May 1

May 1 is the 121st day of the year (122nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 244 days remain until the end of the year.

• 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
• 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
• 1169 – Norman mercenaries land at Bannow Bay in Leinster, marking the beginning of the Norman invasion of Ireland.
• 1328 – Wars of Scottish Independence end: By the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton, England recognises Scotland as an independent state.
• 1486 – Christopher Columbus presents his plans discovering a western route to the Indies to the Spanish Queen Isabella I of Castile.

• 1669 – Henry Morgan's raid on Lake Maracaibo, the Spanish Armada de Barlovento is defeated by an English Privateer fleet led by Captain Henry Morgan.
• 1707 – The Act of Union joining England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain takes effect.
• 1753 – Publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
• 1807 – The Slave Trade Act 1807 takes effect, abolishing the slave trade within the British Empire.
• 1820 – Execution of the Cato Street Conspirators, who plotted to kill the British Cabinet and Prime Minister Lord Liverpool.
• 1840 – The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom.
• 1844 – Hong Kong Police Force, the world's second modern police force and Asia's first, is established.
• 1846 – The few remaining Mormons left in Nauvoo, Illinois, formally dedicate the Nauvoo Temple.
• 1851 – Queen Victoria opens The Great Exhibition at The Crystal Palace in London.
• 1863 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville between Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac under Joseph Hooker begins.
• 1863 – American Civil War: During the Vicksburg campaign, Union forces under Ulysses S. Grant win at the Battle of Port Gibson and establish a firm presence on the east side of the Mississippi River.
• 1865 – The Empire of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay sign the Treaty of the Triple Alliance.
• 1866 – The Memphis Race Riots begin. Over three days, 46 blacks and two whites were killed. Reports of the atrocities influenced passage of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• 1885 – The original Chicago Board of Trade Building opens for business.
• 1886 – Rallies are held throughout the United States demanding the eight-hour work day, culminating in the Haymarket affair in Chicago, in commemoration of which May 1 is celebrated as International Workers' Day in many countries.
• 1894 – Coxey's Army, the first significant American protest march, arrives in Washington, D.C.
• 1896 – Naser al-Din, Shah of Iran, is assassinated in Shah Abdol-Azim Shrine by Mirza Reza Kermani, a follower of Jamal al-Din al-Afghani.
• 1898 – Spanish–American War: Battle of Manila Bay: The Asiatic Squadron of the United States Navy destroys the Pacific Squadron of the Spanish Navy after a seven-hour battle. Spain loses all seven of its ships, and 381 Spanish sailors die. There are no American vessel losses or combat deaths.
• 1900 – The Scofield Mine disaster kills over 200 men in Scofield, Utah in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in United States history.

• 1915 – RMS Lusitania departs from New York City on her 202nd, and final, crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives.
• 1919 – German troops enter Munich to suppress the Bavarian Soviet Republic.
• 1921 – The Jaffa riots commence.
• 1925 – The All-China Federation of Trade Unions is officially founded. Today it is the largest trade union in the world, with 134 million members.
• 1929 – The 7.2 M_w  Kopet Dag earthquake shakes the Iran–Turkmenistan border region with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), killing up to 3,800 and injuring 1,121.
• 1930 – "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.
• 1931 – The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.
• 1945 – 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.
• 1945 – World War II: Up to 2,500 people die in a mass suicide in Demmin following the advance of the Red Army.
• 1946 – Start of three-year Pilbara strike of Indigenous Australians.
• 1947 – Portella della Ginestra massacre against May Day celebrations in Sicily by the bandit and separatist leader Salvatore Giuliano where 11 persons are killed and 33 wounded.
• 1956 – The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
• 1957 – A Vickers VC.1 Viking crashes while attempting to return to Blackbushe Airport in Yateley, killing 34.
• 1960 – Cold War: U-2 incident: Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Sverdlovsk Oblast, Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.
• 1961 – The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.
• 1970 – Vietnam War: Protests erupt in response to U.S. and South Vietnamese forces attacking Vietnamese communists in a Cambodian Campaign.
• 1971 – Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) takes over operation of U.S. passenger rail service.
• 1975 – The Särkänniemi Amusement Park opens in Tampere, Finland.
• 1978 – Japan's Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
• 1982 – Operation Black Buck: The Royal Air Force attacks the Argentine Air Force during Falklands War.
• 1991 – Angolan Civil War: The MPLA and UNITA agree to the Bicesse Accords, which are formally signed on May 31 in Lisbon.
• 1993 – Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa is assassinated in Colombo in a suicide bombing carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
• 1994 – Three-time Formula One champion Ayrton Senna is killed in an accident during the San Marino Grand Prix.
• 1997 – Labour Party wins the 1997 General Election and Tony Blair is elected as Prime Minister
• 1999 – The body of British climber George Mallory is found on Mount Everest, 75 years after his disappearance in 1924.
• 2003 – Invasion of Iraq: In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech, on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (off the coast of California), U.S. President George W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended".
• 2004 – 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.
• 2009 – Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden.
• 2010 – Faisal Shahzad attempts to detonate a car bomb in Times Square, but the bomb fails to go off.
• 2011 – Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
• 2018 – Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) resumes the Deir ez-Zor campaign in order to clear the remnants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the Iraq–Syria border.
• 2019 – Naxalite attack in Gadchiroli district of India: Sixteen army soldiers, including a driver, killed in an IED blast. Naxals targeted an anti-Naxal operations team.
• 2019 – Naruhito ascends to the throne of Japan succeeding his father Akihito, beginning the Reiwa period.
• 2024 – The 2024 Loblaw boycott, a Canadian boycott against retail corporation and grocer Loblaw Companies, begins.

