September 2

September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 120 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 47 BC – Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion.
• 44 BC – Cicero launches the first of his Philippics (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. He will make 14 of them over the following months.
• 31 BC – Final War of the Roman Republic: Battle of Actium: Off the western coast of Greece, forces of Octavian defeat troops under Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
• 421 – Galla Placidia, wife of the Emperor Constantius III, becomes a widow for the second time when her husband dies suddenly of an illness.
• 1192 – The Treaty of Jaffa is signed between Richard I of England and Saladin, leading to the end of the Third Crusade.
• 1649 – The Italian city of Castro is completely destroyed by the forces of Pope Innocent X, ending the Wars of Castro.
• 1666 – The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days, destroying 10,000 buildings including St Paul's Cathedral.
• 1752 – Great Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar, nearly two centuries later than most of Western Europe.
• 1789 – The United States Department of the Treasury is founded.
• 1792 – During what became known as the September Massacres of the French Revolution, rampaging mobs slaughter three Roman Catholic Church bishops, more than two hundred priests, and prisoners believed to be royalist sympathizers.
• 1806 – A massive landslide destroys the town of Goldau, Switzerland, killing 457.
• 1807 – The Royal Navy bombards Copenhagen with fire bombs and phosphorus rockets to prevent Denmark from surrendering its fleet to Napoleon.
• 1811 – The University of Oslo is founded as The Royal Fredericks University, after Frederick VI of Denmark and Norway.
• 1833 – Oberlin College is founded by John Jay Shipherd and Philo P. Stewart in Oberlin, Ohio.
• 1856 – The Tianjing incident takes place in Nanjing, China.
• 1859 – A solar super storm affects electrical telegraph service.
• John Pope's disastrous defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run.
• 1864 – American Civil War: Union forces enter Atlanta, a day after the Confederate defenders flee the city, ending the Atlanta Campaign.
• 1867 – Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Japan, marries Masako Ichijō. The Empress consort is thereafter known as Lady Haruko. Since her death in 1914, she is called by the posthumous name Empress Shōken.
• 1870 – Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Sedan: Prussian forces take Napoleon III of France and 100,000 of his soldiers prisoner.
• 1885 – Rock Springs massacre: In Rock Springs, Wyoming, 150 white miners, who are struggling to unionize so they could strike for better wages and work conditions, attack their Chinese fellow workers killing 28, wounding 15 and forcing several hundred more out of town.
• 1898 – Battle of Omdurman: British and Egyptian troops defeat Sudanese tribesmen and establish British dominance in Sudan.
• 1901 – Vice President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" at the Minnesota State Fair.
• 1912 – Arthur Rose Eldred is awarded the first Eagle Scout award of the Boy Scouts of America.
• 1935 – The 1935 Labor Day hurricane hits the Florida Keys, killing 423.
• 1939 – World War II: Following the start of the invasion of Poland the previous day, the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) is annexed by Nazi Germany.
• 1945 – World War II: Combat ends in the Pacific Theater: The Japanese Instrument of Surrender is signed by Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and accepted aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
• 1945 – Vietnam declares its independence, forming the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
• 1946 – The Interim Government of India is formed, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru as Vice President with the powers of a Prime Minister.
• 1957 – President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam becomes the first foreign head of state to make a state visit to Australia.
• 1958 – United States Air Force C-130A-II is shot down by fighters over Yerevan in Armenia when it strays into Soviet airspace while conducting a sigint mission. All crew members are killed.
• 1960 – The first election of the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration, in history of Tibet. The Tibetan community observes this date as Democracy Day.
• 1963 – CBS Evening News becomes U.S. network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, when the show is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.
• 1968 – Operation OAU begins during the Nigerian Civil War
• 1970 – NASA announces the cancellation of two Apollo missions to the Moon, Apollo 15 (the designation is re-used by a later mission), and Apollo 19.
• 1984 – Seven people are shot and killed and 12 wounded in the Milperra massacre, a shootout between the rival motorcycle gangs Bandidos and Comancheros in Sydney, Australia.
