On this day in History - May 2

• 0373 - Athanasius, dies (b. 0298). Bishop of Alexandria.
• 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter.
• 1230 - William de Braose, Lord of Abergavenny dies (b. c. 1197) .
• 1300 - Blanche of Artois, dies. Regent of Navarre, Countess of Lancaster .
• 1335 - Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, becomes Duke of Carinthia .
• 1360 - Yongle was born (d. 1424). Emperor of China.
• 1450 - William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk dies (b. 1396) .
• 1458 - D. Leonor was born. Queen if Portugal (1481-1495).
• 1500 - Pedro Álvares Cabral parte para as Índias .
• 1519 - Leonardo da Vinci, dies (b. 15 Apr 1452). Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer. Da Vinci was a great engineer and inventor who designed buildings, bridges, canals, forts and war machines. His greater fame lies in being one of the greatest painters of all times, best known for such paintings as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
• 1551 - William Camden was born (d. 1623). English historian.
• 1568 - Mary I of Scotland escapes from Loch Leven Castle.
• 1601 - Athanasius Kircher was born (d. 1680). German Jesuit scholar.
• 1660 - Alessandro Scarlatti, was born (d. 1725). Italian composer.
• 1668 - Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, ends War of Devolution.
• 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.
• 1716 - Portugal - Nascimento de D. Carlos (filho de D. João V e D. Maria Ana de Áustria).
• 1729 - Empress Catherine .II of Russia [Ekaterina Alekseevna] was born (d. 1796). Russian leader [1762-1796];
• 1740 - Elias Boudinot was born (d. 1821). American President of the Continental Congress.
• 1772 - Novalis was born ( d. 1801). German writer.
• 1797 - Abraham Gesner was born on this day at Cornwallis, Nova Scotia (d. 29 Apr 1864).Gesner will invent kerosene oil, and build a refinery in New York in 1854.
• 1802 - Herman Willem Daendels dies (b. 1762). Dutch statesman.
• 1805 - Francisco Vieira (Portuense) dies. Portuguese painter.
• 1808 - Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation.
• 1810 - Nascimento do Papa Leão XIII (1810-1903) em Carpino, Itália (como Gioacchino Pecci). Foi eleito Papa em 1878 com 67 anos de idade.
• 1816 - Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Charlotte Augusta are wed.
• 1819 - Mary Moser, dies (b. 1744). Painter.
• 1826 - D. Pedro IV abdica da coroa de Portugal na filha D. Maria da Glória, com a condição de esta casar com o tio, D. Miguel.
• 1829 - After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.
• 1843 - Carl Michael Ziehrer was born (d. 14 Nov 1922). Austrian composer.
• 1857 - Alfred de Musset dies (b. 1810). French dramatist, poet, and novelist.
• 1860 - Theodor Herzl was born (d. 1904). Austrian journalist, Zionist leader.
• 1863 - During the American Civil War, Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson is accidentally shot by his own men at Chancellorsville, Virginia; he dies shortly after.
• 1864 - Giacomo Meyerbeer dies (b. 1791). German composer.
• 1866 - Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
• 1868 - Buenaventura Báez assume (pela 4º vez) a presidência da República Dominicana.
• 1879 - Constituição do Partido Socialista Obrero -Espanha .
• 1881 - Alexander Kerensky, was born (d. 1970). Russian politician.
• 1884 - Elijah McCoy was born (d. 1929). Canadian-born inventor.
• 1885 - Hedda Hopper was born (d. 1966). American actress, gossip columnist.
• 1885 - Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time.
• 1885 - Cree and Assiniboine warriors won 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 Leopold II of Belgium.
• 1886 - Gottfried Benn was born (d. 1956). German author.
• 1887 - Vernon Castle was born (d. 1918). Dancer.
• 1887 - Eddie Collins was born (d. 1951). Baseball Hall of Famer.
• 1889 - Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with Italy, which gives Ethiopia control over Eritrea.
• 1890 - E. E. Smith was born (d. 1965). American science fiction writer.
• 1892 - Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Baron", was born (d. 1918). German World War I pilot.
• 1895 - Lorenz Hart was born (d. 1943). American lyricist.
• 1900 - Oscar II, King of Sweden, declares support for Britain at the time of the Boer War.
• 1903 - Dr. Benjamin Spock was born (d. 1998). American pediatrician, Olympic Games gold medalist in rowing and author ( The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care).
