July 8

  • July 8 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    • 1099 – Some 15,000 starving Christian soldiers begin the siege of Jerusalem by marching in a religious procession around the city as its Muslim defenders watch.
    • 1283 – Roger of Lauria, commanding the Aragonese fleet, defeats an Angevin fleet sent to put down a rebellion on Malta.
    • 1497 – Vasco da Gama sets sail on the first direct European voyage to India.
    • 1579 – Our Lady of Kazan, a holy icon of the Russian Orthodox Church, is discovered underground in the city of Kazan, Tatarstan.
    • 1663 – Charles II of England grants John Clarke a Royal charter to Rhode Island.
    • 1709 – Peter I of Russia defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava, thus effectively ending Sweden’s status as a major power in Europe.
    • 1716 – The Battle of Dynekilen forces Sweden to abandon its invasion of Norway.
    • 1730 – An estimated magnitude 8.7 earthquake causes a tsunami that damages more than 1,000 km (620 mi) of Chile’s coastline.
    • 1758 – French forces hold Fort Carillon against the British at Ticonderoga, New York.
    • 1760 – British forces defeat French forces in the last naval battle in New France.
    • 1775 – The Olive Branch Petition is signed by the Continental Congress of the Thirteen Colonies of North America.
    • 1776 – Church bells (possibly including the Liberty Bell) are rung after John Nixon delivers the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
    • 1808 – Joseph Bonaparte approves the Bayonne Statute, a royal charter intended as the basis for his rule as king of Spain.
    • 1822 – Chippewas turn over a huge tract of land in Ontario to the United Kingdom.
    • 1853 – The Perry Expedition arrives in Edo Bay with a treaty requesting trade.
    • 1859 – King Charles XV & IV accedes to the throne of Sweden–Norway.
    • 1864 – Ikedaya Incident: The Choshu Han shishi’s planned Shinsengumi sabotage on Kyoto, Japan at Ikedaya.
    • 1874 – The Mounties begin their March West.
    • 1876 – The Hamburg massacre prior to the 1876 United States presidential election results in the deaths of six African-Americans of the Republican Party, along with one white assailant.
    • 1879 – Sailing ship USS Jeannette departs San Francisco carrying an ill-fated expedition to the North Pole.
    • 1889 – The first issue of The Wall Street Journal is published.
    • 1892 – St. John’s, Newfoundland is devastated in the Great Fire of 1892.
    • 1898 – The death of crime boss Soapy Smith, killed in the Shootout on Juneau Wharf, releases Skagway, Alaska from his iron grip.
    • 1912 – Henrique Mitchell de Paiva Couceiro leads an unsuccessful royalist attack against the First Portuguese Republic in Chaves.
    • 1932 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average reaches its lowest level of the Great Depression, closing at 41.22.
    • 1933 – The first rugby union test match between the Wallabies of Australia and the Springboks of South Africa is played at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
    • 1937 – Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan sign the Treaty of Saadabad.
    • 1947 – Reports are broadcast that a UFO crash landed in Roswell, New Mexico in what became known as the Roswell UFO incident.
    • 1948 – The United States Air Force accepts its first female recruits into a program called Women in the Air Force (WAF).
    • 1960 – Francis Gary Powers is charged with espionage resulting from his flight over the Soviet Union.
    • 1962 – Ne Win besieges and dynamites the Rangoon University Student Union building to crush the Student Movement.
    • 1966 – King Mwambutsa IV Bangiriceng of Burundi is deposed by his son Prince Charles Ndizi.
    • 1968 – The Chrysler wildcat strike begins in Detroit, Michigan.
    • 1970 – Richard Nixon delivers a special congressional message enunciating Native American self-determination as official US Indian policy, leading to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.
    • 1972 – Israeli Mossad assassinate Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani.
    • 1980 – The inaugural 1980 State of Origin game is won by Queensland who defeat New South Wales 20–10 at Lang Park.
    • 1982 – A failed assassination attempt against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein results in the Dujail Massacre over the next several months.
    • 1988 – The Island Express train travelling from Bangalore to Kanyakumari derails on the Peruman bridge and falls into Ashtamudi Lake, killing 105 passengers and injuring over 200 more.
    • 1994 – Kim Jong-il begins to assume supreme leadership of North Korea upon the death of his father, Kim Il-sung.
    • 2003 – Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashes near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117 people on board.
    • 2011 – Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program.
    • 2014 – Israel launches an offensive on Gaza amid rising tensions following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers.

