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 – Andrés 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. Méndez, 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 – René Lacoste, French tennis player and businessman (d. 1996)
 1906 – Hans Bethe, German physicist (d. 2005)
 1906 – Séra 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 – André 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 Berbérian, 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 – José 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-François 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 – Jüri 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 Díaz, President of Mexico (b. 1830)
 1916 – Louis Maxson, American archer (b. 1855)
 1929 – Gladys Brockwell, American actress (b. 1893)
 1931 – Peter Kürten, 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 – Andrés 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