August 2
Appearance
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August 2 is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 151 days remain until the end of the year.
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 – Second Punic War: Battle of Cannae: The Carthaginian army led by Hannibal defeats a numerically superior Roman army under command of consuls Lucius Aemilius Paullus and Gaius Terentius Varro.
- 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 – Olivier de Clisson is found guilty of treason and beheaded at Les Halles in Paris. As a result, his wife, Jeanne de Clisson, sold their holding, bought a fleet of ships, and took to the sea as a pirate to seek revenge against King Philip VI of France and the nobility.
- 1377 – Russian troops are defeated in the Battle on Pyana River.
- 1610 – Henry Hudson sails into what is now known as Hudson Bay thinking he had made it through the Northwest Passage and reached the Pacific Ocean.
- 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 samurai, farmer, artisan, merchant class system (Shinōkōshō) is abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms. (Traditional Japanese date: June 25, 1869).
- 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 adjacent to India's North West Frontier Province.
- 1903 – Fall of the Ottoman Empire: An unsuccessful uprising led by the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization against Ottoman Turkey, also known as the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising, takes place.
- 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.
- 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 author and poet (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 – Ravishankar Shukla, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (d. 1956)
- 1876 – Pingali Venkayya, Indian geologist, designed the Flag of India (d. 1963)
- 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)
- 1890 – Marin Sais, American actress (d. 1971)
- 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 and singer (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
- 1922 – Geoffrey Dutton, Australian historian and author (d. 1998)
- 1923 – Shimon Peres, Polish-Israeli lawyer and politician, 9th President of Israel
- 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 – 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 journalist and author
- 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 – Julia Foster, English actress
- 1943 – Rose Tremain, English author and academic
- 1943 – Patrick Adiarte, American actor and dancer
- 1943 – Max Wright, American actor
- 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 player and coach
- 1946 – James Howe, American journalist and author
- 1947 – Massiel, Spanish singer and actress
- 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 – Kathryn Harrold, American actress
- 1950 – Lance Ito, American lawyer and judge
- 1950 – Sue Rodriguez, Canadian activist (d. 1994)
- 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 – Butch Patrick, American actor and singer
- 1953 – Anthony Seldon, English historian and author
- 1954 – James Charles Kopp, American murderer
- 1954 – Ken MacLeod, Scottish blogger and author
- 1954 – Sammy McIlroy, Irish footballer and manager
- 1955 – Caleb Carr, American historian and author
- 1955 – Tim Dunigan, American actor
- 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
- 1958 – Shō Hayami, Japanese voice actor and singer
- 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)
- 1962 – Billy Kilson, American drummer
- 1962 – Cynthia Stevenson, Canadian actress
- 1963 – Laura Bennett, American architect and fashion designer
- 1963 – Daniel Pelosi, American murderer
- 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 player
- 1971 – Michael Hughes, Irish footballer and manager
- 1972 – Mohamed Al-Deayea, Saudi Arabian footballer
- 1972 – Jacinda Barrett, Australian-American 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 – Angie Cepeda, Colombian actress
- 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
- 1975 – Ingrid Rubio, Spanish actress
- 1975 – Michelle Thorne, English porn actress and director
- 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 – Kazuki Namioka, Japanese actor
- 1978 – Deividas Šemberas, Lithuanian footballer
- 1978 – Dragan Vukmir, Serbian footballer
- 1979 – Donna Air, English model, actress, and singer
- 1979 – Marco Bonura, Italian footballer
- 1979 – Reuben Kosgei, Kenyan runner
- 1980 – Ivica Banović, Croatian footballer
- 1980 – Nadia Bjorlin, American actress and singer
- 1980 – Dingdong Dantes, Filipino actor, singer, director, and producer
- 1980 – Uğur Rıfat Karlova, Turkish comedian and actor
- 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 – Nick Diaz, American mixed martial artist and boxer
- 1983 – Kim Jungah, 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 – Nayer, American singer-songwriter
- 1988 – Rob Kwiet, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988 – Alice Moran, Canadian actress and screenwriter
- 1989 – Nacer Chadli, Belgian footballer
- 1989 – Vanes-Mari Du Toit, South African netball player
- 1990 – Ima Bohush, Belarusian tennis player
- 1990 – Skylar Diggins, American basketball player
- 1991 – Skyler Day, American actress and singer
- 1991 – Evander Kane, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1992 – Hallie Eisenberg, American actress
- 1992 – Eddie Generazio, American poet and dancer
- 1992 – Charli XCX, English singer-songwriter
- 1993 – Cassidy Gifford, American actress
- 1993 – Serhiy Nigoyan, Ukrainian activist (d. 2014)
- 1994 – Laura Pigossi, Brazilian tennis player
- 1994 – Laremy Tunsil, American football 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 and illustrator (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 academic (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 author 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)
- 2001 – Ronald Townson, American singer and actor (The 5th Dimension) (b. 1933)
- 2003 – Don Estelle, English actor and singer (b. 1933)
- 2003 – Mike Levey, American television host (b. 1948)
- 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. 1926)
- 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 – Barbara Trentham, American actress (b. 1944)
- 2013 – Pixie Williams, New Zealand singer (b. 1928)
- 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)
Holidays and observances
- Airmobile Forces Day (Ukraine)
- Christian feast day:
- 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.