305 Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.

880 The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.

1169 Normans mercenaries land at Bannow in Leinster, marking the beginning of the Norman invasion of Ireland.

1328 Wars of Scottish Independence end: By the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton, Kingdom of England recognises Kingdom of Scotland as an Independence.

1486 Christopher Columbus presents his plans discovering a western route to the Indies to the Spanish Queen Isabella I of Castile.

1669 Henry Morgan's raid on Lake Maracaibo, the Spanish Armada de Barlovento is defeated by an English Privateer fleet led by Captain Henry Morgan.

1707 The Act of Union 1707 joining England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain takes effect.

1753 Publication of ''Species Plantarum'' by Carl Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.

1807 The Slave Trade Act 1807 takes effect, abolishing the slave trade within the British Empire.

1820 Execution of the Cato Street Conspiracy, who plotted to kill the United Kingdom Cabinet of the United Kingdom and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool.

1840 The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom.

1844 Hong Kong Police Force, the world's second modern Police and Asia's first, is established.

1846 The few remaining Mormons left in Nauvoo, Illinois, formally dedicate the Nauvoo Temple.

1851 Queen Victoria opens The Great Exhibition at The Crystal Palace in London.

1863 American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville between Robert E. Lee's Confederate States of America Army of Northern Virginia and the Union (American Civil War) Army of the Potomac under Joseph Hooker begins.

1863 American Civil War: During the Vicksburg campaign, Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant win at the Battle of Port Gibson and establish a firm presence on the east side of the Mississippi River.

1865 The Empire of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay sign the Treaty of the Triple Alliance.

1866 The Memphis riots of 1866 begin. Over three days, 46 blacks and two whites were killed. Reports of the atrocities influenced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

1885 The original Chicago Board of Trade Building opens for business.

1886 Rallies are held throughout the United States demanding the eight-hour work day, culminating in the Haymarket affair in Chicago, in commemoration of which May 1 is celebrated as International Workers' Day in many countries.

1894 Coxey's Army, the first significant American Demonstration (protest), arrives in Washington, D.C.

1896 Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, Qajar dynasty, is assassinated in Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine by Mirza Reza Kermani, a follower of Jamal al-Din al-Afghani.

1898 Spanish–American War: Battle of Manila Bay: The Asiatic Squadron of the United States Navy destroys the Pacific Squadron of the Spanish Navy after a seven-hour battle. Spain loses all seven of its ships, and 381 Spanish sailors die. There are no American vessel losses or combat deaths.

1900 The Scofield Mine disaster kills over 200 men in Scofield, Utah in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in United States history.

1915 departs from New York City on her 202nd, and final, crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives.

1919 German troops enter Munich to suppress the Bavarian Soviet Republic.

1921 The Jaffa riots commence.

1925 The All-China Federation of Trade Unions is officially founded. Today it is the largest trade union in the world, with 134 million members.

1929 The 7.2 1929 Kopet Dag earthquake shakes the Iran–Turkmenistan border region with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale of IX (''Violent''), killing up to 3,800 and injuring 1,121.

1930 "Pluto" is officially proposed for the name of Pluto by Vesto Slipher in the ''Lowell Observatory Observation Circular''. The name quickly catches on.

1931 The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.

1945 World War II: German radio broadcasts news of Adolf Hitler's death, falsely stating that he has "fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany". The Flag of the Soviet Union is raised over the Reich Chancellery, by order of Joseph Stalin.

1945 World War II: Up to 2,500 people die in a mass suicide in Demmin following the advance of the Red Army.

1946 Start of three-year 1946 Pilbara strike of Indigenous Australians.

1947 Portella della Ginestra massacre against May Day celebrations in Sicily by the bandit and separatist leader Salvatore Giuliano where 11 persons are killed and 33 wounded.

1956 The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.

1957 A Vickers VC.1 Viking 1957 Blackbushe Viking accident while attempting to return to Blackbushe Airport in Yateley, killing 34.

1960 Cold War: 1960 U-2 incident: Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.

1961 The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a Socialism nation and abolishes elections.

1970 Vietnam War: Protests erupt in response to U.S. and South Vietnamese forces attacking Communist Party of Vietnam in a Cambodian Campaign.

