Wikipedia defines history as the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. It came from the Greek word ‘historia’ – which means ‘inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation’.

Today In HistoryThis website utilizes entries from Wikipedia to extract historical events from 3761 BC up to the present. There are 105,060 records in the database that include events, births and deaths of popular individuals. The present day Gregorian calendar was adopted to show dates of interest.

Let us begin with what happened today in history. You may also enter a specific day using the form on the right sidebar.

What happened on December 2? There are more than 273 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 December 2

December 2 is the 337th day of the year 2024. There are 29 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday. This day falls under the 49th week of the year 2024.

On this day in North Hampton, New Hampshire 03862 sunrise will occur at 06:54 AM and sunset will occur at 04:11 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Sagittarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Turquoise while the mystical birthstone is Onyx.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 58 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

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Historical Events For December 2

  • 1409
    The University of Leipzig opens.
  • 1755
    The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire.
  • 1763
    Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island, the first synagogue in what became the United States.
  • 1775
    The USS Alfred becomes the first vessel to fly the Grand Union Flag (the precursor to the Stars and Stripes); the flag is hoisted by John Paul Jones.
  • 1804
    At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French, the first French Emperor in a thousand years.
  • 1805
    Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Austerlitz – French troops under Napoleon Bonaparte defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force.
  • 1823
    Monroe Doctrine: US President James Monroe delivers a speech establishing American neutrality in future European conflicts.
  • 1845
    Manifest Destiny: US President James K. Polk announces to Congress that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
  • 1848
    Franz Josef I becomes Emperor of Austria.
  • 1851
    French President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte overthrows the Second Republic.
  • 1852
    Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte becomes Emperor of the French (Napoleon III).
  • 1859
    Militant abolitionist leader John Brown is hanged for his October 16th raid on Harper’s Ferry.
  • 1867
    At Tremont Temple in Boston, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States.
  • 1899
    Philippine-American War: The Battle of Tirad Pass, termed “The Filipino Thermopylae”, is fought.
  • 1908
    Child Emperor Pu Yi ascends the Chinese throne at the age of two
  • 1917
    An armistice is signed between Russia and the Central Powers at Brest-Litovsk and peace talks leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk began.
  • 1920
    Following more than a month of Turkish-Armenian War, the Turkish dictated Treaty of Alexandropol is concluded.
  • 1927
    Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A as its new automobile.
  • 1930
    Great Depression: US President Herbert Hoover goes before the United States Congress and asks for a US$150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy.
  • 1939
    New York City’s La Guardia Airport opens.
  • 1942
    Manhattan Project: A team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
  • 1943
    A Luftwaffe bombing raid on the harbour of Bari, Italy, sinks numerous cargo and transport ships, including an American Liberty ship, the John Harvey, with a stockpile of World War I-era mustard gas.
  • 1946
    The British Government invites four Indian leaders, Nehru, Baldev Singh, Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan to obtain the participation of all parties in the Constituent Assembly.
  • 1947
    Jerusalem Riots of 1947: Riots break out in Jerusalem in response to the approval of the 1947 UN Partition Plan.
  • 1954
    Red Scare: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to condemn Joseph McCarthy for “conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute”.
  • 1954
    The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and the Republic of China, is signed in Washington, D.C.
  • 1956
    The Granma yacht reaches the shores of Cuba’s Oriente province and Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution.
  • 1961
    In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist-Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.
  • 1962
    Vietnam War: After a trip to Vietnam at the request of US President John F. Kennedy, US Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield becomes the first American official not to make an optimistic public comment on the war’s progress.
  • 1970
    The United States Environmental Protection Agency begins operations.
  • 1971
    Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm Al Quwain form the United Arab Emirates.
  • 1975
    Pathet Lao seizes power in Laos, and establishes the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
  • 1976
    Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado.
  • 1980
    Four U.S. nuns and churchwomen, Ita Ford, Maura Clarke, Jean Donovan, and Dorothy Kazel, are murdered by a death squad in El Salvador.
  • 1982
    At the University of Utah, Barney Clark becomes the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart.
  • 1988
    Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of an Islam-dominated state.
  • 1993
    Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is shot and killed in Medellín.
  • 1993
    Space Shuttle program: STS-61 – NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
  • 1999
    Glenbrook rail accident near Sydney, New South Wales.
  • 1999
    The United Kingdom devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive.
  • 2001
    Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

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Who Were Born On December 2?