• 1218 – John I, Count of Hainaut (d. 1257)
• 1218 – Rudolf I of Germany (d. 1291)
• 1285 – Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel, English politician (d. 1326)
• 1326 – Rinchinbal Khan, Mongolian emperor (d. 1332)
• 1488 – Sidonie of Bavaria, eldest daughter of Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria-Munich (d. 1505)
• 1527 – Johannes Stadius, German astronomer, astrologer, mathematician (d. 1579)
• 1545 – Franciscus Junius, French theologian (d. 1602)
• 1579 – Wolphert Gerretse, Dutch-American farmer, co-founded New Netherland (d. 1662)
• 1582 – Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer (d. 1643)
• 1585 – Sophia Olelkovich Radziwill, Belarusian saint (d. 1612)
• 1591 – Johann Adam Schall von Bell, German missionary and astronomer (d. 1666)
• 1594 – John Haynes, English-American politician, 1st Governor of the Colony of Connecticut (d. 1653)

• 1602 – William Lilly, English astrologer (d. 1681)
• 1672 – Joseph Addison, English essayist, poet, playwright, and politician (d. 1719)
• 1730 – Joshua Rowley, English admiral (d. 1790)
• 1735 – Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen, Dutch admiral and philanthropist (d. 1819)
• 1751 – Judith Sargent Murray, American poet and playwright (d. 1820)
• 1764 – Benjamin Henry Latrobe, English-American architect, designed the United States Capitol (d. 1820)
• 1769 – Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Irish-English field marshal and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1852)
• 1783 – Phoebe Hinsdale Brown, American hymnwriter (d. 1861)
• 1803 – James Clarence Mangan, Irish poet and author (d. 1849)
• 1811 – Andreas Laskaratos, Greek satirical poet and writer (d. 1901)
• 1821 – Henry Ayers, English-Australian politician, 8th Premier of South Australia (d. 1897)
• 1824 – Alexander William Williamson, English chemist and academic (d. 1904)
• 1825 – Johann Jakob Balmer, Swiss mathematician and physicist (d. 1898)
• 1825 – George Inness, American painter and educator (d. 1894)
• 1827 – Jules Breton, French painter (d. 1906)
• 1829 – José de Alencar, Brazilian author and playwright (d. 1877)
• 1829 – Frederick Sandys, English painter and illustrator (d. 1904)
• 1830 – Guido Gezelle, Belgian priest and poet (d. 1899)
• 1831 – Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and activist (d. 1903)
• 1847 – Henry Demarest Lloyd, American journalist and politician (d. 1903)
• 1848 – Adelsteen Normann, Norwegian painter (d. 1919)
• 1850 – Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (d. 1942)
• 1852 – Calamity Jane, American frontierswoman and professional scout (d. 1903)
• 1852 – Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Spanish neuroscientist and pathologist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1934)
• 1853 – Jacob Mikhailovich Gordin, Ukrainian-American journalist, actor, and playwright (d. 1909)
• 1855 – Cecilia Beaux, American painter and academic (d. 1942)
• 1857 – Theo van Gogh, Dutch art dealer (d. 1891)
• 1859 – Jacqueline Comerre-Paton, French painter and sculptor (d. 1955)
• 1862 – Marcel Prévost, French novelist and playwright (d. 1941)
• 1864 – Anna Jarvis, American founder of Mother's Day (d. 1948)
• 1871 – Seakle Greijdanus, Dutch theologian and scholar (d. 1948)
• 1871 – Emiliano Chamorro Vargas, President of Nicaragua (d. 1966)
• 1872 – Hugo Alfvén, Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter (d. 1960)
• 1872 – Sidónio Pais, Portuguese soldier and politician, 4th President of Portugal (d. 1918)
• 1874 – Romaine Brooks, American-French painter and illustrator (d. 1970)
• 1874 – Paul Van Asbroeck, Belgian target shooter (d. 1959)
• 1875 – Dave Hall, American runner (d. 1972)
• 1881 – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French priest, palaeontologist, and philosopher (d. 1955)
• 1884 – Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, English race car driver and politician (d. 1964)
• 1885 – Clément Pansaers, Belgian poet (d. 1922)
• 1885 – Ralph Stackpole, American sculptor and painter (d. 1973)
• 1887 – Alan Cunningham, Anglo-Irish general and diplomat, High Commissioners for Palestine and Transjordan (d. 1983)
• 1890 – Clelia Lollini, Italian physician (d. 1963 or 1964)
• 1891 – Lillian Estelle Fisher, American historian of Spanish America (d. 1988)
• 1895 – May Hollinworth, Australian theatre producer and director (d. 1968)
• 1895 – Nikolai Yezhov, Soviet secret police official, head of the NKVD (d. 1940)
• 1896 – Herbert Backe, German agronomist and politician (d. 1947)
• 1896 – Mark W. Clark, American general (d. 1984)
• 1896 – J. Lawton Collins, American general (d. 1987)
• 1898 – Alfred Schmidt, Estonian weightlifter (d. 1972)
• 1900 – Ignazio Silone, Italian journalist and politician (d. 1978)
• 1900 – Aleksander Wat, Polish poet and writer (d. 1967)