    Births on July 8

    • 1478 – Gian Giorgio Trissino, Italian linguist, poet, and playwright (d. 1550)
    • 1528 – Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy (d. 1580)
    • 1538 – Alberto Bolognetti, Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1585)
    • 1545 – Carlos, Prince of Asturias (d. 1568)
    • 1593 – Artemisia Gentileschi, Italian painter (d. 1653)
    • 1621 – Jean de La Fontaine, French author and poet (d. 1695)
    • 1760 – Christian Kramp, French mathematician and academic (d. 1826)
    • 1766 – Dominique Jean Larrey, French surgeon (d. 1842)
    • 1779 – Giorgio Pullicino, Maltese painter and architect (d. 1851)
    • 1819 – Francis Leopold McClintock, Irish admiral and explorer (d. 1907)
    • 1830 – Frederick W. Seward, American lawyer and politician, 6th United States Assistant Secretary of State (d. 1915)
    • 1831 – John Pemberton, American chemist and pharmacist, invented Coca-Cola (d. 1888)
    • 1836 – Joseph Chamberlain, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (d. 1914)
    • 1838 – Eli Lilly, American soldier, chemist, and businessman, founded Eli Lilly and Company (d. 1898)
    • 1838 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German general and businessman, founded the Zeppelin Airship Company (d. 1917)
    • 1839 – John D. Rockefeller, American businessman and philanthropist, founded the Standard Oil Company (d. 1937)
    • 1851 – Arthur Evans, English archaeologist and academic (d. 1941)
    • 1851 – John Murray, Australian politician, 23rd Premier of Victoria (d. 1916)
    • 1857 – Alfred Binet, French psychologist and graphologist (d. 1911)
    • 1867 – Käthe Kollwitz, German painter and sculptor (d. 1945)
    • 1876 – Alexandros Papanastasiou, Greek sociologist and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1936)
    • 1882 – Percy Grainger, Australian-American pianist and composer (d. 1961)
    • 1885 – Ernst Bloch, German philosopher, author, and academic (d. 1977)
    • 1885 – Hugo Boss, German fashion designer, founded Hugo Boss (d. 1948)
    • 1890 – Stanton Macdonald-Wright, American painter (d. 1973)
    • 1892 – Richard Aldington, English author and poet (d. 1962)
    • 1892 – Pavel Korin, Russian painter (d. 1967)
    • 1893 – R. Carlyle Buley, American historian and author (d. 1968)
    • 1894 – Pyotr Kapitsa, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
    • 1895 – Igor Tamm, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)
    • 1898 – Melville Ruick, American actor (d. 1972)
    • 1900 – George Antheil, American pianist, composer, and author (d. 1959)
    • 1904 – Henri Cartan, French mathematician and academic (d. 2008)
    • 1905 – Leonid Amalrik, Russian animator and director (d. 1997)
    • 1906 – Philip Johnson, American architect, designed the IDS Center and PPG Place (d. 2005)
    • 1907 – George W. Romney, American businessman and politician, 43rd Governor of Michigan (d. 1995)
    • 1908 – Louis Jordan, American singer-songwriter, saxophonist, and actor (d. 1975)
    • 1908 – Nelson Rockefeller, American businessman and politician, 41st Vice President of the United States (d. 1979)
    • 1908 – V. K. R. Varadaraja Rao, Indian economist, politician, professor and educator (d. 1991)
    • 1909 – Alan Brown, English soldier (d. 1971)
    • 1909 – Ike Petersen, American football back (d. 1995)
    • 1910 – Carlos Betances Ramírez, Puerto Rican general (d. 2001)
    • 1911 – Ken Farnes, English cricketer (d. 1941)
    • 1913 – Alejandra Soler, Spanish politician (d. 2017)
    • 1914 – Jyoti Basu, Indian politician, 6th Chief Minister of West Bengal (d. 2010)
    • 1914 – Billy Eckstine, American singer and trumpet player (d. 1993)
    • 1915 – Neil D. Van Sickle, American Air Force major general (d. 2019)
    • 1915 – Lowell English, United States Marine Corps general (d. 2005)
    • 1916 – Jean Rouverol, American author, actress and screenwriter (d. 2017)
    • 1917 – Pamela Brown, English actress (d. 1975)
    • 1917 – Faye Emerson, American actress (d. 1983)
    • 1917 – J. F. Powers, American novelist and short story writer (d. 1999)
    • 1918 – Paul B. Fay, American businessman, soldier, and diplomat, 12th United States Secretary of the Navy (d. 2009)
    • 1918 – Irwin Hasen, American illustrator (d. 2015)
    • 1918 – Oluf Reed-Olsen, Norwegian resistance member and pilot (d. 2002)
    • 1918 – Julia Pirie, British spy working for MI5 (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – Edward B. Giller, U.S Major General (d. 2017)
    • 1918 – Craig Stevens, American actor (d. 2000)
    • 1919 – Walter Scheel, German soldier and politician, 4th President of West Germany (d. 2016)
    • 1920 – Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, Danish businessman (d. 1995)
    • 1921 – John Money, New Zealand psychologist and sexologist, responsible for controversial sexual identity study on David Reimer (d. 2006)
    • 1923 – Harrison Dillard, American sprinter and hurdler (d. 2019)
