History of 2 May
1902 – “A Trip to the Moon,” the first science fiction film was released. It was created by magician George Melies.
1922 – WBAP-AM began broadcasting in north Texas.
1926 – In India, Hindu women gained the right to seek elected office.
1926 – U.S. Marines landed in Nicaragua to put down a revolt and to protect U.S. interests. They did not depart until 1933.
1932 – Jack Benny’s first radio show debuted on NBC Radio.
1933 – Hitler banned trade unions in Germany.
1939 – Lou Gehrig set a new major league baseball record when he played in his 2,130th game. The streak began on June 1, 1925.
1941 – Hostilities broke out between British forces in Iraq and that country’s pro-German faction.
1941 – The Federal Communications Commission agreed to let regular scheduling of TV broadcasts by commercial TV stations begin on July 1, 1941. This was the start of network television.
1945 – Russians took Berlin after 12 days of fierce house-to-house fighting. The Allies announced the surrender of Nazi troops in Italy and parts of Austria.
1946 – Prisoners revolted at California’s Alcatraz prison.
1954 – Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals set a new major league record when he hit 5 home runs against the New York Giants.
1960 – Caryl Chessman was executed. He was a convicted sex offender and had become the best selling author while on death row.
1965 – The “Early Bird” satellite was used to transmit television pictures across the Atlantic.
1969 – The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) made its maiden voyage.
1970 – Student anti-war protesters at Ohio’s Kent State University burn down the campus ROTC building. The National Guard took control of the campus.
1974 – Former U.S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew was disbarred by the Maryland Court of Appeals.
1974 – The filming of “Jaws” began in Martha’s Vineyard, MA.
1982 – The British submarine HMS Conqueror sank Argentina’s only cruiser, the General Belgrano during the Falkland Islands War. More than 350 people died.
1993 – At Washington’s National Gallery of Art, an exhibit of 80 paintings from the collection of Dr. Albert C. Barnes opened.
1993 – Authorities said that they had recovered the remains of David Koresh from the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, TX.
1994 – Nelson Mandela claimed victory after South Africa’s first democratic elections.
1999 – In Panama, Mireya Moscoso de Gruber, of the Armulfista Party, was elected president.
2002 – It was reported that Phyllis Diller had retired from touring.
2004 – The Yelwa massacre concludes. It began on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims killed 78 Christians at Yelwa. In response, about 630 Muslims were killed by Christians on May 2nd.
2008 – Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Burma killing over 138,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.
2008 – Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.
2011 – Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI’s most wanted man, is killed by the United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
2011 – An E. coli outbreak strikes Europe, mostly in Germany, leaving more than 30 people dead and many others sick from the bacteria outbreak.
2011 – The 41st Canadian federal election is held, in which the governing Conservative Party, led by incumbent Prime Minister Stephen Harper, increases their number of seats from a minority to a majority.
2012 – A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction, setting a new world record for a work of art at auction.
2014 – Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing.
2018 – Basque separatist terrorist band ETA announces its dissolution and ceasing of all activities.
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Robert Buckley, American actor
- 1981 – Chris Kirkland, English footballer
- 1981 – Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer
- 1981 – Matt Murray, English footballer
- 1981 – Rina Sato, Japanese voice actress, and singer
- 1982 – Timothy Benjamin, Welsh sprinter
- 1982 – Johan Botha, South African cricketer
- 1983 – Alessandro Diamanti, Italian footballer
- 1983 – Maynor Figueroa, Honduran footballer
- 1983 – Tina Maze, Slovenian skier
- 1983 – Daniel Sordo, Spanish race car driver
- 1983 – Ove Vanebo, Norwegian politician
- 1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer
- 1984 – Thabo Sefolosha, Swiss basketball player
- 1985 – Lily Allen, English singer-songwriter and actress
- 1985 – Kyle Busch, American race car driver
- 1985 – Ashley Harkleroad, an American tennis player
- 1985 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
- 1985 – David Nugent, English footballer
- 1987 – Saara Aalto, Finnish singer, and actress
- 1987 – Nana Kitade, Japanese singer-songwriter, and actress
- 1987 – Pat McAfee, American football player
- 1987 – Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1987 – Justin Young, English singer, and songwriter
- 1988 – Neftalí Feliz, Dominican baseball player
- 1988 – Stephen Henderson, Irish footballer
- 1989 – Jeanette Pohlen, American basketball player
- 1990 – Paul George, American basketball player
- 1991 – Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean actor and singer
- 1992 – Sunmi, South Korean singer (Wonder Girls)
- 1992 – María Teresa Torró Flor, a Spanish tennis player
- 1993 – Owain Doull, Welsh track cyclist
- 1993 – Isyana Sarasvati, Indonesian singer
- 1993 – Huang Zitao, Chinese singer & rapper, a former member of boy band EXO
- 1996 – Cherprang Areekul, Member of idol group (BNK48)
- 1996 – Julian Brandt, German footballer
- 1997 – BamBam, Thai singer and rapper (Got7)
- 2015 – Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, a British royal, and fourth in line to the British throne