Who are famous people born on August 2?

Famous people born on August 2 include: Héctor Fort, Varvara Gracheva, Mohammed Kudus.

What famous people died on August 2?

Notable historical figures who died on August 2 include: Nitin Chandrakant Desai, Vin Scully, Suzanne Perlman.

August 2 in History

Q: What happened on August 2 in history?

On August 2, 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.

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

August 2 spans 49 recorded events across recorded history — from 338 BC – 2014. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · August 2 — Wikipedia

Historical Events 49 events 338 BC – 2014

Did you know

In 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. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surrounding region known as the Golden Horseshoe. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

Pearson is the largest and busiest airport in Canada, handling 46.8 million passengers in 2024. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

Pearson (1897–1972), the 14th Prime Minister of Canada and 1957 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for his humanitarian work in peacekeeping. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

In 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 had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

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.

Army of Philip II and Alexander the Great

The Kingdom of Macedon possessed one of the most effective and successful armies in the ancient world. It became noted for its speed of movement and proficiency in combat. After gaining an ascendancy in Greece the army was instrumental in the conquest of large swathes of territory stretching from Egypt in the west to India in the east. Initially of little account in the Greek world, Macedon was widely regarded as a second-rate power before being made formidable by Philip II, whose son and successor, Alexander the Great, conquered the Achaemenid Empire in just over a decade.

-338

The Carthaginian army led by Hannibal defeats a numerically superior Roman army at the Battle of Cannae.

Archaeological site in Tunisia

Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa founded by the legendary queen Dido on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classical world. It became the capital city of the civilization of Ancient Carthage and later Roman Carthage.

-216

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.

Roman general and dictator (100–44 BC)

Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general, statesman, and author who was the dictator of the Roman Republic almost continuously from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. A member of the First Triumvirate, he led the Roman armies through the Gallic Wars and defeated his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil war. He consolidated power and proclaimed himself dictator for life in 44 BC, helping create the political conditions that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and the emergence of the Roman Empire. For his role in these events, he is regarded as one of history’s most influential figures.

-49

Majorian is arrested near Tortona (northern Italy) and deposed by the Suebian general Ricimer as puppet emperor.

Western Roman emperor from 457 to 461

Majorian was Western Roman emperor from 457 to 461. A prominent commander in the Western military, Majorian deposed Avitus in 457 with the aid of his ally Ricimer at the Battle of Placentia. Possessing little more than Italy and Dalmatia, as well as some territory in Hispania and northern Gaul, Majorian campaigned vigorously for three years against the Empire's enemies. In 461, he was murdered at Dertona in a conspiracy, and his successors until the fall of the Empire in 476 were puppets either of barbarian generals or the Eastern Roman court.

461

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.

City in Castilla–La Mancha, Spain

Toledo is a city and municipality in Spain. It is the capital of the province of Toledo and the de jure seat of the government and parliament of the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha.

932

Edward I of England returns from the Ninth Crusade and is crowned King seventeen days later.

King of England from 1272 to 1307

Edward I, also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 to 1306 ruled Gascony as Duke of Aquitaine in his capacity as a vassal of the French king. Before his accession to the throne, he was commonly referred to as the Lord Edward.

1274

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.

Breton noblewoman and privateer (1300–1359)

Jeanne de Clisson (1300–1359), also known as Jeanne de Belleville and the Lioness of Brittany, was a French–Breton noblewoman who became a privateer to avenge her husband after he was executed for treason by King Philip VI of France. She crossed the English Channel, targeted French ships, and regularly slaughtered almost their entire crew. It was her practice to leave at least one sailor alive to carry her message of vengeance.

1343

Russian troops are defeated by forces of the Blue Horde Khan Arapsha in the Battle on Pyana River.

Mongol horde of the 13th-14th centuries

The Blue Horde was a crucial component of the Mongol Empire established after Genghis Khan's demise in 1227. Functioning as the eastern part of the split Golden Horde, it contrasted with the White Horde's western segment, adhering to the Mongolian and Turkic tradition of cardinal direction colors.

1377

Thomas Grey is executed for participating in the Southampton Plot.

English nobleman and conspirator in the Southampton Plot (1415)

Sir Thomas Grey, of Heaton Castle in the parish of Norham, Northumberland, was one of the three conspirators in the failed Southampton Plot against King Henry V in 1415, for which he was executed.

