1695 ~ Henri Pitot the Italian-French engineer and inventor of the Pitot tube was born on the 3rd May 1695 (died 1771).

1768 ~ Charles Tennant the Scottish chemist who discovered bleaching powder was born on the 3rd May 1768 (died 1838).

1802 ~ WASHiNGTON, D.C. was incorporated as a city on the 3rd day of May in 1802.

1837 ~ The University of Athens was founded in Athens, Greece on the 3rd May 1837.

1877 ~ Karl Abraham the German psychoanalyst was born on the 3rd May 1877 (d. 1925).

1879 ~ FERGUS McMASTER the Australian businessman, aviation pioneer, and one of the founders of QANTAS (Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited)was born on the 3rd day of May in 1879 (died in 1950 aged 71)

*Qantas Boeing photo by Jeff Gilbert from JG Photographics

1901 ~ The Great Fire of 1901 began in Jacksonville, Florida on the 3rd May 1901.

1903 ~ BiNG CROSBY the American singer and actor with the trademark bass-baritone voice was born on the 3rd day of May in 1903 (died in 1977 aged 74). Bing Crosby was one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, selling over half a billion records.

1913 ~ Raja Harishchandra the 1st full length Indian feature film was released on the 3rd May 1913, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry.

1915 ~ In Flanders Fields poem was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae on the 3rd May 1915.

1919 ~ PETE SEEGER the American folk singer and song writer was born on the 3rd day of May in 1919. Pete Seeger had a string of hits with The Weavers during the early 1950s. As a song writer, Pete was best known as the author or co-author of Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, If I Had a Hammer, and Turn, Turn, Turn!

1919 ~ John Cullen Murphy the American illustrator was born on the 3rd May 1919 (died 2004).

1921 ~ Sugar Ray Robinson the American boxer was born on the 3rd May 1921 (died 1989).

1926 ~ ANN B. DAViS the American television actress was born on the 3rd day of May in 1926. Ann B Davis first achieved prominence on The Bob Cummings Show but most mainly know her as Alice, the housekeeper in The Brady Bunch 

1928 ~ DAVE DUDLEY the American country singer was born on the 3rd day of May in 1928 as David Darwin Pedruska (died in 2003 aged 75). Dave Dudley was best known for his truck-driving country anthems of the 1960s and 70s. His signature song was Six Days on the Road…  

1933 ~ JAMES BROWN the American singer, songwriter, musician, and originator of funk music was born on the 3rd day of May in 1933 (died in 2006 aged 73).

1934 ~ FRANKiE VALLi the American singer and frontman of The Four Seasons was born on the 3rd day of May in 1934.

1935 ~ Ron Popeil the American inventor and founder of the Ronco company was born on the 3rd may 1935.

1937 ~ GONE WiTH The WiND a novel by Margaret Mitchell, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

1944 ~ Pete Staples the English bass guitarist from The Troggs was born on the 3rd May 1944.

1950 ~ MARY HOPKiN the Welsh folk singer was born on the 3rd day of May in 1950. Mary was best known for her 1968 UK number one single Those Were The Days…

1951 ~ The Royal Festival Hall in London opened with the Festival of Britain on the 3rd May 1951.

1951 ~ CHRiSTOPHER CROSS the American singer-songwriter was born on the 3rd day of May in 1951. His debut album earned him 5 Grammys. Christopher Cross is best known for his hit songs Sailing, Ride Like the Wind, and Arthur’s Theme

1952 ~ The Kentucky Derby was televised nationally for the first time on the 3rd May 1952, on the CBS network.

1953 ~ Bruce Hall the American bass player from REO Speedwagon was born on the 3rd May 1953.

1959 ~ BEN ELTON the English-Australian comedian, author, playwright and director was born on the 3rd day of May in 1959. Ben Elton was the writer of The Young Ones and Blackadder cult series.

1960 ~ The Fantasticks the Off-Broadway musical comedy opened in New York City‘s Greenwich Village on the 3rd May 1960, and became the longest-running musical of all time.

1960 ~ The Anne Frank House museum opened on the 3rd May 1960, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

1961 ~ Joe Murray the American cartoonist was born on the 3rd May 1961.