• 1901 – Sterling Allen Brown, American poet, academic, and critic (d. 1989)
• 1901 – Antal Szerb, Hungarian scholar and author (d. 1945)
• 1905 – Henry Koster, German-American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1988)
• 1906 – Horst Schumann, German SS officer and physician (d. 1983)
• 1907 – Kate Smith, American singer and actress (d. 1986)
• 1908 – Giovannino Guareschi, Italian journalist and author (d. 1968)
• 1908 – Morris Kline, American mathematician and academic (d. 1992)
• 1909 – Endel Puusepp, Estonian-Soviet military pilot and politician (d. 1996)
• 1909 – Yiannis Ritsos, Greek poet and playwright (d. 1990)
• 1910 – Raya Dunayevskaya, Ukrainian-American philosopher and activist (d. 1987)
• 1910 – J. Allen Hynek, American astronomer and ufologist (d. 1986)
• 1912 – Otto Kretschmer, German admiral (d. 1998)
• 1913 – Louis Nye, American actor (d. 2005)
• 1915 – Hanns Martin Schleyer, German business executive (d. 1977)
• 1916 – Glenn Ford, Canadian-American actor and producer (d. 2006)
• 1917 – John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (d. 1996)
• 1917 – Ulric Cross, Trinidadian navigator, judge, and diplomat (d. 2013)
• 1917 – Danielle Darrieux, French actress and singer (d. 2017)
• 1918 – Jack Paar, American comedian, author and talk show host (d. 2004)
• 1919 – Manna Dey, Indian singer and composer (d. 2013)
• 1919 – Mohammed Karim Lamrani, Moroccan businessman and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Morocco (d. 2018)
• 1919 – Dan O'Herlihy, Irish actor (d. 2005)
• 1921 – Vladimir Colin, Romanian journalist and author (d. 1991)
• 1923 – Joseph Heller, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (d. 1999)
• 1923 – Marcel Rayman, Polish soldier (d. 1944)
• 1924 – Evelyn Boyd Granville, American mathematician, computer scientist, and academic (d. 2023)
• 1924 – Terry Southern, American novelist, essayist, and screenwriter (d. 1995)
• 1925 – Chuck Bednarik, American lieutenant and football player (d. 2015)
• 1925 – Scott Carpenter, American commander, pilot, and astronaut (d. 2013)
• 1926 – Peter Lax, Hungarian-American mathematician and academic
• 1927 – Greta Andersen, Danish swimmer (d. 2023)
• 1927 – Laura Betti, Italian actress (d. 2004)
• 1927 – Bernard Vukas, Yugoslav-Croatian footballer (d. 1983)
• 1927 – Albert Zafy, Malagasy politician, 3rd President of Madagascar (d. 2017)
• 1928 – Sonny James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2016)
• 1929 – Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (d. 2009)
• 1929 – Sonny Ramadhin, Trinidadian cricketer (d. 2022)
• 1930 – Ollie Matson, American sprinter and football player (d. 2011)
• 1930 – Richard Riordan, American lieutenant and politician, 39th Mayor of Los Angeles and publisher (d. 2023)
• 1930 – Little Walter Jacobs, American blues harp player and singer (d. 1968)
• 1932 – S. M. Krishna, Indian politician and statesman, Minister of External Affairs, 10th Chief Minister of Karnataka, 19th Governor of Maharashtra (d. 2024)
• 1932 – Sandy Woodward, English admiral (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Mexican politician
• 1934 – Shirley Horn, American singer and pianist (d. 2005)
• 1937 – Una Stubbs, English actress and dancer (d. 2021)
• 1939 – Judy Collins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1945 – Rita Coolidge, American singer-songwriter
• 1946 – Joanna Lumley, English actress, voice-over artist, author, and activist
• 1946 – John Woo, Hong Kong director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1948 – Patricia Hill Collins, American sociologist and scholar
• 1949 – Tim Hodgkinson, English saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer
• 1950 – Danny McGrain, Scottish footballer and coach
