May 2

Pre-1600

• 1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first royal charter.^[1]
• 1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
• 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
• 1559 – John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the nascent Scottish Reformation.
• 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Lochleven Castle.^[2]

1601–1900

• 1611 – The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.
• 1625 – Afonso Mendes, appointed by Pope Gregory XV as Latin Patriarch of Ethiopia, arrives at Beilul from Goa.^[3]
• 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.
• 1808 – Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
• 1812 – The Siege of Cuautla during the Mexican War of Independence ends with both sides claiming victory.
• 1829 – After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.
• 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 the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
• 1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Ottoman Bulgaria.
• 1885 – Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.
• 1889 – Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs the Treaty of Wuchale, giving Italy control over Eritrea.

1901–present

• 1906 – Closing ceremony of the Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece.
• 1920 – The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis.
• 1933 – Germany's independent labor unions are replaced by the German Labour Front.
• 1941 – World War II: Following the coup d'état against Iraq Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah earlier that year, the United Kingdom launches the Anglo-Iraqi War to restore him to power.
• 1945 – World War II: The Soviet Union announces the fall of Berlin.
• 1945 – World War II: The surrender of Caserta comes into effect, by which German troops in Italy cease fighting.
• 1945 – World War II: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp finding 1,000 dead prisoners, most of whom starved to death.
• 1945 – World War II: A death march from Dachau to the Austrian border is halted by the segregated, all-Nisei 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of the U.S. Army in southern Bavaria, saving several hundred prisoners.
• 1952 – A De Havilland Comet makes the first jetliner flight with fare-paying passengers, from London to Johannesburg.
• 1963 – Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres (62 mi) near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
• 1964 – Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the American aircraft carrier USNS Card while it is docked at Saigon. Two Viet Cong combat swimmers had placed explosives on the ship's hull. She is raised and returned to service less than seven months later.
• 1964 – First ascent of Shishapangma, the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders.
• 1969 – The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.
• 1970 – ALM Flight 980 ditches in the Caribbean Sea near Saint Croix, killing 23.^[4]
• 1972 – In the early morning hours a fire breaks out at the Sunshine Mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, Idaho, killing 91 workers.
• 1982 – Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
• 1986 – Chernobyl disaster: The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster.
• 1989 – Cold War: Hungary begins dismantling its border fence with Austria, which allows a number of East Germans to defect.
• 1995 – During the Croatian War of Independence, the Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina fires cluster bombs at Zagreb, killing seven and wounding over 175 civilians.
• 1998 – The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy.
• 1999 – Panamanian general election: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
• 2000 – President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.
• 2004 – The Yelwa massacre concludes. It began on 4 February 2004 when armed Muslims killed 78 Christians at Yelwa, Nigeria. In response, about 630 Muslims were killed by Christians on May 2.
• 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 are taken ill.
• 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.^[5]
• 2014 – Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing.

Pre-1600

• 1360 – Yongle Emperor of China (d. 1424)
• 1402 – Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (d. 1445)
• 1451 – René II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)
• 1458 – Eleanor of Viseu (d. 1525)
• 1476 – Charles I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels, Count of Kladsko, Governor of Bohemia and Silesia (d. 1536)
• 1533 – Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (d. 1596)
• 1551 – William Camden, English historian and topographer (d. 1623)
• 1567 – Sebald de Weert, Dutch captain, vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company (d. 1603)
• 1579 – Tokugawa Hidetada, Japanese shōgun (d. 1632)

