A Day in the Past

On this day: 2 August

127 things happened on 2 August, from 338 BC to 2016. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 9

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 24

AD 932 1,094 years ago

After a two-year siege, the city of Toledo, in Spain, surrenders to the forces of the Caliph of Córdoba Abd al-Rahman III, assuming an important victory in his campaign to subjugate the Central March.

War & peace Find out more: Abd al-Rahman III (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “The English rock band the Who released Who's Next, their only album to top the”?

    1. 1971
    2. 1992
    3. 1610
    Show the answer

    A: 1971. 1971 — that’s 55 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations”?

    1. 1989
    2. 1858
    3. 1897
    Show the answer

    A: 1989. 1989 — that’s 37 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. The English rock band the Who released Who's Next, their only album to top the
    2. Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations
    3. One of the world's earliest underground tube railways opened in the Tower
    Show the answer

    C: One of the world's earliest underground tube railways opened in the Tower. 1971: The English rock band the Who released Who's Next, their only album to top the · 1989: Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations · 1870: One of the world's earliest underground tube railways opened in the Tower Find it on the page

  4. “One of the world's earliest underground tube railways opened in the Tower” happened in 1870. How many years ago was that?

    1. 146 years
    2. 166 years
    3. 156 years
    Show the answer

    C: 156 years. 2026 − 1870 = 156. Find it on the page

Born on this day 34

Famous people whose birthday is 2 August.

Remembering 18

Well-known people who died on 2 August.

Special days 14

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 2 August somewhere in the world.

For older readers 28 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.

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 “August 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.