So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

May 1st


- Earliest date on which National Day of Prayer can fall, while May 7 is the latest; celebrated on the first Thursday in May. (United States)
- May 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- All-female festival in honour of Bona Dea (Roman Empire)
- Beginning of Summer observances (see April 30):
- Christian Feast Day
Augustin Schoeffer
- Andeolus
- Brioc
- James the Less
- Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker (Roman Catholic optional feast)
- Philip the Apostle
- Sigismund of Burgundy
- Constitution Day Marshall Islands
- EuroMayDay (Western Europe)
- Fourth and last day of the Floralia (Roman Empire)
- International Workers' Day (International):
- Law Day, U.S.A. (United States)
- Lei Day (Hawaii)
- Loyalty Day, formerly intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labour Day. (United States)
- Maharashtra Day and Gujarat Day in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat respectively to commemorate the formation of the two states.
- Moving Day, the traditional day to move households in New York City, from the colonial period to c.1945.
- National Love Day, couples flock to the memorial of the poet Karel Hynek Mácha in Prague and kiss. (Czech Republic)
- The first day of Yotaka Matsuri (Fukuno, Toyama)

May 1st


- 2009 - Same-sex marriage is legalized in Sweden.
- 2008 - The London Agreement on translation of European patents, concluded in 2000, enters into force in 14 of the 34 Contracting States to the European Patent Convention.
- 2007 - the Los Angeles May Day mêlée occurs, in which the Los Angeles Police Department's response to a May Day pro-immigration rally become a matter of controversy.
- 2006 - The Puerto Rican government closes the Department of Education and 42 other government agencies due to significant shortages in cash flow.
- 2004 - Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.
- 2003 - 2003 invasion of Iraq: In what becomes known as the "Mission Accomplished" speech, on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (off the coast of California), U.S. President George W. Bush declares that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended".
- 2001 - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares the existence of "a state of rebellion", hours after thousands of supporters of her arrested predecessor, Joseph Estrada, storm towards the presidential palace at the height of the EDSA III rebellion.
- 1995 - Croatian forces launch Operation Flash during the Croatian War of Independence.
- 1994 - Three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna is killed in an accident during the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola.
- 1991 - Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics steals his 939th base, making him the all-time leader in this category. However, his accomplishment is overshadowed later that evening by Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers, when he pitches his seventh career no-hitter, breaking his own record.
- 1990 - The former Philippine Episcopal Church (supervised by the Episcopal Church of the United States of America) was granted full autonomy and raised to the status of an Autocephalous Anglican Province and renamed the Episcopal Church of the Philippines.
- 1989 - Disney-MGM Studios opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States.
- 1987 - Pope John Paul II beatifies Edith Stein, a Jewish-born Carmelite nun who was gassed in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz.
- 1983 - Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis is awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.
- 1982 - The 1982 World's Fair opens in Knoxville, Tennessee.
- 1982 - Operation Black Buck: The Royal Air Force attacks the Argentine Air Force during Falklands War.
- 1978 - Japan's Naomi Uemura, travelling by dog sled, becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
- 1977 - 36 people are killed in Taksim Square, Istanbul, during the Labour Day celebrations.
- 1971 - Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) is formed to take over U.S. passenger rail service.
- 1970 - Protests erupt in Seattle, Washington, following the announcement by U.S. President Richard Nixon that U.S. Forces in Vietnam would pursue enemy troops into Cambodia, a neutral country.
- 1965 - Battle of Dong-Yin, a naval conflict between ROC and PRC, takes place.
- 1961 - The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.
- 1960 - Formation of the western Indian states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
- 1960 - Cold War: U-2 incident – Francis Gary Powers, in a Lockheed U-2 spyplane, is shot down over the Soviet Union, sparking a diplomatic crisis.
- 1956 - The polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk is made available to the public.
- 1956 - A doctor in Japan reports an "epidemic of an unknown disease of the central nervous system", marking the official discovery of Minamata disease.
- 1950 - Guam is organized as a United States commonwealth.
- 1948 - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is established, with Kim Il-sung as leader.
- 1947 - Portella della Ginestra massacre against May Day celebrations in Sicily by the bandit and separatist leader Salvatore Giuliano; 11 persons were killed and 33 wounded.
- 1946 - Start of 3 year Pilbara strike of Indigenous Australians.
- 1946 - The Paris Peace Conference concludes that the islands of the Dodecanese should be returned to Greece by Italy.