1601–1900

• 1601 – Athanasius Kircher, German priest and scholar (d. 1680)
• 1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1725)
• 1695 – Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, Italian-French painter and architect (d. 1766)^[6]
• 1702 – Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian and theosopher (d. 1782)
• 1707 – Jean-Baptiste Barrière, French cellist and composer (d. 1747)
• 1729 – Catherine the Great of Russia (d. 1796)
• 1737 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English politician, Prime Minister of Great Britain (d. 1805)^[7]
• 1740 – Elias Boudinot, American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (d. 1821)
• 1750 – John André, English soldier and spy (d. 1780)
• 1752 – Ludwig August Lebrun, German oboe player and composer (d. 1790)
• 1754 – Vicente Martín y Soler, Spanish composer (d. 1806)
• 1772 – Novalis, German author and poet (d. 1801)
• 1773 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher and poet (d. 1845)
• 1797 – Abraham Pineo Gesner, Canadian physician and geologist (d. 1864)
• 1802 – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d. 1870)
• 1806 – Catherine Labouré, French nun and saint (d. 1876)
• 1810 – Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer and conductor (d. 1874)
• 1813 – Caroline Leigh Gascoigne, English novelist and poet (d. 1883)^[8]
• 1815 – William Buell Richards, Canadian lawyer and judge, 1st Chief Justice of Canada (d. 1889)
• 1822 – Jane Miller Thengberg, Scottish-Swedish governess and educator (d. 1902)^[9]
• 1828 – Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist and photographer (d. 1915)
• 1830 – Otto Staudinger, German entomologist and author (d. 1900)
• 1844 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-American engineer (d. 1929)
• 1859 – Jerome K. Jerome, English author and playwright (d. 1927)
• 1860 – John Scott Haldane, Scottish physiologist, physician, and academic (d. 1936)
• 1860 – Theodor Herzl, Austro-Hungarian Zionist philosopher, journalist and author (d. 1904)
• 1865 – Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d. 1909)
• 1867 – Giuseppe Morello, Italian-American mobster (d. 1930)
• 1872 – Ichiyō Higuchi, Japanese writer (d. 1896)^[10]
• 1873 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (d. 1944)
• 1879 – James F. Byrnes, American stenographer and politician, 49th United States Secretary of State (d. 1972)
• 1880 – Bill Horr, American football player, discus thrower, and coach (d. 1955)
• 1881 – Harry J. Capehart, American lawyer, politician, and businessperson (d. 1955)^[11][12][13]
• 1882 – Isabel González, Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans' American citizenship (d. 1971)
• 1885 – Hedda Hopper, American actress and gossip columnist (d. 1966)
• 1886 – Gottfried Benn, German author and poet (d. 1956)
• 1887 – Vernon Castle, English-American dancer (d. 1918)
• 1887 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player and manager (d. 1951)
• 1889 – Ki Hajar Dewantara, Indonesian philosopher, academic, and politician (d. 1959)
• 1890 – E. E. Smith, American engineer and author (d. 1965)
• 1892 – Manfred von Richthofen, German captain and pilot (d. 1918)
• 1894 – Norma Talmadge, American actress of the silent era (d. 1957)^[14]
• 1894 – Joseph Henry Woodger, English biologist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1981)
• 1895 – Lorenz Hart, American playwright and lyricist (d. 1943)
• 1897 – John Frederick Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)
• 1898 – Henry Hall, English bandleader, composer, and actor (d. 1989)

