Did you know
The Declaration of Independence was adopted unanimously by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia.
July 2 in History
1776 — American Revolution: The Continental Congress adopts the Lee Resolution severing ties with the Kingdom of Great Britain
The wording of the formal Declaration of Independence was agreed upon and publicly released two days later, on July 4.
July 2 spans 31 recorded events across recorded history, from 311 to 2024. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
31 events
311 – 2024
Today in history
More major events on July 2
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 2000 Vicente Fox Quesada is elected the first President of México from an opposition party, the Partido Acción Nacional, after more than 70 years of continuous rule by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, in the 2000 Mexican general election. Read story Source
- 1964 Civil rights movement: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant to prohibit segregation in public places. Source
- 1823 Bahia Independence Day: The Siege of Salvador ends Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia. Source
Did you know
The document directed to be engrossed by Congress on July 19, 1776, is headed The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.
Did you know
The Declaration explains why the Thirteen Colonies regarded themselves as independent sovereign states no longer subject to British colonial rule.
Did you know
The Founding Fathers, who were the delegates at the Second Continental Congress, played a crucial role in the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
Did you know
The Declaration of Independence has become one of the most circulated, reprinted, and influential documents in history, shaping the course of American and world history.
626
Li Shimin, the future Emperor Taizong of Tang, ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng in the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
Emperor of China from 626 to 649
866
Battle of Brissarthe: The Franks led by Robert the Strong are defeated by a joint Breton-Viking army.
Conflict between Frankish and joint Breton-Viking forces in 866 AD
1298
Battle of Göllheim: Albert I of Habsburg defeats Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg.
13th-century battle fought over German kingship
1494
Age of Discovery: The Treaty of Tordesillas is ratified by Spain.
Period of European global exploration
1582
Battle of Yamazaki: Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeats Akechi Mitsuhide.
1582 battle in Sengoku-period Japan
1644
1823
Bahia Independence Day: The Siege of Salvador ends Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia.
State of Brazil
1840
A Ms 7.4 earthquake strikes present-day Turkey and Armenia; combined with the effects of an eruption on Mount Ararat, kills 10,000 people.
Violent earthquake in eastern Turkey
1863
American Civil War: On the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg - the Battle of Little Round Top takes place and results in a Union victory after the Confederate troops unsuccessfully try to assault the Union left flank.
1861–1865 conflict in the United States
1881
Charles J.
Guiteau shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President James A. Garfield (who will die of complications from his wounds on September 19).
1917
In the leadup to the Battle of Aqaba, T.
E. Lawrence and his Arab forces defeat a battalion of Ottomans at Abu al-Lissan.
1921
World War I: U.S.
President Warren G. Harding signs the Knox–Porter Resolution formally ending the war between the United States and Germany.
1934
The Night of the Long Knives ends after three days of killings.
1934 purge in Germany
1937
Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean and disappear while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight.
American aviation pioneer (1897–1937)
1964
Civil rights movement: U.S.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant to prohibit segregation in public places.
1966
France conducts its first nuclear weapon test in the Pacific, on Moruroa Atoll.
Series of French nuclear tests
1976
End of South Vietnam; Communist North Vietnam annexes the former South Vietnam to form the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
1969–1976 opposition government and state in South Vietnam
1986
Rodrigo Rojas and Carmen Gloria Quintana are burnt alive during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile in the Quemados case.
Chilean photographer; burned alive during anti-Pinochet demonstrations in 1986
1986
Aeroflot Flight 2306 crashes while attempting an emergency landing at Syktyvkar Airport in Syktyvkar, in present-day Komi Republic, Russia, killing 54 people.
1986 aviation accident in the Soviet Union
1990
In the 1990 Mecca tunnel tragedy, 1,400 Muslim pilgrims are suffocated to death and trampled upon in a pedestrian tunnel leading to the holy city of Mecca.
Crowd crush incident
1993
A mob sets fire to the Hotel Madımak in Sivas, Turkey, where an Alevi cultural festival was taking place, killing 37 people.
Municipality in Turkey
1994
USAir Flight 1016 crashes near Charlotte Douglas International Airport, killing 37 of the 57 people on board.
1994 aviation accident in North Carolina
1997
The Bank of Thailand floats the baht, triggering the Asian financial crisis.
Currency of Thailand
2000
Vicente Fox Quesada is elected the first President of México from an opposition party, the Partido Acción Nacional, after more than 70 years of continuous rule by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, in the 2000 Mexican general election.
President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006
2005
The Live 8 benefit concerts takes place in the G8 states and in South Africa.
More than 1,000 musicians perform and are broadcast on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks.
2013
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes Aceh, Indonesia, killing at least 42 people and injuring 420 others.
Earthquake in Aceh Province, Indonesia
2024
A stampede during a religious event in Uttar Pradesh, India, leaves at least 121 people dead and 150 others injured.
Crowd crush in Uttar Pradesh, India