May 2 facts for kids

May 2nd is a special day in history, filled with many interesting events, birthdays, and important observances from around the world. From ancient times to today, this date has seen kings and queens, big battles, new inventions, and the birth of famous people. Let's explore some of the most important moments that happened on May 2nd!

Historical Events

Early History (Before 1600)

• 1194 – King Richard I of England, also known as Richard the Lionheart, gave the town of Portsmouth its first special permission, called a royal charter. This helped the town grow.
• 1536 – Anne Boleyn, who was the Queen of England and wife of King Henry VIII, was arrested and put in prison.
• 1559 – John Knox returned to Scotland after being away. He became a key leader in the Scottish Reformation, a big change in religion.
• 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, managed to escape from Lochleven Castle, where she had been held captive.

Later History (1601–1900)

• 1611 – The famous King James Version of the Bible was printed for the very first time in London, England.
• 1670 – King Charles II of England gave a special permission to the Hudson's Bay Company. This allowed them to start a big fur trade business in North America.
• 1808 – The Peninsular War began when the people of Madrid, Spain, bravely rebelled against the French army that was occupying their city. The famous painter Francisco de Goya later showed this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
• 1863 – During the American Civil War, General Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own soldiers. He passed away eight days later from an illness.
• 1866 – Peruvian defenders successfully fought off the Spanish fleet in the Battle of Callao.
• 1885 – Cree and Assiniboine warriors won the Battle of Cut Knife. This was their biggest victory against Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.
• 1889 – Menelik II, the Emperor of Ethiopia, signed a treaty that gave Italy control over the area known as Eritrea.

Modern Times (1901–Present)

• 1906 – The Intercalated Games in Athens, Greece, had their closing ceremony. These were special Olympic Games held between the main ones.
• 1920 – The very first game of the Negro National League baseball was played in Indianapolis. This was an important step for Black baseball players.
• 1941 – During World War II, the United Kingdom started the Anglo-Iraqi War to help restore the Crown Prince of Iraq to power after a change in government.
• 1945 – World War II ended in Europe. The Soviet Union announced that Berlin, Germany's capital, had fallen.
• 1945 – German troops in Italy stopped fighting as part of the surrender of Caserta.
• 1945 – The US 82nd Airborne Division freed the Wöbbelin concentration camp, finding many prisoners who had suffered greatly.
• 1952 – A De Havilland Comet made history by being the first jetliner to fly with paying passengers. It flew from London to Johannesburg.
• 1964 – During the Vietnam War, an explosion sank the American aircraft carrier USNS Card while it was in Saigon. It was later fixed and put back into service.
• 1964 – The mountain Shishapangma was climbed for the first time. It is the fourteenth highest mountain in the world.
• 1969 – The famous British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 began its first journey to New York City.
• 1982 – In the Falklands War, the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
• 1986 – Six days after the Chernobyl disaster, the city of Chernobyl was evacuated. Many people had to leave their homes.
• 1989 – During the Cold War, Hungary began taking down its border fence with Austria. This allowed many people from East Germany to escape to the West.
• 1995 – During the Croatian War of Independence, bombs were fired at Zagreb, causing harm to civilians.
• 1998 – The European Central Bank was created in Brussels. Its job is to manage the money policy for the European Union.
• 1999 – Mireya Moscoso became the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
• 2000 – President Bill Clinton announced that accurate GPS information would no longer be kept secret for only the United States military. This made GPS available for everyone.
• 2008 – Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, causing a lot of damage and leaving many people without homes.
• 2011 – Osama bin Laden, a leader of a terrorist group, was killed by United States special forces in Pakistan.
• 2012 – A famous painting called The Scream by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch was sold for a record-breaking amount of money at an auction in New York City.
• 2014 – Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, caused many people to go missing.

Famous Birthdays

Many notable people were born on May 2nd:

• 1729 – Catherine the Great, a powerful Empress of Russia.
• 1859 – Jerome K. Jerome, an English author known for his funny books.
• 1860 – Theodor Herzl, an important thinker who helped start the idea of Zionism.
• 1892 – Manfred von Richthofen, a German pilot famous during World War I, known as the "Red Baron."
• 1903 – Benjamin Spock, an American doctor who wrote popular books about raising children.
• 1921 – Satyajit Ray, a famous Indian director and filmmaker.
• 1924 – Theodore Bikel, an Austrian-American singer and actor.
• 1936 – Engelbert Humperdinck, a well-known English singer.
• 1942 – Jacques Rogge, a Belgian businessman who became president of the International Olympic Committee.
• 1946 – Lesley Gore, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1946 – David Suchet, a talented English actor.
• 1947 – James Dyson, an English businessman who invented the Dyson vacuum cleaner.
• 1972 – Dwayne Johnson, a famous American-Canadian wrestler and actor, also known as "The Rock."
• 1975 – David Beckham, a very famous English footballer.
• 1985 – Lily Allen, an English singer-songwriter.
• 1985 – Kyle Busch, an American race car driver.
• 1985 – Sarah Hughes, an American figure skater who won an Olympic gold medal.
• 2015 – Princess Charlotte of Wales, a British royal and third in line to the throne.

Notable Deaths

Some important people passed away on May 2nd:

• 1519 – Leonardo da Vinci, the famous Italian painter, sculptor, and inventor. He created the Mona Lisa.
• 1857 – Alfred de Musset, a French writer and poet.
• 1864 – Giacomo Meyerbeer, a German composer.
• 1880 – Tom Wills, an Australian cricketer who helped create Australian rules football.
• 1915 – Clara Immerwahr, a German chemist.
• 1972 – J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States.
• 1979 – Giulio Natta, an Italian chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
• 1980 – George Pal, a Hungarian-American animator and producer.
• 1997 – John Eccles, an Australian scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the brain.
• 1999 – Oliver Reed, a well-known English actor.
• 2005 – Wee Kim Wee, the fourth President of Singapore.
• 2010 – Lynn Redgrave, an English-American actress.
• 2011 – Osama bin Laden, the founder of Al-Qaeda.
• 2015 – Maya Plisetskaya, a famous Russian-Lithuanian ballerina.
• 2015 – Ruth Rendell, a popular English author.

Holidays and Observances

May 2nd is a day for various celebrations and observances:

• Christian feast day: This day is special for several Christian saints, including Athanasius of Alexandria.
• The last day of the Festival of Ridván for the Baháʼí Faith.
• Anniversary of the Dos de Mayo Uprising in the Community of Madrid, Spain.
• Birth Anniversary of Third Druk Gyalpo in Bhutan.
• Flag Day (Poland) in Poland.
• Indonesia National Education Day in Indonesia.
• Teachers' Day in Iran.
• International Harry Potter Day, celebrating the popular book series.
• World Tuna Day, raising awareness about tuna fish.

Images for kids

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  A friendly robot, representing a kid-friendly approach to learning.