# What happened on August 2 in history?

**Date:** August 2  
**Events recorded:** 49  
**Years spanned:** 338 BC – 2014  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/august/2/

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## Featured Event

**2005** — Air France Flight 358 lands at Toronto Pearson International Airport and runs off the runway, causing the plane to burst into flames, leaving 12 injuries and no fatalities.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_358)

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## Events on this date

- **338 BC** — A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Macedonian_army))
- **216 BC** — The Carthaginian army led by Hannibal defeats a numerically superior Roman army at the Battle of Cannae. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage))
- **49 BC** — Caesar, who marched to Spain earlier in the year, leaving Marcus Antonius in charge of Italy, defeats Pompey's general Afranius and Petreius in Ilerda (Lerida) north of the Ebro river. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Caesar))
- **461** — Majorian is arrested near Tortona (northern Italy) and deposed by the Suebian general Ricimer as puppet emperor. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majorian))
- **932** — After a two-year siege, the city of Toledo, in Spain, surrenders to the forces of the Caliph of Córdoba Abd al-Rahman III, assuming an important victory in his campaign to subjugate the Central March. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toledo%2C_Spain))
- **1274** — Edward I of England returns from the Ninth Crusade and is crowned King seventeen days later. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I))
- **1343** — After the execution of her husband, Jeanne de Clisson sells her estates and raises a force of men with which to attack French shipping and ports. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_de_Clisson))
- **1377** — Russian troops are defeated by forces of the Blue Horde Khan Arapsha in the Battle on Pyana River. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Horde))
- **1415** — Thomas Grey is executed for participating in the Southampton Plot. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Grey_(conspirator)))
- **1492** — The Jews are expelled from Spain: 40,000–200,000 leave. Sultan Bayezid II of the Ottoman Empire, learning of this, dispatches the Ottoman Navy to bring the Jews safely to Ottoman lands, mainly  to the cities of Thessaloniki (in modern-day Greece) and İzmir (in modern-day Turkey). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expulsion_of_Jews_from_Spain))
- **1610** — During Henry Hudson's search for the Northwest Passage, he sails into what is now known as Hudson Bay. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Hudson))
- **1776** — The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence takes place. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signing_of_the_United_States_Declaration_of_Independence))
- **1784** — The first British mail coach service runs from Bristol to London. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_coach))
- **1790** — The first United States Census is conducted. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1790_United_States_census))
- **1798** — French Revolutionary Wars: The Battle of the Nile concludes in a British victory. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolutionary_Wars))
- **1830** — July Revolution: Charles X of France abdicates the throne in favor of his grandson Henri. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_Revolution))
- **1858** — The Government of India Act 1858 replaces Company rule in India with that of the British Raj. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_India_Act_1858))
- **1869** — Japan's Edo society class system is abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_society))
- **1870** — Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London, England, United Kingdom. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Subway))
- **1873** — The Clay Street Hill Railroad begins operating the first cable car in San Francisco's famous cable car system. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Street_Hill_Railroad))
- **1897** — Anglo-Afghan War: The Siege of Malakand ends when a relief column is able to reach the British garrison in the Malakand states. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Afghan_War))
- **1903** — The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising against the Ottoman Empire begins. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilinden%E2%80%93Preobrazhenie_Uprising))
- **1914** — World War I: The German occupation of Luxembourg begins. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I))
- **1916** — World War I: Austrian sabotage causes the sinking of the Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci in Taranto. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austria-Hungary))
- **1918** — The first general strike in Canadian history takes place in Vancouver. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_strike))
- **1922** — A typhoon hits Shantou, Republic of China, killing more than 50,000 people. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1922_Shantou_typhoon))
- **1923** — U.S. Vice President Calvin Coolidge becomes president upon the death of President Warren G. Harding. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge))
- **1932** — The positron (antiparticle of the electron) is discovered by Carl D. Anderson. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positron))
- **1934** — Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler becomes Führer of Germany following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancellor_of_Germany))
- **1937** — The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed in America, the effect of which is to render marijuana and all its by-products illegal. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marihuana_Tax_Act_of_1937))
- **1939** — Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard write a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging him to begin the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear weapon. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein))
- **1943** — The Holocaust: Jewish prisoners stage a revolt at Treblinka, one of the deadliest of Nazi death camps where approximately 900,000 persons were murdered in less than 18 months. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust))
- **1943** — World War II: After the Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 is rammed and sunk by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri, Lt. John F. Kennedy, future U.S. president, saves all but two of his crew. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1944** — ASNOM: Birth of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, celebrated as Day of the Republic in North Macedonia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-fascist_Assembly_for_the_National_Liberation_of_Macedonia))
- **1944** — World War II: The largest trade convoy of the world wars arrives safely in the Western Approaches. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convoy_HX_300))
- **1945** — World War II: The Potsdam Conference ends. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potsdam_Conference))
- **1947** — A British South American Airways Avro Lancastrian airliner crashes into a mountain during a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile. The wreckage would not be found until 1998. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_South_American_Airways))
- **1968** — An earthquake hits Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines killing more than 270 people and wounding 261. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Casiguran_earthquake))
- **1973** — A flash fire kills 50 people at the Summerland amusement centre at Douglas, Isle of Man. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summerland_disaster))
- **1980** — A bomb explodes at the railway station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna_massacre))
- **1982** — The Helsinki Metro, the first rapid transit system of Finland, is opened to the general public. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Metro))
- **1985** — Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Air_Lines_Flight_191))
- **1989** — Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations after having restored democracy for the first time since 1972. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan))
- **1989** — A massacre is carried out by an Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 64 ethnic Tamil civilians. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_Valvettiturai_massacre))
- **1990** — Iraqi invasion of Kuwait: Iraq invades Kuwait and temporarily establishes the Republic of Kuwait puppet state on the orders of Saddam Hussein, eventually leading to the Gulf War. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_invasion_of_Kuwait))
- **1991** — Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-43 to deploy the TDRS-5 satellite. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Atlantis))
- **1999** — The Gaisal train disaster claims 285 lives in Assam, India. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaisal_train_collision))
- **2005** — Air France Flight 358 lands at Toronto Pearson International Airport and runs off the runway, causing the plane to burst into flames, leaving 12 injuries and no fatalities. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_358))
- **2014** — At least 146 people were killed and more than 114 injured in a factory explosion in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Kunshan_explosion))