    • 1924 – Johnnie Johnson, American pianist and songwriter (d. 2005)
    • 1924 – Charles C. Droz, American politician
    • 1925 – Marco Cé, Italian cardinal (d. 2014)
    • 1925 – Arthur Imperatore Sr., Italian-American businessman from New Jersey
    • 1925 – Bill Mackrides, American football quarterback (d. 2019)
    • 1925 – Dominique Nohain, French actor, screenwriter and director (d. 2017)
    • 1926 – David Malet Armstrong, Australian philosopher and author (d. 2014)
    • 1926 – John Dingell, American lieutenant and politician (d. 2019)
    • 1926 – Martin Riesen, Swiss professional ice hockey goaltender
    • 1926 – Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist and author (d. 2004)
    • 1927 – Maurice Hayes, Irish educator and politician (d. 2017)
    • 1927 – Khensur Lungri Namgyel, Tibetan religious leader
    • 1927 – Bob Beckham, American country singer (d. 2013)
    • 1928 – Balakh Sher Mazari, former Prime Minister of Pakistan
    • 1930 – Jerry Vale, American singer (d. 2014)
    • 1933 – Antonio Lamer, Canadian lawyer and politician, 16th Chief Justice of Canada (d. 2007)
    • 1934 – Raquel Correa, Chilean journalist (d. 2012)
    • 1934 – Marty Feldman, English actor and screenwriter (d. 1982)
    • 1934 – Edward D. DiPrete, American politician
    • 1935 – John David Crow, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
    • 1935 – Steve Lawrence, American actor and singer
    • 1935 – Vitaly Sevastyanov, Russian engineer and astronaut (d. 2010)
    • 1938 – Diane Clare, English actress (d. 2013)
    • 1939 – Ed Lumley, Canadian businessman and politician, 8th Canadian Minister of Communications
    • 1940 – Joe B. Mauldin, American bass player and songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1941 – Dario Gradi, Italian-English footballer, coach, and manager
    • 1942 – Phil Gramm, American economist and politician
    • 1944 – Jaimoe, American drummer
    • 1944 – Jeffrey Tambor, American actor and singer
    • 1945 – Micheline Calmy-Rey, Swiss politician, 91st President of the Swiss Confederation
    • 1947 – Kim Darby, American actress
    • 1947 – Jenny Diski, English author and screenwriter (d. 2016)
    • 1947 – Luis Fernando Figari, Peruvian religious leader, founded the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae
    • 1948 – Raffi, Egyptian-Canadian singer-songwriter
    • 1948 – Ruby Sales, American civil-rights activist
    • 1949 – Wolfgang Puck, Austrian-American chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur
    • 1949 – Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (d. 2009)
    • 1951 – Alan Ashby, American baseball player, manager, and sportscaster
    • 1951 – Anjelica Huston, American actress and director
    • 1952 – Larry Garner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1952 – Jack Lambert, American football player and sportscaster
    • 1952 – Marianne Williamson, American author and activist
    • 1956 – Terry Puhl, Canadian baseball player and coach
    • 1957 – Carlos Cavazo, Mexican-American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1957 – Aleksandr Gurnov, Russian journalist and author
    • 1958 – Kevin Bacon, American actor and musician
    • 1958 – Andreas Carlgren, Swedish educator and politician, 8th Swedish Minister for the Environment
    • 1958 – Tzipi Livni, Israeli lawyer and politician, 18th Justice Minister of Israel
    • 1959 – Pauline Quirke, English actress
    • 1960 – Mal Meninga, Australian rugby league player and coach
    • 1961 – Ces Drilon, Filipino journalist
    • 1961 – Andrew Fletcher, English keyboard player
    • 1961 – Toby Keith, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actor
    • 1961 – Karl Seglem, Norwegian saxophonist and record producer
    • 1962 – Joan Osborne, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1963 – Mark Christopher, American director and screenwriter
    • 1964 – Alexei Gusarov, Russian ice hockey player and manager
    • 1965 – Dan Levinson, American clarinet player, saxophonist, and bandleader
    • 1966 – Ralf Altmeyer, German-Chinese virologist and academic
    • 1966 – Shadlog Bernicke, Nauruan politician
    • 1967 – Jordan Chan, Hong Kong actor and singer
    • 1968 – Billy Crudup, American actor
    • 1968 – Shane Howarth, New Zealand rugby player and coach
    • 1969 – Sugizo, Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer
    • 1970 – Beck, American singer-songwriter and producer
    • 1970 – Sylvain Gaudreault, Canadian educator and politician
    • 1970 – Todd Martin, American tennis player and coach
    • 1971 – Neil Jenkins, Welsh rugby player and coach
    • 1972 – Karl Dykhuis, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1972 – Sourav Ganguly, Indian cricketer
    • 1972 – Shōsuke Tanihara, Japanese actor
    • 1974 – Hu Liang, Chinese field hockey player
    • 1976 – Talal El Karkouri, Moroccan footballer
