Famous Birthdays on May 2

Q: Who was born on May 2?

Famous people born on May 2 include: Yongle Emperor of China (died 1424), Eleanor of Aragon, René II, Eleanor of Viseu (died 1525), Charles I.

Q: What is Musashimaru Kōyō known for?

Musashimaru Kōyō, Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna

1971 — Musashimaru Kōyō

Samoan-American sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna

May 2 has seen 180 notable people enter the world across recorded history — from 1360 – 2015. Below are the most significant names born on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · May 2 — Wikipedia

Famous Birthdays 180 people 1360 – 2015

Did you know

After becoming a Japanese national in 1996 and retiring in 2003, he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and founded the Musashigawa stable in 2013.

Did you know

After reaching the rank of ōzeki in 1994 his progress seemed to stall, but in 1999 he became only the second foreign-born wrestler in history to reach the sport's highest rank of yokozuna

Did you know

Musashimaru won over 700 top division bouts and took twelve top division tournament championships during his career

Did you know

His sheer 235 kg (518 lb) bulk combined with 1.92 m of height made him a formidable opponent, and he was remarkably consistent and injury-free for most of his career

Did you know

He was born in American Samoa, before moving to Hawaii at the age of 10

Yongle Emperor of China (died 1424)

The Yongle Emperor, personal name Zhu Di, was the third emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1402 to 1424. He was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the dynasty.

1360

Eleanor of Aragon

Queen of Portugal (died 1445)

Eleanor of Aragon was Queen of Portugal from 1433 to 1438 as the spouse of King Edward. After Edward's death, she served as regent in 1438-1440 for her son Afonso V. She was the daughter of Ferdinand I of Aragon and…

1402

René II

Duke of Lorraine (died 1508)

René II was Count of Vaudémont from 1470, Duke of Lorraine from 1473, and Duke of Bar from 1483 to 1508. He claimed the crown of the Kingdom of Naples and the County of Provence as the Duke of Calabria 1480–1493 and as…

1451

Eleanor of Viseu (died 1525)

Dona Eleanor of Avis, also known as Leonor de Lencastre or Eleanor of Viseu, was a Portuguese infanta (princess) and queen consort of Portugal. She was the wife of King John II of Portugal and the sister of King Manuel…

1458

Charles I

Duke of Münsterberg-Oels, Count of Kladsko, Governor of Bohemia and Silesia (died 1536)

Charles I, Duke of Münsterberg-Oels was a member of the House of Poděbrady. He was Duke of Münsterberg and Duke of Oels as well as Count of Kladsko. From 1519 to 1523 he held the office of the bailiff of Upper Lusatia,…

1476

Philip II

Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (died 1596)

Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a member of the House of Welf, was the last ruler of the Principality of Grubenhagen from 1595 until his death. When he died in 1596, the Grubenhagen branch of the Welfs became…

1533

William Camden

English historian and topographer (died 1623)

William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of Britannia, the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland that relates landscape,…

1551

Sebald de Weert

Dutch captain, vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company (died 1603)

Sebald or Sebald de Weert was a Flemish captain and vice-admiral of the Dutch East India Company. He is most widely remembered for accurately plotting the Falkland Islands in 1600.

1567

Tokugawa Hidetada

Japanese shōgun (died 1632)

Tokugawa Hidetada was a Japanese samurai, daimyo and the second shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Through his daughter Tokugawa…

1579

Athanasius Kircher

German priest and scholar (died 1680)

Athanasius Kircher was a German Jesuit scholar and polymath who published around 40 major works of comparative religion, geology, and medicine. Kircher has been compared to fellow Jesuit Roger Joseph Boscovich and to…

1601

Alessandro Scarlatti

Italian composer (died 1725)

Pietro Alessandro Gaspare Scarlatti was an Italian Baroque composer, known especially for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered the most important representative of the Neapolitan School of opera.

1660

Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni

Italian-French painter and architect (died 1766)

Jean-Nicolas Servan, also known as Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni, was an Italian decorator, architect, painter, firework designer and trompe-l'œil specialist.

1695

Friedrich Christoph Oetinger

German theologian and theosopher (died 1782)

Friedrich Christoph Oetinger was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and theosopher.

1702

Jean-Baptiste Barrière

French cellist and composer (died 1747)

Jean-Baptiste Barrière was a French cellist and composer. He was born in Bordeaux, Gascony and died in Paris, at 40 years of age.

1707

Catherine the Great of Russia (died 1796)

Catherine II, commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the Empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after a coup d'etat against her husband, Peter III. Her long reign helped Russia thrive under a golden…

1729

William Petty

2nd Earl of Shelburne, Irish-English politician, Prime Minister of Great Britain (died 1805)

William Petty Fitzmaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, known as the Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Anglo-Irish Whig statesman who was the first home…

1737

Elias Boudinot

American lawyer and politician, 10th President of the Continental Congress (died 1821)

Elias Boudinot was an American Founding Father, lawyer, statesman, and early abolitionist and women's rights advocate. During the Revolutionary War, Boudinot was an intelligence officer and prisoner-of-war commissary…

1740

John André

English soldier and spy (died 1780)

Major John André was a British Army officer who served as the head of Britain's intelligence operations during the American War for Independence. In September 1780, André negotiated with Continental Army general…

1750

Ludwig August Lebrun

German oboe player and composer (died 1790)

Ludwig August Lebrun was a German oboist and composer.

