Died On May 1st

Discover the most famous people who died on May 1. The list includes people like Joseph Goebbels, Ayrton Senna, David Livingstone, Dave Goldberg, Eldridge Cleaver. Famous personalities featured on this list, include political leaders, journalists, historians and spiritual & religious leaders and from other domains of life. This list includes people from United States, United Kingdom, Germany and many more countries.
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 1 
Ayrton Senna
(One of the Greatest F1 Drivers in the History of the Sport)
Ayrton Senna
40
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: March 21, 1960
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: São Paulo, Brazil
Died: 1994

Ayrton Senna was a Brazilian racing driver. Widely considered one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, Ayrton had won the prestigious F1 World Drivers' Championship thrice. Following his fatal accident in 1994, several safety improvements were introduced to the sports' set-up; higher crash safety standards, redesigned tracks, and improved crash barriers became part of the sport.

 2 
Miss Elizabeth
(American Professional Wrestler and Wrestling Manager)
Miss Elizabeth
29
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: November 19, 1960
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Frankfort, Kentucky, United States
Died: 2003
Height: 5'4" (163 cm)
 3 
Antonín Dvořák
(One of the First Czech Composers to Achieve Worldwide Recognition)
Antonín Dvořák
4
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: September 8, 1841
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Prague, Czech Republic
Died: 1904

Antonín Dvořák was a Czech composer who achieved worldwide recognition for his works. His life and career inspired the 1980 historical biographical film Concert at the End of Summer, in which Dvořák was played by actor Josef Vinklář. Canadian children's author Ian Krykorka has based many of his works on some of Antonín Dvořák's operas.

 4 
David Livingstone
(Scottish Physician, Explorer and Missionary)
David Livingstone
13
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 19, 1813
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Scotland
Died: 1873

David Livingstone was a Scottish physician who played a major role at the London Missionary Society, where he was a pioneer Christian missionary. He is also remembered for his work as a missionary in Africa. Widely considered one of the most famous British heroes of the late Victorian era, Livingstone was mentioned in the 100 Greatest Britons list in 2002.

 5 
Olympia Dukakis
(Best Known for Her Role as ‘Rose Castorini’ in the Film ‘Moonstruck’)
Olympia Dukakis
21
Birthdate: June 20, 1931
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Lowell, Massachusetts, United States
Died: 2021
Olympia Dukakis gained recognition for her Obie Award-winning performance in the play Man Equals Man. She was also seen as Rose Castorini in Moonstruck, a role that earned her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. Fans also loved her in the TV film Lucky Day and the miniseries Sinatra.
 6 
Eldridge Cleaver
(American Writer and Political Activist who Became an Early Leader of the Black Panther Party)
Eldridge Cleaver
17
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: August 31, 1935
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Wabbaseka, Arkansas
Died: 1998
 7 
Spike Jones
(Musician)
Spike Jones
3
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: December 14, 1911
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Long Beach, California, United States
Died: 1965
 8 
Aram Khachaturian
(Composer)
Aram Khachaturian
12
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: June 6, 1903
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Tbilisi
Died: 1978
 9 
Henry Cooper
(British Heavyweight Boxer Best Remembered for His Fight Against Muhammad Ali)
Henry Cooper
3
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: May 3, 1934
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lambeth, London, England, United Kingdom
Died: 2011

One of Britain’s greatest heavyweight boxers, Henry Cooper was known for his signature move, the left hook known as Enry's 'Ammer. Known for his warm personality, he was liked even by his opponents. He almost won against Muhammad Ali in 1963 and 1966. He remains the only boxer to be knighted.

 10 
Grace Lee Whitney
7
Birthdate: April 1, 1930
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Died: 2015
Height: 5'8" (173 cm)
 11 
Ranasinghe Premadasa
(Third President of Sri Lanka)
Ranasinghe Premadasa
14
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: June 23, 1924
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Colombo, Sri Lanka
Died: 1993

Ranasinghe Premadasa was a Sri Lankan politician who served as the third president of Sri Lanka from 1989 to 1993. Before serving as the president, Premadasa served as the prime minister of Sri Lanka from 1978 to 1989. In 1986, he became the first Sri Lankan to receive the prestigious Sri Lankabhimanya, the country's highest civilian award.

