What are the important events that happened on May 1? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
May 1: Facts & Myths About This Day
May 1 is the 121st day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 244 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 18, 2025 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 485,016 hours has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectaicosahenagon’ day.
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Taurus is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Emerald is the modern birthstone for this month. Sapphire is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 292 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,514 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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May 1 Historical Events
- 1759 –Josiah Wedgwood founds the Wedgwood pottery company in Great Britain.
- 1778 –American Revolution: The Battle of Crooked Billet begins in Hatboro, Pennsylvania.
- 1886 –Rallies are held throughout the United States demanding the eight-hour work day culminating in the Haymarket Affair.
- 1894 –Coxey’s Army, the first significant American protest march, arrives in Washington, D.C.
- 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.
- 1946 –Start of 3 year Pilbara strike of Indigenous Australians.
- 1956 –The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
- 1960 –Formation of the western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
- 1977 –36 people are killed in Taksim Square, Istanbul, during the Labour Day celebrations.
- 2011 –Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Who were born on May 1?
- 1218 –John I, Count of Hainaut (d. 1257)
- 1872 –Sidónio Pais, Portuguese military and politician (d. 1918)
- 1909 –Yiannis Ritsos, Greek poet, winner of the Lenin Peace Prize, 9 times nominee for the Nobel Prize (d. 1990)
- 1918 –Gersh Budker, Russian physicist (d. 1977)
- 1925 –Chuck Bednarik, American football player
- 1973 –Oliver Neuville, German footballer
- 1975 –Jodhi May, British actress
- 1981 –Derek Asamoah, Ghanaian footballer
- 1984 –Patrick Eaves, American ice hockey player
- 1987 –Amir Johnson, American basketball player
Who died on May 1?
- 408 –Arcadius, Eastern Roman emperor (b. 337/338)
- 1813 –Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French marshal (killed in combat) (b. 1768)
- 1856 –John Wilbur, American religious leader, Quaker minister (b. 1774)
- 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)
- 1945 –Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda (b. 1897)
- 1976 –T.R.M. Howard, civil rights leader, entrepreneur, surgeon (b. 1908)
- 1986 –Hylda Baker, English comedy actress (b. 1905)
- 2010 –Rob McConnell, Canadian jazz composer/arranger and valve trombonist (b. 1935)
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