May 2

Events

1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter.

1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.

1335 – Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, becomes Duke of Carinthia.

1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.

1559 – John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the nascent Scottish Reformation.

1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle.

1611 – The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.

1670 – King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.

1672 – John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.

1808 – Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.

1812 – The Siege of Cuautla during the Mexican War of Independence ends with both sides claiming victory after Mexican rebels under José María Morelos y Pavón abandon the city after 72 days under siege by royalist Spanish troops under Félix María Calleja.

1816 – Marriage of Léopold of Saxe-Coburg and Princess Charlotte of Wales.

1829 – After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.

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.

1866 – Peruvian defenders fight off the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.

1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Bulgaria.

1879 – The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is founded in Madrid by Pablo Iglesias.

1885 – Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.

1885 – The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium.

1889 – Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs the Treaty of Wuchale, giving Italy control over Eritrea.

1906 – Closing ceremony of the Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece.

1918 – General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.

1920 – The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis.

1933 – Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler bans trade unions.

1941 – Following the coup d'état against Iraq Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah earlier that year, the United Kingdom launches the Anglo-Iraqi War to restore him to power.

1945 – World War II: Fall of Berlin: The Soviet Union announces the capture of Berlin and Soviet soldiers hoist their red flag over the Reichstag building.

1945 – World War II: Italian Campaign: General Heinrich von Vietinghoff signs the official instrument of surrender of all Wehrmacht forces in Italy.

1945 – World War II: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp finding 1000 dead prisoners, most of whom starved to death.

1952 – The world's first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1 makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg.

1955 – Tennessee Williams wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

1963 – Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.

1964 – Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the USS Card while it is docked at Saigon. Viet Cong forces are suspected of placing a bomb on the ship. She is raised and returned to service less than seven months later.

1964 – First ascent of Shishapangma the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders.

1969 – The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.

1972 – In the early morning hours a fire breaks out at the Sunshine Mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, Idaho, killing 91 workers.

1980 – Referendum on system of government held in Nepal.

1982 – Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.

1986 – Chernobyl disaster: The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster

1989 – Hungary begins dismantling its border fence with Austria, which allows a number of East Germans to defect.

1994 – A bus crashes in Gdańsk, Poland killing 32 people.

1995 – During the Croatian War of Independence, the Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina fires cluster bombs at Zagreb, killing seven and wounding over 175 civilians.

1998 – The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy.

1999 – Panamanian general election, 1999: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama.

2000 – President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.

2004 – The Yelwa massacre concludes. It began on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims killed 78 Christians at Yelwa. In response, about 630 Muslims were killed by Christians on May 2nd.

2008 – Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.

2008 – Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.

2011 – Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted man, is killed by the United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

2011 – An E. coli outbreak strikes Europe, mostly in Germany, leaving more than 30 people dead and many others sick from the bacteria outbreak.

2011 – The 41st Canadian federal election is held, in which the governing Conservative Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper, increases their number of seats from a minority to a majority.

2012 – A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction, setting a new world record for a work of art at auction.

2014 – Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing.

2016 – Leicester City are confirmed as 2015-16 Premier League champions after Tottenham Hotspur draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.

Births

1360 – Yongle Emperor of China (d. 1424)

1451 – René II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)

1458 – Eleanor of Viseu (d. 1525)

1476 – Charles I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels, Count of Kladsko, Governor of Bohemia and Silesia (d. 1536)

1533 – Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (d. 1596)

1551 – William Camden, English historian and topographer (d. 1623)

1601 – Athanasius Kircher, German priest and scholar (d. 1680)

1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1725)

1695 – Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French painter and architect (d. 1766)

1702 – Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian and theosopher (d. 1782)

1707 – Jean-Baptiste Barrière, French cellist and composer (d. 1747)

1729 – Catherine the Great of Russia (d. 1796)

1737 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1805)

1740 – Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1821)

1750 – John André, English soldier and spy (d. 1780)

1752 – Ludwig August Lebrun, German oboe player and composer (d. 1790)

1754 – Vicente Martín y Soler, Spanish composer (d. 1806)

1772 – Novalis, German author and poet (d. 1801)

1773 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher and poet (d. 1845)

