Events on May 1
- 0305Emperor Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus Jovius of Rome resigns
- 1006Supernova observed by Chinese and Egyptians in constellation Lupus
- 1048Bishop Bernold flees St. Pieterskerk for Utrecht Neth
- 1523Danish King Christian III arrives in Veere
- 1544Turkish troops occupy Hungary
- 1551Council of Trente resumes
- 1598Jacob van Necks Merchant fleet departs for Java
- 1625Portuguese and Spanish expedition recaptures Salvador (Bahia)
- 1625Prince Frederik Henry appointed Viceroy of Holland
- 1628Meiboom in Quincy, Massachusetts, degenerates into orgy with indian women
- 1682Louis XIV and his court inaugurates Paris Observatory
- 1703Battle at Rultusk: Swedish army beats Russians
- 1704Boston Newsletter publishes 1st newspaper ad
- 1707England, Wales and Scotland form UK of Great Britain
- 1711Archduke Karel of Austria / Hungarian rebellion sign Peace of Szatmar
- 1715Prussia declares war on Sweden
- 1725Spain and Austria sign trade treaty
- 1756France and Austria sign alliance
- 1757Austria and France divide Prussia
- 1759British fleet occupies Guadeloupe, West-Indies, on France
- 1776Adam Weishaupt founds secret society of Illuminati
- 1777RB Sheridans "School for Scandal, " premieres in London
- 1781Emperor Jozef II decrees protection of population
- 1822John Phillips becomes 1st Mayor of Boston
- 1834Belgian parliament accept railway laws
- 18401st adhesive postage stamps ("Penny Blacks" from England) issued
- 18411st emigrant wagon train leaves Independence, Missouri for California
- 1844Samuel Morse sends 1st telegraphic message
- 1844Whig convention nominates Henry Clay as presidential candidate
- 1846Ida Pfeiffer (48) begins trip around world
Born on May 1
- 1238Magnus VI Lagabuter: King of Norway (1263-80)
- 1493Phillippus Paracelsus: Switzerland -- Physician / Alchemist (or 11 / 10)
- 1545Franciscus Junius [Francois du Jon]: French / Netherlands calvinist theologist
- 1567Michiel Jansz van Mierevelt: Dutch royal painter
- 1577Francois van Kinschot: Dutch treasurer
- 1582Marco da Gagliano: Italian opera composer
- 1592Johann A Schall von Bell: German missionaries / astronomer
- 1672Joseph Addison: England, United Kingdom -- Essayist (Spectator)
- 1735John H van Kinsbergen: Dutch Lieutenant Admiral / founder of Dutch Marines Corp
- 1759Jacob Albright [Albrecht]: German / US predictor
- 1764Benjamin Henry Latrobe: Engineer / architect (built Capitol)
- 1764Gottfried Rieger: Composer
- 1771George Guest: Composer
- 1775Jacob-Joseph-Balthasar Martinn: Composer
- 1800Ret Thomas Aloysius Dornin: Comm (Union Navy), died in 1874
- 1807John Bankhead "Prince John" Magruder: Major General (Confederate Army)
- 1819William Steele: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1885
- 1825George Inness: US landscape painter (Delaware Water Gap)
- 1829Jose M de Alencar: Brazilian writer / Minister of Justice
- 1830Mary Harris Jones [Mother Jones]: Hell-raiser
- 1835Alfred Napoleon Alexander "Natti" Duffie: Brigadier General (Union volunteers)
- 1839Chardonnet: Inventor (rayon)
- 1852Calamity [Martha] Jane [Burke]: Frontier adventurer / indian fighter
- 1858Anthony Johnson Showalter: Composer
- 1859Willem J Leyds: Dutch / South Africa lawyer / politician / diplomat
- 1881Pierre Teilhard de Chardin: France -- Philosopher / paleontologist
- 1884Felipe Boero: Composer
- 1887Alan Gordon Cunningham: Irish / British General / Director of Palestine (1945-48)
- 1892Howard Barlow: Plain City, Ohio -- Conductor (Voice of Firestone)
- 1895Leo Sowerby: Grand Rapids, Michigan -- Composer (Pulitzer 1946)
Died on May 1
- 1171Dermot MacMurrough: Last Irish King of Leinster
- 1277Stefanus IV Uros I de Great: King of Serbia (1243-76)
- 1308Albrecht I van Habsburg: German King (1298-1308), murdered
- 1447Louis VII: Duke of Baveria (1413-43)
- 1456Hugues de Lannoy: Flemish Viceroy of Holland / Zealand
- 1471Thomas a Kempis: Spiritual writer (Navolging of Christ), dies at 91