• 1987 – In Moscow, the trial begins for 19-year-old pilot Mathias Rust, who flew his Cessna airplane into Red Square in May.
• 1990 – Transnistria is unilaterally proclaimed a Soviet republic; the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev declares the decision null and void.
• 1992 – An earthquake in Nicaragua kills at least 116 people.
• 1998 – Swissair Flight 111 crashes near Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia. All 229 people on board are killed.
• 1998 – The UN's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda finds Jean-Paul Akayesu, the former mayor of a small town in Rwanda, guilty of nine counts of genocide.
• 2013 – The Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opened to traffic as the widest bridge in the world.

Births

• Georg Böhm, German organist and composer (d. 1733)
• 1675 – William Somervile, English poet and author (d. 1742)
• 1753 – Marie Joséphine of Savoy (d. 1810)
• 1778 – Louis Bonaparte, French-Dutch king (d. 1846)
• 1805 – Esteban Echeverría, Argentinian poet and author (d. 1851)
• 1810 – Lysander Button, American engineer (d. 1898)
• 1810 – William Seymour Tyler, American historian and educator (d. 1897)
• 1812 – William Fox, English-New Zealand lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1893)
• 1820 – Lucretia Hale, American journalist and author (d. 1900)
• 1830 – William P. Frye, American lawyer and politician (d. 1911)
• 1838 – Liliuokalani of Hawaii (d. 1917)
• Henry George, American economist and author (d. 1897)
• 1850 – Eugene Field American author and poet (d. 1895)
• 1850 – Albert Spalding, American baseball player, manager, and businessman, co-founded the Spalding Sporting Goods Company (d. 1915)
• 1850 – Woldemar Voigt, German physicist and academic (d. 1919)
• 1852 – Paul Bourget, French author and critic (d. 1935)
• 1853 – Wilhelm Ostwald, Latvian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1932)
• 1854 – Hans Jæger, Norwegian philosopher and activist (d. 1910)
• 1862 – Franjo Krežma, Croatian violinist and composer (d. 1881)
• 1865 – Simeón Ola, Filipino general and politician (d. 1952)
• 1866 – Charles Vintcent, South African cricketer and rugby player (d. 1943)
• 1873 – Lily Poulett-Harris, Australian cricketer and educator (d. 1897)
• 1877 – Frederick Soddy, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1956)
• 1878 – Herman, Estonian-Finnish archbishop (d. 1961)
• 1878 – Ion Dragoumis, Greek philosopher and diplomat (d. 1920)
• 1878 – Werner von Blomberg, German field marshal (d. 1946)
• 1879 – An Jung-geun, Korean activist, assassin of Itō Hirobumi (d. 1910)
• 1883 – Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria (d. 1963)
• 1884 – Frank Laubach, American missionary and mystic (d. 1970)
• 1894 – Joseph Roth, Austrian journalist and author (d. 1939)
• 1901 – Andreas Embirikos, Greek psychoanalyst and poet (d. 1975)
• 1901 – Adolph Rupp, American basketball player and coach (d. 1977)
• 1904 – August Jakobson, Estonian author and politician (d. 1963)
• 1907 – Pertev Naili Boratav, Turkish author and educator (d. 1998)
• 1910 – Paul Saagpakk, Estonian linguist, lexicographer, and academic (d. 1996)
• 1911 – Romare Bearden, American painter and author (d. 1988)
• 1911 – William F. Harrah, American businessman, founded the Caesars Entertainment Corporation (d. 1978)
• 1912 – Ernest Bromley, Australian cricketer (d. 1967)
• 1913 – Israel Gelfand, Russian-American mathematician and biologist (d. 2009)
• 1913 – Bill Shankly, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 1981)
• 1914 – Tom Glazer, American singer-songwriter (d. 2003)
• 1915 – Benjamin Aaron, American lawyer and scholar (d. 2007)
• 1915 – Meinhardt Raabe, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1916 – Ömer Lütfi Akad, Turkish director and screenwriter (d. 2011)
