Today May 1st in history click read more below to view detail events, deaths, births, Holidays and observances, and video clips in hisotry. Please comments, last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor.
1328 – Wars of Scottish Independence end: Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton – the Kingdom of England recognises the Kingdom of Scotland as an independent state.
1576 – Stefan Batory, the reigning Prince of Transylvania, marries Anna Jagiellon and they become the co-rulers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
1707 – The Act of Union joins the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
1751 – The first cricket match is played in America.
1753 – Publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
1776 – Establishment of the Illuminati in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria), by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt.
1778 – American Revolution: The Battle of Crooked Billet begins in Hatboro, Pennsylvania.
1785 – Kamehameha, the king of Hawai?i defeats Kalanikupule and establishes the Kingdom of Hawai?i.
1786 – Opening night of the opera The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna, Austria.
1834 – The British colonies abolish slavery.
1840 – The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom.
1846 – The few remaining Mormons left in Nauvoo, Illinois, formally dedicated the Nauvoo Temple.
1848 – The Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.
1851 – The Great Exhibition opens in London by Queen Victoria.
1852 – The Philippine peso is introduced into circulation.
1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville begins.
1869 – The Folies Bergère opens in Paris.
1875 – Alexandra Palace reopens after the 1873 fire burnt it down.
1884 – Proclamation of the demand for eight-hour workday in the United States.
1886 – The Haymarket riots in Haymarket Square in Chicago, Illinois are the start of the general strike which eventually wins the eight-hour workday in the United States. These events are today commemorated as May Day or Labour Day in most industrialized countries.
1893 – The World s Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago.
1894 – Coxey s Army, the first significant American protest march, arrives in Washington, D.C.
1898 – Spanish-American War: The Battle of Manila Bay – the United States Navy destroys the Spanish Pacific fleet in the first battle of the war.
1900 – The Scofield mine disaster kills 200 in Scofield, Utah in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in United States history.
1901 – The Pan-American Exposition opens in Buffalo, New York.
1915 – The RMS Lusitania departs from New York City on her two hundred and second and final crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives, including 128 Americans, rousing American sentiment against Germany.
1925 – The All-China Federation of Trade Unions is officially founded. Today it is the largest trade union in the world, with 134 million members.
1927 – The first cooked meals on a scheduled flight are introduced on an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris.
1927 – The Union Labor Life Insurance Company is founded by the American Federation of Labor.
1930 – The dwarf planet Pluto is officially named.
1931 – The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.
1940 – The 1940 Summer Olympics are cancelled due to war.
1941 – World War II: German forces launch Operation Mercury the largest airborne invasion to date in their bid to capture Crete.
1941 – World War II: German forces launch a major attack on Tobruk.
1945 – World War II: A German newsreader officially announces that Adolf Hitler has fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany.
1946 – Start of 3 year Pilbara strike of Indigenous Australians.
1946 – The Paris Peace Conference concludes that the islands of the Dodecanese should be returned to Greece by Italy.
1948 – The Democratic People s Republic of Korea (North Korea) is established, with Kim Il-sung as president.
1950 – Guam is organized as a United States commonwealth.
1956 – The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
1956 – A doctor in Japan reports an epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system, marking the official discovery of Minamata disease.
1960 – Formation of the western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
1960 – Cold War: U-2 Crisis – Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.
1961 – The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.
1965 – Battle of Dong-Yin, a naval conflict between ROC and PRC, takes place.
1970 – Protests erupt in Seattle, Washington, following the announcement by U.S. President Richard Nixon that U.S. Forces in Vietnam would pursue enemy troops into Cambodia, a neutral country.
1971 – Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) is formed to take over U.S. passenger rail service.
1977 – 36 people are killed in Taksim Square, Istanbul, during the Labour Day celebrations.
1978 – Japan s Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
1982 – The 1982 World s Fair opens in Knoxville, Tennessee.
1982 – Operation Black Buck begins. The RAF attack on the Argentine Air Force during Falklands War.
1983 – Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis is awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.
1987 – Pope John Paul II beatifies Edith Stein, a Jewish-born Carmelite nun who was gassed in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.
1989 – Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States.
1991 – Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics steals his 939th base, making him the all-time leader in this category. However, his accomplishment is overshadowed later that evening by Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers, when he pitches his seventh career no-hitter (breaking his own record).
