Did you know
After two unsuccessful elections to a bishopric, he became Bishop of Worcester in 1214 but soon after moved to York
Notable Deaths on May 1
1255 — Walter de Gray
English prelate and statesman
May 1 has seen 79 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 408 – 2023. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Notable Deaths
79 people
408 – 2023
Did you know
Walter de Gray was an English prelate and statesman who was Archbishop of York from 1215 to 1255 and Lord Chancellor from 1205 to 1214
Did you know
After securing the office of chancellor, the younger Gray was a supporter of the king throughout his struggles and was present at the signing of Magna Carta in 1215
Did you know
He died in 1255 and was buried at York Minster, where his tomb still survives.
Did you know
His uncle was John de Gray, who was a bishop and royal servant to King John of England
Arcadius
Byzantine emperor from 383 to 408 (born 377)
Arcadius was Roman emperor from 383 to his death in 408. He was the eldest son of the Augustus Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and the brother of Honorius. Arcadius ruled the eastern half of the empire…
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408
Marcouf
Christian abbot and saint
Marculf was the abbot at Nantus in the Cotentin. He is regarded as a saint and is associated with the healing of scrofula.
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558
Wang Zongji
Chinese prince and pretender
Wang Zongji (王宗佶), né Gan (甘), was an adoptive son of Wang Jian, the founding emperor of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Former Shu. He was the oldest among Wang Jian's 120 adoptive sons and considered…
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908
Matilda of Scotland
Queen of England from 1100 to 1118 (born 1080)
Matilda of Scotland, also known as Good Queen Maud, was Queen consort of England and Duchess of Normandy as the first wife of King Henry I. She acted as regent of England on several occasions during Henry's absences: in…
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1118
Diarmait Mac Murchada
King of Leinster from 1127 to 1171 (born 1110)
Diarmait Mac Murchada, was King of Leinster in Ireland from 1127 to 1171. In 1167, he was deposed by the High King of Ireland, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair. To recover his kingdom, Mac Murchada solicited help from King Henry…
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1171
Roger de Moulins
Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller
Roger de Moulins was the master of the Knights Hospitaller from 1177 until his death in 1187. He succeeded Jobert of Syria. His successors were two interim masters, William Borrel and then Armengol de Aspa, before…
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1187
William II of Villehardouin
Prince of Achaea from 1246 to 1278
William of Villehardouin was the fourth prince of Achaea in Frankish Greece, from 1246 to 1278. The younger son of Prince Geoffrey I, he held the Barony of Kalamata in fief during the reign of his elder brother Geoffrey…
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1278
Albert I of Germany (born 1255)
Albert I of Habsburg was a Duke of Austria and Styria from 1282 and King of Germany from 1298 until his assassination. He was the eldest son of King Rudolf I of Germany and his first wife Gertrude of Hohenberg.…
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1308
Isabella of Portugal (born 1503)
Isabella of Portugal was the empress consort of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and Lady of the Netherlands from 10 March 1526…
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1539
Pope Marcellus II (born 1501)
Pope Marcellus II, born Marcello Cervini degli Spannocchi, was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 10 April 1555 to his death, 22 days later.
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1555
Pope Pius V (born 1504)
Pope Pius V, OP, born Antonio Ghislieri, was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 7 January 1566 to his death, in May 1572.
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1572
Frans Luycx
Flemish painter (born 1604)
Frans Luycx or Frans Luyckx was a Flemish painter who became the leading portrait painter at the imperial court of Emperor Ferdinand III in Vienna. He is best known for his portraits of the Emperor's family and various…
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1668
François de Troy
French painter and engraver (born 1645)
François de Troy was a French painter and engraver who became principal painter to King James II in exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Director of the Académie Royale de peinture et de sculpture.
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1730
Johann Ludwig Bach
German violinist and composer (born 1677)
Johann Ludwig Bach was a German composer and violinist.
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1731
Charles Howard
3rd Earl of Carlisle, English politician, First Lord of the Treasury (born 1669)
Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, PC was a British nobleman, peer, and statesman.
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1738
Gottfried Achenwall
Polish-German historian, economist, and jurist (born 1719)
Gottfried Achenwall was a German philosopher, historian, economist, jurist and statistician. He is counted among the inventors of statistics.
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1772
Jean-Baptiste Bessières
French general (born 1768)
Jean-Baptiste Bessières, duc d'Istrie was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of the Empire by Emperor Napoleon in 1804.
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1813
Antoine Louis Dugès
French obstetrician and naturalist (born 1797)
Antoine Louis Dugès was a French obstetrician and naturalist born in Charleville-Mézières, Ardennes. He was the father of zoologist Alfredo Dugès (1826–1910), and a nephew to midwife Marie-Louise Lachapelle (1769–1821).
