July 2

Events
Up to 1900
437 - Emperor Valentinian III begins his reign over the Western Roman Empire.
626 - China: Li Shimin, the future Emperor Taizong of Tang, ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng in the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
706 - In China, Emperor Zhongzhong of Tang inters the bodies of relatives in the Qianling Mausoleum, located on Mount Liang, outside Chang'an.
1266 - The Treaty of Perth settles a territorial dispute between Scotland and Norway over the Hebrides and the Isle of Man.
1494 - The Treaty of Tordesillas is ratified by Spain.
1555 - The Ottoman admiral Turgut Reis sacks the city of Paola.
1561 - Menas, Emperor of Ethiopia defeats a revolt in Emfraz.
1578 - Martin Frobisher becomes the first European to reach Baffin Island.
1582 - Battle of Yamazaki: Toyotomo Hideyoshi defeats Akechi Mitsuhide.
1644 - English Civil War: Battle of Marston Moor.
1679 - Europeans visit present-day Minnesota for the first time.
1698 - Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine.
1767 - Philip Carteret's expedition discovers Pitcairn Island in the Southern Pacific Ocean, naming it after sea cadet Robert Pitcairn, who first sighted it.
1776 - The Continental Congress adopts a resolution, severing ties with Great Britain.
1777 - Vermont abolishes Slavery.
1823 - Bahia Independence Day: End of Portuguese rule in Brazil.
1839 - Near Cuba, 53 rebelling African slaves take over the ship, Amistad.
1853 - The Russian Army crosses the Pruth River into the Danubian Principalities - Moldavia and Wallachia - the final spark that set off the Crimean War.
1860 - The Russian city of Vladivostok is founded as a naval post.
1871 - Victor Emmanuel II of Italy enters Rome, having conquered it from the Papal States.
1881 - Charles J. Guiteau shoots US President James A. Garfield, who dies of an infection on September 19.
1897 - Guglielmo Marconi gets a patent for the radio in London.
1900 - The first Zeppelin flight takes place on Lake Constance, near Friedrichshafen, Southern Germany.
1901 2000
1921 - World War I: US President Warren G. Harding signs the Knox-Porter Resolution, formally ending the US' state of war with Imperial Germany.
1928 - British women over the age of 21 are given the right to vote.
1934 - The Night of the Long Knives, Adolf Hitler's purge of his political rivals, ends with the death of Ernst Roehm.
1937 - Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan go missing while flying over the Pacific Ocean. No remains are ever found, and many conspiracy theories have come out of their disappearance.
1940 - Indian independence leader Subhas Chandra Bose is arrested and detained in Calcutta.
1950 - The Golden Pavilion at Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Japan, burns down.
1962 - The first Wal-Mart store opens in Rodgers, Arkansas.
1964 - US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
1966 - France carries out its first nuclear test at Mururoa Atoll in the South Pacific Ocean.
1974 - A magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes Iran, killing 1,200 people.
1976 - Fall of the Republic of Vietnam.
1990 - A mass panic in a pedestrian tunnel in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, kills 1,427 people who were there for the Hajj pilgrimage.
1994 - Andres Escobar, Colombian footballer, is shot dead. The killer's motive was his own goal in the FIFA World Cup.
2000 - Vicente Fox is elected President of Mexico.
2000 - The France national football team wins UEFA Euro 2000, defeating the Italy national football team 2-1 in extra time.
From 2001
2002 - Steve Fossett becomes the first person to travel solo around the world in a hot-air balloon.
2003 - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi insults German MEP Martin Schulz, comparing him to a Concentration camp guard.
2005 - Live 8 concerts take place worldwide.
2008 - After a captivity of more than six years, Ingrid Betancourt is released from FARC Guerrillas in Colombia.
2010 - A tanker explosion in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo kills more than 230 people.
2011 - Albert II, Prince of Monaco marries Charlene Wittstock.
2011 - Petra Kvitova wins the Women's Singles tennis title at Wimbledon, defeating Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4.
2015 - A ferry capsizes in Ormoc, Leyte, Philippines, killing 62 people.
2016 - A terrorist attack and hostage taking in Dhaka, Bangladesh, results in the deaths of 20 people, mainly non-Bangladeshi citizens.