1752

Vicente Martín y Soler

Spanish composer (died 1806)

Anastasio Martín Ignacio Vicente Tadeo Francisco Pellegrin Martín y Soler was a Spanish composer of opera and ballet. Although relatively obscure now, in his own day he was compared favorably with his contemporary and…

1754

Novalis

German author and poet (died 1801)

Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg, better known by his pen name Novalis, was a German aristocrat and polymath, who was a poet, novelist, philosopher and mystic. He is regarded as an influential figure of…

1772

Henrik Steffens

Norwegian philosopher and poet (died 1845)

Henrik Steffens, was a Norwegian philosopher, scientist, and poet.

1773

Abraham Pineo Gesner

Canadian physician and geologist (died 1864)

Abraham Pineo Gesner was a Nova Scotian and New Brunswickan medical doctor and geologist who invented kerosene. Gesner was born in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia and lived much of his life in Saint John, New Brunswick. He died…

1797

Heinrich Gustav Magnus

German chemist and physicist (died 1870)

Heinrich Gustav Magnus was a German experimental scientist. His training was mostly in chemistry but his later research was mostly in physics. He spent the great bulk of his career at the University of Berlin, where he…

1802

Catherine Labouré

French nun and saint (died 1876)

Catherine Labouré, DC was a French member of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul and a Marian visionary. She is believed to have relayed the request from the Blessed Virgin Mary to create the Miraculous…

1806

Hans Christian Lumbye

Danish composer and conductor (died 1874)

Hans Christian Lumbye was a Danish composer of waltzes, polkas, mazurkas and galops, among other things.

1810

Caroline Leigh Gascoigne

English novelist and poet (died 1883)

Caroline Leigh Gascoigne was a 19th-century English poet and novelist from London. The daughter of a wealthy banker, she began writing at an early age and went on to publish several works in both prose and verse,…

1813

William Buell Richards

Canadian lawyer and judge, 1st Chief Justice of Canada (died 1889)

Sir William Buell Richards was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and judge, and served as the first Chief Justice of Canada.

1815

Jane Miller Thengberg

Scottish-Swedish governess and educator (died 1902)

Jane Miller Thengberg was a Swedish-Scottish teacher. She founded and managed the girls' school Klosterskolan in Uppsala from 1855 to 1863 and was the principal of the Högre lärarinneseminariet in Stockholm from 1863 to…

1822

Désiré Charnay

French archaeologist and photographer (died 1915)

Claude-Joseph Désiré Charnay was a French traveller and archaeologist notable both for his explorations of Mexico and Central America, and for the pioneering use of photography to document his discoveries.

1828

Otto Staudinger

German entomologist and author (died 1900)

Otto Staudinger was a German entomologist and a natural history dealer considered one of the largest in the world specialising in the collection and sale of insects to museums, scientific institutions, and individuals.

1830

Elijah McCoy

Canadian-American engineer (died 1929)

Elijah J. McCoy was a Canadian-American engineer of African-American descent who invented lubrication systems for steam engines. Born free on the Ontario shore of Lake Erie to parents who fled enslavement in Kentucky,…

1844

Jerome K. Jerome

English author and playwright (died 1927)

Jerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889). Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886) and Second…

1859

John Scott Haldane

Scottish physiologist, physician, and academic (died 1936)

John Scott Haldane was a Scottish physician physiologist and philosopher famous for his often-dangerous self-experimentation that led to many important discoveries about the human body and the nature of gases. He also…

1860

Theodor Herzl

Austro-Hungarian Zionist philosopher, journalist and author (died 1904)

Theodor Herzl was a Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the Zionist Organization and promoted Jewish immigration to Palestine, which, in the late 19th…

1860

Clyde Fitch

American playwright (died 1909)

William Clyde Fitch was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time.

1865

Giuseppe Morello

Italian-American mobster (died 1930)

Giuseppe "the Clutch Hand" Morello, also known as "the Old Fox", was the first boss of the Morello crime family and later top adviser to Giuseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria. He was known as Piddu and his rivals the…

1867

Ichiyō Higuchi

Japanese writer (died 1896)

Natsuko Higuchi , known by her pen name Higuchi Ichiyō , was a Japanese writer during the Meiji era. She was Japan's first professional woman writer of modern literature, specializing in short stories and poetry, and…

1872

Jurgis Baltrušaitis

Lithuanian poet, critic, and translator (died 1944)

Jurgis Baltrušaitis was a Lithuanian Symbolist poet and translator who wrote in Lithuanian and Russian, and was an exponent of iconology. He was the father of art historian and critic Jurgis Baltrušaitis Jr.

