August 2

August 2 is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 151 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday (58 in 400 years each) than on Friday or Saturday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Monday or Wednesday (56).

Events

• 338 BC – A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean.
• 216 BC – The Carthaginian army led by Hannibal defeats a numerically superior Roman army at the Battle of Cannae.
• 70 – The armies of Titus retake Jerusalem after sacking the city and destroying Herod's Temple.
• 461 – Majorian is arrested near Tortona (northern Italy) and deposed by the Suebian general Ricimer as puppet emperor.
• 1274 – Edward I of England returns from the Ninth Crusade and is crowned King seventeen days later.
• 1343 – After the execution of her husband, Jeanne de Clisson sells her estates and raises a force of men with which to attack French shipping and ports.
• 1377 – Russian troops are defeated in the Battle on Pyana River.
• 1610 – During Henry Hudson's search for the Northwest Passage, he sails into what is now known as Hudson Bay.
• 1776 – The signing of the United States Declaration of Independence took place.
• 1790 – The first United States Census is conducted.
• 1798 – French Revolutionary Wars: The Battle of the Nile concludes in a British victory.
• 1830 – Charles X of France abdicates the throne in favor of his grandson Henri.
• 1869 – Japan's Edo society class system is abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms.
• 1870 – Tower Subway, the world's first underground tube railway, opens in London, England, United Kingdom.
• 1873 – The Clay Street Hill Railroad begins operating the first cable car in San Francisco's famous cable car system.
• 1897 – Anglo-Afghan War: The Siege of Malakand ends when a relief column is able to reach the British garrison in the Malakand states.
• 1903 – The Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising against the Ottoman Empire begins.
• 1914 – The German occupation of Luxembourg during World War I begins.
• 1916 – World War I: Austrian sabotage causes the sinking of the Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci in Taranto.
• 1918 – Japan announces that it is deploying troops to Siberia in the aftermath of World War I.
• 1918 – The first general strike in Canadian history takes place in Vancouver.
• 1922 – A typhoon hits Shantou, Republic of China killing more than 50,000 people.
• 1923 – Vice President Calvin Coolidge becomes U.S. President upon the death of President Warren G. Harding.
• 1932 – The positron (antiparticle of the electron) is discovered by Carl D. Anderson.
• 1934 – Gleichschaltung: Adolf Hitler becomes Führer of Germany following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg.
• 1937 – The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed in America, the effect of which is to render marijuana and all its by-products illegal.
• 1939 – Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard write a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging him to begin the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear weapon.
• 1943 – Jewish prisoners stage a revolt at Treblinka, one of the deadliest of Nazi death camps where approximately 900,000 persons were murdered in less than 18 months.
• 1943 – World War II: The Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 is rammed by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri and sinks. Lt. John F. Kennedy, future U.S. President, saves all but two of his crew.
• 1944 – ASNOM: Birth of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, celebrated as Day of the Republic in the Republic of Macedonia.
• 1944 – World War II: The largest trade convoy of the world wars arrives safely in the Western Approaches.
• 1945 – World War II: End of the Potsdam Conference.
• 1947 – A British South American Airways Avro Lancastrian airliner crashes into a mountain during a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile. The wreckage would not be found until 1998.
• 1964 – Vietnam War: Gulf of Tonkin incident: North Vietnamese gunboats allegedly fire on the U.S. destroyer USS Maddox.
• 1968 – An earthquake hits Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines killing more than 270 people and wounding 261.
• 1973 – A flash fire kills 51 at the Summerland amusement centre at Douglas, Isle of Man.
• 1980 – A bomb explodes at the railway station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200.
• 1985 – Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137.
• 1989 – Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations after having restored democracy for the first time since 1972.
• 1989 – A massacre is carried out by an Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 64 ethnic Tamil civilians.
• 1990 – Iraq invades Kuwait, eventually leading to the Gulf War.
• 1998 – The Second Congo War begins.
• 1999 – The Gaisal train disaster claims 285 lives in Assam, India.
• 2005 – Air France Flight 358, lands at Toronto Pearson International Airport, and runs off the runway causing the plane to burst into flames leaving 12 injuries and no fatalities.
