Date·Lore

On This Day · The 121st day of the year

May 1

Few dates reach as far back as May 1: its recorded history runs unusually deep, stretching to 305. Its center of gravity is the 21st century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

Taurus is the sign for May 1 — read more on the Taurus page, or see May's birthstone & birth flower.

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on May 1?

May 1 is the 121st day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 305 and 2011. Famous people born on May 1 include Rinchinbal Khan, Mark W. Clark and Judith Sargent Murray.

Released on May 1

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Movie Swapped
  • Movie Raja Shivaji
  • TV Glory
  • Movie 剑来院线剧场版 十三之争
  • Movie Check-In

2025

  • Game Shotgun Cop Man
  • Game Freeride
  • Game Despelote
  • TV The Four Seasons

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 305

    Diocletian

  2. 880

    Nea Ekklesia

  3. 1707

    Acts of Union 1707

  4. 1885

    Chicago Board of Trade Building

  5. 1930

    Pluto

  6. 1931

    Empire State Building

  7. 1945

    World War II

  8. 2004

    Cyprus

  9. 2010

    Faisal Shahzad

  10. 2011

    Pope John Paul II

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 1

Rinchinbal Khan

b. 1326

Mark W. Clark

b. 1896

Judith Sargent Murray

b. 1751

John Woo

b. 1946

Otto Kretschmer

b. 1912

Herbert Backe

b. 1896

S. M. Krishna

b. 1932

Hanns Martin Schleyer

b. 1915

Deaths

  • 2008Philipp von Boeselager
  • 1994Ayrton Senna
  • 1945Joseph Goebbels
  • 1945Magda Goebbels
  • 1904Antonín Dvořák
  • 1873David Livingstone

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Aldebrandus
  • —Christian feast day: Amator
  • —Christian feast day: Andeolus
  • —Christian feast day: Aredius of Gap
  • —Christian feast day: Asaph
  • —Christian feast day: Augustin Schoeffler, Jean-Louis Bonnard (part of Vietnamese Martyrs)
  • —Christian feast day: Benedict of Szkalka
  • —Christian feast day: Bertha of Val d'Or

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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