1873

James F. Byrnes

American stenographer and politician, 49th United States Secretary of State (died 1972)

James Francis Byrnes was an American judge and politician from South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, he served in the U.S. Congress and on the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as in the executive branch, most…

1879

Bill Horr

American football player, discus thrower, and coach (died 1955)

Marquis Franklin "Bill" Horr was an American college football player and coach and Olympic track and field athlete.

1880

Harry J. Capehart

American lawyer, politician, and businessperson (died 1955)

Harry Jheopart Capehart Sr. was an American lawyer, politician, and businessperson in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Capehart served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing McDowell County…

1881

Isabel González

Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans' American citizenship (died 1971)

Isabel González was a Puerto Rican activist who helped pave the way for Puerto Ricans to be given United States citizenship. As a young unwed pregnant woman, González had her plans to find and marry the father of her…

1882

John Boland

American politician (died 1958)

John Abram Boland Sr. was an American politician and businessman from South Dakota. He was an early supporter of Mount Rushmore and served as treasurer for its construction costs between 1929 and 1938. He served as…

1884

Hedda Hopper

American actress and gossip columnist (died 1966)

Elda Furry, known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the House…

1885

Gottfried Benn

German author and poet (died 1956)

Gottfried Benn was a German poet, essayist, and physician. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. He was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1951.

1886

Vernon Castle

English-American dancer (died 1918)

Vernon and Irene Castle were a husband-and-wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and in silent films in the early 20th century. They are credited with reviving the popularity of…

1887

Eddie Collins

American baseball player and manager (died 1951)

Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr., nicknamed "Cocky", was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1930 for the Philadelphia…

1887

Ki Hajar Dewantara

Indonesian philosopher, academic, and politician (died 1959)

Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat, better known by the name Ki Hajar Dewantara since 1922, was a leading Indonesian independence movement activist, writer, columnist, politician, and pioneer of education for native…

1889

E. E. Smith

American engineer and author (died 1965)

Edward Elmer Smith was an American food engineer and science-fiction author, best known for the Lensman and Skylark series. He is sometimes called the father of space opera.

1890

Manfred von Richthofen

German captain and pilot (died 1918)

Rittmeister Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a German fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces…

1892

Norma Talmadge

American actress of the silent era (died 1957)

Norma Marie Talmadge was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box-office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most popular…

1894

Joseph Henry Woodger

English biologist, philosopher, and academic (died 1981)

Joseph Henry Woodger was a British theoretical biologist and philosopher of biology whose attempts to make biological sciences more rigorous and empirical was significantly influential to the philosophy of biology in…

1894

Lorenz Hart

American playwright and lyricist (died 1943)

Lorenz Milton Hart was an American lyricist and half of the Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart. Some of his more famous lyrics include "Blue Moon"; "The Lady Is a Tramp"; "Manhattan"; "Bewitched, Bothered and…

1895

John Frederick Coots

American songwriter (died 1985)

John Frederick Coots, better known as J. Fred Coots or Fred Coots, was an American songwriter. He composed more than 700 popular songs and more than a dozen Broadway shows. In 1934, Coots wrote the melody with his then…

1897

Henry Hall

English bandleader, composer, and actor (died 1989)

Henry Robert Hall was an English bandleader who performed regularly on BBC Radio during the British dance band era of the 1920s and 1930s, through to the 1960s.

1898

Brian Aherne

English actor (died 1986)

William Brian de Lacy Aherne was an English actor of stage, screen, radio and television, who enjoyed a long and varied career in Britain and the United States.

1902

Benjamin Spock

American pediatrician, activist, and author (died 1998)

Benjamin McLane Spock, widely known as Dr. Spock, was an American pediatrician, Olympic athlete, and left-wing political activist. His book Baby and Child Care (1946) is one of the best-selling books of the 20th…

1903

Charlotte Armstrong

American author (died 1969)

Charlotte Armstrong Lewi was an American writer. Under the names Charlotte Armstrong and Jo Valentine she wrote 29 novels, as well as short stories, plays, and screenplays. She also worked for The New York Times'…

1905

Pinky Lee

American comedian and television host (died 1993)

Pinky Lee was an American actor of stage, screen, radio, and television. He is best known as a children's-TV personality of the 1950s.

1907

Alexander Bonnyman Jr.

American lieutenant, Medal of Honor recipient (died 1943)

Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman Jr. was a United States Marine Corps officer who was killed in action on Betio Atoll in the Gilbert Islands during World War II.