1797 – Abraham Pineo Gesner, Canadian physician and geologist (d. 1864)

1802 – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d. 1870)

1806 – Catherine Labouré, French nun and saint (d. 1876)

1810 – Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (d. 1874)

1815 – William Buell Richards, Canadian lawyer and judge, 1st Chief Justice of Canada (d. 1889)

1828 – Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist and photographer (d. 1915)

1830 – Otto Staudinger, German entomologist and author (d. 1900)

1843 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American engineer (d. 1929)

1859 – Jerome K. Jerome, English author and playwright (d. 1927)

1860 – John Scott Haldane, Scottish physiologist, physician, and academic (d. 1936)

1860 – Theodor Herzl, Jewish-Austrian philosopher, journalist and author (d. 1904)

1865 – Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d. 1909)

1867 – Giuseppe Morello, Italian-American mobster (d. 1930)

1873 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (d. 1944)

1879 – James F. Byrnes, American stenographer and politician, 49th United States Secretary of State (d. 1972)

1880 – Bill Horr, American football player, discus thrower, and coach (d. 1955)

1881 – Alexander Kerensky, Russian lawyer and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Russia (d. 1970)

1885 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (d. 1966)

1886 – Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (d. 1956)

1887 – Vernon Castle, English-American dancer (d. 1918)

1887 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)

1889 – Ki Hajar Dewantara, Indonesian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1959)

1890 – E. E. Smith, American engineer and author (d. 1965)

1892 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (d. 1918)

1894 – Joseph Henry Woodger, English biologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1981)

1895 – Lorenz Hart, American playwright and lyricist (d. 1943)

1897 – John Frederick Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)

1898 – Henry Hall, English bandleader, composer, and actor (d. 1989)

1901 – Bob Wyatt, English cricketer (d. 1995)

1902 – Brian Aherne, English actor (d. 1986)

1903 – Benjamin Spock, American rower, pediatrician, and author (d. 1998)

1904 – Bill Brandt, German-English photographer and journalist (d. 1983)

1906 – Philippe Halsman, Latvian-American photographer (d. 1979)

1907 – Pinky Lee, American comedian and television host (d. 1993)

1910 – Alexander Bonnyman, Jr., American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1943)

1912 – Axel Springer, German journalist and publisher, founded Axel Springer AG (d. 1985)

1913 – Pietro Frua, Italian coachbuilders and car designers (d. 1983)

1913 – Nigel Patrick, English actor and director (d. 1981)

1913 – Aydın Sayılı, Turkish historian and academic (d. 1993)

1915 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)

1915 – Peggy Mount, English actress (d. 2001)

1917 – Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder

1917 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (d. 2002)

1920 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 2004)

1920 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian-Brazilian journalist and activist (d. 2000)

1920 – Vasantrao Deshpande, Indian singer and sitar player (d. 1983)

1920 – Guinn Smith, American pole vaulter, soldier, and pilot (d. 2004)

1921 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)

1922 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (d. 2007)

1922 – A. M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born American journalist and author (d. 2006)

1923 – Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (d. 2008)

1924 – Jamal Abro, Pakistani lawyer and author (d. 2004)

1924 – Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2015)

1924 – Hugh Cortazzi, English soldier, historian, and diplomat, British Ambassador to Japan

1925 – John Neville, English-Canadian actor (d. 2011)

1926 – Gérard D. Levesque, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1993)

1927 – Ray Barrett, Australian actor and singer (d. 2009)

1928 – Hans Trass, Estonian ecologist and botanist

1929 – Édouard Balladur, Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France

1929 – James Dillion, American discus thrower (d. 2010)

1929 – Link Wray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)

1930 – Yoram Kaniuk, Israeli painter and critic (d. 2013)

1930 – Marco Pannella, Italian journalist and politician

1931 – Phil Bruns, American actor and stuntman (d. 2012)

1931 – Martha Grimes, American author and poet

1932 – Maury Allen, American journalist, actor, and author (d. 2010)

1933 – Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales

1935 – Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager

1936 – Norma Aleandro, Argentinian actress, director, and screenwriter

1936 – Engelbert Humperdinck, English singer and pianist

1936 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (d. 1972)

