On this day · Taurus

May 2 birthdays

293 notable historical figures were born on May 2, and 186 died on this day. Everyone born on May 2 is a Taurus.

17% of May 2 birthdays work in Arts & Music, more than any other field. More come from United States (68) than any other country.

Born on May 2

• David Beckham (born 1975. English footballer (born 1975))
• Dwayne Johnson (born 1972. American actor and wrestler (born 1972))
• Satyajit Ray (1921 to 1992. Indian filmmaker and writer (1921–1992))
• Christine Baranski (born 1952. American actress (born 1952))
• Theodor Herzl (1860 to 1904. Father of modern political Zionism (1860–1904))
• Lorenz Hart (1895 to 1943. American lyricist (1895–1943))
• Yongle (1360 to 1424. Emperor of China from 1402 to 1424)
• Faisal II (1935 to 1958. King of Iraq from 1939 to 1958)
• Novalis (1772 to 1801. German poet and writer (1772–1801))
• BamBam (born 1997. Thai rapper and singer (born 1997))
• Elena (1896 to 1982. Queen Mother of Romania (1896–1982))
• Athanasius Kircher (1602 to 1680. German Jesuit scholar and polymath (1602–1680))
• Tokugawa Hidetada (1579 to 1632. Japanese Samurai, Daimyo and Military ruler of Japan from 1605 to 1623)
• Patrick Hillery (1923 to 2008. President of Ireland from 1976 to 1990)
• Jigme Dorji Wangchuck (1929 to 1972. King of Bhutan from 1952 to 1972)
• Catherine Labouré (1806 to 1876. French Daughter of Charity and saint)
• Lily Allen (born 1985. English singer-songwriter and actress (born 1985))
• Emma Darwin (1808 to 1896. Wife of Charles Darwin (1808–1896))
• William Petty (1737 to 1805. Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1782 to 1783)
• Édouard Balladur (born 1929. French politician (born 1929))
• Elliot Goldenthal (born 1954. American composer (born 1954))
• Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (1938 to 1996. King of Lesotho (1966–90; 1995–96))
• Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia (1879 to 1956. Russian imperial Grand Duke (1879–1956))
• René II, Duke of Lorraine (1451 to 1508. Duke of Lorraine from 1473 to 1508)
• D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1860 to 1948. Scottish biologist, mathematician, and classics scholar)
• Gottfried Benn (1886 to 1956. German writer and physician (1886–1956))
• Gjorge Ivanov (born 1960. President of North Macedonia from 2009 to 2019)
• Ki Hajar Dewantara (1889 to 1959. Indonesian activist, politician and educator (1889–1959))
• Lone Scherfig (born 1959. Danish film director and screenwriter (born 1959))
• Vasily Rozanov (1856 to 1919. Russian writer and philosopher (1856–1919))
• Jules Wijdenbosch (1941 to 2025. President of Suriname from 1996 to 2000)
• Elias Boudinot (1740 to 1821. American politician, Founding Father of the United States (1740-1821))
• Duchess Alexandra of Oldenburg (1838 to 1900. Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Russia (1838–1900))
• Isyana Sarasvati (born 1993. Indonesian singer-songwriter (born 1993))
• Nikolai Rysakov (1861 to 1881. Russian revolutionary and assassin)
• Empress Xu (Ming dynasty) (1362 to 1407. Empress of China from 1402 to 1407)
• John Malcolm (1769 to 1833. Madras Army officer, diplomat and historian)
• B. B. Lal (1921 to 2022. Indian writer and archaeologist (1921–2022))
• Joan III, Countess of Burgundy (1308 to 1347. Countess of Burgundy and Artois from 1330 to 1347)
• Domitien Ndayizeye (born 1953. President of Burundi from 2003 to 2005)
• Antonio Maura (1853 to 1925. Spanish politician (1853–1925))
• Larissa Reissner (1895 to 1926. Russian writer and revolutionary (1895–1926))
• Neftalí Feliz (born 1988. Dominican baseball player (born 1988))
• Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879 to 1961. American educator and activist (1879–1948))
• Heinrich Gustav Magnus (1802 to 1870. German chemist and physicist (1802–1870))
• Nanase Ohkawa (born 1967. Japanese mangaka)
• Manfred von Richthofen (1892 to 1918. German World War I flying ace (1892–1918))
• Richard H. Anderson (businessman) (born 1955. American business executive)
• Henry Martyn Robert (1837 to 1923. American soldier, engineer, and author (1837–1923))
• Alan Nunn May (1911 to 2003. British physicist and Soviet spy (1911–2003))
• Naoki Satō (born 1970. Japanese composer (born 1970))
• Winston Chang (1941 to 1996. Taiwanese educator (1942–1996))
• Manuel Esquivel (1940 to 2022. Belizean politician (1940–2022))
• Sumio Iijima (born 1939. Japanese nanotechnologist (born 1939))
• Kim Yong-il (born 1944. North Korean politician (born 1944))
• David Suchet (born 1946. English actor (born 1946))
• Paul George (born 1990. American basketball player (born 1990))
• J. Fred Coots (1897 to 1985. American songwriter (1897–1985))
• Countess Charlotte of Hanau-Lichtenberg (1700 to 1726. Hereditary Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt)
• Caterina de' Medici, Governor of Siena (1593 to 1629. Governor of Siena from 1627 – 1629)

