bunting, Australian public servant and diplomat, (born 1918) Sir Edward John Bunting was an Australian public servant and diplomat, whose senior career appointments included Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Read more
02 May 1995: Michael Hordern, English actor (born 1911) Sir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor. He is best known for his Shakespearean roles, especially King Lear. He often appeared in film, rising from a bit part actor to leading roles; by the time of his death he had appeared in nearly 140 films. His later work was predominantly in television and radio. Read more
02 May 1994: Dorothy Marie Donnelly, American poet and author (born 1903) Dorothy Marie Donnelly was a poet and essayist, the author of six books of poetry and prose and numerous articles published in Europe and the United States. Read more
02 May 1993: André Moynet, French race car driver, pilot, and politician (born 1921) André Moynet was a much decorated French wartime fighter pilot who moved on to become a test pilot and an entrepreneur-businessman. He was also a politician. Read more
02 May 1992: Wilbur Mills, American lawyer and politician (born 1909) Wilbur Daigh Mills was an American Democratic politician and lawyer who represented Arkansas's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1939 until his retirement in 1977. As chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from 1958 to 1974, he was often called "the most powerful man in Washington". Read more
02 May 1991: Gauri Shankar Rai, Indian Politician (born 1924)

Gauri Shankar Rai was a member of the 6th Lok Sabha during 1977-79 representing Ghazipur constituency of Uttar Pradesh. Earlier he had been member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (1957–62) and Legislative Council (1967–76). He served as the Leader of Opposition in Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council. Read more
02 May 1991: Ronald McKie, Australian journalist and author (born 1909) Ronald Cecil Hamlyn McKie was an Australian novelist. He was born on 11 May 1909 in Toowoomba, Queensland. After receiving his education at the Brisbane Grammar School and the University of Queensland, he worked as a journalist on newspapers in Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore, and China. He served in the AIF during World War II from 1942–1943, following which he served as war correspondent for several Australian and UK newspapers. After the war he worked for Sydney's Daily Telegraph. McKie died from kidney disease on 8 May 1991 in Canterbury, Melbourne, Australia. Read more
02 May 1990: David Rappaport, English-American actor (born 1951) David Stephen Rappaport was an English actor with achondroplasia. He appeared in the films Time Bandits and The Bride, and television series L.A. Law, The Wizard and Captain Planet and the Planeteers. He was 3 ft 11 in (1.19 m) in height. Read more
02 May 1989: Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author (born 1902) Veniamin Aleksandrovich Kaverin was a Soviet and Russian writer, dramatist and screenwriter associated with the early 1920s movement of the Serapion Brothers. Read more
02 May 1989: Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (born 1906) Giuseppe Siri was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Genoa from 1946 to 1987, and was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1953. A protégé of Pope Pius XII, he took part in the Second Vatican Council and was considered a papabile for 20 years, during the conclaves of 1958, 1963, August 1978 and October 1978. Read more
02 May 1986: Sergio Cresto, American race car driver (born 1956) Sergio Cresto was the American co-driver of Finnish Henri Toivonen at the Lancia Martini team for the 1986 World Rally Championship season. He was also a former co-driver for fellow Lancia employee Attilio Bettega, who died in an accident during the 1985 Tour de Corse on May 2, 1985. His co-driver Maurizio Perissinot survived the crash uninjured. This event happened exactly one year before the accident that claimed the lives of both Sergio Cresto and his then co-driver Henri Toivonen on May 2, 1986. Read more
02 May 1986: Henri Toivonen, Finnish race car driver (born 1956) Henri Pauli Toivonen was a Finnish rally driver born in Jyväskylä, the home of Rally Finland. His father, Pauli, was the 1968 European Rally Champion for Porsche and his younger brother, Harri, became a professional circuit racer. Read more
02 May 1985: Attilio Bettega, Italian race car driver (born 1951) Attilio Luigi Antonio Bettega was an Italian rally driver. Read more
02 May 1985: Larry Clinton, American trumpet player and bandleader (born 1909) Larry Clinton was an American musician, best known as a trumpeter who became a prominent American bandleader and arranger. Read more
