Historical events on May 2
MAY 2, 2014
Two mudslides in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan, killed at least 350 people.
On 2 May 2014, a pair of mudslides occurred in Argo District, Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. The death toll is uncertain, the number
Read More
MAY 2, 1878
A dust explosion at the world's largest flour mill in Minneapolis resulted in 18 deaths.
The Great Mill Disaster, also known as the Washburn A Mill explosion, occurred on May 2, 1878, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.
Read More
MAY 2, 1194
King Richard I of England gave the city of Portsmouth (pictured) its first royal charter.
Richard I, known as Richard Cœur de Lion or Richard the Lionheart because of his reputation as a great military leader and
Read More
MAY 2, 1999
Mireya Moscoso (pictured) became the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
Mireya Elisa Moscoso Rodríguez is a Panamanian politician who served as the President of Panama from 1999 to 2004. She is the
Read More
MAY 2, 1964
Vietnam War: An explosion attributed to Viet Cong commandos caused the escort carrier USNS Card to sink in the port of Saigon.
The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies.
Read More
MAY 2, 1889
The Treaty of Wuchale was signed, ending the Italo-Ethiopian War, but differences in translation later led to another war.
The Treaty of Wuchale was a treaty signed between the Ethiopian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. The signing parties were King
Read More
MAY 2, 1945
World War II: General Helmuth Weidling, the German commander of Berlin, surrendered to Soviet forces led by Marshal Georgy Zhukov, ending the Battle of Berlin.
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 2, 2014
Russo-Ukrainian War: Forty-eight people were killed during a confrontation between pro-Russian protesters and pro-Ukrainian unity protesters in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa.
The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied and annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then supported
Read More
MAY 2, 1995
Croatian War of Independence: Serb forces began rocket attacks on the Croatian capital Zagreb, killing 7 people and injuring around 200 others.
The Croatian War of Independence was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the
Read More
MAY 2, 2011
The Conservative Party of Canada won enough seats in the federal election to establish their first majority government.
The Conservative Party of Canada, sometimes referred to as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in
Read More
MAY 2, 2003
Cyclone Manou formed in the Indian Ocean; over the next two weeks it struck Madagascar and left more than 100,000 people homeless.
Tropical Cyclone Manou was a relatively rare May tropical cyclone that affected southeastern Madagascar. The final named storm of the 2002–03 South-West
Read More
MAY 2, 2008
The Chaitén volcano in Chile began to erupt for the first time since around 1640.
Chaitén is a volcanic caldera 3 kilometres (2 mi) in diameter, 17 kilometres (11 mi) west of the elongated ice-capped Michinmahuida volcano and 10
Read More
MAY 2, 1670
A royal charter granted the Hudson's Bay Company a monopoly in the fur trade in Rupert's Land (present-day Canada).
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used
Read More
MAY 2, 2011
Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six in his private residential compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
On May 2, 2011, the United States conducted Operation Neptune Spear, in which SEAL Team Six shot and killed Osama bin Laden
Read More
MAY 2, 1982
Falklands War: HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano (pictured), the only ship ever to have been deliberately sunk by a nuclear submarine in battle.
The Falklands War was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in
Read More