1901–present

• 1901 – Bob Wyatt, English cricketer (d. 1995)
• 1901 – Edouard Zeckendorf, Belgian doctor, army officer and mathematician (d. 1983)
• 1901 – Willi Bredel, German writer (d. 1964)
• 1902 – Brian Aherne, English actor (d. 1986)
• 1902 – Werner Finck, German Kabarett comedian, actor and author (d. 1978)
• 1903 – Benjamin Spock, American rower, pediatrician, and author (d. 1998)
• 1905 – Alan Rawsthorne, British composer (d. 1971)
• 1905 – Charlotte Armstrong, American author (d. 1969)
• 1906 – Philippe Halsman, Latvian-American photographer (d. 1979)
• 1907 – Pinky Lee, American comedian and television host (d. 1993)
• 1908 – Frank Rowlett, American cryptologist (d. 1998)
• 1909 – Teddy Stauffer, Swiss bandleader, musician, and actor (d. 1991)
• 1910 – Alexander Bonnyman Jr., American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1943)
• 1910 – Edmund Bacon, American urban planner, architect, educator, and author (d. 2005)
• 1912 – Axel Springer, German journalist and publisher, founded Axel Springer AG (d. 1985)
• 1912 – Karl Adam, German rowing coach (d. 1976)
• 1912 – Marten Toonder, Dutch comic strip creator (d. 2005)
• 1912 – Nigel Patrick, English actor and director (d. 1981)
• 1913 – Pietro Frua, Italian coachbuilder and car designer (d. 1983)
• 1913 – Aydın Sayılı, Turkish historian and academic (d. 1993)
• 1915 – Doris Fisher, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Peggy Mount, English actress (d. 2001)
• 1917 – Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder (d. 1974)
• 1917 – Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (d. 2002)
• 1920 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss violinist and conductor (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian-Brazilian journalist and activist (d. 2000)
• 1920 – Vasantrao Deshpande, Indian singer and sitar player (d. 1983)
• 1920 – Guinn Smith, American pole vaulter, soldier, and pilot (d. 2004)
• 1920 – Jacob Gilboa, Israeli composer (d. 2007)
• 1921 – B. B. Lal, Indian archaeologist (d. 2022)
• 1921 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1992)
• 1922 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (d. 2007)
• 1922 – A. M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born American journalist and author (d. 2006)
• 1922 – Serge Reggiani, Italian-born French singer and actor (d. 2004)
• 1923 – Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (d. 2008)
• 1923 – Albert Nordengen, Norwegian banker and politician (d. 2004)
• 1924 – Jamal Abro, Pakistani lawyer and author (d. 2004)
• 1924 – Theodore Bikel, Austrian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 2015)
• 1924 – Arthur Clues, Australian rugby league player (d. 1998)
• 1924 – Hugh Cortazzi, English soldier, historian, and diplomat, British Ambassador to Japan (d. 2018)
• 1925 – John Neville, English-Canadian actor (d. 2011)
• 1926 – Gérard D. Levesque, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Deputy Premier of Quebec (d. 1993)
• 1927 – Ray Barrett, Australian actor and singer (d. 2009)
• 1927 – Amos Kenan, Israeli columnist, painter, sculptor, playwright and novelist (d. 2009)
• 1927 – Michael Broadbent, British wine critic and writer (d. 2020)
• 1928 – Hans Trass, Estonian ecologist and botanist (d. 2017)
• 1928 – Georges-Arthur Goldschmidt, French writer and translator of German origin
• 1928 – Horst Stein, German conductor (d. 2008)
• 1929 – Édouard Balladur, Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France
• 1929 – James Dillion, American discus thrower (d. 2010)
• 1929 – Link Wray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2005)
• 1929 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan (d. 1972)
• 1930 – Yoram Kaniuk, Israeli painter and critic (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Marco Pannella, Italian journalist and politician (d. 2016)
• 1931 – Phil Bruns, American actor and stuntman (d. 2012)
