Famous Birthdays May 2 Athanasius Kircher, German Jesuit priest and inventor (magic lantern), born in Abbacy of Fulda, Germany (d. 1680) May 27 Antoine Daniel, French Jesuit missionary and martyr, born in Dieppe, Normandie, France (d. 1648) Famous Deaths May 19 Costanzo Porta, Italian composer 1600 History by Year 1602