• 2014 – At least 146 people were killed and more than 114 injured in an explosion at a factory near Shanghai.

Births

• 1455 – John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1499)
• 1533 – Theodor Zwinger, Swiss physician and scholar (d. 1588)
• 1612 – Saskia van Uylenburgh, Dutch model (d. 1642)
• 1672 – Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, Swiss paleontologist and scholar (d. 1733)
• 1674 – Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (d. 1723)
• 1696 – Mahmud I, Ottoman sultan (d. 1754)
• 1702 – Dietrich of Anhalt-Dessau (d. 1769)
• 1703 – Lorenzo Ricci, Italian religious leader, 18th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (d. 1775)
• 1740 – Jean Baptiste Camille Canclaux, French general (d. 1817)
• 1754 – Pierre Charles L'Enfant, French-American architect and engineer, designed Washington, D.C. (d. 1825)
• 1788 – Leopold Gmelin, German chemist and academic (d. 1853)
• 1815 – Adolf Friedrich von Schack, German poet and historian (d. 1894)
• 1820 – John Tyndall, Irish-English physicist and mountaineer (d. 1893)
• 1828 – Manuel Pavía y Rodríguez de Alburquerque, Spanish general (d. 1895)
• 1834 – Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, French sculptor, designed the Statue of Liberty (d. 1904)
• 1835 – Elisha Gray, American businessman, co-founded Western Electric (d. 1901)
• 1858 – Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont (d. 1934)
• 1861 – Prafulla Chandra Ray, Bangladeshi chemist and academic (d. 1944)
• 1865 – Irving Babbitt, American academic and critic (d. 1933)
• 1865 – John Radecki, Australian stained glass artist (d. 1955)
• 1867 – Ernest Dowson, English poet, novelist, and short story writer (d. 1900)
• 1868 – Constantine I of Greece (d. 1923)
• 1871 – John French Sloan, American painter and illustrator (d. 1951)
• 1872 – George E. Stewart, Australian-American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1946)
• 1875 – Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Russian-American painter and illustrator (d. 1957)
• 1876 – Pingali Venkayya, Indian geologist, designed the Flag of India (d. 1963)
• 1877 – Ravishankar Shukla, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (d. 1956)
• 1878 – Aino Kallas, Finnish-Estonian author (d. 1956)
• 1880 – Arthur Dove, American painter and educator (d. 1946)
• 1882 – Red Ames, American baseball player and manager (d. 1936)
• 1882 – Albert Bloch, American painter and academic (d. 1961)
• 1884 – Rómulo Gallegos, Venezuelan author and politician, 46th President of Venezuela (d. 1969)
• 1886 – John Alexander Douglas McCurdy Canadian pilot and politician, 20th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (d. 1961)
• 1887 – Oskar Anderson, Bulgarian-German mathematician and statistician (d. 1960)
• 1887 – Tommy Ward, Indian-South African cricketer (d. 1936)
• 1891 – Arthur Bliss, English composer and conductor (d. 1975)
• 1891 – Viktor Zhirmunsky, Russian linguist and historian (d. 1971)
• 1892 – Jack L. Warner, Canadian-born American production manager and producer, co-founded Warner Bros. (d. 1978)
• 1895 – Matt Henderson, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1970)
• 1897 – Karl-Otto Koch, German SS officer (d. 1945)
• 1897 – Max Weber, Swiss lawyer and politician (d. 1974)
• 1898 – Ernő Nagy, Hungarian fencer (d. 1977)
• 1899 – Charles Bennett, English director and screenwriter (d. 1995)
• 1900 – Holling C. Holling, American author and illustrator (d. 1973)
• 1900 – Helen Morgan, American actress and singer (d. 1941)
• 1902 – Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria (d. 1971)
• 1905 – Karl Amadeus Hartmann, German composer (d. 1963)
• 1905 – Myrna Loy, American actress (d. 1993)
• 1907 – Mary Hamman, American journalist and author (d. 1984)
• 1910 – Roger MacDougall, Scottish director, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 1993)
• 1911 – Ann Dvorak, American actress (d. 1979)
• 1912 – Palle Huld, Danish actor (d. 2010)
