1776: Adam Weishaupt founded the organisation of the Illuminati in Germany.
1790: The first population census in the United States was completed.
1811: Greek writer Andreas Laskaratos was born in Lixouri on the island of Kefalonia.
1827: The Third National Assembly in Troezen adopted the Political Constitution of Greece.
1886: A general strike began in the United States, which eventually led to the establishment of the eight-hour working day.
1894: Japan declared war on China.
1925: Cyprus became a colony of United Kingdom.
1929: Eight people were killed and 140 injured in violent May Day clashes in Berlin.
1931: The Empire State Building was officially inaugurated in New York City, becoming the tallest building in the world at the time.
1932: The atom was successfully split in London, proving that the energy released was about 60 percent greater than the energy used in the process.
1940: The 1940 Summer Olympics were cancelled due to the war.
1942: Joseph Stalin declared that the Soviet Union had no territorial ambitions against foreign states.
1951: The first issue of the magazine Klassika Eikonografimena was published.
1961: Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared Cuba a socialist state and abolished elections.
1976: Greek resistance hero Alekos Panagoulis was killed in a car accident on Vouliagmenis Avenue in Athens.
1977: Thirty-four people were killed during May Day celebrations in Taksim Square in Istanbul.
1982: In Poland, 50,000 supporters of the Solidarity movement demonstrated in Warsaw against martial law.
1992: Racial riots in Los Angeles resulted in 31 deaths and around 1,200 injuries.
1996: May Day demonstrations in Turkey turned violent, leaving three people dead and dozens injured, including police officers and demonstrators.
2000: An anti-capitalist protest in London ended with vandalism and the arrest of 95 people.
2003: A strong earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale struck Bingöl Province in southeastern Turkey, killing 176 people and injuring about 500.
2004: The European Union welcomed ten new members: Cyprus, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta.
2009: Same-sex marriage was legalised in Sweden.
2011: Barack Obama announced that US special forces had raided the hideout of Osama bin Laden and killed him. Due to the time difference with Pakistan, the date of Bin Laden’s death is officially considered 2 May.