  • 1578
    Agostino Agazzari, Italian composer and music theorist (d. 1640)
  • 1694
    William Shirley, Colonial Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1771)
  • 1703
    Ferdinand Konščak, Croatian explorer (d. 1759)
  • 1710
    Bertinazzi, Italian actor and writer (d. 1783)
  • 1738
    Richard Montgomery, Irish-born soldier (d. 1775)
  • 1754
    William Cooper, American judge (d. 1809)
  • 1760
    John Breckinridge, American politician and 5th United States Attorney General (d. 1806)
  • 1810
    Henry Yesler, American entrepreneur and politician (d. 1892)
  • 1811
    Jean-Charles Chapais, French Canadian politician, Father of the Canadian Confederation (d. 1885)
  • 1817
    Heinrich von Sybel, German historian (d. 1895)
  • 1825
    Emperor Pedro II of Brazil (d. 1891)
  • 1846
    Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau, French statesman (d. 1904)
  • 1859
    Georges Seurat, French painter (d. 1891)
  • 1863
    Charles Ringling, American circus owner (d. 1926)
  • 1884
    Erima Harvey Northcroft, New Zealand lawyer and judge (d. 1953)
  • 1885
    George Richards Minot, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize (d. 1950)
  • 1886
    Harry Burleigh, American composer (d. 1949)
  • 1891
    Charles H. Wesley, author writer and Brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. (d. 1987)
  • 1891
    Otto Dix, German painter and graphic artist (d. 1969)
  • 1893
    Leo Ornstein, Russian-born composer and pianist (d. 2002)
  • 1894
    Warren William, American Broadway and film actor (d. 1948)
  • 1895
    Harriet Cohen, British pianist (d. 1967)
  • 1897
    Hovhannes Bagramyan, Marshall of the Soviet Union (d. 1982)
  • 1898
    Indra Lal Roy, Indian pilot (d. 1918)
  • 1899
    John Barbirolli, British conductor (d. 1970)
  • 1899
    John Cobb, British racing driver (d. 1952)
  • 1899
    Ray Morehart, American baseball player (d. 1989)
  • 1901
    Raimundo Orsi, Argentine-born footballer (d. 1986)
  • 1906
    Peter Carl Goldmark, Hungarian-born recording engineer (d. 1977)
  • 1910
    Russell Lynes, American art historian, photographer, author and managing editor of Harper’s Magazine (d. 1991)
  • 1914
    Adolph Green, American composer (d. 2002)
  • 1914
    Bill Erwin, American actor (d. 2010)
  • 1914
    Ray Walston, American actor (d. 2001)
  • 1915
    Prince Mikasa, Japanese royal
  • 1917
    Sylvia Syms, American jazz singer (d. 1992)
  • 1921
    Carlo Furno, Cardinal Grand Master Emeritus of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
  • 1922
    Iakovos Kambanelis, Greek poet, playwright, lyricist, and novelist
  • 1923
    Maria Callas, Greek soprano (d. 1977)
  • 1924
    Alexander Haig, American Soldier & Civil servant, 7th Supreme Allied Commander Europe, 5th White House Chief of Staff and 59th United States Secretary of State (d. 2010)
  • 1924
    Vilgot Sjöman, Swedish writer and film director (d. 2006)
  • 1925
    Julie Harris, American actress
  • 1930
    David Piper, British race car driver
  • 1930
    Gary Becker, American economist, recipient of the Bank of Sweden Prize
  • 1931
    Edwin Meese, American jurist and 75th United States Attorney General
  • 1931
    Masaaki Hatsumi, founder and head of the Bujinkan Dojo organization
  • 1931
    Nigel Calder, British science writer
  • 1931
    Wynton Kelly, American jazz pianist (d. 1971)
  • 1933
    K. Veeramani, Indian anti-caste activist
  • 1933
    Mike Larrabee, American athlete (d. 2003)
  • 1934
    Andre Rodgers, baseball player (d. 2004)
  • 1934
    Sissela Bok, Swedish philosopher and ethicist
  • 1934
    Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Secretary of State and Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church
  • 1935
    David Hackett Fischer, American historian
  • 1937
    Manohar Joshi, Indian politician
  • 1939
    Francis Fox, Canadian politician, member of the Senate
  • 1939
    Harry Reid, American politician
  • 1939
    Yael Dayan, Israeli writer and politician
  • 1943
    Wayne Allard, American politician
  • 1944
    Botho Strauß, German author
  • 1944
    Cathy Lee Crosby, American actress
  • 1944
    Dionysis Savvopoulos, Greek musician and songwriter
  • 1944
    Ibrahim Rugova, first President of Kosovo (d. 2006)
  • 1944
    Inger Davidson, Swedish politician
  • 1945
    Penelope Spheeris, American film director
  • 1946
    Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer (d. 1997)
  • 1947
    Isaac Bitton, French rock band drummer (Les Variations)
  • 1947
    Ivan Atanassov Petrov, Bulgarian neurologist
  • 1947
    Tommy Jenkins, English football player
  • 1948
    T. Coraghessan Boyle, American writer
  • 1949
    Ron Raines, American actor
  • 1950
    Amin Saikal, Afghan-Australian academic
  • 1950
    Benjamin Stora, French historian
  • 1950
    Bob Kevoian, American radio personality
  • 1950
    Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd on Whale Wars.
  • 1951
    Adrian Devine, American baseball pitcher
  • 1952
    Carol Shea-Porter, American Congresswoman
  • 1954
    Dan Butler, American actor
  • 1954
    Stone Phillips, American television journalist
  • 1956
    Steven Bauer, American actor
  • 1957
    Dagfinn Høybråten, Norwegian politician
  • 1958
    George Saunders, American writer
  • 1958
    Uladzimir Parfianovich, Belarusian canoer
  • 1959
    Boman Irani, Indian actor
  • 1959
    Frank Dietrich, German footballer
  • 1960
    Nicholas Dingley alias Razzle, British drummer (Hanoi Rocks) (d. 1984)
  • 1960
    Rick Savage, British bassist (Def Leppard)
  • 1962
    Kardam, Prince of Turnovo, titular Bulgarian royal family
  • 1963
    Ann Patchett, American novelist
  • 1963
    Brendan Coyle, English actor
  • 1963
    Dan Gauthier, American actor
  • 1963
    Rich Sutter, Canadian hockey player
  • 1963
    Ron Sutter, Canadian hockey player
  • 1966
    Jinsei Shinzaki, Japanese professional wrestler
  • 1967
    Laurie Morgan, Channel Islands chief minister
  • 1968
    Darryl Kile, baseball player (d. 2002)
  • 1968
    Lucy Liu, American actress
  • 1968
    Nate Mendel, American bassist (Foo Fighters)
  • 1968
    Rena Sofer, American actress
  • 1970
    Joe Lo Truglio, American actor, writer and comedian
  • 1970
    Treach, American rapper (Naughty by Nature)
  • 1970
    Yang Hyun Suk, South Korean record producer
  • 1971
    Francesco Toldo, Italian football player
  • 1971
    Wilson Jermaine Heredia, American actor
  • 1972
    Sergei Zholtok, Latvian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
  • 1973
    Graham Kavanagh, Irish footballer
  • 1973
    Jan Ullrich, German cyclist
  • 1973
    Monica Seles, Yugoslavian-born tennis player
  • 1976
    Eddy Garabito, Dominican baseball player
  • 1976
    Masafumi Gotō, Japanese singer (Asian Kung-Fu Generation)
  • 1977
    Siyabonga Nomvethe, South African footballer
  • 1978
    Chris Wolstenholme, British bassist (Muse)
  • 1978
    David Rivas, Spanish footballer
  • 1978
    Jarron Collins, American basketball player
  • 1978
    Jason Collins, American basketball player
  • 1978
    Luigi Malafronte, Italian footballer
  • 1978
    Maëlle Ricker, Canadian snowboarder, Olympic Gold Medalist
  • 1978
    Nelly Furtado, Portuguese-Canadian singer and songwriter
  • 1978
    Peter Moylan, Australian baseball player
  • 1979
    Melissa Archer, American actress
  • 1979
    Michael McIndoe, Scottish professional footballer
  • 1979
    Yvonne Catterfeld, German singer and actress
  • 1980
    Adam Kreek, Canadian rower
  • 1981
    Britney Spears, American singer, dancer and entertainer
  • 1981
    Danijel Pranjić, Croatian football player
  • 1982
    Christos Karipidis, Greek footballer
  • 1982
    Matt Ware, American football player
  • 1982
    Michelle Banzer, model/beauty queen
  • 1982
    Pizon, American rapper/producer
  • 1983
    Aaron Rodgers, American football player
  • 1983
    Bibiana Candelas, Mexican volleyball player
  • 1983
    Chris Burke, Scottish footballer
  • 1983
    Daniela Ruah, Portuguese actress
  • 1983
    Jana Kramer, American actress
  • 1984
    Péter Máté, Hungarian footballer
  • 1985
    Amaury Leveaux, French swimmer
  • 1985
    Dorell Wright, American basketball player
  • 1986
    Adam Le Fondre, English football player
  • 1986
    Claudiu Keserü, Romanian football player
  • 1986
    Tal Wilkenfeld, Australian electric bass player
  • 1987
    Teairra Mari, American R&B singer
  • 1988
    Alfred Enoch, British actor
  • 1988
    Soniya Mehra, Indian actress
  • 1989
    Cassie Steele, Canadian actress
  • 1990
    Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1990
    Hikaru Yaotome, Japanese idol (Hey! Say! JUMP)
  • 1991
    Brandon Knight, American basketball player
  • 1993
    Kostas Stafylidis, Greek football at PAOK F.C.