1971 Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) takes over operation of Rail transportation in the United States # Passenger railroads.

1975 The Särkänniemi Amusement Park opens in Tampere, Finland.

1978 Japan's Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.

1982 Operation Black Buck: The Royal Air Force attacks the Argentine Air Force during Falklands War.

1991 Angolan Civil War: The MPLA and UNITA agree to the Bicesse Accords, which are formally signed on May 31 in Lisbon.

1993 President of Sri Lanka Ranasinghe Premadasa is Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa in Colombo in a suicide bombing carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

1994 Three-time Formula One List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions Ayrton Senna is Death of Ayrton Senna during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix.

1997 Labour Party wins the 1997 United Kingdom general election and Tony Blair is elected as Prime Minister

1999 The body of British climber George Mallory is found on Mount Everest, 75 years after his 1924 British Mount Everest expedition.

2003 2003 invasion of Iraq: In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished speech" speech, on board the (off the coast of California), U.S. President George W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended".

2004 Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the President of Ireland in Dublin.

2009 Same-sex marriage in Sweden is legalized in Sweden.

2010 Faisal Shahzad 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt to detonate a car bomb in Times Square, but the bomb fails to go off.

2011 Pope John Paul II is Beatification by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

2018 Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) resumes the Deir ez-Zor campaign (2017–2019) in order to clear the remnants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the Iraq–Syria border.

2019 Naxalite attack in Gadchiroli district of India: Sixteen army soldiers, including a driver, 2019 Gadchiroli Naxal Attack. Naxals targeted an anti-Naxal operations team.

2019 Naruhito 2019 Japanese imperial transition succeeding his father Akihito, beginning the Reiwa period.

2024 The 2024 Loblaw boycott, a Canadian boycott against retail corporation and grocer Loblaw Companies, begins.

1218 John I, Count of Hainaut (d. 1257)

1218 Rudolf I of Germany (d. 1291)

1285 Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel, English politician (d. 1326)

1326 Rinchinbal Khan, Mongolian emperor (d. 1332)

1488 Sidonie of Bavaria, eldest daughter of Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria-Munich (d. 1505)

1527 Johannes Stadius, German astronomer, astrologer, mathematician (d. 1579)

1545 Franciscus Junius (the elder), French theologian (d. 1602)

1579 Wolphert Gerretse, Dutch-American farmer, co-founded New Netherland (d. 1662)

1582 Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer (d. 1643)

1585 Sophia Olelkovich Radziwill, Belarusian saint (d. 1612)

1591 Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary and astronomer (d. 1666)

1594 John Haynes (governor), English-American politician, 1st Governor of the Colony of Connecticut (d. 1653)

1602 William Lilly, English astrologer (d. 1681)

1672 Joseph Addison, English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1719)

1730 Joshua Rowley, English admiral (d. 1790)

1735 Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen, Dutch admiral and philanthropist (d. 1819)

1751 Judith Sargent Murray, American poet and playwright (d. 1820)

1764 Benjamin Henry Latrobe, English-American architect, designed the United States Capitol (d. 1820)

1769 Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Irish-English field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1852)

1783 Phoebe Hinsdale Brown, American hymnwriter (d. 1861)

1803 James Clarence Mangan, Irish poet and author (d. 1849)

1811 Andreas Laskaratos, Greek satirical poet and writer (d. 1901)

1821 Henry Ayers, English-Australian politician, 8th Premier of South Australia (d. 1897)

1824 Alexander William Williamson, English chemist and academic (d. 1904)

1825 Johann Jakob Balmer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (d. 1898)

1825 George Inness, American painter and educator (d. 1894)

1827 Jules Breton, French painter (d. 1906)

1829 José de Alencar, Brazilian author and playwright (d. 1877)

1829 Frederick Sandys, English painter and illustrator (d. 1904)

1830 Guido Gezelle, Belgian priest and poet (d. 1899)

1831 Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and activist (d. 1903)

1847 Henry Demarest Lloyd, American journalist and politician (d. 1903)

1848 Adelsteen Normann, Norwegian painter (d. 1919)

1850 Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (d. 1942)