2016 - Tennis: In a shock result, multiple Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is knocked out in the third round at Wimbledon, losing to Sam Querrey in four sets.
Births
Up to 1900
419 - Valentinian III, Roman Emperor (d. 455)
1262 - Arthur II, Duke of Brittany (d. 1312)
1363 - Maria, Queen of Sicily (d. 1401)
1486 - Jacopo Sansovino, Italian sculptor and architect (d. 1570)
1489 - Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury (d. 1556)
1644 - Abraham a Santa Clara, German theologian and writer (d. 1709)
1648 - Arp Schnitger, German organ builder (d. 1719)
1667 - Pietro Ottoboni, Italian cardinal (d. 1740)
1698 - Francesco III d'Este, Duke of Modena (d. 1780)
1714 - Christoph Willibald von Gluck, German composer (d. 1787)
1724 - Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, German poet (d. 1803)
1790 - Leopold, Prince of Salerno (d. 1851)
1807 - Arthur Conolly, British traveler, military and diplomat (d. 1842)
1819 - Charles-Louis Hanon, French pianist and composer (d. 1900)
1819 - Thomas Anderson, Scottish chemist (d. 1874)
1821 - Charles Tupper, shortest-serving Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1915)
1824 - Juan N. Mendez, President of Mexico (d. 1895)
1841 - Alexander Mikhaylovich Zaitsev, Russian chemist (d. 1910)
1843 - Antonio Labriola, Italian philosopher (d. 1904)
1849 - Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (d. 1919)
1855 - Louis Maxson, American archer (d. 1916)
1862 - William Henry Bragg, English physicist (d. 1942)
1865 - Lily Braun, German author (d. 1916)
1869 - Liane de Pougy, French dancer (d. 1950)
1874 - Pedro Paulet, Peruvian scientist (d. 1945)
1876 - Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist (d. 1933)
1876 - Wilhelm Cuno, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1933)
1877 - Hermann Hesse, German writer (d. 1962)
1881 - Royal Hurlburt Weller, American lawyer and politician (d. 1929)
1882 - Marie Bonaparte, French psychoanalyst and writer (d. 1962)
1884 - Alfons Maria Jakob, German neurologist (d. 1931)
1896 - Lydia Mei, Estonian painter (d. 1965)
1901 1950
1902 - Germaine Thyssens-Valentin, Dutch pianist (d. 1987)
1903 - King Olav V of Norway (d. 1991)
1903 - Alec Douglas-Home, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1995)
1904 - Rene Lacoste, French tennis player and businessman (d. 1996)
1906 - Hans Bethe, German physicist (d. 2005)
1906 - Sera Martin, French runner (d. 1993)
1908 - Thurgood Marshall, United States Supreme Court Justice (d. 1993)
1911 - Reg Parnell, English racing driver (d. 1964)
1914 - Frederick Fennell, American conductor (d. 2004)
1914 - Mario Schenberg, Brazilian physicist (d. 1990)
1914 - Alois Andritzki, German priest and martyr (d. 1943)
1915 - Arthur Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, English nobleman (d. 2014)
1916 - Ken Curtis, American actor and singer (d. 1991)
1916 - Hans-Ulrich Rudel, German colonel and pilot (d. 1982)
1917 - Andre Lafargue, French journalist (d. 2017)
1917 - Murry Wilson, American songwriter and record producer (d. 1973)
1922 - Pierre Cardin, Italian-French fashion designer
1923 - Wislawa Szymborska, Polish poet (d. 2012)
1925 - Patrice Lumumba, Congolese politician (d. 1961)
1925 - Medgar Evans, American civil rights activist (d. 1963)
1927 - Brock Peters, American actor (d. 2005)
1928 - Line Renaud, French singer and actress
1929 - Imelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines
1930 - Carlos Menem, former President of Argentina (d. 2021)
1930 - Ahmad Jamal, American jazz pianist
1932 - Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's fast food chain (d. 2002)
1935 - Alain Berberian, Lebanese-born French film director and screenwriter (d. 2017)
1936 - Omar Suleiman, Vice President of Egypt (d. 2012)
1937 - Polly Holliday, American actress
