May 2
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Featured Event
National Archives, Records of the Central Intelligence Agency (263.2589); Photo Illustration Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
On this day in 1966, Commander Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr., of the U.S. Navy answered questions from a journalist, blinking repeatedly under a TV crew’s bright lights. The North Vietnamese had held him prisoner for the past 10 months, and his captors had threatened him with more beatings if he didn’t disavow the U.S. government. He refused: “I’m a member of that government, and it is my job to support it, and I will as long as I live.” He was, accordingly, beaten afterward. But that didn’t matter to him. He had used his eyes to say something even more important—and that message, eventually, helped bring the Vietnam War to an end. [Read today’s edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
Pictures from History—Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Catherine the Great, who engineered the abdication of her husband, Peter III, to become empress of Russia (1762–96) and one of the most-powerful women in history, was born in Prussia this day in 1729.
Famous Birthdays
More on May 2
© Tolga Akmen—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
2015
Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge, the second child of Prince William, duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, duchess of Cambridge, was born in London. [Sort fact from fiction in our English royalty quiz.]
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (U.S. v. Moussaoui)
2011
Osama bin Laden—the founder of al-Qaeda and mastermind of numerous terrorist attacks, notably the September 11 attacks in 2001—was killed by U.S. forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan. [Watch a video of U.S. President Barack Obama announcing the death of Osama bin Laden.]
Courtesy of the Lockheed Martin Corporation
2000
U.S. President Bill Clinton announced that highly accurate GPS would be made available to the public; the satellite signals had previously been degraded for nonmilitary use. [How does GPS work?]
© Crown copyright
1997
Labour Party leader Tony Blair became prime minister of the United Kingdom; he was the youngest person to hold the office since 1812. [Test your knowledge of British culture and politics.]
© Fabio Formaggio/Dreamstime.com
1946
An attempted prison escape by six inmates at Alcatraz resulted in two days of violent fighting, which became known as the Battle of Alcatraz. [Did anyone ever escape from Alcatraz?]
AP
1939
Lou Gehrig, the “Iron Horse” of American baseball, ended his streak of consecutive games played at 2,130. It was a record that stood until 1995, when it was broken by Cal Ripken, Jr. [Read our list of the 10 greatest baseball players of all time.]
© Skip Nall/Corbis RF
1935
Supporters of the Sakdalista movement carried out a brief uprising against oppressive land tenancy laws in Luzon, Philippines.
Camera Press/Globe Photos
1921
Bengali director Satyajit Ray, who brought Indian cinema to world recognition with the Apu Trilogy, was born in what is today Kolkata. [What is the highest-grossing Indian film?]
RLPM Collection/Alamy
1920
The Negro National League, founded by Rube Foster, held its first game. It is considered the first successful professional baseball league for African Americans, and notable players included Cool Papa Bell and Satchel Paige. [How much do you know about baseball?]
Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
1903
Pediatrician Benjamin Spock—who wrote a number of influential works on child rearing, notably Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946), which sold more than 50 million copies worldwide—was born in New Haven, Connecticut. [Do you know these famous doctors?]
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1892
Manfred, baron von Richthofen, Germany’s top aviator and leading ace in World War I, was born in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland). [Test your knowledge of World War I.]
Image: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1889
Menilek II of Ethiopia signed the Treaty of Wichale with Italy, granting it territory in northern Ethiopia in exchange for money and weaponry.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1803
The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, doubling the country’s size. The United States paid $15 million, which bought about 828,000 square miles (2,144,520 square km) west of the Mississippi River. [Explore the history of U.S. land acquisitions.]
Rare Book and Manuscript Library/University of Pennsylvania
1611
The King James Version of the Bible was first published. [Discover the misprints and errors in early editions of the King James Bible.]
© Photos.com/Getty Images
1536
Henry VIII had his second wife, Anne Boleyn, committed to the Tower of London on charges of adultery and incest. Although likely innocent, she was later convicted and beheaded. [Take our quiz about Henry VIII and his wives.]
© Photo Josse/Leemage—Corbis Historical/Getty Images
1519
Artist, architect, and engineer Leonardo da Vinci—whose paintings, notably the Mona Lisa, remain among the most famous in the world—died in France. [Why shouldn’t we believe all the stories about how Leonardo died?]