1852 Calamity Jane, American frontierswoman and professional scout (d. 1903)

1852 Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Spanish neuroscientist and pathologist, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine laureate (d. 1934)

1853 Jacob Mikhailovich Gordin, Ukrainian-American journalist, actor, and playwright (d. 1909)

1855 Cecilia Beaux, American painter and academic (d. 1942)

1857 Theo van Gogh (art dealer), Dutch art dealer (d. 1891)

1859 Jacqueline Comerre-Paton, French painter and sculptor (d. 1955)

1862 Marcel Prévost, French novelist and playwright (d. 1941)

1864 Anna Jarvis, American founder of Mother's Day (d. 1948)

1871 Seakle Greijdanus, Dutch theologian and scholar (d. 1948)

1871 Emiliano Chamorro Vargas, President of Nicaragua (d. 1966)

1872 Hugo Alfvén, Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter (d. 1960)

1872 Sidónio Pais, Portuguese soldier and politician, 4th President of Portugal (d. 1918)

1874 Romaine Brooks, American-French painter and illustrator (d. 1970)

1874 Paul Van Asbroeck, Belgian target shooter (d. 1959)

1875 David Hall (athlete), American runner (d. 1972)

1881 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French priest, palaeontologist, and philosopher (d. 1955)

1884 Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, English race car driver and politician (d. 1964)

1885 Clément Pansaers, Belgian poet (d. 1922)

1885 Ralph Stackpole, American sculptor and painter (d. 1973)

1887 Alan Cunningham, Anglo-Irish general and diplomat, High Commissioners for Palestine and Transjordan (d. 1983)

1890 Clelia Lollini, Italian physician (d. 1963 or 1964)

1891 Lillian Estelle Fisher, American historian of Spanish America (d. 1988)

1895 May Hollinworth, Australian theatre producer and director (d. 1968)

1895 Nikolai Yezhov, Soviet Union secret police official, head of the NKVD (d. 1940)

1896 Herbert Backe, German agronomist and politician (d. 1947)

1896 Mark W. Clark, American general (d. 1984)

1896 J. Lawton Collins, American general (d. 1987)

1898 Alfred Schmidt (weightlifter), Estonian weightlifter (d. 1972)

1900 Ignazio Silone, Italian journalist and politician (d. 1978)

1900 Aleksander Wat, Polish poet and writer (d. 1967)

1901 Sterling Allen Brown, American poet, academic, and critic (d. 1989)

1901 Antal Szerb, Hungarian scholar and author (d. 1945)

1905 Henry Koster, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1988)

1906 Horst Schumann, German SS officer and physician (d. 1983)

1907 Kate Smith, American singer and actress (d. 1986)

1908 Giovannino Guareschi, Italian journalist and author (d. 1968)

1908 Morris Kline, American mathematician and academic (d. 1992)

1909 Endel Puusepp, Estonian-Soviet military pilot and politician (d. 1996)

1909 Yiannis Ritsos, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1990)

1910 Raya Dunayevskaya, Ukrainian-American philosopher and activist (d. 1987)

1910 J. Allen Hynek, American astronomer and ufologist (d. 1986)

1912 Otto Kretschmer, German admiral (d. 1998)

1913 Louis Nye, American actor (d. 2005)

1915 Hanns Martin Schleyer, German business executive (d. 1977)

1916 Glenn Ford, Canadian-American actor and producer (d. 2006)

1917 John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (d. 1996)

1917 Ulric Cross, Trinidadian navigator, judge, and diplomat (d. 2013)

1917 Danielle Darrieux, French actress and singer (d. 2017)

1918 Jack Paar, American comedian, author and talk show host (d. 2004)

1919 Manna Dey, Indian singer and composer (d. 2013)

1919 Mohammed Karim Lamrani, Moroccan businessman and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Morocco (d. 2018)