• 1917 – Laurindo Almeida, Brazilian-American guitarist and composer (d. 1995)
• 1917 – Cleveland Amory, American author and critic (d. 1997)
• 1918 – Allen Drury, American journalist and author (d. 1998)
• 1919 – Marge Champion, American actress, dancer, and choreographer
• 1919 – Lance Macklin, English race car driver and businessman (d. 2002)
• 1922 – Leigh Kamman, American radio host (d. 2014)
• 1923 – René Thom, French mathematician, biologist, and academic (d. 2002)
• 1923 – Ramón Valdés, Mexican actor (d. 1988)
• 1924 – Daniel arap Moi, Kenyan educator and politician, 2nd President of Kenya
• 1925 – Hugo Montenegro, American composer and conductor (d. 1981)
• 1927 – Milo Hamilton, American sportscaster (d. 2015)
• 1928 – Jim Jordan, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2012)
• 1928 – Horace Silver, American pianist and composer (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Mel Stuart, American director and producer (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Hal Ashby, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1988)
• 1929 – Beulah Bewley, English physician and academic
• 1929 – Victor Spinetti, Welsh actor and director (d. 2012)
• 1931 – Clifford Jordan, American saxophonist (d. 1993)
• 1932 – Walter Davis, Jr., American pianist (d. 1990)
• 1932 – Arnold Greenberg, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Ed Conlin, American basketball player and coach (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Mathieu Kérékou, Beninese soldier and politician, President of Benin (d. 2015)
• 1934 – Sam Gooden, American singer (The Impressions)
• 1934 – Chuck McCann, American actor and screenwriter
• 1934 – Grady Nutt, American comedian, minister, and author (d. 1982)
• 1935 – D. Wayne Lukas, American horse trainer
• 1936 – Andrew Grove, Hungarian-American businessman, engineer, and author
• 1936 – Károly Krajczár, Hungarian-Slovene author and educator
• 1937 – Len Carlson, Canadian voice actor (d. 2006)
• 1937 – Derek Fowlds, English actor
• 1937 – Peter Ueberroth, American businessman
• 1938 – Leonard Appleyard, English diplomat, British Ambassador to China
• 1938 – Mary Jo Catlett, American actress and singer
• 1938 – Clarence Felder, American actor
• 1938 – Giuliano Gemma, Italian actor (d. 2013)
• 1938 – Ernie Sigley, Australian television host
• 1940 – Jimmy Clanton, American singer
• 1941 – David Bale, South African–American pilot and activist (d. 2003)
• 1941 – Jyrki Otila, Finnish economist and politician (d. 2003)
• 1941 – John Thompson, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1943 – Rosalind Ashford, American singer (Martha and the Vandellas)
• 1943 – Glen Sather, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
• 1943 – Joe Simon, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1944 – Janet Simpson, English sprinter (d. 2010)
• 1946 – Luis Ávalos, Cuban-American actor (d. 2014)
• 1946 – Mary Goudie, Baroness Goudie, English humanitarian and politician
• 1946 – Billy Preston, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (d. 2006)
• 1946 – Walt Simonson, American author and illustrator
• 1946 – Dan White, American sergeant and politician (d. 1985)
• 1946 – Joe Yamanaka, Japanese singer and actor (Flower Travellin' Band and The Wailers Band) (d. 2011)
• 1947 – Richard Coughlan, English drummer (Caravan and The Wilde Flowers) (d. 2013)
• 1947 – Louis Michel, Belgian educator and politician, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1947 – Jim Richards, New Zealand race car driver
• 1948 – Nate Archibald, American basketball player and coach
• 1948 – Terry Bradshaw, American football player, sportscaster, and actor
• 1948 – Christa McAuliffe, American educator and astronaut (d. 1986)
• 1949 – Moira Stuart, English journalist
• 1950 – Rosanna DeSoto, American actress
