This Day in History
September 2

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
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What happened in history on this day: September 2?

On September 2 in ...

  • 1547 - Hernan Cortes Spanish general defeats Aztec Indians.
  • 1666 - Great Fire of London starts; destroys Saint Paul's Church.
  • 1752 - (September 13 in New Style) Last day of Julian calendar in Britain, British colonies.
  • 1806 - A side of Rossberg Peak collapses into Goldau Valley, Switzerland, kills 500.
  • 1838 - Birth of Queen Lydia Kamekeha Liliuokalani; last queen of Hawaii (1891-93).
  • 1839 - Birth of Henry George; land reformer/writer (Progress and Poverty).
  • 1850 - Birth of Albert Spaulding; baseball player/founded Spaulding sports company.
  • 1850 - Birth of Eugene Field; author/journalist (Little Boy Blue).
  • 1853 - Birth of Wilhelm Ostwald in Germany; physical chemist (Nobel Prize 1909).
  • 1856 - Birth of Yang Hsiu-ch'ing; commander in chief of the Taiping Rebellion.
  • 1864 - USA General William T Sherman captures Atlanta, Georgia.
  • 1866 - Birth of Hiram Johnson; American politician (Governor-Progressive-California).
  • 1870 - German Otto von Bismark captures the Sedan, capturing French Emperor Napoleon III and 83,000 French troops.
  • 1874 - Horse Goldsmith Maid trots the mile in harness in 2:14 minutes, a record.
  • 1884 - Birth of Frank Laubach in Benton, Pennsylvania, USA; educator, taught reading through phonetics.
  • 1898 - Lord Kitchener retakes Sudan for Britain.
  • 1901 - US Vice President Theodore Roosevelt advises "Speak softly and carry a big stick".
  • 1904 - Birth of Set Svanholm in Västeras, Sweden; tenor (London Convent Garden 1948-57).
  • 1904 - Birth of Vera Vague [Barbara Jo Allen] in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Follow the Leader).
  • 1906 - Birth of Barbara Jo Allen in New York City, New York, USA; writer/comedienne (radio character Vera Vague, regular spots on Bob Hope's Pepsodent radio programs, appeared in some 60 films, hosted TV show Follow the Leader).
  • 1911 - Birth of William Fisk Harrah in South Pasadena, California, USA; created Harrah's Club hotel/casino in Reno, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas.
  • 1915 - Birth of Meinhardt Raabe; actor (Munchkin coroner in The Wizard of Oz).
  • 1916 - Birth of Dorothy May Bundy-Cheney; winner of more than 141 US tennis titles.
  • 1916 - Birth of Penny Santon in Greenwich Village, New York, USA; actress (Roll Out, Matt Houston).
  • 1917 - Birth of Cleveland Amory in Nahant, Massachusetts, USA; conservationist/TV reviewer (TV Guide).
  • 1917 - First international air mail delivery, by Teodoro Fels in monoplane from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Montevideo, Uruguay.
  • 1917 - Japan abandons the gold standard.
  • 1918 - Birth of Allen Drury; author (Advise and Consent - 1960 Pulitzer Prize).
  • 1919 - Birth of Marge Champion in Los Angeles, California, USA; dancer-actress (Marge and Gower Champion Show, Admiral Broadway Revue, Fame).
  • 1919 - Communist Party of America organizes in Chicago, Illinois.
  • 1920 - Greece formally cedes island of Saseno to Italy.
  • 1925 - Birth of Ronnie Stevens in London, England; actor (Rodney - Dick and the Duchess).
  • 1927 - Birth of Trudi Jochum-Beiser in Austria; downhill skier (Olympic-gold-1952).
  • 1930 - First non-stop airplane flight from Europe to US (37 hours).
  • 1931 - Birth of Alan K Simpson; American politician (Senator-Republican-Wyoming).
  • 1934 - Death of singer Russ Columbo at age 26 of a freak gunshot wound in the eye. Lansing Brown lit a match for a cigarette by striking it against the wooden stock of an antique French dueling pistol. The flame set off a long-forgotten charge in the gun, and a lead pistol ball ricocheted off a nearby table and hit Columbo in the left eye, killing him almost instantly.
  • 1935 - A hurricane slams the Florida Keys killing 423.
