1608
418 years ago
UK story
The Colony of Virginia gets a charter, extending borders from "sea to sea".
On this day: 2 June
125 things happened on 2 June, from AD 575 to 2022. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
In the UK 6
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
1763
263 years ago
UK story
Pontiac's Rebellion: At what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan, Chippewas capture Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison's attention with a game of lacrosse, then chasing a ball into the fort.
1774
252 years ago
UK story
Intolerable Acts: The Quartering Act of 1774 is enacted, allowing a governor in colonial America to house British soldiers in uninhabited houses, outhouses, barns, or other buildings if suitable quarters are not provided.
1805
221 years ago
UK story
Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptured the British-held Diamond Rock, an uninhabited island at the entrance to the bay leading to Fort-de-France, Martinique.
1910
116 years ago
UK story
Charles Rolls, a co-founder of Rolls-Royce Limited, becomes the first man to make a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel by plane.
1953
73 years ago
UK story
Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.
Around the world 22
AD 575
1,451 years ago
Pope Benedict I is consecrated after obtaining imperial approval from Constantinople.
1098
928 years ago
First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ends as Crusader forces take the city; the second siege began five days later.
1259
767 years ago
Wedding of Manfred, King of Sicily, and Byzantine princess Helena Angelina Doukaina.
1615
411 years ago
The first Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France.
1676
350 years ago
Franco-Dutch War: France ensures the supremacy of its naval fleet for the remainder of the war with its victory in the Battle of Palermo.
1848
178 years ago
The Slavic Congress opens in Prague.
1886
140 years ago
The wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom (wedding depicted) took place in the White House, in the only time that a U.S. president has married in the building.
1896
130 years ago
Guglielmo Marconi applies for a patent for his wireless telegraph.
1909
117 years ago
Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.
1924
102 years ago
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act into law, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States.
1946
80 years ago
Birth of the Italian Republic: In a referendum, Italians vote to turn Italy from a monarchy into a Republic. After the referendum, King Umberto II of Italy is exiled.
1955
71 years ago
The USSR and Yugoslavia sign the Belgrade declaration, legitimising different interpretations of Marxism in non-Soviet countries.
1962
64 years ago
One of the most violent football matches took place at the World Cup as Chile defeated Italy in a group match.
1964
62 years ago
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is formed.
1966
60 years ago
Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on another world.
1973
53 years ago
Della Aleksander co-presented an episode of Open Door on transgender women's lives.
1979
47 years ago
Pope John Paul II starts his first official visit to his native Poland, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country.
1998
28 years ago
Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-91, the final mission of the Shuttle-Mir program.
2003
23 years ago
Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.
2008
18 years ago
Artist Tim Buckley published "Loss" as part of his webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del.
2014
12 years ago
Telangana officially becomes the 29th state of India, formed from ten districts of northwestern Andhra Pradesh.
2022
4 years ago
Following a request from Ankara, the United Nations officially changes the name of the Republic of Turkey in the organization from what was previously known as "Turkey" to "Türkiye".
Quick quiz
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
-
In which year did this happen: “Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London”?
- 1805
- 1953
- 1857
Show the answer
B: 1953. 1953 — that’s 73 years ago. Find it on the page
-
In which year did this happen: “Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptured the British-held Diamond”?
- 1941
- 1805
- 1953
Show the answer
B: 1805. 1805 — that’s 221 years ago. Find it on the page
-
Which of these happened first?
- Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptured the British-held Diamond
- Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London
- Charles Rolls, a co-founder of Rolls-Royce Limited, becomes the first man to
Show the answer
A: Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptured the British-held Diamond. 1805: Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptured the British-held Diamond · 1953: Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London · 1910: Charles Rolls, a co-founder of Rolls-Royce Limited, becomes the first man to Find it on the page
-
“Thomas Hardy” happened in 1840. How many years ago was that?
- 176 years
- 186 years
- 196 years
Show the answer
B: 186 years. 2026 − 1840 = 186. Find it on the page
Born on this day 36
Famous people whose birthday is 2 June.