1992 – On the third day of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, African-American activist, criminal, and victim of police beating Rodney King appears in public before television news cameras to appeal for calm and plead for peace, asking, People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?.
1995 – Croatian forces launch Operation Flash during the Croatian War of Independence.
1997 – Tasmania becomes the last state in Australia to decriminalize homosexuality.
2000 – Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares the existence of a state of rebellion, hours after thousands of supporters of her arrested predecessor, Joseph Estrada, storm towards the presidential palace at the height of the EDSA III rebellion.
2003 – 2003 invasion of Iraq: In what becomes known as the Mission Accomplished speech, U.S. President George W. Bush declares that major combat operations in Iraq have ended on board the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of California.
2004 – Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.
2006 – The Puerto Rican government closes the Department of Education and 42 other government agencies due to significant shortages in cash flow.
2007 – The Los Angeles May Day mêlée occurs, in which the Los Angeles Police Department s response to a May Day pro-immigration rally become a matter of controversy.
2008 – The London Agreement on translation of European patents, concluded in 2000, enters into force in 14 of the 34 Contracting States to the European Patent Convention.
Births
1218 – John I, Count of Hainaut (d. 1257)
1218 – Rudolph I of Germany, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1291)
1285 – Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel, English politician (d. 1326)
1582 – Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer (d. 1643)
1594 – John Haynes, Massachusetts colonial magistrate
1672 – Joseph Addison, English politician and writer (d. 1719)
1738 – King Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii (d. 1819)
1769 – Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Anglo-Irish statesman (d. 1852)
1804 – Aleksey Khomyakov, Russian poet (d. 1860)
1829 – José de Alencar, Brazilian novelist (d. 1877)
1831 – Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and suffragist (d. 1903)
1850 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Governor General of Canada (d. 1942)
1851 – Laza Lazarevic, Serbian writer and psychiatrist (d. 1891)
1852 – Calamity Jane, American Wild West performer (d. 1903)
1852 – Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Spanish neuroscientist, Nobel laureate (d. 1934)
1857 – Theo Van Gogh, Dutch art dealer (d. 1891)
1872 – Sidónio Pais, Portuguese military and politician (d. 1918)
1881 – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French palaeontologist and philosopher (d. 1955)
1884 – Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, British politician, naval officer and racing driver (d. 1964)
1887 – Alan Gordon Cunningham, British army officer (d. 1983)
1896 – Herbert Backe, German Nazi politician (d. 1947)
1896 – Mark Wayne Clark, American general (d. 1984)
1896 – J. Lawton Collins, American general (d. 1987)
1901 – Heinz Eric Roemheld, American film composer (d. 1985)
1901 – Antal Szerb, Hungarian author and historian (d. 1945)
1905 – Henry Koster, German film director (d. 1988)
1905 – Paul Desruisseaux, French Canadian lawyer, businessman and politician (d. 1982)
1906 – Horst Schumann, Nazi physician (d. 1983)
1907 – Oliver Hill, civil rights attorney (d. 2007)
1907 – Kate Smith, American singer (d. 1986)
1908 – Giovanni Guareschi, Italian journalist (d. 1968)
1909 – Yiannis Ritsos, Greek poet, winner of the Lenin Peace Prize, 9 times candidate for the Nobel Prize (d. 1990)
1912 – Otto Kretschmer, German U-Boat commander (d. 1998)
1913 – Louis Nye, American comedian and actor (d. 2005)
1913 – Walter Susskind, Czech conductor (d. 1980)
1915 – Archie Williams, American athlete (d. 1993)
1916 – Glenn Ford, Canadian actor (d. 2006)
1917 – John Beradino, American actor and baseball player (d. 1996)
1917 – Danielle Darrieux, French singer and actress
1917 – Ahron Soloveichik, Orthodox Jewish rabbi
1918 – Gersh Budker, Russian physicist (d. 1977)
1918 – Jack Paar, American television host (d. 2004)
