Deaths in History on May 1

  • 408 Arcadius, Eastern Roman emperor (b. 337/338)
  • 1118 Matilda of Scotland [Edith], first wife of Henry I of England, dies at 38
  • 1171 Dermot MacMurrough, last Irish King of Leinster, dies
  • 1240 Jacques de Vitry, Cardinal-Bishop of Frascati and dean of the Sacred College of Cardinals
  • 1277 Stefanus IV Uros I de Great, King of Serbia (1243-76), dies
  • 1308 Albrecht I van Habsburg, German King (1298-1308), murdered
  • 1447 Louis VII, Duke of Baveria (1413-43), dies
  • 1456 Hugues de Lannoy, Flemish viceroy of Holland/Zealand, dies
  • 1471 Thomas a Kempis, spiritual writer (Navolging of Christ), dies at 91
  • 1539 Isabella of Portugal, queen of Spain and empress of Germany (b. 1503)
  • 1555 Marcellus II, [Marcello Cervini], Italian Pope (1555), dies at 53
  • 1572 Pius V, [Antonio Ghislieri], great-inquisiteur/Pope (1566-72), dies
  • 1700 John Dryden, English poet and playwright, first Poet Laureate (1668-1688), dies at 68
  • 1703 Kiva Yoshinaka, Japanese monarch, murdered
  • 1738 Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, English statesman (b. c. 1669)
  • 1772 Gottfried Achenwall, German lawyer/statistics/economist, dies at 52

  • 1813 Jean-Baptiste Bessières, French marshal (killed in combat) (b. 1768)
  • 1831 Antonius van Alphen, apostle vicar of De Bosch, dies at 82
  • 1863 Edward Dorr Tracy, US Confederate brigadier general, dies in battle at 29
  • 1870 Francisco Solano Lopez, fieldmarshal/president of Paraguay
  • 1872 Amalia, princess of Weimar/wife of prince Hendrik the Navigator, dies

Person of interestDavid Livingstone

1873 David Livingstone, British physician/explorer (Africa), dies at 60

Physician and Explorer David Livingstone
Physician and Explorer
David Livingstone
  • 1881 John S. Preston, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 72
  • 1886 Conrad Busken Huet, writer (Country of Rubens)
  • 1892 Willem A Scholten, Dutch potato-flour manufacturer, dies at 89
  • 1896 Nasr-ed-Din, shah of Persia (184.-96), murdered at 65
  • 1898 Alphonse Wauters, Belgian historian, dies at 81
  • 1899 Ludwig Büchner, German philosopher and physician, dies at 75
  • 1902 John Glover, English chemist (production sulfuric acid), dies at 85
  • 1913 John Barclay Armstrong, Texas Ranger and U.S. Marshal (b. 1850)
  • 1917 Jose E Rodo, Uruguayan writer (Motivos de proteo), dies
  • 1924 August Cuppens, Flemish author (Limburgs Driemanschap), dies at 62
  • 1926 Nicolaus Adriani, translator (Middle-Celebes Language), dies at 60
  • 1932 Paul Doumer, President France (1931-32), assassin by Russia's Paul Gargalov
  • 1941 John R Locksmith de Brown, vicar/CHU-politician, dies at 71
  • 1943 Johan Oscar Smith, Norwegian Christian leader who founded the evangelical Brunstad Christian Church, dies at 71

Person of interestJoseph Goebbels

1945 Joseph Goebbels, German Nazi Minister of Propaganda, commits suicide aged 47 with his wife (43) and arranges the death of their 6 children, Heidrun (4), Hedwig (6), Holdine (8), Helmut (9), Hildegard (11), and Helga (12)

Nazi Minister of Propaganda and Information Joseph Goebbels
Nazi Minister of Propaganda and Information
Joseph Goebbels
  • 1947 Sanner, leader of Norger blood bath, executed
  • 1948 Christos Ladas, Greek minister of Justice, murdered
  • 1952 William Fox, [Fried], US film pioneer (Nickelodeon), dies at 73
  • 1959 Oscar Torp, Norwegian premier, dies

  • 1963 Lope K. Santos, Filipino writer and Father of the Philippine National Language and Grammar, dies at 83
  • 1968 Harold G Nicolson, English author (English sense of humor), dies at 71
  • 1970 Crown Prince Euimin, Crown Prince Korea (b. 1897)
  • 1972 Fernand Ansseau, Belgian operator (Orfeo), dies at 82
  • 1976 Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet who fought the military junta in Greece (b. 1939)
  • 1976 T.R.M. Howard, civil rights leader, entrepreneur, surgeon (b. 1908)
  • 1981 Clarence A Bacote, historian/political scientist, dies at 75
  • 1988 Carroll Righter, American columnist and astrologer to the stars, dies prostate cancer at 88
  • 1989 David Webster, South African white anti-apartheids activist, murdered
  • 1989 Sally Kirkland, fashion editor at LIFE (b. 1912)
  • 1991 Richard Thorpe, American director (Jailhouse Rock, Night Must Fall), dies at 95
  • 1993 Hans [Henri EA] Tuynman, provo (Full-time Provo), dies at 50
  • 1993 Ranasinghe Premadasa, pres (Sri Lanka, 1989-93), assassinated at 68
  • 1996 Asher Wallfish, journalist, dies at 67
  • 1997 Bebe, AKA Flipper, dolphin, dies at 40
  • 1998 Eldridge Cleaver, American activist (b. 1935)
  • 2006 Rob Lacey, Christian Author. (b. 1962)
  • 2008 Anthony Mamo, Malta's first President (b. 1909)
  • 2008 Deborah Jeane Palfrey, American escort owner, commits suicide at 52
  • 2009 Danny Gans, Canadian-born Las Vegas entertainer (b. 1956)
  • 2015 Dan Farley, American racing journalist (President National Turf Writer's Association), dies at 72
  • 2017 Mike Lowry, American politician (Rep-D-WA, 1979-89, Governor of Washington 1993-97 ), dies at 78
  • 2017 Stan Weston, American toy licensing agent, had concept for G.I. Joe, dies at 84
  • 2018 Elmar Altvater, German political scientist, dies at 79
  • 2018 Ninalee Craig, American-born Canadian teacher and photograph subject, dies at 90 of complications from lung cancer
  • 2018 Carl W. Duckworth, American politician (Utah House of Representatives, 1955–1958), dies of bone cancer at 53
  • 2018 Raymond D. Dzendzel, American politician (Michigan House of Representatives, 1955–1958; Senate, 1959–1970), dies at 96
  • 2018 Reg Gadney, British author, dies at 77
  • 2018 Phil Gowan, American historian (RMS Titanic), dies of cancer at 65
  • 2018 Robert B. Kennedy, American politician (Massachusetts House of Representatives, 1975–1979), dies at 78
  • 2018 Chuck Missler, American evangelist and author, dies at 83
  • 2018 Ashok Mitra, Indian economist and politician, dies at 90
  • 2018 Peter Temple-Morris, Baron Temple-Morris, British politician and life peer (MP for Leominster, 1974–2001), dies at 80
  • 2018 Bob Woffinden, British journalist and author, dies of mesothelioma at 89

May in History