What happened on July 2? There are more than 247 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About July 2
July 2 is the 184th day of the year 2024. There are 182 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday. This day falls under the 27th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73113 sunrise will occur at 06:17 AM and sunset will occur at 08:50 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Cancer. The modern birthstone for this month is Ruby while the mystical birthstone is Ruby.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 211 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 22 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
July 2: A Day In History
This day is the midpoint of a common year because there are 182 days before and 182 days after (median of the year) in common years, and 183 before and 182 after in leap years. The exact time in the middle of the year is at noon, or 12:00 p.m. In the UK and other countries that use “Summer Time” the actual exact time of the mid point in a common year is at 1:00 p.m. this is when 182 days and 12 hours have elapsed and there are 182 days and 12 hours remaining. This is due to Summer Time having advanced the time by one hour. It falls on the same day of the week as New Year’s Day in common years.
Historical Events For July 2
- 437Emperor Valentinian III, begins his reign over the Western Roman Empire. His mother Galla Placidia ends her regency, but continues to exercise political influence at the court in Rome.
- 626Li Shimin, the future Emperor Taizong of Tang, Emperor of China, ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng in the Incident at Xuanwu Gate.
- 706In China, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang inters the bodies of relatives in the Qianling Mausoleum, located on Mount Liang outside Chang'an.
- 963The imperial army proclaims Nicephorus Phocas Emperor of the Romans on the plains outside Cappadocian Caesarea.
- 1298The Battle of Göllheim is fought between Albert I of Habsburg and Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg.
- 1494The Treaty of Tordesillas is ratified by Spain.
- 1555The Ottoman Admiral Turgut Reis sacks the Italian city of Paola.
- 1561Menas, Emperor of Ethiopia, defeats a revolt in Emfraz.
- 1582Battle of Yamazaki: Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeats Akechi Mitsuhide.
- 1613The first English expedition from Massachusetts against Acadia led by Samuel Argall takes place.
- 1644English Civil War: Battle of Marston Moor.
- 1679Europeans first visit Minnesota and see headwaters of Mississippi in an expedition led by Daniel Greysolon de Du Luth.
- 1698Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine.
- 1776The Continental Congress adopts a resolution severing ties with Great Britain although the wording of the formal Declaration of Independence is not approved until July 4.
- 1777Vermont becomes the first American territory to abolish slavery.
- 1823Bahia Independence Day: the end of Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia.
- 1839Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 rebelling African slaves led by Joseph Cinqué take over the slave ship Amistad.
- 1853The Russian Army crossed the Pruth river into the Danubian Principalities, Moldavia and Wallachia—providing the spark that set off the Crimean War.
- 1871Victor Emmanuel II of Italy enters Rome after having conquered it from the Papal States.
- 1881Charles J. Guiteau shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President James Garfield, who eventually dies from an infection on September 19.
- 1890The U.S. Congress passes the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
- 1897Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi obtains a patent for radio in London.
- 1900The first Zeppelin flight takes place on Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen, Germany.
- 1917The East St. Louis Riots end.
- 1934The Night of the Long Knives ends with the death of Ernst Röhm.
- 1937Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight.
- 1940Indian independence leader Subhas Chandra Bose is arrested and detained in Calcutta.
- 1950The Golden Pavilion at Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Japan burns down.
- 1962The first Wal-Mart store opens for business in Rogers, Arkansas.
- 1964U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant to prohibit segregation in public places.
- 1966The French military explodes a nuclear test bomb codenamed Aldébaran in Mururoa, their first nuclear test in the Pacific.
- 1976Fall of the Republic of Vietnam; Communist North Vietnam declares their union to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
- 1986Rodrigo Rojas and Carmen Gloria Quintana where burnt alive during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile.
- 199337 participants in an Alevi cultural and literary festival are killed when a mob of demonstrators set fire to their hotel in Sivas during a violent protest.
- 2000Vicente 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.
- 2001The AbioCor self contained artificial heart is first implanted.
- 2002Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon.
- 2010The South Kivu tank truck explosion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo kills at least 230 people.
Who Were Born On July 2?