1919 – Lewis Hill, American pacifist and founder of Pacifica Radio (d. 1957)
1919 – Dan O Herlihy, Irish film actor (d. 2005)
1923 – Joseph Heller, American novelist (d. 1999)
1924 – Art Fleming, American game show host (d. 1995)
1924 – Karel Kachyna, Czech film director (d. 2004)
1924 – Terry Southern, American screenwriter (d. 1995)
1925 – Chuck Bednarik, American football player
1925 – Scott Carpenter, American astronaut
1926 – Peter Lax, Hungarian Mathematician
1928 – Desmond Titterington, Northern Irish racer (d. 2002)
1929 – Ralf Dahrendorf, German-born sociologist and politician
1929 – Sonny James, American country music singer and songwriter
1930 – Richard Riordan, former mayor of Los Angeles
1930 – Little Walter, American blues singer (d. 1995)
1934 – Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Mexican politician
1934 – Joan Hackett, American actress (d. 1983)
1934 – Shirley Horn, American jazz singer and pianist (d. 2005)
1935 – Ann Robinson, American actress
1937 – Una Stubbs, English actress
1939 – Judy Collins, American folk singer
1939 – Max Robinson, American broadcast journalist (d. 1988)
1940 – Elsa Peretti, Italian jewelry designer
1943 – Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan poltician (d. 2004)
1944 – Suresh Kalmadi, Indian politician
1945 – Rita Coolidge, American singer
1946 – Joanna Lumley, English actress
1946 – John Woo, Hong Kong director
1947 – Sergio Infante, Chilean poet and writer
1949 – Tim Hodgkinson, English composer and musician (Henry Cow)
1949 – Paul Teutul, Sr., founder of Orange County Choppers
1950 – Dann Florek, American actor
1950 – Danny McGrain, Scottish footballer
1951 – Antony Worrall Thompson, English celebrity chef
1953 – Glen Ballard, American songwriter and record producer
1954 – Ray Parker Jr., American singer and songwriter
1954 – Joel Rosenberg, science fiction author
1955 – Nick Feldman, English musician
1956 – Catherine Frot, French actress
1957 – Ko Otani, Japanese composer
1959 – Lawrence Seeff, former South African cricketer
1960 – Steve Cauthen, American jockey
1961 – Marilyn Milian, current judge on The People s Court
1962 – Maia Morgenstern, Romanian actress
1962 – Ted Sundquist, General Manager of the Denver Broncos
1964 – Yvonne van Gennip, Dutch speed skater
1966 – Olaf Thon, German football player
1967 – Tim McGraw, American musician
1968 – Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer
1968 – Sol Kyung-gu, South Korean actor
1968 – Denise Masino, American Female Bodybuilder
1968 – D arcy Wretzky, American musician (The Smashing Pumpkins)
1969 – Wes Anderson, American director and writer
1969 – Billy Owens, American basketball player
1971 – Ajith Kumar, Indian film actor
1972 – Julie Benz, American actress
1973 – Curtis Martin, American football player
1973 – Oliver Neuville, German footballer
1975 – Austin Croshere, American basketball player
1975 – Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2003)
1975 – Jodhi May, British actress
1975 – Alexei Smertin, Russian footballer
1976 – Darius McCrary, American actor
1977 – Vera Lischka, Austrian swimmer
1977 – Dan Regan, American musician (Reel Big Fish)
1978 – Sachie Hara, Japanese actress
1978 – Nick Traina, American singer, Link 80 (d. 1997)
1979 – Mauro Bergamasco, Italian rugby player
1979 – Ben Easter, American actor
1979 – MC Harvey (Michael Harvey), British musical artist
1980 – Jan Heylen, Belgian racing driver
1980 – Jay Reatard, American musician
1980 – Ana Claudia Talancón, Mexican actress
1981 – Derek Asamoah, Ghanaian Footballer
1981 – Aliaksandr Hleb, Belarusian footballer
1981 – Wes Welker, American football player
1982 – Tommy Robredo, Spanish tennis player
1983 – The Human Tornado (Craig Williams), American professional wrestler
1984 – David Backes, American ice hockey player
1984 – Patrick Eaves, American ice hockey player
1984 – Alexander Farnerud, Swedish footballer
1984 – Farah Fath, American actress
1984 – Keiichiro Koyama, Japanese musician (NEWS)
1984 – Mark Seaby, Australian Rules footballer
1985 – Drew Sidora, American actress
1986 – Adam Casey, Australian footballer
1986 – Cristian Benítez, Ecuadorian footballer
1987 – Marcus Drum, Australian Rules Football
1987 – Matt Di Angelo, English Actor
1987 – Shahar Pe er, Israeli tennis player
1988 – Graeme Owens, English footballer