- 1555Marcellus II [Marcello Cervini]: Italian Pope (1555), dies at 53
- 1572Pius V [Antonio Ghislieri]: Great-inquisiteur / Pope (1566-72)
- 1679Esaias Reusner: Composer, dies at 43
- 1700John Dryden: English Poet / playwright (Rival Ladies)
- 1703Kiva Yoshinaka: Japanese monarch, murdered
- 1772Gottfried Achenwall: German lawyer / statistics / economist, dies at 52
- 1831Antonius van Alphen: Apostle vicar of De Bosch, dies at 82
- 1863Edward Dorr Tracy: US Confederate Brigadier General, dies in battle at 29
- 1872Amalia: Princess of Weimar / Wife of Prince Hendrik the Navigator
- 1874Vilem Blodek: Composer, dies at 39
- 1886Conrad Busken Huet: Writer (Country of Rubens)
- 1886Heinrich Franz Daniel Stiehl: Composer, dies at 56
- 1892Willem A Scholten: Manufacturer (potatoes), dies at 89
- 1896Nasr-ed-Din: Shah of Persia (184.-96), murdered at 65
- 1898Alphonse Wauters: Belgian historian, dies at 81
- 1902John Glover: English chemist (production sulfuric acid), dies at 85
- 1903Luigi Arditi: Violist / composer, dies at 80
- 1917Jose E Rodo: Uruguayan writer (Motivos de proteo)
- 1921Louis Campbell-Tipton: Composer, dies at 43
- 1924August Cuppens: Flemish Author (Limburgs Driemanschap), dies at 62
- 1926Nicolaus Adriani: Translator (Middle-Celebes Language), dies at 60
- 1934Alexander Alexandrovich Davidenko: Composer, dies at 35
- 1937Snitz Edwards: Actor (Phantom of the Opera, College), dies at 75
- 1941John R Locksmith de Brown: Vicar / CHU-politician, dies at 71
Historical events on May 2
- 1345"Quaden Maendach" in Gent: Battles between volders and weavers
- 1497John Cabot departs to North-America
- 1526German evangelical monarchy joins Schmalkaldische League
- 1536King Henry VIII accused Anna Boleyn of adultery and incest
- 1595King Philip II names Albrecht of Austria land guardian of Neth
- 1598France and Spain signs Peace of Vervins
- 1652Frederik Hendriks daughter Albertine Agnes marries Willem Frederik
- 16681st peace of Aken: ends French-Spanish war in The Netherlands
- 1668Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, ends War of Devolution
- 1670King Charles II charters Hudson Bay Company
- 1703Portugal signs treaty with England to become a Great Covenant
- 1749Empress Maria Theresa signs "Haugwitzschen State reform"
- 1776France and Spain agreed to give weapons to American rebels
- 1780William Herschel discovers 1st binary star, Xi Ursae Majoris
- 1808Uprising against French occupation begins in Madrid
- 1824Goethe visits Ettersberg (Buchenwald)
- 1833Czar Nicolas bans public sale of serfs
- 1847Sabbath famine
- 1863South defeats North in Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia
- 1863Stonewall Jackson attacks Chancellorsville, wounded by his own men
- 1865President Johnson offers $100,000 reward for capture of Jefferson Davis
- 1876Ross Barnes hit 1st home run in National League
- 1878US stops minting 20 cent coin
- 1885"Good Housekeeping" magazine is 1st published
- 1885Congo Free State forms by King Leopold II of Belgium
- 1887Hannibal W Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film
- 1889Abyssinian Emperor Menelik II / Italy signs Treaty of Wichale
- 1890Territory of Oklahoma created
- 1900George Bernard Shaws "You Never Can Tell, " premieres in London
- 1902"A Trip To The Moon, " the 1st science fiction film released
Born on May 2
- 1551William Camden: English historian (Brittania, Annales)
- 1601Athanasius Kircher: German Jesuit / inventor (magic lantern)
- 1660Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti: Palermo, Italy -- Composer (Tigrane)
- 1729Catherine II [the Great]: Empress of Russia (1762-96)
- 1729Florian Johann Deller: Composer
- 1740Elias Boudinot: Lawyer / patriot, founder American Biblical Society
- 1752Ludwig August Lebrun: Composer
- 1754Vicente Martin y Soler: Composer
- 1768Jean-Louis M Alibert: French dermatologist
- 1772Novalis: Writer
- 1779John Galt: Scotland, United Kingdom -- Novelist (Ayrshire Legatees, Lawrie Todd)