 12 
María Elena Velasco
(Actress, Director)
María Elena Velasco
5
Birthdate: December 17, 1940
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Puebla, Mexico
Died: 2015
 13 
Madeleine LeBeau
(Former film actress who also appeared in American films, most notably Casablanca)
Madeleine LeBeau
2
Birthdate: June 10, 1923
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Antony, France
Died: 2016
 14 
Gene Markey
(Officer, Screenwriter)
Gene Markey
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: December 11, 1895
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Jackson
Died: 1980
 15 
Glenda Farrell
(Actress)
Glenda Farrell
2
Birthdate: June 30, 1904
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Enid, Oklahoma, United States
Died: 1971
Height: 5'3" (160 cm)
 16 
Arcadius
(Emperor)
Arcadius
1
Birthdate: January 1, 0377
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Hispania
Died: 0408
 17 
René Lalique
(Designer)
René Lalique
2
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 6, 1860
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Ay, Marne, France
Died: 1945
 18 
SM Nasimuddin SM Amin
(Businessperson)
SM Nasimuddin SM Amin
2
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: January 27, 1955
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia
Died: 2008
 19 
Ben Lexcen
(Australian Yachtsman and Marine Architect Famous for the Winged Keel Design Applied to 'Australia II' Yacht)
Ben Lexcen
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: March 19, 1936
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Boggabri, Australia
Died: 1988

Ben Lexcen was abandoned by his laborer parents in childhood and quit school at 14 to become a locomotive mechanic's apprentice. He later focused on designing sailboats. He later scripted history by designing Australia II, the first non-American yacht to win America's Cup. He also designed the boat’s revolutionary winged keel.

 20 
Oscar Swahn
(Sport Shooter)
Oscar Swahn
1
Listed In: Sportspersons
Birthdate: October 20, 1847
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Götaland, Sweden
Died: 1927
 21 
Sylvia Townsend Warner
(Novelist)
Sylvia Townsend Warner
1
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: December 6, 1893
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Harrow on the Hill, Harrow, England
Died: 1978
 22 
Mihály Munkácsy
(Former Painter who earned international reputation with his genre pictures and large-scale biblical paintings)
Mihály Munkácsy
0
Birthdate: February 20, 1844
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Mukachevo, Ukraine
Died: 1900
 23 
Augustine Mahiga
(Diplomat, Politician)
Augustine Mahiga
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: August 28, 1945
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Tosamaganga, Iringa District Iringa, Tanganyika (territory) Tanganyika
Died: 2020
 24 
Pierre Bérégovoy
(Former Prime Minister of France)
Pierre Bérégovoy
1
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: December 23, 1925
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Déville-lès-Rouen, France
Died: 1993

Pierre Bérégovoy had started his career as a metal worker and a machinist at age 16. He formally entered politics with trade unions and joined the Socialist Party, gradually rising up the ranks to become the prime minister of France. He shot himself to death after resigning amid corruption allegations.

 25 
Anthony Mamo
(Political Leader)
Anthony Mamo
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: January 9, 1909
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Birkirkara, Malta
Died: 2008
 26 
Chris Kelly
(Musical artist)
Chris Kelly
10
Listed In: Musicians
Birthdate: August 11, 1978
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Died: 2013
 27 
Mike Lowry
(Politician)
Mike Lowry
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: March 8, 1939
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Saint John, Washington, United States
Died: 2017
 28 
Weetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray
(Engineer)
Weetman Dickinson Pearson, 1st Viscount Cowdray
1
Listed In: Engineers
Birthdate: July 15, 1856
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Yorkshire, England
Died: 1927
 29 
Magda Goebbels
(Wife of Nazi Germany's Propaganda Minister ‘Joseph Goebbels’ and Political Supporter of ‘Adolf Hitler’)
Magda Goebbels
22
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: November 11, 1901
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: 1945

Magda Goebbels was one of the most important members of the Nazi Party. Due to her closeness with Adolf Hitler, Goebbels is sometimes referred to as the unofficial first lady of Nazi Germany, although she was married to Joseph Goebbels. At the end of the Second World War, Joseph and Magda Goebbels killed their six children and committed suicide.

 30 
Paul Gustav Fischer
(Painter)
Paul Gustav Fischer
0
Birthdate: July 22, 1860
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Copenhagen, Denmark
Died: 1934

Paul Gustav Fischer was a Danish painter best remembered for his depiction of popular cities like Copenhagen. Although his paintings were not critically acclaimed during his lifetime, Fischer's art sold well and he exhibited his artworks frequently.

 31 
Jean Coralli
(French Ballet Dancer and Choreographer, Best Known for Collaborating with 'Jules Perrot' in Creating 'Giselle')
Jean Coralli
0
Listed In: Dancers
Birthdate: January 15, 1779
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: 1854

Best known for co-creating the romantic ballet Giselle with Jules Perrot, Jean Coralli was associated with La Scala in Milan and Porte-Saint-Martin Theater in Paris. The famed ballet dancer and choreographer, who was the son of a Théâtre Italien comedian, also excelled in works such as La Péri and La Tentation.

 32 
Solomon W. Golomb
(Mathematician)
Solomon W. Golomb
0
Listed In: Scientists
Birthdate: May 30, 1932
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Died: 2016
 33 
Pope Pius V
(Pope)
Pope Pius V
4
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 17, 1504
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bosco Marengo, Italy
Died: 1572
 34 
Moshe Landau
(Judge of the Supreme Court of Israel from 1953 to 1982)
Moshe Landau
1
Listed In: Lawyers & Judges
Birthdate: April 29, 1912
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Gdańsk, Poland
Died: 2011

Moshe Landau was an Israeli judge who served as the judge of the Supreme Court of Israel from 1953 to 1982. He also served as the President of the Supreme Court of Israel from 1980 to 1982. In 1991, Moshe Landau was honored with the prestigious Israel Prize for law.