1910

Edmund Bacon

American urban planner, architect, educator, and author (died 2005)

Edmund Norwood Bacon was an American urban planner, architect, educator, and author. During his tenure as the executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission from 1949 to 1970, his visions shaped today's…

1910

Axel Springer

German journalist and publisher, founded Axel Springer AG (died 1985)

Axel Cäsar Springer was a German publisher and founder of what is now Axel Springer SE, the largest media publishing firm in Europe. By the early 1960s his print titles dominated the West German daily press market. His…

1912

Marten Toonder

Dutch comic strip creator (died 2005)

Marten Toonder was a Dutch comic strip creator. He was probably the most successful comic artist in the Netherlands and had a great influence on the Dutch language by introducing new words and expressions. He is most…

1912

Nigel Patrick

English actor and director (died 1981)

Nigel Dennis Patrick Wemyss-Gorman was an English actor and stage director born into a theatrical family.

1912

Doris Fisher

American singer-songwriter (died 2003)

Doris Fisher was an American singer and songwriter, collaborating both as lyricist and composer. She co-wrote many popular songs in the 1940s, including "Whispering Grass", "You Always Hurt the One You Love", "Into Each…

1915

Peggy Mount

English actress (died 2001)

Margaret Rose Mount was an English actress. As a child, she found acting an escape from an unhappy home life. After playing in amateur productions, she was taken on by a repertory company and spent nine years in various…

1915

Văn Tiến Dũng

Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence for Vietnam (died 2002)

Văn Tiến Dũng was a Vietnamese general in the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), PAVN chief of staff (1954–1974); PAVN commander in chief (1975–1980); member of the Central Military–Party Committee (CMPC) (1984–1986) and…

1917

Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson

Scottish pianist and composer (died 1980)

Joseph Turner Henderson, known as Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson, was a Scottish pianist, composer and recording artist who became well-known in Britain in the 1950s, with his entertainment career continuing into the 1960s…

1920

B. B. Lal

Indian archaeologist (died 2022)

Braj Basi Lal was an Indian writer and archaeologist. He was the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) from 1968 to 1972 and has served as Director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies,…

1921

Satyajit Ray

Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1992)

Satyajit Ray was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential film directors…

1921

Roscoe Lee Browne

American actor and director (died 2007)

Roscoe Lee Browne was an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his many guest appearances on TV series from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as movies like The Cowboys (1972) with John Wayne, and The…

1922

A. M. Rosenthal

Canadian-born American journalist and author (died 2006)

Abraham Michael "Abe" Rosenthal was a Canadian-born American journalist who served as The New York Times executive editor from 1977 to 1986. Previously he was the newspaper's metropolitan editor and managing editor.…

1922

Patrick Hillery

Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (died 2008)

Patrick John Hillery was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1976 to December 1990. He also served as vice-president of the European Commission and European Commissioner…

1923

Theodore Bikel

Austrian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 2015)

Theodore Meir Bikel was an Austrian-American actor, singer, and political activist.

1924

Hugh Cortazzi

English soldier, historian, and diplomat, British Ambassador to Japan (died 2018)

Sir Arthur Henry Hugh Cortazzi, was a British diplomat. He was also a distinguished international businessman, academic, author and prominent Japanologist. He was Ambassador from the United Kingdom to Japan (1980–84),…

1924

John Neville

English-Canadian actor (died 2011)

John Reginald Neville CM OBE was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned more than sixty years. He was renowned for his roles on both stage and screen in genres ranging from classical theatre to…

1925

Ray Barrett

Australian actor and singer (died 2009)

Raymond Charles Barrett was an Australian actor. During the 1960s, he was a leading actor on British television, where he was best known for his appearances in The Troubleshooters (1965–1971). From the 1970s, he…

1927

Michael Broadbent

British wine critic and writer (died 2020)

John Michael Broadbent, MW, was a British wine critic, writer and auctioneer in a capacity as a Master of Wine. He was an authority on wine tasting and old wines.

1927

Édouard Balladur

Turkish-French economist and politician, 162nd Prime Minister of France

Édouard Balladur is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under François Mitterrand from 29 March 1993 to 17 May 1995. He unsuccessfully ran for president in the 1995 French presidential election,…

1929

Link Wray

American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2005)

Fred Lincoln "Link" Wray Jr. was an American guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist who became popular in the late 1950s. His 1958 instrumental single "Rumble" reached the top 20 in the United States, and was one of the…

1929

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck

Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan (died 1972)

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was King of Bhutan from 30 March 1952 until his death in 1972.

1929

Yoram Kaniuk

Israeli painter and critic (died 2013)

Yoram Kaniuk was an Israeli writer, painter, journalist, and theatre critic.

1930

Marco Pannella

Italian journalist and politician (died 2016)

Marco Pannella was an Italian politician, journalist and activist. He was well known in his country for his nonviolence and civil rights' campaigns, like the right to divorce, the right to abortion, the legalization of…

1930

Phil Bruns

American actor and stuntman (died 2012)

Philip Bruns was an American television and movie actor and writer. He portrayed George Shumway, the father of Mary Hartman on the 1970s comedic series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and Morty Seinfeld, the father of Jerry…

1931

Pulak Bandyopadhyay

Indian lyricist (died 1999)

Pulak Bandyopadhyay was a Bengali Indian lyricist and songwriter of Bengali cinema.

