1010 – Ansfried, 9th bishop of Utrecht (995-1010)/saint, dies at about 69
1614 – Sasbout Vosmeer, Dutch Catholic theologist and apostole vicar, dies at 66
1880 – Jonathan Homer Lane, American astrophysicist who mathematically analyzed the Sun as a gaseous body, dies at 60
1940 – Henry Ossian Flipper, American soldier, former slave and first African American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, dies at 84
1991 – Jerzy Kosiński, Polish-American novelist (The Painted Bird, Being There), dies at 57
2000 – Yoshinao Nakada, Japanese composer, dies at 76
2011 – Sergo Kotrikadze, Georgian footballer (b. 1936)
2014 – Gary Becker, American economist (Nobel 1992) and recipient of Presidential Medal of Freedom 2007, dies from complications following surgery at 83
2023 – Lance Blanks, American basketball guard (Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves), executive (GM Phoenix Suns 2010-13), and broadcaster (ESPN, Longhorn Network), takes his own life at 56
2025 – Steve Pepoon, American television producer and writer (The Simpsons, The Wild Thornberrys), dies at 68
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 3rd May 2026
1342 – Count Hartmann II becomes the ruler of Vaduz, Liechtenstein
1864 – Red River Campaign: third day of Battle at Alexandria, Louisiana
1933 – Nellie T. Ross takes office as the first female director of the US Mint
1966 – WDHO (now WNWO) TV channel 24 in Toledo, Ohio (ABC) begins broadcasting
2002 – Military MiG-21 aircraft crashes into the Bank of Rajasthan in India, killing eight people
2002 – “Spider-Man,” starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin, premieres
2023 – 13-year-old Serbian student shoots and kills nine people at his Belgrade school, eight students and a security guard, before handing himself in
2023 – MLB LA Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani joins NY Yankee legend Babe Ruth as only pitcher to strike out 500 batters and hit over 100 career home runs in 6-4 over the Cardinals in St. Louis
Today in History for 3rd May 2026
Historical Events
1815 – Battle at Tolentino: Austria beats King Joachim of Naples
1855 – Antwerp-Rotterdam railway officially opens
1952 – “Call Me Madam” closes at the Imperial Theater in NYC after 644 performances
1954 – WHA TV channel 21 in Madison, Wisconsin (PBS) begins broadcasting
1994 – Wim Kok and the Labour Party win Dutch general election
Famous Birthdays
1729 – Florian Leopold Gassmann, Bohemian composer, born in Brüx, Kingdom of Bohemia (d. 1774)
1849 – Jacob Riis, Danish-American social reformer and “muck raking” reporter (NY Tribune, NY Evening Sun), born in Ribe, Denmark (d. 1914)
1895 – Cornelius Van Til, Dutch philosopher and Christian apologist, born in Grootegast, Netherlands (d. 1987)
1915 – Stu Hart, Canadian pro wrestler and trainer (founder Stampede Wrestling; sons Bret and Owen Hart), born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (d. 2003)
1949 – Albert Sacco Jr., American chemical engineer and astronaut (STS 73), born in Boston, Massachusetts
Famous Deaths
1442 – Engelbert I Nassau-Dillenburg (counsellor to Duke of Burgendy), dies at 71 or 72
1737 – Abraham Patras, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies (1735-37), dies at 65
1988 – Johannes Driessler, German organist and composer, dies at 67
1994 – Milford Dolliole, American pioneer jazz drummer, dies at 90
2006 – Pramod Mahajan, Indian politician (b. 1949)
Famous Deaths for 2nd May 2026
373 – Athanasius, Greek early church Father, theologian and Patriarch of Alexandria (298-373) (b. 298)
1488 – Jacob van Horne, Burgundy statesman, dies
1963 – Van Wyck Brooks, American literary historian and writer (Ordeal of Mark Twain), dies at 77
1985 – Larry Clinton, American trumpeter and bandleader, dies at 75
1986 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish rally driver (3 x World Rally C’ship round wins for Talbot, Opel, Porsche, Lancia), dies in a rally accident at 29
