King Albert I of Germany is assassinated on May 1, 1308 near Windisch, Switzerland by his nephew John Parricida (John of Swabia). The killing was intended to stop King Albert I efforts to establish a hereditary Habsburg monarchy.
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On This Day in History: May 1
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on May 1st. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Cardinal Richelieu lays the foundation stone for the the Sorbonne Chapel (Church of Sainte-Ursule de la Sorbonne) in Paris on May 1 1635. It served as the spiritual heart of the Sorbonne and eventually housed his tomb, Designed by Jacques Lemercier, it remains the only 17th-century structure from that era still standing.
The Act of Union, uniting the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into a single political state, becomes effective on May 1, 1707 and Scotland and England formally became the single Kingdom of Great Britain. Whales had already been part of England since the 1500's.
The Ford Motor Company becomes one of the first companies to adopt a five-day, 40-hour workweek for workers in their factories. for its factory workers on May 1, 1926. A move that help change the way companies in America operated.
Before this change, factory workers at Ford and other companies typically worked six days a week for up to 60 hours. This left workers with little time for rest or leisure, and they often struggled to balance work with family and personal commitments. It wasn't until 1940 that the 40 hour work week became law. More
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The New York City’s Empire State Building was dedicated and officially open, on May 1, 1931, 45 five days ahead of its original projected opening date, becoming the tallest building in the world at the time. President Herbert Hoover, pressed a button in the White House that turned on the building’s lights for the first time, Construction costs were about $41M ($550M in 2023 money) and $20M under budget. The Site was previously occupied by the Waldorf -Astoria Hotel which opened in 1890. Official records indicate that 5 workers died during construction, although 14 deaths were reported by local News. More
An American U-2 spy plane flying at 60,000 feet was shot down over Sverdlovsk in central Russia. The pilot, CIA agent Francis Gary Powers, survived the crash, and was tried, convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. More
Mountaineer, Jim Whittaker, became the first American to summit Mount Everest, reaching the 29,035-foot peak alongside Sherpa Nawang Gombu on May 1, 1963. He famously ran out of oxygen near the summit and survived by successfully managing risks in the "death zone".
Whittaker was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. He was part of the 1963 (First) American Mount Everest Expedition, organized by the American Alpine Club and led by Norman Dyhrenfurth. He was also the first American to summit K2 and led the 1990 Everest International Peace Climb. Whittaker was the first full-time employee of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) and later served as the outdoor retailer's CEO. His twin brother and renowned mountain guide was Lou Whittaker. Jim Whittaker passed away on April 9, 2026, in Port Townsend, Washington.
United States President George W. Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq, on May 1, 2003 roughly six weeks after the invasion began on March 20, 2003 and after the swift collapse of Saddam Hussein’s Ba'athist government. President Bush delivered the speech aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, with a banner behind him prominently featuring the phrase "Mission Accomplished."
While major organized combat against the Iraqi Army had concluded, this speech marked the beginning of a long insurgency and sectarian violence in Iraq, with U.S. forces remaining in the country for eight more years until the final withdrawal on December 8, 2011.The "Mission Accomplished" moment became highly symbolic and controversial.
The EU's largest enlargement in its history takes place as, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, along with the island of Malta and the Greek portion of the island of Cyprus joined the European Union (EU). This expansion unified Europe after decades of division and strengthened the EU politically, economically, and culturally.
A massive immigration reform protest, known as the "Great American Boycott," takes place on May 1, 2006, across the United States following similar large protests on May 25 and April 11 2006.