1973 ~ The Sears Tower in Chicago became the world’s tallest building on the 3rd May 1973.

1978 – SPAM was born on the 3rd day of May in 1978, when the first unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail was sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.

1979 ~ Margaret Thatcher formed her first government as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on the 3rd May 1979, after the general election.

1993 ~ WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on the 3rd day of May in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. World Press freedom Day celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

2000 ~ The sport of GEOCACHiNG began on the 3rd day of May in 2000, when the first cache was placed and the coordinates from a GPS were posted on Usenet.

2003 ~ Old Man of the Mountain in New Hampshire collapsed on the 3rd may 2003.

 

1194 ~ Portsmouth was given its first Royal Charter by King Richard I of England on the 2nd May 1194.

1519 ~ LEONARDO da ViNCi the Italian Renaissance polymath considered to be the most diversely talented person to ever live, and one of the greatest painters of all time, died on the 2nd day of May in 1519 aged 67. Leonardo was a great example of a polymath, he was a successful architect, painter, writer, cartographer, sculptor, inventor, musician, anatomist, geologist, botanist, scientist, mathematician and engineer. His genius was considered superhuman.

1568 ~ Mary, Queen of Scots escaped from Loch Leven Castle on the 2nd may 1568.

1808 ~ Emma Wedgwood the English naturalist, and wife of Charles Darwin was born on the 2nd May 1808 (died 1896).

1829 ~ Captain Charles Fremantle of HMS Challenger declared the Swan River Colony in Australia on the 2nd May 1829.

1885 ~ Good Housekeeping magazine went on sale for the first time on the 2nd May 1885.

1895 ~ Lorenz Hart the American playwright, songwriter, and composer was born on the 2nd May 1895 (died 1943).

1903 ~ Benjamin Spock the American pediatrician and author was born on the 2nd May 1903 (died 1998). Benjamin Spock’s book Baby and Child Care (published in 1946) was one of the biggest best-sellers of all time. Throughout the book’s first 52 years, Baby and Child Care was the 2nd best selling book, next to the Bible. The books best message to mothers was “you know more than you think you do.”

1906 ~ Philippe Halsman the American photographer was born on the 2nd May 1906 (died 1979).

1918 ~ General Motors acquired the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware on the 2nd May 1918.

1927 – Ray Barrett the Australian actor was born on the 2nd May 1927 (died 2009).

1932 ~ Jack Benny‘s radio show aired for the first time on the 2nd May 1932.

1936 ~ ENGELBERT HUMPERDiNCK the British Indian singer was born on the 2nd day of May in 1936 as Arnold George Dorsey. Engelbert  is best known for his No 1 hit Release Me in 1967. On the 1st of March in 2012 the BBC announced that Engelbert Humperdinck would represent the United Kingdom in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan on 26th May 2012. 

1945 – Judge Dread the English singer-songwriter was born on the 2nd May 1945 (died 1998).

1945 – Bianca Jagger the Nicaraguan-English actress, model, and activist was born on the 2nd May 1945.

1950 ~ LOU GRAMM the American lead singer of FOREiGNER was born on the 2nd day of May in 1950.

1951 ~ John Glascock the English bass guitarist from Jethro Tull was born on the 2nd May 1951 (died 1979).

1952 ~ The De HAViLLAND COMET 1 became the world’s 1st jet airliner, when it made its maiden flight from London to Johannesburg, on the 2nd day of May in 1952.

*Photo from Imperial War Museums ~ London

1953 ~ Valery Gergiev the Russian conductor was born on the 2nd May 1953.

1955 ~ TENNESSEE WiLLiAMS wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on the 2nd day of May in 1955.

1955 – Donatella Versace the Italian fashion designer was born on the 2nd May 1955.

1963 ~ Berthold Seliger launched a rocket with 3 stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres on the 2nd May 1963, near Cuxhaven. It wass the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.

1969 ~ Queen Elizabeth 2 the British ocean liner departed on her maiden voyage to New York City on the 2nd May 1969.

1975 – David Beckham the English footballer, coach, and model was born on the 2nd May 1975.