• 1912 – Håkon Stenstadvold, Norwegian painter, illustrator, and critic (d. 1977)
• 1912 – Vladimir Žerjavić, Croatian economist and author (d. 2001)
• 1913 – Xavier Thaninayagam, Sri Lankan scholar and academic (d. 1980)
• 1914 – Félix Leclerc, Canadian singer-songwriter, actor, and poet (d. 1988)
• 1914 – Big Walter Price, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 2012)
• 1914 – Beatrice Straight, American actress (d. 2001)
• 1915 – Gary Merrill, American actor (d. 1990)
• 1916 – Alfonso A. Ossorio, Filipino-American painter and sculptor (d. 1990)
• 1919 – Nehemiah Persoff, Israeli-American actor and singer
• 1920 – Louis Pauwels, French journalist and author (d. 1997)
• 1920 – Augustus Rowe, Canadian physician and politician (d. 2013)
• 1921 – Alan Whicker, Egyptian-English journalist (d. 2013)
• 1922 – Gábor Agárdy, Hungarian actor (d. 2006)
• 1922 – Betsy Bloomingdale, American philanthropist and socialite (d. 2016)
• 1922 – Geoffrey Dutton, Australian historian and author (d. 1998)
• 1923 – Shimon Peres, Polish-Israeli lawyer and politician, 9th President of Israel (d. 2016)
• 1923 – Ike Williams, American boxer (d. 1994)
• 1924 – James Baldwin, American novelist, poet, and critic (d. 1987)
• 1924 – Joe Harnell, American pianist and composer (d. 2005)
• 1924 – Carroll O'Connor, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2001)
• 1925 – K. Arulanandan, Ceylon-American engineer and academic (d. 2004)
• 1925 – John Dexter, English director and producer (d. 1990)
• 1925 – John McCormack, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1925 – Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentinian general and politician, 43rd President of Argentina (d. 2013)
• 1927 – Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, English mathematician and academic
• 1928 – Malcolm Hilton, English cricketer (d. 1990)
• 1929 – Roy Crimmins, English trombonist and composer (d. 2014)
• 1929 – John Gale, English director and producer
• 1929 – K. M. Peyton, English author and educator
• 1929 – Vidya Charan Shukla, Indian politician, Indian Minister of External Affairs (d. 2013)
• 1929 – David Waddington, Baron Waddington, English lawyer and politician, Governor of Bermuda
• 1930 – Vali Myers, Australian painter and dancer (d. 2003)
• 1931 – Pierre DuMaine, American bishop and academic
• 1931 – Eddie Fuller, South African cricketer (d. 2008)
• 1931 – Karl Miller, English journalist and critic (d. 2014)
• 1931 – Viliam Schrojf, Czech footballer (d. 2007)
• 1932 – Lamar Hunt, American businessman, co-founded the American Football League and World Championship Tennis (d. 2006)
• 1932 – Peter O'Toole, British-Irish actor and producer (d. 2013)
• 1933 – Ioannis Varvitsiotis, Greek politician, Greek Minister of Defence
• 1934 – Valery Bykovsky, Russian general and astronaut
• 1935 – Amidou, Moroccan-French actor (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Betty Brosmer, American model and author
• 1935 – Hank Cochran, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
• 1936 – Anthony Payne, English composer and author
• 1937 – Ron Brierley, New Zealand businessman
• 1937 – Billy Cannon, American football player and dentist
• 1937 – Garth Hudson, Canadian keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (The Band and The Call)
• 1937 – Gundula Janowitz, Austrian operatic soprano
• 1937 – John Salt, English painter
• 1938 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2007)
• 1938 – Pierre de Bané, Israeli-Canadian lawyer and politician
• 1938 – Paul Jenkins, American actor (d. 2013)
• 1938 – Terry Peck, Falkland Islander soldier (d. 2006)
• 1939 – Benjamin Barber, American theorist, author, and academic
• 1939 – Wes Craven, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2015)
• 1939 – John W. Snow, American businessman and politician, 73rd United States Secretary of the Treasury
• 1940 – Angel Lagdameo, Filipino archbishop