1931

Harry Woolf

Baron Woolf, English lawyer and judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales

Harry Kenneth Woolf, Baron Woolf is a British life peer and retired barrister and judge. He was Master of the Rolls from 1996 until 2000 and Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2000 until 2005. The…

1933

Luis Suárez Miramontes

Spanish footballer and manager (died 2023)

Luis Suárez Miramontes was a Spanish professional footballer and manager. He played as a midfielder for Deportivo de La Coruña, España Industrial, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Sampdoria; he also represented the Spain…

1935

Faisal II of Iraq

the last King of Iraq (died 1958)

Faisal II was the last King of Iraq. He reigned from 4 April 1939 until July 1958, when he was killed during the 14 July Revolution. This regicide marked the end of the thirty-seven-year-old Hashemite monarchy in Iraq,…

1935

Norma Aleandro

Argentinian actress, director, and screenwriter

Norma Aleandro is an Argentine actress. She is considered one of the most celebrated and prolific Argentine actresses of all time and is recognized as a cultural icon in her home country.

1936

Engelbert Humperdinck

English singer and pianist

Arnold George Dorsey, known professionally as Engelbert Humperdinck, is a British singer. He achieved international success in 1967 with his recording of "Release Me".

1936

Lorenzo Music

American actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 2001)

Gerald David "Lorenzo" Music was an American actor, composer, musician, performer, writer and producer. Music began his career in the 1960s with his wife, Henrietta, forming the comedy duo Gerald and His Hen. He then…

1937

Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (died 1996)

Moshoeshoe II, previously known as Constantine Bereng Seeiso, was the Paramount Chief of Basutoland, succeeding paramount chief Seeiso from 1960 until the country gained full independence from Britain in 1966. He was…

1938

Clay Carroll

American baseball player

Clay Palmer Carroll is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1964 through 1978, most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that…

1941

Jacques Rogge

Belgian businessman (died 2021)

Jacques Jean Marie, Count Rogge was a Belgian sports administrator, former athlete, and physician, who served as the eighth president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2013. In 2013, Rogge became…

1942

Mustafa Nadarević

Bosnian actor and film director (died 2020)

Mustafa Nadarević was a Bosnian and Croatian actor. Widely considered one of the greatest actors from the former Yugoslavia, he starred in over 70 films, including The Smell of Quinces (1982), When Father Was Away on…

1943

Robert G. W. Anderson

English chemist, historian, and curator

Robert Geoffrey William Anderson, is a British museum curator and historian of chemistry. He has interests in the history of chemistry, including the history of scientific instrumentation, the work of Joseph Black and…

1944

Judge Dread

English singer-songwriter (died 1998)

Alexander Minto Hughes, better known as Judge Dread, was an English reggae and ska musician. He was the first white recording artist to have a reggae hit in Jamaica, and the BBC has banned more of his songs from radio…

1945

Bianca Jagger

Nicaraguan-American model, actress, and activist

Bianca Jagger is a Nicaraguan social activist, human rights advocate, and a former actress. She gained international prominence in the 1970s through her marriage to Mick Jagger, the frontman of the Rolling Stones.…

1945

Lesley Gore

American singer-songwriter (died 2015)

Lesley Gore was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. At the age of 16, she recorded her first hit song "It's My Party", a U.S. number one in 1963. She followed it up with ten further U.S. Billboard top 40 hits…

1946

David Suchet

English actor

Sir David Courtney Suchet is an English actor. He is known for his work on stage and in television. He portrayed Edward Teller in the television serial Oppenheimer (1980) and received the RTS and BPG awards for his…

1946

James Dyson

English businessman, founded the Dyson Company

Sir James Dyson is an English inventor, industrial designer, farmer, and business magnate who founded the Dyson company. He is best known as the inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the principle of…

1947

Larry Gatlin

American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor

Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers are an American country music vocal group. The group consists of lead singer Larry Gatlin and his brothers, Rudy and Steve Gatlin. The group achieved considerable success within the…

1948

Alan Titchmarsh

English gardener and author

Alan Fred Titchmarsh is an English gardener, author and broadcaster. After working as a professional gardener and a horticultural journalist, he became a radio and television presenter and a novelist.

1949

Alfons Schuhbeck

German celebrity chef, author and businessman

Alfons Schuhbeck is one of Germany's top chefs, as well as being a restaurateur, celebrity chef, author and businessman.

1949

Frank Curry

Australian rugby league player and coach (died 2022)

Frank Curry Jr. was an Australian rugby league player and coach of the South Sydney Rabbitohs club.