1937 – Klaus Enders, German motorcycle sidecar racer

1937 – Lorenzo Music, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)

1938 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d. 1996)

1939 – Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist and engineer

1941 – Tony Adamowicz, American race car driver

1941 – Bruce Cameron, Scottish bishop

1941 – Clay Carroll, American baseball player

1942 – Jacques Rogge, Belgian businessman

1943 – Sundar Popo, Indo-Trinidadian chutney musician (d. 2000)

1944 – Robert G. W. Anderson, English chemist, historian, and curator

1944 – Bob Henrit, English drummer

1945 – Randy Cain, American soul singer (d. 2009)

1945 – Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (d. 1998)

1945 – Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan-American model, actress, and activist

1946 – Peter L. Benson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2011)

1946 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)

1946 – David Suchet, English actor

1946 – Indrek Tart, Estonian sociologist and poet

1947 – James Dyson, English businessman, founded the Dyson Company

1947 – Lynda Myles, English screenwriter and producer

1948 – Larry Gatlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor

1949 – Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener and author

1950 – Simon Gaskell, English chemist and academic

1950 – Duncan Gay, Australian businessman and politician

1950 – Lou Gramm, American rock singer-songwriter

1950 – Richard Ground English lawyer and judge (d. 2014)

1951 – John Glascock, English singer and bass player (d. 1979)

1952 – Chris Anderson Australian rugby league player and coach

1952 – Christine Baranski, American actress and singer

1952 – Isla St Clair, Scottish singer and actress

1953 – Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor and director

1954 – Elliot Goldenthal, American composer and conductor

1954 – Dawn Primarolo, English politician

1954 – Stephen Venables, English mountaineer and author

1955 – Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer

1956 – Régis Labeaume, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Quebec City

1958 – Yasushi Akimoto, Japanese songwriter and producer

1958 – Stanislav Levý, Czech footballer and manager

1958 – David O'Leary, English-Irish footballer and manager

1959 – Alan Best, Canadian animator, director, and producer

1959 – Tony Wakeford, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1960 – Stephen Daldry, English director and producer

1961 – Steve James, English snooker player

1961 – Sophie Thibault, Canadian journalist

1961 – Phil Vickery, English chef and author

1962 – Elizabeth Berridge (actress), American actress

1962 – Jimmy White, English snooker player

1965 – Félix José, Dominican-American baseball player

1966 – Uwe Freiler, German footballer

1966 – Margus Kolga, Estonian diplomat

1966 – Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and politician

1967 – Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1995)

1967 – Mika Brzezinski, American journalist and author

1967 – David Rocastle, English footballer (d. 2001)

1968 – Jeff Agoos, Swiss-American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster

1968 – Julia Hartley-Brewer, English broadcaster and columnist

1968 – Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress

1969 – Brian Lara, Trinidadian cricketer

1970 – Marco Walker, Swiss footballer and coach

1971 – Musashimaru Kōyō, Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna

1971 – Fatima Yusuf, Nigerian sprinter

1972 – Paul Adcock, English footballer

1972 – Ahti Heinla, Estonian programmer and businessman, co-developed Skype

1972 – Dwayne Johnson, American-Canadian wrestler, actor, and producer

1973 – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German director and screenwriter

1974 – Horacio Carbonari, Argentinian footballer and manager

1974 – Andy Johnson, English-Welsh footballer

1974 – Janek Meet, Estonian footballer

1975 – David Beckham, English footballer, coach, and model

1976 – Jeff Gutt, American singer-songwriter

1977 – Brian Cardinal, American basketball player

1977 – Jan Fitschen, German runner

1977 – Luke Hudson, American baseball player

1977 – Fredrik Malm, Swedish journalist and politician

1977 – Jenna von Oÿ, American actress and singer

1978 – Melvin Ely, American basketball player

1978 – Mike Weaver, Canadian ice hockey player

1979 – Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player

1979 – Ioannis Kanotidis, Greek footballer

1980 – Tim Borowski, German footballer

1980 – Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canadian skateboarder

1980 – Ellie Kemper, American actress, comedian and writer

1980 – Zat Knight, English footballer

1980 – Artūras Masiulis, Lithuanian basketball player

1980 – Troy Murphy, American basketball player

1980 – Lassaâd Ouertani, Tunisian footballer (d. 2013)