02 May 1984: Jack Barry, American game show host and producer, co-founded Barry & Enright Productions (born 1918) Jack Barry was an American game show host, television personality and executive who made a name for himself in the game show field. Barry served as host of several game shows in his career, many of which he developed along with Dan Enright as part of their joint operation Barry & Enright Productions. Read more
02 May 1984: Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (born 1913) Robert Emerson Clampett Sr. was an American animator, director, producer and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated series from Warner Bros. Cartoons as well as the television shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil. He was born and raised not far from Hollywood and, early in life, showed an interest in animation and puppetry. After dropping out of high school in 1931, he joined the team at Harman-Ising Productions and began working on the studio's newest short subjects, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. Clampett was promoted to a directorial position in 1937. During his 15 years at the studio, he directed 84 cartoons later deemed classic, and designed some of the studio's most famous characters, including Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and Tweety. Among his most acclaimed films are Porky in Wackyland (1938) and The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946). He left Warner Bros. Cartoons in 1946 and turned his attention to television, creating the puppet show Time for Beany in 1949. A later animated version of the series, Beany and Cecil, was initially broadcast on ABC in 1962 and rerun until 1967. It is considered the first fully creator-driven television series and carried the byline "a Bob Clampett Cartoon". Read more
02 May 1983: Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (born 1926) Norman Mack Van Brocklin, was an American professional football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Nicknamed "the Dutchman", he spent his first nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and his final three with the Philadelphia Eagles. Following his playing career, he was the inaugural head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 1961 to 1966 and the second head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1968 to 1974. Read more
02 May 1980: Clarrie Grimmett, New Zealand-Australian cricketer (born 1891) Clarence Victor Grimmett was a New Zealand-born Australian cricketer. He was one of the finest spin bowlers of his time and usually credited as the developer of the flipper. Read more
02 May 1980: George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (born 1908) George Pal was a Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer. He is known for his stop motion animated film series Puppetoons and his fantasy and science-fiction films. He became an American citizen after emigrating from Europe. Read more
02 May 1979: Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1903) Giulio Natta was an Italian chemical engineer and Nobel laureate. Natta's work at Politecnico di Milano led to the improvement of earlier work by Karl Ziegler and to the development of the Ziegler–Natta catalyst. The discoveries of Natta and Ziegler revolutionized polymer science by enabling the low-pressure, stereospecific polymerization of olefins, particularly propylene, into highly ordered, crystalline structures. This development allowed the production of high-strength plastics that were previously unobtainable. Natta won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1963 with Karl Ziegler for his work on high density polymers. He also received a Lomonosov Gold Medal in 1969. Read more
02 May 1977: Nicholas Magallanes, American principal dancer and charter member of the New York City Ballet (born 1922) Nicholas Magallanes was a Mexican-born American principal dancer and charter member of the New York City Ballet. Along with Francisco Moncion, Maria Tallchief, and Tanaquil Le Clercq, Magallanes was among the core group of dancers with which George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein formed Ballet Society, the immediate predecessor of the New York City Ballet. Read more
02 May 1974: James O. Richardson, American admiral (born 1878) James Otto Richardson was an admiral in the United States Navy who served from 1902 to 1947. Read more
02 May 1972: J. Edgar Hoover, American 1st director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (born 1895) John Edgar Hoover was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the fifth and final director of the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) and the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). President Calvin Coolidge first appointed Hoover as director of the BOI, the predecessor to the FBI, in 1924. After 11 years in the post, Hoover became instrumental in founding the FBI in June 1935, where he remained as director for an additional 37 years until his death in May 1972 – serving a total of 48 years leading both the BOI and the FBI under eight presidents. Read more