• 1950 – Michael Rother, German guitarist, keyboard player, and songwriter (Neu!, Kraftwerk, and Harmonia)
• 1950 – Yuen Wah, Chinese actor, martial artist, and stuntman
• 1951 – Jim DeMint, American politician
• 1951 – Michael Gray, American actor
• 1951 – Mark Harmon, American actor, director, and producer
• 1951 – Mik Kaminski, English violinist (Electric Light Orchestra, Violinski, and ELO Part II)
• 1952 – Jimmy Connors, American tennis player, coach, and sportscaster
• 1952 – Mihhail Lotman, Estonian linguist, scholar, and politician
• 1953 – Ahmad Shah Massoud, Afghan commander and politician, Afghan Minister of Defense (d. 2001)
• 1953 – John Zorn, American saxophonist, composer, and producer (Naked City, Masada, and Painkiller)
• 1954 – Billi Gordon, American neuroscientist, author, and actor
• 1954 – Gai Waterhouse, Scottish-Australian horse trainer and businesswoman
• 1956 – Angelo Fusco, Irish soldier
• 1956 – Paul Goodwin, English oboe player and conductor
• 1956 – Mario Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1957 – Tony Alva, American skateboarder and bass player
• 1958 – Olivier Grouillard, French race car driver
• 1958 – Lynne Kosky, Australian social worker and politician (d. 2014)
• 1959 – Drungo Hazewood, American baseball player (d. 2013)
• 1959 – Guy Laliberté, Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and poker player, founded Cirque du Soleil
• 1960 – Eric Dickerson, American football player and sportscaster
• 1960 – Kristin Halvorsen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Finance
• 1960 – Rex Hudler, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1961 – Carlos Valderrama, Colombian footballer and manager
• 1961 – Ron Wasserman, American singer-songwriter and producer (Fisher)
• 1962 – Eugenio Derbez, Mexican actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1962 – Alonso Lujambio, Mexican academic and politician (d. 2012)
• 1962 – Prachya Pinkaew, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1962 – Keir Starmer, English lawyer and politician
• 1963 – Sam Mitchell, American basketball player and coach
• 1964 – Andrea Illy, Italian businessman
• 1964 – Keanu Reeves, Lebanese-Canadian actor, singer, and producer (Dogstar)
• 1965 – Lennox Lewis, English-Canadian boxer and actor
• 1965 – Partho Sen-Gupta, Indian director and screenwriter
• 1966 – Dino Cazares, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Fear Factory, Asesino, and Divine Heresy)
• 1966 – Massimo Cuttitta, Italian rugby player and coach
• 1966 – Yū Hayami, Japanese singer and actress
• 1966 – Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress, director, and producer
• 1966 – Olivier Panis, French race car driver
• 1966 – Tuc Watkins, American actor
• 1967 – Frank Fontsere, American drummer and songwriter (Fozzy and Stuck Mojo)
• 1967 – Andreas Möller, German footballer and manager
• 1968 – Kristen Cloke, American actress
• 1968 – David Dinsmore, Scottish journalist
• 1968 – Cynthia Watros, American actress
• 1969 – K-Ci, American singer-songwriter (K-Ci & JoJo)
• 1969 – Stéphane Matteau, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1969 – Dave Naz, American photographer and director
• 1971 – Kjetil André Aamodt, Norwegian skier
• 1971 – Pawan Kalyan, Indian actor, martial artist, director, and screenwriter
• 1971 – Tommy Maddox, American football player and coach
• 1971 – César Sánchez, Spanish footballer
• 1971 – Shauna Sand, American model and actress
• 1971 – Tom Steels, Belgian cyclist
• 1972 – Robert Coles, English golfer
• 1972 – Matthew Dunn, Australian swimmer
• 1973 – Hande Ataizi, Turkish actress
• 1973 – Jason Blake, American ice hockey player
• 1973 – Indika de Saram, Sri Lankan cricketer
• 1973 – Katt Williams, American comedian, actor, and rapper
• 1974 – Steven Johnson, Australian race car driver
• 1974 – Inari Vachs, American porn actress
