What happened today in history
What happened on October 2
On October 2 history recorded 37 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 79 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 37events
- 160births
- 79deaths
- 10observances
Highlights
Highlights
With King Edward IV of England forced to flee to the Burgundian Netherlands after a rebellion organised by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, Henry VI was restored to the throne.
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until he died in 1483. A member of the House of York, he was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England fought between the Yorkis
As part of wider food riots, citizens in Nottingham, England, looted large quantities of cheese; one man was killed during attempts to restore order.
The 1766 food riots took place across England in response to rises in the prices of wheat and other cereals following a series of poor harvests. Riots were sparked by the first largescale exports of grain in August and peaked in September–October. Around 131 r
Mexican dragoons dispatched to disarm settlers at Gonzales in Mexican Texas encountered stiff resistance from a Texian militia at the Battle of Gonzales, the first armed engagement of the Texas Revolution.
Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat with swords and fir
October 2
On this day
IX century
- 829
829Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor.
X century
XII century
XIII century
XV century
XVI century
XVIII century
- 1766
1766The Nottingham Cheese Riot breaks out at the Goose Fair in Nottingham, UK, in response to the excessive cost of cheese. - 1780
1780American Revolutionary War: John André, a British Army officer, is hanged as a spy by the Continental Army. - 1789
1789The United States Bill of Rights is sent to the various States for ratification.
XIX century
- 1835
1835Texas Revolution: Mexican troops attempt to disarm the people of Gonzales, but encounter stiff resistance from a hastily assembled militia. - 1864
1864American Civil War: Confederates defeat a Union attack on Saltville, Virginia. A massacre of wounded Union prisoners ensues. - 1870
1870By plebiscite, the citizens of the Papal States accept annexation by the Kingdom of Italy.
XX century
- 1919
1919Seven days after suffering a "physical collapse" following a speech in Pueblo, Colorado, U.S. president Woodrow Wilson has a catastrophic stroke at the White House, leaving him physically and mentally incapacitated for the remainder of his presidency. - 1920
1920Ukrainian War of Independence: Mikhail Frunze orders the Red Army to immediately cease hostilities with the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine. - 1928
1928The "Prelature of the Holy Cross and the Work of God", commonly known as Opus Dei, is founded. - 1937
1937Rafael Trujillo orders the execution of Haitians living in the border region of the Dominican Republic. - 1942
1942World War II: Ocean Liner RMS Queen Mary accidentally rams and sinks HMS Curacoa, killing over 300 crewmen aboard Curacoa. - 1944
1944World War II: German troops end the Warsaw Uprising. - 1958
1958Guinea declares its independence from France. - 1967
1967Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court. - 1968
1968Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz orders soldiers to suppress a demonstration of unarmed students, ten days before the start of the 1968 Summer Olympics. - 1970
1970An aircraft carrying the Wichita State University football team, administrators, and supporters crashes in Colorado, killing 31 people. - 1971
1971South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu is re-elected in a one-man election. - 1971
1971British European Airways Flight 706 crashes near Aarsele, Belgium, killing 63. - 1980
1980Michael Myers becomes the first member of either chamber of Congress to be expelled since the Civil War. - 1990
1990Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301 is hijacked and lands at Guangzhou, where it crashes into two other airliners on the ground, killing 132. - 1992
1992Military police storm the Carandiru Penitentiary in São Paulo, Brazil during a prison riot. The resulting massacre leaves 111 prisoners dead. - 1996
1996Aeroperú Flight 603 crashes into the ocean near Peru, killing all 70 people on board. - 1996
1996The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments are signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton.
XXI century
- 2002
2002The Beltway sniper attacks begin in Washington, D.C., extending over three weeks and killing 10 people. - 2004
2004The first parkrun, then known as the Bushy Park Time Trial, takes place in Bushy Park, London, UK. - 2006
2006Five Amish girls are murdered in a shooting at a school in Pennsylvania, United States. - 2007
2007President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea goes to North Korea for an Inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. - 2016
2016Ethiopian protests break out during a festival in the Oromia region, killing dozens of people. - 2018
2018The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi is assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. - 2019
2019A privately owned Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress conducting a living history exhibition flight crashes shortly after takeoff from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, killing seven. - 2025
20252 people are killed and at least 4 others injured in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester, UK, during Yom Kippur.
Best known
Born on October 2
Charles Borromeo
Catholic prelate and saint
Elizabeth Montagu
English social reformer and arts patron
William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford
Anglo-Portuguese General
Charles Albert of Sardinia
King of Sardinia from 1831 to 1849
Nat Turner
American slave rebellion leader
Alexander P. Stewart
Confederate general, mathematician and philosopher
Best known
Died on October 2
Athalaric
King of the Ostrogoths from 526 to 534
Michael II
Byzantine emperor from 820 to 829
Pope Urban IV
Head of the Catholic Church from 1261 to 1264
Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, 1st Count of Gondomar
Spanish diplomat
Antonio Cifra
Italian composer
Pierre de Bérulle
French Catholic priest and cardinal
Holidays and observances
- Batik Day (Indonesia)
- Christian feast day: Denha I of Tikrit (Syriac Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels
- Christian feast day: Leodegar
- Christian feast day: October 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Gandhi's birthday-related observances: Gandhi Jayanti (India)
- Gandhi's birthday-related observances: International Day of Non-Violence
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Guinea from France in 1958
- National Grandparents Day (Italy)
- International Day of Non-Violence
Frequently asked questions
What happened on October 2?
37 documented historical events happened on October 2, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: With King Edward IV of England forced to flee to the Burgundian Netherlands after a rebellion organised by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, Henry VI was restored to the throne. On the same day, in another year: As part of wider food riots, citizens in Nottingham, England, looted large quantities of cheese; one man was killed during attempts to restore order. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on October 2?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on October 2, including Charles Borromeo, Elizabeth Montagu, William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on October 2?
79 people with a Wikipedia article died on October 2, including Athalaric, Michael II, Pope Urban IV. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on October 2?
10 observances are celebrated on October 2 around the world: Batik Day (Indonesia), Christian feast day: Denha I of Tikrit (Syriac Orthodox Church), Christian feast day: Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels, Christian feast day: Leodegar, Christian feast day: October 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics), Gandhi's birthday-related observances: Gandhi Jayanti (India). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar