May 2 in History

Historical Events on May 2

1670 King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.

1863 American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days later.

1866 Peruvian defenders fight off the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.

1885 The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium.

1918 General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.

1945 World War II: Fall of Berlin: The Soviet Union announces the capture of Berlin and Soviet soldiers hoist their red flag over the Reichstag building.

1986 Chernobyl disaster: The City of Chernobyl is evacuated six days after the disaster.

2000 President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.

2011 Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted man, is killed by the United States special forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

All Events

Famous Birthdays on May 2

1962 Jimmy White

1972 Dwayne Johnson

1975 David Beckham

1985 Kyle Busch

All Births

Famous Deaths on May 2

1519 Leonardo da Vinci

1957 Joseph McCarthy

2009 Jack Kemp

2011 Osama bin Laden

All Deaths

Choose Another Date