May 2 is the 122nd day of the year (123rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 243 days remaining until the end of the year.
- 1194 – King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter.
- 1230 – William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
- 1335 – Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, becomes Duke of Carinthia.
- 1536 – Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
- 1559 – John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the beginning Scottish Reformation.
- 1568 – Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle.
- 1670 – King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.
- 1672 – John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.
- 1808 – Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
- 1816 – Marriage of Léopold of Saxe-Coburg and Charlotte Augusta.
- 1829 – After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of the HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.
- 1863 – American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days later.
- 1866 – Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
- 1876 – The April Uprising breaks out in Bulgaria.
- 1879 – The Spanish Socialist Worker's Party is founded in Casa Labra Pub (city of Madrid) by the historical Spanish workers' leader Pablo Iglesias.
- 1885 – Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time.
- 1885 – Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.
- 1885 – The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium.
- 1889 – Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with Italy, which gives Italy control over Eritrea.
- 1918 – General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
- 1920 – The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- 1932 – Comedian Jack Benny's radio show airs for the first time.
- 1933 – Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler bans trade unions.
- 1945 – World War II: Fall of Berlin: The Soviet Union announces the capture of Berlin and Soviet soldiers hoist their red flag over the Reichstag building.
- 1945 – World War II: Italian Campaign – General Heinrich von Vietinghoff signs the official instrument of surrender of all Wehrmacht forces in Italy.
- 1945 – World War II: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp finding 1000 dead inmates, most starved to death.
- 1946 – The "Battle of Alcatraz" takes place, killing two guards and three inmates.
- 1952 – The world's first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1 makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg.
- 1955 – Tennessee Williams wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
- 1963 – Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
- 1964 – Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the USS Card while docked at Saigon. Viet Cong forces are suspected of placing a bomb on the ship.
- 1964 – First ascent of Shishapangma the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders.
- 1969 – The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.
- 1972 – In the early morning hours a fire broke out at the Sunshine mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, ID, killing 91 workers.
- 1982 – Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
- 1994 – In a bus disaster in Poland, 32 people die.
- 1995 – During the Croatian War of Independence, Serb forces fire cluster bombs at Zagreb, killing 7 and wounding over 175 civilians.
- 1998 – The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy.
- 1999 – Panamanian election, 1999: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
- 2000 – President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.
- 2002 – Marad massacre of eight Hindus near Palakkad in Kerala.
- 2003 – From the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, US President George W. Bush announced in a nationally televised address in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner that major combat operations in Iraq had ended.
- 2004 – Yelwa massacre of more than 630 nomad Muslims by Christians in Nigeria.
- 2008 – Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.
- 1360 – Yongle, Emperor of China (d. 1424)
- 1451 – René II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)