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Who Died On December 2?

  • 1348
    Emperor Hanazono of Japan (b. 1297)
  • 1381
    John of Ruysbroeck, Flemish mystic
  • 1463
    Archduke Albert VI of Austria (b. 1418)
  • 1469
    Piero di Cosimo de' Medici of Florence (b. 1416)
  • 1515
    Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish general and statesman (b. 1453)
  • 1547
    Hernán Cortés, Spanish explorer and conqueror (b. 1485)
  • 1594
    Gerardus Mercator, Flemish cartographer (b. 1512)
  • 1615
    Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, French general
  • 1665
    Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet, French socialite (b. 1588)
  • 1694
    Pierre Paul Puget, French artist (b. 1622)
  • 1719
    Pasquier Quesnel, French Jansenist theologian (b. 1634)
  • 1726
    Samuel Penhallow, English-born American colonist and historian (b. 1665)
  • 1747
    Vincent Bourne, English classical scholar (b. 1695)
  • 1748
    Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, English politician (b. 1662)
  • 1774
    Johann Friedrich Agricola, German composer and organist (b. 1720)
  • 1814
    Marquis de Sade, French writer (b. 1740)
  • 1844
    Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko, Polish general and politician (b. 1768)
  • 1849
    Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, wife of William IV of the United Kingdom (b. 1792)
  • 1859
    John Brown, American abolitionist (b. 1800)
  • 1860
    Alfred Bunn, British theatrical manager (b. 1796)
  • 1888
    Namık Kemal, Turkish poet (b. 1840)
  • 1892
    Jay Gould, American entrepreneur (b. 1836)
  • 1899
    Gregorio del Pilar, Filipino general (b. 1875)
  • 1918
    Edmond Rostand, French poet and dramatist (b. 1868)
  • 1924
    Kazimieras Būga, Lithuanian philologist (b. 1879)
  • 1931
    Vincent d'Indy, French composer (b. 1851)
  • 1936
    John Ringling, American circus owner (b. 1866)
  • 1943
    Nordahl Grieg, Norwegian author and journalist (b. 1902)
  • 1944
    Eiji Sawamura, Japanese baseball player (b. 1917)
  • 1944
    Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Italian writer (b. 1876)
  • 1944
    Josef Lhévinne, Russian pianist (b. 1874)
  • 1950
    Dinu Lipatti, Romanian pianist (b. 1917)
  • 1953
    Reginald Baker, Australian athlete and actor (b. 1884)
  • 1953
    Tran Trong Kim, Vietnamese scholar and politician (b. 1883)
  • 1957
    Harrison Ford, American actor (b. 1884)
  • 1957
    Manfred Sakel, Polish psychiatrist (b. 1902)
  • 1963
    Sabu Dastagir, Indian-born American actor (b. 1924)
  • 1963
    Thomas Hicks, British-born American runner (b. 1875)
  • 1966
    Giles Cooper, Anglo-Irish playwright (b. 1918)
  • 1967
    Billy Chapman, English footballer (b. 1902)
  • 1968
    Adamson-Eric (Eric Adamson), Estonian painter (b. 1902)
  • 1969
    José María Arguedas, Peruvian novelist, poet, and anthropologist (b. 1911)
