On This Day in History – September 2

From world-shaping treaties to monumental cultural shifts, September 2 has witnessed events that left lasting imprints across nations, disciplines, and generations. Here’s a deep look into what happened on this date throughout history.

Major Events

• 1666 – Great Fire of London Begins A fire breaks out in a bakery on Pudding Lane, destroying much of medieval London over four days.
• 1789 – U.S. Treasury Department Established The United States officially creates its Department of the Treasury with Alexander Hamilton later becoming the first Secretary.
• 1945 – World War II Officially Ends Japan formally surrenders aboard the USS Missouri, marking the end of World War II.
• 1945 – Vietnam Declares Independence from France Ho Chi Minh proclaims Vietnam’s independence in Hanoi, quoting the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
• 1969 – First ATM Installed in the U.S. The first Automated Teller Machine in the United States is launched by Chemical Bank in New York.
• 1998 – Swissair Flight 111 Crashes The flight crashes into the Atlantic near Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people on board.
• 2013 – Microsoft Acquires Nokia’s Mobile Unit Microsoft announces the purchase of Nokia’s mobile phone business for over $7 billion in a bid to enter the smartphone market.
• 1944 – Diarist Anne Frank is Sent to Auschwitz Anne Frank and her sister Margot are transported from the Westerbork transit camp to Auschwitz concentration camp.
• 1958 – U.S. Air Force Academy Accepts First Female Cadets Marking a milestone in military inclusion, women are officially admitted to the Air Force Academy.

Famous Birthdays

• Keanu Reeves (1964) – Canadian actor, known for The Matrix and John Wick franchises.
• Salma Hayek (1966) – Mexican-American actress and producer acclaimed for Frida and other films.
• Terry Bradshaw (1948) – Former American football quarterback and TV analyst, four-time Super Bowl champion.
• Christa McAuliffe (1948–1986) – American teacher and astronaut, died in the Challenger explosion.
• Horace Silver (1928–2014) – American jazz pianist and composer, a pioneer of hard bop.
• Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834) – French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
• William Cobbett (1763–1835) – English journalist, pamphleteer, and political reformer.
• Mark Harmon (1951) – American actor known for NCIS and other television roles.
• Jimmy Connors (1952) – American tennis player, eight-time Grand Slam champion.

Notable Deaths

• Ho Chi Minh (1969) – Vietnamese revolutionary leader and president, born in 1890.
• J.R.R. Tolkien (1973) – British author of The Lord of the Rings, born in 1892.
• Christa McAuliffe (1986) – Teacher and astronaut, born in 1948.
• Oliver Cromwell (1658) – English military and political leader during the English Civil War, born in 1599.
• Pierre de Fermat (1665) – French mathematician known for Fermat’s Last Theorem, born in 1601.
• Frederick Soddy (1956) – British chemist and Nobel Laureate, born in 1877.
• Eugène Delacroix (1863) – French Romantic artist, born in 1798.

Holidays

• Vietnam – National Day Celebrates the country’s declaration of independence from France in 1945.
• Tibet – Democracy Day Marks the anniversary of democratic reforms introduced by the Dalai Lama in 1960.
• World Coconut Day Recognized in parts of Asia to promote coconut cultivation and products.

Fun Facts

• The Great Fire of London began on this day in 1666 and destroyed over 13,000 homes but resulted in surprisingly few recorded deaths.
• The ATM Revolution started on U.S. soil on September 2, 1969, changing how people access their money forever.
• J.R.R. Tolkien, one of the most influential fantasy writers of all time, passed away on this day in 1973, leaving a literary legacy that still shapes pop culture.
• World War II’s End on September 2, 1945, marked one of the most critical turning points in 20th-century global history.