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## Notable births on August 2

- **2006** — **Héctor Fort** — Spanish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9ctor_Fort))
- **2000** — **Varvara Gracheva** — Russian tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varvara_Gracheva))
- **2000** — **Mohammed Kudus** — Ghanaian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Kudus))
- **1999** — **Mark Lee** — Korean-Canadian singer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_(rapper)))
- **1997** — **Austin Theory** — American wrestler ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Theory))
- **1996** — **Keston Hiura** — American baseball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keston_Hiura))
- **1996** — **Simone Manuel** — American swimmer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_Manuel))
- **1995** — **Kristaps Porziņģis** — Latvian basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristaps_Porzi%C5%86%C4%A3is))
- **1995** — **Vikkstar123** — English internet personality ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikkstar123))
- **1994** — **Cr1TiKaL** — American YouTuber and streamer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cr1TiKaL))

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## Notable deaths on August 2

- **2023** — **Nitin Chandrakant Desai** — Indian art director, production designer, and film and television producer (born 1965) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitin_Chandrakant_Desai))
- **2022** — **Vin Scully** — American sportscaster and game show host (born 1927) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vin_Scully))
- **2020** — **Suzanne Perlman** — Hungarian-Dutch visual artist (born 1922) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Perlman))
- **2017** — **Judith Jones** — American literary and cookbook editor (born 1924) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Jones))
- **2016** — **Terence Bayler** — New Zealand actor (born 1930) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Bayler))
- **2016** — **David Huddleston** — American actor (born 1930) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Huddleston))
- **2016** — **Franciszek Macharski** — Polish cardinal (born 1927) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciszek_Macharski))
- **2016** — **Ahmed Zewail** — Egyptian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1946) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Zewail))
- **2015** — **Forrest Bird** — American pilot and engineer (born 1921) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Bird))
- **2015** — **Giovanni Conso** — Italian jurist and politician, Italian Minister of Justice (born 1922) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Conso))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/august/2/](https://thisday.info/events/august/2/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.