1919 Dan O'Herlihy, Irish actor (d. 2005)

1921 Vladimir Colin, Romanian journalist and author (d. 1991)

1923 Joseph Heller, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1999)

1923 Marcel Rayman, Polish soldier (d. 1944)

1924 Evelyn Boyd Granville, American mathematician, computer scientist, and academic (d. 2023)

1924 Terry Southern, American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter (d. 1995)

1925 Chuck Bednarik, American lieutenant and football player (d. 2015)

1925 Scott Carpenter, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2013)

1926 Peter Lax, Hungarian-American mathematician and academic

1927 Greta Andersen, Danish swimmer (d. 2023)

1927 Laura Betti, Italian actress (d. 2004)

1927 Bernard Vukas, Yugoslav-Croatian footballer (d. 1983)

1927 Albert Zafy, Malagasy politician, 3rd President of Madagascar (d. 2017)

1928 Sonny James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)

1929 Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (d. 2009)

1929 Sonny Ramadhin, Trinidadian cricketer (d. 2022)

1930 Ollie Matson, American sprinter and football player (d. 2011)

1930 Richard Riordan, American lieutenant and politician, 39th Mayor of Los Angeles and publisher (d. 2023)

1930 Little Walter Jacobs, American blues harp player and singer (d. 1968)

1932 S. M. Krishna, Indian politician and statesman, Minister of External Affairs (India), 10th List of chief ministers of Karnataka, 19th List of governors of Maharashtra (d. 2024)

1932 Sandy Woodward, English admiral (d. 2013)

1934 Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Mexican politician

1934 Shirley Horn, American singer and pianist (d. 2005)

1937 Una Stubbs, English actress and dancer (d. 2021)

1939 Judy Collins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1945 Rita Coolidge, American singer-songwriter

1946 Joanna Lumley, English actress, voice-over artist, author, and activist

1946 John Woo, Hong Kong director, producer, and screenwriter

1948 Patricia Hill Collins, American sociologist and scholar

1949 Tim Hodgkinson, English saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer

1950 Danny McGrain, Scottish footballer and coach

1951 Gordon Greenidge, Barbadian cricketer and coach

1951 Sally Mann, American photographer

1952 Richard Blundell, English economist and academic

1954 Ray Parker Jr., American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1954 Joel Rosenberg (science fiction author), Canadian-American author and activist (d. 2011)

1955 Alex Cunningham, Scottish politician

1955 Martin O'Donnell, American composer

1957 Rick Darling, Australian cricketer

1957 Uberto Pasolini, Italian banker, director, and producer

1959 Yasmina Reza, French actress and playwright

1961 Clint Malarchuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1961 Marilyn Milian, American judge

1962 Maia Morgenstern, Romanian actress

1964 Yvonne van Gennip, Dutch speed skater

1966 Olaf Thon, German footballer and manager

1967 Tim McGraw, American singer-songwriter and actor

1968 Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer

1968 D'arcy Wretzky, American bass player and singer

1969 Wes Anderson, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1969 Mary Lou McDonald, Irish politician

1969 Billy Owens, American basketball player

1970 Bernard Butler, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

1971 Ethan Albright, American football player

1971 Stuart Appleby, Australian golfer

1971 Ajith Kumar, Indian actor and race car driver

1972 Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Yemeni terrorist

1972 Julie Benz, American actress

1973 Curtis Martin, American football player

1973 Oliver Neuville, German footballer

1975 Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2003)

1975 Nina Hossain, English journalist

1975 Alexey Smertin, Russian international footballer

1976 James Murray (comedian), American comedian

1978 James Badge Dale, American actor

1978 Michael Russell (tennis), American tennis player

1979 Mauro Bergamasco, Italian rugby player

1979 Roman Lyashenko, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2003)

1980 Jan Heylen, Belgian race car driver

1980 Jay Reatard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)

1981 Alexander Hleb, Belarusian footballer

1981 Wes Welker, American football player and coach

1982 Beto (footballer, born 1982), Portuguese footballer

1982 Jamie Dornan, Northern Irish model and actor

1982 Tommy Robredo, Spanish tennis player

1982 Darijo Srna, Croatian footballer

1982 Katya Zamolodchikova, American drag queen

1983 Alain Bernard, French swimmer

1983 Park Hae-jin, South Korean actor

1983 Human Tornado, American wrestler

1984 David Backes, American ice hockey player

1986 Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2013)