 35 
Butrus al-Bustani
(Syria's First Nationalist and Founder of the Bi-Weekly Magazine 'Al-Jinan')
Butrus al-Bustani
0
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: 1819 AD
Birthplace: Beirut, Lebanon
Died: 1883

Arabic scholar Butrus al-Bustani is best remembered for an Arabic dictionary and an Arabic encyclopaedia that he had penned. He also launched the political and literary review al-Jinān, or The Shield. Himself a Christian, he later became the first Syrian nationalist and worked toward cultural harmony in Syria.

 36 
Dave Goldberg
(Entrepreneur)
Dave Goldberg
2
Listed In: Business People
Birthdate: October 2, 1967
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: 2015
 37 
Israel Beer
(Spy)
Israel Beer
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: October 9, 1912
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: 1966
 38 
Joseph Goebbels
(German Nazi Politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda (1933 – 1945))
Joseph Goebbels
67
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: October 29, 1897
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Rheydt, Mönchengladbach, Germany
Died: 1945

As one of Adolf Hitler's most devoted and closest associates, Joseph Goebbels played an important role in making the Holocaust happen. He even urged Hitler to introduce measures, such as the shutting down of businesses which were not useful to the war effort, that eventually gave rise to total war. Subsequently, Hitler appointed him as Reich Plenipotentiary for Total War.

 39 
Henryk Ross
(Photographer)
Henryk Ross
0
Listed In: Photographers
Birthdate: May 1, 1910
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Died: 1991
 40 
Ejnar Mikkelsen
(Explorer)
Ejnar Mikkelsen
1
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: December 23, 1880
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Vester-Brønderslev, Denmark
Died: 1971
 41 
George Pravda
(Actor)
George Pravda
0
Birthdate: June 19, 1916
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Prague, Czechia
Died: 1985
 42 
Ōtomo no Yakamochi
(Japanese Statesman and Waka Poet in the Nara Period)
Ōtomo no Yakamochi
0
Listed In: Leaders
Birthdate: April 2, 0718
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Japan
Died: 0785

Born into the Ōtomo clan, which served as bureaucrats and personal guards of the imperial leaders, Ōtomo no Yakamochi began his political journey as the governor of Etchū. A skilled poet who excelled in waka poetry, he had also co-compiled one of the best works of classical Japanese poems, Man’yōshū.

 43 
Sergio Franchi
(Tenor)
Sergio Franchi
0
Listed In: Singers
Birthdate: April 6, 1926
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Codogno, Italy
Died: 1990
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 44 
Matilda of Scotland
(Queen)
Matilda of Scotland
1
Birthdate: 1080 AD
Birthplace: Dunfermline, Kingdom of Scotland
Died: 1118
 45 
Steve Reeves
(American Professional Bodybuilder and Actor)
Steve Reeves
8
Birthdate: January 21, 1926
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Glasgow, Montana, United States
Died: 2000
Height: 6'1" (185 cm)
 46 
Tom Tyler
(Actor)
Tom Tyler
1
Birthdate: August 9, 1903
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Port Henry, New York, United States
Died: 1954
Height: 6'2" (188 cm)
 47 
Kenneth Bancroft Clark
(Psychologist)
Kenneth Bancroft Clark
2
Listed In: Writers
Birthdate: July 14, 1914
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Panama Canal Zone, United States
Died: 2005
 48 
Princess Margaret of Connaught
(Princess)
Princess Margaret of Connaught
4
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: January 15, 1882
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bagshot Park, Surrey, England
Died: 1920
 49 
Isabella of Portugal
(Former Holy Roman Empress (1530 - 1539))
Isabella of Portugal
3
Birthdate: October 24, 1503
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Died: 1539

Isabella of Portugal was Holy Roman Empress and Queen consort of Italy by her marriage to Emperor Charles V. She also served as the Queen consort of Spain, Queen of the Romans, and Lady of the Netherlands from 1526 to 1539. Due to Emperor Charles V's constant travels, she was  the regent of Spain and under her regency Spain was quite prosperous .

 50 
Romolo Gessi
(Italian Soldier and Explorer Who Mapped Out the Last Unexplored Part of the Nile)
Romolo Gessi
0
Listed In: Miscellaneous
Birthdate: April 30, 1831
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Ravenna, Italy
Died: 1881

Romolo Gessi, also known as Gessi Pasha, was not just an Italian soldier but also an explorer who participated in the exploration of the Nile. He also became the first to circumnavigate Uaganda’s Lake Albert Nyanza. As a soldier, he served the British Empire in Sudan and the Crimea.