What are the important events that happened on May 2? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

May 2: Facts & Myths About This Day

May 2 is the 122^nd day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 243 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 19, 2025 – a Friday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,746,144,000 seconds 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 ‘hectaicosadigon’ 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 291 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 4,515 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

May 2 Historical Events

• 1230 –
  William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
• 1568 –
  Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle.
• 1611 –
  King James Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.
• 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.
• 1885 –
  Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time.
• 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.
• 1964 –
  Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the USS Card while docked at Saigon. Viet Cong forces are suspected of placing a bomb on the ship.
• 2002 –
  Marad massacre of eight Hindus near Palakkad in Kerala.

Who were born on May 2?

• 1695 –
  Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-born architect (d. 1766)
• 1810 –
  Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer (d. 1874)
• 1843 –
  Elijah McCoy, Canadian-born Inventor (d. 1929)
• 1898 –
  Henry Hall, British bandleader (d. 1989)
• 1912 –
  Axel Cäsar Springer, German publisher (d. 1985)
• 1922 –
  A.M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born newspaper editor (d. 2006)
• 1941 –
  Tony Adamowicz, American racing driver
• 1950 –
  Duncan Gay, Australian politician
• 1954 –
  Angela Bofill, American singer songwriter
• 1981 –
  Chris Kirkland, English footballer

Who died on May 2?

• 1819 –
  Mary Moser, English painter (b. 1744)
• 1880 –
  Eberhard Anheuser, German soap and candle maker and father-in-law of Adolphus Busch, founder of the Anheuser-Busch Company (b. 1805)
• 1989 –
  Giuseppe Siri, Italian Catholic Cardinal (b. 1906)
• 1991 –
  Ronald McKie, Australian author (b. 1909)
• 1997 –
  Paulo Freire, Brazilian educator (b. 1921)
• 1998 –
  Kevin Lloyd, British actor (b. 1949)
• 2002 –
  W. T. Tutte, English-born codebreaker (b. 1917)
• 2006 –
  Louis Rukeyser, American columnist (b. 1933)
• 2010 –
  Lynn Redgrave, British actress (b. 1943)
• 2011 –
  Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda and ‘the most wanted man in the world’(b. 1957)