Today In History. What Happened This Day In History
A Timeline Of Events That Occurred On This Day In History
A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.
Today in History
| October 2 | ||
| 1263 | At Largs, King Alexander III of Scotland repels an amphibious invasion by King Haakon IV of Norway. | |
| 1535 | Having landed in Quebec a month ago, Jacques Cartier reaches a town, which he names Montreal. | |
| 1862 | An Army under Union General Joseph Hooker arrives in Bridgeport, Alabama to support the Union forces at Chattanooga. Chattanooga's Lookout Mountain provides a dramatic setting for the Civil War's battle above the clouds. | |
| 1870 | The papal states vote in favor of union with Italy. The capital is moved from Florence to Rome. | |
| 1871 |
Morman leader Brigham Young, 70, is arrested for polygamy. He was later convicted, but the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the conviction. |
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| 1879 | A dual alliance is formed between Austria and Germany, in which the two countries agree to come to the other's aid in the event of aggression. | |
| 1909 | Orville Wright sets an altitude record, flying at 1,600 feet. This exceeded Hubert Latham's previous record of 508 feet. | |
| 1931 | Aerial circus star Clyde Pangborn and playboy Hugh Herndon, Jr. set off to complete the first nonstop flight across the Pacific Ocean from Misawa City, Japan. | |
| 1941 | The German army launches Operation Typhoon, the drive towards Moscow. | |
| 1950 | The comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schultz, makes its first appearance in newspapers. | |
| 1964 | Scientists announce findings that smoking can cause cancer. | |
| 1967 | Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice, is sworn in. Marshall had previously been the solicitor general, the head of the legal staff of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and a leading American civil rights lawyer. | |
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Born on October 2 |
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| 1847 | Paul von Hindenburg, German Field Marshall during World War I and second president of the Weimar Republic. | |
| 1869 | Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi, political leader of India and pioneer of nonviolent activism. | |
| 1871 | Cordell Hull, Secretary of State for President Franklin Roosevelt. | |
| 1879 | Wallace Stevens, poet. | |
| 1890 | Julius Henry 'Groucho' Marx, comedian, one of the five Marx brothers (the others being Chico, Harpo, Zeppo and Gummo). | |
| 1900 | William A. 'Bud' Abbot, comedian, the straight man to Lou Costello. | |
| 1901 | Roy Campbell, poet (The Flaming Terrapin). | |
| 1904 | Graham Greene, novelist (The Power and The Glory, The Heart of the Matter). | |





