1937 - Richard Petty, American racing driver
1938 - David Owen, British politician
1939 - Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek politician and poet (d. 1976)
1940 - Robert Broberg, Swedish singer and songwriter (d. 2015)
1940 - Christopher Awdry, son of Wilbert Awdry
1940 - Kenneth Clarke, British politician
1942 - Vicente Fox, former President of Mexico
1943 - Iva Eenmaa, Estonian politician
1943 - Walter Godefroot, Belgian singer
1946 - Richard Axel, American neuroscientist
1946 - Ron Silver, American actor (d. 2009)
1947 - Larry David, American television producer
1947 - Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, English politician
1949 - Roy Bittan, American musician (E Street Band)
1951 1975
1952 - Ahmed Ouyahia, former Prime Minister of Algeria
1953 - Jean-Claude Borelly, French trumpeter and composer
1953 - Mark Hart, American guitarist and keyboardist
1954 - Pete Briquette, Irish bass player, songwriter and producer
1954 - Chris Huhne, British politician
1954 - Wendy Schaal, American actress
1957 - Bret Hart, Canadian professional wrestler
1959 - Mirandinha, Brazilian footballer
1960 - Maria Lourdes Sereno, Filipina lawyer
1961 - Samy Naceri, French actor
1963 - Mark Kermode, English movie critic
1964 - Jose Canseco, Cuban-American baseball player
1964 - Ozzie Canseco, Cuban-American baseball player
1964 - Doug Benson, American stand-up comedian and actor
1964 - Alan Tait, Scottish rugby player and coach
1966 - Jean-Francois Richet, French director, producer and screenwriter
1967 - Claudio Biaggio, Argentine footballer
1969 - Jenni Rivera, American singer-songwriter, producer and actress (d. 2012)
1971 - Bryan Redpath, Scottish rugby player and coach
1971 - Samantha Giles, English actress
1972 - Darren Shan, Irish author
1973 - Peter Kay, English comedian
1974 - Rocky Gray, American drummer, guitarist and songwriter
From 1976
1977 - Carl Froch, English boxer
1978 - Juri Ratas, Estonian politician, Prime Minister of Estonia
1978 - Owain Yeoman, Welsh actor
1979 - Walter Davis, American triple jumper
1979 - Joe Thornton, Canadian ice hockey player
1980 - Alexander Petersson, Latvian-Icelandic handball player
1980 - Rachel Brown, English footballer
1983 - Michelle Branch, American singer, songwriter and guitarist
1984 - Ryan Keely, American pornographic actress, columnist and model
1984 - Maarten Martens, Belgian footballer
1984 - Johnny Weir, American figure skater
1985 - Corey Bringas, American actor
1985 - Vlatko Ilievski, Macedonian singer (d. 2018)
1985 - Ashley Tisdale, American actress and singer
1986 - Lindsay Lohan, American actress
1987 - Ruslana Korshunova, Kazakhstani model (d. 2008)
1988 - Lee Chung-Yong, South Korean footballer
1988 - Porta, Spanish rapper
1989 - Dev, American singer-songwriter and rapper
1989 - Alex Morgan, American soccer player
1990 - Roman Lob, German singer
1990 - Margot Robbie, Australian actress
1990 - Danny Rose, English footballer
1992 - Madison Chock, American ice dancer
1993 - Deysi Cori, Peruvian chess player
Deaths
Up to 1900
626 - Li Jiancheng, Chinese prince (b. 589)
626 - Li Yuanji, Chinese prince (b. 603)
649 - Li Jing, Chinese general (b. 571)
862 - Swithun, Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester (b. 789)
1298 - Adolf, King of Germany (b. 1220)
1504 - Stephen III of Moldavia (b. 1434)
1566 - Nostradamus, French astrologer (b. 1503)
1591 - Vincenzo Galilei, Italian lute player and composer (b. 1520)
1621 - Thomas Harriot, English astronomer and mathematician (b. 1560)
1743 - Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, Prime Minister of Great Britain (b. 1673)
1778 - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French philosopher (b. 1712)
1822 - Denmark Vesey, freed slave (b. 1767) (hanged)