• 1931 – Martha Grimes, American author and poet
• 1932 – Maury Allen, American journalist, actor, and author (d. 2010)
• 1933 – Bunk Gardner, American musician
• 1933 – Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
• 1934 – Manfred Durniok, German film producer, director and screenwriter (d. 2003)
• 1935 – Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager (d. 2023)
• 1935 – Faisal II of Iraq, the last King of Iraq (d.1958)
• 1936 – Norma Aleandro, Argentinian actress, director, and screenwriter
• 1936 – Engelbert Humperdinck, English singer and pianist
• 1936 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (d. 1972)
• 1937 – Klaus Enders, German motorcycle sidecar racer (d. 2019)
• 1937 – Lorenzo Music, American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
• 1937 – Gisela Elsner, German writer (d. 1992)
• 1938 – Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d. 1996)
• 1939 – Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist and engineer
• 1939 – Ernesto Castano, Italian football player (d. 2023)
• 1940 – Jules Albert Wijdenbosch, Surinamese politician
• 1941 – Tony Adamowicz, American race car driver (d. 2016)
• 1941 – Bruce Cameron, Scottish bishop
• 1941 – Clay Carroll, American baseball player^[15]
• 1941 – Eddy Louiss, French jazz musician (d. 2015)
• 1942 – Jacques Rogge, Belgian businessman (d. 2021)
• 1942 – Wojciech Pszoniak, Polish film and theater actor (d. 2020)
• 1943 – Mustafa Nadarević, Bosnian actor and film director (d. 2020)^[16]
• 1944 – Robert G. W. Anderson, English chemist, historian, and curator
• 1945 – Randy Cain, American soul singer (d. 2009)
• 1945 – Judge Dread, English singer-songwriter (d. 1998)
• 1945 – Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan-American model, actress, and activist
• 1945 – Goldy McJohn, Canadian keyboard player (d. 2017)
• 1946 – Peter L. Benson, American psychologist and academic (d. 2011)
• 1946 – Lesley Gore, American singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
• 1946 – David Suchet, English actor
• 1947 – James Dyson, English businessman, founded the Dyson Company
• 1947 – Lynda Myles, English screenwriter and producer
• 1947 – Philippe Herreweghe, Belgian conductor
• 1948 – Larry Gatlin, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor
• 1949 – Alan Titchmarsh, English gardener and author
• 1949 – Alfons Schuhbeck, German celebrity chef, author and businessman
• 1950 – Simon Gaskell, English chemist and academic
• 1950 – Duncan Gay, Australian businessman and politician
• 1950 – Lou Gramm, American singer-songwriter
• 1950 – Richard Ground, English lawyer and judge (d. 2014)
• 1950 – Fausto Silva, Brazilian television presenter
• 1951 – John Glascock, English singer and bass player (d. 1979)
• 1952 – Chris Anderson, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1952 – Christine Baranski, American actress and singer
• 1952 – Isla St Clair, Scottish singer and actress
• 1953 – Valery Gergiev, Russian conductor and director
• 1953 – Jamaal Wilkes, American basketball player^[17]
• 1954 – Elliot Goldenthal, American composer and conductor
• 1954 – Dawn Primarolo, English politician
• 1954 – Stephen Venables, English mountaineer and author
• 1955 – Willie Miller, Scottish footballer
• 1955 – Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
• 1956 – Régis Labeaume, Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Quebec City
• 1958 – Yasushi Akimoto, Japanese songwriter and producer
• 1958 – Stanislav Levý, Czech footballer and manager
• 1958 – David O'Leary, English-Irish footballer and manager
• 1959 – Alan Best, Canadian animator, director, and producer
• 1959 – Tony Wakeford, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1960 – Stephen Daldry, English director and producer
• 1960 – Royce Simmons, Australian rugby league player and coach^[18]
• 1961 – Steve James, English snooker player
• 1961 – Sophie Thibault, Canadian journalist
