April 30, 1945
56-year-old German Chancellor Adolf Hitler and his newly-wed bride Eva Braun reportedly commit suicide by taking cyanide capsules. Their bodies were taken to the garden outside, doused in petrol, and set on fire. Some accounts say Hitler shot himself as he bit down the cyanide capsule. In 2009, DNA tests were conducted on a skull Soviet officials had long believed to be Hitler’s. The tests and examination revealed that the skull was actually that of a woman less than 40 years old. Hitler married his mistress Eva Braun the previous day. Germany surrendered a week later, ending the war in Europe.
May 1, 1931
Empire State Building opens in New York City. At a height 1,250 feet, it was the world’s tallest building.
May 2, 2011
Osama bin Laden is killed in Pakistan by a U.S. military special operations unit. Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda organization are believed responsible for a series of bombings against the U.S., including the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and the 9/11 Attacks.