Eva Braun and Adolf Hitler commit suicide together by taking cyanide - Braun is 33 years-old (1945) - 4/30
SN 1006 (supernova) is widely seen on Earth appearing in the constellation Lupus (1006) - Apr. 30
Walpurgis Night (celbrated in Germany, central and western Europe) - Apr. 30
New York World's Fair opens in Flushing-Meadows-Corona Park (1939) - Apr. 30
Alderson Federal Prison Camp opens as the first federal prison in the USA for women (1927) - Apr. 30
Beatrix of the Netherlands ascends to the throne (1980) - Apr. 30
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is born at Haga Palace (1946) - Apr. 30
Casey Jones (American railroad engineer) is killed when his passenger train collided with a stopped freight train at Vaughan, MS (1900) - Apr. 30
George Washington takes the oath of office as the first President of the USA under the constitution at Federal Hall in New York City (1789) - 4/30
International Guide Dogs Day - Apr. 30
Louisiana joins the union as the 18th state (1812) - Apr. 30
Louisiana Purchase occurs when the US purchases the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million more than doubling the size of the USA (1803) - 4/30
Queen Juliana of the Netherlands is born to Queen Wilhelmina in The Hague (1909) - Apr. 30
St. Louis World's Fair (Louisiana Purchase Exposition) opens (1904) - Apr. 30
World Expo 88 (Brisbane, Australia) is opened by Queen Elizabeth (1988) - Apr. 30
Expo 2010 (largest world's fair in history) opens in Shanghai (2010) - 4/30
Honesty Day - Apr. 30
Dutch Royal Family Attack involves a car crashing into the Royal Family's Queens Day parade, missing the Royal Family by metres, but leaving 6 dead and 11 injured (2009) - 4/30
Yom Hazikaron (Israel Day of Remembrance for its fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism) is held on the 4th day of Iyar (2017) - 4/30
May 1, 2017
Beltane (ancient Gaelic festival celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man) is celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere - May 1
Lei Day (Hawaii) - 5/1
May Day (aka International Workers' Day) is celebrated on a "cross-quarter day" in the north it falls halfway between spring equinox and summer solstice - May 1
World's Fair (held in Knoxville, TN) opens (1982) - May 1
World's Columbian Exposition (aka The Chicago World's Fair) opens to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World (1893) - May 1
Disney-MGM Studios opens in Orlando, FL (1989) - May 1
Antonin Dvorak (Czech composer) dies in Prague from heart failure at age 62 (1904) - May 1
Empire State Building (New York City) is officially opened when US President Herbert Hoover turned on the lights by pushing a button in Washington, DC (1931) - May 1
Folies Bergere (French Music Hall located at 32 rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement) opens as the Folies Trevise (1869) - May 1
Global Love Day - May 1
The Great Exhibition (aka the Crystal Palace Exhibition) is opened by Queen Victoria in Hyde Park, London (1851) - May 1
"Mission Accomplished" is declared by President George Bush, announcing the end of major combat operations in the Iraq War (2003) - May 1
Pan American Exposition (World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York) opens (1901) - May 1
The Penny Black (1st adhesive postage stamp of a public postal system) is issued by the UK (1840) - May 1
RMS Lusitania departs from Pier 54 in New York City on her last and fateful voyage when 6 days later she is torpedoed by a German U-boat (1915) - May 1
Scofield Mine disaster (Utah) occurs when a dust explosion in the Winter Quarters Mine killed at least 200 men with rescuers placing the death toll at 246 (1900) - May 1
Saint Joseph's Day (celebrates Saint Joseph the Worker) - May 1
U-2 Incident occurs when Francis Gary Powers, flying an American U-2 spy plane, is shot down over the Soviet Union (1960) - May 1
School Principals' Day - 5/1
Orthodox Easter (2016) - 5/1
Alexandra Palace reopens after a fire destroyed it only 16 days after it first opened two years previously (1875) - May 1
Chocolate Parfait Day - 5/1
Early May Bank Holiday (UK - 2016) - May 2
Yom Ha'atzmaut (Day of Israel Independence-1948) is celebrated on the 5th or 6th day of Iyar based on the day of the week (2017) - May 1
May 2, 2017
Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless (2008) - 5/2
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (play by Tennessee Williams) wins the Pulitzer Prize for drama (1955) - May 2
1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication (World's Fair held in Vancouver, Canada) opens (1986) - May 2
de Havilland Comet (first commercial jet airliner) is introduced with BOAC (1952) - May 2
Flag Day (Poland) - 5/2
Good Housekeeping (women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation) goes on sale for the first time (1885) - May 2
J. Edgar Hoover (first Director of the FBI) dies from complications of high blood pressure at age 77 (1972) - May 2