1986 Jesse Klaver, Dutch politician

1987 Leonardo Bonucci, Italian footballer

1987 Amir Johnson, American basketball player

1987 Shahar Pe'er, Israeli tennis player

1988 Anushka Sharma, Indian actress and film producer

1989 Victoria Monét, American singer-songwriter

1990 Scooter Gennett, American baseball player

1990 Caitlin Stasey, Australian actress

1991 Marcus Stroman, American baseball player

1992 Madeline Brewer, American actress

1992 Hani (singer), South Korean singer and actress

1992 Bradley Roby, American football player

1996 William Nylander, Canadian-Swedish ice hockey player

1997 Miles Sanders, American football player

1999 YNW Melly, American rapper

1999 Tiffany Stratton, American wrestler

2000 Rema (musician), Nigerian singer-songwriter and rapper

2002 Chet Holmgren, American basketball player

2003 Lizzy Greene, American actress

2004 Charli D'Amelio, American social media influencer and dancer

2005 Linda Fruhvirtová, Czech tennis player

408 Arcadius, Byzantine emperor (b. 377)

558 Saint Marcouf, missionary and saint

908 Wang Zongji, Chinese prince and pretender

1118 Matilda of Scotland (b. 1080)

1171 Diarmait Mac Murchada, King of Leinster (b. 1110)

1187 Roger de Moulins, Grand Master (order) of the Knights Hospitaller

1255 Walter de Gray, English prelate and statesman

1277 Stefan Uroš I of Serbia (b. 1223)

1278 William of Villehardouin

1308 Albert I of Germany (b. 1255)

1312 Paul I Šubić of Bribir

1539 Isabella of Portugal (b. 1503)

1555 Pope Marcellus II (b. 1501)

1572 Pope Pius V (b. 1504)

1668 Frans Luycx, Flemish painter (b. 1604)

1730 François de Troy, French painter and engraver (b. 1645)

1731 Johann Ludwig Bach, German violinist and composer (b. 1677)

1738 Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1669)

1772 Gottfried Achenwall, Polish-German historian, economist, and jurist (b. 1719)

1813 Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French general (b. 1768)

1838 Antoine Louis Dugès, French obstetrician and naturalist (b. 1797)

1856 John Wilbur (Quaker minister), American minister and theologian (b. 1774)

1873 David Livingstone, Scottish-English missionary and explorer (b. 1813)

1899 Ludwig Büchner, German physiologist and physician (b. 1824)

1904 Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer and academic (b. 1841)

1907 Grigorios Maraslis, Greek philanthropist (b. 1831)

1913 John Barclay Armstrong, American lieutenant (b. 1850)

1920 Princess Margaret of Connaught (b. 1882)

1935 Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (b. 1889)

1943 Johan Oscar Smith, Norwegian religious leader, founded the Brunstad Christian Church (b. 1871)

1944 Napoleon Soukatzidis, Greek communist and trade unionist (b. 1909)

1945 Joseph Goebbels, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)

1945 Magda Goebbels, German wife of Joseph Goebbels (b. 1901)

1953 Everett Shinn, American painter and illustrator (b. 1876)

1955 William Thomson Sloper, American stockbroker and survivor of the Sinking of the Titanic (b. 1883)

1956 LeRoy Samse, American pole vaulter (b. 1883)

1960 Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (b. 1875)

1963 Lope K. Santos, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1879)

1965 Spike Jones, American singer and bandleader (b. 1911)

1968 Jack Adams, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1895)

1968 Harold Nicolson, English author and politician (b. 1886)

1970 Yi Un, Korean prince (b. 1897)

1973 Asger Jorn, Danish painter and sculptor (b. 1914)

1976 T. R. M. Howard, American surgeon and activist (b. 1908)

1976 Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet and politician (b. 1939)

1978 Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer and conductor (b. 1903)

1982 William Primrose, Scottish viola player and educator (b. 1903)

1984 Jüri Lossmann, Estonian-Swedish runner (b. 1891)

1985 Denise Robins, English journalist and author (b. 1897)

1986 Hylda Baker, English comedian, actress and music hall performer (b. 1905)

1986 Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and producer (b. 1916)