1950

Duncan Gay

Australian businessman and politician

Duncan John Gay is a former Australian politician who served as the Vice-President of the Executive Council of New South Wales and the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council from May 2014 to January 2017;…

1950

Lou Gramm

American singer-songwriter

Louis Andrew Grammatico, known professionally as Lou Gramm, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as co-founder and original frontman of the rock band Foreigner from 1976 to 1990 and again from 1992 to…

1950

John Glascock

English singer and bass player (died 1979)

John Glascock was a British musician. He was the bassist and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Carmen from 1972 to 1975; and the bass guitarist for progressive rock band Jethro Tull from 1976 until his death in…

1951

Chris Anderson

Australian rugby league player and coach

Christopher Anderson is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s, and coached in the 1990s and 2000s. An Australian Kangaroos and New South Wales Blues representative…

1952

Christine Baranski

American actress and singer

Christine Jane Baranski is an American actress. She received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Maryann Thorpe in the sitcom Cybill (1995–1998). Baranski is…

1952

Valery Gergiev

Russian conductor and director

Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre and of the Bolshoi Theatre and artistic director of the White Nights…

1953

Jamaal Wilkes

American basketball player

Jamaal Abdul-Lateef, better known as Jamaal Wilkes, is an American former basketball player who was a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star, he won four NBA championships…

1953

Elliot Goldenthal

American composer and conductor

Elliot Goldenthal is an American composer of contemporary classical music and film and theatrical scores. He studied formally with John Corigliano and was deeply influenced and mentored by Aaron Copland, developing a…

1954

Dawn Primarolo

English politician

Dawn Primarolo, Baroness Primarolo, is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Bristol South from 1987 until 2015, when she stood down. She was Minister of State for Children, Young People…

1954

Willie Miller

Scottish footballer

William Ferguson Miller MBE is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, who made a club record 560 league appearances for Aberdeen. Sir Alex Ferguson described Miller as "the best penalty box defender…

1955

Donatella Versace

Italian fashion designer

Donatella Francesca Versace is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion company Versace, with whom she worked closely on the…

1955

Régis Labeaume

Canadian businessman and politician, 41st Mayor of Quebec City

Régis Labeaume is a Canadian businessman, writer and politician. He served as mayor of Quebec City from 2007 to 2021. He was first elected on December 2, 2007, after the death of former mayor Andrée Boucher. He was…

1956

Yasushi Akimoto

Japanese songwriter and producer

Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Total sales of the singles he…

1958

David O'Leary

English-Irish footballer and manager

David Anthony O'Leary is a football manager and former player. The majority of his 20-year playing career was spent as a central defender at Arsenal, where his tally of 722 appearances stands as a club record. He played…

1958

Tony Wakeford

English singer-songwriter and guitarist

Anthony Charles Wakeford is a British neofolk musician, who primarily records under the name Sol Invictus. He is also a member of the punk rock band Crisis and a co-founder of Death in June.

1959

Stephen Daldry

English director and producer

Stephen David Daldry CBE is an English director and producer of film, theatre, and television. He has won three Tony Awards for his work on Broadway and an Olivier Award for his work in the West End. He has received…

1960

Royce Simmons

Australian rugby league player and coach

Royce Michael Simmons is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer and coach. A one-club man, he played as a hooker for the Penrith Panthers in the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) from 1980 to 1991,…

1960

Michael Grandage

English director and producer

Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer. He is currently artistic director of the Michael Grandage Company. From 2002 to 2012 he was artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse in London and from…

1962

Jimmy White

English snooker player

James Warren White is an English professional snooker player, commentator and pundit. Nicknamed "The Whirlwind" because of his swift and attacking style of play, he has won ten ranking titles, placing him twelfth on the…

1962

Gina Yoginda

Indonesian army general and diplomat

Gina Yoginda is an Indonesian military officer and diplomat who is currently serving as ambassador of Indonesia to North Korea since 2025. Prior to his ambassadorship, Gina served within intelligence units at the…

1963

Belinda Stronach

Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist, and politician

Belinda Caroline Stronach is a Canadian businesswoman and former politician. She served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2004 to 2008, initially as a Conservative and later as a Liberal. During her political career,…

1966

Mika Brzezinski

American journalist and author

Mika Emilie Leonia Brzezinski Scarborough is an American talk show host who co-hosts MS NOW's weekday morning broadcast show Morning Joe alongside her husband Joe Scarborough. She was formerly a CBS News correspondent,…

1967

David Rocastle

English footballer (died 2001)

David Carlyle Rocastle was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder in the roles of a playmaker and a winger.

