1100 – William II [William Rufus], King of England (1087-1100), killed by an arrow shot by Sir Walter Tyrell while hunting in the New Forest at 44
1921 – Enrico Caruso, Italian operatic tenor (Faust), dies of pleurisy at 48
1955 – Rupprecht, last crown prince of Bavaria and German fieldmarshall during WWI, dies at 86
1955 – Alfred Lépine, Canadian ice hockey player and coach, dies at 54
1972 – Helen Hoyt, American poet, known for “Ellis Park”, dies at 85
1974 – W. Douglas Hawkes, British auto racer and designer, dies at 80
1983 – Charles Eyck, Dutch painter and sculptor (Limburg School), dies at 85
1992 – Ephraim Katz, Israeli American writer and filmmaker (The Film Encyclopedia), dies at 60
1995 – Brian Smith, Canadian sportscaster and NHL player, dies at 54 after being shot the previous day
2007 – Holden Roberto, Angolan independence leader, founder of the National Liberation Front of Angola (FNLA), dies at 84
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 2nd August 2025
1858 – Government of India transferred from the East India Company to the British Crown
1880 – British Parliament officially adopts Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
1914 – Belgian government receives German ultimatum
1928 – Benito Mussolini signs peace treaty with Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
1991 – Space shuttle STS 43 (Atlantis 9) launched
2018 – Japanese newspaper “Yomiuri Shimbun” reveals Tokyo Medical University has been tampering with female entrance exams to ensure under 30% accepted
2020 – Islamic State stages a jail break at a prison in Afghan city of Jalalabad, placing bombs at its entrance, results in 20 hr gunfight, 29 deaths and over 300 prisoners at large
2022 – US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the first speaker to visit Taiwan in 25 years, prompting condemnation from the Chinese Communist Party
Today in History for 2nd August 2025
Historical Events
1931 – Referendum in favor of autonomous status for Spanish Catalonia garners 99.5% of the vote; about 75% of eligible voters participate
1943 – Sunderland seaplanes sink U-706 and U-106
1959 – Future Hall of Fame 1st baseman Willie McCovey hits 1st of his 521 MLB home runs in SF Giants 5-3 win v Pittsburgh Pirates
2012 – American swimmer Michael Phelps wins an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal in the 200m individual medley in 1:54.27 at the London Olympics
2018 – Apple becomes the first American publicly listed company to reach $1 trillion in value
Famous Birthdays
1925 – John McCormack, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (d. 2017)
1928 – Malcolm Hilton, English cricket slow left-arm (4 Tests), born in Chadderton, Lancashire (d. 1990)
1948 – Andy Fairweather Low, Welsh session and touring guitarist (Amen Corner; Roger Waters; Eric Clapton; George Harrison), born in Ystrad Mynach, Wales
1949 – James Fallows, American writer and journalist, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1972 – Jimmy Pop [James Franks], American rock singer and musician (The Bloodhound Gang – “The Bad Touch”), born in Trappe, Pennsylvania
Famous Deaths
1823 – Lazare Carnot, French politician, engineer and mathematician known as the Organizer of Victory in the French Revolutionary Wars, dies at 70
1922 – Mina Kruseman, Dutch author and feminist, dies at 82
1992 – Michel Berger [Hamburger], French singer-songwriter, and record producer. dies of a heart attack at 44
2003 – Mike Levey, American TV infomercials host, dies of cancer at 55
2020 – Leon Fleisher, American pianist and conductor (Annapolis Symphony 1970-82), dies of cancer at 92
Famous Deaths for 1st August 2025
1541 – Simon Grynaeus, German theologian dies at about 48 {[exact birthdate unknown c.1493]
1667 – Paul Foot, lawyer/historian, dies at 48
1932 – Arnold Fothergill, English cricket fast bowler (2 Tests, 8 wickets. BB 4/19; Somerset CCC, MCC), dies at 77
1944 – Manuel L. Quezon y Molina, Second President of the Philippines (1935-42), dies of tuberculosis at 65
1966 – Earl Rudolph “Bud” Powell, American jazz pianist and composer, dies at 41
1973 – Walter Ulbricht, German politician (Head Of State, German Democratic Republic), dies at 80
1988 – John Dearden, American cardinal (1969-88) and archbishop of Detroit, dies at 80
2012 – Joan Bernard, British army officer in the Auxiliary Territorial Service and founding principal of Trevelyan College (1966-78), dies due to ill-health at 94