    • 1976 – David Kennedy, American guitarist and songwriter
    • 1976 – Ellen MacArthur, English sailor
    • 1977 – Christian Abbiati, Italian footballer
    • 1977 – Paolo Tiralongo, Italian cyclist
    • 1977 – Milo Ventimiglia, American actor, director, and producer
    • 1977 – Wang Zhizhi, Chinese basketball player
    • 1978 – Urmas Rooba, Estonian footballer
    • 1979 – Mat McBriar, American football player
    • 1979 – Ben Jelen, Scottish-American singer-songwriter
    • 1980 – Eric Chouinard, American-Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Robbie Keane, Irish footballer
    • 1981 – Wolfram Müller, German runner
    • 1981 – Anastasia Myskina, Russian tennis player
    • 1982 – Sophia Bush, American actress and director
    • 1982 – Hakim Warrick, American basketball player
    • 1983 – John Bowker, American baseball player
    • 1983 – Rich Peverley, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1986 – Jaime Garcia, Mexican baseball player
    • 1986 – Renata Costa, Brazilian footballer
    • 1988 – Miki Roqué, Spanish footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1988 – Jesse Sergent, New Zealand cyclist
    • 1988 – Dave Taylor, Australian rugby league player
    • 1989 – Yarden Gerbi, Israeli Judo champion
    • 1989 – Tor Marius Gromstad, Norwegian footballer (d. 2012)
    • 1991 – Virgil van Dijk, Dutch footballer
    • 1992 – Ariel Camacho, Mexican singer-songwriter (d. 2015)
    • 1992 – Son Heung-min, Korean footballer
    • 1992 – Xander Mobus, American voice actor
    • 1997 – Bryce Love, American football player
    • 1997 – Lauran Hibberd, English singer-songwriter
    • 1998 – Jaden Smith, American actor and rapper

    Deaths on July 8

    • 689 – Kilian, Irish bishop
    • 810 – Pepin of Italy, son of Charlemagne (b. 773)
    • 873 – Gunther, archbishop of Cologne
    • 900 – Qatr al-Nada, wife of the Abbasid caliph al-Mu’tadid
    • 901 – Grimbald, French-English monk and saint (b. 827)
    • 975 – Edgar the Peaceful, English king (b. 943)
    • 1153 – Pope Eugene III (b. 1087)
    • 1253 – Theobald I of Navarre (b. 1201)
    • 1261 – Adolf IV of Holstein, Count of Schauenburg
    • 1390 – Albert of Saxony, Bishop of Halberstadt and German philosopher (b. circa 1320)
    • 1538 – Diego de Almagro, Spanish general and explorer (b. 1475)
    • 1623 – Pope Gregory XV (b. 1554)
    • 1689 – Edward Wooster, English-American settler (b. 1622)
    • 1695 – Christiaan Huygens, Dutch mathematician, astronomer, and physicist (b. 1629)
    • 1716 – Robert South, English preacher and theologian (b. 1634)
    • 1721 – Elihu Yale, American-English merchant and philanthropist (b. 1649)
    • 1784 – Torbern Bergman, Swedish chemist and mineralogist (b. 1735)
    • 1794 – Richard Mique, French architect (b. 1728)
    • 1820 – Octavia Taylor, daughter of Zachary Taylor (b. 1816)
    • 1822 – Percy Bysshe Shelley, English poet and playwright (b. 1792)
    • 1850 – Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge (b. 1774)
    • 1859 – Oscar I of Sweden (b. 1799)
    • 1873 – Franz Xaver Winterhalter, German painter and lithographer (b. 1805)
    • 1887 – Ben Holladay, American businessman (b. 1819)
    • 1895 – Johann Josef Loschmidt, Austrian chemist and physicist (b. 1821)
    • 1905 – Walter Kittredge, American violinist and composer (b. 1834)
    • 1913 – Louis Hémon, French-Canadian author (b. 1880)
    • 1917 – Tom Thomson, Canadian painter (b. 1877)
    • 1930 – Joseph Ward, Australian-New Zealand businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1856)
    • 1933 – Anthony Hope, English author and playwright (b. 1863)
    • 1934 – Benjamin Baillaud, French astronomer and academic (b. 1848)
    • 1939 – Havelock Ellis, English psychologist and author (b. 1859)
    • 1941 – Moses Schorr, Polish rabbi, historian, and politician (b. 1874)
    • 1942 – Louis Franchet d’Espèrey, Algerian-French general (b. 1856)
    • 1942 – Refik Saydam, Turkish physician and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1881)
    • 1943 – Jean Moulin, French soldier (b. 1899)
    • 1950 – Othmar Spann, Austrian sociologist, economist, and philosopher (b. 1878)
    • 1952 – August Alle, Estonian lawyer, author, and poet (b. 1890)
    • 1956 – Giovanni Papini, Italian journalist, author, and critic (b. 1881)
    • 1965 – Thomas Sigismund Stribling, American lawyer and author (b. 1881)
    • 1968 – Désiré Mérchez, French swimmer and water polo player (b. 1882)
    • 1971 – Kurt Reidemeister, German mathematician connected to the Vienna Circle (b. 1893)
    • 1972 – Ghassan Kanafani, Palestinian writer and politician (b. 1936)
    • 1973 – Gene L. Coon, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1924)
    • 1973 – Ben-Zion Dinur, Russian-Israeli educator and politician, 4th Education Minister of Israel (b. 1884)
    • 1973 – Wilfred Rhodes, English cricketer and coach (b. 1877)