  • 1936 - First transatlantic round-trip air flight.
  • 1937 - Baron Pierre de Coubertin, revivor of Olympics, dies at age 74.
  • 1937 - Birth of Peter Ueberroth; organized 1984 Los Angeles Olympics/baseball commissioner.
  • 1939 - Sweden issues a declaration of neutrality.
  • 1939 - Brazilian President Getulio Vargas declares his country's neutrality.
  • 1939 - Acting Prime Minister Frazer of New Zealand pledges full cooperation with Great Britain.
  • 1939 - Chilean Foreign Minister Abraham Ortega declares Chile would remain strictly neutral.
  • 1939 - German Ministers at Stockholm, Sweden, and Oslo, Norway, give a declaration that Germany would respect the integrity of Sweden and Norway.
  • 1939 - The German-American League for Culture in Cleveland, Ohio, representing 103,000 German-Americans, issues a resolution calling on German people to rise up and defeat Adolf Hitler.
  • 1939 - President Konstantin Paets proclaims Estonia will observe strict neutrality.
  • 1939 - German forces capture Polish cities of Rawicz and Leszno.
  • 1939 - Birth of Sam Gooden; singer (The Impressions).
  • 1939 - German Chancellor Adolf Hitler orders the annexation of Free City of Danzig.
  • 1940 - Birth of Beverly Sanders in Hollywood, California, USA; actress (Lotsa Luck, CPO Sharkey).
  • 1940 - Birth of Jimmy Clanton in Baton Rogue, Louisiana, USA; rock vocalist ("Just a Dream").
  • 1940 - The US and Great Britain sign a deal in which the US will gain the lease of naval and air bases in Newfoundland, islands of Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad, Antigua, and British Guiana, in exchange for fifty naval destroyers.
  • 1943 - Birth of John Wilson; American Numismatic Association President.
  • 1943 - Birth of Glenn Sather; NHL coach (Edmonton Oilers).
  • 1944 - Birth of Claude Nicollier in Vevey, Switzerland; astronaut (STS 61-K, sk: 46).
  • 1944 - The last V-1 bomb launched from France reaches England. Total deaths from V-1 bombs in England: 6184; seriously wounded: 17,981.
  • 1945 - Japan signs official surrender, accepted by General Douglas MacArthur on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, off Yokohama. Allied nations participating in the ceremony are USA, China, Great Britain, Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands, New Zealand. This is the first time in recorded history for Japan to host a successful military invasion from a foreign power.
  • 1945 - During World War II fighting, about 30-50 million people were killed, half civilian. This is 2-3 times the deaths of World War I. Total cost of the war to all countries: US$1.6 trillion, compared to US$300 billion for World War I.
  • 1945 - Total deaths in various countries due to World War II: Soviet Union 20 million, Poland 4.32 million, Germany 4.2 million, China 2.2 million, Yugoslavia 1.7 million, Japan 1.219 million, France 600,000, Romania 460,000, Hungary 420,000, Italy 410,000, USA 406,000, Great Britain 388,000, Czechoslovakia 365,000, Austria 334,000, Netherlands 210,000, Greece 160,000, Belgium 88,000.
  • 1945 - Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam independent from France.
  • 1946 - Johnny Neun replaces Bill Dickey as New York Yankees' manager.
  • 1948 - Birth of Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe; teacher/astronaut (Challenger).
  • 1948 - Birth of Terry Bradshaw; NFL quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers), sportscaster (NFL on Fox).
  • 1949 - Fire in riverfront area kills 1,700 (Chungking, China).
  • 1951 - Birth of Mark Harmon in Burbank, California, USA; actor (Dr Caldwell - St. Elsewhere, NCIS, Chicago Hope).
  • 1951 - Birth of Michael Gray in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (Ronnie - Brian Keith Show).
  • 1952 - Birth of Jimmy Connors; tennis star (US Open-1978,1982,1983 Wimbledon-1974,1982).
  • 1954 - Hurricane Edna batters northeast US, killing 20.
  • 1955 - Birth of Linda Purl in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA; actress (Gloria - Happy Days, Matlock).
  • 1956 - Collapse of a railroad bridge under a train kills 120 in India.
  • 1956 - Baltimore Orioles trailing Boston Red Sox 8-0 come back to win 11-10 in 9 innings.
