August 2

Events

Pre-1600

*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.
*49 BC – Caesar, who marched to Spain earlier in the year leaving Marcus Antonius in charge of Italy, defeats Pompey's general Afranius and Petreius in Ilerda (Lerida) north of the Ebro river.
* 461 – Majorian is arrested near Tortona (northern Italy) and deposed by the Suebian general Ricimer as puppet emperor.
* 932 – After a two-year siege, the city of Toledo, in Spain, surrenders to the forces of the Caliph of Córdoba Abd al-Rahman III, assuming an important victory in his campaign to subjugate the Central March.
* 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 by forces of the Blue Horde Khan Arapsha in the Battle on Pyana River.
*1415 – Thomas Grey is executed for participating in the Southampton Plot.

1601–1900

*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.
*1858 – The Government of India Act 1858 replaces Company rule in India with that of the British Raj.
*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.

1901–present

*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 – 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 – ''Reichskanzler'' 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 – The Holocaust: 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 North 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.
*1968 – An earthquake hits Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines killing more than 270 people and wounding 261.
*1973 – A flash fire kills 51 people 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.
*1982 – The Helsinki Metro, the first rapid transit system of Finland, is opened to the general public.
*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.
*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 a factory explosion in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China.

Births

Pre-1600

*1260 – Kyawswa of Pagan, last ruler of the Pagan Kingdom (d. 1299)
*1455 – John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (d. 1499)
*1533 – Theodor Zwinger, Swiss physician and scholar (d. 1588)
*1549 – Mikołaj Krzysztof "the Orphan" Radziwiłł, Polish nobleman (d. 1616)

1601–1900

*1612 – Saskia van Uylenburgh, Dutch model and wife of Rembrandt van Rijn (d. 1642)
*1627 – Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten, Dutch painter (d. 1678)
*1630 – Estephan El Douaihy, Maronite patriarch (d. 1704)
*1646 – Jean-Baptiste du Casse, French admiral and buccaneer (d. 1715)
*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)
*1861 – Prafulla Chandra Ray, Indian 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)
*1870 – Marianne Weber, German sociologist and suffragist (d. 1954)
*1871 – John French Sloan, American painter and illustrator (d. 1951)
*1872 – George E. Stewart, Australian-American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (d. 1946)
*1876 – Pingali Venkayya, Indian geologist, designed the Flag of India (d. 1963)
*1877 – Ravishankar Shukla, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st List of Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, 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 List of Presidents of Venezuela, 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)
*1889 – Margaret Lawrence (actress), Margaret Lawrence, American stage actress (d. 1929)
*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)
*1894 – Bertha Lutz, Brazilian feminist and scientist (d.1976)
*1895 – Matt Henderson (cricketer), Matt Henderson, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1970)
*1897 – Karl-Otto Koch, German SS officer (d. 1945)
* 1897 – Max Weber (Swiss politician), Max Weber, Swiss lawyer and politician (d. 1974)
*1898 – Ernő Nagy, Hungarian fencer (d. 1977)
*1899 – Charles Bennett (screenwriter), Charles Bennett, English director and screenwriter (d. 1995)
*1900 – Holling C. Holling, American author and illustrator (d. 1973)
* 1900 – Helen Morgan (singer), Helen Morgan, American actress and singer (d. 1941)