- 1945 - World War II: A German newsreader officially announces that Adolf Hitler has "fallen at his command post in the Reich Chancellery fighting to the last breath against Bolshevism and for Germany".
- 1945 - The Yugoslav partisans free Trieste.
- 1941 - World War II: German forces launch a major attack on Tobruk.
- 1940 - The 1940 Summer Olympics are cancelled due to war.
- 1931 - The Empire State Building is dedicated in New York City.
- 1930 - The dwarf planet Pluto is officially named.
- 1927 - The first cooked meals on a scheduled flight are introduced on an Imperial Airways flight from London to Paris.
- 1927 - The Union Labor Life Insurance Company is founded by the American Federation of Labor.
- 1925 - The All-China Federation of Trade Unions is officially founded. Today it is the largest trade union in the world, with 134 million members.
- 1915 - The RMS Lusitania departs from New York City on her two hundred and second, and final, crossing of the North Atlantic. Six days later, the ship is torpedoed off the coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 lives, including 128 Americans, rousing American sentiment against Germany.
- 1901 - The Pan-American Exposition opens in Buffalo, New York.
- 1900 - The Scofield mine disaster kills over 200 men in Scofield, Utah in what is to date the fifth-worst mining accident in United States history.
- 1898 - Spanish-American War: The Battle of Manila Bay – the United States Navy destroys the Spanish Pacific fleet in the first battle of the war.
- 1894 - Coxey's Army, the first significant American protest march, arrives in Washington, D.C.
- 1893 - The World's Columbian Exposition opens in Chicago.
- 1886 - Rallies were held throughout the United States demanding the eight-hour work day culminating in the Haymarket Affair.
- 1885 - The original Chicago Board of Trade Building opened for business.
- 1884 - Proclamation of the demand for eight-hour workday in the United States.
- 1884 - Moses Fleetwood Walker became the first black person to play in a professional baseball game in the United States.
- 1875 - Alexandra Palace reopens after the 1873 fire burnt it down.
- 1869 - The Folies Bergère opens in Paris.
- 1865 - The Empire of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay sign the Treaty of the Triple Alliance
- 1863 - American Civil War: The Battle of Chancellorsville begins.
- 1852 - The Philippine peso is introduced into circulation.
- 1851 - Queen Victoria opens the Great Exhibition in London.
- 1846 - The few remaining Mormons left in Nauvoo, Illinois, formally dedicate the Nauvoo Temple.
- 1844 - Hong Kong Police Force, the world's second, Asia's first modern police force is established.
- 1840 - The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp, is issued in the United Kingdom.
- 1834 - The British colonies abolish slavery.
- 1786 - Opening night of the opera The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Vienna, Austria.
- 1785 - Kamehameha I, the king of Hawai?i defeats Kalanikupule and establishes the Kingdom of Hawai?i.
- 1778 - American Revolution: The Battle of Crooked Billet begins in Hatboro, Pennsylvania.
- 1776 - Establishment of the Illuminati in Ingolstadt (Upper Bavaria), by Jesuit-taught Adam Weishaupt.
- 1759 - Josiah Wedgwood founds the Wedgwood pottery company in Great Britain.
- 1753 - Publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy adopted by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
- 1751 - The first cricket match is played in America.
- 1707 - The Act of Union joins the Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1576 - Stefan Batory, the reigning Prince of Transylvania, marries Anna Jagiellon and they become the co-rulers of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- 1328 - Wars of Scottish Independence end: Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton – the Kingdom of England recognises the Kingdom of Scotland as an independent state.
- 880 - The Nea Ekklesia is inaugurated in Constantinople, setting the model for all later cross-in-square Orthodox churches.
- 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor.

