On This Day — October 2

Famous events, births, and deaths from October 2 in history, plus the public holidays, religious observances, sports, and national days happening on this date today.

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35 events · 199 births · 91 deaths recorded for October 2.

🕰️ Notable Events on October 2

2016 — Ethiopian protests: Violence breaks out during an Irreechaa festival in the Oromia region, killing dozens of people. Wikipedia ↗
2007 — President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea walks across the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea on his way to the second Inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Wikipedia ↗
2006 — Five Amish girls are murdered by Charles Carl Roberts in a shooting at an Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania before Roberts commits suicide. Wikipedia ↗
2002 — The Beltway sniper attacks begin, extending over three weeks. Wikipedia ↗
1996 — A maintenance worker's failure to remove tape covering the static ports of the aircraft causes Aeroperú Flight 603 to crash into the ocean near Lima, Peru, due to instrument failure. Wikipedia ↗
1996 — The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments are signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton. Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301 is hijacked and lands at Guangzhou, where it crashes into two other airliners on the ground, killing 128. Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Michael Myers becomes the first member of either chamber of Congress to be expelled since the Civil War. Wikipedia ↗
1970 — A plane carrying the Wichita State University football team, administrators, and supporters crashes in Colorado killing 31 people. Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz orders soldiers to suppress a demonstration of unarmed students, ten days before the 1968 Summer Olympics will start. Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court. Wikipedia ↗
1959 — The anthology series The Twilight Zone premieres on CBS television. Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Guinea declares its independence from France. Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz is first published. Wikipedia ↗
1949 — The Soviet Union recognises the People's Republic of China, proclaimed the previous day by Mao Zedong. Wikipedia ↗
1944 — World War II: German troops end the Warsaw Uprising. Wikipedia ↗
1942 — World War II: Ocean Liner RMS Queen Mary accidentally rams and sinks her own escort ship, HMS Curacoa, off the coast of Ireland, killing 337 crewmen aboard the Curacoa. Wikipedia ↗
1941 — World War II: In Operation Typhoon, Germany begins an all-out offensive against Moscow. Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Dominican Republic strongman Rafael Trujillo orders the execution of the Haitian population living within the borderlands; approximately 20,000 are killed over the next five days. Wikipedia ↗
1928 — The "Prelature of the Holy Cross and the Work of God", commonly known as Opus Dei, is founded by Josemaría Escrivá. Wikipedia ↗
1925 — John Logie Baird performs the first test of a working television system. Wikipedia ↗
1919 — U.S. President Woodrow Wilson suffers a massive stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed. Wikipedia ↗
1864 — American Civil War: Battle of Saltville: Union forces attack Saltville, Virginia, but are defeated by Confederate troops. Wikipedia ↗
1835 — The Texas Revolution begins with the Battle of Gonzales: Mexican soldiers attempt to disarm the people of Gonzales, Texas, but encounter stiff resistance from a hastily assembled militia. Wikipedia ↗
1814 — Battle of Rancagua: Spanish Royalists troops under Mariano Osorio defeats rebel Chilean forces of Bernardo O'Higgins and José Miguel Carrera. Wikipedia ↗
1789 — George Washington sends proposed Constitutional amendments (The United States Bill of Rights) to the States for ratification. Wikipedia ↗
1780 — John André, British Army officer of the American Revolutionary War, is hanged as a spy by American forces. Wikipedia ↗
1552 — Conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible. Wikipedia ↗
1535 — Jacques Cartier discovers the area where Montreal is now located. Wikipedia ↗
1528 — William Tyndale, the renowned English Reformer and Bible translator published his famous work The Obedience of a Christian Man. Wikipedia ↗
1470 — Richard Neville's rebellion forces King Edward IV of England to flee to the Netherlands, restoring Henry VI to the throne. Wikipedia ↗
1263 — The Battle of Largs is fought between Norwegians and Scots. Wikipedia ↗
1187 — Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule. Wikipedia ↗
939 — Battle of Andernach: King Otto I crushes a rebellion against his rule, by a coalition of Eberhard of Franconia and other Frankish dukes. Wikipedia ↗
829 — Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on October 2