1415

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).

On 31 March 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, issued the Alhambra Decree, ordering all unconverted Jews to leave their kingdoms and territories by the end of July that year, unless they converted to Christianity. Motivated by a desire for religious unity following the completion of the Reconquista and amid fears that unconverted Jews were influencing conversos to revert to Judaism, the decree brought to an end more than a millennium of Jewish presence in the Iberian Peninsula. It also ranks among the most consequential events in Spanish and Jewish history.

1492

During Henry Hudson's search for the Northwest Passage, he sails into what is now known as Hudson Bay.

English explorer (c. 1565 – after 1611)

Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator during the early 17th century, best known for his explorations of present-day Canada and parts of the Northeastern United States.

1610

The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence takes place.

The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence occurred primarily on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. The 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress represented the Thirteen Colonies, 12 of the colonies voted to approve the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The New York delegation abstained because they had not yet received authorization from Albany to vote on the issue of independence. The Declaration proclaimed the Thirteen Colonies were now "free and independent States", no longer colonies of the Kingdom of Great Britain and, thus, no longer a part of the British Empire. The signers’ names are grouped by state, with the exception of John Hancock, as President of the Continental Congress; the states are arranged geographically from south to north, with Button Gwinnett from Georgia first, and Matthew Thornton from New Hampshire last.

1776

The first British mail coach service runs from Bristol to London.

Stagecoach that is used to carry mail

A mail coach is a public coach contracted to carry the mail. In Great Britain, Ireland, and Australia, they were built to a General Post Office-approved design operated by an independent contractor to carry long-distance mail for the Post Office. Mail was held in a box at the rear where the only Royal Mail employee, an armed guard, stood. Passengers were taken at a premium fare. There was seating for four passengers inside and more outside with the driver. The guard's seat could not be shared. This distribution system began in Britain in 1784. In Ireland the same service began in 1789, and in Australia it began in 1828.

1784

The first United States Census is conducted.

First US census

The 1790 United States census was the first United States census. It recorded the population of the whole United States as of Census Day, August 2, 1790, as mandated by Article 1, Section 2, of the Constitution and applicable laws. In the first census, the population of the United States was enumerated to be 3,929,214 inhabitants.

1790

French Revolutionary Wars: The Battle of the Nile concludes in a British victory.

1792–1802 wars

The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries. The wars are divided into two periods: the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797) and the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802). Initially confined to Europe, the fighting gradually assumed a global dimension. After a decade of constant warfare and aggressive diplomacy, France had conquered territories in the Italian peninsula, the Low Countries, and the Rhineland with its very large and powerful military which had been totally mobilized for war against most of Europe with mass conscription of the vast French population. French success in these conflicts ensured military occupation and the spread of revolutionary principles over much of Europe.

1798

July Revolution: Charles X of France abdicates the throne in favor of his grandson Henri.

1830 overthrow of the Bourbon monarchy in France

The July Revolution, also known as the French Revolution of 1830, Second French Revolution, or les Trois Glorieuses, was a second French Revolution after the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Charles X, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who governed for 18 years as the last king of France.

1830

The Government of India Act 1858 replaces Company rule in India with that of the British Raj.

United Kingdom legislation transferring India from company to imperial rule

The Government of India Act 1858 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed on 2 August 1858. Its provisions called for the liquidation of the East India Company and the transferral of its functions to the British Crown.

1858

Japan's Edo society class system is abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms.

Society of Japan from 1603 to 1868

Edo society refers to the society of Japan under the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.

1869

Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London, England, United Kingdom.

Tunnel beneath the River Thames in Central London, England

The Tower Subway is a tunnel beneath the River Thames in central London, between Tower Hill on the north bank of the river and Vine Lane on the south. In 1869 a 1,340-foot-long (410 m) circular tunnel was dug through the London clay using a cast iron circular shield independently invented and built by James Henry Greathead, similar to an idea that had been patented in 1864 by Peter W. Barlow but never built.

1870

The Clay Street Hill Railroad begins operating the first cable car in San Francisco's famous cable car system.

Cable car operator in San Francisco (1873–1942)

The Clay Street Hill Railroad was the first successful cable hauled street railway. It was located on Clay Street, a notably steep street in San Francisco in California, United States, and first operated in August 1873. The company itself was short lived, but the underlying technology in its propulsion system set a template for similar systems worldwide.