    • 1979 – Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Japanese physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1906)
    • 1979 – Michael Wilding, English actor (b. 1912)
    • 1979 – Robert Burns Woodward, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1917)
    • 1981 – Bill Hallahan, American baseball player (b. 1902)
    • 1985 – Phil Foster, American actor and screenwriter (b. 1913)
    • 1985 – Jean-Paul Le Chanois, French actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1909)
    • 1986 – Skeeter Webb, American baseball player and manager (b. 1909)
    • 1987 – Lionel Chevrier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 27th Canadian Minister of Justice (b. 1903)
    • 1987 – Gerardo Diego, Spanish poet and author (b. 1896)
    • 1988 – Ray Barbuti, American runner and football player (b. 1905)
    • 1990 – Howard Duff, American actor (b. 1913)
    • 1991 – James Franciscus, American actor (b. 1934)
    • 1994 – Christian-Jaque, French director and screenwriter (b. 1904)
    • 1994 – Kim Il-sung, North Korean commander and politician, President of North Korea (b. 1912)
    • 1994 – Lars-Eric Lindblad, Swedish-American businessman and explorer (b. 1927)
    • 1994 – Dick Sargent, American actor (b. 1930)
    • 1996 – Irene Prador, Austrian-born actress and writer (b. 1911)
    • 1998 – Lilí Álvarez, Spanish tennis player, author, and feminist (b. 1905)
    • 1999 – Pete Conrad, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1930)
    • 2001 – John O’Shea, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2002 – Ward Kimball, American animator and trombonist (b. 1914)
    • 2004 – Paula Danziger, American author and educator (b. 1944)
    • 2005 – Maurice Baquet, French actor and cellist (b. 1911)
    • 2006 – June Allyson, American actress and singer (b. 1917)
    • 2007 – Chandra Shekhar, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (b. 1927)
    • 2007 – Jack B. Sowards, American screenwriter and producer (b. 1929)
    • 2008 – John Templeton, American-born British businessman and philanthropist (b. 1912)
    • 2009 – Midnight, American singer-songwriter (b. 1962)
    • 2011 – Roberts Blossom, American actor and poet (b. 1924)
    • 2011 – Betty Ford, First Lady of the United States (b. 1918)
    • 2012 – Muhammed bin Saud Al Saud, Saudi Arabian politician (b. 1934)
    • 2012 – Ernest Borgnine, American actor (b. 1917)
    • 2012 – Gyang Dalyop Datong, Nigerian physician and politician (b. 1959)
    • 2012 – Martin Pakledinaz, American costume designer (b. 1953)
    • 2013 – Dick Gray, American baseball player (b. 1931)
    • 2013 – Edmund Morgan, American historian and author (b. 1916)
    • 2013 – Claudiney Ramos, Brazilian footballer (b. 1980)
    • 2013 – Rubby Sherr, American physicist and academic (b. 1913)
    • 2013 – Sundri Uttamchandani, Indian author (b. 1924)
    • 2013 – Brett Walker, American songwriter and producer (b. 1961)
    • 2014 – Plínio de Arruda Sampaio, Brazilian lawyer and politician (b. 1930)
    • 2014 – John V. Evans, American soldier and politician, 27th Governor of Idaho (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Ben Pangelinan, Guamanian businessman and politician (b. 1956)
    • 2014 – Howard Siler, American bobsledder and coach (b. 1945)
    • 2014 – Tom Veryzer, American baseball player (b. 1953)
    • 2015 – Ken Stabler, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1945)
    • 2015 – James Tate, American poet (b. 1943)
    • 2016 – Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistani philanthropist (b. 1928)
    • 2018 – Tab Hunter, American actor, pop singer, film producer and author (b. 1931)

    Holidays and observances on July 8

    • Christian Feast Day:
      • Abda and Sabas
      • Auspicius of Trier
      • Grimbald
      • Kilian, Totnan, and Colman
      • Peter and Fevronia Day (Russian Orthodox)
      • Procopius of Scythopolis
      • Sunniva and companions
      • Theobald of Marly
      • July 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Air Force and Air Defense Forces Day (Ukraine)

  • July 2 – History, Events, Births, Deaths, Holidays and Observances On This Day

    This day is the midpoint of a common year because there are 182 days before and 182 days after it in common years, and 183 before and 182 after in leap years. The exact time of the middle of the year is at noon. In countries that use summertime the actual exact time of the midpoint in a common year is at 1:00 p.m for locations in the northern hemisphere or 11:00 a.m for locations in the southern hemisphere; this is when 182 days and 12 hours have elapsed and there are 182 days and 12 hours remaining. In a leap year in those countries, the middle of the year is at midnight. In countries that use summer time, the midpoint occurs at 1:00 a.m. on July 2, or 11:00 p.m. on July 1 in the southern hemisphere. This is due to summertime having advanced the time by one hour. It falls on the same day of the week as New Year’s Day in common years.