• 1940 – Beko Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian physician and activist (d. 2006)
• 1940 – Will Tura, Belgian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1941 – Doris Coley, American singer (The Shirelles) (d. 2000)
• 1941 – Jules A. Hoffmann, Luxembourgian-French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1941 – Ede Staal, Dutch singer-songwriter (d. 1986)
• 1941 – François Weyergans, Belgian director and screenwriter
• 1942 – Isabel Allende, Chilean-American novelist, essayist, essayist
• 1942 – Juan Formell, Cuban singer-songwriter and bass player (Los Van Van) (d. 2014)
• 1943 – Herbert M. Allison, American lieutenant and businessman (d. 2013)
• 1943 – Tom Burgmeier, American baseball player and coach
• 1943 – Jon R. Cavaiani, English-American sergeant, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 2014)
• 1943 – Rose Tremain, English novelist and short story writer
• 1944 – Jim Capaldi, English drummer and songwriter (Traffic) (d. 2005)
• 1944 – Naná Vasconcelos, Brazilian singer and berimbau player (d. 2016)
• 1945 – Joanna Cassidy, American actress
• 1945 – Alex Jesaulenko, Austrian-Australian footballer and coach
• 1945 – Bunker Roy, Indian educator and activist
• 1945 – Eric Simms, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1946 – James Howe, American journalist and author
• 1947 – Ruth Bakke, Norwegian organist and composer
• 1947 – Lawrence Wright, American journalist, author, and screenwriter
• 1948 – Andy Fairweather Low, Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Fair Weather and Amen Corner)
• 1948 – Dennis Prager, American radio host and author
• 1948 – James Street, American football and baseball player (d. 2013)
• 1948 – Snoo Wilson, English playwright and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1949 – James Fallows, American journalist and author
• 1949 – Bertalan Farkas, Hungarian general and astronaut
• 1950 – Jussi Adler-Olsen, Danish author and publisher
• 1950 – Lance Ito, American lawyer and judge
• 1950 – Ted Turner, British guitarist (Wishbone Ash)
• 1951 – Andrew Gold, American singer-songwriter and producer (Wax) (d. 2011)
• 1951 – Steve Hillage, English guitarist (Uriel, Gong, Khan, and System 7)
• 1951 – Joe Lynn Turner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Deep Purple, Rainbow, Fandango, Brazen Abbot, and Hughes Turner Project)
• 1951 – Freddie Wadling, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (Leather Nun and Blue for Two)
• 1951 – Per Westerberg, Swedish businessman and politician, Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden
• 1953 – Marjo, Canadian singer-songwriter (Corbeau)
• 1953 – Donnie Munro, Scottish singer and guitarist (Runrig)
• 1953 – Anthony Seldon, English historian and author
• 1953 – Butch Patrick, American actor
• 1954 – Sammy McIlroy, Northern Irish footballer and manager
• 1955 – Caleb Carr, American historian and author
• 1955 – Tony Godden, English footballer and manager
• 1956 – Fulvio Melia, Italian-American physicist, astrophysicist, and author
• 1956 – Isabel Pantoja, Spanish singer and actress
• 1957 – Farhat Basir Khan, Indian photographer and academic
• 1957 – Mojo Nixon, American singer-songwriter
• 1957 – Butch Vig, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (Garbage and Spooner)
• 1958 – Arshad Ayub, Indian cricketer and manager
• 1959 – Victoria Jackson, American actress and singer
• 1959 – Johnny Kemp, Bahamian singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2015)
• 1959 – Apollonia Kotero, American singer and actress (Apollonia 6)
• 1960 – Linda Fratianne, American figure skater
• 1960 – Neal Morse, American singer and keyboard player (Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Yellow Matter Custard, and Flying Colors)
• 1960 – David Yow, American singer-songwriter (Scratch Acid, The Jesus Lizard, and Qui)
• 1961 – Cold 187um, American rapper and producer (Above the Law)
• 1961 – Pete de Freitas, Spanish drummer and producer (Echo & the Bunnymen) (d. 1989)