1873

Anglo-Afghan War: The Siege of Malakand ends when a relief column is able to reach the British garrison in the Malakand states.

Topics referred to by the same term

Anglo-Afghan Wars may refer to:First Anglo-Afghan War (1838–1842) Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–1880) Third Anglo-Afghan War (1919) Hazara Expedition (1888) Expedition of Shah Shujah Durrani (1833–1834) Chitral Expedition (1895) Tochi Expedition (1897–1898) Siege of Malakand (1897) Mohmand campaign (1897–1898) Tirah Campaign (1897–1898) Mahsud Waziri blockade (1900–1902) Operations in the Tochi (1914–1915) Operations against the Mohmands, Bunerwals and Swatis (1915) Mohmand blockade (1916–1917) Operations against the Mahsuds (1917) Waziristan Campaign (1919–1920) Waziristan campaign (1921–1924) Pink's War (1925) Mohmand Campaign (1935) Waziristan campaign (1936–1939) War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Operation Herrick Operation Toral

1897

The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising against the Ottoman Empire begins.

Anti-Ottoman revolt in the Balkans (1903)

The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising, consisting of the Ilinden Uprising and Preobrazhenie Uprising, was an organized revolt against the Ottoman Empire from August to October 1903. It was prepared and carried out by the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization, with the support of the Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee, which included mostly Bulgarian military personnel. The name of the uprising refers to Ilinden, a name for Elijah's day, and to Preobrazhenie which means Feast of the Transfiguration.

1903

World War I: The German occupation of Luxembourg begins.

1914–1918 global conflict

World War I, or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. Major areas of conflict included Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific. The war saw important developments in weaponry including tanks, aircraft, artillery, machine guns, and chemical weapons. One of the deadliest conflicts in history, it resulted in an estimated 15 to 22 million military and civilian casualties and genocide. The movement of large numbers of people was a major factor in the deadly Spanish flu pandemic.

1914

World War I: Austrian sabotage causes the sinking of the Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci in Taranto.

1867–1918 empire in Central Europe

Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire and officially as the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional dual empire in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consisted of two sovereign states with a single monarch who was titled both the Emperor of Austria and the Apostolic King of Hungary. Austria-Hungary constituted the last phase in the constitutional evolution of the Habsburg monarchy: it was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867 in the aftermath of the Austro-Prussian War, following wars of independence by Hungary in opposition to Habsburg rule. It was dissolved shortly after Hungary terminated the union with Austria in 1918 at the end of World War I.

1916

The first general strike in Canadian history takes place in Vancouver.

Strike with most of the labour force

A general strike is a strike action in which a substantial proportion of the total labour force in a city, region, or country participates. General strikes are characterised by the participation of workers from a multitude of workplaces across different industries, and tend to involve entire communities. They are often used to strengthen the bargaining position of a trade union or achieve a common social or political goal. General strikes first occurred in the mid-19th century and have characterised many historically important strikes.

1918

A typhoon hits Shantou, Republic of China, killing more than 50,000 people.

Severe tropical cyclone in southeastern China

The 1922 Shantou Typhoon was a devastating tropical cyclone that caused thousands of deaths in the Chinese city of Shantou in August 1922. This total makes it one of the deadliest known typhoons in history.

1922

U.S.

Vice President Calvin Coolidge becomes president upon the death of President Warren G. Harding.

Calvin Coolidge was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he had served as the 29th vice president from 1921 to 1923, under President Warren G. Harding, and as the 48th governor of Massachusetts from 1919 to 1921. Coolidge gained a reputation as a small-government conservative, with a taciturn personality and dry sense of humor that earned him the nickname "Silent Cal".

1923

The positron (antiparticle of the electron) is discovered by Carl D.

Anderson.

The positron or antielectron is the particle with an electric charge of +1e, a spin of 1/2 ħ, and the same mass as an electron. It is the antiparticle of the electron. When a positron collides with an electron, annihilation occurs. If this collision occurs at low energies, it results in the production of two or more photons.

1932

Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler becomes Führer of Germany following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg.

Head of government of Germany

The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Cabinet and heads the executive branch. The chancellor is elected by the Bundestag on the proposal of the federal president and without debate. During a state of defence declared by the Bundestag the chancellor also assumes the position of commander-in-chief of the Bundeswehr.