1901–present

*1902 – Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria (d. 1971)
* 1902 – Mina Rees, American mathematician (d.1997)
*1905 – Karl Amadeus Hartmann, German composer (d. 1963)
* 1905 – Myrna Loy, American actress (d. 1993)
* 1905 – Ruth Nelson (actress), Ruth Nelson, American actress (d. 1992)
*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)
*1917 – Wah Chang, Chinese-American artist and designer (d. 2003)
*1919 – Nehemiah Persoff, Israeli-American actor (d. 2022)
*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 – 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 (ice hockey), John McCormack, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2017)
* 1925 – Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentinian general and politician, 43rd President of Argentina (d. 2013)
*1927 – Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, English mathematician and academic (d. 2018)
*1928 – Malcolm Hilton, English cricketer (d. 1990)
*1929 – Roy Crimmins, English trombonist and composer (d. 2014)
* 1929 – John Gale (theatre producer), John Gale, English director and producer
* 1929 – Vidya Charan Shukla, Indian politician, Minister of External Affairs (India), Indian Minister of External Affairs (d. 2013)
* 1929 – David Waddington, Baron Waddington, English lawyer and politician, Governor of Bermuda (d. 2017)
*1930 – Vali Myers, Australian painter and dancer (d. 2003)
*1931 – Pierre DuMaine, American bishop and academic (d. 2019)
* 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, List of defence ministers of Greece, Greek Minister of Defence
*1934 – Valery Bykovsky, Russian general and astronaut (d. 2019)
*1935 – Hank Cochran, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2010)
*1936 – Anthony Payne, English composer and author (d. 2021)
*1937 – Ron Brierley, New Zealand businessman
* 1937 – Billy Cannon, American football player and dentist (d. 2018)
* 1937 – María Duval, Mexican actress and singer
* 1937 – Garth Hudson, Canadian keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
*1938 – Dave Balon, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2007)
* 1938 – Pierre de Bané, Israeli-Canadian lawyer and politician (d. 2019)
* 1938 – Terry Peck, Falkland Islander soldier (d. 2006)
*1939 – Benjamin Barber, American theorist, author, and academic (d. 2017)
* 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 (d. 2022)
* 1940 – Beko Ransome-Kuti, Nigerian physician and activist (d. 2006)
* 1940 – Will Tura, Belgian singer-songwriter and guitarist
*1941 – Doris Coley, American singer (d. 2000)
* 1941 – Jules A. Hoffmann, Luxembourgian-French biologist and academic, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize laureate
* 1941 – François Weyergans, Belgian director and screenwriter (d. 2022)
*1942 – Isabel Allende, Chilean-American novelist, essayist, essayist
* 1942 – Leo Beenhakker, Dutch football manager
* 1942 – Juan Formell, Cuban singer-songwriter and bass player (d. 2014)
* 1942 – Nell Irvin Painter, American author and historian
*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 singer-songwriter (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 (rugby league), 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
* 1948 – Dennis Prager, American radio host and author
* 1948 – Tapan Kumar Sarkar, Indian-American electrical engineer and academic (d. 2021)
* 1948 – James Street (American football), 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 – Ted Turner (guitarist), Ted Turner, British guitarist
*1951 – Andrew Gold, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2011)
* 1951 – Steve Hillage, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1951 – Joe Lynn Turner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
* 1951 – Per Westerberg, Swedish businessman and politician, Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden
*1952 – Alain Giresse, French footballer and manager
*1953 – Donnie Munro, Scottish singer and guitarist
* 1953 – Butch Patrick, American actor
* 1953 – Anthony Seldon, English historian and author
*1954 – Sammy McIlroy, Northern Irish footballer and manager
*1955 – Caleb Carr, American historian and author
* 1955 – Tony Godden, English footballer and manager
* 1955 – Butch Vig, American drummer, songwriter, and record producer
*1956 – Fulvio Melia, Italian-American physicist, astrophysicist, and author
*1957 – Jacky Rosen, United States senator
*1959 – Victoria Jackson, American actress and singer
* 1959 – Johnny Kemp, Bahamian singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2015)
* 1959 – Apollonia Kotero, American singer and actress
*1960 – Linda Fratianne, American figure skater
* 1960 – Neal Morse, American singer and keyboard player
* 1960 – David Yow, American singer-songwriter
*1961 – Pete de Freitas, Trinidadian-British drummer and producer (d. 1989)
*1962 – Lee Mavers, English singer, songwriter and guitarist
* 1962 – Cynthia Stevenson, American actress
*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 – Grainne Leahy, Irish cricketer
* 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
*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 (rugby league), Jason Bell, Australian rugby league player
* 1971 – Michael Hughes (footballer), Michael Hughes, Irish footballer and manager
*1972 – Mohamed Al-Deayea, Saudi Arabian footballer
* 1972 – Muriel Bowser, American politician, List of mayors of Washington, D.C., Mayor of Washington, D.C.
*1973 – Danie Keulder, Namibian cricketer
* 1973 – Miguel Mendonca, Zimbabwean journalist and author
* 1973 – Susie O'Neill, Australian swimmer
*1974 – Phil Williams (presenter), Phil Williams, English journalist and radio host
*1975 – Mineiro (footballer, born 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 (figure skater), Michael Weiss, American figure skater
* 1976 – Sam Worthington, English-Australian actor and producer
* 1976 – Mohammad Zahid (cricketer, born 1976), Mohammad Zahid, Pakistani cricketer
*1977 – Edward Furlong, American actor
*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
*1981 – Alexander Emelianenko, Russian mixed martial artist and boxer
* 1981 – Tim Murtagh, Irish-English cricketer
*1982 – Hélder Postiga, Portuguese footballer
* 1982 – Kerry Rhodes, American football player
* 1982 – Grady Sizemore, American baseball player
*1983 – Michel Bastos, Brazilian footballer
*1984 – Giampaolo Pazzini, Italian footballer
*1985 – Stephen Ferris, Irish rugby player
* 1985 – David Hart Smith, Canadian wrestler
* 1985 – Britt Nicole, American Christian pop artist
*1986 – Mathieu Razanakolona, Canadian skier
*1988 – Rob Kwiet, Canadian ice hockey player
*1989 – Nacer Chadli, Belgian footballer
*1990 – Ima Bohush, Belarusian tennis player
* 1990 – Vitalia Diatchenko, Russian tennis player
* 1990 – Skylar Diggins-Smith, American basketball player
*1992 – Charli XCX, English singer-songwriter
*1993 – Gael Bussa, Congolese politician
*1994 – Laura Pigossi, Brazilian tennis player
* 1994 – Laremy Tunsil, American football player
*1995 – Kristaps Porziņģis, Latvian basketball player
*1996 – Keston Hiura, American baseball player
* 1996 – Simone Manuel, American swimmer
*1999 – Mark Lee (singer), Mark Lee, Korean-Canadian singer
*2000 – Varvara Gracheva, Russian tennis player