- 1810Hans Christian Lumbye: Composer
- 1817Zikmund Michal Kolesovsky: Composer
- 1821Abram Sanders Piatt: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1908
- 1843Carl Michael Ziehrer: Composer
- 1844Elijah McCoy: Black inventor, held over 50 patents
- 1846Zygmunt Noskowski: Composer
- 1853Marie Verstraete: Actress (Louise-Frou Frou)
- 1855Theodore Moses Tobani: Composer
- 1857Frederic Cliffe: Composer
- 1860Theodor Herzl: Austria -- Journalist / founder (Zionist movement)
- 1862Marie F M Emmanuel: French composer / musicologist (Salamine)
- 1869Tyrone Power, Sr.: London, England -- Actor (Alexanders Ragtime Band)
- 1872G G van der Hoeven: Dutch editor-in-chief (NRC)
- 1884Francois de Vries: Dutch economist
- 1886Gottfried Benn: Writer
- 1890E[dward] E[lmer] "Doc" Smith: United States -- Sci-fi author (Triplanetary)
- 1892Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen [Red Baron]: German WWI ace
- 1895Alfred Kurella: Writer
- 1895Peggy Bacon: Ridgefield, Connecticut -- Author / illustrator (Off With Their Heads)
Died on May 2
- 0649Maruta of Tagrit: Theology / 1st mafriaan Jakobitische church
- 1250Toeransa: Sultan of Egypt, murdered
- 1459Pierozzi Antoninus: Italian Archbishop of Florence / saint
- 1488Jacob van Horne: Burgundy statesman
- 1519Leonardo Da Vinci: Artist / scientist, dies at 67
- 1567Marin Drzic: Croatian playwright (Dundo Maroje)
- 1669Pieter Jansz Post: Master builder (Waag, Gouda), dies at 61
- 1685Adriaen van Ostade: Dutch painter, buried
- 1727Paul Aler: French Jesuit / Poet (Gradus ad Parnassum), dies at 70
- 1736Albert Seba: Amsterdam pharmacist, dies at 71
- 1799Henri-Joseph Rigel: Composer, dies at 58
- 1818Herman W Daendels: Governor-General of Guinea (1815-18), dies at 55
- 1845August Pauly: German writer (Real Encyclopedia), dies at 48
- 1857LC Alfred the Musset: French Poet (Lesson caprices Marianne)
- 1864Giacomo Meyerbeer: Composer, dies at 72
- 1892Wilhelm Rust: Composer, dies at 69
- 1897William Cleaver Francis Robinson: Composer, dies at 63
- 1919Gustav Landauer: German socialist
- 1937Arthur Somervell: Composer, dies at 73
- 1945Martin Bormann: Propoganda Minister for Hitler
- 1954Pauline de Cock-Manifarges: Singer, dies at 82
- 1955Tadeusz Jarecki: Composer, dies at 66
- 1957Joseph McCarthy: Commie hunting senator (R-Wisc), dies at 47
- 1957Tadeusz Zygfryd Kassern: Composer, dies at 53
- 1958Alfred Weber: German economist / sociologist, dies at 89
- 1960Caryl Chessman: Rapist executed after 12 years of appeals at 39
- 1963Tomas Vackar: Composer, dies at 17
- 1963Van Wyck Brooks: US Historian (Ordeal of Mark Twain), dies at 77
- 1964Nancy N Witcher Astor: US / Eng feminist / ex of Waldorf Astor
- 1968Donald L Hall: Airplane designer (Spirit of St. Louis), dies at 69
Events on May 3
- 1294John II becomes Duke of Brabant / Limburg
- 1342Count Hartmann II becomes ruler of Vaduz (Liechtenstein)
- 1382Battle on Beverhoutsfield near Brugge
- 1455Jews flee Spain
- 1494Columbus discovers Jamaica
- 1494Jamaica discovered by Columbus; he names it "St Iago"
- 15125th Lateran Council (18th ecumenical council) opens in Rome
- 1515Persian Gulf: Portugese fleet occupies Ormuz
- 1616Treaty of Loudun kills French civil war
- 1621Francis Bacon accused of bribery
- 1624Spanish silver fleet sails to Panama
- 1629French huguenot leader Duke De Rohan signs accord with Spain
- 1640English Upper house accept Act of Attainder
- 1654Bridge at Rowley Mass begins charging tolls for animals
- 1660Sweden, Poland, Brandenburg and Austria sign Peace of Oliva
- 1661Johannes Hevelius observes 3rd transit of Mercury ever to be seen
- 1662Royal charter granted Connecticut
- 1678French conquering fleet at Curacao, 1200 die
- 1747Willem IV appointed Viceroy of Holland / Utrecht
- 17651st US medical college opens in Philadelphia
- 1802Washington DC incorporates as a city
- 1810Lord Byron swims Hellespont
- 1815Battle at Tolentino: Austria beats King Joachim of Naples