1934

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed in America, the effect of which is to render marijuana and all its by-products illegal.

American law placing a tax on cannabis

The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, Pub. L. 75–238, 50 Stat. 551, enacted August 2, 1937, was a United States Act that placed a tax on the sale of cannabis. It was the first national regulation on cannabis in the US.

1937

Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard write a letter to Franklin D.

Roosevelt, urging him to begin the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear weapon.

Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist best known for developing the known theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum theory. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which arises from special relativity, has been called "the world's most famous equation". He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for "his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect".

1939

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.

Genocide of European Jews by Nazi Germany

The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered around six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, approximately two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. The murders were committed primarily through mass shootings across Eastern Europe and poison gas chambers in extermination camps, chiefly Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, Chełmno and Majdanek death camps in occupied Poland. Concurrent Nazi persecutions killed millions of other non-Jewish civilians and prisoners of war (POWs); the term Holocaust is sometimes used to include the murder and persecution of non-Jewish groups, such as the Romani and Soviet POWs.

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.

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

1943

ASNOM: Birth of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, celebrated as Day of the Republic in North Macedonia.

Supreme governmental body of communist Macedonia from 1944 to 1945

The Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia was the supreme legislative and executive people's representative body of the communist Macedonian state from August 1944 until the end of World War II. The body was set up by the Macedonian Partisans during the final stages of the World War II in Yugoslav Macedonia, clandestinely in August 1944, in the Bulgarian occupation zone of Yugoslavia.

1944

World War II: The largest trade convoy of the world wars arrives safely in the Western Approaches.

Convoy during naval battles of the Second World War

Convoy HX 300 was the 300th of the numbered series of World War II HX convoys of merchant ships from Halifax to Liverpool. It started its journey on 17 July 1944 and was the largest convoy of the war, comprising 166 ships.

1944

World War II: The Potsdam Conference ends.

1945 Allied meeting on the postwar world

The Potsdam Conference was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from 17 July to 2 August 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. The participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They were represented respectively by General Secretary Joseph Stalin, prime ministers Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee, and President Harry S. Truman. They gathered to decide how to administer Germany, which had agreed to an unconditional surrender nine weeks earlier. The goals of the conference also included establishing the postwar order, solving issues on the peace treaty, and countering the effects of the war.

1945

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.

British South American Airways (BSAA) was a state-run airline of the United Kingdom in the mid-to-late 1940s responsible for services to the Caribbean and South America. Originally named British Latin American Air Lines, it was renamed before services started in 1946. BSAA operated mostly Avro aircraft: Yorks, Lancastrians and Tudors and flew to Bermuda, the West Indies, Mexico and the western coast of South America. After two high-profile aircraft disappearances it was merged into the British Overseas Airways Corporation at the end of 1949.

1947

An earthquake hits Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines killing more than 270 people and wounding 261.

Violent earthquake and tsunami in Aurora Province, Philippines

The 1968 Casiguran earthquake occurred on 04:19:22 local time on August 2 with a moment magnitude of 7.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The thrust earthquake's epicenter was in Casiguran, Quezon. A small non-destructive tsunami was generated and at least 207 people were killed. The majority of the deaths occurred in the collapse of a six-story building in Manila.

1968

A flash fire kills 50 people at the Summerland amusement centre at Douglas, Isle of Man.

1973 fire in Douglas, Isle of Man

The Summerland disaster occurred when a fire spread through the Summerland leisure centre in Douglas on the Isle of Man on the night of 2 August 1973. Fifty people were killed and 80 seriously injured. The scale of the fire has been compared to those seen during the Blitz.

1973

A bomb explodes at the railway station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200.

1980 terrorist bombing of train station in Bologna, Italy

The Bologna massacre was a terrorist bombing of the Bologna Centrale railway station in Bologna, Italy, on the morning of 2 August 1980, which killed 85 people and wounded over 200. Several members of the neo-fascist terrorist organization Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari were sentenced for the bombing, although the group denied involvement. Investigations in the 2020s, and following prosecutions from the Bologna Corte d'Assise, declared Licio Gelli, along with other members of the masonic lodge and secret society Propaganda Due, as the mastermind behind the massacre.