• 1951 – Gordon Greenidge, Barbadian cricketer and coach
• 1951 – Sally Mann, American photographer
• 1952 – Richard Blundell, English economist and academic
• 1954 – Ray Parker Jr., American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1954 – Joel Rosenberg, Canadian-American author and activist (d. 2011)
• 1955 – Alex Cunningham, Scottish politician
• 1955 – Martin O'Donnell, American composer
• 1957 – Rick Darling, Australian cricketer
• 1957 – Uberto Pasolini, Italian banker, director, and producer
• 1959 – Yasmina Reza, French actress and playwright
• 1961 – Clint Malarchuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1961 – Marilyn Milian, American judge
• 1962 – Maia Morgenstern, Romanian actress
• 1964 – Yvonne van Gennip, Dutch speed skater
• 1966 – Olaf Thon, German footballer and manager
• 1967 – Tim McGraw, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1968 – Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer
• 1968 – D'arcy Wretzky, American bass player and singer
• 1969 – Wes Anderson, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1969 – Mary Lou McDonald, Irish politician
• 1969 – Billy Owens, American basketball player
• 1970 – Bernard Butler, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1971 – Ethan Albright, American football player
• 1971 – Stuart Appleby, Australian golfer
• 1971 – Ajith Kumar, Indian actor and race car driver
• 1972 – Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Yemeni terrorist
• 1972 – Julie Benz, American actress
• 1973 – Curtis Martin, American football player
• 1973 – Oliver Neuville, German footballer
• 1975 – Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2003)
• 1975 – Nina Hossain, English journalist
• 1975 – Alexey Smertin, Russian international footballer
• 1976 – James Murray, American comedian
• 1978 – James Badge Dale, American actor
• 1978 – Michael Russell, American tennis player
• 1979 – Mauro Bergamasco, Italian rugby player
• 1979 – Roman Lyashenko, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
• 1980 – Jan Heylen, Belgian race car driver
• 1980 – Jay Reatard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
• 1981 – Alexander Hleb, Belarusian footballer
• 1981 – Wes Welker, American football player and coach
• 1982 – Beto, Portuguese footballer
• 1982 – Jamie Dornan, Northern Irish model and actor
• 1982 – Tommy Robredo, Spanish tennis player
• 1982 – Darijo Srna, Croatian footballer
• 1982 – Katya Zamolodchikova, American drag queen
• 1983 – Alain Bernard, French swimmer
• 1983 – Park Hae-jin, South Korean actor
• 1983 – Craig Williams, American wrestler
• 1984 – David Backes, American ice hockey player
• 1986 – Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian footballer (d. 2013)
• 1986 – Jesse Klaver, Dutch politician
• 1987 – Leonardo Bonucci, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Amir Johnson, American basketball player
• 1987 – Shahar Pe'er, Israeli tennis player
• 1988 – Anushka Sharma, Indian actress and film producer
• 1989 – Victoria Monét, American singer-songwriter
• 1990 – Scooter Gennett, American baseball player
• 1990 – Caitlin Stasey, Australian actress
• 1991 – Marcus Stroman, American baseball player
• 1992 – Madeline Brewer, American actress
• 1992 – Hani, South Korean singer and actress
• 1992 – Bradley Roby, American football player
• 1996 – William Nylander, Canadian-Swedish ice hockey player
• 1997 – Miles Sanders, American football player
• 1999 – YNW Melly, American rapper
• 1999 – Tiffany Stratton, American wrestler
• 2000 – Rema, Nigerian singer-songwriter and rapper
• 2002 – Chet Holmgren, American basketball player
• 2003 – Lizzy Greene, American actress
• 2004 – Charli D'Amelio, American social media influencer and dancer
• 2005 – Linda Fruhvirtová, Czech tennis player