• 1962 – Lee Mavers, English singer, songwriter and guitarist (The La's)
• 1963 – Laura Bennett, American architect and fashion designer
• 1963 – Uğur Tütüneker, Turkish footballer and manager
• 1964 – Frank Biela, German race car driver
• 1964 – Mary-Louise Parker, American actress
• 1965 – Joe Hockey, Australian lawyer and politician, 38th Treasurer of Australia
• 1965 – Hisanobu Watanabe, Japanese baseball player and coach
• 1966 – Takashi Iizuka, Japanese wrestler
• 1966 – Tim Wakefield, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1967 – Aaron Krickstein, American tennis player
• 1967 – Aline Brosh McKenna, American screenwriter and producer
• 1968 – Stefan Effenberg, German footballer and sportscaster
• 1968 – John Stanier, American drummer (Helmet, Tomahawk, The Mark of Cain, and Battles)
• 1969 – Jan Axel Blomberg, Norwegian drummer and songwriter (Winds, Mayhem, and Arcturus)
• 1969 – Cedric Ceballos, American basketball player
• 1969 – Fernando Couto, Portuguese footballer and manager
• 1970 – Tony Amonte, American ice hockey player and coach
• 1970 – Kevin Smith, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Philo Wallace, Barbadian cricketer
• 1971 – Jason Bell, Australian rugby league player
• 1971 – Michael Hughes, Irish footballer and manager
• 1972 – Mohamed Al-Deayea, Saudi Arabian footballer
• 1972 – Jacinda Barrett, Australian model and actress
• 1972 – Daniele Nardello, Italian cyclist
• 1972 – Justyna Steczkowska, Polish singer, songwriter and actress
• 1973 – Hiroyuki Goto, Japanese game designer, created Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan
• 1973 – Danie Keulder, Namibian cricketer
• 1973 – Miguel Mendonca, Zimbabwean journalist and author
• 1973 – Susie O'Neill, Australian swimmer
• 1974 – Phil Williams, English journalist and radio host
• 1975 – Mineiro, Brazilian footballer
• 1975 – Xu Huaiwen, Chinese-German badminton player and coach
• 1975 – Tamás Molnár, Hungarian water polo player
• 1976 – Reyes Estévez, Spanish runner
• 1976 – Jay Heaps, American soccer player and coach
• 1976 – Michael Weiss, American figure skater
• 1976 – Sam Worthington, English-Australian actor and producer
• 1976 – Mohammad Zahid, Pakistani cricketer
• 1977 – Edward Furlong, American actor and singer
• 1977 – Mark Velasquez, American photographer
• 1978 – Goran Gavrančić, Serbian footballer
• 1978 – Matt Guerrier, American baseball player
• 1978 – Deividas Šemberas, Lithuanian footballer
• 1978 – Dragan Vukmir, Serbian footballer
• 1979 – Marco Bonura, Italian footballer
• 1979 – Reuben Kosgei, Kenyan runner
• 1980 – Ivica Banović, Croatian footballer
• 1980 – Dingdong Dantes, Filipino actor, singer, director, and producer
• 1981 – Alexander Emelianenko, Russian mixed martial artist and boxer
• 1981 – Tim Murtagh, English cricketer
• 1982 – Hélder Postiga, Portuguese footballer
• 1982 – Kerry Rhodes, American football player
• 1982 – Grady Sizemore, American baseball player
• 1983 – Michel Bastos, Brazilian footballer
• 1983 – Kim Jung-ah, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (After School)
• 1984 – Britt Nicole, American singer, songwriter and producer
• 1984 – Giampaolo Pazzini, Italian footballer
• 1985 – Stephen Ferris, Irish rugby player
• 1985 – David Hart Smith, Canadian wrestler
• 1986 – Mathieu Razanakolona, Canadian skier
• 1987 – Csilla Borsányi, Hungarian tennis player
• 1987 – Yura Movsisyan, Armenian footballer
• 1988 – Rob Kwiet, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1988 – Alice Moran, Canadian actress and screenwriter
• 1989 – Nacer Chadli, Belgian footballer
• 1990 – Ima Bohush, Belarusian tennis player
• 1990 – Skylar Diggins, American basketball player
• 1991 – Evander Kane, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1992 – Charli XCX, English singer and songwriter
• 1992 – Hallie Eisenberg, American actress
• 1994 – Laura Pigossi, Brazilian tennis player
