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May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). There are 244 days remaining.
Events
300-1899
1900-1999
- 1901 - The Pan-American Exposition opens in Buffalo, New York.
- 1902 - Petrol Loco, the first prototype gasoline-powered "locomobile" (automobile), is completed.
- 1931 - The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.
- 1940 - The 1940 Summer Olympics are cancelled due to war.
- 1941 - Orson Welles's Citizen Kane premieres in New York City
- 1941 - World War II: German forces launch major attack on Tobruk.
- 1941 - Cheerios is introduced as CheeriOats by the General Mills cereal company.
- 1948 - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is established, with Kim Il Sung as president.
- 1950 - Guam is organized as a United States commonwealth.
- 1954 - Taku is founded in Japan.
- 1956 - The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
- 1960 - Cold War: U-2 Crisis - Francis Gary Powers, in a U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Soviet Union, beginning a crisis.
- 1967 - Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Beaulieu.
- 1971 - Amtrak is formed.
- 1972 - Vietnam War: Easter Offensive - North Vietnamese troops capture Quang Tri City, effectively giving them control Quang Tri Province.
- 1978 - Japan's Naomi Uemura, travelling by sled dog, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
- 1982 - The 1982 World's Fair opens in Knoxville, Tennessee.
- 1983 - Edwin El Chapo Rosario wins boxing's vacant WBC world Lightweight title by beating Jose Luis Ramirez in San Juan, by points in 12 rounds, becoming Puerto Rico's 14th world boxing champion. A young Julio Cesar Chavez also wins as part of the undercard.
- 1994 - Formula One driver Ayrton Senna is killed during the San Marino Grand Prix.
- 1995 - First issue of The Inner Swine published.
- 1997 - HM Prison Pentridge, Melbourne, Australia is officially closed.
2000-2099
- 2003 - War in Iraq: U.S. President George W. Bush announces the end of major combat operations in Iraq.
- 2004 - Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union.
- 2005 - After being canceled by Fox Television, Family Guy premieres its fourth season.
Births
1200-1899
1900-1999
- 1905 - Henry Koster, German film director (d. 1988)
- 1908 - Giovanni Guareschi, Italian journalist (d. 1968)
- 1909 - Kate Smith, American singer (d. 1986)
- 1913 - Walter Susskind, Czech conductor (d. 1980)
- 1915 - Archie Williams, American athlete
- 1916 - Glenn Ford, Amcerican actor
- 1918 - Jack Paar, American television host (d. 2004)
- 1923 - Joseph Heller, American novelist (d. 1999)
- 1924 - Art Fleming, game show host (d. 1995)
- 1929 - Ralf Dahrendorf, sociologist and politician
- 1939 - Judy Collins, American folk singer
- 1940 - Elsa Peretti, jewelry designer
- 1944 - Rita Coolidge, singer
- 1944 - Suresh Kalmadi, politician
- 1946 - John Woo, director, producer, writer, actor
- 1954 - Ray Parker Jr., singer/songwriter
- 1960 - Steve Cauthen, jockey
- 1964 - Yvonne van Gennip, Dutch speed skater
- 1967 - Tim McGraw, country musician
- 1968 - Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer
- 1968 - D'Arcy Wretzky, musician
- 1975 - Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2003)
Deaths
1300-1899
1900-1999
- 1904 - Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer (b. 1841)
- 1945 - Joseph Goebbels (b. 1897) and his wife Magda (b. 1901), (suicide) prominent figures in Nazi Germany.
- 1965 - Spike Jones, band leader, musician, comedian (b. 1911)
- 1978 - Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer (b. 1903)
- 1982 - William Primrose, Scottish violist (b. 1903)
- 1989 - Douglass Watson, American actor (b. 1921)
- 1993 - Pierre Bérégovoy, French minister (suicide) (b. 1925)
- 1994 - Ayrton Senna, triple Formula One champion (b. 1960)
2000-2099
Holidays and observances
April 30 - May 2 - April 1 - June 1 -- listing of all days
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