• 408 – Arcadius, Byzantine emperor (b. 377)
• 558 – Marcouf, missionary and saint
• 908 – Wang Zongji, Chinese prince and pretender
• 1118 – Matilda of Scotland (b. 1080)
• 1171 – Diarmait Mac Murchada, King of Leinster (b. 1110)
• 1187 – Roger de Moulins, Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
• 1255 – Walter de Gray, English prelate and statesman
• 1277 – Stefan Uroš I of Serbia (b. 1223)
• 1278 – William II of Villehardouin
• 1308 – Albert I of Germany (b. 1255)
• 1312 – Paul I Šubić of Bribir
• 1539 – Isabella of Portugal (b. 1503)
• 1555 – Pope Marcellus II (b. 1501)
• 1572 – Pope Pius V (b. 1504)

• 1668 – Frans Luycx, Flemish painter (b. 1604)
• 1730 – François de Troy, French painter and engraver (b. 1645)
• 1731 – Johann Ludwig Bach, German violinist and composer (b. 1677)
• 1738 – Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (b. 1669)
• 1772 – Gottfried Achenwall, Polish-German historian, economist, and jurist (b. 1719)
• 1813 – Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French general (b. 1768)
• 1838 – Antoine Louis Dugès, French obstetrician and naturalist (b. 1797)
• 1856 – John Wilbur, American minister and theologian (b. 1774)
• 1873 – David Livingstone, Scottish-English missionary and explorer (b. 1813)
• 1899 – Ludwig Büchner, German physiologist and physician (b. 1824)