- 419Valentinian III, Roman Emperor (d. 455)
- 1262Arthur II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1312)
- 1363Maria, Queen of Sicily and Duchess of Athens (d. 1401)
- 1489Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1556)
- 1492Elizabeth Tudor, English princess (d. 1495)
- 1647Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, English privy councilor (d. 1730)
- 1665Samuel Penhallow, English-born American colonist and historian (d. 1726)
- 1667Pietro Ottoboni, Italian cardinal (d. 1740)
- 1698Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena (d. 1780)
- 1714Christoph Willibald Gluck, German composer (d. 1787)
- 1724Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, German poet (d. 1803)
- 1819Charles-Louis Hanon, French composer (d. 1900)
- 1820George Law Curry, American newspaper publisher and 5th and 7th Governor of the Oregon Territory (d. 1878)
- 1821Charles Tupper, 6th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1915)
- 1849Maria Theresa of Austria-Este, Czech-born Queen consort of Bavaria (d. 1919)
- 1862William Henry Bragg, English physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 1942)
- 1865Lily Braun, German writer (d. 1916)
- 1876Wilhelm Cuno, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1933)
- 1877Hermann Hesse, German-born writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1962)
- 1881Royal H. Weller, American politician (d. 1929)
- 1884Alfons Maria Jakob, German neurologist (d. 1931)
- 1893Ralph Hancock, Welsh garden designer (Rockefeller Center) (d. 1950)
- 1896Lydia Mei, Estonian painter (d. 1965)
- 1900Tyrone Guthrie, English actor (d. 1971)
- 1903Alec Douglas-Home, 66th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1995)
- 1903King Olav V of Norway (d. 1991)
- 1904René Lacoste, French tennis player and businessman (d. 1996)
- 1906Christos Tsaganeas, Greek actor (d. 1976)
- 1906Hans Bethe, German-born nuclear physicist, Nobel laureate (d. 2005)
- 1908Thurgood Marshall, American Supreme Court Justice (d. 1993)
- 1914Frederick Fennell, American conductor (d. 2004)
- 1914Mário Schenberg, Brazilian physicist (d. 1990)
- 1915Arthur Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, Italy-born British peer
- 1916Hans-Ulrich Rudel, German combat pilot, the highest-decorated German soldier of WWII (d. 1982)
- 1916Ken Curtis, American actor and singer (d. 1991)
- 1917Murry Wilson, American songwriter and record producer (The Beach Boys) (d. 1973)
- 1918Wibo, Dutch cartoonist (d. 2005)
- 1919Jean Craighead George, American writer
- 1923Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet, Nobel laureate
- 1925Medgar Evers, American civil rights activist (d. 1963)
- 1925Patrice Lumumba, 1st democratically elected Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (d. 1961)
- 1926Octavian Paler, Romanian writer and journalist (d. 2007)
- 1927Brock Peters, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1929Imelda Marcos, Filipino First Lady, wife of Ferdinand Marcos
- 1929John A. Cade, American politician
- 1930Carlos Menem, Argentine politician, 50th President of Argentina
- 1932Dave Thomas, American fast food entrepreneur (Wendy’s) (d. 2002)
- 1933Kenny Wharram, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1934Tom Springfield, British singer and songwriter (The Springfields)
- 1937Polly Holliday, American actress
- 1937Richard Petty, American race car driver
- 1939Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek politician and poet
- 1939John H. Sununu, White House Chief of Staff under George HW Bush
- 1939Paul Williams, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1973)
- 1940Kenneth Clarke, British politician
- 1941Stéphane Venne, French-Canadian songwriter
- 1942Vicente Fox, Mexican politician, 35th President of Mexico
- 1943Walter Godefroot, Belgian cyclist
- 1946Richard Axel, American neuroscientist, Nobel laureate
- 1946Ron Silver, American actor (d. 2009)
- 1947Larry David, American television producer
