Historical Events
- 1707 Acts of Union comes into force, uniting England and Scotland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain
- 1753 Publication of "Species Plantarum" by Carl Linnaeus - the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature
- 1840 "Penny Black", the world's first adhesive postage stamp issued by Great Britain
- 1886 US general strike for 8-hour working day begins
- 1924 German automobile manufacturers Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie begin their first joint venture (later merge into Mercedes-Benz)
- 1931 Empire State Building opens in New York City
- More Historical Events
May 1 in Film & TV
- 1941 "Citizen Kane", directed by Orson Welles and starring himself, Joseph Cotten and Dorothy Corningore, premieres at the Palace Theater in New York City
May 1 in Music
- 1786 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "Marriage of Figaro" premieres in Vienna with Mozart himself directing
May 1 in Sport
- 1883 Bob Rogers is acknowledged as the first American pro sports trainer when he is hired by the NY Athletic Club
Kamehameha I
Arthur Wellesley
Calamity Jane
Jack Paar
Max Robinson
Tim McGraw
Would You Believe?
US Admiral George Dewey commands "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley" as US rout Spanish fleet at Manila
On May 1, 1898
Famous Weddings
- 1576 Stefan Batory, the reigning Prince of Transylvania, marries Anna Jagiellon and they become the co-rulers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1840 Women's rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton (24) weds fellow abolitionist Henry Brewster Stanton (34)
- 1850 Soldier William Tecumseh Sherman (30) weds Eleanor Boyle Ewing in Washington, D.C.
Famous Divorces
- 1978 Actress and model Bianca Jagger (32) files for divorce from Rolling Stone singer Mick Jagger (34) after 7 years of marriage on the grounds of his adultery with model Jerry Hall
More Weddings & Divorces
Pius V
John Dryden
David Livingstone
Joseph Goebbels
Ayrton Senna
Gordon LightfootArticles, Photos and Quiz
Penny Black
The Penny Black stamp featured Queen Victoria
May 1, 1840
Strike A Light! I've Created Flames
John Walker liked to experiment with the chemicals in his pharmacy. To his surprise, one mixture he scraped up burst into flames – and the match was born.
May 1, 1859
Batman Appears!
Cover page of Detective Comics #27, the first comic in which Batman appeared
May 1, 1939
Miss Atomic Pageant
Linda Lawson is the winner of the 1955 Miss Atomic Pageant, with a mushroom cloud crown for good measure
May 1, 1955