- 1840 Thomas Hardy — English novelist and poet (died 1928) UK Read more about Thomas Hardy on Wikipedia
- 1835 Pope Pius X Read more about Pope Pius X on Wikipedia
- 1857 Edward Elgar — English composer and educator (died 1934) UK Read more about Edward Elgar on Wikipedia
- 1740 Marquis de Sade — French philosopher and politician (died 1814) Read more about Marquis de Sade on Wikipedia
- 1941 Charlie Watts — English drummer, songwriter, and producer (died 2021) UK Read more about Charlie Watts on Wikipedia
- 1857 Karl Adolph Gjellerup — Danish author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1919) Read more about Karl Adolph Gjellerup on Wikipedia
- 1988 Sergio Agüero — Argentine footballer Read more about Sergio Agüero on Wikipedia
- 1978 Dominic Cooper — English actor UK Read more about Dominic Cooper on Wikipedia
- 1535 Pope Leo XI Read more about Pope Leo XI on Wikipedia
- 1940 Constantine II of Greece Read more about Constantine II of Greece on Wikipedia
- 1731 Martha Washington — First Lady of the United States (died 1802) Read more about Martha Washington on Wikipedia
- 1967 Nadhim Zahawi — British politician UK Read more about Nadhim Zahawi on Wikipedia
- 1904 Johnny Weissmuller — Hungarian-American swimmer and actor (died 1984) Read more about Johnny Weissmuller on Wikipedia
- 1972 Wentworth Miller — American actor and screenwriter Read more about Wentworth Miller on Wikipedia
- 1945 Richard Long — English painter, sculptor, and photographer UK Read more about Richard Long on Wikipedia
- 1957 Mark Lawrenson — English footballer and manager UK Read more about Mark Lawrenson on Wikipedia
- 1913 Barbara Pym — English author (died 1980) UK Read more about Barbara Pym on Wikipedia
- 1878 Wallace Hartley — English violinist and bandleader (died 1912) UK Read more about Wallace Hartley on Wikipedia
- 1976 Tim Rice-Oxley — English singer-songwriter and keyboard player UK Read more about Tim Rice-Oxley on Wikipedia
- 1949 Heather Couper — English astronomer and physicist (died 2020) UK Read more about Heather Couper on Wikipedia
- 1987 Sonakshi Sinha — Indian actress Read more about Sonakshi Sinha on Wikipedia
- 1922 Carmen Silvera — Canadian-English actress (died 2002) UK Read more about Carmen Silvera on Wikipedia
- 1930 Pete Conrad — American captain, pilot, and astronaut (died 1999) Read more about Pete Conrad on Wikipedia
- 1960 Tony Hadley — English singer-songwriter and actor UK Read more about Tony Hadley on Wikipedia
- 1977 Zachary Quinto — American actor and producer Read more about Zachary Quinto on Wikipedia
- 1988 Awkwafina — American actress, rapper, and comedian Read more about Awkwafina on Wikipedia
- 1938 Kevin Brownlow — English historian and author UK Read more about Kevin Brownlow on Wikipedia
- 1979 Morena Baccarin — Brazilian-American actress Read more about Morena Baccarin on Wikipedia
- 1937 Rosalyn Higgins — English lawyer and judge UK Read more about Rosalyn Higgins on Wikipedia
- 1865 George Lohmann — English cricketer (died 1901) UK Read more about George Lohmann on Wikipedia
- 1923 Lloyd Shapley — American mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2016) Read more about Lloyd Shapley on Wikipedia
- 1978 Justin Long — American actor Read more about Justin Long on Wikipedia
- 1920 Marcel Reich-Ranicki — Polish-German author and critic (died 2013) Read more about Marcel Reich-Ranicki on Wikipedia
- 1937 Sally Kellerman — American actress (died 2022) Read more about Sally Kellerman on Wikipedia
- 1978 Yi So-yeon — biotechnologist and astronaut, the first Korean in space Read more about Yi So-yeon on Wikipedia
- 1946 Lasse Hallström — Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter Read more about Lasse Hallström on Wikipedia
Remembering 20
Well-known people who died on 2 June.