1985 ~ LiLY ALLEN the English singer songwriter was born on the 2nd day of May in 1985.

1989 ~ Hungary began dismantling its border fence with Austria on the 2nd May 1989, which allowed a number of East Germans to defect.

1990 ~ Kay Panabaker the American actress was born Stephanie Kay Panabaker on the 2nd May 1990. She is the younger sister of actress Danielle Panabaker.

1998 ~ The European Central Bank was founded in Brussels on the 2nd May 1998, in order to define and execute the European Union‘s monetary policy.

1999 ~ Oliver Reed the English actor died on the 2nd May 1999 (born 1938).

2000 ~ President Bill Clinton announced that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military on the 2nd May 2000.

2008 ~ Cyclone Nargis made landfall in Burma on the 2nd May 2008, killing over 138,000 people and left millions of people homeless.

2008 ~ Chaitén Volcano began erupting in Chile on the 2nd May 2008, forcing the evacuation of over 4,500 people.

2011 ~ OSAMA BiN LADEN the FBi‘s most wanted man, and suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks was killed by the United States special forces in Pakistan on the 2nd day of May in 2011.

2012~ THE SCREAM by Edvard Munch sold for a record $US119.9 million ($AUS116.4 million) at Sotheby’s in New York City on the 2nd day of May 2012. The 1895 pastel artwork is one of 4 versions of the composition, seen as modern symbol of human anxiety.

1751 ~ CRiCKET was played in a match for the first time in America on the 1st May 1751.

1753 ~ SPECiES PLANTARUM by Linnaeus was published on the 1st May 1753, becoming the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.

1759 ~ The WEDGWOOD pottery company in Great Britain was founded by Josiah Wedgwood on the 1st May 1759.

1764 ~ Benjamin Henry Latrobe the English-American architect who designed the United States Capitol was born on the 1st May 1764 (died 1820).

1776 ~ The iLLUMiNATi was established in Ingolstadt, Upper Bavaria by Jesuit taught Adam Weishaupt.

1786 ~ The MARRiAGE OF FiGARO composed opera by Mozart was performed for the first time on the 1st May 1786, In Vienna, Austria.

1825 ~ George Inness the American painter was born on the 1st May 1825 (died 1894).

1827 ~ Jules Breton the French painter was born on the 1st May 1827 (died 1906).

1829 ~ Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys the English painter was born on the 1st May 1829 (died 1904).

1848 ~ Adelsteen Normann the Norwegian painter was born on the 1st May 1848 (died 1919).

1840 ~ The PENNY BLACK, the World’s first official adhesive postage stamp, was issued in the United Kingdom on the 1st day of May in 1840.

5 years prior to the introduction of the world’s 1st stamps in Great Britain, an Austrian civil servant named Lovrenc Koširhe, said to be the inventor of the postage stamp, suggested the introduction of adhesive tax postmarks (aufklebbare Brieftaxstempel) to the Department of Commerce in Vienna, which was responsible for the postal system. These postmarks were to be used for the pre-payment of postage. He called them gepresste Papieroblate (pressed paper wafers), which are known today as stamps. His suggestion was looked at in detail, but rejected for the time being.

1844 ~ The HONG KONG POLiCE FORCE  was established on the 1st May 1844, becoming Asia‘s first modern police force, and the World’s second modern police force.

1851 ~ The GREAT EXHiBiTiON was opened by Queen Victoria in London on the 1st May 1851.

1852 ~ The PHiLLiPPiNE PESO was introduced into circulation on the 1st May 1852.

1855 ~ Cecilia Beaux the American painter was born on the 1st May 1855 (died 1942).

1857 ~ Theo Van Gogh the Dutch art dealer and brother of Vincent Van Gogh was born on the 1st May 1857 (died 1891).

1864 ~ Anna Jarvis the American founder of Mother’s Day was born on the 1st May 1864 (died 1948).

1869 ~ The FOLiES BERGèRE opened in Paris on the 1st May 1869.

1874 ~ Romaine Brooks the American painter was born on the 1st May 1874 (died 1970).