1988 Ben Lexcen, Australian sailor and architect (b. 1936)

1989 Sally Kirkland (editor), American journalist (b. 1912)

1989 V. M. Panchalingam, Sri Lankan civil servant (b. 1930)

1989 Patrice Tardif (politician), Canadian farmer and politician (b. 1904)

1990 Sergio Franchi, Italian-American tenor and actor (b. 1926)

1991 Richard Thorpe, American director and screenwriter (b. 1896)

1993 Pierre Bérégovoy, French metallurgist and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1925)

1993 Ranasinghe Premadasa, Sri Lankan politician, 3rd President of Sri Lanka (b. 1924)

1994 Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver (b. 1960)

1995 Antonio Salemme, Italian-American painter (b. 1892)

1997 Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (b. 1927)

1998 Eldridge Cleaver, American author and activist (b. 1935)

2000 Steve Reeves, American bodybuilder and actor (b. 1926)

2002 Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh, Indian poet and author (b. 1908)

2003 Miss Elizabeth, American wrestler and manager (b. 1960)

2003 Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (b. 1923)

2005 Kenneth Clark (psychologist), American psychologist and academic (b. 1914)

2008 Anthony Mamo, Maltese judge and politician, 1st President of Malta (b. 1909)

2008 Philipp von Boeselager, German soldier and economist (b. 1917)

2010 Helen Wagner, American actress (b. 1918)

2011 Henry Cooper, English boxer (b. 1934)

2011 Ted Lowe, English sportscaster (b. 1920)

2012 James Kinley, Canadian engineer and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (b. 1925)

2012 Mordechai Virshubski, German-Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1930)

2013 Chris Kelly (rapper), American rapper (b. 1978)

2013 Pierre Pleimelding, French footballer and manager (b. 1952)

2014 Adamu Atta, Nigerian lawyer and politician, 5th List of Governors of Kwara State (b. 1927)

2014 Radhia Cousot, Tunisian-American computer scientist and academic (b. 1947)

2014 Assi Dayan, Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1945)

2014 Juan de Dios Castillo, Mexican footballer and coach (b. 1951)

2015 Geoff Duke, English-Manx motorcycle racer (b. 1923)

2015 Vafa Guluzade, Azerbaijani political scientist, academic, and diplomat (b. 1940)

2015 María Elena Velasco, Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (b. 1940)

2015 Grace Lee Whitney, American actress (b. 1930)

2021 Olympia Dukakis, American actress (b. 1931)

2023 Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)

Christian feast day:

- Aldebrandus

- Amator

- Andeolus

- Aredius of Gap

- Saint Asaph

- Augustin Schoeffler, Jean-Louis Bonnard (part of Vietnamese Martyrs)

- Benedict of Szkalka

- Bertha of Val d'Or

- Saint Brioc

- James, son of Alphaeus (Anglican Communion)

- Jeremiah

- Saint Joseph (Roman Catholic)

- Julian of Bale

- Blessed Klymentiy Sheptytsky (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)

- Mafalda of Portugal

- Saint Marcouf

- Orientius

- Peregrine Laziosi

- Philip the Apostle (Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church)

- Richard Pampuri

- Seven Apostolic Men

- Caecilius of Elvira

- Ctesiphon of Vergium

- Euphrasius of Illiturgis

- Hesychius of Cazorla

- Indaletius

- Secundus of Abula

- Torquatus of Acci

- Sigismund of Burgundy

- Theodard

- Saint Ultan

- May 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Armed Forces Day (Mauritania)

Constitution Day (Argentina, Latvia, Marshall Islands)

Commemoration of the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat following the foundation of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti (India):

- Maharashtra Day

International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day

Lei Day (Hawaii)

International Workers' Day or Labour Day (International observance), and its related observances:

- Law Day (United States), formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)

- Loyalty Day, formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)

May Day (beginning of Summer) observances in the Northern hemisphere ''(see April 30)'':

- Calan Mai (Wales)

- Beltane (Gaels)

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/1 BBC: On This Day]

[https://www.onthisday.com/events/may/1 Historical Events on May 1]