1. On May 2, 1890, the Oklahoma Territory was established. This land had been designated as Indian Territory, but with the passage of the Oklahoma Organic Act, it was opened up for settlement and became the 46th state to join the United States in 1907.

2. In 1933, Oklahoma experienced one of its worst natural disasters on May 2. The Woodward tornado struck the city, killing at least 107 people and injuring over 1,000. It remains one of the deadliest tornadoes in Oklahoma history.

3. May 2, 1902 marks the birth of Thomas P. Stafford in Weatherford, Oklahoma. Stafford would go on to become a decorated Air Force pilot and NASA astronaut, flying four manned missions and being a key figure in the Apollo program.

4. The Oklahoma City bombing occurred on April 19, but it was on May 2, 1995 that Timothy McVeigh was captured by law enforcement in Perry, Oklahoma. McVeigh, who had carried out the bombing that killed 168 people, was later convicted and executed.

5. On May 2, 1920, the first issue of the Tulsa Tribune was published. This newspaper would go on to play a controversial role in the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, with some historians arguing that its inflammatory coverage helped to incite the violence that left hundreds of Black residents dead or injured.