August 2
August 2 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 151 days remain until the year's end. It falls in summer (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Leo.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On August 2 the Sun's declination is approximately +17.4°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a August 2.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church).
- Christian feast day: Basil Fool for Christ (Russian Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: Justin Russolillo
- Christian feast day: Eusebius of Vercelli
- Christian feast day: Peter Faber
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
- 2014 — At least 146 people were killed and more than 114 injured in a factory explosion in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China. ↗(12 years ago)
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The 2014 Kunshan explosion was a dust explosion that occurred at Zhongrong Metal Production Company, an automotive parts factory located in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China, on 2 August 2014. As of December 30, 2014, the explosion killed 146 workers and injured 114 others.
2005 — 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. ↗(21 years ago)more
Air France Flight 358 was a regularly scheduled international flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France, to Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario, Canada. On the afternoon of 2 August 2005, while landing at Pearson airport, the Airbus A340-313E operating the route overran the runway and crashed into nearby Etobicoke Creek, approxim...
- 1999 — The Gaisal train disaster claims 285 lives in Assam, India. ↗(27 years ago)
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The Gaisal train collision occurred on 2 August 1999, when two trains carrying about 2,500 people collided at the remote station of Gaisal in West Bengal, India. Owing to a signalling error, both trains were using the same track on a day when three of the four tracks on the line were closed for maintenance.
1991 — Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-43 to deploy the TDRS-5 satellite. ↗(35 years ago)more
Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle which belongs to NASA, the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Atlantis was manufactured by the Rockwell International company in Southern California and was delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Eastern Florida in April 1985.
1990 — 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. ↗(36 years ago)more
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, codenamed Project 17, began on 2 August 1990 and marked the beginning of the Gulf War. After defeating the State of Kuwait on 4 August 1990, Iraq went on to militarily occupy the country for the next seven months.
1989 — Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations after having restored democracy for the first time since 1972. ↗(37 years ago)more
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. Islamabad is the nation's capital, while Karachi is its largest city and financial centre. Pakistan is the 33rd-largest country by area.
1989 — A massacre is carried out by an Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 64 ethnic Tamil civilians. ↗(37 years ago)more
The 1989 Valvettiturai massacre occurred on 2 and 3 August 1989 in the small coastal town of Valvettiturai, on the Jaffna Peninsula in Sri Lanka. Sixty-four Sri Lankan Tamil civilians were killed by soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force. The massacre followed an attack on the soldiers by rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres.
1985 — Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137. ↗(41 years ago)more
Delta Air Lines Flight 191 was a regularly scheduled Delta Air Lines domestic flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Los Angeles, California, with an intermediate stop at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). On August 2, 1985, the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar operating Flight 191 encountered a microburst while on approach to land at DFW.
1982 — The Helsinki Metro, the first rapid transit system of Finland, is opened to the general public. ↗(44 years ago)more
The Helsinki Metro is a rapid transit system serving the Helsinki capital region, Finland. It is the only metro system in Finland as well as the world's northernmost metro system. It was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planning.
1980 — A bomb explodes at the railway station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200. ↗(46 years ago)more
The Bologna massacre was a terrorist bombing of the Bologna Centrale railway station in Bologna, Italy, on the morning of 2 August 1980, which killed 85 people and wounded over 200. Several members of the neo-fascist terrorist organization Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari were sentenced for the bombing, although the group denied involvement.
1973 — A flash fire kills 50 people at the Summerland amusement centre at Douglas, Isle of Man. ↗(53 years ago)more
The Summerland disaster occurred when a fire spread through the Summerland leisure centre in Douglas on the Isle of Man on the night of 2 August 1973. Fifty people were killed and 80 seriously injured. The scale of the fire has been compared to those seen during the Blitz.
1968 — An earthquake hits Casiguran, Aurora, Philippines killing more than 270 people and wounding 261. ↗(58 years ago)more
The 1968 Casiguran earthquake occurred on 04:19:22 local time on August 2 with a moment magnitude of 7.6 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). The thrust earthquake's epicenter was in Casiguran, Quezon. A small non-destructive tsunami was generated and at least 207 people were killed.
Notable births
- 2006 — Héctor Fort, Spanish footballer ↗(20 years ago)
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Héctor Fort García is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for La Liga club Elche, on loan from Barcelona.
2000 — Varvara Gracheva, Russian tennis player ↗(26 years ago)more
Varvara Andreyevna Gracheva is a Russian-born French professional tennis player. Gracheva has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 39, achieved on 8 January 2024. She has won seven singles titles on the ITF Circuit.
2000 — Mohammed Kudus, Ghanaian footballer ↗(26 years ago)more
Mohammed Kudus is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or right midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Ghana national team.
1999 — Mark Lee, Korean-Canadian singer ↗(27 years ago)more
Mark Lee, known mononymously as Mark (Korean: 마크), is a Canadian rapper and singer based in South Korea. He is a former member of the South Korean boy band NCT and its fixed sub-units NCT 127 and NCT Dream, as well as the supergroup SuperM. Mark made his solo debut on April 7, 2025, with his first studio album The Firstfruit.
1997 — Austin Theory, American wrestler ↗(29 years ago)more
Austin Tyler White is an American professional wrestler. As of August 2019, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Austin Theory. He is a member of The Vision stable and is one-half of the World Tag Team Champions with stablemate Logan Paul in their first reign, both as a team and individually.
1996 — Keston Hiura, American baseball player ↗(30 years ago)more
Keston Wee Hing Natsuo Hiura is an American professional baseball first baseman and second baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, and Colorado Rockies.
Notable deaths
2023 — Nitin Chandrakant Desai, Indian art director, production designer, and film and television producer (born 1965) ↗(3 years ago)more
Nitin Chandrakant Desai was an Indian art director, production designer, and film and television producer. He was most known for his work in Marathi and Hindi Films, World Cultural Festival 2016 at Delhi and films like, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Lagaan (2001), Devdas (2002), Jodhaa Akbar (2008) and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015).
2022 — Vin Scully, American sportscaster and game show host (born 1927) ↗(4 years ago)more
Vincent Edward Scully was an American sportscaster, best known for his broadcast work in Major League Baseball. Scully was the play-by-play announcer for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers for 67 years, beginning in 1950 and ending in 2016. He is considered by many to be the greatest sports broadcaster of all time.
2020 — Suzanne Perlman, Hungarian-Dutch visual artist (born 1922) ↗(6 years ago)more
Suzanne Perlman was a Hungarian-Dutch visual artist known for her expressionist portraits and landscape paintings. Her bold use of colour has its origins in her early paintings of the tropical island of Curaçao, where she moved with her husband in 1940 to escape Nazi persecution.
2017 — Judith Jones, American literary and cookbook editor (born 1924) ↗(9 years ago)more
Judith Jones was an American writer and editor, initially known for having rescued The Diary of Anne Frank from the reject pile. Jones is also known as the editor who championed Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She retired as senior editor and vice president at Alfred A.
2016 — Terence Bayler, New Zealand actor (born 1930) ↗(10 years ago)more
Terence Bayler was a New Zealand film, television, and stage actor. His most memorable roles were in Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001).
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (215) | 5 × 43 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (151) | 151 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 02082026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +17.37° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 43 days |