1980 – Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player

1981 – Robert Buckley, American actor

1981 – Chris Kirkland, English footballer

1981 – Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer

1981 – Matt Murray, English footballer

1981 – Rina Satō, Japanese voice actress and singer

1982 – Timothy Benjamin, Welsh sprinter

1982 – Johan Botha, South African cricketer

1983 – Alessandro Diamanti, Italian footballer

1983 – Maynor Figueroa, Honduran footballer

1983 – Tina Maze, Slovenian skier

1983 – Daniel Sordo, Spanish race car driver

1983 – Ove Vanebo, Norwegian politician

1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer

1984 – Thabo Sefolosha, Swiss basketball player

1985 – Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter and actress

1985 – Kyle Busch, American race car driver

1985 – Ashley Harkleroad, American tennis player

1985 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater

1985 – David Nugent, English footballer

1985 – Jarrod Saltalamacchia, American baseball player

1986 – Katie O'Brien, British tennis player

1987 – Nana Kitade, Japanese singer-songwriter and actress

1987 – Pat McAfee, American football player

1987 – Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player

1988 – Neftalí Feliz, Dominican baseball player

1988 – Stephen Henderson, Irish footballer

1989 – Jeanette Pohlen, American basketball player

1990 – Paul George, American basketball player

1991 – Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean actor and singer

1992 – María Teresa Torró Flor, Spanish tennis player

1993 – Owain Doull, Welsh track cyclist

1993 – Isyana Sarasvati, Indonesian female singer

1994 – Yook Sungjae, South Korean singer, actor, and dancer

2015 – Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, British royal, and fourth in line to the British throne

Deaths

373 – Athanasius of Alexandria, Egyptian bishop and saint (b. 298)

649 – Marutha of Tikrit, Persian theologian of the Syriac Orthodox Church (b. 565)

821 – Liu Zong, general of the Tang Dynasty

907 – Boris I of Bulgaria

1219 – Leo I, King of Armenia (b. 1150)

1230 – William de Braose, English son of Reginald de Braose (b. 1197)

1293 – Meir of Rothenburg, German rabbi (b. c.1215)

1300 – Blanche of Artois (b. 1248)

1450 – William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English admiral (b. 1396)

1519 – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1452)

1564 – Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal (b. 1500)

1627 – Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, Italian composer and educator (b. 1560)

1667 – George Wither, English poet and author (b. 1588)

1683 – Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and mathematician (b. 1613)

1711 – Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1641)

1799 – Juan Vicente de Güemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo (b. 1740)

1802 – Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch general and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch Gold Coast (b. 1762)

1810 – Henry Jerome de Salis, English priest (b. 1740)

1819 – Mary Moser, English painter and academic (b. 1744)

1857 – Alfred de Musset, French dramatist, poet, and novelist (b. 1810)

1864 – Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer and educator (b. 1791)

1880 – Eberhard Anheuser, German-American businessman, co-founded Anheuser-Busch (b. 1805)

1880 – Tom Wills, Australian cricketer, co-created Australian rules football (b. 1835)

1885 – Terézia Zakoucs, Hungarian-Slovene author (b. 1817)

1915 – Clara Immerwahr, German chemist (b. 1870)

1918 – Jüri Vilms, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1889)

1925 – Antun Branko Šimić, Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian poet (b. 1898)

1927 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (b. 1866)

1929 – Charalambos Tseroulis, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister for Military Affairs (b. 1879)

1941 – Penelope Delta, Greek author (b. 1874)

1945 – Martin Bormann, German politician (b. 1900)

1945 – Joe Corbett, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1875)

1947 – Dorothea Binz, German SS officer (b. 1920)

1953 – Wallace Bryant, American archer (b. 1863)

1957 – Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1908)

1963 – Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, peer, politician, poet, author and newspaper editor (b. 1884)

1964 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (b. 1879)

1969 – Franz von Papen, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1879)

1972 – J. Edgar Hoover, American 1st director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (b. 1895)