- 1458 – Leonor of Viseu, queen of Portugal (d. 1525)
- 1551 – William Camden, English historian (d. 1623)
- 1601 – Athanasius Kircher, German Jesuit scholar (d. 1680)
- 1660 – Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1725)
- 1695 – Giovanni Niccolo Servandoni, Italian-born architect (d. 1766)
- 1702 – Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian (d. 1782)
- 1729 – Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia (d. 1796)
- 1737 – William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1805)
- 1740 – Elias Boudinot, President of the American Continental Congress (d. 1821)
- 1750 – John André, British Army officer of the American Revolutionary War (d. 1780)
- 1772 – Novalis, German writer (d. 1801)
- 1773 – Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher (d. 1845)
- 1802 – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d. 1870)
- 1806 – Catherine Labouré, French visionary and saint (d. 1876)
- 1808 – Emma Wedgwood, English naturalist, wife of Charles Darwin, (d. 1896)
- 1810 – Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer (d. 1874)
- 1828 – Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist (d. 1915)
- 1843 – Elijah McCoy, Canadian-born Inventor (d. 1929)
- 1859 – Jerome Klapka Jerome, English writer (d. 1927)
- 1860 – Theodor Herzl, Austrian journalist/Zionist (d. 1904)
- 1865 – Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d. 1909)
- 1873 – Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet (d. 1944)
- 1879 – James F. Byrnes, American statesman, and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1972)
- 1881 – Alexander Kerensky, Russian politician (d. 1970)
- 1885 – Hedda Hopper, American gossip columnist (d. 1966)
- 1886 – Gottfried Benn, German author (d. 1956)
- 1887 – Vernon Castle, English dancer (d. 1918)
- 1887 – Eddie Collins, American baseball player (d. 1951)
- 1890 – E. E. Smith, American writer (d. 1965)
- 1892 – Manfred von Richthofen, German World War I pilot – the Red Baron (d. 1918)
- 1894 – Joseph Henry Woodger, British theoretical biologist (d. 1981)
- 1895 – Lorenz Hart, American lyricist (d. 1943)
- 1896 – Helen of Greece and Denmark, queen of Romania (d. 1982)
- 1897 – J. Fred Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)
- 1898 – Henry Hall, British bandleader (d. 1989)
- 1903 – Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and author (d. 1998)
- 1906 – Philippe Halsman, American photographer (d. 1979)
- 1906 – Aileen Riggin, American swimmer (d. 2002)
- 1907 – Pinky Lee, American vaudeville performer (d. 1993)
- 1910 – Alexander Bonnyman, U.S. Marine (d. 1943)
- 1912 – Axel Cäsar Springer, German publisher (d. 1985)
- 1913 – Nigel Patrick, English actor (d. 1981)
- 1915 – Doris Fisher, American songwriter (d. 2003)
- 1915 – Peggy Mount, English actress (d. 2001)
- 1917 – Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder
- 1920 – Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss conductor (d. 2004)
- 1920 – Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian writer and ecological activist (d. 2000)
- 1921 – Satyajit Ray, Indian director (d. 1992)
- 1922 – A.M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born newspaper editor (d. 2006)
- 1922 – Serge Reggiani, Italian-born French singer and actor (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Theodore Bikel, Austrian-born actor and singer
- 1924 – Jamal Abro, Sindhi writer (d. 2004)
- 1925 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1925 – John Neville, English theatre and film actor
- 1926 – Gérard D. Lévesque, Quebec politician (d. 1993)
- 1927 – Ray Barrett, Australian actor (d. 2009)
- 1928 – Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, third king of Bhutan (d. 1972)
- 1929 – Link Wray, American guitarist (d. 2005)
- 1929 – Édouard Balladur, French Prime Minister
- 1930 – Marco Pannella, Italian politician and activist
- 1932 – Maury Allen, American sportswriter
- 1935 – King Faisal II of Iraq (d. 1958)
- 1935 – Lance LeGault, American actor
- 1935 – Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1936 – Engelbert Humperdinck, Indian-born singer
- 1936 – Michael Rabin, American violinist (d. 1972)