  • 1957 - Milwaukee Braves' Frank Torre scores six runs in one game.
  • 1958 - Birth of Jerry Augustyniak; drummer (10,000 Maniacs).
  • 1959 - Birth of Paul Deakin; drummer (The Mavericks).
  • 1960 - Birth of Hideo Yoshizawa in Yokohama, Japan; video game director (Ninja Gaiden, Klonoa), video game producer (R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, Klonoa 2), video game manager (Namco Bandai).
  • 1960 - Birth of Eric Dickerson in Texas, USA; NFL halfback (Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts).
  • 1963 - Alabama Governor George C Wallace prevents integration of Tuskegee high school.
  • 1963 - CBS and NBC expand network news from 15 to 30 minutes.
  • 1964 - Birth of Keanu Reeves; actor (Life Under Water, Babes in Toyland, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, The Matrix).
  • 1964 - Norman Manley scores two consecutive holes-in-one at Del Valley, California.
  • 1966 - Birth of Salma Hayek; actress (30 Rock, Ugly Betty).
  • 1968 - Birth of Cynthis Watros; actress (Lost, Drew Carey Show, Titus).
  • 1969 - Birth of Mark Brettschneider in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; actor (Jason - One Life to Live).
  • 1969 - NBC-TV cancels Star Trek.
  • 1969 - Birth of K-Ci; singer (K-Ci and JoJo).
  • 1970 - Allan Walker, actor/writer (Red Buttons Show), dies at age 64.
  • 1971 - Cesar Cedeno hits an inside-the-park grand slammer.
  • 1972 - CBS airs the last The Monkees 30-minute comedy TV show.
  • 1972 - Chicago White Sox player Milt Pappas no-hits San Diego Padres, 1-0.
  • 1973 - Billy Martin fired as manager of Detroit Tigers.
  • 1973 - Birth of Katt Williams; actor (My Wife and Kids, Tracy Morgan Show).
  • 1977 - Birth of Sam Rivers; bassist (Limp Bizkit).
  • 1977 - Death of Steve Dunne at age 59; actor (The Adventures of Sam Spade radio show, Professional Father TV show, The Brothers Brannigan, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Brady Bunch, The Millionaire, Lux Video Theatre).
  • 1978 - Graham Salmon set the world's record for 100 metres by a blind man.
  • 1978 - John McClain performs 180 outside loops in an airplane over Houston, Texas.
  • 1978 - Reggie Jackson is 19th player to hit 20 home runs in 11 straight years.
  • 1979 - The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride opens in Frontierland at Disneyland. It cost US$15.8 million to build.
  • 1979 - The NBC TV network airs the last episode of The Wonderful World of Disney.
  • 1979 - With his 145th career pinch-hit, Los Angeles Dodgers' Manny Mota sets a major league record.
  • 1980 - Ford Europe launches the Escort MK3, which ditches the traditional rear-wheel drive saloon in favour of a more practical and modern front-wheel drive hatchback.
  • 1983 - Yitzhak Shamir (Herut) endorsed by Menachem Begin for Israeli Prime Minister.
  • 1984 - Seven people are shot and killed and 12 wounded in the Milperra massacre, a shootout between the rival motorcycle gangs Bandidos and Comancheros in Sydney.
  • 1986 - Cathy Evelyn Smith sentenced to three years for death of John Belushi.
  • 1986 - Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs use a record 53 players in an 14-inning game.
  • 1987 - Birth of Spencer Smith; drummer (Panic at the Disco).
  • 1987 - Donald Trump takes out a full page New York Times ad lambasting Japan.
  • 1987 - Kevin Bass is first National League member to switch hit home runs in a game twice in one season.
  • 1987 - West German pilot Mathias Rust, who flew a private plane to Moscow's Red Square, goes on trial in Russia.
  • 1988 - Amnesty International's Human Rights Now! tour begins in Wembley, England.
  • 1989 - Reverend Al Sharpton leads a civil rights march through Bensonhurst.
  • 1989 - The ABC TV network airs the last episode of The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
  • 1989 - NBC airs its last episode of Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears. 65 episodes were shown over four years.
  • 1990 - Toronto Blue Jays' Dave Stieb pitches the ninth no-hitter of the season beating the Cleveland Indians 3-0, a major league record.