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1838
David Livingstone
Scottish-English missionary and explorer (born 1813)
David Livingstone was a Scottish doctor, Congregationalist, pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, and an explorer in Africa. Livingstone was married to Mary Moffat Livingstone, from the…
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1873
Antonín Dvořák
Czech composer (born 1841)
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic era nationalist example of his predecessor…
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1904
Grigorios Maraslis
Greek philanthropist (born 1831)
Grigorios Maraslis was an official of the Russian Empire and long-time mayor of Odesa (1878–1895) of Greek origin. A noted philanthropist, he sponsored many buildings and educational institutions both in Odesa and in…
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1907
John Barclay Armstrong
American Texas ranger (born 1850)
John Barclay Armstrong was a Texas Ranger lieutenant and a United States Marshal. He is usually remembered for his role in the pursuit and capture of the famous gunfighter John Wesley Hardin.
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1913
Princess Margaret of Connaught
Crown Princess of Sweden (born 1882)
Princess Margaret of Connaught was Crown Princess of Sweden as the first wife of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf. Known in Sweden as Margareta, she was the elder daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, third son…
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1920
Henri Pélissier
French cyclist (born 1889)
Henri Pélissier was a French racing cyclist from Paris and champion of the 1923 Tour de France. In addition to his 29 career victories, he was known for his long-standing feud with Tour founder Henri Desgrange and for…
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1935
Napoleon Soukatzidis
Greek communist and trade unionist (born 1909)
Napoleon Soukatzidis was a Greek communist, trade unionist and one of the 200 prisoners executed at the firing range of the Athens suburb of Kaisariani by the Nazi occupation forces on May 1, 1944.
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1944
Joseph Goebbels
German lawyer and politician, Chancellor of Germany (born 1897)
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and philologist who was the Gauleiter of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 until his suicide in 1945. He was one…
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1945
Magda Goebbels
German wife of Joseph Goebbels (born 1901)
Johanna Maria Magdalena Goebbels was the wife of Nazi Germany's propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels. A prominent member of the Nazi Party, she was a close ally, companion, and political supporter of Adolf Hitler. Some…
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1945
Everett Shinn
American painter and illustrator (born 1876)
Everett Shinn was an American painter and member of the urban realist Ashcan School.
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1953
William Thomson Sloper
American stockbroker and survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic (born 1883)
William Thomson Sloper was an American stockbroker and survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Sloper, who was 28 when the Titanic sank, traveled as a first-class passenger and was saved after boarding lifeboat #7,…
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1955
LeRoy Samse
American pole vaulter (born 1883)
LeRoy Perry Samse was an American athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault. Samse represented the United States in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St Louis, United States in the pole vault where he won the silver…
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1956
Charles Holden
English architect, designed the Bristol Central Library (born 1875)
Charles Henry Holden was an English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadway, for…
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1960
Lope K. Santos
Filipino lawyer and politician (born 1879)
Lope K. Santos was a Filipino Tagalog-language writer and former senator of the Philippines. He is best known for his 1906 socialist novel, Banaag at Sikat and for his contributions to the development of Filipino…
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1963
Spike Jones
American singer and bandleader (born 1911)
Lindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones was an American musician, bandleader and conductor specializing in spoof arrangements and satire of popular songs and classical music. Ballads receiving the Jones treatment were…
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1965
Jack Adams
Canadian-American ice hockey player, coach, and manager (born 1895)
John James "Jolly Jack" Adams was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and general manager in the National Hockey League and Pacific Coast Hockey Association. He played for the Toronto Arenas, Vancouver…
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1968
Harold Nicolson
English author and politician (born 1886)
Sir Harold George Nicolson was a British politician, writer, broadcaster and gardener. His wife was Vita Sackville-West.
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1968
Yi Un
Korean crown prince (born 1897)
Yi Un was the 28th Head of the Korean Imperial House, an Imperial Japanese Army general and the last imperial crown prince of the Korean Empire. Before becoming the heir apparent to Sunjong of Korea in 1907, he was…
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1970
Asger Jorn
Danish painter and sculptor (born 1914)
Asger Oluf Jorn was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International.
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1973
T. R. M. Howard
American surgeon and activist (born 1908)
Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard was an American civil rights leader, fraternal organization leader, entrepreneur and surgeon. He was a mentor to activists such as Medgar Evers, Charles Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Amzie…
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1976
Alexandros Panagoulis
Greek poet and politician (born 1939)
Alexandros Panagoulis was a Greek politician and poet. He took an active role in the fight against the Regime of the Colonels (1967–1974) in Greece. He became famous for his attempt to assassinate dictator Georgios…
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1976
Aram Khachaturian
Armenian composer and conductor (born 1903)
Aram Ilyich Khachaturian was a Soviet Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered one of the leading Soviet composers.