1833 - Gervasio Antonio de Posadas, Argentine politician (b. 1757)
1843 - Samuel Hahnemann, German physician (b. 1755)
1850 - Robert Peel, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1788)
1857 - Carlo Pisacane, Italian patriot and philosopher (b. 1818)
1901 2000
1903 - Ed Delahanty, American baseball player (b. 1867)
1914 - Joseph Chamberlain, English businessman and politician (b. 1836)
1915 - Porfirio Diaz, President of Mexico (b. 1830)
1916 - Louis Maxson, American archer (b. 1855)
1929 - Gladys Brockwell, American actress (b. 1893)
1931 - Peter Kurten, German serial killer (b. 1883)
1932 - King Manuel II of Portugal (b. 1889)
1934 - Ernst Roehm, Nazi politician (b. 1887)
1934 - Henry Hollis Horton, American politician, 40th Governor of Tennessee (b. 1866)
1937 - Amelia Earhart, American pilot (b. 1897)
1937 - Fred Noonan, American aviator (b. 1893)
1946 - Mary Alden, American actress (b. 1883)
1949 - Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgarian politician (b. 1882)
1950 - Thomas William Burgess, English swimmer (b. 1872)
1961 - Ernest Hemingway, American writer (b. 1899)
1966 - Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet and author (b. 1900)
1969 - Michael DiBiase, Italian-American professional wrestler (b. 1923)
1972 - Joseph Fielding Smith, American Mormon Church leader (b. 1876)
1973 - Betty Grable, American actress (b. 1916)
1977 - Vladimir Nabokov, Russian writer (b. 1899)
1986 - Peanuts Lowrey, American baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
1989 - Andrei Gromyko, Soviet politician (b. 1909)
1991 - Lee Remick, American actress (b. 1935)
1994 - Andres Escobar, Colombian footballer (b. 1967)
1997 - James Stewart, American actor (b. 1908)
1999 - Mario Puzo, American writer (b. 1920)
From 2001
2007 - Beverly Sills, American operatic soprano (b. 1929)
2010 - Beryl Bainbridge, British writer (b. 1932)
2010 - Laurent Terzieff, French actor (b. 1935)
2011 - Itamar Franco, 33rd President of Brazil (b. 1930)
2013 - Douglas Engelbart, American computer scientist (b. 1925)
2013 - Princess Fawzia Fuad of Egypt (b. 1921)
2013 - Anthony Llywellyn, Welsh-American astronaut (b. 1933)
2014 - Errie Ball, Welsh-American golfer (b. 1910)
2014 - Chad Brown, American poker player and actor (b. 1961)
2014 - Louis Zamperini, American athlete and writer (b. 1917)
2015 - Jacobo Zabludovsky, Mexican journalist (b. 1928)
2015 - Charlie Sanders, American football player (b. 1946)
2015 - James C. Weaver, American football player (b. 1945)
2015 - Slavko Avsenik, Slovenian composer and musician (b. 1929)
2016 - Caroline Aherne, English actress, comedienne and writer (b. 1963)
2016 - Roscoe Brown, American World War II veteran (b. 1922)
2016 - Michael Cimino, American screenwriter and director (b. 1939)
2016 - Roger Dumas, French comedian and actor (b. 1932)
2016 - Patrick Manning, 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1946)
2016 - Robert Nye, British poet (b. 1939)
2016 - Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister of France (b. 1930)
2016 - Jack C. Taylor, American businessman (b. 1922)
2016 - Elie Wiesel, Romanian-American activist and writer (b. 1928)
2017 - Smith Hart, American-Canadian professional wrestler (b. 1948)
2017 - Jack Collom, American poet (b. 1931)
2017 - Vladimir Malaniuk, Ukrainian chess player (b. 1957)
2017 - Chris Roberts, German singer (b. 1944)
2017 - Tatiana Zatulovskaya, Soviet-born Israeli chess player (b. 1935)
2017 - Ataullah Behmanesh, Iranian wrestler and sports journalist (b. 1923)
2017 - Minos Kyriakou, Greek businessman (b. 1942)
2017 - Bert Rossi, English gangster (b. 1922)
2018 - Henry Butler, American jazz musician (b. 1949)
2018 - Bill Watrous, American jazz trombonist (b. 1939)
Observances
Canada Day (observed on this date if July 1 is a Sunday)
Bahia Independence Day (Brazil)
July 02