Historical events on May 1
MAY 1, 2016
The evacuation of nearly 88,000 people began when a wildfire swept through Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, and burned for another 14 months, becoming the costliest disaster in Canadian history.
On May 1, 2016, a wildfire began southwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. On May 3, it swept through the community, forcing the
Read More
MAY 1, 1945
Second World War: British and Indian forces conducted a successful airborne assault on a Japanese artillery battery during the advance to liberate Rangoon, Burma.
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all
Read More
MAY 1, 880
The Nea Ekklesia church in Constantinople, on which many later cross-in-square Orthodox churches were based, was consecrated.
The Nea Ekklēsia was a church built by Byzantine Emperor Basil I the Macedonian in Constantinople between 876 and 880. It was
Read More
MAY 1, 1974
Argentine president Juan Perón expelled Montoneros from a demonstration in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, forcing the group to become a clandestine organization.
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer and statesman who served as the 29th president of Argentina from 1946 to his
Read More
MAY 1, 1707
Under the terms of the Acts of Union, the Kingdoms of England and Scotland merged to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, with a single parliament and government based in Westminster.
The Acts of Union refer to two acts of Parliament, one by the Parliament of Scotland in March 1707, followed shortly thereafter
Read More
MAY 1, 305
Diocletian and Maximian retired as co-rulers of the Roman Empire, being succeeded by Galerius and Constantius Chlorus.
Diocletian, nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low
Read More
MAY 1, 1991
In Major League Baseball, Rickey Henderson broke the record for stolen bases on the same night that Nolan Ryan broke his own record for no-hitters.
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the
Read More
MAY 1, 1947
Sicilian separatist Salvatore Giuliano and his gang fired into a crowd of May Day marchers near Piana degli Albanesi, Sicily, killing 11 and wounding 33.
Salvatore Giuliano was an Italian brigand, who rose to prominence in the disorder that followed the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943.
Read More
MAY 1, 1576
Stephen Báthory and Anna Jagiellon were crowned as the elected rulers of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Stephen Báthory was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania (1576–1586) as well as Prince of Transylvania, earlier Voivode of Transylvania (1571–1576).
MAY 1, 1776
The secret society known as the Order of Illuminati was founded by Adam Weishaupt and Adolph Freiherr Knigge in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany.
A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may
Read More
MAY 1, 1941
Citizen Kane, a widely acclaimed film by actor and director Orson Welles, premiered.
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman
Read More
MAY 1, 1900
A dust explosion at a coal mine near Scofield, Utah, U.S., killed at least 200 miners.
A dust explosion is the rapid combustion of fine particles suspended in the air within an enclosed location. Dust explosions can occur
Read More
MAY 1, 1885
The original Chicago Board of Trade Building opened for business.
The Chicago Board of Trade Building is a 44-story, 604-foot (184 m) Art Deco skyscraper located in the Chicago Loop, standing at the
Read More
MAY 1, 1625
Dutch–Portuguese War: Portuguese and Spanish forces recaptured the Brazilian city of Bahia, which had previously been captured by the Dutch Republic.
The Dutch–Portuguese War was a global armed conflict involving Dutch forces, in the form of the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch
Read More
MAY 1, 1786
The Marriage of Figaro (audio featured), an opera buffa by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienna.
The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492, is a commedia per musica in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an
Read More
MAY 1, 1884
Moses Fleetwood Walker (pictured), the last African American in Major League Baseball until Jackie Robinson, played his first game for the Toledo Blue Stockings.
Moses Fleetwood Walker, sometimes nicknamed Fleet Walker, was an American professional baseball catcher credited with being the first black man to play
Read More
MAY 1, 1794
War of the Pyrenees: France regained nearly all the land it lost to Spain the previous year with its victory in the Second Battle of Boulou.
The War of the Pyrenees, also known as War of Roussillon or War of the Convention, was the Pyrenean front of the
Read More