02 May 1969: Franz von Papen, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (born 1879) Franz Joseph Hermann Michael Maria von Papen, Erbsälzer zu Werl und Neuwerk was a German politician, diplomat, army officer, and Prussian nobleman. A national conservative, he served as Chancellor of Germany in 1932, and then as Vice-Chancellor under Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1934. A committed monarchist, Papen is largely remembered for his role in bringing Hitler to power. Read more
02 May 1964: Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (born 1879) Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess Astor was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945. Astor was born in Danville, Virginia, and raised in Greenwood, Virginia. Her first marriage, to socialite Robert Gould Shaw II, was unhappy and ended in divorce. She then moved to England and married American-born Englishman Waldorf Astor in 1906. Read more
02 May 1963: Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, peer, politician, poet, author and newspaper editor (born 1884) Ronald Gorell Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, was a British hereditary peer, Liberal politician, poet, author and newspaper editor. Read more
02 May 1957: Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, judge, and politician (born 1908) Joseph Raymond McCarthy was an American politician who served as a Republican senator from Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarthy became the most visible public face of a period in the United States in which Cold War tensions fueled fears of widespread communist subversion. He alleged that numerous communists and Soviet spies and sympathizers had infiltrated institutions including the United States federal government and military, universities, and the film industry. Ultimately, he was censured by the Senate in 1954 for refusing to cooperate with and abusing members of the committee established to investigate whether or not he should be censured. The term "McCarthyism", coined in 1950 in reference to McCarthy's practices, was soon applied to similar anti-communist activities. Today, the term is used more broadly to refer to demagogic, reckless, and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents. Read more
02 May 1953: Wallace Bryant, American archer (born 1863) Wallace Bryant was an American archer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. He won the bronze medal in the team competition. In the Double York round he finished fourth and in the Double American round he finished eighth. Bryant was also a famous portrait artist. Read more
02 May 1947: Dorothea Binz, German SS officer (born 1920) Dorothea "Theodora" Binz was a Nazi German officer and supervisor at Ravensbrück concentration camp during the Holocaust. She was known as one of the most brutal, ruthless and sadistic overseers in the Nazi system. She was executed for war crimes on 2 May 1947. Read more
02 May 1946: Bill Denny, Australian journalist, lawyer, politician, and decorated soldier (born 1872) William Joseph Denny was an Australian journalist, lawyer, politician and decorated soldier who held the South Australian House of Assembly seats of West Adelaide from 1900 to 1902 and then Adelaide from 1902 to 1905 and again from 1906 to 1933. After an unsuccessful candidacy as a United Labor Party (ULP) member in 1899, he was elected as an "independent liberal" in a by-election in 1900. He was re-elected in 1902, but defeated in 1905. The following year, he was elected as a ULP candidate, and retained his seat for that party until 1931. Along with the rest of the cabinet, he was ejected from the Australian Labor Party in 1931, and was a member of the Parliamentary Labor Party until his electoral defeat at the hands of a Lang Labor Party candidate in 1933. Read more
02 May 1945: Martin Bormann, German politician (born 1900) Martin Ludwig Bormann was a German Nazi Party official and head of the Nazi Party Chancellery, private secretary to Adolf Hitler, and a war criminal. Bormann gained immense power by using his position as Hitler's private secretary to control the flow of information and access to Hitler. He used his position to create an extensive bureaucracy and involve himself as much as possible in the decision-making. Read more
02 May 1945: Joe Corbett, American baseball player and journalist (born 1875) Joseph Aloysius Corbett was an American Major League Baseball starting pitcher who played in the National League. He was born in San Francisco, California. Read more
02 May 1941: Penelope Delta, Greek author (born 1874) Penelope Delta was a Greek author. She is widely celebrated for her contributions to the field of children's literature. Her historical novels have been widely read and have influenced popular modern Greek perceptions of national identity and history. Through her long-time association with Ion Dragoumis, Delta was thrust into the middle of turbulent early-20th-century Greek politics, ranging from the Macedonian Struggle to the National Schism. Read more