• 1904 – Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer and academic (b. 1841)
• 1907 – Grigorios Maraslis, Greek philanthropist (b. 1831)
• 1913 – John Barclay Armstrong, American lieutenant (b. 1850)
• 1920 – Princess Margaret of Connaught (b. 1882)
• 1935 – Henri Pélissier, French cyclist (b. 1889)
• 1943 – Johan Oscar Smith, Norwegian religious leader, founded the Brunstad Christian Church (b. 1871)
• 1944 – Napoleon Soukatzidis, Greek communist and trade unionist (b. 1909)
• 1945 – Joseph Goebbels, German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1897)
• 1945 – Magda Goebbels, German wife of Joseph Goebbels (b. 1901)
• 1953 – Everett Shinn, American painter and illustrator (b. 1876)
• 1955 – William Thomson Sloper, American stockbroker and survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic (b. 1883)
• 1956 – LeRoy Samse, American pole vaulter (b. 1883)
• 1960 – Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (b. 1875)
• 1963 – Lope K. Santos, Filipino lawyer and politician (b. 1879)
• 1965 – Spike Jones, American singer and bandleader (b. 1911)
• 1968 – Jack Adams, Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (b. 1895)
• 1968 – Harold Nicolson, English author and politician (b. 1886)
• 1970 – Yi Un, Korean prince (b. 1897)
• 1973 – Asger Jorn, Danish painter and sculptor (b. 1914)
• 1976 – T. R. M. Howard, American surgeon and activist (b. 1908)
• 1976 – Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet and politician (b. 1939)
• 1978 – Aram Khachaturian, Armenian composer and conductor (b. 1903)
• 1982 – William Primrose, Scottish viola player and educator (b. 1903)
• 1984 – Jüri Lossmann, Estonian-Swedish runner (b. 1891)
• 1985 – Denise Robins, English journalist and author (b. 1897)
• 1986 – Hylda Baker, English comedian, actress and music hall performer (b. 1905)
• 1986 – Hugo Peretti, American songwriter and producer (b. 1916)
• 1988 – Ben Lexcen, Australian sailor and architect (b. 1936)
• 1989 – Sally Kirkland, American journalist (b. 1912)
• 1989 – V. M. Panchalingam, Sri Lankan civil servant (b. 1930)
• 1989 – Patrice Tardif, Canadian farmer and politician (b. 1904)
• 1990 – Sergio Franchi, Italian-American tenor and actor (b. 1926)
• 1991 – Richard Thorpe, American director and screenwriter (b. 1896)
• 1993 – Pierre Bérégovoy, French metallurgist and politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1925)
• 1993 – Ranasinghe Premadasa, Sri Lankan politician, 3rd President of Sri Lanka (b. 1924)
• 1994 – Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver (b. 1960)
• 1995 – Antonio Salemme, Italian-American painter (b. 1892)
• 1997 – Fernand Dumont, Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (b. 1927)
• 1998 – Eldridge Cleaver, American author and activist (b. 1935)
• 2000 – Steve Reeves, American bodybuilder and actor (b. 1926)
• 2002 – Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh, Indian poet and author (b. 1908)
• 2003 – Miss Elizabeth, American wrestler and manager (b. 1960)
• 2003 – Wim van Est, Dutch cyclist (b. 1923)
• 2005 – Kenneth Clark, American psychologist and academic (b. 1914)
• 2008 – Anthony Mamo, Maltese judge and politician, 1st President of Malta (b. 1909)
• 2008 – Philipp von Boeselager, German soldier and economist (b. 1917)
• 2010 – Helen Wagner, American actress (b. 1918)
• 2011 – Henry Cooper, English boxer (b. 1934)
• 2011 – Ted Lowe, English sportscaster (b. 1920)
• 2012 – James Kinley, Canadian engineer and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (b. 1925)
• 2012 – Mordechai Virshubski, German-Israeli lawyer and politician (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Chris Kelly, American rapper (b. 1978)
• 2013 – Pierre Pleimelding, French footballer and manager (b. 1952)
• 2014 – Adamu Atta, Nigerian lawyer and politician, 5th Governor of Kwara State (b. 1927)
• 2014 – Radhia Cousot, Tunisian-American computer scientist and academic (b. 1947)
• 2014 – Assi Dayan, Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1945)
• 2014 – Juan de Dios Castillo, Mexican footballer and coach (b. 1951)
• 2015 – Geoff Duke, English-Manx motorcycle racer (b. 1923)
• 2015 – Vafa Guluzade, Azerbaijani political scientist, academic, and diplomat (b. 1940)
• 2015 – María Elena Velasco, Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (b. 1940)
• 2015 – Grace Lee Whitney, American actress (b. 1930)
• 2021 – Olympia Dukakis, American actress (b. 1931)
• 2023 – Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1938)

• Christian feast day:
  • Aldebrandus
  • Amator
  • Andeolus
  • Aredius of Gap
  • Asaph
  • Augustin Schoeffler, Jean-Louis Bonnard (part of Vietnamese Martyrs)
  • Benedict of Szkalka
  • Bertha of Val d'Or
  • Brioc
  • James the Less (Anglican Communion)
  • Jeremiah
  • Joseph the Worker (Roman Catholic)
  • Julian of Bale
  • Blessed Klymentiy Sheptytsky (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church)
  • Mafalda of Portugal
  • Marcouf
  • Orientius
  • Peregrine Laziosi
  • Philip the Apostle (Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church)
  • Richard Pampuri
  • Seven Apostolic Men
    • Caecilius of Elvira
    • Ctesiphon of Vergium
    • Euphrasius of Illiturgis
    • Hesychius of Cazorla
    • Indaletius
    • Secundus of Abula
    • Torquatus of Acci
  • Sigismund of Burgundy
  • Theodard
  • Ultan
  • May 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Armed Forces Day (Mauritania)
• Constitution Day (Argentina, Latvia, Marshall Islands)
• Commemoration of the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat following the foundation of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti (India):
  • Maharashtra Day
• International Sunflower Guerrilla Gardening Day
• Lei Day (Hawaii)
• International Workers' Day or Labour Day (International), and its related observances:
  • Law Day (United States), formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)
  • Loyalty Day, formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)
• May Day (beginning of Summer) observances in the Northern hemisphere (see April 30):
  • Calan Mai (Wales)
  • Beltane (Gaelic)

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Historical Events on May 1