History of 2 September
1901 – Theodore Roosevelt, then Vice President, said “Speak softly and carry a big stick” in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.
1930 – The “Question Mark” made the first non-stop flight from Europe to the U.S. The plane was flown by Captain Dieudonne Coste and Maurice Bellonte.
1938 – The first railroad car to be equipped with fluorescent lighting was put into operation on the New York Central railroad.
1945 – Japan surrendered to the U.S. aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II. The war ended six years and one day after it began.
1945 – Ho Chi Minh declared the independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
1961 – The U.S.S.R. resumed nuclear weapons testing. Test ban treaty negotiations had failed with the U.S. and Britain when the three nations could not agree upon the nature and frequency of on-site inspections.
1962 – Ken Hubbs (Chicago Cubs) set a major-league baseball fielding record when he played errorless for his 74th consecutive game.
1963 – The integration of Tuskegee High School was prevented by state troopers assigned by Alabama Gov. George Wallace. Wallace had the building surrounded by state troopers.
1963 – “The CBS Evening News” was lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.
1969 – NBC-TV canceled “Star Trek.” The show had debuted on September 8, 1966.
1973 – Billy Martin was fired as manager of the Detroit Tigers. Martin was relieved of his duties three days after ordering his pitchers to throw spitballs against Cleveland Indians batters.
1985 – It was announced that the Titanic had been found on September 1 by the U.S. and French expedition 560 miles off Newfoundland. The luxury liner had been missing for 73 years.
1991 – The U.S. formally recognized the independence of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
1992 – The U.S. and Russia agreed to a joint venture to build a space station.
1996 – Muslim rebels and the Philippine government signed a pact formally ending 26-years of insurgency that had killed more than 120,000 people.
1998 – In Canada, pilots for Canada’s largest airline launch their first strike in Air Canada’s history.
2009 – The Andhra Pradesh, India helicopter crash occurred near Rudrakonda Hill, 40 nautical miles (74 km) from Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India. Fatalities included Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
2010 – Israel-Palestinian conflict: the 2010 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are launched by the United States.
2013 – The Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens at 10:15 PM at a cost of $6.4 billion, after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the old span.
2018 – The National Museum of Brazil is destroyed by a fire, with the loss of over 90% of the museum’s collection.
2019 – Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 hurricane, devastates the Bahamas, killing at least five.
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Fariborz Kamkari, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1981 – Jennifer Hopkins, an American tennis player
- 1981 – Chris Tremlett, English cricketer
- 1982 – Joey Barton, English footballer
- 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 Penate, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1985 – Keith Galloway, Australian rugby league player
- 1986 – Gelson Fernandes, Swiss footballer
- 1986 – Kyle Hines, American basketball player
- 1987 – Scott Moir, Canadian ice dancer
- 1988 – Ibrahim Sehic, Bosnian footballer
- 1988 – Keisuke Kato, Japanese actor, and singer
- 1988 – Javi Martínez, Spanish footballer
- 1988 – Ishant Sharma, Indian cricketer
- 1988 – Ishmeet Singh, Indian singer
- 1989 – Marcus Morris, American basketball player
- 1989 – Zedd, Russian-German record producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter
- 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, a Swiss tennis player
- 1992 – Nenad Lukic, Serbian footballer
- 1992 – Alberto Masi, Italian footballer
- 1993 – Tom Anderson, English footballer
- 1993 – Robert Rooba, Estonian ice hockey player
- 1994 – Kishen Velani, English cricketer
- 1995 – İbrahim Demir, Turkish footballer
- 1995 – Deimantas Petravičius, Lithuanian footballer
- 1995 – Kian Lawley, American internet celebrity and actor
- 1996 – Lilla Barzó, a Hungarian tennis player
- 1998 – Austin Cindric, American race car driver