- 1948Gene McFadden, American songwriter (d. 2006)
- 1948Saul Rubinek, Canadian actor
- 1949Greg Brown, American folk singer
- 1949Hanno Pöschl, Austrian actor
- 1949Robert Paquette, French-Canadian singer and songwriter
- 1949Roy Bittan, American keyboardist (E Street Band)
- 1951Elisabeth Brooks, Canadian actress (d. 1997)
- 1951Michele Santoro, Italian TV journalist
- 1952Johnny Colla, American guitarist and saxophonist (Huey Lewis and the News)
- 1953Mark Hart, American multi-instrumentalist (Crowded House, Supertramp)
- 1953Tony Armas, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1954Pete Briquette, Irish bassist (The Boomtown Rats)
- 1955Andrew Divoff, Venezuelan actor
- 1955Kevin Michael Grace, Canadian journalist
- 1956Jerry Hall, American actress
- 1957Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Canadian pro wrestler
- 1957Purvis Short, American basketball player
- 1958Dang Thai Son, Vietnamese classical pianist
- 1958Thomas Bickerton, American Methodist bishop
- 1959Mike Hallett, English snooker player
- 1960Terry Rossio, American screenwriter
- 1961Michael Lindsay, American voice actor
- 1961Samy Naceri, French actor
- 1963Mark Kermode, British film critic
- 1964Alan Tait, Scotland rugby player
- 1964Andrea Yates, American murderer
- 1964Charles Robinson, American wrestling referee
- 1964Hisakatsu Oya, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1964Joe Magrane, American baseball player
- 1964José Canseco, Cuban-born American baseball player
- 1964Ozzie Canseco, Cuban-born American baseball player
- 1969Matthew Cox, American convicted felon
- 1969Tim Rodber, England rugby player
- 1970Colin Edwin, Australian bassist (Porcupine Tree)
- 1970Monie Love, English rapper
- 1970Scotty 2 Hotty, American professional wrestler
- 1970Steve Morrow, Irish footballer
- 1970Yancy Butler, American actress
- 1971Bryan Redpath, Scottish rugby player
- 1971Evelyn Lau, Canadian poet and novelist
- 1971Troy Brown, American football player
- 1972Darren Shan, Irish children’s author
- 1973Peter Kay, British comedian
- 1974Matthew Reilly, Australian author
- 1974Moon So-ri, South Korean actress
- 1974Rocky Gray, American drummer and guitarist (Evanescence, Living Sacrifice)
- 1974Sean Casey, American baseball player
- 1974Tim Christensen, Danish singer and multi-instrumentalist (Dizzy Mizz Lizzy)
- 1975Éric Dazé, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975Erik Ohlsson, Swedish guitarist (Millencolin)
- 1975Stefan Terblanche, South African rugby player
- 1976Krisztián Lisztes, Hungarian footballer
- 1976Tomáš Vokoun, Czech ice hockey player
- 1978Jüri Ratas, Estonian politician
- 1978Julie Night, American pornographic actress
- 1979Diana Gurtskaya, Georgian singer
- 1979Joe Thornton, Canadian hockey player
- 1979Sam Hornish, Jr., American race car driver
- 1980Nicole Briscoe, American beauty queen and sports commentator
- 1980Nyjer Morgan, American baseball player
- 1981Aaron Voros, Canadian hockey player
- 1981Alex Koroknay-Palicz, American youth rights activist
- 1981Angel Pagán, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1981Carlos Rogers, American football player
- 1981Nathan Ellington, English soccer player
- 1983Michelle Branch, American singer (The Wreckers)
- 1983Sammy J, Australian comedian
- 1984Johnny Weir, American figure skater
- 1984Thomas Kortegaard, Danish footballer
- 1984Vanessa Lee Chester, American actress
- 1985Ashley Tisdale, American actress and singer
- 1985Chad Henne, American football player
- 1985Corey Bringas, American actor
- 1985Jurgen Roelandts, Belgian cyclist
- 1985Rhett Bomar, American football player
- 1986Brett Cecil, American baseball player
- 1986Lindsay Lohan, American actress
- 1987Ruslana Korshunova, Kazakh model (d. 2008)
- 1988Lee Chung-Yong, South Korean footballer
- 1989Alex Morgan, American soccer player
- 1989Dev, American singer and recording artist
- 1990Danny Rose, English footballer
- 1992Madison Chock, American ice dancer
Who Died On July 2?