    • 437 – Emperor Valentinian III begins his reign over the Western Roman Empire. His mother Galla Placidia ends her regency, but continues to exercise political influence at the court in Rome.
    • 626 – 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 Zhongzong of Tang inters the bodies of relatives in the Qianling Mausoleum, located on Mount Liang outside Chang’an.
    • 866 – Battle of Brissarthe: The Franks led by Robert the Strong are defeated by a joint Breton-Viking army.
    • 936 – King Henry the Fowler dies in his royal palace in Memleben. He is succeeded by his son Otto I, who becomes the ruler of East Francia.
    • 963 – The Byzantine army proclaims Nikephoros II Phokas Emperor of the Romans on the plains outside Cappadocian Caesarea.
    • 1298 – The Battle of Göllheim is fought between Albert I of Habsburg and Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg.
    • 1494 – The Treaty of Tordesillas is ratified by Spain.
    • 1504 – Bogdan III the One-Eyed becomes Voivode of Moldavia.
    • 1555 – Ottoman Admiral Turgut Reis sacks the Italian city of Paola.
    • 1561 – Menas, emperor of Ethiopia, defeats a revolt in Emfraz.
    • 1582 – Battle of Yamazaki: Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeats Akechi Mitsuhide.
    • 1613 – The first English expedition (from Virginia) against Acadia led by Samuel Argall takes place.
    • 1644 – English Civil War: Battle of Marston Moor.
    • 1645 – Battle of Alford: Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
    • 1698 – Thomas Savery patents the first steam engine.
    • 1776 – American Revolution: The Continental Congress adopts a resolution severing ties with the Kingdom of Great Britain although the wording of the formal Declaration of Independence is not published until July 4.
    • 1816 – The French frigate Méduse strikes the Bank of Arguin and 151 people on board have to be evacuated on an improvised raft, a case immortalised by Géricault’s painting The Raft of the Medusa.
    • 1822 – Thirty-five slaves, including Denmark Vesey, are hanged in South Carolina after being accused of organizing a slave rebellion.
    • 1823 – Bahia Independence Day: The end of Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia.
    • 1839 – Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 kidnapped Africans led by Joseph Cinqué mutiny and take over the slave ship Amistad.
    • 1853 – The Russian Army crosses the Pruth river into the Danubian Principalities, Moldavia and Wallachia—providing the spark that will set off the Crimean War.
    • 1871 – Victor Emmanuel II of Italy enters Rome after having conquered it from the Papal States.
    • 1881 – Charles J. Guiteau shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President James A. Garfield (who will die of complications from his wounds on September 19).
    • 1890 – The U.S. Congress passes the Sherman Antitrust Act.
    • 1897 – British-Italian engineer Guglielmo Marconi obtains a patent for radio in London.
    • 1900 – The first Zeppelin flight takes place on Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen, Germany.
    • 1900 – Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia receives its première performance in Helsinki with the Helsinki Philharmonic Society conducted by Robert Kajanus.
    • 1921 – World War I: U.S. President Warren G. Harding signs the Knox–Porter Resolution formally ending the war between the United States and Germany.
    • 1934 – The Night of the Long Knives ends with the death of Ernst Röhm.
    • 1937 – Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight.
    • 1940 – Indian independence leader Subhas Chandra Bose is arrested and detained in Calcutta.
    • 1940 – The SS Arandora Star is sunk by U-47 in the North Atlantic with the loss of over 800 lives, mostly civilians.
    • 1962 – The first Walmart store, then known as Wal-Mart, opens for business in Rogers, Arkansas.
    • 1964 – Civil rights movement: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant to prohibit segregation in public places.
    • 1966 – France conducts its first nuclear weapon test in the Pacific, on Moruroa Atoll.
    • 1976 – End of South Vietnam; Communist North Vietnam annexes the former South Vietnam to form the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
    • 1986 – Rodrigo Rojas and Carmen Gloria Quintana are burnt alive during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile.
    • 1990 – In the 1990 Mecca tunnel tragedy, 1,400 Muslim pilgrims are suffocated to death and trampled upon in a pedestrian tunnel leading to the holy city of Mecca.
    • 1994 – USAir Flight 1016 crashes near Charlotte Douglas International Airport, killing 37 of the 57 people on board.
    • 1997 – The Bank of Thailand floats the baht, triggering the Asian financial crisis.
    • 2000 – Vicente Fox Quesada is elected the first President of México from an opposition party, the Partido Acción Nacional, after more than 70 years of continuous rule by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional.