• 1961 – Phil Vickery, English chef and author
• 1962 – Elizabeth Berridge, American actress
• 1962 – Michael Grandage, English director and producer
• 1962 – Jimmy White, English snooker player
• 1965 – Félix José, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1966 – Uwe Freiler, German footballer
• 1966 – Margus Kolga, Estonian diplomat
• 1966 – Belinda Stronach, Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and politician
• 1967 – Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1995)
• 1967 – Mika Brzezinski, American journalist and author
• 1967 – David Rocastle, English footballer (d. 2001)
• 1968 – Jeff Agoos, Swiss-American soccer player, manager, and sportscaster
• 1968 – Julia Hartley-Brewer, English broadcaster and columnist
• 1968 – Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress
• 1969 – Brian Lara, Trinidadian cricketer
• 1970 – Marco Walker, Swiss footballer and coach
• 1971 – Musashimaru Kōyō, Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna
• 1971 – Fatima Yusuf, Nigerian sprinter
• 1972 – Paul Adcock, English footballer
• 1972 – Ahti Heinla, Estonian programmer and businessman, co-developed Skype
• 1972 – Dwayne Johnson, American-Canadian wrestler, actor, and producer
• 1973 – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German director and screenwriter
• 1974 – Horacio Carbonari, Argentinian footballer and manager
• 1974 – Andy Johnson, English-Welsh footballer
• 1974 – Janek Meet, Estonian footballer
• 1975 – David Beckham, English footballer, coach, and model
• 1975 – Joe Wilkinson, English comedian, actor and writer
• 1976 – Jeff Gutt, American singer-songwriter
• 1977 – Brian Cardinal, American basketball player
• 1977 – Jan Fitschen, German runner
• 1977 – Luke Hudson, American baseball player
• 1977 – Fredrik Malm, Swedish journalist and politician
• 1977 – Jenna von Oÿ, American actress and singer
• 1977 – Kalle Palander, Finnish skier
• 1978 – Melvin Ely, American basketball player
• 1978 – Mike Weaver, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1978 – Kumail Nanjiani, Pakistani-American actor, stand-up comedian, and screenwriter^[19]
• 1979 – Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Ioannis Kanotidis, Greek footballer
• 1979 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish-American actress, presenter and VJ (d. 2011)
• 1980 – Tim Borowski, German footballer
• 1980 – Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canadian skateboarder
• 1980 – Ellie Kemper, American actress, comedian and writer
• 1980 – Zat Knight, English footballer^[20]
• 1980 – Artūras Masiulis, Lithuanian basketball player
• 1980 – Troy Murphy, American basketball player
• 1980 – Lassaâd Ouertani, Tunisian footballer (d. 2013)
• 1980 – Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Vincent Tong, Canadian actor, singer, voice actor and director
• 1981 – Robert Buckley, American actor
• 1981 – Chris Kirkland, English footballer
• 1981 – Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer
• 1981 – Matt Murray, English footballer
• 1981 – Rina Satō, 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, American tennis player
• 1985 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater^[21]
• 1986 – Yasir Shah, Pakistani cricketer^[22]
• 1987 – Saara Aalto, Finnish singer and actress^[23]
• 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 – Kay Panabaker, American actress
• 1990 – Paul George, American basketball player
• 1991 – Jeong Jinwoon, South Korean actor and singer
• 1992 – Sunmi, South Korean singer
• 1992 – María Teresa Torró Flor, Spanish tennis player
• 1993 – Owain Doull, Welsh track cyclist
• 1993 – Isyana Sarasvati, Indonesian singer
• 1993 – Huang Zitao, Chinese singer and rapper
• 1996 – Cherprang Areekul, Thai singer
• 1996 – Julian Brandt, German footballer
• 1996 – Schuyler Bailar, American swimmer^[24]
• 2015 – Princess Charlotte of Wales, British royal, and third in line to the British throne^[25]