• 1975 – MC Chris, American rapper, actor, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Defne Joy Foster, Turkish-American actress and game show host (d. 2011)
• 1976 – Erin Hershey Presley, American actress
• 1976 – Aziz Zakari, Ghanaian sprinter
• 1977 – Frédéric Kanouté, Malian footballer
• 1977 – Amanda Marcotte, American blogger and academic
• 1979 – Tomer Ben Yosef, Israeli footballer
• 1979 – Alex Chu, South Korean-Canadian singer and actor (Clazziquai)
• 1979 – Ron Ng, Hong Kong actor, singer, and dancer
• 1979 – Brian Westbrook, American football player
• 1980 – Dany Sabourin, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Danny Shittu, Nigerian footballer
• 1980 – Hiroki Yoshimoto, Japanese race car driver
• 1981 – Fariborz Kamkari, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1981 – Jennifer Hopkins, American tennis player
• 1981 – Chris Tremlett, English cricketer
• 1981 – Bracha van Doesburgh, Dutch actress
• 1982 – Joey Barton, English footballer
• 1982 – Mandy Cho, American-Hong Kong model and actress
• 1982 – Jason Hammel, American baseball player
• 1982 – Mark Phillips, English footballer
• 1983 – Rich Boy, American rapper and producer
• 1983 – Mark Foster, English rugby player
• 1984 – Jack Peñate, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1984 – Danson Tang, Taiwanese model, actor, and singer
• 1985 – Keith Galloway, Australian rugby player
• 1985 – Eugenia Mandzhieva, Russian model
• 1986 – Gélson Fernandes, Swiss footballer
• 1986 – Kyle Hines, American basketball player
• 1986 – Ryuji Imaichi, Japanese singer (Sandaime J Soul Brothers from Exile Tribe)
• 1986 – Rob Ramsay, Canadian actor
• 1987 – Scott Moir, Canadian ice dancer
• 1987 – Spencer Smith, American drummer (Panic! at the Disco)
• 1988 – Keisuke Kato, Japanese actor and singer
• 1988 – Javi Martínez, Spanish footballer
• 1988 – Ishant Sharma, Indian cricketer
• 1988 – Ishmeet Singh, Indian singer (d. 2008)
• 1989 – Zedd, Russian-German DJ and producer
• 1989 – Joel Goonan, English actor
• 1989 – Marcus Morris, American basketball player
• 1989 – Markieff Morris, American basketball player
• 1989 – Alexandre Pato, Brazilian footballer
• 1990 – Marcus Ericsson, Swedish race car driver
• 1990 – Shayla Worley, American gymnast
• 1991 – Gyasi Zardes, American footballer
• 1992 – Xenia Knoll, Swiss tennis player
• 1992 – Nenad Lukić, Serbian footballer
• 1992 – Alberto Masi, Italian footballer
• 1993 – Tom Anderson, English footballer
• 1993 – Montana Cox, Australian model
• 1993 – Robert Rooba, Estonian ice hockey player
• 1994 – Kishen Velani, English cricketer
• 1995 – İbrahim Demir, Turkish footballer
• 1995 – Deimantas Petravičius, Lithuanian footballer
• 1996 – Lilla Barzó, Hungarian tennis player
• 1996 – Sungha Jung, South Korean guitarist

Deaths

• 421 – Constantius III, Roman emperor
• 459 – Simeon Stylites, Byzantine saint (b. 390)
• 595 – John IV of Constantinople
• 1031 – Saint Emeric of Hungary (b. 1000)
• 1274 – Prince Munetaka, Japanese shogun (b. 1242)
• 1397 – Francesco Landini, Italian singer-songwriter, organist, and poet (b. 1335)
• 1540 – Dawit II of Ethiopia (b. 1501)
• 1680 – Per Brahe the Younger, Swedish soldier and politician, Lord High Steward of Sweden (b. 1602)
• 1688 – Sir Robert Vyner, 1st Baronet, English businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1631)
• 1690 – Philip William, Elector Palatine, German husband of Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt (b. 1615)
• 1764 – Nathaniel Bliss, English astronomer and mathematician (b. 1700)
• 1765 – Henry Bouquet, Swiss-English colonel (b. 1719)
• 1768 – Antoine Deparcieux, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1703)
• 1790 – Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, German historian and theologian (b. 1701)
