| Holiday name | Holiday location | Holiday type |
|---|---|---|
| Day of Madrid | Spain (Madrid) | Local Holiday |
| National Truffle Day | - | Unofficial (Food & Drinks) |
| National Life Insurance Day | - | Unofficial (Awareness & Cause) |
| National Day of Reason | - | Unofficial (Culture & History) |
| World Password Day | - | Unofficial (Products & Technology ) |
| National Day of Prayer | United States | Observance |
| World Tuna Day | - | International (Animals, United Nations) |
| Spring and Labor Day Holiday | Russia | National Holiday |
| Labor Day observed | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Public Holiday |
| Labour Day/May Day (day 2) | Montenegro | National Holiday |
| Day of the Flag | Poland | Observance |
| Labor holiday second day | Serbia | National Holiday |
| Labour Day holiday | Slovenia | National Holiday |
| National Skilled Trades Day | - | Unofficial (Work & Occupation) |
Historical Events on May 2
- 1863: After surveying the Battle of Chancellorsville, General Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire. Eight days later, he’ll succumb to pneumonia.
- 1879: Pablo Iglesias founds the Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party in Madrid.
- 1885: Canadian forces are defeated by Assiniboine and Cree Native American warriors at the Battle of Cut Knife during the North West Rebellion.
- 1885: King Léopold II of Belgium founds the Congo Free State.
- 1918: Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware is acquired by General Motors.
- 1920: The Negro National Baseball League plays its first game in Indianapolis, Indiania.
- 1933: During the process of Gleichschaltung, trade unions are banned by Adolf Hitler.
- 1945: Berlin falls to Soviet forces during World War II.
- 1945: Wehrmacht forces in Italy officially surrender when General Heinrich von Vietinghoff signs a declaration of surrender during WWII.
- 1945: Wöbbelin Concentration Camp is liberated by the United States 82nd Airborne Division during World War II; Upon taking the camp, American airborne discover over 1,000 dead prisoners – the majority of which were starved to death.
- 1955: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof wins Tennessee Williams the Pulitzer Prize for Drama on this day.
- 1964: The USS Card is sunk by a bomb planted by a NVA frogman during the Vietnam War. The ship is raised and returned to service in under 7 months.
- 1986: 6-days after the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, the city of Chernobyl is finally evacuated.
- 1994: 32 people are killed when a bus crashes in Gdansk, Poland.
Famous Birthdays on May 2
- Russian Catherine the Great is born in 1729.
- Irish-English 2nd Earl of Shelburne and Prime Minister of the U.K., William Petty is born in 1737.
- Spanish composer Vicente Martín y Soler is born in 1754.
- German chemist and physicist, Heinrich Gustav Magnus is born in 1802.
- Canadian-American engineer, Elijah McCoy is born in 1843.
- American engineer and author, E.E. Smith is born in 1890.
- German captain and pilot Manfred von Richthofen (The Red Baron) is born in 1892.
- American-Canadian wrestler and actor, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is born in 1972.