- 1882 Giuseppe Garibaldi — Italian general and politician (born 1807) Read more about Giuseppe Garibaldi on Wikipedia
- 1990 Rex Harrison — English actor (born 1908) UK Read more about Rex Harrison on Wikipedia
- 1962 Vita Sackville-West — English author and poet (born 1892) UK Read more about Vita Sackville-West on Wikipedia
- 1418 Katherine of Lancaster — queen of Henry III of Castile UK Read more about Katherine of Lancaster on Wikipedia
- 1988 Raj Kapoor — Indian actor, director, and producer (born 1924) Read more about Raj Kapoor on Wikipedia
- 1977 Stephen Boyd — Northern Irish-born American actor (born 1931) UK Read more about Stephen Boyd on Wikipedia
- AD 657 Pope Eugene I Read more about Pope Eugene I on Wikipedia
- 2005 Melita Norwood — English civil servant and spy (born 1912) UK Read more about Melita Norwood on Wikipedia
- 2012 Richard Dawson — English-American soldier, actor, television personality, and game show host (born 1932) UK Read more about Richard Dawson on Wikipedia
- 2015 Irwin Rose — American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1926) Read more about Irwin Rose on Wikipedia
- 1572 Thomas Howard — 4th Duke of Norfolk (born 1536) UK Read more about Thomas Howard on Wikipedia
- 1701 Madeleine de Scudéry — French author (born 1607) Read more about Madeleine de Scudéry on Wikipedia
- 1978 Santiago Bernabéu Yeste — Spanish footballer and coach (born 1895) Read more about Santiago Bernabéu Yeste on Wikipedia
- 1947 John Gretton — 1st Baron Gretton, English sailor and politician (born 1867) UK Read more about John Gretton on Wikipedia
- 1581 James Douglas — 4th Earl of Morton, Scottish soldier and politician, Lord Chancellor of Scotland (born 1525) UK Read more about James Douglas on Wikipedia
- 1996 Leon Garfield — English author (born 1921) UK Read more about Leon Garfield on Wikipedia
- 1970 Giuseppe Ungaretti — Italian soldier, journalist, and academic (born 1888) Read more about Giuseppe Ungaretti on Wikipedia
- 2008 Mel Ferrer — American actor (born 1917) Read more about Mel Ferrer on Wikipedia
- 2008 Bo Diddley — American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1928) Read more about Bo Diddley on Wikipedia
- 1970 Bruce McLaren — New Zealand race car driver and engineer, founded the McLaren racing team (born 1937) Read more about Bruce McLaren on Wikipedia
Special days 14
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 2 June somewhere in the world.
