May 2nd in History

Above:  Friedrich Pecht, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn; engraving by T. L. Raab. Anne Boleyn was arrested May 2, 1536

Today in History

  • Anne Boleyn is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason, and witchcraft (1536)
  • Mary Queen of Scots escapes from Loch Leven Castle (1568)
  • The King James Bible is first published (1611)
  • American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire; he will die eight days later (1863)
  • General Motors acquires Chevrolet (1918)
  • The first game of the Negro National Baseball League is played (1920)
  • Jack Benny’s radio show airs for the first time (1932)
  • World War II: Adolf Hitler bans trade unions (1933)
  • World War II: Berlin falls to the Soviets (1945)
  • The first jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1, makes its maiden commercial flight (1952)
  • Accurate GPS coordinates become available to civilians, not merely restricted to the US military (2000)

Birthdays

  • The Yongle Emperor (永樂帝), Ming Dynasty monarch (1360)
  • Alessandro Scarlatti, composer (1660)
  • Catherine the Great, Russian empress (1729)
  • Jerome K. Jerome, author (1859)
  • Alexander Kerensky (Алекса́ндр Ке́ренский), leader of the Russian Provisional Government (1881)
  • Hedda Hopper, gossip columnist (1885)
  • Vernon Castle, dancer (1887)
  • E. E. “Doc” Smith, science fiction writer (1890)
  • Manfred von Richthofen, fighter ace known as the “Red Baron” (1892)
  • Lorenz Hart, playwright and composer (1895)
  • Benjamin Spock, pediatrician and author (1903)
  • Satyajit Ray, filmmaker (1921)
  • Faisal II (فيصل الثاني), Iraqi monarch (1935)
  • Engelbert Humperdinck, singer (1936)
  • Bianca Jagger, model and actress (1945)
  • Lesley Gore, singer-songwriter (1946)
  • Larry Gatlin, country singer-songwriter (1948)
  • Christine Baranski, actress (1952)
  • Donatella Versace, fashion designer (1955)
  • Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, wrestler and actor (1972)
  • David Beckham, footballer (soccer player) (1975)
  • Lily Allen, singer-songwriter (1985)

Deaths

  • Leonardo da Vinci, polymath (1519)
  • Eberhard Anheuser, brewer (1980)
  • Martin Bormann, Nazi leader (1945)
  • Joseph McCarthy, US Senator (1957)
  • Caryl Chessman, criminal (1960)
  • Lady Astor, socialite and politician (1964)
  • J. Edgar Hoover, FBI director (1972)
  • George Pal, filmmaker (1980)
  • Jack Barry, game show host (1984)
  • Bob Clampett, animator and puppeteer (1984)
  • Wilbur Mills, US Senator (1992)
  • Oliver Reed, actor (1999)
  • Louis Ruckeyser, journalist (2006)
  • Jack Kemp, football player and politician (2009)
  • Lynn Redgrave, actress (2010)
  • Osama bin Laden, terrorist (2011)
  • Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., actor (2014)

Holidays and Celebrations

  • Birth Anniversary of Third Druk Gyalpo, also Teachers’ Day (Bhutan)
  • Flag Day (Poland)
  • Holiday of the Region of Madrid (Community of Madrid)
  • National Education Day (Indonesia)
  • Teachers’ Day (Iran)
  • The last day of the Festival of Ridván (Bahá’í Faith)
Informal and made-up holidays include Martin Z. Mollusk Day, Robert’s Rules of Order Day, and Scurvy Awareness Day.