- 1937 – Lorenzo Music, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1938 – Chief Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d. 1996)
- 1939 – Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist
- 1941 – Clay Carroll, American baseball player
- 1942 – Jacques Rogge, Belgian International Olympic Committee president
- 1945 – Sarah Weddington, American attorney
- 1945 – Gene Deckerhoff, American sports announcer
- 1945 – Judge Dread, English musician (d. 1998)
- 1946 – Lesley Gore, American singer
- 1946 – David Suchet, English actor
- 1948 – Larry Gatlin, American musician
- 1949 – Alan Titchmarsh, English television presenter
- 1950 – Duncan Gay, Australian politician
- 1950 – Lou Gramm, American vocalist (Foreigner)
- 1950 – Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan socialite
- 1952 – Christine Baranski, American actress
- 1952 – Mari Natsuki, Japanese singer, dancer and actress
- 1953 – Valery Gergiev, Russian-born conductor
- 1954 – Roberta Pedon, American glamour model (d. 1982)
- 1954 – Stephen Venables, British mountaineer
- 1955 – Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
- 1956 – David Rhodes, English guitarist
- 1956 – Amir Mokri, Iranian-born American cinematographer
- 1958 – David O'Leary, Irish football manager and player
- 1959 – Alan Best, Canadian animation director and producer
- 1959 – Tony Wakeford, English musician (Sol Invictus)
- 1961 – Steve James, English snooker player
- 1961 – Phil Vickery, English celebrity chef
- 1961 – Stephen Daldry, English film director
- 1962 – Elizabeth Berridge, American actress
- 1962 – Ray Traylor, American wrestler (d. 2004)
- 1962 – Jimmy White, English snooker player
- 1962 – Mitzi Kapture, American actress
- 1965 – Félix José, Dominican baseball player
- 1966 – Belinda Stronach, Canadian politician
- 1967 – Bengt Åkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1995)
- 1967 – Mika Brzezinski, American journalist
- 1968 – Hikaru Midorikawa, Japanese voice actor
- 1968 – Jeff Agoos, American footballer
- 1968 – Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer and actress
- 1969 – Brian Lara, Trinidadian West Indies cricketer
- 1971 – Musashimaru Kōyō, American Samoan sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna
- 1972 – Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, American professional wrestler and actor
- 1972 – Paul Adcock, English footballer
- 1972 – Pandora Boxx, American drag queen and reality tv personality
- 1973 – Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German film director and screenwriter
- 1974 – Horacio Carbonari, Argentine former footballer
- 1974 – Garðar Thór Cortes, Icelandic tenor
- 1974 – Andy Johnson, Welsh footballer
- 1975 – David Beckham, English footballer
- 1975 – Eva Santolaria, Spanish actress
- 1977 – Luke Hudson, American baseball player
- 1977 – Jenna von Oy, American actress
- 1977 – Fredrik Malm, Swedish politician
- 1978 – Steve Bays, Canadian musician
- 1978 – Intars Busulis, Latvian singer, trombone player
- 1978 – Melvin Ely, American basketball player
- 1978 – Mike Weaver, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 – Roman Lyashenko, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
- 1980 – Tim Borowski, German footballer
- 1980 – Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canadian skateboarder
- 1980 – Miloš Glogovac, Serbian footballer
- 1980 – Zat Knight, English footballer
- 1980 – Troy Murphy, American basketball player
- 1980 – Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1981 – Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer
- 1981 – Matt Murray, English footballer
- 1981 – Chris Kirkland, English footballer
- 1981 – Robert Buckley, American actor
- 1982 – Lorie, French singer
- 1982 – Johan Botha, South African cricketer
- 1983 – Christa Rigozzi, Swiss model
- 1983 – Daniel Sordo, Spanish rally driver
- 1984 – Saulius Mikoliūnas, Lithuanian footballer
- 1984 – Thabo Sefolosha, American basketball player
- 1985 – Lily Allen, English singer and songwriter
- 1985 – Kyle Busch, American racing driver
- 1985 – Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
- 1985 – David Nugent, English footballer
- 1985 – Jarrod Saltalamacchia, American baseball player
- 1985 – Ashley Harkleroad, American tennis player