2022 – John Hughes, Scottish soccer striker (8 caps; Celtic 255 games), dies from cancer at 79
2024 – Craig Shakespeare, English soccer coach (WBA, Leicester CIty) and midfielder (Walsall 284 games), dies from cancer at 60
Historical Events for 1st August 2025
1954 – South African Natives Resettlement Act comes into effect, empowering the government to remove Africans from any area within and adjacent to the magisterial district of Johannesburg
1968 – Canada begins replacing silver with nickel in its coins
1996 – American athlete Michael Johnson wins 200 m at the Atlanta Olympics in a world record 19.32 seconds to become the first man to complete the 200-400 m double
2004 – A supermarket fire kills 396 people and injures 500 in Asunción, Paraguay
2010 – US Senior Open Men’s Golf, Sahalee CC: Berhard Langer of Germany wins by three strokes ahead of runner-up Fred Couples
2010 – 200 m x 250 m photo mosaic commemorating the life of Filipino President Corazon Aquino is unveiled near Quirino Grandstand at Luneta Park, Manila
2023 – Former US President Donald Trump is indicted by special counsel Jack Smith on charges of conspiring to defraud the country and prevent the peaceful transfer of power
2023 – South America experiences a winter heatwave, with Vicuña in Chilean Andres reaching 100°F (37.78°C), the warmest day in northern Chile for 72 years
Today in History for 1st August 2025
Historical Events
1664 – Battle of St. Gotthard, West Hungary: Imperial Army led by Count Raimondo Montecuccoli defeats Ottoman forces under Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed Pasha
1924 – MLB Brooklyn Robins pitcher Dazzy Vance strikes out an MLB record 7 consecutive batters and 14 overall in a 4-0 win over the visiting Chicago Cubs at Ebbets Field
1968 – Coronation of Hassanal Bolkiah, the 29th Sultan of Brunei
1992 – American sprinter Gail Devers wins an incredibly close blanket finish in the women’s 100m at the Barcelona Olympics, with 5 athletes within 0.06 seconds of Devers (10.82)
2022 – First grain ship leaves Ukrainian port of Odesa in a UN-brokered deal, breaking a months-long Russian blockade to help alleviate the global shortage
Famous Birthdays
1642 – Ahmed II, 21st Sultan of Turkey (1691-95), born in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire (d. 1695) [or born Feb 25, 1643]
1933 – Ko Un, South Korean poet, born in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province
1948 – Bob Spink, British politician (MP for Castle Point in Essex), born in Haworth, Worth Valley, Yorkshire
1956 – Tom Leykis, American radio personality (The Tom Leykis Show), born in The Bronx, New York
1964 – Adam Duritz, American rock singer-songwriter, and keyboardist (Counting Crows – “Mr. Jones”; “Accidentally in Love”), born in Baltimore, Maryland
Famous Deaths
1252 – Giovanni da Pian del Carpine [John of Plano Carpini], Italian friar, explorer and diplomat (1st European traveller to give account of the Mongol Empire), dies (b. c. 1185)
1980 – Patrick Depailler, French Formula 1 driver (b. 1944)
1988 – John Dearden, American cardinal (1969-88) and archbishop of Detroit, dies at 80
1990 – Lotta Hitschmanova, Canadian humanitarian (founder of the Unitarian Service Committee of Canada), dies at 80
2024 – Craig Shakespeare, English soccer coach (WBA, Leicester CIty) and midfielder (Walsall 284 games), dies from cancer at 60
Famous Deaths for 31st July 2025
450 – Petrus Chrysologus, Emilia-Romagnan priest (1st archbishop of Ravenna, 433-50), Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint, dies at about 44 [birthdate uncertain]
1943 – Hedley Verity, English cricket spin bowler (40 Tests, 144 wickets @ 24.37), dies in POW camp in Italy at 38
1954 – Onofre Marimón, Argentine racing driver (b. 1923)
1985 – Murray Chapple, New Zealand cricket batsman (14 Tests, 3 x 50; Canterbury, Central Districts), dies at 55
1988 – André Navarra, French concert cellist (Jolivet’s Cello Concerto), and educator (Paris Conservatoire, 1947-88), dies at 76
1996 – Paul Crawford, American Dixieland jazz musician, arranger, (Olympic Brass Band), and music historian (Tulane University), dies of lung cancer at 71
2003 – John Aston Sr., English soccer striker (17 caps; Manchester United 253 games), dies at 81
2005 – Les Braid, English bass guitarist and singer (Swinging Blue Jeans – “Hippie-Hippie Shake”), dies of lung cancer at 67