1993 – Will Weng, American journalist (New York Times, 1930-69), crossword puzzle editor (New York Times, 1969-77), and WWII veteran, dies of throat cancer at 86
2012 – Zvi Zeitlin, Russian-American classical violinist and music professor (Eastman School, 1967-2012), dies at 90
2018 – Cliff Watson, English rugby league front rower (30 Tests GB, 4 England; St Helens 373 games, Cronulla-Sutherland), dies of cancer at 78
2021 – Bobby Unser, American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1968, 1975, 1981; USAC C’ship 1968, 1974), dies at 87
2023 – Tori Bowie, American athlete (Olympic gold 4×100 m relay, silver 100m, bronze 200m 2016; World C’ship gold 100m, 4x100m relay 2017), dies at 32
Historical Events for 2nd May 2026
1598 – France and Spain sign the Peace of Vervins
1923 – MLB Washington Senator Walter Johnson pitches his 100th shutout, beats New York Yankees 3-0
1941 – Nazi occupied Netherlands lays off Jewish journalists
1943 – German troops vacate Jefna, Tunisia
1950 – Dutch PM Malan recognizes South-Africa but not People’s Republic of China
1969 – British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth II departs Southampton on its maiden voyage to New York
1982 – Argentine cruiser General Belgrano is sunk by British submarine HMS Conqueror with the loss of more than 350 men during the Falklands War
1983 – 6.7 earthquake injures 487 in Coalinga, California
Today in History for 2nd May 2026
Historical Events
1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Bulgaria
1878 – US stops minting the 20-cent coin due to public confusion with the quarter
1887 – Hannibal Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film (used in Thomas Edison’s Kinetoscope)
1953 – Hussein I installed as King of Jordan
1998 – 124th Kentucky Derby: Kent Desormeaux aboard Real Quiet wins in 2:02.20
Famous Birthdays
1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian baroque composer (Tigrane), born in Palermo, Sicily, Viceroyalty of the Spanish Empire (d. 1725)
1860 – Theodor Herzl, Austrian journalist and father of modern political Zionism (World Zionist Organization), born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary (d. 1904)
1910 – Laurie Nash, Australian cricket fast-bowler (2 Tests, 10 wickets) and VFL player and coach (South Melbourne), born in Melbourne, Australia (d. 1986)
1954 – Elliot Goldenthal, American concert, theater, and Academy Award-winning film score composer (Frida; Juan Darién – A Carnival Mass), born in Brooklyn, New York City
1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer, born in Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR
Famous Deaths
2001 – Gina Mastrogiacomo, American actress (Goodfellas), dies at 39
2012 – Junior Seau, American Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker (12 x Pro Bowl; 6 × First-team All-Pro; NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1992; SD Chargers), commits suicide at 43
2013 – Jeff Hanneman, American haevy metal guitarist (Slayer), dies from liver failure at 49
2017 – Abelardo Castillo, Argentine writer and novelist, dies at 82
2018 – Wang Danfeng, Chinese actress, dies at 93
Famous Deaths for 1st May 2026
1859 – John Walker, English inventor and chemist who invented the friction match, dies at 77
1903 – Luigi Arditi, Italian violinist and composer, dies at 80
1941 – Howard Johnson, American lyricist (“When the Moon Comes over the Mountain”, “M-O-T-H-E-R”), dies at 53
1976 – Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet and politician who fought the military junta in Greece, dies in a car accident at 36
1984 – Jüri Lossmann, Estonian athlete (Olympic silver marathon 1920), dies at 93
1989 – Sally Kirkland, American fashion editor (Vogue magazine) and manager (Lord and Taylor), dies at 76
1989 – Antonio Janigro, Italian cellist (Zagreb Soloists), dies at 71
2003 – Miss Elizabeth [Hulette], pro wrestling valet (Randy Savage), dies of overdose at 42