Jack Barry (American TV game show host and producer) dies as a result of a massive cardiac arrest he experienced while jogging in Central Park at age 66 (1984) - 5/2
Jack Benny's radio show airs for the first time (1932) - 5/2
Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor (first woman to serve as a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons and wife of Waldorf Astor) dies at age 84 (1964) - May 2
Leonardo da Vinci (Italian painter, sculptor, architect, musician and writer) dies at Clos Luce in France (1519) - May 2
Mary Queen of Scots escapes from Loch Leven where she was held prisoner by Sir William Douglas (1568) - May 2
Oliver Reed (English actor) dies of a sudden heart attack during a break from filming Gladiator in Valletta, Malta (1999) - May 2
Portsmouth (city located in Hampshire England) is given its royal charter by King Richard I (1194) - May 2
Charlotte Augusta of Wales (only child of the ill-fated marriage between George IV and Caroline of Brunswick) marries Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield (1816) - May 2
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (British Ocean Liner aka QE2) departs on her maiden voyage to New York City (1969) - 5/2
Teacher's Day (Iran) honors the death of Ayatollah Morteza Mothhari (1979) - 5/2
Chocolate Truffle Day - May 2
Osama bin Laden (head of the militant Islamic group al-Qaeda) is killed in Pakistan during a raid by U.S. special forces (2011) - May 2
Baby Day - 5/2
Lynn Redgrave (British actress best known for her role in Georgy Girl) dies from breast cancer in her Connecticut home (2010) - May 2
Teacher's Day (1st Tuesday in May) 1st established in 1944, but resolved by the National PTA in 1985 (2016) - May 3
May 3, 2017
Cecily Neville, Duchess of York (mother of Edward IV and Richard III of England) is born (1415) - May 3
Charles XV is crowned as King of Sweden (1860) - May 3
Golda Meir (4th Prime Minister of the State of Israel) is born (1898) - May 3
Constitution Memorial Day (Japan) celebrates the promulgation of Japan's Constitution (1947) - May 3
Feast of the Holy Cross (honors the Finding of the Holy Cross) - May 3
Dow Jones achieves its first close above 11,000 (1999) - May 3
The Fantasticks (1960 musical with music and lyrics by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones) opens off-broadway (1960) - 5/3
Festival of Britain (national exhibition) opens in London (1951) - May 3
Gone With the Wind (novel by Margaret Mitchell) wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1937) - May 3
Madame Elisabeth of France (youngest sister of Louis XVI) is born in the Palace of Versailles (1764) - May 3
Margaret of York (daughter of Richard Plantagenet and Cecily Neville) is born at Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire, England (1446) - May 3
Matilda I (Countess of Boulogne and wife of King Stephen of England) age 46 dies of a fever at Hedingham Castle, Essex and is buried at Faversham Abbey (1152) - May 3
1999 Oklahoma F5 tornado outbreak is a severe weather event that causes $1.1 million in damage with 48 people perishing (1999) - May 3
Royal Festival Hall (2,900 seat concert, dance and talks venue) opens in London (1951) - May 3
World Press Freedom Day - May 3
Flooding in Nashville, TN occurs when torrential rains on May 1 and 2 cause the Cumberland River to crest at 51.86' putting the Opryland Hotel under 5-10' of water (2010) - May 3
Air Lanka Tristar (flight UL512) explodes in half due to a bomb placed by the Black Tigers killing 21 and injuring 41 (1986) - May 3
University of Athens is founded as the 1st University in the Eastern Mediterranean (1837) - May 3
Jackie Cooper (American Actor known for being the first child actor nominated for an Academy Award) dies at age 88 after a short illness (2011) - May 3
National Raspberry Popover Day - May 3
May 4, 2017
Battle of Tewkesbury (Gloucestershire, England) puts a temporary end to Lancastrian hopes of regaining the throne of England (1471) - May 4
Bird Day is first instituted by Charles Almanzo Babcock, superintendent of schools in Oil City, PA to focus on conservation and awareness (1894) - May 4
Boris Johnson assumes office as the 2nd May of London (2008) - May 4
Council of Constance finds religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus are condemned as heretics (1415) - May 4
Diomed (English-bred thoroughbred race horse) wins the inaugural running of the Epsom Derby (1780) - May 4
Edmund Beaufort (4th Duke of Somerset) is captured after the Battle of Tewkesbury, tried and executed immediately in the centre of Tewkesbury (1471) - May 4
Ernest Hemingway is awarded The Pulitzer Prize for his story The Old Man and the Sea (1953) - May 4
International Firefighters' Day has existed since five firefighters died under tragic circumstances in an Australian wildfire - May 4
Ken Livingstone becomes the 1st Mayor of London (2000) - 5/4
Latvia proclaims the renewal of its independence after Soviet occupation (1990) - May 4
Manaslu (8th highest mountain in the world) is successfully climbed for the first time by women when an all female Japanese expedition makes the summit (1974) - May 4
