What Happened on May 1?

May 1 is International Workers' Day — a global celebration of labor rights — on the same date the Empire State Building opened in 1931, the U.S. Navy defeated Spain at Manila Bay in 1898, and Gwendolyn Brooks became the first Black author to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1950.

• 1707 — The Acts of Union create the Kingdom of Great Britain

  On May 1, 1707, England and Scotland united under one parliament and one monarch, forming the Kingdom of Great Britain. Read the full story →

• 1898 — U.S. Navy destroys the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay

  Commodore George Dewey's squadron crushed the Spanish Pacific fleet in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898 — a decisive opening victory in the Spanish-American War. Read the full story →

• 1931 — The Empire State Building opens in New York City

  President Herbert Hoover pressed a button in Washington, D.C., to light the Empire State Building on May 1, 1931 — opening the world's tallest skyscraper at 1,454 feet. Read the full story →

• 1950 — Gwendolyn Brooks becomes the first Black author to win a Pulitzer Prize

  On May 1, 1950, poet Gwendolyn Brooks won the Pulitzer for Poetry for Annie Allen — the first African American to receive any Pulitzer Prize. Read the full story →

• 1960 — Soviet forces shoot down an American U-2 spy plane

  A Soviet missile downed CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers's U-2 reconnaissance aircraft over the USSR on May 1, 1960, wrecking a planned superpower summit. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Joseph Heller (1923–1999) · Judy Collins (1939) · Tim McGraw (1967) · Calamity Jane (1852–1903)

Days & observances

International Workers' Day (May Day) · Law Day (United States) · Loyalty Day (United States) · National Mother Goose Day