• 1813 – Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (b. 1763)
• 1820 – Jiaqing Emperor of China (b. 1760)
• 1832 – Franz Xaver von Zach, Hungarian-French astronomer and academic (b. 1754)
• 1834 – Thomas Telford, Scottish engineer and architect, designed the Menai Suspension Bridge (b. 1757)
• 1865 – William Rowan Hamilton, Irish physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (b. 1805)
• 1872 – N. F. S. Grundtvig, Danish pastor, philosopher, and author (b. 1783)
• 1877 – Constantine Kanaris, Greek admiral and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1793)
• 1898 – Wilford Woodruff, American religious leader, 4th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1807)
• 1910 – Henri Rousseau, French painter (b. 1844)
• 1921 – Henry Austin Dobson, English poet and critic (b. 1840)
• 1921 – Anthony Francis Lucas Croatian-American engineer and businessman (b. 1855)
• 1927 – Umegatani Tōtarō II, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 20th Yokozuna (b. 1878)
• 1932 – Gustav Ernesaks, Estonian weightlifter (b. 1896)
• 1934 – James Allan, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1860)
• 1934 – Russ Columbo, American singer, violinist, and actor (b. 1908)
• 1934 – Alcide Nunez, American clarinet player (Original Dixieland Jass Band) (b. 1884)
• 1937 – Pierre de Coubertin, French historian and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (b. 1863)
• 1941 – Lloyd Seay, American race car driver (b. 1919)
• 1942 – James Juvenal, American rower (b. 1874)
• 1942 – Tom Williams, Irish soldier (b. 1924)
• 1943 – Marsden Hartley, American painter and poet (b. 1877)
• 1944 – Bella Rosenfeld, Russian-American model and author (b. 1895)
• 1944 – Shirō Takasu, Japanese career naval officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy (b. 1884)
• 1945 – Mason Phelps, American golfer (b. 1885)
• 1948 – Sylvanus Morley, American archaeologist and spy (b. 1883)
• 1953 – Hendrik Offerhaus, Dutch rower (b. 1875)
• 1953 – Jonathan M. Wainwright, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1883)
• 1954 – Franz Leopold Neumann, German lawyer and political scientist (b. 1900)
• 1962 – William Wilkerson, American businessman, founded The Hollywood Reporter and the Flamingo Hotel (b. 1890)
• 1964 – Glenn Albert Black, American archaeologist and scholar (b. 1900)
• 1964 – Alvin C. York, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1887)
• 1965 – Johannes Bobrowski, German poet and author (b. 1917)
• 1969 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese politician, 1st President of Vietnam (b. 1890)
• 1969 – Sue Williams, American actress and model (b. 1945)
• 1971 – Robert Mensah, Ghanaian footballer (b. 1939)
• 1973 – Carl Dudley, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1910)
• 1973 – J. R. R. Tolkien, English philologist and author (b. 1892)
• 1975 – Mabel Vernon, American activist (b. 1883)
• 1976 – Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1934)
• 1977 – Stephen Dunne, American actor (b. 1918)
• 1978 – Fred G. Meyer, American businessman, founded Fred Meyer (b. 1886)
• 1979 – Otto P. Weyland, American general (b. 1903)
• 1983 – Feri Cansel, Turkish-Cypriot actress (b. 1944)
• 1984 – Manos Katrakis, Greek actor (b. 1908)
• 1985 – Abe Lenstra, Dutch footballer (b. 1920)
• 1985 – Jay Youngblood, American wrestler (b. 1955)
• 1990 – Robert Holmes à Court, South African-Australian businessman and lawyer (b. 1937)
• 1991 – Alfonso García Robles, Mexican politician and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
• 1992 – Barbara McClintock, American geneticist and botanist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
• 1993 – Russel B. Nye, American author and educator (b. 1913)
• 1994 – Roy Castle, English actor, singer, and dancer (b. 1932)
• 1996 – Paddy Clift, Zimbabwean cricketer (b. 1953)
