Date·Lore

On This Day · The 121st day of the year

May 1

May 1 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 305 and 2011. Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 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.

The shape of the day

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.

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

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

    Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.

  2. 880

    Nea Ekklesia

    The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.

  3. 1707

    Acts of Union 1707

    The Act of Union joining England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain takes effect.

  4. 1885

    Chicago Board of Trade Building

    The original Chicago Board of Trade Building opens for business.

  5. 1930

    Pluto

    "Pluto" is officially proposed for the name of the newly discovered dwarf planet by Vesto Slipher in the Lowell Observatory Observation Circular. The name quickly catches on.

  6. 1931

    Empire State Building

    The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.

  7. 1945

    World War II

    World War II: German radio broadcasts news of Adolf Hitler's death, falsely stating that he has "fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany". The Soviet flag is raised over the Reich Chancellery, by order of Stalin.

  8. 2004

    Cyprus

    Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.

  9. 2010

    Faisal Shahzad

    Faisal Shahzad attempts to detonate a car bomb in Times Square, but the bomb fails to go off.

  10. 2011

    Pope John Paul II

    Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 1

Rinchinbal Khan

b. 1326

Mongolian emperor

Mark W. Clark

b. 1896

American general

Judith Sargent Murray

b. 1751

American poet and playwright

John Woo

b. 1946

Hong Kong director, producer, and screenwriter

Otto Kretschmer

b. 1912

German admiral

Herbert Backe

b. 1896

German agronomist and politician

S. M. Krishna

b. 1932

Indian politician and statesman, Minister of External Affairs, 10th Chief Minister of Karnataka, 19th Governor of Maharashtra

Hanns Martin Schleyer

b. 1915

German business executive

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

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted 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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