• 1904 - Bing Crosby was born in Tacoma, Washington [d. 14 Oct 1977]. American singer, actor. Bing was featured in over 60 movies, winning an Academy Award for Going My Way in 1944. Crosby won the Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1962 and has been called the number one recording artist of all time.
• 1907 - Pinky Lee, was born (d. 1993). Vaudeville performer, children's television host.
• 1909 - Ataulfo Alves de Souza was born. Brazilian composer and singer.
• 1912 - Cäsar Springer was born (d. 1985). German newspaper magnate, publisher.
• 1913 - Nigel Patrick was born in London, England (d. 1981). Actor and director ( Sapphire, Prize of Gold).
• 1915 - Doris Fisher was born (d. 2003). American singer, songwriter.
• 1918 - General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
• 1918 - Augusto Rosa dies. Portuguese actor .
• 1918 - Amadeo de Souza Cardoso die. Portuguese painter.
• 1920 - The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• 1920 - Jean-Marie Auberson was born (d. 2004). Swiss conductor.
• 1921 - Satyajit Ray was born (d. 1992). Indian director who is considered one of the most influential filmmakers of all time.
• 1923 - Portugal reconhece o Estado independente da Lituânia.
• 1924 - Theodore Bikel was born. Actor, singer.
• 1925 - Roscoe Lee Browne was born. Actor.
• 1925 - Maria Barroso was born. Portuguese actress and wife of Mário Soares (President of Portugal).
• 1925 - Johann Palisa dies (b. 6 Dec 1848). Silesian astronomer who was a prolific discoverer of asteroids, 122 in all, beginning with Asteroid 136 Austria (on 18 Mar 1874, using a 6” refractor) to Asteroid 1073 Gellivara in 1923 - all by visual observation, without the aid of photography.
• 1927 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Louis Bromfield (Early Autumn).
• 1929 - Link Wray was born. Guitarist.
• 1932 - Comedian Jack Benny's radio show airs for the first time.
• 1932 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Pearl S. Buck (Good Earth) .
• 1932 - Françoise Fabian (Michele Cortes De Leon y Fabianera) was born. Actress: Reunion, The French Woman, Dressmaker, My Night at Maud’s.
• 1933 - The first modern sighting of the Loch Ness monster is reported.
• 1933 - Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler bans trade unions.
• 1935 - King Faisal II of Iraq was born (d. 1958) .
• 1936 - Engelbert Humperdinck, was born. Singer.
• 1937 - Lorenzo Music was born (d. 2001). Writer, producer.
• 1939 - Lou Gehrig's streak of 2130 consecutive Major League Baseball games played comes to an end. The record will stand for 56 years before Cal Ripken, Jr. breaks it.
• 1940 - The British passenger liner City of Exeter encounters the German auxiliary cruiser Atlantis, but without incident.
• 1941 - Stephen J. Cannell was born. Producer.
• 1942 - Jacques Rogge was born. Belgian IOC president .
• 1945 - Sarah Weddington was born. Attorney in Roe v. Wade case .
• 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. German forces surrender in Italy.
• 1945 - The last postage stamp utilized by Manzhouguo is issued.
• 1946 - "Battle of Alcatraz" - Alcatraz Federal prison, San Francisco is taken over by six inmates following failed escape attempt
• 1946 - David Suchet was born. Actor .
• 1946 - Lesley Gore was born. Singer .
• 1946 - Simon Flexner dies (b. 25 Mar 1863). American pathologist and bacteriologist who isolated (1899) a common strain (Shigella dysenteriae) of dysentery bacillus and developed a curative serum for cerebrospinal meningitis (1907).
• 1947 - O Conselho de Ministros decide promover o presidente da república Óscar Carmona ao posto de marechal do exército .
• 1948 - Hour of Charm's last broadcast.
• 1949 - Alan Titchmarsh was born. Gardener, TV presenter, writer .
• 1953 - Hussein is crowned King of Jordan.
• 1955 - Tennessee Williams wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
• 1955 - Donatella Versace was born. Fashion designer.
• 1955 - Jay Osmond was born. Rocker, Osmond Brothers.
• 1957 - Joseph McCarthy dies (b. 1908). U.S. Senator.
• 1960 - Pulitzer prize awarded to Al Drury (Advice and Consent) .
• 1961 - Steve James was born. English snooker player .
• 1962 - Jimmy White was born. English snooker player.
• 1962 - Benfica wins 7th Europe Cup in football. O Benfica sagra-se Campeão europeu de clubes ao vencer pela 2ª. vez consecutiva a Taça dos Clubes Campeões Europeus em futebol. Benfica 5 - 3 Real Madrid.
