1st May in History

On this day in 1889, May Day—traditionally a celebration of the return of spring, marked by dancing around a Maypole—was first observed as a labour holiday, designated as such by the International Socialist Congress. 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.

So, What happened on 1st May in history

What happened on this day in history (1st May): “Pluto” is officially proposed as dwarf planet, RMS Lusitania departs, Naruhito ascends to the throne of Japan, Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden and many more.

It may not mean much to you right now, but by the end of this article, you will learn that May 1 holds a significant place in history.

Dive in to know what happened on this day (May 1) in sports, politics and art, along with famous birthdays and deaths in world history.

Early Events

In 305 – Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman emperor.
In 880 – The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
In 1006 – Supernova observed by Chinese and Egyptians in constellation Lupus.
In 1048 – Bishop Bernold flees St Pieterskerk for Utrecht, Netherlands.
In 1328 – Wars of Scottish Independence end: Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton – the Kingdom of England recognises the Kingdom of Scotland as an independent state.
In 1486 – Christopher Columbus presents his plans discovering a western route to the Indies to the Spanish Queen Isabella I of Castile.
In 1625 – Prince Frederick Henry appointed viceroy of Holland.
In 1682 – Louis XIV & his court inaugurate Paris Observatory.
In 1703 – Battle at Rultusk: Swedish army beats Russians.
In 1704 – Boston Newsletter publishes 1st newspaper advertisement.
In 1707 – Acts of Union comes into force, uniting England and Scotland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
In 1753 –Publication of “Species Plantarum” by Carl Linnaeus – the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
In 1822 – John Phillips becomes 1st mayor of Boston.
In 1840 – “Penny Black”, the world’s first adhesive postage stamp issued by Great Britain.
In 1851 – First public flushing toilets the ‘Monkey Closets’ unveiled by George Jennings as part of The Great Exhibition at Hyde Park, London, costing one penny.
In 1852 – Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm publish the first part of their German Dictionary (fully completed 1961).
In 1853 – Argentina adopts its constitution.
In 1863 – Confederate “National Flag” replaces “Stars & Bars”.
In 1863 – Confederate congress passes resolution to kill black soldiers.
In 1873 – 1st US postal card issued.

More, What happened on 1st May

In 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.
In 1903, King Edward VII of Great Britain visits Paris, where he is feted in a first step toward improving Anglo-French relations, culminating in the signing of the Entente Cordiale on 8 April, 1904.
In 1908, World’s most intense shower (2.47″ in 3 minutes) at Portobelo, Panama.
In 1914, China’s 1st president Yuan Shikai wins dictatorial qualification.
In 1915, The 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.
In 1919, German troops enter Munich to suppress the Bavarian Soviet Republic.
In 1919, Mount Kelud (Indonesia) erupts, boiling crater lake which broke through crater wall killing 5,000 people in 104 small villages.
In 1923, Adolf Hitler and Ernst Rohm attempt to break up socialist May Day demonstrates, inviting Nazis from as far away as Nuremberg to take part in the violence.
In 1924, German automobile manufacturers Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie begin their first joint venture (later merge into Mercedes-Benz)

Relatively New Events On This Day

In 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.
In 1930, “Pluto” is officially proposed for the name of the newly discovered dwarf planet Pluto by Vesto Slipher in the Lowell Observatory Observation Circular. The name quickly catches on.
In 1939, Batman first appears in Detective Comics.
In 1943, SS General Hanns Albin Rauter announces that all Jews will be ‘removed’ from the occupied Netherlands.
In 1945, World War II: A German newsreader officially announces that Adolf Hitler 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.
In 1946, Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery appointed British supreme commander.
In 1956, The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
In 1961, The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.
In 1978, Japan’s Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
In 1999, The body of British climber George Mallory is found on Mount Everest, 75 years after his disappearance in 1924.
In 2009, Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden.
In 2011, Pope John Paul II is beatified by his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
In 2019, Naruhito ascends to the throne of Japan succeeding his father Akihito, beginning the Reiwa period.

Sports Events On This Day

In 1920,Legendary slugger Babe Ruth records his first HR for the New York Yankees in 6-0 win over his former club, the Boston Red Sox.
In 1930, Cricket master batsman Don Bradman scores 236 for Australia v Worcestershire in his first 1st class innings in England.
In 1991, West Indian batsman Gordon Greenidge plays his last Test cricket innings, scoring 43 vs Australia in Antigua; 7,558 runs @ 44.72; 19 x 100s.
In 2019, Argentine forward Lionel Messi scores twice for his 600th goal for FC Barcelona in a 3-0 home win over Liverpool in a Champions League semi final.

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Art and Culture Events – What Happened on 1st May

In 1786, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera “Marriage of Figaro” premieres in Vienna with Mozart himself directing
In 2019, 26th Billboard Music Awards: Drake wins 12; Arian Grande, Ella Mai, and Luke Combs win.

Famous Birthdays On 1st May

Sr No	Birth Year	Personality
1	1987	Shahar Pe’er, Israeli tennis player
2	1967	Tim McGraw, American singer-songwriter, actor
3	1924	Terry Southern, American author, screenwriter
4	1923	Joseph Heller, American author, playwright
5	1769	Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Irish/English field marshal, politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Notable Deaths On 1st May

Sr No	Death Year	Personality
1	1994	Ayrton Senna, Brazilian race car driver
2	1990	Sergio Franchi, Italian/American singer, actor
3	1960	Charles Holden, English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library
4	1904	Antonín Dvořák, Czech composer
5	1873	David Livingstone, Scottish missionary, explorer