On May 2, history records 52 notable events, 212 famous births and 96 deaths, spanning the years 1194 to 1808.
Events on this day include: King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. (1194); William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great. (1230).
Notable people born on May 2 include Yongle Emperor (1360), Eleanor of Aragon, Queen of Portugal (1402), René II, Duke of Lorraine (1451).
Notable figures who died on this day include Athanasius of Alexandria (373), Marutha of Tikrit (649), Liu Zong (821).
Events on 2 May 52
See all →Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the nascent Scottish Reformation.
The King James Version of the Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker.
King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.
Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.