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 123^rd 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.

May 2 Historical Events

• 1230 –
  William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
• 1672 –
  John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.
• 1863 –
  American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days later.
• 1866 –
  Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
• 1920 –
  The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• 1945 –
  World War II: Italian Campaign – General Heinrich von Vietinghoff signs the official instrument of surrender of all Wehrmacht forces in Italy.
• 1952 –
  The world’s first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1 makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg.
• 1982 –
  Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
• 1998 –
  The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union’s monetary policy.
• 2004 –
  Yelwa massacre of more than 630 nomad Muslims by Christians in Nigeria.

Who were born on May 2?

• 1894 –
  Joseph Henry Woodger, British theoretical biologist (d. 1981)
• 1896 –
  Helen of Greece and Denmark, queen of Romania (d. 1982)
• 1906 –
  Aileen Riggin, American swimmer (d. 2002)
• 1917 –
  Van Tien Dung, Vietnamese general and politician (d. 2002)
• 1929 –
  Link Wray, American guitarist (d. 2005)
• 1952 –
  Mari Natsuki, Japanese singer, dancer and actress
• 1954 –
  Stephen Venables, British mountaineer
• 1961 –
  Stephen Daldry, English film director
• 1981 –
  Chris Kirkland, English footballer
• 1982 –
  Johan Botha, South African cricketer

Who died on May 2?

• 1450 –
  William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English military leader (b. 1396)
• 1711 –
  Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English statesman (b. 1641)
• 1880 –
  Eberhard Anheuser, German soap and candle maker and father-in-law of Adolphus Busch, founder of the Anheuser-Busch Company (b. 1805)
• 1945 –
  Joe Corbett, American baseball player (b. 1875)
• 1957 –
  Joseph McCarthy, U.S. Senator (b. 1908)
• 2001 –
  Gina Mastrogiacomo, American actress (b. 1961)
• 2001 –
  Ted Rogers, British comedian (b. 1935)
• 2010 –
  Lynn Redgrave, British actress (b. 1943)
• 2010 –
  Moshe Hirsch, Jerusalem based anti-Zionist Neturei Karta rabbi (b. 1923)
• 2011 –
  Osama bin Laden, leader of al-Qaeda and ‘the most wanted man in the world’(b. 1957)