• 1994 – Laremy Tunsil, American football player
• 1995 – Kristaps Porziņģis, Latvian basketball player

Deaths

• 640 – Pope Severinus
• 686 – Pope John V (b. 635)
• 924 – Ælfweard of Wessex (b. 904)
• 1100 – William II of England (b. 1056)
• 1222 – Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse (b. 1156)
• 1316 – Louis of Burgundy (b. 1297)
• 1445 – Oswald von Wolkenstein, Austrian poet and composer (b. 1376)
• 1511 – Andrew Barton, Scottish admiral (b. 1466)
• 1512 – Alessandro Achillini, Italian physician and philosopher (b. 1463)
• 1546 – Peter Faber, French priest and theologian, co-founded the Society of Jesus (b. 1506)
• 1589 – Henry III of France (b. 1551)
• 1611 – Katō Kiyomasa, Japanese daimyo (b. 1562)
• 1667 – Francesco Borromini, Swiss architect, designed San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane and Sant'Agnese in Agone (b. 1599)
• 1696 – Robert Campbell of Glenlyon (b. 1630)
• 1769 – Daniel Finch, 8th Earl of Winchilsea, English politician, Lord President of the Council (b. 1689)
• 1776 – Louis François, Prince of Conti (b. 1717)
• 1788 – Thomas Gainsborough, English painter (b. 1727)
• 1815 – Guillaume Brune, French general and politician (b. 1763)
• 1823 – Lazare Carnot, French mathematician, general, and politician, President of the National Convention (b. 1753)
• 1849 – Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Ottoman Albanian commander (b. 1769)
• 1854 – Heinrich Clauren, German author (b. 1771)
• 1859 – Horace Mann, American educator and politician (b. 1796)
• 1876 – "Wild Bill" Hickok, American sheriff (b. 1837)
• 1889 – Eduardo Gutiérrez, Argentinian author (b. 1851)
• 1890 – Louise-Victorine Ackermann, French poet and author (b. 1813)
• 1903 – Eduard Magnus Jakobson, Estonian missionary and engraver (b. 1847)
• 1903 – Edmond Nocard, French veterinarian and microbiologist (b. 1850)
• 1913 – Ferenc Pfaff, Hungarian architect and academic, designed Zagreb Central Station (b. 1851)
• 1917 – Jaan Mahlapuu, Estonian military pilot (b. 1894)
• 1920 – Ormer Locklear, American pilot and actor (b. 1891)
• 1921 – Enrico Caruso, Italian tenor and actor (b. 1873)
• 1922 – Alexander Graham Bell, Scottish-Canadian engineer, invented the telephone (b. 1847)
• 1923 – Warren G. Harding, American journalist and politician, 29th President of the United States (b. 1865)
• 1929 – Mae Costello, American actress (b. 1882)
• 1934 – Paul von Hindenburg, German field marshal and politician, 2nd President of Germany (b. 1847)
• 1937 – Artur Sirk, Estonian soldier, lawyer, and politician (b. 1900)
• 1939 – Harvey Spencer Lewis, American mystic and author (b. 1883)
• 1943 – Marika Papagika, Greek singer (b. 1890)
• 1945 – Pietro Mascagni, Italian composer and educator (b. 1863)
• 1955 – Alfred Lépine, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1901)
• 1955 – Wallace Stevens, American poet and educator (b. 1879)
• 1963 – Oliver La Farge, American anthropologist and author (b. 1901)
• 1967 – Walter Terence Stace, English-American epistemologist, philosopher, and academic (b. 1886)
• 1970 – Angus MacFarlane-Grieve, English academic, mathematician, rower, and soldier (b. 1891)
• 1972 – Brian Cole, American bass player (The Association) (b. 1942)
• 1972 – Paul Goodman, American psychotherapist and author (b. 1911)
• 1972 – Helen Hoyt, American poet and author (b. 1887)
• 1973 – Jean-Pierre Melville, French actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1917)
• 1974 – Douglas Hawkes, English race car driver and businessman (b. 1893)
• 1976 – László Kalmár, Hungarian mathematician and academic (b. 1905)
• 1976 – Fritz Lang, Austrian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1890)
• 1978 – Carlos Chávez, Mexican composer and conductor (b. 1899)
• 1978 – Antony Noghès, French businessman, founded the Monaco Grand Prix (b. 1890)
• 1979 – Thurman Munson, American baseball player (b. 1947)
• 1981 – Stefanie Clausen, Danish diver (b. 1900)