2012 – Charles “skip” Pitts, American soul and blues guitarist, dies from lung cancer at 65
2015 – Geoff Duke, English motorcycle racer (world 500cc champion 1951, 1953-55), dies at 92
Historical Events for 1st May 2026
1850 – John Geary becomes the first mayor of San Francisco
1951 – Dutch Reformed Church introduces a new church choir
1967 – Bernard Malamud wins the Pulitzer Price in Fiction for “The Fixer”
1988 – Two IRA attacks in and near Roermond, Netherlands, kills three British servicemen and wounds three more
2002 – Padres closer Trevor Hoffman sets MLB record for saves for one team (321) in 4-3 win v Chicago Cubs in San Diego
2009 – Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden
2014 – Hundreds march through Nigerian capital calling for the release of schoolgirls abducted by Islamic militants, Boko Haram, who oppose Western education
2019 – US Attorney General William Barr testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee, defending his handling of the Mueller Report
Today in History for 1st May 2026
Historical Events
1795 – King of Hawaiʻi Kamehameha I defeats Kalanikupule and conquers island of Oʻahu at Battle of Nuʻuanu [approx. date]
1957 – Vanguard TV-1 booster test reaches an altitude of 121 miles (195 km)
1967 – Anastasio Somoza Debayle becomes President of Nicaragua
1969 – Houston Astros hurler Don Wilson blanks Reds, 4-0 for second career no-hitter, at Crosley Field in Cincinnati
2007 – The Los Angeles May Day mêlée occurs, in which the Los Angeles Police Department’s response to a May Day pro-immigration rally becomes a matter of controversy
Famous Birthdays
1831 – Emily Stowe, Canadian suffragist and first woman licensed to practise medicine in Canada, born in Norwich Township, Oxford County, Ontario (d. 1903)
1924 – Enriko Josif, Serbian composer and pedagogue (Lyric Symphony), born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (d. 2003)
1927 – Greta Andersen, Danish swimmer (Olympic gold 100m freestyle, silver 4×100m freestyle 1948), born in Copenhagen, Denmark (d. 2023)
1955 – András Törőcsik, Hungarian soccer forward (45 caps; Újpest Dozsa FC, Montpellier), born in Budapest, Hungary (d. 2022)
1970 – Damon Diletti, Australian field hockey goal keeper (Olympic silver 1992; Champions Trophy gold 1999), born in Perth, West Australia
Famous Deaths
1679 – Esaias Reusner, German lutenist and composer, dies at 43
1913 – John Barclay Armstrong, Texas Ranger and U.S. Marshal (b. 1850)
1957 – Grant Mitchell, American actor (Great Lie, Laura, Cairo, Conflict), dies at 82
2018 – Chuck Missler, American evangelist and author, dies at 83
2021 – Al Jamison, American football offensive lineman (AFL All Star 1961, 62; AFL C’ship 1960, 61; Houston Oilers), dies at 83
Famous Deaths for 30th April 2026
1642 – Dmitry Pozharsky, Russian prince (known for his military leadership during the Polish–Muscovite War 1611-12), dies at 63
1758 – François d’Agiçncourt, French composer (b. 1684)
1879 – Emma Smith, Inaugural President of the Women’s Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dies at 74
1945 – Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German dictator and Führer of Nazi Germany (1936-45), commits suicide by shooting himself at 56
1963 – Bryant Washburn, American actor (Exposure, Millionaire Kid, Nabonga), dies at 74
1977 – Clive Douglas, Australian composer (Kaditcha; Carwoola), conductor (Australian Broadcasting Commission, 1938-68, and educator, dies at 73
1983 – Joel H. Hildebrand, American chemist and educator (research led to new treatments for divers with the ‘bends’ through the use of helium and oxygen breathing mixtures), dies at 101
1996 – Jeanne Bal, American actress (Pat-Love and Marriage, Star Trek- The Man Trap), dies at 67
1999 – Darrell Sweet, British hard rock drummer (Nazareth – “Love Hurts”), dies of a heart attack at a concert soundcheck at 51
2016 – Phil Ryan, Welsh keyboardist and composer (Man; Pete Brown), dies at 69