2002 — Jacob Sartorius, American singer Wikipedia ↗
1997 — Hana Sugisaki, Japanese actress Wikipedia ↗
1996 — Tom Trbojevic, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1995 — Te Maire Martin, New Zealand rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1995 — Tepai Moeroa, Cook Islands rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
1994 — Joana Eidukonytė, Lithuanian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Michy Batshuayi, Belgian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1993 — Aaro Vainio, Finnish race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1992 — Sirje Roops, Estonian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1991 — Roberto Firmino, Brazilian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1990 — Dean Bouzanis, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1989 — Aaron Hicks, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1989 — George Nash, English rower Wikipedia ↗
1988 — Brittany Howard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Bojana Bobusic, Australian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Joe Ingles, Australian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Phil Kessel, American ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Joel Reinders, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1987 — Ricky Stenhouse Jr., American race car driver Wikipedia ↗
1986 — Camilla Belle, American actress Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Çağlar Birinci, Turkish footballer Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Buster Davis, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1985 — Brandon Jackson, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1984 — Marion Bartoli, French tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Tyson Chandler, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Esra Gümüş, Turkish volleyball player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — George Pettit, Canadian singer-songwriter and bass player Wikipedia ↗
1982 — Gary Wilkinson, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Ridzuan Fatah Hasan, Singaporean footballer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Santi Kolk, Dutch footballer Wikipedia ↗
1981 — Luke Wilkshire, Australian footballer Wikipedia ↗
1980 — Shane Andrus, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Primož Brezec, Slovenian basketball player Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Francisco Fonseca, Mexican footballer Wikipedia ↗
1979 — Maja Ivarsson, Swedish singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Ayumi Hamasaki, Japanese singer-songwriter, producer, and actress Wikipedia ↗
1978 — Matthew Hancock, English economist and politician, Minister for the Cabinet Office Wikipedia ↗
1976 — Mark Chilton, English cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1976 — John Thornton, American football player Wikipedia ↗
1975 — Baiba Broka, Latvian politician Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Adel Ferdosipour, Iranian journalist and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Bjarke Ingels, Danish architect Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Brian Knight, American baseball player and umpire Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Michelle Krusiec, Taiwanese-American actress and producer Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Matthew Nicholson, Australian cricketer Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Mark Porter, New Zealand race car driver (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Sam Roberts, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Paul Teutul Jr., American motorcycle designer, co-founded Orange County Choppers Wikipedia ↗
1974 — Kevin Van De Wege, American firefighter and politician Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Melissa Harris-Perry, American journalist, author, and educator Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Lene Nystrøm, Norwegian singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Proof, American rapper and actor (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Scott Schoeneweis, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
1973 — Maria Wetterstrand, Swedish politician Wikipedia ↗
1972 — Aaron McKie, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Tiffany Darwish, American singer-songwriter and actress Wikipedia ↗
1971 — Jim Root, American guitarist and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Eddie Guardado, American baseball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Patricia O'Callaghan, Canadian soprano and producer Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Kelly Ripa, American actress, producer, and talk show host Wikipedia ↗
1970 — Maribel Verdú, Spanish actress Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Badly Drawn Boy, English indie singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Wikipedia ↗
1969 — Mitch English, American talk show host, comedian, weatherman Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Victoria Derbyshire, English journalist and radio host Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Benjie Paras, Filipino basketball player and actor Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Jeff Martin, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Jana Novotná, Czech tennis player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Glen Wesley, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1968 — Kelly Willis, American country music singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Frankie Fredericks, Namibian sprinter Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Gary L. Gregg, American political scientist, author, and academic Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Thomas Muster, Austrian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
1967 — Gillian Welch, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Darren Cahill, Australian tennis player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1965 — Tom Moody, Australian cricketer and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1964 — Dirk Brinkmann, German field hockey player Wikipedia ↗
1963 — Keith Bradshaw, Australian cricketer and accountant Wikipedia ↗
1962 — James Hunter, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1962 — Mark Rypien, Canadian-American football player Wikipedia ↗
1961 — Jaan Toomik, Estonian director and producer Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Glenn Anderson, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Django Bates, English pianist and composer Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Johan Lammerts, Dutch cyclist Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Joe Sacco, American journalist and cartoonist Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Tom Schweich, American lawyer and politician, 36th State Auditor of Missouri (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1960 — Dereck Whittenburg, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
