Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.
On 2, Sunday May 1869, Florence Stawell, classical scholar, born (died 1936)
On 2, Wednesday May 1894, Joseph Henry Woodger, British theoretical biologist, born (d. 1981)
On 2, Friday May 1919, Weimar Republic troops and the Freikorps occupy Munich, and crush the Bavarian Soviet Republic.
On 2, Friday May 1919, Gustav Landauer, German anarchist, died (b. 1870; assassinated)
On 2, Saturday May 1959, 1959 FA Cup Final: Nottingham Forest defeats Luton Town 2–1.
On 2, Saturday May 1959, Alan Best, Canadian animation director and producer, born
On 2, Friday May 1969, Brian Lara, West Indian cricketer, born
On 2, Friday May 1969, Franz von Papen, Prussian-German nobleman, general and politician, 22nd Chancellor of Germany and 26th Prime Minister of Prussia, died (b. 1879)
On 2, Wednesday May 1979, Jason Chimera, Canadian ice hockey player, born
On 2, Wednesday May 1979, Giulio Natta, Italian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate, died (b. 1903)
On 2, Tuesday May 1989, The first crack in the Iron Curtain: Hungary dismantles 150 miles (240 km) of barbed wire fencing along the border with Austria.
On 2, Tuesday May 1989, The coalition government of Prime Minister of the Netherlands Ruud Lubbers collapses in a dispute about a pollution cleanup plan.
On 2, Tuesday May 1989, Giuseppe Siri, Italian Roman Catholic cardinal, died (b. 1906)
On 2, Monday May 1994, William Albertini, English cricketer, died (b. 1913)
On 2, Monday May 1994, Dorothy Marie Donnelly, American poet, died (b. 1908)
On 2, Sunday May 1999, Andre Dozzell, English footballer, born
On 2, Sunday May 1999, Oliver Reed, English actor, died (b. 1938)
On 2, Saturday May 2009, Augusto Boal, Brazilian theatre director, died (b. 1931)
On 2, Saturday May 2009, Jack Kemp, American politician and football player, died (b. 1935)
On 2, Friday May 2014, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., American actor, died (b. 1918)
Other On This Day days in history
Neville Buch