Died on May 2

• Osama bin Laden (1957 to 2011. Founder of al-Qaeda (1957–2011))
• Leonardo da Vinci (1452 to 1519. Italian polymath (1452–1519))
• Athanasius of Alexandria (296 to 373. Pope of Alexandria from 328 to 373)
• Paulo Freire (1921 to 1997. Brazilian educator (1921–1997))
• Ruth Rendell (1930 to 2015. English writer (1930–2015))
• Wee Kim Wee (1915 to 2005. President of Singapore from 1985 to 1993)
• Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791 to 1864. German-born opera composer (1791–1864))
• Alfred de Musset (1810 to 1857. French writer (1810–1857))
• Boris I (828 to 907. Knyaz of Bulgaria from 852 to 889)
• Clara Immerwahr (1870 to 1915. German chemist (1870–1915))
• Pridi Banomyong (1900 to 1983. Prime Minister of Thailand in 1946)
• Joseph McCarthy (1908 to 1957. American politician (1908–1957))
• Constanze Manziarly (1920 to 1945. Cook and dietitian to Adolf Hitler (1920–1945))
• William Beckford (novelist) (1760 to 1844. British writer and politician (1760–1844))
• Franz von Papen (1879 to 1969. German politician (1879–1969))
• George Pal (1908 to 1980. Hungarian-American animator, film director and producer (1908–1980))
• John Eccles (neurophysiologist) (1903 to 1997. Australian neurophysiologist (1903–1997))
• W. T. Tutte (1917 to 2002. British-Canadian codebreaker and mathematician (1917–2002))
• Blanche of Artois (1248 to 1302. Queen of Navarre from 1270 to 1274)
• Leo I, King of Armenia (1150 to 1219. King of Armenian Cilicia from 1198/99 to 1219)
• J. Edgar Hoover (1895 to 1972. American law enforcement administrator (1895–1972))
• Isaiah Shembe (1867 to 1935. Zulu religious leader and founder of the Nazareth Baptist Church)
• Gjon Kastrioti (1400 to 1437. 14th-15th century Albanian nobleman)
• Prince Augustus Ferdinand of Prussia (1730 to 1813. Prussian prince (1730–1813))
• Joseph Raz (1939 to 2022. Israeli philosopher (1939–2022))
• Bezmiâlem Sultan (1807 to 1853. Valide Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1839 to 1853)
• Martin Bormann (1900 to 1945. German Nazi politician (1900–1945))
• Robert Arthur Jr. (1909 to 1969. American writer (1909–1969))
• Emile Habibi (1922 to 1996. Palestinian-Israeli writer of Arabic literature and politician (1922-1996))
• Giulio Natta (1903 to 1979. Italian chemist (1903–1979))

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