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 2nd


- Christian Feast Day
- Flag Day (Poland)
- Holiday of the Region of Madrid (Community of Madrid)
- National Education Day (Indonesia)
- Teacher's Day (Iran)
- The last day of the Festival of Ridván (Bahá'í Faith)
- The second day of Labour Day (Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia)

May 2nd


- 2008 - Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless.
- 2004 - Yelwa massacre of more than 630 nomad Muslims by Christians in Nigeria.
- 2003 - From the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, US President George W. Bush announced in a nationally televised address in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner that major combat operations in Iraq had ended.
- 2002 - Marad massacre of eight Hindus near Palakkad in Kerala.
- 2000 - President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military.
- 1999 - Panamanian election, 1999: Mireya Moscoso becomes the first woman to be elected President of Panama.
- 1998 - The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy.
- 1995 - During the Croatian War of Independence, Serb forces fire cluster bombs at Zagreb, killing 7 and wounding over 175 civilians.
- 1994 - In a bus disaster in Poland, 32 people die.
- 1982 - Falklands War: The British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
- 1972 - In the early morning hours a fire broke out at the Sunshine mine located between Kellogg and Wallace, ID, killing 91 workers.
- 1969 - The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City.
- 1964 - First ascent of Shishapangma the fourteenth highest mountain in the world and the lowest of the Eight-thousanders.
- 1964 - Vietnam War: An explosion sinks the USS Card while docked at Saigon. Viet Cong forces are suspected of placing a bomb on the ship.
- 1963 - Berthold Seliger launches a rocket with three stages and a maximum flight altitude of more than 100 kilometres near Cuxhaven. It is the only sounding rocket developed in Germany.
- 1955 - Tennessee Williams wins the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
- 1952 - The world's first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1 makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg.
- 1946 - The "Battle of Alcatraz" takes place, killing two guards and three inmates.
- 1945 - World War II: Fall of Berlin: The Soviet Union announces the capture of Berlin and Soviet soldiers hoist their red flag over the Reichstag building.
- 1945 - World War II: Italian Campaign – General Heinrich von Vietinghoff signs the official instrument of surrender of all Wehrmacht forces in Italy.
- 1945 - World War II: The US 82nd Airborne Division liberates Wöbbelin concentration camp finding 1000 dead inmates, most starved to death.
- 1933 - Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler bans trade unions.
- 1932 - Comedian Jack Benny's radio show airs for the first time.
- 1920 - The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- 1918 - General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware.
- 1889 - Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with Italy, which gives Italy control over Eritrea.
- 1885 - Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time.
- 1885 - Cree and Assiniboine warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion.
- 1885 - The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium.
- 1879 - The Spanish Socialist Worker's Party is founded in Casa Labra Pub (city of Madrid) by the historical Spanish workers' leader Pablo Iglesias.
- 1876 - The April Uprising breaks out in Bulgaria.
- 1866 - Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao.
- 1863 - American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He succumbs to pneumonia eight days later.
- 1829 - After anchoring nearby, Captain Charles Fremantle of the HMS Challenger, declares the Swan River Colony in Australia.
- 1816 - Marriage of Léopold of Saxe-Coburg and Charlotte Augusta.
- 1808 - Outbreak of the Peninsular War: The people of Madrid rise up in rebellion against French occupation. Francisco de Goya later memorializes this event in his painting The Second of May 1808.
- 1672 - John Maitland becomes Duke of Lauderdale and Earl of March.
- 1670 - King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America.
- 1568 - Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle.
- 1559 - John Knox returns from exile to Scotland to become the leader of the beginning Scottish Reformation.
- 1536 - Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
- 1335 - Otto the Merry, Duke of Austria, becomes Duke of Carinthia.
- 1230 - William de Braose is hanged by Prince Llywelyn the Great.
- 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter.