1980

The Helsinki Metro, the first rapid transit system of Finland, is opened to the general public.

Rapid transit system in the Helsinki capital region

The Helsinki Metro is a rapid transit system serving the Helsinki capital region, Finland. It is the only metro system in Finland as well as the world's northernmost metro system. It was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planning. It is operated by Helsinki City Transport and Metropolitan Area Transport Ltd for Helsinki Regional Transport Authority and carries 92.6 million passengers per year.

1982

Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137.

1985 aviation accident in Texas

Delta Air Lines Flight 191 was a regularly scheduled Delta Air Lines domestic flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Los Angeles, California, with an intermediate stop at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). On August 2, 1985, the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar operating Flight 191 encountered a microburst while on approach to land at DFW. The aircraft impacted ground just over one mile (1.6 km) short of the runway, struck a car near the airport, collided with two water tanks and disintegrated. Out of the 163 occupants on board, 136 people died and 25 others were injured in the accident, while the driver of the car struck by the aircraft also died.

1985

Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations after having restored democracy for the first time since 1972.

Country in South Asia

Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. Islamabad is the nation's capital, while Karachi is its largest city and financial centre. Pakistan is the 33rd-largest country by area. Bounded by the Arabian Sea on the south, the Gulf of Oman on the southwest, and the Sir Creek on the southeast, it shares land borders with India to the east; Afghanistan to the west; Iran to the southwest; and China to the northeast. It shares a maritime border with Oman in the Gulf of Oman, and is separated from Tajikistan in the northwest by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor.

1989

A massacre is carried out by an Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 64 ethnic Tamil civilians.

Killing of Sri Lankan Tamil civilians by Indian soldiers

The 1989 Valvettiturai massacre occurred on 2 and 3 August 1989 in the small coastal town of Valvettiturai, on the Jaffna Peninsula in Sri Lanka. Sixty-four Sri Lankan Tamil civilians were killed by soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force. The massacre followed an attack on the soldiers by rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres. The rebel attack had left six Indian soldiers, including an officer, dead, and another 10 injured. Indian authorities claimed that the civilians were caught in crossfire. Journalists such as Rita Sebastian of the Indian Express, David Husego of the Financial Times and local human rights groups such as the University Teachers for Human Rights have reported quoting eyewitness accounts that it was a massacre of civilians. George Fernandes, who later served as defense minister of India (1998–2004), called the massacre India’s My Lai.

1989

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.

Beginning of the 1990–1991 Gulf War

The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, codenamed Project 17, began on 2 August 1990 and marked the beginning of the Gulf War. After defeating the State of Kuwait on 4 August 1990, Iraq went on to militarily occupy the country for the next seven months. The invasion was condemned internationally, and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted numerous resolutions urging Iraq to withdraw from Kuwaiti territory. The Iraqi military, however, continued to occupy Kuwait and defied all orders by the UNSC. After initially establishing the "Republic of Kuwait" as a puppet state, Iraq annexed the entire country on 28 August 1990; northern Kuwait became the Saddamiyat al-Mitla' District and was merged into the existing Basra Governorate, while southern Kuwait was carved out as the all-new Kuwait Governorate. By November 1990, the adoption of UNSC Resolution 678 officially issued Iraq an ultimatum to withdraw unconditionally by 15 January 1991 or else be removed by "all necessary means" from Kuwaiti territory. In anticipation of a war with Iraq, the UNSC authorized the assembly of an American-led military coalition.

1990

Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-43 to deploy the TDRS-5 satellite.

Space Shuttle orbiter (1985–2011)

Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle which belongs to NASA, the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Atlantis was manufactured by the Rockwell International company in Southern California and was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Eastern Florida in April 1985. Atlantis is the fourth operational and the second-to-last Space Shuttle built. Its maiden flight was STS-51-J made from October 3 to 7, 1985.

1991

The Gaisal train disaster claims 285 lives in Assam, India.

Railway accident in India

The Gaisal train collision occurred on 2 August 1999, when two trains carrying about 2,500 people collided at the remote station of Gaisal in West Bengal, India. Owing to a signalling error, both trains were using the same track on a day when three of the four tracks on the line were closed for maintenance. Their combined speeds were so great that the trains exploded on impact, killing at least 285 people.

1999

At least 146 people were killed and more than 114 injured in a factory explosion in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China.

