Closed one-forms on the two-sphere are exact ($H_{\mathrm{dR}}^1(S^2)=0$)

Remove the north pole and south pole separately. Each resulting chart is diffeomorphic to the plane, so the Poincaré lemma supplies local primitives of a closed one-form. Their difference has zero derivative on the connected overlap and is constant. Adjust one primitive by that constant and glue. This proves exactness without assuming a prior computation of de Rham cohomology.