- 1822Society for Propagation of Faith starts (Lyon, France)
- 18301st regular steam train passenger service starts
- 18451st black lawyer (Macon B Allen) admitted to bar (Mass)
- 1845Fire kills 1,600 in popular theater in Canton China
- 1846Mexican army surrounds fort in Texas
- 1851Most of SF destroyed by fire; 30 die
- 1855Antwerp-Rotterdam railway opens
Born on May 3
- 1446Margaretha: English Princess / Duchess of Bourgondie
- 1514Bartholomaeus a Martyribus [Fernandez]: Primate of Portugal
- 1535Alessandro "Agnolo" Allori: Italian painter / carpet designer
- 1647John A "Joannes" Antonides van der Goes: Poet (Bellone aen bant)
- 1649Johann Valentin Meder: Composer
- 1692Jan J Mauricius: Dutch Governor-General of Suriname (1742-51)
- 1708Johann Adolph Scheibe: German music theroist / composer
- 1729Florian Leopold Gassmann: Composer
- 1737Friedrich Schwindl: Composer
- 1742Jean-Baptiste Krumphultz: Composer
- 1744Freidrich Wilhelm Weis: Composer
- 1752Braz Francisco de Lima: Composer
- 1764Elisabeth PMH: Princess of France / Son of King Louis XVI
- 1773Giuseppe Acerbi: Italian traveller / nature investigator / diplomat
- 1815Hermanus W Witteveen: Dutch theologist
- 1816Montgomery Cunningham Meigs: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1892
- 1819Nicola De Giosa: Composer
- 1826Charles XV Louis E: King of Sweden / Norway (1859-72) / poet
- 1844Edouard A Drumont: French anti-semitic journalist
- 1849Jacob Riis: Denmark -- Reporter (NY Tribune, New York Evening Sun)
- 1859Andy Adams: US writer (Log of a Cowboy)
- 1873[Nicoline] Magdalene Anchor-Roll: Norwegian author (Kvinnen og Den)
- 1874Francois Coty: Corsica -- Corsican senator / perfume maker
- 1890B Traven: Writer
- 1892George Thomson: Demonstrated electron diffraction (Nobel 1937)
- 1893Hope Landin: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 1895Earnest Kantorowicz: German / US historian (Laudes regiae)
- 1895Zoltan Korda: Hungarian / British director (Jungle Book, 4 Feathers)
- 1897V K Krishna Menon: India -- Minister of Defense
- 1898Golda Meir [Meyerson]: Kiev, Ukraine -- 4th Israeli Prime Minister (1969-74)
Died on May 3
- 1010Ansfried: 9th Bishop of Utrecht (995-1010) / saint, dies at about 69
- 1294Jan I: Duke of Brabant / Limburg / poet
- 1442Engelbert I: Earl of Nassau-Dillenburg
- 1567Leonhard Paminger: Composer, dies at 72
- 1614Sasbout Vosmeer: RC Theologist / apostole vicar, dies at 66
- 1654Francois van Kinschot: Treasurer-General / chancellor of Brabant, dies at 77
- 1703Eglon van de Down: Still-life painter
- 1704Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: Austrian violist / composer, dies at 59
- 1707Michiel de Swaen: South Netherlands Physician / poet, dies at 53
- 1737Abraham Patras: Governor-General of East-Indies (1735-37), dies at 65
- 1758Benedict XIV [Prospero L Lambertini]: Pope (1740-58), dies at 83
- 1764Francesco Algarotti: Italian Earl / encyclopedist, dies at 53
- 1783Pieter Valckx: South Netherlands sculptor, dies at 49
- 1792Carlo Zuccari: Composer, dies at 87
- 1839Ferdinando Paer: Composer, dies at 67
- 1841Cornelis T Elout: Dutch Minister of Finance / Navy / Colonies, dies at 74
- 1854William Beale: Composer, dies at 70
- 1856Adolfo Fumagalli: Composer, dies at 27
- 1856Adolphe Charles Adam: French Composer / critic (Giselle), dies at 52
- 1861Anthony Philip Heinrich: Composer, dies at 80
- 1863Elisha Franklin "Bull" Paxton: US Confederate Brigadier General, dies at 35
- 1868Olof Wilhelm Udden: Composer, dies at 68
- 1881Josip Jurcic: Slovic writer (Schone Vida)
- 1893Josef Rudolf Zavrtal: Composer, dies at 73
- 1902David R Capriles: Curacaos Director of Psychiatric, dies at 64
- 1910Artie Shaw: Bandleader
- 1926Napoleon V Bonaparte: French pretender to the throne, dies at 63
- 1931Frank Hoyt Losey: Composer, dies at 59
- 1931Otto Winter-Hjelm: Composer, dies at 93
- 1932Anton Wildgans: Austr writer (Dies Irae) / director Burgtheater, dies at 51