Industrial disaster in Jiangsu, China

The 2014 Kunshan explosion was a dust explosion that occurred at Zhongrong Metal Production Company, an automotive parts factory located in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China, on 2 August 2014. As of December 30, 2014, the explosion killed 146 workers and injured 114 others.

2014

Born on August 2

20 people 1989 – 2006

Héctor Fort

Spanish footballer

Héctor Fort García is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for La Liga club Barcelona.

2006

Varvara Gracheva

Russian tennis player

Varvara Andreyevna Gracheva is a Russian-born French professional tennis player. Gracheva has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 39, achieved on 8 January 2024. She has won seven singles titles on the ITF…

2000

Mohammed Kudus

Ghanaian footballer

Mohammed Kudus is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Ghana national team.

2000

Mark Lee

Korean-Canadian singer

Mark Lee, known mononymously as Mark (Korean: 마크), is a Canadian rapper and singer based in South Korea. He is a former member of the South Korean boy band NCT and its fixed sub-units NCT 127 and NCT Dream, as well as…

1999

Austin Theory

American wrestler

Austin Tyler White is an American professional wrestler. As of August 2019, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Austin Theory. He is a member of The Vision stable and is one-third…

1997

Keston Hiura

American baseball player

Keston Wee Hing Natsuo Hiura is an American professional baseball first baseman and second baseman for the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee…

1996

Simone Manuel

American swimmer

Simone Ashley Manuel is an American professional swimmer specializing in freestyle events. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won two gold and two silver medals: gold in the 100-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter medley,…

1996

Kristaps Porziņģis

Latvian basketball player

Kristaps Porziņģis is a Latvian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Unicorn" for his ability to make plays and shoot three-pointers…

1995

Vikkstar123

English internet personality

Vikram Singh Barn, better known as Vikkstar123 or simply Vikkstar, is an English YouTuber and DJ. He is a member of the YouTube group the Sidemen.

1995

Cr1TiKaL

American YouTuber and streamer

Charles Christopher White Jr., better known as Cr1TiKaL, MoistCr1TiKaL, or penguinz0, is an American YouTuber, streamer and actor. He is best known for his commentary videos and live streams covering internet culture…

1994

Laura Pigossi

Brazilian tennis player

Laura Pigossi Herrmann de Andrade is a Brazilian professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of No. 100 by the WTA, achieved on 29 August 2022 and a best doubles ranking of No. 80, reached on 1…

1994

Laremy Tunsil

American football player

Laremy Alexander Tunsil is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ole Miss Rebels and was selected by…

1994

Gael Bussa

Congolese politician

Gael Bussa Obambule is a Congolese lawyer and politician. He was elected National Deputy in the constituency of Budjala, in the province of South-Ubangi, in the 2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election.

1993

Joey Florez

American scholar and cultural critic

Jose Luis Florez Betancourt, also known as Joey Florez, is an American scholar and cultural critic.

1993

Charli XCX

English singer-songwriter

Charlotte Emma Aitchison, known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer, songwriter, and actress. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract…

1992

Evander Kane

Canadian ice hockey player

Evander Frank Kane is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose…

1991

Ima Bohush

Belarusian tennis player

Ima Anatolevna Bohush is a retired Belarusian tennis player.

1990

Vitalia Diatchenko

Russian tennis player

Vitalia Anatolyevna Diatchenko is a Russian tennis player. Her career-high singles ranking is world No. 71, achieved on 17 November 2014. On 21 February 2011, she peaked at No. 60 in the WTA doubles rankings.

1990

Skylar Diggins

American basketball player

Skylar Kierra Diggins is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Lunar Owls of Unrivaled. Diggins was drafted third overall by the…

1990

Nacer Chadli

Belgian footballer

Nacer Chadli is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a winger.

