(a milestone in the history)

born on May 2nd
1360 - Yongle (Nanjing, CHINA) - Emperor of China (d. 1424)
1437 - Filippo Buonaccorsi (Callimachus)
(San Gimignano, Siena, ITALY) - Italian then Polish humanist (d. 1496)
1451 - René II
(Angers, FRANCE) - Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)
1551 - William Camden
(London, UNITED KINGDOM) - English historian (d. 1623)
1601 - Athanasius Kircher
(Geisa, GERMANY) - German Jesuit scholar (d. 1680)
1660 - Alessandro Scarlatti
(Palermo, ITALY) - composer (d. 1725)
1695 - Jean-Nicolas Servan
(Florence, ITALY) - French architect and painter (d. 1766)
1702 - Friedrich Christoph Oetinger
(Göppingen, GERMANY) - German theologian (d. 1782)
1729 - Catherine II
(Stettin, PRUSSIA, now POLAND) - Russian empress (d. 1796)
1740 - Elias Boudinot
(Philadelphia, USA) - patriot and philanthropist (d. 1821)
1754 - Vicente Martín y Soler
(Valencia, SPAIN) - composer (d. 1896)
1772 - Novalis (Friedrich Leopold Freiherr von Hardenberg)
(Wiederstedt, GERMANY) - poet (d. 1801)
1773 - Henrik Steffens
(Stavanger, NORWAY) - German-Norwegian phylosopher (d. 1845)
1791 - Atanasio Girardot
(San Jerónimo, COLOMBIA) - Colombian patriot (d. 1813)
1802 - Heinrich Gustav Magnus
(Berlin, GERMANY) - German chemist and phisician (d. 1870)
1810 - Hans Christian Lumbye
(Copenhagen, DENMARK) - Danish composer (d. 1874)
1828 - Désiré Charnay
(Fleurie, FRANCE) - archaeologist (d. 1915)
1843 - Carl Michael Ziehrer
(Vienna, AUSTRIA) - composer (d. 1922)
1853 - Antonio Maura
(Palma de Mallorca, SPAIN) - Spanish statesman (d. 1925)
1859 - Jerome K. Jerome
(Walsall, UNITED KINGDOM) - writer (d. 1927)
1860 - Theodor Herzl
(Budapest, HUNGARY) - Zionist leader (d. 1904)
1865 - Clyde Fitch
(Elmira, NY, USA) - American playwright (d. 1909)
1869 - Tyrone Power sr.
(London, UNITED KINGDOM) - actor (d. 1931)
1873 - Salvatore Francesco Sini
(Sarule, Nuoro, Italy) - lawyer and author of the lyrics of No Potho Reposare (d.. 1954)
1884 - Elijah McCoy
(Colchester, Ontario, CANADA) - inventor (d. 1929)
1885 - Hedda Hopper
(Hollidayburg, PA, USA) - gossip columnist, journalist, actress (d. 1966)
1886 - Gottfried Benn
(Mansfeld, Pregnitz, GERMANY) - lyricist, dramatist, narrator and essayist (d. 1956)
1887 - Vernon Castle (Vernon BLYTHE)
(Norwich, UNITED KINGDOM) - dancer (d. 1918)
1887 - Eddie Collins
(Millerton, MI, USA) - baseball player (d. 1951)
1890 - E. E. Smith (Edward Elmer SMITH)
(Sheboygan, WISCONSIN, USA) - science fiction writer (d. 1965)
1892 - Manfred Von Richtofen
(Breslau, GERMANY, now POLAND) - "Red Baron" pilot "ace of aces" (d. 1918)
1894 - Mariano Montes Mora
(Portillo de Toledo, SPAIN) - Spanish torero (d. 1926)
1895 - Lorenz Hart
(New York, USA) lyricist (d. 1943)
1897 - Gregorio Prieto
(Valdepeñas, SPAIN) - Spanish painter (d. 1992)
1903 - Benjamin McLane Spock
(New Haven, CT, USA) - pediatrist (d. 1998)
1904 - Bing Crosby (Harry Lills)
(Tacoma, WA, USA) - actor, singer (d. 1977)
1906 - Aileen Riggin Soule
(Newport, RI, USA) - US swimmer (d. 2002)
1907 - Pinky Lee (Pincus Leff)
(St. Paul, PA, USA) vaudeville performer, children's television host (d. 1993)
1910 - Alexander Bonnyman
(Atlanta, GA, USA) - U.S. Marine (d. 1943)
1910 - Maksim Munzuk
(Mezhegyei, Tyva, RUSSIA) - actor (in Dersu Uzala by Akira Kurosawa) (d. 1999)
1912 - Axel Cäsar Springer
(Hamburg-Altona, GERMANY) - publisher (d. 1985)
1913 - Nigel Patrick
(London, UNITED KINGDOM) actor (d. 1981)
1915 - Doris Fisher
(New York City, USA) songwriter (d. 2003)
1919 - Miguel Siguan Soler
(Barcelona, SPAIN) - Spanish psychologist and researcher (d. 2010)
1920 - Jean-Marie Auberson
(Chavornay, SWITZERLAND) - Swiss conductor (d. 2004)
1921 - Satyajit Ray
(Calcutta, INDIA) Indian director (d. 1992)
1922 - Serge Reggiani
(Reggio Emilia, ITALY) - French actor and singer (d. 2004)
1922 - A.M. (Abraham Michael) Rosenthal
(Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, CANADA) - Canadian-born newspaper editor (d. 2006)
1923 - Patrick John Hillery
(Milltown Malbay, IRELAND) - Irish statesman and physician (d. 2008)
1924 - Theodore Bikel
(Vienna, AUSTRIA) actor, singer (d. 2015)
1925 - Roscoe Lee Browne
(Woodbury, New Jersey, USA) - actor (d. 2007)
1925 - John Neville
(London, UNITED KINGDOM) - British theater actor and art director (d. 2011)
1927 - Frederick Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr
(Dunn, North Carolina, USA) - guitarist (d. 2005)
1929 - Edouard Balladur
(Izmir, TURKEY) - former French prime Minister
1930 - Giacinto Pannella (a.k.a. Marco)
(Teramo, ITALY) - Italian political leader (d. 2016)
1935 - Luis Suarez
(La Coruña - SPAIN) - Spanish footballer, then trainer (d. 2023)
1935 - Faisal II
(Baghdad, IRAQ) - last king of Iraq (d. 1958)
1935 - Lance LeGault
(Chicago, IL, USA) - American actor (d. 2012)
1936 - Michael Rabin
(Breslau, GERMANY, now POLAND) - American violinist (d. 1972)
1936 - Engelbert Humperdinck (Gerry DORSEY)
(Madras, INDIA) - English singer
1937 - Lorenzo Music
(Brooklyn, New York, USA) - writer, producer (d. 2001)
1938 - Moshoeshoe II
(Thabang, BASUTOLAND now LESOTHO) - Paramount Chief then king of Lesotho (d. 1996)
1939 - Sumio Iijima
(Saitama, JAPAN) - Japanese physicist
1941 - Franco Scoglio
(Lipari, Messina, ITALY) - football trainer (d. 2005)
1942 - Jacques Rogge
(Ghent, BELGIUM) - former International Olympic Committee president (2001-2013)
1945 - Bianca Jagger
(Managua, NICARAGUA) - actress
1946 - David Suchet
(London, UNITED KINGDOM) - actor
1946 - Lesley Gore
(New York City, USA) - singer (d. 2015)
1947 - Giorgio Cagnotto
(Turin, ITALY) - Italian diver
1948 - Jeannine Altmeyer
(La Habra, CA, USA) - U.S. soprano of Swiss nationality
1948 - Larry Gatlin
(Odessa, TX, USA) - American musician and songwriter
1949 - Alan Titchmarsh
(Ilkley Moor, Yorkshire, ENGLAND) - gardener, TV presenter, writer
1950 - Lou Gramm (Lou Grammatico)
(Rochester, NY, USA) - US singer (Foreigner)
1952 - Campbell McComas
(Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA) - Australian impersonator (d. 2005)
1952 - Christine Baranski
(Buffalo, NY, USA) - American actress
1953 - Valery Gergiev
(Moscow, RUSSIA) - Russian-born conductor
1954 - Bianca Rossi
(Ponzano Veneto, Treviso, ITALY) - Italian basketball player
1955 - Donatella Versace
(Reggio Calabria, ITALY) - fashion designer
1956 - David Rhodes
(London, UNITED KINGDOM) - English guitarist
1958 - Giuseppe Dossena
(Milan, ITALY) - Italian footballer, then trainer
1959 - Zoé Valdés
(La Habran, CUBA) - Cuban writer
1961 - Andrea Gaddini
(Savona, ITALY) - myself
1961 - Steve James
(Cannock, UNITED KINGDOM) -English snooker player
1961 - Stephen Daldry
(Dorset, UNITED KINGDOM) - english director, actor and producer
1962 - Jimmy White
(London, UNITED KINGDOM) - English snooker player
1962 - Ray Traylor aka The Big Boss Man
(Marietta, GA, USA) - professional wrestler
1969 - Brian Lara
(Cantaro, Santa Cruz, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO) Trinidadian cricketet
1971 - Erick Reyes, Peruvian urbanist
1972 - The Rock (Dwayne Douglas Johnson)
(Hayward, CA, USA) - WWE professional wrestler turned actor
1975 - David Beckham
(Leytonstone, London, UNITED KINGDOM) English footballer
1977 - Kalle Palander
(Tornio, FINLAND) - Finnish skier
1978 - Steve Bays Canadian musician (Hot Hot Heat)
1979 - Roman Lyashenko
(Murmansk, RUSSIA) - Russian hockey player
1980 - Francesco Facchinetti aka DJ Francesco
(Milan, ITALY) - Italian musician
1980 - Troy Murphy
(Morristown, NJ, USA) - American basketball player
1980 - Zat Knight
(Solihull, UNITED KINGDOM) - English footballer
1982 - Lorie (Laure Pester)
(Le Plessis-Bouchard, FRANCE) - French singer
1983 - Tina Maze
(Slovenj Gradec, SLOVENIA) - Slovenian skier
1984 - Saulius Mikoliunas
(Vilnius, LITHUANIA) - Lithuanian footballer
1984 - Rose Falcon
(New York City, USA) actress, singer
1985 - Sarah Hughes
(Manhasset, New York, USA) figure skating champion
1985 - Kyle Busch
(Las Vegas, NV, USA) - American race car driver
1987 - Nana Kitade
(Sapporo, JAPAN) - Japanese singer
2015 - Charlotte of Cambridge
(London, UNITED KINGDOM) - British princess

Main events which happened on May 2nd
1519 - Leonardo da Vinci dies in Amboise (France)
1808 - A popular revolt against the French occupation breaks out in Madrid
1857 - The author Alfred de Musset dies in Paris (France)
1897 - Romeo Frezzi is killed by the police in a jail in Rome
1945 - The Soviet troops burst into Berlin
1982 - Falklands War: the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano is sunk, 322 people are killed.
2020 - The Kabyle smusician Idir (Hamid Cheriet) dies in Paris (born in 1949).

page created on: September 14th 2007 and last updated: July 9th, 2023