A Brief History
This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 1st. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event.
Digging Deeper
On May 1, 305, the Co-Emperors of the Roman Empire, Diocletian and Maximian, teamed up to become the first Roman Emperors to ever resign voluntarily.
On May 1, 1776, an organization known as The Order of the Illuminati was established in Ingolstadt, Upper Bavaria, founded by German philosopher Johann Adam Weishaupt (1748-1830).
On May 1, 1851, Queen Victoria opened The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, a sort of World’s Fair, in Hyde Park, London, England at a spectacular edifice known as The Crystal Palace.
On May 1, 1862, The Union Army completed the Capture of New Orleans.
On May 1, 1884, catcher Moses Fleetwood Walker signed up to play for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association, a professional baseball league considered a “major league” in existence from 1882 to 1891 and was a rival to the National League.
On May 1, 1960, CIA employee Gary Powers was flying a reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union when his high flying top secret U-2 spyplane was shot down by an SA-2 surface to air missile.
On May 1, 1978, Japanese adventurer Naomi Uemura made history as the first person to reach the North Pole all alone.
On May 1, 1991, two of major league baseball’s greatest players set records that had baseball fans buzzing.
On May 1, 1991, two incredibly impressive baseball records were set.
On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama announced that US Navy SEAL’s had raided the lair of Osama bin Laden, master terrorist, and killed him, finally achieving some justice for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center.
On May 1, 2018, we celebrated another Save the Rhino Day by telling you a little about the “Holiday” and a little about Rhinoceroses.
On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, romantic comedy fans had their chance to be among the first in Cleveland, Ohio to see The Idea of You at 7:00 PM at Cinemark At Valley View and XD on 6001 Canal Rd. in Valley View, OH 44125!
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.