- Children's Day (North Korea) Read more about Children's Day on Wikipedia
- Day of Hristo Botev (Bulgaria) Read more about Hristo Botev on Wikipedia
- Civil Aviation Day (Azerbaijan) Read more about Public holidays in Azerbaijan on Wikipedia
- Festa della Repubblica (Italy) Read more about Festa della Repubblica on Wikipedia
- Telangana Day (Telangana, India) Read more about Telangana Day on Wikipedia
- Gawai Dayak, harvest festival in the state of Sarawak (Malaysia) Read more about Gawai Dayak on Wikipedia
- Alberti Day (New York City, USA) Read more about Pietro Cesare Alberti on Wikipedia
- Coronation of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, also Social Forestry Day (Bhutan) Read more about Public holidays in Bhutan on Wikipedia
- Decoration Day (Canada) Read more about Decoration Day (Canada) on Wikipedia
- Christian saints’ and feast days: Pope Eugene I, Pothinus, Felix of Nicosia, Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church), June 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
For older readers 27 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
- 2010 A gunman carried out a shooting spree in Cumbria, England, killing 12 people and injuring 11 others before committing suicide. Read more about Cumbria shootings on Wikipedia
- 1802 Henry Hacking killed the Aboriginal Australian resistance fighter Pemulwuy after Philip Gidley King ordered that he be brought in dead or alive. Read more about Henry Hacking on Wikipedia
- 1780 The anti-Catholic Gordon Riots in London leave an estimated 300 to 700 people dead. Read more about Gordon Riots on Wikipedia
- 1946 Born: Peter Sutcliffe, English serial killer (died 2020) Read more about Peter Sutcliffe on Wikipedia
- 1995 Bosnian War: U.S. Air Force captain Scott O'Grady was shot down while patrolling the NATO no-fly zone over Bosnia, but ejected safely and was rescued six days later. Read more about Bosnian War on Wikipedia
- 1793 French Revolution: François Hanriot, leader of the Parisian National Guard, arrests 22 Girondists selected by Jean-Paul Marat, setting the stage for the Reign of Terror. Read more about French Revolution on Wikipedia
- 2023 A collision between two passenger trains and a parked freight train near the city of Balasore, Odisha, in eastern India resulted in 296 deaths and more than 1,200 people injured. Read more about 2023 Odisha train collision on Wikipedia
- 1983 After an emergency landing due to an in-flight fire, 23 passengers aboard Air Canada Flight 797 were killed when a flashover occurred as the aircraft's doors opened. Read more about Emergency landing on Wikipedia
- 1967 Benno Ohnesorg, a German university student, was killed in West Berlin while protesting against the visit of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran; the anarchist militant 2 June Movement was later named after the incident. Read more about Killing of Benno Ohnesorg on Wikipedia
- 1919 First Red Scare: The anarchist followers of Luigi Galleani (pictured) set off eight bombs in eight cities across the United States. Read more about First Red Scare on Wikipedia
- 1878 Anarchist Karl Nobiling attempted to assassinate German Emperor Wilhelm I. Read more about Karl Nobiling on Wikipedia
- AD 260 Sima Zhao's regicide of Cao Mao: The figurehead Wei emperor Cao Mao personally leads an attempt to oust his regent, Sima Zhao; the attempted coup is crushed and the emperor killed. Read more about Cao Wei on Wikipedia
- 1997 In Denver, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in which 168 people died. He was executed four years later. Read more about Timothy McVeigh on Wikipedia
- 2012 Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Read more about President of Egypt on Wikipedia
- AD 455 Sack of Rome: Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks. Read more about Sack of Rome (455) on Wikipedia
- 1941 World War II: German paratroopers murder Greek civilians in the villages of Kondomari and Alikianos. Read more about Fallschirmjäger on Wikipedia
- 1692 Bridget Bishop is the first person to be tried for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts; she is found guilty the same day and hanged on June 10. Read more about Bridget Bishop on Wikipedia
- 1866 The Fenians defeat Canadian forces at Ridgeway and Fort Erie, but the raids end soon after. Read more about Fenian Brotherhood on Wikipedia
- 1958 Aeronaves de México Flight 111 crashes on approach to Guadalajara International Airport, killing 45. Read more about Aeronaves de México Flight 111 on Wikipedia
- 1967 Luis Monge is executed in Colorado's gas chamber, in the last pre-Furman execution in the United States. Read more about Luis Monge (mass murderer) on Wikipedia
- 1990 The Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak spawns 66 confirmed tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, killing 12. Read more about June 1990 Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Blessed Sadok and 48 Dominican martyrs from Sandomierz Read more about Beatification on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Elmo Read more about Erasmus of Formia on Wikipedia
- — International Sex Workers Day Read more about International Whores' Day on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Marcellinus and Peter Read more about Marcellinus and Peter on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Martyrs of Lyon, including Blandina Read more about Persecution in Lyon on Wikipedia
- — Christian feast day: Alexander (martyr) Read more about Alexander (martyr) on Wikipedia
Where these facts come from
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “June 2” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.