May 2nd


- 2000 - Angel Sy, Filipina child actor
- 1990 - Kay Panabaker, American actor
- 1988 - Lara Liang, Taiwanese-American Singer
- 1987 - Nana Kitade, Japanese singer
- 1987 - Kris Russell, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 - James Kirk, Canadian actor
- 1986 - Emily Hart, American actress
- 1985 - Lily Allen, English singer and songwriter
- 1985 - Kyle Busch, American racing driver
- 1985 - Sarah Hughes, American figure skater
- 1985 - David Nugent, English footballer
- 1985 - Jarrod Saltalamacchia, American baseball player
- 1985 - Ashley Harkleroad, American tennis player
- 1984 - Saulius Mikoli?nas, Lithuanian footballer
- 1984 - Thabo Sefolosha, American basketball player
- 1983 - Christa Rigozzi, Swiss model
- 1983 - Daniel Sordo, Spanish rally driver
- 1982 - Lorie, French singer
- 1982 - Johan Botha, South African cricketer
- 1981 - Tiago Mendes, Portuguese footballer
- 1981 - Matt Murray, English footballer
- 1981 - Chris Kirkland, English footballer
- 1981 - Robert Buckley, American actor
- 1980 - Tim Borowski, German footballer
- 1980 - Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canadian skateboarder
- 1980 - Miloš Glogovac, Serbian footballer
- 1980 - Zat Knight, English footballer
- 1980 - Troy Murphy, American basketball player
- 1980 - Brad Richards, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 - Roman Lyashenko, Russian ice hockey player (d. 2003)
- 1979 - Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1978 - Steve Bays, Canadian musician
- 1978 - Intars Busulis, Latvian singer, trombone player
- 1978 - Melvin Ely, American basketball player
- 1978 - Mike Weaver, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1977 - Luke Hudson, American baseball player
- 1977 - Jenna von Oy, American actress
- 1977 - Fredrik Malm, Swedish politician
- 1975 - David Beckham, English footballer
- 1975 - Eva Santolaria, Spanish actress
- 1974 - Horacio Carbonari, Argentine former footballer
- 1974 - Garđar Thór Cortes, Icelandic tenor
- 1974 - Andy Johnson, Welsh footballer
- 1973 - Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, German film director and screenwriter
- 1972 - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, American professional wrestler and actor
- 1972 - Paul Adcock, English footballer
- 1972 - Pandora Boxx, American drag queen and reality tv personality
- 1971 - Musashimaru K?y?, American Samoan sumo wrestler, the 67th Yokozuna
- 1969 - Brian Lara, Trinidadian West Indies cricketer
- 1968 - Hikaru Midorikawa, Japanese voice actor
- 1968 - Jeff Agoos, American footballer
- 1968 - Ziana Zain, Malaysian singer and actress
- 1967 - Bengt Ĺkerblom, Swedish ice hockey player (d. 1995)
- 1967 - Mika Brzezinski, American journalist
- 1966 - Belinda Stronach, Canadian politician
- 1965 - Félix José, Dominican baseball player
- 1962 - Elizabeth Berridge, American actress
- 1962 - Ray Traylor, American wrestler (d. 2004)
- 1962 - Jimmy White, English snooker player
- 1962 - Mitzi Kapture, American actress
- 1961 - Phil Vickery, English celebrity chef
- 1961 - Stephen Daldry, English film director
- 1961 - Steve James, English snooker player
- 1959 - Alan Best, Canadian animation director and producer
- 1959 - Tony Wakeford, English musician (Sol Invictus)
- 1958 - David O'Leary, Irish football manager and player
- 1956 - David Rhodes, English guitarist
- 1956 - Amir Mokri, Iranian-born American cinematographer
- 1955 - Donatella Versace, Italian fashion designer
- 1954 - Roberta Pedon, American glamour model (d. 1982)
- 1954 - Stephen Venables, British mountaineer
- 1953 - Valery Gergiev, Russian-born conductor
- 1952 - Christine Baranski, American actress
- 1952 - Mari Natsuki, Japanese singer, dancer and actress
- 1950 - Duncan Gay, Australian politician
- 1950 - Lou Gramm, American vocalist (Foreigner)
- 1950 - Bianca Jagger, Nicaraguan socialite
- 1949 - Alan Titchmarsh, English television presenter
- 1948 - Larry Gatlin, American musician
- 1946 - Lesley Gore, American singer
- 1946 - David Suchet, English actor
- 1945 - Sarah Weddington, American attorney
- 1945 - Gene Deckerhoff, American sports announcer
- 1945 - Judge Dread, English musician (d. 1998)
- 1942 - Jacques Rogge, Belgian International Olympic Committee president
- 1941 - Clay Carroll, American baseball player