    • 2001 – The AbioCor self-contained artificial heart is first implanted.
    • 2002 – Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon.
    • 2005 – The Live 8 benefit concerts takes place in the G8 states and in South Africa. More than 1,000 musicians perform and are broadcast on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks.
    • 2008 – Colombian conflict: Íngrid Betancourt, a member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia, is released from captivity after being held for six and a half years by FARC.
    • 2010 – The South Kivu tank truck explosion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo kills at least 230 people.
    • 2013 – The International Astronomical Union names Pluto’s fourth and fifth moons, Kerberos and Styx.
    • 2013 – A magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes Aceh, Indonesia, killing at least 42 people and injuring 420 others.

    Births on July 2

    • 419 – Valentinian III, Roman emperor (d. 455)
    • 1363 – Maria, Queen of Sicily (d. 1401)
    • 1478 – Louis V, Elector Palatine (d. 1544)
    • 1486 – Jacopo Sansovino, Italian sculptor and architect (d. 1570)
    • 1489 – Thomas Cranmer, English archbishop, theologian, and saint (d. 1556)
    • 1492 – Elizabeth Tudor, English daughter of Henry VII of England (d. 1495)
    • 1500 – Federico Cesi (cardinal), Italian cardinal (d. 1565)
    • 1575 – Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Derby, English noblewoman and head of state of the Isle of Man (d. 1627)
    • 1597 – Theodoor Rombouts, Flemish painter (d. 1637)
    • 1647 – Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, English politician, Lord President of the Council (d. 1730)
    • 1648 – Arp Schnitger, German organ builder (d. 1719)
    • 1665 – Samuel Penhallow, English-American soldier and historian (d. 1726)
    • 1667 – Pietro Ottoboni, Italian cardinal and art collector (d. 1740)
    • 1714 – Christoph Willibald Gluck, German composer (d. 1787)
    • 1724 – Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock, German poet and author (d. 1803)
    • 1797 – Francisco Javier Echeverría, Mexican businessman and politician. President of Mexico (1841) (d. 1852)
    • 1819 – Charles-Louis Hanon, French pianist and composer (d. 1900)
    • 1820 – George Law Curry, American publisher and politician, 5th Governor of the Oregon Territory (d. 1878)
    • 1820 – Juan N. Méndez, Mexican general and interim president, 1876-1877 (d. 1894)
    • 1821 – Charles Tupper, Canadian physician and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1915)
    • 1825 – Émile Ollivier, French statesman (d. 1913)
    • 1834 – Hendrick Peter Godfried Quack, Dutch economist and historian (d. 1917)
    • 1849 – Maria Theresa of Austria-Este (d. 1919)
    • 1862 – William Henry Bragg, English physicist, chemist, and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1942)
    • 1865 – Lily Braun, German author and publicist (d. 1916)
    • 1869 – Liane de Pougy, French-Swiss dancer and author (d. 1950)
    • 1876 – Harriet Brooks, Canadian physicist and academic (d. 1933)
    • 1876 – Wilhelm Cuno, German businessman and politician, Chancellor of Germany (d. 1933)
    • 1877 – Hermann Hesse, German-born Swiss poet, novelist, and painter, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1962)
    • 1877 – Rinaldo Cuneo, American artist (“the painter of San Francisco”) (d. 1939)
    • 1881 – Royal Hurlburt Weller, American lawyer and politician (d. 1929)
    • 1884 – Alfons Maria Jakob, German neurologist and author (d. 1931)
    • 1893 – Ralph Hancock, Welsh gardener and author (d. 1950)
    • 1900 – Tyrone Guthrie, English actor and director (d. 1971)
    • 1900 – Sophie Harris, English costume and scenic designer for theatre and opera (d. 1966)
    • 1902 – K. Kanapathypillai, Sri Lankan author and academic (d. 1968)
    • 1902 – Germaine Thyssens-Valentin, Dutch-French pianist (d. 1987)
    • 1903 – Alec Douglas-Home, English cricketer and politician, 66th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1995)
    • 1903 – Olav V of Norway (d. 1991)
    • 1904 – René Lacoste, French tennis player and businessman, created the polo shirt (d. 1996)
    • 1906 – Hans Bethe, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2005)
    • 1906 – Károly Kárpáti, Hungarian Jewish wrestler (d. 1996)
    • 1906 – Séra Martin, French middle-distance runner (d. 1993)
    • 1908 – Thurgood Marshall, American lawyer and jurist, 32nd Solicitor General of the United States (d. 1993)
    • 1911 – Reg Parnell, English race car driver and manager (d. 1964)
    • 1913 – Max Beloff, Baron Beloff, English historian and academic (d. 1999)
    • 1914 – Frederick Fennell, American conductor and educator (d. 2004)
    • 1914 – Ethelreda Leopold, American actress (d. 1988)
    • 1914 – Mário Schenberg, Brazilian physicist and engineer (d. 1990)
    • 1914 – Erich Topp, German admiral (d. 2005)
    • 1915 – Valerian Wellesley, 8th Duke of Wellington, British peer, politician and soldier (d. 2014)