02 May 1940: Ernest Joyce, English explorer (born 1875) Ernest Edward Mills Joyce AM was a Royal Naval seaman and explorer who participated in four Antarctic expeditions during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, in the early 20th century. He served under both Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton. As a member of the Ross Sea party in Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Joyce earned an Albert Medal for his actions in bringing the stricken party to safety, after a traumatic journey on the Great Ice Barrier. He was awarded the Polar Medal with four bars, one of only two men to be so honoured, the other being his contemporary, Frank Wild. Read more
02 May 1929: Charalambos Tseroulis, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister for Military Affairs (born 1879) Charalambos Tseroulis was a distinguished infantry officer of the Hellenic Army who rose to the rank of Lieutenant General. Read more
02 May 1927: Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (born 1866) Ernest Henry Starling was a British physiologist who contributed many fundamental ideas to this subject. These ideas were important parts of the British contribution to physiology, which at that time led the world. Read more
02 May 1925: Antun Branko Šimić, Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian poet (born 1898) Antun Branko Šimić was a Bosnian and Croatian expressionist poet, considered to be one of the most important poets of Croatian literature of the 20th century. Read more
02 May 1925: Johann Palisa, Austrian astronomer (born 1848) Johann Palisa was an Austrian astronomer, born in Troppau, Austrian Silesia, now Czech Republic. He was a prolific discoverer of asteroids, discovering 122 in all, from 136 Austria in 1874 to 1073 Gellivara in 1923. Some of his notable discoveries include 153 Hilda, 216 Kleopatra, 243 Ida, 253 Mathilde, 324 Bamberga, and the near-Earth asteroid 719 Albert. Palisa made his discoveries without the aid of photography, and he remains the most successful visual (non-photographic) asteroid discoverer of all time. He was awarded the Valz Prize from the French Academy of Sciences in 1906. The asteroid 914 Palisana, discovered by Max Wolf in 1919, and the lunar crater Palisa were named in his honour. Read more
02 May 1918: Jüri Vilms, Estonian lawyer and politician (born 1889) Jüri Vilms was a member of the Estonian Salvation Committee and the first Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Estonia. Empowered by Maapäev, the Salvation Committee issued the Estonian Declaration of Independence on 24 February 1918 in the middle of a political power vacuum created by the retreating Russian and advancing German troops during World War I. The German forces taking over the country did not recognize the independence of Estonia. The Salvation Committee went underground and Jüri Vilms volunteered to go to Finland to take funds and instructions to the Estonian missions working to get diplomatic recognition for the newly sovereign nation. According to an "official" version, he was captured on reaching the Finnish coast and executed by German troops in Helsinki. According to the latest research Jüri Vilms may have been executed by a unit of the Swedish Brigade in Hauho. Estonia gained its independence after the German troops were withdrawn from Estonia due to the German Revolution and the ensuing Estonian War of Independence ended with Peace Treaty of Tartu. Read more
02 May 1915: Clara Immerwahr, German chemist (born 1870) Clara Helene Immerwahr was a German chemist. She was the first German woman to be awarded a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Breslau, and is credited with being a pacifist as well as a "heroine of the women's rights movement". From 1901 until her death from suicide in 1915, she was married to the eventual Nobel Prize-winning chemist Fritz Haber. Read more
02 May 1912: Homer Davenport, American political cartoonist (born 1867) Homer Calvin Davenport was a political cartoonist and writer from the United States. He is known for drawings that satirized figures of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, most notably Ohio Senator Mark Hanna. Although Davenport had no formal art training, he became one of the highest paid political cartoonists in the world. Davenport also was one of the first major American breeders of Arabian horses and one of the founders of the Arabian Horse Club of America. Read more
02 May 1900: Lars Oftedal, Norwegian priest, social reformer, politician, and newspaper editor (born 1838) Lars Svendsen Oftedal was a Norwegian priest, social reformer, politician, and newspaper editor.