1958 — Robbie Nevil, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1957 — John Cook, American golfer Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Wade Dooley, English rugby player and police officer Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Dave Faulkner, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1957 — Kate St John, English singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Peter Bruce, Scottish chemist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Freddie Jackson, American soul singer Wikipedia ↗
1956 — Viatcheslav Mukhanov, Russian-German cosmologist and physicist Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Philip Oakey, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer Wikipedia ↗
1955 — Nancy Rothwell, English physiologist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1954 — Lorraine Bracco, American actress and producer Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Vanessa Bell Armstrong, American singer Wikipedia ↗
1953 — Muhammad Abdul Bari, Bangladeshi-English physicist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1952 — Jan Švejnar, Czech-American economist and politician Wikipedia ↗
1951 — Sting, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor Wikipedia ↗
1950 — Mike Rutherford, English guitarist and songwriter Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Richard Hell, American singer-songwriter and bass player Wikipedia ↗
1949 — Annie Leibovitz, American photographer Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Trevor Brooking, English footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Avery Brooks, American actor and singer Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Donna Karan, American fashion designer, founded DKNY Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Siim Kallas, Estonian soldier and politician, 13th Prime Minister of Estonia Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Persis Khambatta, Indian model and actress, Femina Miss India 1965 (d. 1998) Wikipedia ↗
1948 — Chris LeDoux, American singer-songwriter and sculptor (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Ward Churchill, American author and activist Wikipedia ↗
1947 — Paul Jackson, English director and producer Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Sonthi Boonyaratglin, Thai general and politician Wikipedia ↗
1946 — Peter Kellner, English journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Martin Hellman, American cryptographer and academic Wikipedia ↗
1945 — Don McLean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1944 — Vernor Vinge, American computer scientist and author Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Anna Ford, English journalist and academic Wikipedia ↗
1943 — Franklin Rosemont, American poet, painter, and historian (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
1942 — Steve Sabol, American director and producer, co-founded NFL Films (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Diana Hendry, English poet and author Wikipedia ↗
1941 — Ron Meagher, American rock bass player (The Beau Brummels) Wikipedia ↗
1939 — Budhi Kunderan, Indian cricketer (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Nick Gravenites, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Waheed Murad, Pakistani actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1983) Wikipedia ↗
1938 — Rex Reed, American film critic Wikipedia ↗
1937 — Johnnie Cochran, American lawyer (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Dick Barnett, American basketball player and educator Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Filipino lawyer and politician, 20th Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines Wikipedia ↗
1936 — Connie Dierking, American basketball player (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Richard Scott, Baron Scott of Foscote, South African-English lawyer and judge Wikipedia ↗
1934 — Earl Wilson, American baseball player and coach (d. 2005) Wikipedia ↗
1933 — John Gurdon, English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Phill Niblock, American composer and director Wikipedia ↗
1933 — Dave Somerville, Canadian singer (The Diamonds) (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1932 — Maury Wills, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
1930 — Dave Barrett, Canadian social worker and politician, 26th Premier of British Columbia Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Moses Gunn, American actor (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
1929 — Peter Bronfman, Canadian businessman (d. 1996) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — George McFarland, American actor (d. 1993) Wikipedia ↗
1928 — Wolfhart Pannenberg, Polish-German theologian and academic (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
1926 — Jan Morris, English-Welsh historian and author Wikipedia ↗
1925 — Wren Blair, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1921 — Albert Scott Crossfield, American pilot and engineer (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
1921 — Robert Runcie, English archbishop (d. 2000) Wikipedia ↗
1919 — John W. Duarte, English guitarist and composer (d. 2004) Wikipedia ↗
1919 — Jan Flinterman, Dutch race car driver and pilot (d. 1992) Wikipedia ↗
1917 — Christian de Duve, English-Belgian cytologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
1917 — Charles Drake, American actor (d. 1994) Wikipedia ↗
1915 — Chuck Williams, American author and businessman, founded Williams-Sonoma (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
1914 — Jack Parsons, American chemist, occultist, and engineer (d. 1952) Wikipedia ↗
1914 — Bernarr Rainbow, English organist, conductor, and historian (d. 1998) Wikipedia ↗
1912 — Frank Malina, American engineer and painter (d. 1981) Wikipedia ↗
1911 — Jack Finney, American author and playwright (d. 1995) Wikipedia ↗
1909 — Alex Raymond, American cartoonist, creator of Flash Gordon (d. 1956) Wikipedia ↗
1907 — Víctor Paz Estenssoro, Bolivian politician, 52nd President of Bolivia (d. 2001) Wikipedia ↗
1907 — Alexander R. Todd, Scottish-English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
1906 — Thomas Hollway, Australian politician, 36th Premier of Victoria (d. 1971) Wikipedia ↗
1906 — August Komendant, Estonian-American engineer and academic (d. 1992) Wikipedia ↗
1905 — Franjo Šeper, Croatian cardinal (d. 1981) Wikipedia ↗
1904 — Graham Greene, English novelist, playwright, and critic (d. 1991) Wikipedia ↗
1904 — Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian academic and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of India (d. 1966) Wikipedia ↗
1902 — John G. Crommelin, American admiral and politician (d. 1996) Wikipedia ↗
1902 — Leopold Figl, Austrian engineer and politician, 18th Chancellor of Austria (d. 1965) Wikipedia ↗
1897 — Bud Abbott, American comedian (d. 1974) Wikipedia ↗