- 1986 – James Kirk, Canadian actor
- 1986 – Emily Hart, American actress
- 1987 – Nana Kitade, Japanese singer
- 1987 – Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Lara Liang, Taiwanese-American Singer
- 1990 – Kay Panabaker, American actor
- 2000 – Angel Sy, Filipina child actor
- 373 – Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria (b. 298)
- 756 – Emperor Shōmu, Emperor of Japan (b. 701)
- 907 – Boris I of Bulgaria
- 1230 – William de Braose (b. 1197)
- 1300 – Blanche of Artois, regent of Navarre (b. 1248)
- 1450 – William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, English military leader (b. 1396)
- 1519 – Leonardo da Vinci, Italian inventor and painter (b. 1452)
- 1564 – Cardinal Rodolfo Pio da Carpi, Italian humanist (b. 1500)
- 1627 – Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, Italian composer (b. 1560)
- 1667 – George Wither, English writer (b. 1588)
- 1683 – Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and scientist (b. 1613)
- 1711 – Laurence Hyde, 1st Earl of Rochester, English statesman (b. 1641)
- 1802 – Herman Willem Daendels, Dutch statesman (b. 1762)
- 1810 – Rev. Dr. Henry Jerome de Salis, divine (b. 1740)
- 1819 – Mary Moser, English painter (b. 1744)
- 1857 – Alfred de Musset, French writer (b. 1810)
- 1864 – Giacomo Meyerbeer, German composer (b. 1791)
- 1880 – Eberhard Anheuser, German soap and candle maker and father-in-law of Adolphus Busch, founder of the Anheuser-Busch Company (b. 1805)
- 1927 – Ernest Starling, British physiologist (b. 1866)
- 1945 – Martin Bormann, Nazi official (b. 1900)
- 1945 – Ludwig Stumpfegger, German SS doctor (b. 1910)
- 1945 – Joe Corbett, baseball player (b. 1875)
- 1947 – Dorothea Binz, Nazi war criminal (b. 1920)
- 1957 – Joseph McCarthy, U.S. Senator (b. 1908)
- 1960 – Caryl Chessman, American robber and rapist (b. 1921)
- 1964 – Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor, American-born politician (b. 1879)
- 1969 – Franz von Papen, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1879)
- 1972 – J. Edgar Hoover, American director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (b. 1895)
- 1979 – Giulio Natta, Italian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1903)
- 1980 – George Pal, Hungarian-born film director (b. 1908)
- 1980 – Clarrie Grimmett, Australian cricketer (b. 1891)
- 1983 – Norm Van Brocklin, American football star (b. 1926)
- 1984 – Jack Barry, television game show producer and host (b. 1918)
- 1985 – Attilio Bettega, Italian rallydriver (b. 1951)
- 1985 – Larry Clinton, American trumpeter and bandleader (b. 1909)
- 1986 – Henri Toivonen, Finnish rallydriver (b. 1956)
- 1986 – Sergio Cresto, American rally co-driver (b. 1956)
- 1989 – Giuseppe Siri, Italian Catholic Cardinal (b. 1906)
- 1989 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (b. 1902)
- 1990 – David Rappaport, English actor (b. 1951)
- 1991 – Ronald McKie, Australian author (b. 1909)
- 1992 – Wilbur Mills, American politician (b. 1909)
- 1995 – Michael Hordern, English actor (b. 1911)
- 1997 – John Carew Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1903)
- 1997 – Paulo Freire, Brazilian educator (b. 1921)
- 1998 – Hideto "hide" Matsumoto, Japanese musician (b. 1964)
- 1998 – Justin Fashanu, English footballer (b. 1961)
- 1998 – Kevin Lloyd, British actor (b. 1949)
- 1998 – Gene Raymond, American actor (b. 1908)
- 1999 – Oliver Reed, English actor (b. 1938)
- 2001 – Ted Rogers, British comedian (b. 1935)
- 2001 – Gina Mastrogiacomo, American actress (b. 1961)
- 2002 – John Nathan-Turner, English television producer (b. 1947)
- 2002 – W. T. Tutte, English-born codebreaker (b. 1917)
- 2005 – Kenneth B. Clark, American psychologist (b. 1914)
- 2005 – Wee Kim Wee, 4th President of Singapore (b. 1915)
- 2006 – Louis Rukeyser, American columnist (b. 1933)
- 2007 – Brad McGann, New Zealand film director and screenwriter (b. 1964)
- 2008 – Beverlee McKinsey, American actress (b. 1940)
- 2009 – Jack Kemp, American politician, former American football player (b. 1935)
- 2010 – Kama Chinen, world's oldest living person (b. 1895)
- 2010 – Lynn Redgrave, British actress (b. 1943)
- 2010 – Moshe Hirsch, Jerusalem based anti-Zionist Neturei Karta rabbi (b. 1923)