Major Events
- 31 BC Battle of Actium: decisive naval battle that effectively ends the Roman Republic. Octavian's forces defeat those under Mark Antony and Cleopatra off the western coast of Greece.
- 1192 Sultan Saladin and King Richard the Lionheart of England sign treaty over Jerusalem, at end of the Third Crusade
- 1666 Great Fire of London begins at 2am in Pudding Lane, 80% of London is destroyed
- 1792 September Massacres of the French Revolution: In Paris rampaging mobs slaughter 3 Roman Catholic bishops, more than two hundred priests, and prisoners believed to be royalist sympathizers.
- 1864 US Civil War: Union General William T. Sherman captures and occupy Atlanta, Georgia, ending the Atlanta Campaign [1]
- More September 2 Events
Sep 2 in Film & TV
- 1931 American crooner Bing Crosby makes his solo radio debut on his "15 Minutes with Bing Crosby" program broadcast on the CBS network
- 1949 "The Third Man", directed by Carol Reed, starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli and Orson Welles, is released in the United Kingdom (Academy Awards Best Cinematography 1950)
Sep 2 in Music
- 1972 Rod Stewart's 1st #1 hit single in the UK, "You Wear it Well"
Sep 2 in Sport
- 1965 Chicago Cubs slugger Ernie Banks hits his MLB 400th career HR (off Curt Simmons) in 5-3 win over St. Louis at Wrigley Field; Simmons also gave up Willie Mays' 400th HR in 1963
Did You Know?
The first automatic teller machine in the United States is installed in Rockville Center, New York.
Frederick Soddy
Daniel arap Moi
Andrew Grove
Ahmad Shah Massoud
Andrej Babiš
Keanu Reeves
Salma Hayek
Billy Preston
Peter Ueberroth
Jimmy Connors
Eric Dickerson
Lennox Lewis
Famous Weddings
- 1824 US Navy flag officer David Farragut (23) weds Susan Caroline Marchant
- 1908 Naval officer Robert Scott (40) weds sculptress Kathleen Bruce (30) at the Chapel Royal in London, England
- 1922 "Gone With The Wind" author Margaret Mitchell (21) weds Berrien "Red" Upshaw; divoce in 1924
Famous Divorces
- 1960 Actress Tammy Grimes (26) divorces actor Christopher Plummer (30) after 4 years of marriage
More September 2 Weddings
Pheidippides
Ernest Renshaw
Ho Chi Minh
J. R. R. Tolkien
Christiaan Barnard
Bob DenverArticles, Photos and Quiz
The Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London began on this day when sparks from a baker’s oven ignited his home. Fanned by strong winds, the blaze consumed 80 per cent of the city.
September 2, 1666
Surrender of Japan
Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signs the Instrument of Surrender to formally end World War II
September 2, 1945