- 862Swithun, Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester (b. 789)
- 1298King Adolf of Germany (b. 1220)
- 1504Prince Stephen III of Moldavia (“Ştefan cel Mare”) (b. 1434)
- 1566Nostradamus, French astrologer (b. 1503)
- 1582Akechi Mitsuhide, Japanese samurai (b. 1528)
- 1591Vincenzo Galilei, Italian composer (b. 1520)
- 1621Thomas Harriot, English astronomer
- 1656François-Marie, comte de Broglie, Italian-born French commander (b. 1611)
- 1674Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (b. 1614)
- 1743Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, 2nd Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1673)
- 1746Thomas Baker, English antiquarian (b. 1656)
- 1778Bathsheba Spooner, American murderer (b. 1746)
- 1778Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher (b. 1712)
- 1822Denmark Vesey, St. Thomas-born American freed slave who planned a revolt, hanged (b. c. 1767)
- 1833Gervasio Antonio de Posadas, Argentine politician (b. 1757)
- 1843Samuel Hahnemann, German physician (b. 1755)
- 1850Robert Peel, British politician, 28th and 30th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1788)
- 1857Carlo Pisacane, Italian patriot (b. 1818)
- 1903Ed Delahanty, American Hall of Fame baseball player (b. 1867)
- 1912Tom Richardson, English cricketer (b. 1870)
- 1914Joseph Chamberlain, British politician and businessman, father of Neville Chamberlain (b. 1836)
- 1915Porfirio Díaz, Mexican general and politician, 19th, 21st and 23rd President of Mexico (b. 1830)
- 1920William Louis Marshall, American general and engineer (b. 1846)
- 1926Émile Coué, French psychologist (b. 1857)
- 1929Gladys Brockwell, American actress (b. 1893)
- 1932King Manuel II of Portugal (b. 1889)
- 1934Ernst Röhm, German Nazi official (b. 1887)
- 1955Edward Lawson, Scottish soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1873)
- 1961Ernest Hemingway, American writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1899)
- 1964Edward Glenn “Fireball” Roberts, American race car driver (b. 1929)
- 1966Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet (b. 1900)
- 1969Michael DiBiase, American pro wrestler (b. 1923)
- 1972Joseph Fielding Smith, American religious figure, 10th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1876)
- 1973Betty Grable, American actress (b. 1916)
- 1973Chick Hafey, American baseball player (b. 1903)
- 1973Ferdinand Schörner, German field marshal (b. 1892)
- 1973George McBride, American baseball player (b. 1880)
- 1975James Robertson Justice, British actor (b. 1907)
- 1977Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-born writer (b. 1899)
- 1978Aris Alexandrou, Greek novelist, poet and translator (b. 1922)
- 1984Paul Dozois, Quebec politician (b. 1908)
- 1985David Purley, British Formula 1 driver (b. 1945)
- 1986Peanuts Lowrey, American baseball player (b. 1917)
- 1989Andrei Gromyko, Soviet politician (b. 1909)
- 1989Franklin Schaffner, American film director (b. 1920)
- 1990Snooky Lanson, American singer (b. 1914)
- 1991Lee Remick, American actress (b. 1935)
- 1992Camarón de la Isla, Spanish flamenco singer (b. 1950)
- 1993Fred Gwynne, American actor (b. 1926)
- 1994Andrés Escobar, Colombian footballer (b. 1967)
- 1995Krissy Taylor, American model (b. 1978)
- 1997James Stewart, American actor (b. 1908)
- 1999Mario Puzo, American writer (b. 1920)
- 2000Joey Dunlop, Irish motorcycle racer (b. 1952)
- 2002Ray Brown, American jazz bassist (b. 1926)
- 2004John Cullen Murphy, American comic strip artist (b. 1919)
- 2004Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, Portuguese writer (b. 1919)
- 2005Ernest Lehman, American screenwriter (b. 1915)
- 2005Norm Prescott, American animation producer (b. 1927)
- 2006Jan Murray, American comedian (b. 1916)
- 2007Beverly Sills, American operatic soprano (b. 1929)
- 2008Elizabeth Spriggs, English actress (b. 1929)
- 2008Natasha Shneider, Russian keyboardist and bassist (Eleven) (b. 1956)
- 2010Beryl Bainbridge, English author (b. 1932)
- 2011Itamar Franco, Brazilian politician (b. 1930)
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