1990 – Caitlin Stasey, Australian actress
1991 – Creagen Dow, American actor
1997 – Ariel Gade, American actress
Deaths
408 – Arcadius, Eastern Roman emperor (b. 337/338)
1118 – Edith of Scotland, first wife of Henry I of England (b. c.1080)
1240 – Jacques de Vitry, Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati and dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals
1308 – Albert I of Habsburg (murdered) (b. 1255)
1539 – Isabella of Portugal, queen of Spain and empress of Germany (b. 1503)
1555 – Pope Marcellus II (b. 1501)
1572 – Pope Pius V (b. 1504)
1731 – Johann Ludwig Bach, German composer (b. 1677)
1738 – Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, English statesman (b. c.1669)
1772 – Gottfried Achenwall, German statistician (b. 1719)
1813 – Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French marshal (killed in combat) (b. 1768)
1873 – David Livingstone, Scottish missionary (b. 1813)
1899 – Ludwig Büchner, German philosopher and physician (b. 1824)
1904 – Antonín Dvorák, Czech composer (b. 1841)
1913 – John Barclay Armstrong, Texas Ranger and U.S. Marshal (b. 1850)
1935 – Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (b. 1889)
1937 – Snitz Edwards, American actor (b. 1868)
1943 – Johan Oscar Smith, Norweigian Christian leader and founder of Brunstad Christian Church (b. 1871)
1945 – Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda (suicide with his wife Magda Goebbels) (b. 1897)
1963 – Lope K. Santos, Filipino writer, Father of the Philippine National Language and Grammar (b. 1879)
1965 – Spike Jones, American band leader, musician, and comedian (b. 1911)
1968 – Harold Nicolson, British diplomat, author and politician (b. 1886)
1968 – Jack Adams, Canadian ice hockey player, coach and general manager (b. 1895)
1970 – Crown Prince Euimin, Crown Prince Korea (b. 1897)
1976 – Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet who fought the military junta in Greece (b. 1939)
1976 – T.R.M. Howard, civil rights leader, entrepreneur, surgeon (b. 1908)
1978 – Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer (b. 1903)
1982 – William Primrose, Scottish violist (b. 1903)
1986 – Hylda Baker, English comedy actress (b. 1905)
1986 – Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and record producer (b. 1916)
1989 – Sally Kirkland, fashion editor at LIFE (b. 1912)
1989 – Douglass Watson, American actor (b. 1921)
1990 – Sergio Franchi, Italian tenor (b. 1926)
1992 – Sharon Redd, American house music and urban contemporary singer (b. 1945)
1993 – Pierre Bérégovoy, French Prime Minister (b. 1925)
1993 – Ranasinghe Premadasa, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (b. 1924)
1994 – Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver and three-time F1 world champion (b. 1960)
1998 – Eldridge Cleaver, American activist (b. 1935)
2000 – Steve Reeves, American actor (b. 1926)
2003 – Miss Elizabeth, American wrestler (b. 1960)
2006 – Big Hawk, American rapper (b. 1969)
2006 – Johnny Paris, American saxophonist (Johnny and the Hurricanes) (b. 1940)
2006 – Rob Lacey, Christian Author. (b. 1962)
2008 – Anthony Mamo, Malta s first President (b. 1909)
2008 – Deborah Jeane Palfrey, Washington, D.C. prostitution service owner (b. 1956)
Holidays and observances
May Day, Labour Day, Workers Day, Day of the International Solidarity of Workers.
Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day, national holiday in Israel
Czech Republic – National Love Day – couples tend to flock to the memorial of the poet Karel Hynek Mácha in Prague and kiss.
Lei Day – Hawaiian holiday for the Lei.
Beltane, Lá Bealtaine, the first day of Summer in modern Ireland was celebrated by the Celts, and is now also celebrated by Neopagans and Wiccans.
Northern Europe – Walpurgis Night.
Roman Empire – all-female festival in honour of Bona Dea.
Roman Empire – fourth and last day of the Floralia in honour of Flora.
United States – Law Day, U.S.A., Loyalty Day.
Malta – public holiday (L-Ewwel ta Mejju (1st May Day), or Jum il-Haddiem (Worker s Day)).
Maharashtra Day (Maharashtra Divas) – Maharastra, India.
Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker
Saint James the Less.
Saint Philip the Apostle.
Saint Andeol.
Saint Asaph
Saint Brieuc.
Saint Sigismund of Burgundy.
Saint Theodulf.
Saint Augustin Schoeffer