1974 – James O. Richardson, American admiral (b. 1878)

1979 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)

1980 – Clarrie Grimmett, New Zealand-Australian cricketer (b. 1891)

1980 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (b. 1908)

1983 – Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (b. 1926)

1984 – Jack Barry, American game show host and producer, co-founded Barry & Enright Productions (b. 1918)

1984 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1913)

1985 – Attilio Bettega, Italian race car driver (b. 1951)

1985 – Larry Clinton, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1909)

1986 – Sergio Cresto, American race car driver (b. 1956)

1986 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish race car driver (b. 1956)

1989 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author (b. 1902)

1989 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (b. 1906)

1990 – David Rappaport, English-American actor (b. 1951)

1991 – Ronald McKie, Australian journalist and author (b. 1909)

1992 – Wilbur Mills, American lawyer and politician (b. 1909)

1993 – André Moynet, French race car driver, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)

1994 – Dorothy Marie Donnelly, American poet and author (b. 1903)

1995 – John Bunting, Australian public servant and diplomat, Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (b. 1918)

1995 – Michael Hordern, English actor (b. 1911)

1997 – John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)

1997 – Paulo Freire, Brazilian philosopher and academic (b. 1921)

1998 – hide, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1964)

1998 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (b. 1961)

1998 – Gene Raymond, American actor (b. 1908)

1999 – Douglas Harkness, Canadian colonel and politician (b. 1903)

1999 – Oliver Reed, English actor (b. 1938)

1999 – Robin Humphreys, British scholar of Latin America (b. 1907)

2000 – Sundar Popo, Trinidadian musician (b. 1943)

2002 – W. T. Tutte, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1917)

2005 – Wee Kim Wee, Singaporean journalist and politician, 4th President of Singapore (b. 1915)

2006 – Louis Rukeyser, American journalist and author (b. 1933)

2007 – Brad McGann, New Zealand director and screenwriter (b. 1964)

2008 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (b. 1940)

2008 – Izold Pustõlnik, Ukrainian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1938)

2009 – Marilyn French, American author and academic (b. 1929)

2009 – Kiyoshiro Imawano, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1951)

2009 – Jack Kemp, American football player and politician, 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (b. 1935)

2010 – Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (b. 1943)

2011 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founder of Al-Qaeda (b. 1957)

2012 – Fernando Lopes, Portuguese director and screenwriter (b. 1935)

2012 – Tufan Miñnullin, Russian playwright and politician (b. 1936)

2012 – Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Indonesian physician and politician, Indonesian Minister of Health (b. 1955)

2012 – Akira Tonomura, Japanese physicist, author, and academic (b. 1942)

2013 – Ernie Field, English boxer (b. 1943)

2013 – Jeff Hanneman, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1964)

2013 – Joseph P. McFadden, American bishop (b. 1947)

2013 – Dvora Omer, Israeli author and educator (b. 1932)

2013 – Ivan Turina, Croatian footballer (b. 1980)

2013 – Charles Banks Wilson, American painter and illustrator (b. 1918)

2014 – Tomás Balduino, Brazilian bishop (b. 1922)

2014 – Žarko Petan, Slovenian director, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1929)

2014 – Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., American actor (b. 1918)

2015 – Stuart Archer, English colonel and architect (b. 1915)

2015 – Michael Blake, American author and screenwriter (b. 1945)

2015 – Guy Carawan, American singer and musicologist (b. 1927)

2015 – Maya Plisetskaya, Russian-Lithuanian ballerina, choreographer, actress, and director (b. 1925)

2015 – Ruth Rendell, English author (b. 1930)

2016 – Afeni Shakur, American music businesswoman, activist, and Black Panther (b. 1947)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Athanasius of Alexandria (Western Christianity)

Boris I of Bulgaria (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)

Germanus of Normandy

Waldebert (Roman Catholic Church)

May 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

The last day of the Festival of Ridván (Bahá'í Faith) (Note that this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March Equinox)

Anniversary of the Dos de Mayo Uprising (Community of Madrid, Spain)

Birth Anniversary of Third Druk Gyalpo (Bhutan)

Flag Day (Poland)

Indonesia National Education Day

Teachers' Day (Iran)