1875 ~ ALEXANDRA PALACE reopened on the 1st May 1875 after being burned down in a fire in 1873.

1884 ~ MOSES FLEETWOOD WALKER became the first black person to play in a professional baseball game in the United States on the 1st May 1884.

1885 ~ The Original CHiCAGO BOARD Of TRADE BUiLDiNG opened for business on the 1st May 1885.

1893 ~ The WORLD’S COLUMBiAN EXPOSiTiON opened in Chicago on the 1st May 1893.

1901 ~ The PAN-AMERiCAN EXPOSiTiON opened in Buffalo, New York on the 1st May 1901.

1910 ~ J. Allen Hynek the American astronomer, professor, and ufologist was born on the 1st May 1910 (died 1986).

1925 ~ Scott Carpenter the American astronaut was born on the 1st May 1925.

1927 ~ The 1st AiRLiNE MEALS in-flight were introduced on an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris on the 1st day of May in 1927.

1930 ~ PLUTO the dwarf planet was officially named on the 1st day of May in 1930.  “Images are courtesy of Marc W. Buie, Southwest Research Institute” 

*Pluto images are courtesy of Marc W. Buie, at the Southwest Research Institute

1931 ~ The EMPiRE STATE BUiLDiNG was dedicated in New York City on the 1st May 1931.

1940 ~ The 1940 SUMMER OLYMPiCS were cancelled on the 1st May 1940 due to war.

1941 ~ TOBRUK was attacked on the 1st May 1941 when German forces launched a major attack.

1945 ~ RiTA COOLiDGE the American singer was born on the 1st day of May in 1945.

1946 ~ The 3 Year PILBARA STRiKE of Indigenous Australians started on the 1st May 1946.

1950 ~ GUAM was organized as a United States commonwealth on the 1st May 1950.

1951 ~ Sally Mann the American photographer was born on the 1st May 1951.

1953 ~ Glen Ballard the American songwriter and producer was born on the 1st May 1953.

1954 ~ RAY PARKER Jr. the American singer and songwriter was born on the 1st May 1954

1955 ~ NiCK FELDMAN the English musician in WANG CHUNG was born on the 1st May 1955. Wang Chung had a few Top 40 hits between 1983 and 1987, including  “Let’s Go!” (No. 9 in 1987), “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” (No. 2 in 1986) and  “Dance Hall Days” (No. 16 in 1984)…

1956 ~ The POLiO VACCiNE developed by Jonas Salk was made available to the public on the 1st May 1956.

1967 ~ Tim McGraw the American singer and actor was born on the 1st May 1967.

1968 ~ D’arcy Wretzky the American musician from The Smashing Pumpkins was born on the 1st May 1968.

1974 ~ KELLiE CRAWFORD the Australian singer from Hi-5 was born on the 1st day of May in 1974.

1978 ~ Naomi Uemura the Japanese adventurer became the first person to reach the North Pole solo on the 1st May 1978, travelling by dog sled.

1989 ~ Disney-MGM Studios opened at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States on the 1st May 1989.

1990 ~ Caitlin Stasey the Australian actress from Melbourne best known for her role as Rachel Kinski in Neighbours was born on the 1st May 1990.

1994 ~ Ayrton Senna the 3 time Formula One world champion was killed in an accident during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.

2003 ~ The Mission Accomplished speech speech by U.S.President George W. Bush on board the USS Abraham Lincoln was on the 1st May 2003, with him declaring that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended” regarding the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

2009 ~ Same-sex marriage was legalized in Sweden on the 1st May 2009.

2011 ~ Pope John Paul II was beatified by his successor Pope Benedict XVI on the 1st May 2011.

2011 ~ Barack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden was killed by United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan on the 1st May 2011 (Due to the time difference between USA and Pakistan, Bin Laden was actually killed on May 2). Bin Laden was the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks

2013 ~ Kriss Kross duo member Chris Kelly aka Mac Daddy died on the 1st May 2013, aged 34. Kriss Kross were best known for their 1992 hit song Jump which was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 8 weeks.

MAY DAY is on the 1st May

iNTERNATiONAL WORKERS’ DAY is on the 1st May