Deaths

Pre-1600

*216 BC – Gnaeus Servilius Geminus, Roman consul
* 216 BC – Lucius Aemilius Paullus (consul 219 BC), Lucius Aemilius Paullus, Roman consul and general
* 216 BC – Marcus Minucius Rufus, Roman consul
* 257 – Pope Stephen I
* 575 – Ahudemmeh, Syriac Orthodox Maphrian, Grand Metropolitan of the East.
* 640 – Pope Severinus
* 686 – Pope John V
* 855 – Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Arab theologian and jurist (b. 780)
* 924 – Ælfweard of Wessex (b. 904)
*1075 – Patriarch John VIII of Constantinople
*1100 – William II of England (b. 1056)
*1222 – Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse (b. 1156)
*1277 – Pervâne, Mu'in al-Din Sulaiman Pervane, Chancellor and Regent of the Sultanate of Rum
*1316 – Louis of Burgundy (b. 1297)
*1330 – Yolande of Dreux, Queen of Scotland, Yolande of Dreux, Queen consort of Scotland and Duchess consort of Brittany (b. 1263)
*1332 – King Christopher II of Denmark (b. 1276)
*1415 – Thomas Grey, English conspirator (b. 1384)
*1445 – Oswald von Wolkenstein, Austrian poet and composer (b. 1376)
*1451 – Elizabeth of Görlitz (b. 1390)
*1511 – Andrew Barton (privateer), Andrew Barton, Scottish admiral (b. 1466)
*1512 – Alessandro Achillini, Italian physician and philosopher (b. 1463)
*1589 – Henry III of France (b. 1551)

1601–1900

*1605 – Richard Leveson (admiral), Richard Leveson, English admiral (b. c. 1570)
*1611 – Katō Kiyomasa, Japanese daimyō (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)
*1788 – Thomas Gainsborough, English painter (b. 1727)
*1799 – Montgolfier brothers, Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, French inventor, co-invented the hot air balloon (b. 1745)
*1815 – Guillaume Brune, French general and politician (b. 1763)
*1823 – Lazare Carnot, French mathematician, general, and politician, president of the National Convention (b. 1753)
*1834 – Harriet Arbuthnot, English diarist (b. 1793)
*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)

1901–present

*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)
*1915 – John Downer, Australian politician, 16th premier of South Australia (b. 1843)
*1917 – Jaan Mahlapuu, Estonian military pilot (b. 1894)
*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)
*1923 – Joseph Whitty, Irish Hunger Striker (b. 1904)
*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)
*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 (bass guitarist), Brian Cole, American bass player (b. 1942)
* 1972 – Paul Goodman, American psychotherapist and author (b. 1911)
* 1972 – Helen Hoyt, American poet and author (b. 1887)
*1973 – Ismail Abdul Rahman, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia (b.1915)
*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 – Kieran Doherty (hunger striker), Kieran Doherty, Irish hunger striker and politician (b. 1955)
*1981 – Stefanie Clausen, Danish diver (b. 1900)
*1983 – James Jamerson, American bass player (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)
* 1996 – Mohamed Farrah Aidid, Somalian general and politician, 5th president of Somalia (b. 1934)
*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 Estonian government-in-exile, prime minister of Estonia in exile (b. 1911)
*2005 – Steven Vincent, American journalist and author (b. 1955)
*2007 – Chauncey Bailey, American journalist (b. 1950)
*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 (singer), 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)
*2013 – Julius L. Chambers, American lawyer and activist (b. 1936)
* 2013 – Richard E. Dauch, American businessman, co-founded American Axle (b. 1942)
* 2013 – Alla Kushnir, Russian–Israeli chess player (b. 1941)
*2014 – Ed Joyce (journalist), 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 (crime writer), James Thompson, American-Finnish author (b. 1964)
*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-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1946)
*2017 – Judith Jones, American literary and cookbook editor (b. 1924)
*2020 – Suzanne Perlman, Hungarian-Dutch visual artist (b. 1922)
*2022 – Vin Scully, American sportscaster and game show host (b. 1927)

Holidays and observances

*Christian Calendar of saints, feast day:
**Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church).
**Basil Fool for Christ (Russian Orthodox Church)
**Beatification, Blessed Justin Russolillo
**Eusebius of Vercelli
**Peter Faber
**Peter Julian Eymard
**Plegmund
**Pope Stephen I
** Portiuncula#Feast Day and Portiuncola Indulgence, Portiuncola Indulgence ("Pardon of Assisi"), the plenary indulgence related to St.Francis of Assisi (Catholic Church).
**Samuel David Ferguson (Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church), Episcopal Church)
**August 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
*Cinema of Azerbaijan, Day of Azerbaijani cinema (Azerbaijan)
*Virgen de los Angeles, Our Lady of the Angels Day (Costa Rica)
*Armed Forces Day#Russian Federation, Paratroopers Day (Russia)
*Republic Day (North Macedonia)
*Romani genocide-related observances, including:
**Roma Holocaust Memorial Day (Council of Europe, European Parliament)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:August 2
Days of the year
August