1967

Jeff Agoos

American footballer

Jeffrey Alan Agoos is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. He is one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team. Agoos won a record five MLS championships:…

1968

Ziana Zain

Malaysian singer-songwriter and actress

Siti Roziana Zain is a Malaysian pop singer and actress. Her music career began in the early '90s with her signature single, "Madah Berhelah" followed by hits like "Terlerai Kasih", "Setia Ku Di Sini" and "Puncak…

1968

Brian Lara

Trinidadian cricketer

Brian Charles Lara is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely renowned as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He holds several cricketing records, including the record for the highest individual score…

1969

Dwayne Johnson

American actor and wrestler

Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known by his ring name "The Rock", is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest…

1972

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

German director and screenwriter

Florian Maria Georg Christian Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck is a German-Austrian film director. He is best known for writing and directing the 2006 dramatic thriller Das Leben der Anderen , which won the Academy Award…

1973

David Beckham

English footballer, coach, and model

Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City F.C.. Primarily a right midfielder and known for his range of…

1975

Joe Wilkinson

English comedian, actor and writer

Joseph Roland Wilkinson is an English comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He began his comedy career in 2004 and has supported Alan Carr and Russell Howard on tour. In 2006, Wilkinson won the Hackney Empire New Act of…

1975

Jeff Gutt

American singer-songwriter

Jeffrey Adam Gutt is an American singer and songwriter who has been the lead vocalist for Stone Temple Pilots since November 2017. He is also the former lead vocalist for the nu metal band Dry Cell.

1976

Kumail Nanjiani

Pakistani-American actor, stand-up comedian, and screenwriter

Kumail Ali Nanjiani is a Pakistani and American stand-up comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter. His accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe…

1978

Roman Lyashenko

Russian ice hockey player (died 2003)

Roman Yurievich Lyashenko was a Russian ice hockey player. He played professionally in North America for the Dallas Stars and New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1999 to 2002, and also spent time…

1979

Tim Borowski

German footballer

Tim Borowski is a German football manager and former player.

1980

Ellie Kemper

American actress, comedian and writer

Elizabeth Claire Kemper is an American actress and comedian, best known for her roles of Erin Hannon in the sitcom The Office (2009–2013) and Kimmy Schmidt in the sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2019). She has…

1980

Zat Knight

English footballer

Zatyiah Knight is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre back.

1980

Troy Murphy

American basketball player

Troy Brandon Murphy is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Murphy was born in Morristown, New Jersey but grew up in Sparta Township.…

1980

Brad Richards

Canadian ice hockey player

Bradley Ray Richards is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Richards was drafted in the third round, 64th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL entry draft and played for the Lightning, New…

1980

Robert Buckley

American actor

Robert Earl Buckley is an American actor, known for his roles as Kirby Atwood on the NBC dramedy series Lipstick Jungle, Clay Evans on The CW drama series One Tree Hill, Brian Leonard on the ABC horror-drama series 666…

1981

Chris Kirkland

English footballer

Christopher Edmund Kirkland is an English football coach and former professional goalkeeper. As a player, he made 321 league and cup appearances in an 18-year professional career from 1998 to 2016 and won one cap for…

1981

Tiago Mendes

Portuguese footballer

Tiago Cardoso Mendes, known simply as Tiago, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

1981

Johan Botha

South African cricketer

Johan Botha is a South African-Australian cricket coach, cricketer, and long-distance runner who played for the South African national team between 2005 and 2012. He moved to Australia in 2012 to play in the country's…

1982

Alessandro Diamanti

Italian footballer

Alessandro Diamanti is an Italian professional football coach and former midfielder who is the manager for Melbourne City Youth.

1983

Maynor Figueroa

Honduran footballer

Maynor Alexis Figueroa Róchez is a Honduran former professional footballer who played as a left-back or centre-back. He is best known for his time at Wigan Athletic, where he made 179 Premier League appearances and won…

1983

Tina Maze

Slovenian skier

Tina Maze is a retired Slovenian World Cup alpine ski racer. She is the most successful Slovenian ski racer in history with a career that culminated with two gold medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Maze was awarded the…

1983

Daniel Sordo

Spanish race car driver

Daniel "Dani" Sordo Castillo is a Spanish rally driver. He competes in the World Rally Championship for Hyundai Motorsport. He achieved his first WRC victory at the 2013 Rallye Deutschland.

1983

Saulius Mikoliūnas

Lithuanian footballer

Saulius Mikoliūnas is a Lithuanian former professional footballer who played as a right winger. He has previously played for Scottish Premier League side Heart of Midlothian and Ukrainian Premier League club Arsenal…

1984

Thabo Sefolosha

Swiss basketball player

Thabo Patrick Sefolosha is a Swiss former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Turkish Basketball League, LNB Pro A, and Lega Basket Serie A. In 2006, Sefolosha…

1984

Lily Allen

English singer-songwriter and actress

Lily Rose Beatrice Allen is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her accolades include a Brit Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivier Award.

1985

Kyle Busch

American race car driver (died 2026)

Kyle Thomas Busch was an American professional stock car racing driver and racing team owner who competed from 2001 until his death in 2026. Throughout his career, Busch raced under several car numbers, though he was…

1985

Ashley Harkleroad

American tennis player

Ashley Harkleroad Adams is an American former professional tennis player. She reached a career-high ranking in singles of 39 in June 2003.

1985

Sarah Hughes

American figure skater

Sarah Elizabeth Hughes is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2002 Olympic Champion and the 2001 World bronze medalist in ladies' singles.