Pre-1600

• 1203 BCE – Merneptah, pharaoh of Egypt^[26]
• 373 CE – Athanasius of Alexandria, Egyptian bishop and saint (b. 298)
• 649 – Marutha of Tikrit, Persian theologian of the Syriac Orthodox Church (b. 565)
• 821 – Liu Zong, general of the Tang Dynasty
• 907 – Boris I of Bulgaria
• 1219 – Leo I, King of Armenia (b. 1150)
• 1230 – William de Braose, English son of Reginald de Braose (b. 1197)
• 1293 – Meir of Rothenburg, German rabbi (b. c.1215)
• 1300 – Blanche of Artois (b. 1248)
• 1450 – William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English admiral (b. 1396)
• 1519 – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, and architect (b. 1452)
• 1564 – Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian cardinal (b. 1500)

1601–1900

• 1627 – Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, Italian composer and educator (b. 1560)
• 1667 – George Wither, English poet and author (b. 1588)
• 1683 – Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and mathematician (b. 1613)
• 1711 – Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1641)
• 1799 – Juan Vicente de Güemes, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo (b. 1740)
• 1802 – Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch general and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch Gold Coast (b. 1762)
• 1810 – Henry Jerome de Salis, English priest (b. 1740)
• 1819 – Mary Moser, English painter and academic (b. 1744)
• 1857 – Alfred de Musset, French dramatist, poet, and novelist (b. 1810)
• 1864 – Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer and educator (b. 1791)
• 1866 – José Gálvez Egúsquiza, Peruvian politician (b. 1819)^[27]
• 1880 – Eberhard Anheuser, German-American businessman, co-founded Anheuser-Busch (b. 1805)
• 1880 – Tom Wills, Australian cricketer, co-created Australian rules football (b. 1835)
• 1885 – Terézia Zakoucs, Hungarian-Slovene author (b. 1817)
• 1900 – Lars Oftedal, Norwegian priest, social reformer, politician, and newspaper editor (b. 1838)^[28]

1901–present

• 1912 – Homer Davenport, American political cartoonist (b, 1867)^[29]
• 1915 – Clara Immerwahr, German chemist (b. 1870)
• 1918 – Jüri Vilms, Estonian lawyer and politician (b. 1889)
• 1925 – Antun Branko Šimić, Croatian and Bosnian-Herzegovinian poet (b. 1898)
• 1925 – Johann Palisa, Austrian astronomer (b. 1848)^[30][31]
• 1927 – Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (b. 1866)
• 1929 – Charalambos Tseroulis, Greek general and politician, Greek Minister for Military Affairs (b. 1879)
• 1940 – Ernest Joyce, English explorer (b. 1875)^[32]
• 1941 – Penelope Delta, Greek author (b. 1874)
• 1945 – Martin Bormann, German politician (b. 1900)
• 1945 – Joe Corbett, American baseball player and journalist (b. 1875)
• 1946 – Bill Denny, Australian journalist, lawyer, politician, and decorated soldier (b. 1872)^[33]
• 1947 – Dorothea Binz, German SS officer (b. 1920)
• 1953 – Wallace Bryant, American archer (b. 1863)
• 1957 – Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, judge, and politician (b. 1908)
• 1963 – Ronald Barnes, 3rd Baron Gorell, English cricketer, peer, politician, poet, author and newspaper editor (b. 1884)
• 1964 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-English politician (b. 1879)
• 1969 – Franz von Papen, German general and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1879)
• 1972 – J. Edgar Hoover, American 1st director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (b. 1895)^[34]
• 1974 – James O. Richardson, American admiral (b. 1878)
• 1977 – Nicholas Magallanes, American principal dancer and charter member of the New York City Ballet (b. 1922)
• 1979 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist and engineer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)^[35]
• 1980 – Clarrie Grimmett, New Zealand-Australian cricketer (b. 1891)
• 1980 – George Pal, Hungarian-American animator and producer (b. 1908)
• 1983 – Norm Van Brocklin, American football player and coach (b. 1926)
• 1984 – Jack Barry, American game show host and producer, co-founded Barry & Enright Productions (b. 1918)
• 1984 – Bob Clampett, American animator, director, and producer (b. 1913)
• 1985 – Attilio Bettega, Italian race car driver (b. 1951)
• 1985 – Larry Clinton, American trumpet player and bandleader (b. 1909)
• 1986 – Sergio Cresto, American race car driver (b. 1956)
• 1986 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish race car driver (b. 1956)
• 1989 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian author (b. 1902)
• 1989 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian cardinal (b. 1906)
• 1990 – David Rappaport, English-American actor (b. 1951)
