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 123rd day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 243 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 19, 2024 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,714,608,000 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 ‘hectaicosatrigon’ 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 272 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 4,150 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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May 2 Historical Events
- 1611 –King James Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.
- 1885 –Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time.
- 1920 –The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- 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.
- 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 –First ascent of Shishapangma the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders.
- 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.
- 1972 –In the early morning hours a fire broke out at the Sunshine mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, ID, killing 91 workers.
- 1999 –Panamanian election, 1999: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
- 2002 –Marad massacre of eight Hindus near Palakkad in Kerala.
Who were born on May 2?
- 1881 –Alexander Kerensky, Russian politician (d. 1970)
- 1896 –Helen of Greece and Denmark, queen of Romania (d. 1982)
- 1906 –Aileen Riggin, American swimmer (d. 2002)
- 1910 –Alexander Bonnyman, U.S. Marine (d. 1943)
- 1936 –Engelbert Humperdinck, Indian-born singer
- 1945 –Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan socialite
- 1956 –Amir Mokri, Iranian-born American cinematographer
- 1974 –Garðar Thór Cortes, Icelandic tenor
- 1983 –Alessandro Diamanti, Italian footballer
- 1989 –Jeanette Pohlen, American basketball player for the Indiana Fever
Who died on May 2?
- 1683 –Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and scientist (b. 1613)
- 1857 –Alfred de Musset, French writer (b. 1810)
- 1945 –Ludwig Stumpfegger, German SS doctor (b. 1910)
- 1972 –J. Edgar Hoover, American director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (b. 1895)
- 1980 –Clarrie Grimmett, Australian cricketer (b. 1891)
- 1984 –Jack Barry, television game show producer and host (b. 1918)
- 1997 –John Carew Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1903)
- 1998 –Hideto “hide” Matsumoto, Japanese musician (b. 1964)
- 2009 –Jack Kemp, American politician, former American football player (b. 1935)
- 2010 –Lynn Redgrave, British actress (b. 1943)
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