Milwaukee Art Museum's Quadracci Pavilion designed by Santiago Calatrava opens to the public (2001) - May 4
Napoleon I of France arrives at Portoferraio on the island of Elba to begin his exile (1814) - May 4
Paris Olympics (international multi-sport event aka Games of the VIII Olympiad) open in Paris (1924) - May 4
Remembrance of the Dead (Netherlands) commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died WWII - May 4
Royal Canadian Navy is created as the Naval Service Bill receiving royal assent (1910) - May 4
Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1979) - May 4
Torino A.C. football squad is killed when their plane clips a wall close to the Basilica of Superga and crashed killing all 31 aboard (1949) - May 4
Al Capone begins serving his eleven-year prison sentence in the Atlanta U.S. Penitentiary for tax evasion (1932) - May 4
Audrey Hepburn (Brussels born Academy award-winning actress) is born (1929) - May 4
Dom DeLuise (American actor, comedian, film director and author) dies from kidney failure and respiratory complications from cancer at age 75 (2009) - May 4
Greensburg, KS is almost completely destroyed by an F5 tornado (2007) - May 4
Haymarket Square Riot starts when a bomb is first thrown at policemen trying to break up a labor rally in Chicago, IL and the police then fire into the crowd (1886) - May 4
Orange Juice Day - 5/4
PEPCON disaster is an industrial accident that occurs in Henderson Nevada killing two and injuring 372 (1988) - May 4
Star Wars Day "May the Fourth be with you" - May 4
Relationship Renewal Day - May 4
National Day of Prayer - 1st Thursday in May (2017) - May 4
May 5, 2017
Children's Day (Japan) - May 5
Cinco de Mayo (regional holidayin Mexico) commemorates the Mexican's army's unlikely defeat of the French forces at the Battle of Puebla (1862) - May 5
Chocolate Custard Day - May 5
Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica and claims it for Spain (1494) - May 5
Council of Europe is established with the Treaty of London (1949) - May 5
Estates-General of France meets for the very first time since 1614 (1789) - May 5
National Hoagie Day - May 5
International Midwives Day (1st celebrated 1991 and observed by 50 countries around the world) recognizes and honors midwives - 5/5
Rama IX of Thailand is crowned King at the Royal Palace in Bangkok (1950) - May 5
Kublai Khan (Mongolian Ruler) becomes Khagan of the Mogol Empire (1260) - May 5
Napoleon I (Emperor of France) dies on the island of Elba supposedly from arsenic poisoning while in exile (1821) - May 5
Spring Halfway Point (date the northern hemisphere is halfway through Spring) - 5/5
May 6, 2017
American Bible Society is founded in New York City (1816) - May 6
Edward VII of England dies after having suffered several heart attacks (1910) - May 6
Hindenburg disaster occurs when the German zepplin catches fire and is destroyed within a minute while attempting to dock at Lakehurst, NJ with 36 killed (1937) - May 6
National Nurses Day - May 6
Elizabeth II and President Mitterand of France open "The Chunnel" (the channel tunnel) during two elaborate ceremonies in France and Britain (1994) - May 6
Sigmund Freud (Austrian psychiatrist who ounded the psychoanalytic school of psychology) is born in the Moravian town of Pribor now part of the Czech Rep (1856) - 5/6
Princess Margaret (sister to Queen Elizabeth of the UK) marries Anthony Armstrong-Jones in a first-ever televised wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London (1960) - May 6
Lag BaOmer (Jewish 33rd Day after Pesach) held on the 18th Day of Iyar (2015) - May 6
John Steinbeck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Grapes of Wrath (1940) - May 6
National Homebrew Day (aka "Big Brew" held 1st Saturday in May) is established by The American Homebrewers Association in 1988 (2017) - May 6
Kentucky Derby Day - held the first Saturday in May (2017) - May 6
National Scrapbooking Day (1st Saturday in May) started in 1994 by Creative Memories (2017) - May 6
National Nurses Day (2017) - May 6
May 7, 2017
American Medical Association (AMA) is founded (1847) - 5/7
School Day - May 7
Pacific Air Lines Flight 773 crashes when a suicidal passenger kills both the pilot and co-pilot (1964) - May 7
Chaiten volcano erupts in southern Chili (2008) - May 7
Hagia Sophia Dome (in Constantinople) collapses (558) - May 7
Herod The Great's tomb is discovered (2007) - May 7
Eva Peron (2nd wife of President Juan Domingo Peron of Argentina) is born in rural Argentina (1919) - May 7
Mary of Modena (Queen consort to James II of England) dies of breast cancer in the Chateau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris at age 59 (1718) - May 7
Roast Leg of Lamb Day - May 7
Robert Browning (English poet and playwright) is born in Camberwell, a suburb of London, england (1812) - May 7
Space Shuttle Endeavor is launched on its maiden flight (1992) - May 7
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