Date·Lore

On This Day · The 122nd day of the year

May 2

May 2 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1194 and 2014. King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first royal charter.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on May 2?

May 2 is the 122nd day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1194 and 2014. Famous people born on May 2 include Manfred von Richthofen, Satyajit Ray and Yongle Emperor.

The shape of the day

From 1194 to 2014, May 2 gathers 820 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

Taurus is the sign for May 2 — read more on the Taurus page, or see May's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on May 2

Movies, games, albums & shows

2024

  • Game MotoGP 24
  • Game Foundry
  • Game Indika
  • Game Endless Ocean: Luminous
  • TV T・P BON

2023

  • Game Showgunners

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1194

    Richard I of England

    King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first royal charter.

  2. 1941

    World War II

    World War II: Following the coup d'état against Iraq Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah earlier that year, the United Kingdom launches the Anglo-Iraqi War to restore him to power.

  3. 1964

    Vietnam War

    Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the American aircraft carrier USNS Card while it is docked at Saigon. Two Viet Cong combat swimmers had placed explosives on the ship's hull. She is raised and returned to service less than seven months later.

  4. 1982

    Falklands War

    Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.

  5. 1986

    Chernobyl disaster

    Chernobyl disaster: The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster.

  6. 1995

    Croatian War of Independence

    During the Croatian War of Independence, the Army of the Republic of Serb Krajina fires cluster bombs at Zagreb, killing seven and wounding over 175 civilians.

  7. 2000

    Bill Clinton

    President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.

  8. 2008

    Chaitén (volcano)

    Chaitén Volcano begins erupting in Chile, forcing the evacuation of more than 4,500 people.

  9. 2011

    Osama bin Laden

    Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted fugitive, is killed by the United States Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

  10. 2014

    2014 Badakhshan mudslides

    Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing.

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 2

Manfred von Richthofen

b. 1892

German captain and pilot

Satyajit Ray

b. 1921

Indian director, producer, and screenwriter

Yongle Emperor

b. 1360

of China

Tina Maze

b. 1983

Slovenian skier

David Beckham

b. 1975

English footballer, coach, and model

Dwayne Johnson

b. 1972

American actor and wrestler

Édouard Balladur

b. 1929

Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France

Ashley Harkleroad

b. 1985

American tennis player

Deaths

  • 2011Osama bin Laden
  • 1998Hide (musician)
  • 1986Henri Toivonen
  • 1915Clara Immerwahr
  • 1519Leonardo da Vinci

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church).
  • —Christian feast day: Athanasius of Alexandria (Western Christianity)
  • —Christian feast day: Bolesław Strzelecki (Catholic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Boris I of Bulgaria (Bulgarian Orthodox Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Germanus of Normandy
  • —Christian feast day: Joseph Luu Van Nguyen (Catholic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Wiborada (Catholic Church)
  • —Christian feast day: William Tirry (Catholic Church)

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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