  • 1990 - Transnistria declares its independence from the Moldavian SSR; however, the declaration is not recognized by any government.
  • 1991 - Death of Alfonso García Robles, Mexican diplomat and politician, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (born 1911).
  • 1991 - The United States recognizes the independence of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
  • 1992 - Near the coast of Nicaragua, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurs. At least 116 people killed, more than 68 missing and over 13,500 left homeless in Nicaragua. At least 1,300 houses and 185 fishing boats were destroyed along the west coast of Nicaragua. Most of the casualties and damage were caused by a tsunami affecting the west coasts of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, reaching heights of up to 8 metres.
  • 1992 - Death of Barbara McClintock, American geneticist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1902).
  • 1994 - The last syndicated episode of Tale Spin airs on TV.
  • 1994 - The National Corvette Museum opens in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. 4000 Corvettes attend. Over the three-day weekend, 118,000 people visit the museum. The gift shop does US$1 million in business.
  • 1996 - A permanent peace agreement is signed at the Malacañang Palace between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation Front.
  • 1998 - In Canada, pilots for Air Canada launch the first strike in the company's history.
  • 1998 - A McDonnell Douglas MD-11 airliner carrying Swissair Flight 111 crashes near Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia, after taking off from New York City en-route to Geneva. All 229 people on board are killed.
  • 1998 - A United Nations court finds Jean-Paul Akayesu, the former mayor of a small town in Rwanda, guilty of nine counts of genocide, marking the first time that the 1948 law banning genocide is enforced.
  • 2000 - Kingston-registered Chinese cargo ship Double Brave collides with a barge being towed by a tugboat and sinks at Tanjung Po anchorage at the mouth of the Sarawak River in Malaysia, leaking about 135,000 litres of diesel oil.
  • 2002 - The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, successor of the 1972 Conference on the Human Environment, 1983 World Commission on Environment and Development, and the 1992 Conference on Environment and Development, officially opens.
  • 2004 - The United Nations Security Council adopts Resolution 1559, calling for the removal of all foreign troops from Lebanon. This measure is largely aimed at Syrian troops.
  • 2005 - Protesters and Israeli forces clash in Bil'in.
  • 2005 - Kanye West criticizes President George Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina during a televised benefit concert in New York, telling the audience: "George Bush doesn't care about black people."
  • 2005 - Death of Bob Denver following surgery for throat cancer at age 70; actor (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, Gilligan - Gilligan's Island).
  • 2006 - US military hands over the Abu Ghraib prison to the Iraqi government.
  • 2006 - A Nimrod MR2 plane based at RAF Kinloss, Scotland, crashes in the Southern Province of Kandahar, Afghanistan, due to a fuel leak. All 14 crew on board are killed.
  • 2007 - (to September 9) The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation hosts its 19th annual city meeting in Sydney, Australia.
  • 2007 - Price of an ounce of gold hits a 27-year high of US$739.50.
  • 2008 - Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announces the promise to repay US$6.7 billion of loans to 19 creditors.
  • 2008 - Prime Minister of Japan Yasuo Fukuda resigns, less than a year after taking office following Shinzo Abe's resignation.
  • 2008 - Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of Thailand declares a state of emergency in Bangkok.
  • 2009 - US drugmaker Pfizer agrees to pay US$2.3 billion in the largest healthcare fraud settlement in the history of the Department of Justice. The firm was found to have illegally promoted four drugs for uses which had not been approved by medical regulators.
  • 2009 - A powerful 7.0 earthquake strikes off the Indonesian island of Java, killing 57 people, injuring over 300.
  • 2018 - A fire destroys the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.
  • 2019 - 34 people are killed following a fire and subsequent sinking of a dive boat near Santa Cruz Island, California, United States. It is the worst maritime disaster in California in more than 150 years.
  • 2019 - Iranian woman Sahar Khodayari sets herself on fire after being arrested for attending a soccer game in Iran. She dies a week later.
  • 2022 - At the 2022 U.S. Open tennis championship, Serena Williams plays her final professional game, against Ajla Tomljanovic, who won in three sets.
  • 2022 - Death of Drummie Zeb at age 62; British singer (Aswad reggae band).

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