He was the founding editor of Stavanger Aftenblad and served as a member of the Storting. Read more
02 May 1885: Terézia Zakoucs, Hungarian-Slovene author (born 1817) Terézia Zakoucs was a Hungarian Slovene author. Read more
02 May 1880: Eberhard Anheuser, German-American businessman, co-founded Anheuser-Busch (born 1805) Eberhard Anheuser was a German-American soap and candle maker, and the father-in-law of Adolphus Busch, with whom he co-founded the Anheuser-Busch Company. Read more
02 May 1880: Tom Wills, Australian cricketer, co-created Australian rules football (born 1835) Thomas Wentworth Wills was an Australian sportsman who is credited with being Australia's first cricketer of significance and a founder of Australian rules football. Born in the British penal colony of New South Wales to a wealthy family descended from convicts, Wills grew up in the bush on stations owned by his father, the squatter and politician Horatio Wills, in what is now the state of Victoria. As a child, he befriended local Aboriginal people, learning their language and customs. Aged 14, Wills went to England to attend Rugby School, where he became captain of its cricket team and played an early version of rugby football. After Rugby, Wills represented Cambridge University in the annual cricket match against Oxford, and played at first-class level for Kent and the Marylebone Cricket Club. An athletic bowling all-rounder with tactical nous, he was regarded as one of the finest young cricketers in England. Read more
02 May 1866: José Gálvez Egúsquiza, Peruvian politician (born 1819) José Gabriel Gálvez Egúsquiza was a Peruvian lawyer, professor and liberal politician. During the presidential government of Mariano Ignacio Prado he was Secretary—i.e. Minister—of War and Navy (1865). He was killed in action during the Battle of Callao, where he died fighting the Spanish squadron, thus becoming a symbol of the independence of America. Read more
02 May 1864: Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer and educator (born 1791) Giacomo Meyerbeer was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera Robert le diable and its successors, he gave the genre of grand opera 'decisive character'. Meyerbeer's grand opera style was achieved by his merging of German orchestra style with Italian vocal tradition. These were employed in the context of sensational and melodramatic libretti created by Eugène Scribe and were enhanced by the up-to-date theatre technology of the Paris Opéra. They set a standard that helped to maintain Paris as the opera capital of the nineteenth century. Read more
02 May 1857: Alfred de Musset, French dramatist, poet, and novelist (born 1810) Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist. Along with his poetry, he is known for writing the autobiographical novel La Confession d'un enfant du siècle. Read more
02 May 1856: James Gates Percival, American poet, surgeon and geologist (born 1795) James Gates Percival was an American poet, surgeon, and geologist. Read more
02 May 1832: Zina Hitchcock, New York politician (born 1755) Zina Hitchcock was a New York politician. A descendant of the early American colonist Samuel Chapin, he was born on November 6, 1755, in Warren or New Milford, Connecticut. His father, John Hitchock, was a member of the Connecticut General Assembly. During the American Revolutionary War, Hitchcock served as an enlisted soldier in the Albany County militia. He moved to Sandy Hill, New York, c. 1783–1784, where he became a prominent landowner, a founding member of the local Masonic Lodge, and built the Zion church. In 1784, he became a founding member of the First Medical Society in Vermont, a predecessor to the Vermont Medical Society. Read more
02 May 1819: Mary Moser, English painter and academic (born 1744) Mary Moser was an English painter who was one of the most celebrated female artists in 18th-century Britain. One of only two female founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, Moser painted portraits but is particularly noted for her depictions of flowers. Read more
02 May 1810: Henry Jerome de Salis, English priest (born 1740) Henry Jerome de Salis, DD, FRS, FSA, was an English churchman. He was Rector of St. Antholin in the City of London and Vicar of Wing in Buckinghamshire. He was also known as: Revd Henry Jerome de Salis, MA; the Hon. & Rev. Henry Jerome De Salis, Count of the Holy Roman Empire; Dr. de Salis; Rev. Dr. Henry Jerome de Salis, and, from 1809, Rev. Count Henry Jerome de Salis. Read more
02 May 1802: Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch general and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch Gold Coast (born 1762) Herman Willem Daendels was a Dutch military officer and colonial administrator who served as governor-general of the Dutch East Indies from 1808 to 1811. Read more

Why is 02 May Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 02 May, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

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What happened on 02 May in World history?

On 02 May, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

Is History of Today important for competitive exams?

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