• 1991 – Gauri Shankar Rai, Indian Politician(b.1924)
• 1991 – Ronald McKie, Australian journalist and author (b. 1909)
• 1992 – Wilbur Mills, American lawyer and politician (b. 1909)
• 1993 – André Moynet, French race car driver, pilot, and politician (b. 1921)
• 1994 – Dorothy Marie Donnelly, American poet and author (b. 1903)
• 1995 – John Bunting, Australian public servant and diplomat, (b. 1918)
• 1995 – Michael Hordern, English actor (b. 1911)
• 1997 – John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
• 1997 – Paulo Freire, Brazilian philosopher and academic (b. 1921)
• 1998 – hide, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1964)
• 1998 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (b. 1961)
• 1999 – Douglas Harkness, Canadian politician (b. 1903)^[36]
• 1999 – Oliver Reed, English actor (b. 1938)
• 2000 – Sundar Popo, Indo-Trinidadian musician (b. 1943)
• 2002 – W. T. Tutte, English-Canadian mathematician and academic (b. 1917)
• 2005 – Wee Kim Wee, Singaporean journalist and politician, 4th President of Singapore (b. 1915)
• 2006 – Louis Rukeyser, American journalist and author (b. 1933)
• 2007 – Brad McGann, New Zealand director and screenwriter (b. 1964)
• 2008 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (b. 1940)
• 2008 – Izold Pustõlnik, Ukrainian-Estonian astronomer and academic (b. 1938)
• 2009 – Marilyn French, American author and academic (b. 1929)
• 2009 – Kiyoshiro Imawano, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1951)
• 2009 – Jack Kemp, American football player and politician, 9th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (b. 1935)
• 2010 – Lynn Redgrave, English-American actress and singer (b. 1943)
• 2011 – Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist, founder of Al-Qaeda (b. 1957)
• 2012 – Fernando Lopes, Portuguese director and screenwriter (b. 1935)
• 2012 – Zenaida Manfugás, Cuban-born American-naturalized pianist (b. 1932)^[37]
• 2012 – Tufan Miñnullin, Russian playwright and politician (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Indonesian physician and politician, Indonesian Minister of Health (b. 1955)
• 2012 – Akira Tonomura, Japanese physicist, author, and academic (b. 1942)
• 2012 – Lourdes Valera, Venezuelan actress (b. 1963)^[38]
• 2013 – Ernie Field, English boxer (b. 1943)
• 2013 – Jeff Hanneman, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1964)
• 2013 – Joseph P. McFadden, American bishop (b. 1947)
• 2013 – Dvora Omer, Israeli author and educator (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Ivan Turina, Croatian footballer (b. 1980)
• 2013 – Charles Banks Wilson, American painter and illustrator (b. 1918)
• 2014 – Tomás Balduino, Brazilian bishop (b. 1922)
• 2014 – Žarko Petan, Slovenian director, playwright, and screenwriter (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Efrem Zimbalist Jr., American actor (b. 1918)
• 2015 – Stuart Archer, English colonel and architect (b. 1915)
• 2015 – Michael Blake, American author and screenwriter (b. 1945)
• 2015 – Guy Carawan, American singer and musicologist (b. 1927)
• 2015 – Maya Plisetskaya, Russian-Lithuanian ballerina, choreographer, actress, and director (b. 1925)
• 2015 – Ruth Rendell, English author (b. 1930)
• 2016 – Afeni Shakur, American music businesswoman, activist, and Black Panther (b. 1947)
• 2020 – Arif Wazir, Pakistani politician, leader of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (b. 1982)
• 2021 – Marcel Stellman, Belgian record producer and lyricist (b. 1925)^[39]

• Christian feast day:
  • Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church).^[40]
  • Athanasius of Alexandria (Western Christianity)^[41]
  • Bolesław Strzelecki (Catholic Church)^[41]
  • Boris I of Bulgaria (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
  • Germanus of Normandy
  • Joseph Luu Van Nguyen (Catholic Church)^[41]
  • Wiborada (Catholic Church)^[41]
  • William Tirry (Catholic Church)^[41]
  • May 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• The last day of the Festival of Ridván (Baháʼí Faith) (this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March equinox, see List of observances set by the Baháʼí calendar)
• Anniversary of the Dos de Mayo Uprising (Community of Madrid, Spain)
• Birth Anniversary of Third Druk Gyalpo (Bhutan)
• Flag Day (Poland)
• Indonesia National Education Day
• Teachers' Day (Iran) (this date is non-Gregorian and may change according to the March Equinox, see List of observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar)
• International Harry Potter Day
• World Tuna Day^[42]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to May 2.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Historical Events on May 2