May 1st


- 1997 - Ariel Gade, American actress
- 1991 - Creagen Dow, American actor
- 1989 - Tim Urban, American singer
- 1988 - Anushka Sharma, Indian actress and model
- 1988 - Nicholas Braun, American actor
- 1987 - Marcus Drum, Australian Rules Football
- 1987 - Matt Di Angelo, English actor
- 1987 - Shahar Pe'er, Israeli tennis player
- 1987 - Glen Coffee, American football player
- 1986 - Adam Casey, Australian footballer
- 1986 - Christian Benítez, Ecuadorian footballer
- 1986 - Brent Stanton, Australian rules footballer
- 1985 - Drew Sidora, American actress
- 1984 - David Backes, American ice hockey player
- 1984 - Patrick Eaves, American ice hockey player
- 1984 - Alexander Farnerud, Swedish footballer
- 1984 - Farah Fath, American actress
- 1984 - Keiichiro Koyama, Japanese musician (NEWS)
- 1984 - Mark Seaby, Australian Rules footballer
- 1983 - The Human Tornado (Craig Williams), American professional wrestler
- 1983 - Alain Bernard, French swimmer
- 1982 - Tommy Robredo, Spanish tennis player
- 1982 - Darijo Srna, Croatian football player
- 1981 - Derek Asamoah, Ghanaian footballer
- 1981 - Aliaksandr Hleb, Belarusian footballer
- 1981 - Wes Welker, American football player
- 1980 - Jay Reatard, American musician (d. 2010)
- 1980 - Ana Claudia Talancón, Mexican actress
- 1980 - Jan Heylen, Belgian racing driver
- 1979 - Mauro Bergamasco, Italian rugby player
- 1979 - Ben Easter, American actor
- 1979 - Michael Harvey, British musical artist
- 1978 - Sachie Hara, Japanese actress
- 1978 - Nick Traina, American singer (Link 80) (d. 1997)
- 1977 - Vera Lischka, Austrian swimmer, politician
- 1976 - Darius McCrary, American actor
- 1975 - Austin Croshere, American basketball player
- 1975 - Marc-Vivien Foé, Cameroonian footballer (d. 2003)
- 1975 - Jodhi May, British actress
- 1975 - Alexey Smertin, Russian footballer
- 1974 - Kellie Crawford, Australian singer (Hi-5)
- 1973 - Mike Jesse, German footballer
- 1973 - Curtis Martin, American football player
- 1973 - Oliver Neuville, German footballer
- 1972 - Julie Benz, American actress
- 1971 - Ethan Albright, American football player
- 1971 - Ajith Kumar, Indian film actor
- 1969 - Wes Anderson, American director and writer
- 1969 - Billy Owens, American basketball player
- 1968 - Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer
- 1968 - Sol Kyung-gu, South Korean actor
- 1968 - Denise Masino, American Female bodybuilder
- 1968 - D'arcy Wretzky, American musician (The Smashing Pumpkins)
- 1967 - Tim McGraw, American musician
- 1966 - Charlie Schlatter, American actor
- 1966 - Olaf Thon, German football player
- 1964 - Yvonne van Gennip, Dutch speed skater
- 1964 - Lady Sarah Chatto, daughter of Princess Margaret
- 1962 - Maia Morgenstern, Romanian actress
- 1962 - Ted Sundquist, General Manager of the Denver Broncos
- 1961 - Marilyn Milian, current judge on The People's Court
- 1960 - Steve Cauthen, American jockey
- 1959 - Lawrence Seeff, South African cricketer
- 1957 - Kow Otani, Japanese composer
- 1956 - Catherine Frot, French actress
- 1955 - Martin O'Donnell, American composer
- 1955 - Nick Feldman, English musician
- 1954 - Ray Parker Jr., American singer and songwriter
- 1954 - Joel Rosenberg, science fiction author
- 1953 - Glen Ballard, American songwriter and record producer
- 1951 - Antony Worrall Thompson, English celebrity chef
- 1950 - Dann Florek, American actor
- 1950 - Danny McGrain, Scottish footballer
- 1949 - Tim Hodgkinson, English composer and musician (Henry Cow)
- 1949 - Paul Teutul, Sr., founder of Orange County Choppers
- 1948 - Patricia Hill Collins, American black-feminist and scholar
- 1947 - Sergio Infante, Chilean poet and writer
- 1946 - Joanna Lumley, English actress
- 1946 - John Woo, Hong Kong director
- 1945 - Rita Coolidge, American singer
- 1944 - Suresh Kalmadi, Indian politician
- 1943 - Vassal Gadoengin, Nauruan politician (d. 2004)
- 1940 - Elsa Peretti, Italian jewelry designer
- 1939 - Judy Collins, American folk singer
- 1939 - Max Robinson, American broadcast journalist (d. 1988)
- 1939 - Victor Davies, Canadian composer
- 1937 - Una Stubbs, English actress
- 1935 - Ann Robinson, American actress
- 1934 - Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Mexican politician