• 1962 - Mayara Magri was born. Brazilian actress
• 1963 - Berthold Seliger launches near Cuxhaven a rocket with three stages with a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
• 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.
• 1964 - Nancy Astor dies (b. 1879). First woman elected to the British Parliament.
• 1966 - Upper Hutt in New Zealand is proclaimed a city.
• 1969 - The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.
• 1969 - Brian Lara was born. Trinidadian cricketer
• 1970 - The Ohio National Guard arrives at Kent State University in response to arson on an ROC building.
• 1970 - Vietnam War: Joint forces continue attack into Cambodia
• 1972 - Buddy Baker became the first stock car driver to finish a 500-mile race in less than three hours en route to winning the Winston Select 500 at the Alabama International Motor Speedway in Talladega, Alabama.
• 1972 - Production of the movie Jaws begins.
• 1972 - The Rock was born. Professional wrestler and actor
• 1972 - J. Edgar Hoover dies (b. 1895). Director of the FBI.
• 1975 - David Beckham, was born. English footballer.
• 1976 - Antonio Illanes Rodríguez dies (n. 9 Out 1901). Spanish sculptor.
• 1980 - George Pál dies (b. 1908). Director, producer.
• 1982 - Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
• 1982 - The Weather Channel goes on the air.
• 1982 - Álvaro Alfredo Magaña Borja assume a presidência de El Salvador.
• 1983 - Norm Van Brocklin, dies. American football star .
• 1983 - Em Vila Nova de Ourém, o padre espanhol Juan Fernandez Krohn é condenado por tentativa de homicídio do papa João Paulo II em 12 de Maio de 1982, em Fátima.
• 1983 - Morte de Ernesto Guardia Navarro. Presidente do Panamá (1956-1960).
• 1984 - Na cidade do Cabo, Portugal, Moçambique e África do Sul assinaram um Acordo sobre Cahora Bassa .
• 1984 - Sunday in the Park with George opens on Broadway.
• 1985 - Sarah Hughes, was born. Figure skating champion.
• 1986 - The 1986 World Exposition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada opens.
• 1988 - The last B-1 Lancer is delivered.
• 1989 - Giuseppe Cardinal Siri, dies (b. 1906). A senior cardinal.
• 1990 - David Rappaport, dies (b. 1951). English actor.
• 1990 - Zé Trindade dies. Brazilian comedian.
• 1991 - Pope John Paul II's encyclical on Centesimus annus.
• 1993 - Armando Bógus dies. Brazilian actor.
• 1994 - South African President F. W. de Klerk concedes defeat and Nelson Mandela claims victory in the country's first multi-racial presidential election.
• 1995 - Michael Hordern dies (b. 1911). English actor.
• 1997 - John Carew Eccles dies (b. 1903). Nobel Prize winner.
• 1997 - Paulo Freire dies. Brazilian sociologist.
• 1997 - The Labour Party's Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, ending 18 years of Conservative Party rule. At 44, he is the youngest prime minister for 185 years.
• 1998 - The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the EU's monetary policy.
• 1998 - Hideto "hide" Matsumoto dies (b. 1964). Musician.
• 1998 - César Camacho dies. Portuguese journalist
• 1999 - Oliver Reed dies (b. 1938). Actor .
• 1999 - Norman J. and Karen Sirnic die .
• 1999 - Panamanian election: Mireya Moscoso became the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
• 1999 - Norman J. Sirnic and Karen Sirnic are murdered in their Weimar, Texas parsonage by Angel Maturino Resendiz. The couple are his fourth and fifth victims in his fourth attack.
• 2000 - Bill Clinton announces that GPS access equivalent to the U.S. military would be available for rgular citizens.
• 2002 - John Nathan-Turner dies (b. 1947). English television producer .
• 2002 - W. T. Tutte dies (b. 1917). Codebreaker and mathematician.
• 2003 - A China anuncia a morte de 11 pessoas por Síndrome Respiratória Aguda Severa (Sars).
• 2004 - O primeiro-ministro da Espanha, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, critica as "guerras preventivas".
• 2004 - Renúncia do primeiro-ministro da Polónia, Leszek Miller.
• 2005 - The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee opens on broadway.
• Poland - Flag Day, an unofficial holiday to honour the Flag of Poland
• Bahá'í Faith: Last day of the Festival of Ridván
• Madrid Region - Day of the Region.