2014 Kunshan explosion
At least 146 people are killed and more than 114 injured in a factory explosion in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China.
What happened on August 2
36 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 338 BCE to 2023.
Standout on August 2
2014
2014 Kunshan explosion
At least 146 people are killed and more than 114 injured in a factory explosion in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China.
About August 2
August 2 is the 214th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 214 of 365 (215 in leap years)151 days left in the year (151 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Sunday in 2026, Monday in 2027, Wednesday in 2028, Thursday in 2029, Friday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 31 of 2026 · Q3
- Zodiac sign
- ♌ Leo (July 23 – August 22)
- Season
- Summer in the north · Winter in the south
- August birthstone
- Peridot / Spinel / Sardonyxstrength, good fortune and calm
- August birth flower
- Gladiolus / Poppystrength of character and remembrance
- Next occurrence
- In 279 days
- Roman numerals
- II.VIIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 40thCastle in the Sky1986
- 30thKeston Hiura1996
- 30thSimone Manuel1996
- 20thHéctor Fort2006
- 10thAhmed Zewail2016
- 10thDavid Huddleston2016
- 10thFranciszek Macharski2016
- 10thTerence Bayler2016
August 2 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Franciszek Macharski · Ahmed Zewail · David Huddleston
- 25 years ago2001
- Nothing recorded
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on August 2 — ages this year
- 2006Héctor Fortturns 20
- 2000Varvara Grachevaturns 26
- 2000Mohammed Kudusturns 26
- 1999Joël Piroeturns 27
- 1999Anastasios Douvikasturns 27
- 1999Mark (rapper)turns 27
Historical events 36
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Murder of Khuan Phokaeng
A taxi driver is murdered in Bangkok by a teenager addicted to video games leading to the Thai government banning the sale of Grand Theft Auto.
Raúl Iturriaga
Raúl Iturriaga, a former deputy director of the Chilean secret police, was captured in Viña del Mar after having been on the run following a kidnapping conviction.
Air France Flight 358
Air France Flight 358 lands at Toronto Pearson International Airport and runs off the runway, causing the plane to burst into flames, leaving 12 injuries and no fatalities.
Gaisal train collision
The Gaisal train disaster claims 285 lives in Assam, India.
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-43 to deploy the TDRS-5 satellite.
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait: Iraq invades Kuwait and temporarily establishes the Republic of Kuwait puppet state on the orders of Saddam Hussein, eventually leading to the Gulf War.
1989 Valvettiturai massacre
A massacre is carried out by an Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 64 ethnic Tamil civilians.
Pakistan
Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations after having restored democracy for the first time since 1972.
Castle in the Sky
The animated film Castle in the Sky, the first from Studio Ghibli, was released.
Delta Air Lines Flight 191
Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137.
Helsinki Metro
The Helsinki Metro, the first rapid transit system of Finland, is opened to the general public.
Bologna massacre
A bomb explodes at the railway station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200.
Summerland disaster
A flash fire killed 50 people at a leisure centre in Douglas, Isle of Man.
The Who
The English rock band the Who released Who's Next, their only album to top the UK charts.
1968 Casiguran earthquake
An earthquake hits Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines killing more than 270 people and wounding 261.
1947 BSAA Avro Lancastrian Star Dust accident
Star Dust, a British South American Airways airliner, crashed into Mount Tupungato in the Argentine Andes; its wreckage was not found until 1998.
British South American Airways
A British South American Airways Avro Lancastrian airliner crashes into a mountain during a flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile. The wreckage would not be found until 1998.
Potsdam Conference
World War II: The Potsdam Conference ends.
Anti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia
ASNOM: Birth of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, celebrated as Day of the Republic in North Macedonia.
Convoy HX 300
World War II: The largest trade convoy of the world wars arrives safely in the Western Approaches.
World War II
World War II: After the Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 is rammed and sunk by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri, Lt. John F. Kennedy, future U.S. president, saves all but two of his crew.
The Holocaust
The Holocaust: Jewish prisoners stage a revolt at Treblinka, one of the deadliest of Nazi death camps where approximately 900,000 persons were murdered in less than 18 months.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard write a letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, urging him to begin the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear weapon.
Leo Szilard
Leo Szilard penned a letter, signed by Albert Einstein and addressed to U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt, warning that Germany may develop atomic bombs, leading to the establishment of the Manhattan Project.
Marihuana Tax Act of 1937
The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 is passed in America, the effect of which is to render marijuana and all its by-products illegal.
California Institute of Technology
At the California Institute of Technology, American physicist Carl David Anderson proved the existence of antimatter with the discovery of the positron, for which he would receive the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge became the 30th president of the United States after Warren G. Harding suffered a fatal heart attack.
Krishna Lal Adhikari
Nepalese author Krishna Lal Adhikari (pictured) was sentenced to nine years in prison for publishing a book about the cultivation of corn alleged to contain attacks on the ruling dynasty.
Austria-Hungary
An explosion, blamed on Austro-Hungarian saboteurs, sank the Italian dreadnought Leonardo da Vinci.
Grand Quartier Général (1914–1919)
The French army's general headquarters was activated in anticipation of war with Germany.
Tower Subway
One of the world's earliest underground tube railways opened in the Tower Subway (interior depicted), a tunnel beneath the River Thames in London.
1790 United States census
The first United States census was officially completed, with the nation's residential population enumerated to be 3,929,214.
New Forest
While on a hunting trip in the New Forest, King William II of England was killed by an arrow through the lung loosed by one of his own men.
Roman Senate
Unpopular among the Senate aristocracy for his reforming efforts, Roman emperor Majorian was deposed by Ricimer and executed five days later.
Philip II of Macedon
An allied army led by Philip II of Macedon overcame the forces of city-states led by Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony over the majority of ancient Greece.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Nitin Chandrakant Desai
Nitin Chandrakant Desai, Indian art director, production designer, and film and television producer (born 1965)
Ahmed Zewail
Ahmed Zewail, Egyptian-American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1946)
Giovanni Conso
Giovanni Conso, Italian jurist and politician, Italian Minister of Justice (born 1922)
Richard E. Dauch
Richard E. Dauch, American businessman, co-founded American Axle (born 1942)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Ahudemmeh
Christian feast day: Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church).
Joan of Aza
Christian feast day: Joan of Aza
Ceferino Giménez Malla
Christian feast day: Ceferino Giménez Malla
Peter Julian Eymard
Christian feast day: Peter Julian Eymard
Giustino Russolillo
Christian feast day: Justin Russolillo
Centola and Helen
Christian feast day: Centola and Helen
Plegmund
Christian feast day: Plegmund
Basil Fool for Christ
Christian feast day: Basil Fool for Christ (Russian Orthodox Church)
Spread across the centuries
- 4th century BCE1
- 5th century1
- 11th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century1
- 20th century46
- 21st century25
Earliest: Philip II of Macedon (338 BCE). Most recent: Nitin Chandrakant Desai (2023).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Dates before the year 1 are given on the proleptic Julian calendar. Day-level precision for ancient events is traditional rather than documented.
Nearby and related
Questions about August 2
What day of the year is August 2?
August 2 is the 214th day of the year, with 151 days left after it.
What star sign is August 2?
August 2 falls under Leo (July 23 – August 22), a fire sign ruled by Sun. The birthstone for the month is Peridot or Spinel or Sardonyx.
How many things happened on August 2?
We record 84 entries for August 2: 36 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 338 BCE to 2023.
Who was born on August 2?
Héctor Fort (2006) is among the notable births on August 2. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the August 2 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like August 2
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
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