  • 1969
    Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov, Russian politician (b. 1881)
  • 1972
    Yip Man, Chinese martial artist (b. 1893)
  • 1974
    Max Weber, Swiss politician (b. 1897)
  • 1976
    Danny Murtaugh, American baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
  • 1980
    Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, Pakistani politician (b. 1905)
  • 1980
    Romain Gary, Lithuanian-born French writer (b. 1914)
  • 1980
    Roza Eskenazi, Greek singer (b. 1890s)
  • 1982
    Marty Feldman, British comedian, writer and actor (b. 1933)
  • 1983
    Fifi D'Orsay, Canadian actress (b. 1904)
  • 1985
    Aniello Dellacroce, American organized crime figure (b. 1914)
  • 1985
    Philip Larkin, English writer and jazz critic (b. 1922)
  • 1986
    Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born actor and band leader (b. 1917)
  • 1986
    John Curtis Gowan, American psychologist (b. 1912)
  • 1987
    Luis Federico Leloir, French-born chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1906)
  • 1987
    Yakov Borisovich Zel'dovich, Russian physicist (b. 1914)
  • 1988
    Karl-Heinz Bürger, German SS-Oberführer (b. 1904)
  • 1988
    Tata Giacobetti, Italian singer and lyricist (b. 1922)
  • 1990
    Aaron Copland, American composer (b. 1900)
  • 1990
    Robert Cummings, American actor (b. 1908)
  • 1992
    Michael Gothard, English actor (b. 1939)
  • 1993
    Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug trafficker (b. 1949)
  • 1995
    Robertson Davies, Canadian novelist (b. 1913)
  • 1995
    Roxie Roker, American actress (b. 1929)
  • 1997
    Michael Hedges, American guitarist (b. 1953)
  • 1997
    Shirley Crabtree, British professional wrestler (b. 1930)
  • 2000
    Gail Fisher, American actress (b. 1935)
  • 2002
    Arno Peters, German historian (b. 1916)
  • 2002
    Ivan Illich, Austrian priest and philosopher (b. 1926)
  • 2003
    Alan Davidson, British author (b. 1924)
  • 2004
    Alicia Markova, British ballerina (b. 1910)
  • 2004
    Mona Van Duyn, American poet (b. 1921)
  • 2005
    Kenneth Lee Boyd, American convicted murderer (b. 1948)
  • 2005
    Nat Mayer Shapiro, American painter (b. 1919)
  • 2005
    Van Tuong Nguyen, Thai-born Australian drug smuggler (b. 1980)
  • 2005
    William P. Lawrence, American naval officer (b. 1930)
  • 2006
    Mariska Veres, Dutch singer (Shocking Blue) (b. 1947)
  • 2007
    Jennifer Alexander, Canadian ballet dancer (b. 1972)
  • 2008
    Edward Samuel Rogers, Canadian entrepreneur (b. 1933)
  • 2008
    Kathleen Baskin-Ball, American religious figure (b. 1958)
  • 2008
    Odetta, American singer (b. 1930)
  • 2009
    Eric Woolfson, Scottish singer and producer (The Alan Parsons Project) (b. 1945)
  • 2009
    Foge Fazio, American college football coach (b. 1938)
  • 2009
    Maggie Jones, English actress (b. 1934)

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