1st May 1118 (908 Years)
Matilda of Scotland, born Edith, Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry I, died. 900 years.
1st May 1840 (186 Years)
The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom. 180 years.
1st May 1916 (110 Years)
Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford, Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that lasted more than 50 years, was born. 100 years.
1st May 1931 (95 Years)
The Empire State Building was officially opened in dramatic fashion, when US President Herbert Hoover turned on the building's lights, with the push of a button, from Washington, D.C. 85 years.
1st May 1941 (85 Years)
Citizen Kane, the American drama film by Orson Welles, its producer, co-author, director and star, premièred at the Palace Theatre in New York City. 75 years.
1st May 1948 (78 Years)
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is established, with Kim Il-sung as leader. 70 years.
2nd May 1519 (507 Years)
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, more commonly Leonardo da Vinci or simply Leonardo, the Italian polymath, died in Clos Lucé, Amboise, France. 500 years.
2nd May 1864 (162 Years)
Giacomo Meyerbeer, German opera composer and conductor, often described as the most successful stage composer of the nineteenth century, dies. 150 years
2nd May 1892 (134 Years)
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, widely known as the Red Baron, was born. 125 years.
2nd May 1892 (134 Years)
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, widely known as the Red Baron, was born. 125 years.
2nd May 1964 (62 Years)
Nancy Astor, the American-born British politician who was the first female MP, died. 60 years.
3rd May 1937 (89 Years)
Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel 'Gone with the Wind'. 80 years.
3rd May 1951 (75 Years)
King George VI inaugurated the Festival of Britain and opened the Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank. 65 years.
3rd May 1987 (39 Years)
Yolanda Cristina Gigliotti, better known as Dalida, Egyptian-born Italian singer and actress, died. 30 years.
4th May 1979 (47 Years)
Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister in the United Kingdom. 40 years
4th May 2000 (26 Years)
Ken Livingstone, English politician and former member of the Labour Party, becomes the first Mayor of London. 20 years.
5th May 1215 (811 Years)
Rebel barons renounce their allegiance to King John of England - part of a chain of events leading to the signing of the Magna Carta. 800 years.
5th May 1818 (208 Years)
Karl Marx, philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist and revolutionary socialist, was born. 200 years.
5th May 1891 (135 Years)
The Music Hall in New York City (later Carnegie Hall) had its grand opening with Tchaikovsky as the guest conductor. 125 years.
5th May 1961 (65 Years)
Alan Bartlett Shepard, American naval officer and aviator, one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts, became the first American to travel into space. 55 years.
6th May 1856 (170 Years)
Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist, known as the father of psychoanalysis, is born. 160 years.
6th May 1880 (146 Years)
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge" was born. 140 years.
6th May 1895 (131 Years)
The Italian-American film actor and sex symbol of the 1920s, Rudolph Valentino, was born. 125 years.
6th May 1915 (111 Years)
20-year-old pitcher Babe Ruth hits his first home run during his 18th time at bat in the major leagues. 105 years
6th May 1937 (89 Years)
The Hindenburg Disaster takes place in Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey. 80 years.