- 1934 - Joan Hackett, American actress (d. 1983)
- 1934 - Shirley Horn, American jazz singer and pianist (d. 2005)
- 1930 - Little Walter, American blues singer (d. 1968)
- 1930 - Richard Riordan, American politician, former mayor of Los Angeles
- 1929 - Ralf Dahrendorf, German-born sociologist and politician (d. 2009)
- 1929 - Sonny James, American country music singer and songwriter
- 1928 - Desmond Titterington, Northern Irish racer (d. 2002)
- 1926 - Peter Lax, Hungarian mathematician
- 1925 - Chuck Bednarik, American football player
- 1925 - Scott Carpenter, American astronaut
- 1924 - Art Fleming, American game show host (d. 1995)
- 1924 - Karel Kachy?a, Czech film director (d. 2004)
- 1924 - Terry Southern, American screenwriter (d. 1995)
- 1923 - Joseph Heller, American novelist (d. 1999)
- 1919 - Lewis Hill, American pacifist and founder of Pacifica Radio (d. 1957)
- 1919 - Manna Dey, Indian singer
- 1919 - Dan O'Herlihy, Irish film actor (d. 2005)
- 1919 - Mohammed Karim Lamrani, Prime Minister of Morocco
- 1918 - Gersh Budker, Russian physicist (d. 1977)
- 1918 - Jack Paar, American television host (d. 2004)
- 1917 - John Beradino, American actor and baseball player (d. 1996)
- 1917 - Danielle Darrieux, French singer and actress
- 1917 - Ahron Soloveichik, Orthodox Jewish rabbi (d. 2001)
- 1916 - Glenn Ford, Canadian actor (d. 2006)
- 1915 - Archie Williams, American athlete (d. 1993)
- 1913 - Louis Nye, American comedian and actor (d. 2005)
- 1913 - Walter Susskind, Czech conductor (d. 1980)
- 1912 - Otto Kretschmer, German U-Boat commander (d. 1998)
- 1910 - Dr. J. Allen Hynek, Astronomer/astro-physicist; noted UFO investigator (d. 1986)
- 1909 - Yiannis Ritsos, Greek poet, winner of the Lenin Peace Prize, 9 times nominee for the Nobel Prize (d. 1990)
- 1908 - Giovanni Guareschi, Italian journalist (d. 1968)
- 1907 - Oliver Hill, civil rights attorney (d. 2007)
- 1907 - Kate Smith, American singer (d. 1986)
- 1906 - Horst Schumann, Nazi physician (d. 1983)
- 1905 - Paul Desruisseaux, French Canadian lawyer, businessman and politician (d. 1982)
- 1905 - Henry Koster, German film director (d. 1988)
- 1901 - Heinz Eric Roemheld, American film composer (d. 1985)
- 1901 - Antal Szerb, Hungarian author and historian (d. 1945)
- 1896 - Herbert Backe, German Nazi politician (d. 1947)
- 1896 - Mark Wayne Clark, American general (d. 1984)
- 1896 - J. Lawton Collins, American general (d. 1987)
- 1887 - Alan Gordon Cunningham, British army officer (d. 1983)
- 1885 - Ralph Stackpole, American sculptor, painter (d. 1973)
- 1884 - Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe, British politician, naval officer and racing driver (d. 1964)
- 1881 - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French palaeontologist and philosopher (d. 1955)
- 1872 - Sidónio Pais, Portuguese military and politician (d. 1918)
- 1864 - Anna Jarvis, American founder of Mother's Day (d. 1948)
- 1857 - Theo Van Gogh, Dutch art dealer (d. 1891)
- 1852 - Calamity Jane, American Wild West performer (d. 1903)
- 1852 - Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Spanish neuroscientist, Nobel laureate (d. 1934)
- 1851 - Laza Lazarevi?, Serbian writer and psychiatrist (d. 1891)
- 1850 - Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Governor General of Canada (d. 1942)
- 1831 - Emily Stowe, Canadian physician and suffragist (d. 1903)
- 1829 - José de Alencar, Brazilian novelist (d. 1877)
- 1804 - Aleksey Khomyakov, Russian poet (d. 1860)
- 1769 - Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Anglo-Irish statesman (d. 1852)
- 1738 - King Kamehameha I, King of Hawaii (d. 1819)
- 1730 - Sir Joshua Rowley, 1st Baronet, Royal Navy admiral (d. 1790)
- 1672 - Joseph Addison, English politician and writer (d. 1719)
- 1594 - John Haynes, Massachusetts colonial magistrate
- 1585 - Sophia Olelkovich Radziwill, Belarusian saint (d. 1612)
- 1582 - Marco da Gagliano, Italian composer (d. 1643)
- 1285 - Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel, English politician (d. 1326)
- 1225 - Jean de Joinville, French writer (d. 1317)
- 1218 - John I, Count of Hainaut (d. 1257)
- 1218 - Rudolph I of Germany, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (d. 1291)