1840: The world’s first adhesive postage stamp is issued in the United Kingdom. The Penny Black shows a portrait of Queen Victoria. Despite its historical significance, the stamp can be bought for around £25 as over 68 million copies were distributed.
1925: The world’s largest trade union is founded. The All-China Federation of Trade Unions has more than 300 million members.
1930: Pluto was officially named. The name Pluto was suggested by 11-year-old Venetia Burney when she heard about the discovery of a new planet. The idea was forwarded to the scientists, and the name was officially adopted on this day.
1931: On May 1, 1931, President Herbert Hoover officially dedicates New York City’s Empire State Building, pressing a button from the White House that turns on the building’s lights. Hoover’s gesture, of course, was symbolic; while the president remained in Washington, D.C., someone else flicked the switches in New York.
1940: The world’s first postage stamp was released in England; it was created by Sir Rowland Hill and became known as the Penny Black.
1945: Adolf Hitler’s death is announced on German radio. As the Soviet flag is raised over the Reich Chancellery, the German people are informed that “our leader, Adolf Hitler, has fallen for Germany, fighting to his last breath against Bolshevism.”
1961: Fidel Castro declares Cuba a socialist nation and bans elections. A month after Cuban troops had fought off a U.S.-backed military invasion at the Bay of Pigs, Castro announces that “The revolution has no time for elections.”
1967: On the morning of May 1, 1967, in an intimate wedding before only 14 guests, music sensation Elvis Presley marries non-celebrity Priscilla Beaulieu in an eight-minute civil ceremony in a private suite at Las Vegas’ famed Aladdin Hotel. The couple wants to keep the nuptials very private, so they ditch reporters by flying on a private jet from Palm Springs in the wee hours and arriving in Las Vegas at 4 a.m.
1978: Naomi Uemura becomes the first person to reach the North Pole alone.
The Japanese adventurer is also credited with the first solo ascent of Mount McKinley and the first solo rafting of the Amazon River. He disappeared in 1984 during a winter ascent of Mount McKinley.
1995: The International Press Institute reports that the secret police have for some time been harassing writer Niyi Oniororo, publisher of the newspaper People’s News (1 May 1995). He had recently published A Rotten Country, “a satirical novel about a corrupt and unscrupulous African dictator.” According to the same source, people selling and reading the book were also being harassed.
1998: United Action for Democracy (UAD) organizes a public protest against the adoption of Abacha as consensus presidential candidate by the parties; protesting youths take to the sheets, attacking the homes of Abacha’s leading supporters in the South West, (the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Azeez Arisekola Alao and Adedibu). Seven others die.
BIRTHS ON THIS DAY: May 1
Kizz Daniel, 30 years
Oluwatobiloba Daniel Anidugbe was born on 1 May 1994 and is better known as Kizz Daniel. He is a Nigerian singer and songwriter. He rose to fame in 2014 with his debut single, “Woju”. He signed a record deal with G-Worldwide Entertainment in 2013 but left the label following a publicized contract dispute and court case.
Elizabeth Anne Greene, 21 years
Elizabeth Anne Greene is an American actress who was born on May 1, 2003. Known for her titular role as Dawn Harper in the Nickelodeon sitcom Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn from 2014 to 2018. She has starred as Sophie Dixon in the ABC family drama A Million Little Things from 2018 and 2023.
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