1989

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Died on August 2

20 people 2012 – 2023

Nitin Chandrakant Desai

Indian art director, production designer, and film and television producer (born 1965)

Nitin Chandrakant Desai was an Indian art director, production designer, and film and television producer. He was most known for his work in Marathi and Hindi Films, World Cultural Festival 2016 at Delhi and films like,…

2023

Vin Scully

American sportscaster and game show host (born 1927)

Vincent Edward Scully was an American sportscaster, best known for his broadcast work in Major League Baseball. Scully was the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers for 67 years, beginning in…

2022

Suzanne Perlman

Hungarian-Dutch visual artist (born 1922)

Suzanne Perlman was a Hungarian-Dutch visual artist known for her expressionist portraits and landscape paintings. Her bold use of colour has its origins in her early paintings of the tropical island of Curaçao, where…

2020

Judith Jones

American literary and cookbook editor (born 1924)

Judith Jones was an American writer and editor, initially known for having rescued The Diary of Anne Frank from the reject pile. Jones is also known as the editor who championed Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and…

2017

Terence Bayler

New Zealand actor (born 1930)

Terence Bayler was a New Zealand film, television, and stage actor. His most memorable roles were in Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001).

2016

David Huddleston

American actor (born 1930)

David William Huddleston was an American actor. He had a prolific career as a character actor between 1960 and 2014, appearing in over 140 film and television productions, as well as playing the title character in both…

2016

Franciszek Macharski

Polish cardinal (born 1927)

Franciszek Macharski was a Polish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was appointed Archbishop of Kraków from 1978, named by Pope John Paul II to succeed him in that role. Macharski was elevated to the cardinalate…

2016

Ahmed Zewail

Egyptian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1946)

Ahmed Hassan Zewail was an Egyptian-American chemist, known as the "father of femtochemistry". He was awarded the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on femtochemistry and became the first Egyptian and Arab to…

2016

Forrest Bird

American pilot and engineer (born 1921)

Forrest Morton Bird was an American aviator, inventor, and biomedical engineer. He is best known for having created some of the first reliable mass-produced mechanical ventilators for acute and chronic cardiopulmonary…

2015

Giovanni Conso

Italian jurist and politician, Italian Minister of Justice (born 1922)

Giovanni Battista Conso was an Italian jurist who served on the Constitutional Court of Italy for nine years beginning in 1982, and served as President of the Accademia dei Lincei from 1989 until his death in 2015.

2015

Piet Fransen

Dutch footballer (born 1936)

Piet Fransen was a Dutch footballer who played as a midfielder.

2015

Jack Spring

American baseball player (born 1933)

Jack Russell Spring was an American Major League Baseball relief pitcher. The 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), 175 lb (79 kg) left-hander played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1955), Boston Red Sox (1957), Washington Senators…

2015

Ed Joyce

American journalist (born 1932)

Edward Matthew Joyce was a former television executive. He was president of CBS News. He lived for many years in California's Santa Ynez Valley and in Redding, Connecticut.

2014

Billie Letts

American author and educator (born 1938)

Billie Dean Letts was an American novelist and educator. She was a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

2014

Barbara Prammer

Austrian social worker and politician (born 1954)

Barbara Prammer was an Austrian politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ). In 2006 she was the first woman to become President of the National Council of Austria, an office she held until her…

2014

James Thompson

American-Finnish author (born 1964)

James Thompson was an American-Finnish crime writer based in Helsinki. He had a master's degree in English philology from The University of Helsinki, where he also studied Finnish, in which he was fluent. He studied six…

2014

Julius L. Chambers

American lawyer and activist (born 1936)

Julius LeVonne Chambers was an American lawyer, civil rights leader and educator.

2013

Richard E. Dauch

American businessman, co-founded American Axle (born 1942)

Richard E. "Dick" Dauch was an American businessman, and co-founder and Executive Chairman of the Board of American Axle and Manufacturing, now Dauch Corporation. Previously, Dauch served as a manufacturing manager at…

2013

Alla Kushnir

Russian–Israeli chess player (born 1941)

Alla Shulimovna Kushnir was a Soviet-born Israeli chess player and professor of classics, numismatics, and archaeology. She was awarded the FIDE titles of Woman International Master (WIM) in 1962 and Woman Grandmaster…

2013

Gabriel Horn

English biologist and academic (born 1927)

Sir Gabriel Horn was a British neuroscientist and Professor of Zoology at the University of Cambridge. His research was into the neural mechanisms of learning and memory.

2012

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What happened on August 2 in history?

On August 2, one notable event in history was 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..

This date currently highlights 49 recorded events on thisDay.info, spanning 338 BC – 2014.

DateAugust 2

Featured year2005

LocationHistorical Location

Events listed49

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August 2 in History

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

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August 2 in History

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

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Died on August 2

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