1985

Yasir Shah

Pakistani cricketer

Yasir Shah SI is an international cricketer from Pakistan. He plays as a bowler, and is the joint-second fastest bowler in the history of Test cricket to take 100 wickets, as well as the fastest to pick up 200 wickets,…

1986

Saara Aalto

Finnish singer and actress

Saara Sofia Aalto is a Finnish singer, songwriter and voice actress. In 2012, she came second in the first season of The Voice of Finland.

1987

Nana Kitade

Japanese singer-songwriter and actress

Nana Kitade is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to being the lead singer of the rock band The Teenage Kissers, she has success as a solo artist, model, actress, and fashion designer. Kitade is…

1987

Pat McAfee

American sports analyst and football player

Patrick Justin McAfee is an American sports analyst, color commentator, former professional wrestler, and former professional football punter and kickoff specialist. He is an analyst on College GameDay and the host of…

1987

Kris Russell

Canadian ice hockey player

Kris Russell is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played in the 2021–22 season, for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He…

1987

Neftalí Feliz

Dominican baseball player

Neftalí Feliz Antonio is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee…

1988

Kay Panabaker

American actress

Stephanie Kay Panabaker is an American zookeeper and former actress. She is best known for her work with the Disney Channel, starring in popular productions like Phil of the Future (2004–2006) and Read It and Weep…

1990

Paul George

American basketball player

Paul Clifton Anthony George Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and six-time…

1990

Jeong Jinwoon

South Korean actor and singer

Jeong Jin-woon (Korean: 정진운), most often credited as Jinwoon, is a South Korean singer and actor. Debuting as a member of the group 2AM in July 2008, he began his acting career in 2012 with the KBS series Dream High 2,…

1991

Jonathan Villar

Dominican baseball player

Jonathan Rafael Villar Roque is a Dominican professional baseball second baseman for the Caliente de Durango of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros,…

1991

Sunmi

South Korean singer

Lee Sun-mi, known mononymously as Sunmi, is a South Korean singer, dancer, songwriter and record producer. She debuted in 2007 as a member of South Korean girl group Wonder Girls and left the group in 2010 to pursue her…

1992

María Teresa Torró Flor

Spanish tennis player

María Teresa Torró Flor is a Spanish former professional tennis player.

1992

Owain Doull

Welsh track cyclist

Owain Daniel Doull is a Welsh road and track cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike. Doull specialises in the team pursuit on the track, and won a gold medal in the discipline at the 2016…

1993

Isyana Sarasvati

Indonesian singer

Isyana Sarasvati is an Indonesian singer-songwriter and the founder of Redrose Records. She is a graduate of Singapore's Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and London's Royal College of Music. Known for her original…

1993

Huang Zitao

Chinese singer and rapper

Huang Zitao, also known by his stage name Tao (Korean: 타오), is a Chinese rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is a former member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo and its Chinese sub-unit,…

1993

Lucy Dacus

American singer-songwriter

Lucy Elizabeth Dacus is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Dacus first gained fame following the release of her debut album, No Burden (2016), which led to…

1995

Cherprang Areekul

Thai singer

Cherprang Areekul is a former member of the Thai idol girl group BNK48, an international sister group of the Japanese idol girl group AKB48. She is one of the first-generation members of the group, and is also the…

1996

Julian Brandt

German footballer

Julian Brandt is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for the Germany national team.

1996

Schuyler Bailar

American swimmer

Schuyler Miwon Hong Bailar is an American swimmer, author, educator, and advocate for LGBTQ rights. He is the first openly transgender NCAA Division I swimmer, and also the first publicly documented NCAA D1 transgender…

1996

BamBam

Thai singer

Kunpimook Bhuwakul, known professionally as BamBam, is a Thai rapper and singer based in South Korea, and a member of the South Korean boy band Got7.

1997

Princess Charlotte of Wales

British royal, and third in line to the British throne

Princess Charlotte of Wales is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales, and a granddaughter of King Charles III and…

2015

May 2 in the Blog

2011 Germany E. coli O104:H4 outbreak — May 2, 2011

53 killed, 3,900 infected: the 2011 E. coli outbreak in Hamburg, Germany, shocked Europe with its severity and mysterious origin that year.

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Who was born on May 2?

Musashimaru Kōyō — American sumo wrestler

FeaturedMusashimaru Kōyō

Birth year1971

Known forHe was born in American Samoa, before moving to Hawaii at the age of 10

Birthdays on this date180 (1360 – 2015)

Explore May 2

Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.

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2014

Two mudslides in Badakhshan, Afghanistan, leave up to 2,500 people missing. Wikipedia →

2012

A pastel version of The Scream, by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, sells for $120 million in a New York City auction, setting a new world record for a work of art at auction. Wikipedia →

2011

Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the FBI's most wanted fugitive, is killed by the United States Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Wikipedia →

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1971 — Musashimaru Kōyō

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