Holidays Calendar for May 2, 2020
May 2 is a public holiday in Bhutan. It is the birth anniversary of the Third Druk Gyalpo (King of Bhutan). Besides, it is also celebrated as Teachers' Day because it was the Third Druk Gyalpo who began the modernization of the country and established a modern educational system.
Death anniversary of Zhabdrung (Zhabdrung Kurchoe) is a public holiday and national day of mourning in Bhutan. It is observed on the 4th day of the 10th month of the Bhutanese calendar. This date falls in April or May in the Gregorian calendar.
Harry Potter fans around the globe celebrate International Harry Potter Day annually on May 2. Its date was chosen to commemorate the Battle of Hogwarts, the climactic event of the Harry Potters saga that resulted in the defeat of Lord Voldemort and his followers.
International Scurvy Awareness Day is observed annually on May 2. It was created to raise awareness of the dangers of vitamin C deficiency and remind people about the importance of a healthy and balanced diet.
Astronomy Day is a bi-annual event, that is observed by astronomy enthusiasts, groups and professionals. The event originally started in the USA, but it spread to the other countries.
World Naked Gardening Day (WNGD) is an annual gardening event held across the world on the first Saturday of May (with some exceptions). It is mostly celebrated by two categories of people: avid gardeners and naturists (and, of course, by those who are both avid gardeners and naturists).
World Ankylosing Spondylitis Day, also known as World AS Day or WAS Day, is typically observed on the first Saturday of May, but it moves to the next Saturday if the first one falls on May 1. It was created to raise awareness of a form of arthritis that usually affects the joints where the spine meets the pelvis.
Teachers' Day in Iran is celebrated on May 2 each year. Initially it commemorated the martyrdom of Abulhassan Khan'ali, but later the government changed it to honor the martyrdom of Morteza Motahhari.
On May 2 each year, Indonesia celebrates National Education Day, also known as HARDIKNAS (abbreviation for Hari Pendidikan Nasional). It honors Ki Hajar Dewantara, a pioneer of education for native Indonesian during the colonial era.
Polish Diaspora Day (Dzień Polonii i Polaków za Granicą, literally “the Day of the Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad”) is an official holiday established by the Sejm of the Republic of Poland in 2002. It is celebrated on May 2, coinciding with the country’s Flag Day.
Flag Day in Poland has been celebrated annually on May 2 since 2004. Flag Day is considered a national holiday, but it is normally a working day unless it falls on a weekend.
The Day of Madrid (Fiesta de la Comunidad de Madrid) is celebrated in the Spanish autonomous community of Madrid on May 2. It marks the anniversary of an uprising against Napoleon’s troops on May 2, 1808. It was this uprising that caused the Peninsular War to escalate.
May 2 is National Truffle Day. This day honors deliciously sweet chocolate truffles, that everyone should enjoy today.
The first Saturday of May is Free Comic Book Day in the USA. This an annual promo effort by the North American comic book industry aimed to find new readers and attract them to comic book stores.
World Tuna Day is an official United Nations observance instituted in 2016. It is observed on May 2. World Tuna Day is designed to raise awareness of the importance of sustainably managed tuna stocks.
Join Hands Day is an annual event launched by the American Fraternal Alliance and organized by Assured Life Association. Held on the first Saturday of May, it celebrates volunteering and its role in bringing different generations together.
National Homebrew Day is observed annually on the first Saturday of May. It was created to raise the profile of homebrewing and bring homebrewers from across the nation together to share and learn from each other.
Festivals on May 2, 2020
- Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles, USA
- Festival Accès Asie in Montreal, Canada
- Docudays UA International Human Rights Film Festival in Kyiv, Ukraine
- World Amigurumi Exhibition in New York, USA
This Day in History
- 2014 A pair of mudslides occurred in Argo District, Afghanistan. According to different reports, the number of casualties varies from 350 to 2,700.
- 2011 Died: Osama bin Laden, Saudi Arabian terrorist who founded al-Qaeda, the militant organization responsible for numerous terrorist attacks.
- 2005 Died: Robert Hunter, Canadian journalist, author, environmentalist, and politician who is primarily remembered as a co-founder of Greenpeace.
- 1998 Died: hide (stage name of Hideto Matsumoto), Japanese musician, singer, and songwriter considered one of the founders of the visual key movement.
- 1997 Died: John Eccles, Australian neurophysiologist who was awarded the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the synapse.
- 1995 During the Croatian War of Independence, Serb armed forces conducted a series of two artillery rockets attacks at Zagreb, killing 7 people and injuring 214.
- 1985 Born: Lily Allen, English singer, songwriter, television presenter and actress. Her best known songs include Smile, The Fear, and Fuck You.
- 1982 The Royal Navy submarine HMS Conqueror sunk the Argentine Navy light cruiser ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands War.
- 1979 Died: Giulio Natta, Italian chemist who was awarded the 1963 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (along with Karl Ziegler) for his work on high polymers.
- 1975 Born: David Beckham, English former professional footballer who was the first English player to win league titles in four countries. He retired in 2013.
- 1972 Died: J. Edgar Hoover, American statesman who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 1935 until his death in 1972.
- 1964 Members of a Chinese expedition became the first people to ascend the Tibetan mountain Shishapangma, the 14th highest mountain in the world.
- 1957 Died: Joseph McCarthy, American politician who served as a Republican US Senator from Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957.
- 1955 Born: Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer, Vice President and chief designer of the Versace Group, younger sister of Gianni Versace.
- 1952 The first production commercial jetliner de Havilland DH 106 Comet made its maiden flight from London to Johannesburg with 36 passengers on board.
- 1946 Born: David Suchet, English stage, film, and television actor best known for his role as detective Hercule Poirot on the series Agatha Christie's Poirot.
- 1945 The Battle in Berlin during the Second World War ended. Soviet soldiers entered the city and hoisted their red flag over the Reichstag building.
- 1945 Died: Martin Bormann, German statesman and politician who was a prominent official in Nazi Germany as head of the Nazi Party Chancellery.
- 1933 Adolf Hitler banned all trade unions in Germany. They were replaced by the German Labor Front, to which all workers had to belong.
- 1903 Born: Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician best known for his book Baby and Child Care. His ideas influenced several generations of parents.
- 1892 Born: Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron, German fighter pilot during the First World War considered the top ace of the war.
- 1860 Born: Theodor Herzl (born Benjamin Ze'ev Herzl), Austro-Hungarian journalist, writer, playwright and political activist considered the founder of Zionism.
- 1859 Born: Jerome K. Jerome, English writer and humorist best known for his 1889 humorous account Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog).
- 1857 Died: Alfred de Musset, French poet, playwright, and novelist best known for his 1836 work The Confession of a Child of the Century.
- 1808 The people of Madrid started a rebellion against the occupation of the city by the French Imperial forces. it is known as the Dos de Mayo uprising.
- 1729 Born: Catherine II of Russia, also known as Catherine the Great, the most renowned and the longest-ruling female leader of Russia.
- 1670 King Charles II of England established the Hudson's Bay Company (as The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay).
- 1602 Born: Athanasius Kircher, German Jesuit priest and polymath best known for his contribution to the fields of medicine, geology, and Oriental studies.
- 1536 Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, was arrested and taken to the Tower of London on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
- 1519 Died: Leonardo da Vinci, Italian painter, sculptor, musician, polymath, inventor, and writer who was probably the most diversely talented person ever to have lived.