What happened on May 2

48 documented historical events happened on May 2, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: King Richard I of England gave the city of Portsmouth its first royal charter. On the same day, in another year: Presbyterian clergyman John Knox returned from exile to lead the Scottish Reformation. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.

160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on May 2, including Novalis, Abraham Pineo Gesner, Heinrich Gustav Magnus. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.

116 people with a Wikipedia article died on May 2, including Boris I of Bulgaria, Leo I, King of Armenia, William de Braose (died 1230). The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.

17 observances are celebrated on May 2 around the world: Christian feast day: Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church)., Christian feast day: Athanasius of Alexandria (Western Christianity), Christian feast day: Bolesław Strzelecki (Catholic Church), Christian feast day: Boris I of Bulgaria (Bulgarian Orthodox Church), Christian feast day: Germanus of Normandy, Christian feast day: Joseph Luu Van Nguyen (Catholic Church). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.