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1978
William Primrose
Scottish viola player and educator (born 1903)
William Primrose was a Scottish violist and teacher. He performed with the London String Quartet from 1930 to 1935. He then joined the NBC Symphony Orchestra where he formed the Primrose Quartet. He performed in various…
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1982
Jüri Lossmann
Estonian long-distance runner (born 1891)
Jüri Lossmann was an Estonian long-distance runner. He finished second in the marathon at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, at 2:32:48.6, trailing Hannes Kolehmainen by 13 seconds, but beating the third-placed…
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1984
Denise Robins
English journalist and author (born 1897)
Denise Robins was a prolific English romantic novelist and the first President of the Romantic Novelists' Association (1960–1966). She wrote under her first married name and under the pen-names: Denise Chesterton, Eve…
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1985
Hylda Baker
English comedian, actress and music hall performer (born 1905)
Hylda Baker was an English comedian, actress and music hall performer. Born and brought up in Farnworth, Lancashire, she is perhaps best remembered for her role as Nellie Pledge in the Granada ITV sitcom Nearest and…
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1986
Hugo Peretti
American songwriter and producer (born 1916)
Hugo E. Peretti was an American songwriter, trumpeter, and record producer. He was known for producing hits including Jimmie Rodgers's Billboard #1 "Honeycomb" and the Grammy-winning musical theater album Bubbling Brown…
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1986
Ben Lexcen
Australian sailor and architect (born 1936)
Benjamin Lexcen AM was an Australian yachtsman and marine architect. He is famous for the winged keel design applied to Australia II which, in 1983, became the first non-American challenger to win the prestigious…
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1988
Sally Kirkland
American journalist (born 1912)
Sally Kathleen Kirkland was a manager at Lord & Taylor, a fashion editor at Vogue magazine, and served as the only fashion editor at Life magazine between 1947 and 1969.
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1989
V. M. Panchalingam
Sri Lankan civil servant (born 1934)
Muthiah Panchalingam was a Sri Lankan civil servant. He was assassinated by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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1989
Patrice Tardif
Canadian farmer and politician (born 1904)
Patrice Tardif was a Canadian politician of Quebec. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (MLA).
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1989
Sergio Franchi
Italian-American tenor and actor (born 1926)
Sergio Franchi was an Italian-American tenor and actor who enjoyed success in the United States and internationally after gaining notice in Britain in the early 1960s. In 1962, RCA Victor signed him to a seven-year…
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1990
Richard Thorpe
American director and screenwriter (born 1896)
Richard Thorpe was an American film director best known for his long career at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
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1991
Pierre Bérégovoy
French metallurgist and politician, Prime Minister of France (born 1925)
Pierre Eugène Bérégovoy was a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under President François Mitterrand from 2 April 1992 to 29 March 1993. He was a member of the Socialist Party and Member of…
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1993
Ranasinghe Premadasa
Sri Lankan politician, 3rd President of Sri Lanka (born 1924)
Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third president of Sri Lanka from 1989 until his assassination in 1993. He previously served as Prime Minister of Sri…
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1993
Ayrton Senna
Brazilian race car driver (born 1960)
Ayrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver and philanthropist who competed in Formula One from 1984 to 1994. Senna won three Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles with McLaren, and—at the time of his…
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1994
Fernand Dumont
Canadian sociologist, philosopher, and poet (born 1927)
Fernand Dumont was a Canadian sociologist, philosopher, theologian, and poet from Quebec. A longtime professor at Université Laval, he won the Governor General's Award for French-language non-fiction at the 1968…
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1997
Eldridge Cleaver
American author and activist (born 1935)
Leroy Eldridge Cleaver was an African American writer and political activist, fashion designer, convicted rapist and an early leader of the Black Panther Party serving as Minister of Information, and while in exile,…
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1998
Steve Reeves
American bodybuilder and actor (born 1926)
Stephen Lester Reeves was an American professional bodybuilder and actor. He was famous in the mid-1950s as a movie star in Italian-made sword-and-sandal films, playing muscular protagonists such as Hercules, Aeneas,…
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2000
Miss Elizabeth
American wrestler and manager (born 1960)
Elizabeth Ann Hulette, best known in professional wrestling as Miss Elizabeth, was an American professional wrestling manager, occasional professional wrestler, and professional wrestling TV announcer. She gained…
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2003
Wim van Est
Dutch cyclist (born 1923)
Willem "Wim" van Est was a Dutch racing cyclist. He is best known for being the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification in the Tour de France of 1951, and for falling into a…
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2003
Kenneth Clark
American psychologist and academic (born 1914)
Kenneth Bancroft Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark were American psychologists who as a married team conducted research among children and were active in the Civil Rights Movement. They founded the Northside Center for Child…
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2005
Anthony Mamo
Maltese judge and politician, 1st President of Malta (born 1909)
Anthony Joseph Mamo was the first president of Malta and before that was the last governor-general of the State of Malta before the British colony became a republic. He was also the first Maltese citizen to be appointed…
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2008
Philipp von Boeselager
German soldier and economist (born 1917)
Philipp Freiherr von Boeselager was the second-last surviving member of the 20 July Plot, a conspiracy of Wehrmacht officers to assassinate the German dictator Adolf Hitler in 1944.