• 1997 – Rudolf Bing, Austrian-American manager (b. 1902)
• 1997 – Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (b. 1905)
• 1998 – Jackie Blanchflower, Irish-English footballer (b. 1933)
• 1998 – Allen Drury, American journalist and author (b. 1918)
• 2000 – Elvera Sanchez, American dancer (b. 1905)
• 2000 – Curt Siodmak, German-American author and screenwriter (b. 1907)
• 2001 – Christiaan Barnard, South African surgeon and academic (b. 1922)
• 2001 – Troy Donahue, American actor (b. 1936)
• 2002 – Dick Reynolds, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1915)
• 2004 – Joan Oró, Catalan biochemist and academic (b. 1923)
• 2004 – Eleni Zafeiriou, Greek actress (b. 1916)
• 2005 – Bob Denver, American actor and singer (b. 1935)
• 2006 – Bob Mathias, American decathlete and politician (b. 1930)
• 2006 – Willi Ninja, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1961)
• 2007 – Rajae Belmlih, Moroccan singer (b. 1962)
• 2007 – Franz-Benno Delonge, German game designer, created TransAmerica (b. 1957)
• 2007 – Esther Hoffe, Czech-Israeli mistress of Max Brod (b. 1906)
• 2007 – Max McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1924)
• 2008 – Bill Melendez, Mexican-American animator, director, producer, and voice actor (b. 1916)
• 2009 – Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (b. 1949)
• 2011 – Roberto Bruce, Chilean journalist (b. 1979)
• 2011 – Felipe Camiroaga, Chilean actor and singer (b. 1966)
• 2012 – Mark Abrahamian, American guitarist (Starship) (b. 1966)
• 2012 – Jack Boucher, American photographer and director (b. 1931)
• 2012 – John C. Marshall, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Emmanuel Nunes, Portuguese-French composer and educator (b. 1941)
• 2013 – Valérie Benguigui, French actress and director (b. 1965)
• 2013 – Terry Clawson, English rugby player and coach (b. 1940)
• 2013 – Ronald Coase, English-American economist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
• 2013 – David Jacobs, English radio and television host (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Olga Lowe, South African-English actress (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Frederik Pohl, American author and publisher (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Paul Scoon, Grenadian politician, 2nd Governor-General of Grenada (b. 1935)
• 2014 – Peter Carter, Nigerian-English diplomat, British Ambassador to Estonia (b. 1956)
• 2014 – F. Emmett Fitzpatrick, American lawyer and politician, 20th District Attorney of Philadelphia (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Norman Gordon, South African cricketer (b. 1911)
• 2014 – Helena Rakoczy, Polish gymnast (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Goolam Essaji Vahanvati, Indian lawyer and politician, 13th Attorney General of India (b. 1949)
• 2015 – Ephraim Engleman, American rheumatologist, author, and academic (b. 1911)
• 2015 – Stan Kane, Scottish-Canadian actor, singer, and painter (b. 1929)
• 2015 – Alan Kurdi, Syrian boy (b. 2012)
• 2015 – Brianna Lea Pruett, American singer-songwriter, poet, and painter (b. 1983)
• 2015 – Simo Salminen, Finnish actor (b. 1932)

Holidays and observances

• Christian feast day:
  • Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions (Syriac Orthodox Church)
  • Agricola of Avignon
  • Antoninus of Pamiers
  • Castor of Apt
  • Nonnosus
  • San Esteban del Rey (Acoma Pueblo)
  • September 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Democracy Day (Tibet)
• Independence Day (Transnistria, unrecognized)
• Independence Day (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, unrecognized)
• National Day, celebrates the independence of Vietnam from Japan and France in 1945
• Sedantag (German Empire)
• VJ Day (United States)

External links

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