- 1939 - Sumio Iijima, Japanese physicist
- 1938 - Chief Moshoeshoe II of Lesotho (d. 1996)
- 1937 - Lorenzo Music, American actor (d. 2001)
- 1936 - Engelbert Humperdinck, Indian-born singer
- 1936 - Michael Rabin, American violinist (d. 1972)
- 1935 - King Faisal II of Iraq (d. 1958)
- 1935 - Lance LeGault, American actor
- 1935 - Luis Suárez Miramontes, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1932 - Maury Allen, American sportswriter
- 1930 - Marco Pannella, Italian politician and activist
- 1929 - Link Wray, American guitarist (d. 2005)
- 1929 - Édouard Balladur, French Prime Minister
- 1928 - Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, third king of Bhutan (d. 1972)
- 1927 - Ray Barrett, Australian actor (d. 2009)
- 1926 - Gérard D. Lévesque, Quebec politician (d. 1993)
- 1925 - Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor (d. 2007)
- 1925 - John Neville, English theatre and film actor
- 1924 - Theodore Bikel, Austrian-born actor and singer
- 1924 - Jamal Abro, Sindhi writer (d. 2004)
- 1922 - A.M. Rosenthal, Canadian-born newspaper editor (d. 2006)
- 1922 - Serge Reggiani, Italian-born French singer and actor (d. 2004)
- 1921 - Satyajit Ray, Indian director (d. 1992)
- 1920 - Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss conductor (d. 2004)
- 1920 - Otto Buchsbaum, Austrian writer and ecological activist (d. 2000)
- 1917 - Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder
- 1915 - Doris Fisher, American songwriter (d. 2003)
- 1915 - Peggy Mount, English actress (d. 2001)
- 1913 - Nigel Patrick, English actor (d. 1981)
- 1912 - Axel Cäsar Springer, German publisher (d. 1985)
- 1910 - Alexander Bonnyman, U.S. Marine (d. 1943)
- 1907 - Pinky Lee, American vaudeville performer (d. 1993)
- 1906 - Philippe Halsman, American photographer (d. 1979)
- 1906 - Aileen Riggin, American swimmer (d. 2002)
- 1903 - Benjamin Spock, American pediatrician and author (d. 1998)
- 1898 - Henry Hall, British bandleader (d. 1989)
- 1897 - J. Fred Coots, American songwriter (d. 1985)
- 1896 - Helen of Greece and Denmark, queen of Romania (d. 1982)
- 1895 - Lorenz Hart, American lyricist (d. 1943)
- 1894 - Joseph Henry Woodger, British theoretical biologist (d. 1981)
- 1892 - Manfred von Richthofen, German World War I pilot – the Red Baron (d. 1918)
- 1890 - E. E. Smith, American writer (d. 1965)
- 1887 - Vernon Castle, English dancer (d. 1918)
- 1887 - Eddie Collins, American baseball player (d. 1951)
- 1886 - Gottfried Benn, German author (d. 1956)
- 1885 - Hedda Hopper, American gossip columnist (d. 1966)
- 1881 - Alexander Kerensky, Russian politician (d. 1970)
- 1879 - James F. Byrnes, American statesman, and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1972)
- 1873 - Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Lithuanian poet (d. 1944)
- 1865 - Clyde Fitch, American playwright (d. 1909)
- 1860 - Theodor Herzl, Austrian journalist/Zionist (d. 1904)
- 1859 - Jerome Klapka Jerome, English writer (d. 1927)
- 1843 - Elijah McCoy, Canadian-born Inventor (d. 1929)
- 1828 - Désiré Charnay, French archaeologist (d. 1915)
- 1810 - Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer (d. 1874)
- 1808 - Emma Wedgwood, English naturalist, wife of Charles Darwin, (d. 1896)
- 1806 - Catherine Labouré, French visionary and saint (d. 1876)
- 1802 - Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (d. 1870)
- 1773 - Henrik Steffens, Norwegian philosopher (d. 1845)
- 1772 - Novalis, German writer (d. 1801)
- 1750 - John André, British Army officer of the American Revolutionary War (d. 1780)
- 1740 - Elias Boudinot, President of the American Continental Congress (d. 1821)
- 1737 - William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1805)
- 1729 - Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia (d. 1796)
- 1702 - Friedrich Christoph Oetinger, German theologian (d. 1782)
- 1695 - Giovanni Niccolo Servandoni, Italian-born architect (d. 1766)
- 1660 - Alessandro Scarlatti, Italian composer (d. 1725)
- 1601 - Athanasius Kircher, German Jesuit scholar (d. 1680)
- 1551 - William Camden, English historian (d. 1623)
- 1458 - Leonor of Viseu, queen of Portugal (d. 1525)
- 1451 - René II, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1508)
- 1360 - Yongle, Emperor of China (d. 1424)