2010 – Mitch Miller, American oboist and recording producer (Sing Along with Mitch), dies at 99
2022 – Mo Ostin [Ostrofsky], American record company executive (Verve; Reprise; Warner Bros,; Dreamworks), dies at 95
Historical Events for 31st July 2025
1655 – Russo-Polish War (1654-1667): the Russian army enters the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Vilnius, which it holds for six years
1790 – First US patent is granted to Samuel Hopkins for a potash process
1853 – First nighttime surgery performed at Lychakiv Hospital in Lemberg (now Lviv, Ukraine) using new kerosene oil lamps invented by Ignacy Łukasiewicz
1981 – Mid-season strike by MLB players ends after 42 days, causing the cancellation of 713 games; players and owners come to an agreement on free agent compensation
1987 – Battle between Iranian pilgrims and Saudi-Arabian troops kills 402
2021 – Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown wins gold in the 200 m backstroke to complete the 100/200 m double at the Tokyo Olympic Games
2022 – Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who helps plan the 9/11 attacks, is killed in a CIA drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan; US President Joe Biden calls it the group’s biggest blow since Osama bin Laden is killed
2024 – Australian slalom canoeist Jessica Fox successfully defends her C-1 slalom gold medal with a time of 101.06 seconds and completes the K-1/C-1 double at the Paris Olympic Games
Today in History for 31st July 2025
Historical Events
1925 – Last allied occupying troops leave German Ruhr region
1972 – Claudy bombing: Nine civilians are killed when three car bombs explode in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland; no group has since claimed responsibility
1983 – Dutch July average temperature is 20.1°C (68.18°F), making it the warmest July since 1854
1997 – First baseman Mark McGwire becomes MLB’s top home run hitter to be traded in the middle of a season when he moves from Oakland to the St. Louis Cardinals with 34 home runs and 81 RBIs
2011 – British Open Women’s Golf, Carnoustie GL: Yani Tseng of Taiwan becomes the first to successfully defend the Open as a major championship, four strokes ahead of Brittany Lang
Famous Birthdays
1941 – Heather McKay, Australian squash player (British Open 1962-77, inaugural women’s World Open 1976), born in Queanbeyan, Australia
1941 – Amarsinh Chaudhary, Indian politician, born in Surat, India (d. 2004)
1965 – Scott Brooks, American basketball guard, coach (NBA Coach of the Year 2010, OKC Thunder; Washington Wizards 2016-19), born in French Camp, California
1980 – Harry Potter, fictional character portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, born in Godric’s Hollow, England
1988 – A. J. Green [Adriel Jeremiah Green], American NFL player (Cincinnati Bengals), born in Summerville, South Carolina
Famous Deaths
1985 – Eugene Carson Blake, US Secretary-General of World Council of Churches (1966-72), dies at 78
2002 – Gerrit A. Kooy, Dutch sociologist (Apartheid and work in South Africa), dies at 76
2004 – Laura Betti, Italian actress (b. 1927)
2009 – Harry Alan Towers, English film producer and screenwriter (b. 1920)
2018 – Tony Bullimore, British yachtsman (1997 solo around-the-world yacht race, dramatic rescue), dies of cancer at 79
Famous Deaths for 30th July 2025
1550 – Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, English politician (b. 1505)
1691 – Daniel Georg Morhof, German writer and scholar (b. 1639)
1741 – Wierich PL count von DauWirich Philipp von Daun, Austrian nobleman and field marshal, Viceroy of Naples, Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands, dies at 71
1947 – Joseph Cook, 6th Prime Minister of Australia, dies at 86
1970 – George Szell, Hungarian-born American conductor (Cleveland Orchestra, 1946-70), dies at 73
1977 – Jorgen Ponto, West German banker, murdered
1983 – Howard Dietz, American lyricist and librettist (“Dancing In The Dark”; “I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plans”), and MGM executive, dies of Parkinson’s disease at 86
1990 – Ian Gow, British Conservative parliament leader, murdered
1992 – Joe Shuster, Canadian-American cartoonist (co-creator, with Jerry Siegel, of “Superman”), dies of congestive heart failure at 78
2007 – William Balchin, English geographer, dies at 91