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2008
2010
Henry Cooper
English boxer (born 1934)
Sir Henry Cooper was a British professional boxer. He was undefeated in British and Commonwealth heavyweight championship contests for twelve years and held the European heavyweight title for three years. In a 1963…
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2011
Ted Lowe
English sportscaster (born 1920)
Edwin Charles Ernest Lowe, MBE, was an English snooker commentator for the BBC and ITV. His husky, hushed tones earned him the nickname "Whispering Ted".
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2011
James Kinley
Canadian engineer and politician, 29th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (born 1925)
John James Kinley was a Canadian engineer, industrialist and the 29th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia since confederation.
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2012
Mordechai Virshubski
German-Israeli lawyer and politician (born 1930)
Mordechai Virshuvski was an Israeli lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for several parties between 1977 and 1992.
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2012
Chris Kelly
American rapper (born 1978)
Kris Kross was an American hip hop duo composed of rappers Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith and formed by record producer Jermaine Dupri. They were the youngest hip-hop group to gain commercial…
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2013
Adamu Atta
Nigerian lawyer and politician, 5th Governor of Kwara State (born 1927)
Alhaji Adamu Atta was the first civilian governor of the Nigerian Kwara State during the Second Republic, representing the National Party of Nigeria (NPN).
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2014
Radhia Cousot
French computer scientist and academic (born 1947)
Radhia Cousot was a French computer scientist known for inventing abstract interpretation.
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2014
Assi Dayan
Israeli actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1945)
Assaf "Assi" Dayan was an Israeli film director, actor, screenwriter, and producer.
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2014
Juan de Dios Castillo
Mexican footballer and coach (born 1951)
Juan de Dios Castillo González was a Mexican footballer and coach, last with F.C. Motagua of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras, the top tier of the Honduran football. He has coached in the Professional Mexican…
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2014
Geoff Duke
English-Manx motorcycle racer (born 1923)
Geoffrey Ernest Duke, born in St. Helens, Lancashire, was a British multiple motorcycle Grand Prix road racing world champion. He raced several brands of motorcycle: Norton, Gilera, BMW, NSU and Benelli. After…
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2015
Vafa Guluzade
Azerbaijani political scientist, academic, and diplomat (born 1940)
Vafa Guluzade was an Azerbaijani diplomat, political scientist and specialist in conflict resolution. He worked as Foreign Policy State Advisor for the President of Azerbaijan between 1990-1999.
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2015
María Elena Velasco
Mexican actress, singer, director, and screenwriter (born 1940)
María Elena Velasco Fragoso was a Mexican actress, comedian, singer-songwriter and dancer. She was known for creating and portraying La India María, a comical character based on indigenous Mexican women.
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2015
Grace Lee Whitney
American actress (born 1930)
Grace Lee Whitney was an American actress and singer. Her entertainment career spanned over a half century in a variety of capacities in radio, on stage, in music as a singer and songwriter, in television and in movies.…
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2015
Olympia Dukakis
American actress (born 1931)
Olympia Dukakis was an American actress. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, in some 60 films, and in approximately 50 television series. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater.…
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2021
Gordon Lightfoot
Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1938)
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, he had…
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2023
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Notable deaths
Who died on May 1?
Walter de Gray — Archbishop of York (1215–1255) and Lord Chancellor of England (1205–1214)
FeaturedWalter de Gray
Death year1255
Known forHis uncle was John de Gray, who was a bishop and royal servant to King John of England
Deaths on this date79 (408 – 2023)
Explore May 1
Jump between the main pages for this date to compare events, people, and the daily quiz.
Also on May 1 in History
2026
After a ransomware attack by the group ShinyHunters, the education platform Canvas operated by private company Instructure, goes offline, affecting thousands of educational institutions. Wikipedia →
2024
The 2024 Loblaw boycott, a Canadian boycott against retail corporation and grocer Loblaw Companies, begins. Wikipedia →
2019
See all events on May 1
Naxalite attack in Gadchiroli district of India: Sixteen army soldiers, including a driver, killed in an IED blast. Naxals targeted an anti-Naxal operations team. Wikipedia →
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