• 1983 – James Jamerson, American bassist (The Funk Brothers) (b. 1936)
• 1986 – Roy Cohn, American lawyer and politician (b. 1927)
• 1988 – Joe Carcione, American activist and author (b. 1914)
• 1988 – Raymond Carver, American short story writer and poet (b. 1938)
• 1990 – Norman Maclean, American short story writer and essayist (b. 1902)
• 1990 – Edwin Richfield, English actor and screenwriter (b. 1921)
• 1992 – Michel Berger, French singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1947)
• 1996 – Michel Debré, French lawyer and politician, 150th Prime Minister of France (b. 1912)
• 1996 – Obdulio Varela, Uruguayan footballer and manager (b. 1917)
• 1997 – William S. Burroughs, American novelist, short story writer, and essayist (b. 1914)
• 1997 – Fela Kuti, Nigerian singer-songwriter and activist (b. 1938)
• 1998 – Shari Lewis, American television host and puppeteer (b. 1933)
• 1999 – Willie Morris, American writer (b. 1934)
• 2003 – Peter Safar, Austrian-American physician and academic (b. 1924)
• 2004 – Ferenc Berényi, Hungarian painter and academic (b. 1929)
• 2004 – François Craenhals, Belgian illustrator (b. 1926)
• 2004 – Heinrich Mark, Estonian lawyer and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Estonia in exile (b. 1911)
• 2005 – Steven Vincent, American journalist and author (b. 1955)
• 2007 – Chauncey Bailey, American journalist (b. 1950)
• 2007 – Holden Roberto, Angolan politician (b. 1923)
• 2008 – Fujio Akatsuka, Japanese illustrator (b. 1935)
• 2011 – José Sanchis Grau, Spanish author and illustrator (b. 1932)
• 2012 – Gabriel Horn, English biologist and academic (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Magnus Isacsson, Canadian director and producer (b. 1948)
• 2012 – Jimmy Jones, American singer-songwriter (b. 1930)
• 2012 – John Keegan, English historian and journalist (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Bernd Meier, German footballer (b. 1972)
• 2012 – Marguerite Piazza, American soprano (b. 1920)
• 2012 – Mihaela Ursuleasa, Romanian pianist (b. 1978)
• 2013 – Julius L. Chambers, American lawyer and activist (b. 1936)
• 2013 – V. Dakshinamoorthy, Indian singer-songwriter (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Richard E. Dauch, American businessman, co-founded American Axle (b. 1942)
• 2013 – Alla Kushnir, Russian–Israeli chess player (b. 1941)
• 2013 – Mirka Yemendzakis, Greek actress, musician, voice coach, and director
• 2014 – Ed Joyce, American journalist (b. 1932)
• 2014 – Billie Letts, American author and educator (b. 1938)
• 2014 – Barbara Prammer, Austrian social worker and politician (b. 1954)
• 2014 – James Thompson, American-Finnish author (b. 1964)
• 2014 – Pete van Wieren, American sportscaster (b. 1944)
• 2015 – Forrest Bird, American pilot and engineer (b. 1921)
• 2015 – Giovanni Conso, Italian jurist and politician, Italian Minister of Justice (b. 1922)
• 2015 – Piet Fransen, Dutch footballer (b. 1936)
• 2015 – Jack Spring, American baseball player (b. 1933)
• 2016 – Terence Bayler, New Zealand actor (b. 1930)
• 2016 – David Huddleston, American actor (b. 1930)
• 2016 – Franciszek Macharski, Polish cardinal (b. 1927)
• 2016 – Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian scientist (b. 1946)

Holidays and observances

• Airmobile Forces Day (Ukraine)
• Christian feast day:
  • Basil Fool for Christ (Russian Orthodox Church)
  • Blessed Justin Russolillo
  • Eusebius of Vercelli
  • Peter Faber
  • Peter Julian Eymard
  • Pope Stephen I
  • Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula (Franciscan Order)
  • Samuel David Ferguson (Episcopal Church)
  • August 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Day of Azerbaijani cinema (Azerbaijan)
• Our Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)
• Paratroopers Day (Russia)
• Republic Day (Republic of Macedonia)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to August 2.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada