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 121^st 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.

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.

May 1 Historical Events

• 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.
• 1844 –
  Hong Kong Police Force, the world’s second, Asia’s first modern police force is established.
• 1862 –
  American Civil War: The Union Army completes the Capture of New Orleans.
• 1869 –
  The Folies Bergère opens in Paris.
• 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 first Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer is held at the University of Toronto, Canada.
• 1960 –
  Cold War: U-2 incident – Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.
• 1974 –
  The Argentine terrorist organization Montoneros is expulsed from Plaza de Mayo by president Juan Perón.

Who were born on May 1?

• 1862 –
  Marcel Prévost, French author and dramatist (d. 1941)
• 1901 –
  Sterling Allen Brown, American professor, poet and literary critic (d. 1989)
• 1913 –
  Louis Nye, American comedian and actor (d. 2005)
• 1925 –
  Chuck Bednarik, American football player
• 1927 –
  Gary Bertini, Israeli conductor (d. 18 March)
• 1929 –
  Sonny James, American country music singer and songwriter
• 1937 –
  Una Stubbs, English actress
• 1946 –
  Joanna Lumley, English actress
• 1971 –
  Ajith Kumar, Indian film actor
• 1982 –
  Tommy Robredo, Spanish tennis player

Who died on May 1?

• 1118 –
  Edith of Scotland, first wife of Henry I of England (b. c.1080)
• 1856 –
  John Wilbur, American religious leader, Quaker minister (b. 1774)
• 1945 –
  Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propaganda (b. 1897)
• 1965 –
  Spike Jones, American band leader, musician, and comedian (b. 1911)
• 1978 –
  Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer (b. 1903)
• 1982 –
  William Primrose, Scottish violist (b. 1903)
• 1986 –
  Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and record producer (b. 1916)
• 1990 –
  Sergio Franchi, Italian tenor (b. 1926)
• 1998 –
  Eldridge Cleaver, American activist (b. 1935)
• 2008 –
  Anthony Mamo, Malta’s first President (b. 1909)