    • 1916 – Ken Curtis, American actor and singer (d. 1991)
    • 1916 – Hans-Ulrich Rudel, German colonel and pilot (d. 1982)
    • 1916 – Reino Kangasmäki, Finnish wrestler (d. 2010)
    • 1916 – Zélia Gattai, Brazilian author and photographer (d. 2008)
    • 1917 – Leonard J. Arrington, American author and academic, founded the Mormon History Association (d. 1999)
    • 1918 – Athos Bulcão, Brazilian painter and sculptor (d. 2008)
    • 1918 – Indumati Bhattacharya, Indian politician
    • 1919 – Jean Craighead George, American author (d. 2012)
    • 1920 – John Kneubuhl, Samoan-American historian, screenwriter, and playwright (d. 1992)
    • 1922 – Pierre Cardin, Italian-French fashion designer
    • 1922 – Paula Valenska, Czech actress
    • 1923 – Cyril M. Kornbluth, American soldier and author (d. 1958)
    • 1923 – Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet and translator, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
    • 1925 – Medgar Evers, American soldier and activist (d. 1963)
    • 1925 – Patrice Lumumba, Congolese politician, 1st Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (d. 1961)
    • 1925 – Marvin Rainwater, American singer-songwriter (d. 2013)
    • 1926 – Octavian Paler, Romanian journalist and politician (d. 2007)
    • 1927 – Lee Allen, American saxophone player (d. 1994)
    • 1927 – James Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clashfern, Scottish lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
    • 1927 – Brock Peters, American actor (d. 2005)
    • 1929 – Imelda Marcos, Filipino politician; 10th First Lady of the Philippines
    • 1930 – Carlos Menem, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 50th President of Argentina
    • 1931 – Mohammad Yazdi, Iranian cleric
    • 1932 – Dave Thomas, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Wendy’s (d. 2002)
    • 1933 – Peter Desbarats, Canadian journalist, author, and playwright
    • 1933 – Kenny Wharram, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2017)
    • 1934 – Tom Springfield, English musician
    • 1935 – Gilbert Kalish, American pianist and educator
    • 1936 – Omar Suleiman, Egyptian general and politician, 16th Vice President of Egypt (d. 2012)
    • 1937 – Polly Holliday, American actress
    • 1937 – Richard Petty, American race car driver and sportscaster
    • 1938 – David Owen, English physician and politician, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
    • 1939 – Alexandros Panagoulis, Greek poet and politician (d. 1976)
    • 1939 – John H. Sununu, American engineer and politician, 14th White House Chief of Staff
    • 1939 – Paul Williams, American singer and choreographer (d. 1973)
    • 1940 – Kenneth Clarke, English politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
    • 1941 – William Guest, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2015)
    • 1941 – Wendell Mottley, Trinidadian sprinter, economist, and politician
    • 1942 – John Eekelaar, South African-English lawyer and scholar
    • 1942 – Vicente Fox, Mexican businessman and politician, 35th President of Mexico (2000-2006)
    • 1943 – Ivi Eenmaa, Estonian politician, 36th Mayor of Tallinn
    • 1943 – Larry Lake, American-Canadian trumpet player and composer (d. 2013)
    • 1946 – Richard Axel, American neuroscientist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate
    • 1946 – Ron Silver, American actor, director, and political activist (d. 2009)
    • 1947 – Larry David, American actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter
    • 1947 – Ann Taylor, Baroness Taylor of Bolton, English politician, Minister for International Security Strategy
    • 1948 – Mutula Kilonzo, Kenyan lawyer and politician (d. 2013)
    • 1949 – Greg Brown, American musician
    • 1949 – Robert Paquette, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1950 – Lynne Brindley, English librarian and academic
    • 1950 – Jon Trickett, English politician
    • 1952 – Sylvia Rivera, American transgender rights activist (d. 2002)
    • 1952 – Anatoliy Solomin, Ukrainian race walker and coach
    • 1954 – Chris Huhne, English journalist and politician, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
    • 1955 – Kim Carr, Australian educator and politician, 31st Australian Minister for Human Services
    • 1956 – Jerry Hall, American model and actress
    • 1957 – Bret Hart, Canadian wrestler
    • 1957 – Jüri Raidla, Estonian lawyer and politician, Estonian Minister of Justice
    • 1957 – Purvis Short, American basketball player
    • 1958 – Pavan Malhotra, Indian actor
    • 1960 – Maria Lourdes Sereno, Filipino lawyer and jurist, 24th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
    • 1961 – Clark Kellogg, American basketball player and sportscaster
    • 1962 – Neil Williams, English cricketer (d. 2006)
    • 1964 – Jose Canseco, Cuban-American baseball player and mixed martial artist
    • 1964 – Ozzie Canseco, Cuban-American baseball player, coach, and manager
    • 1964 – Joe Magrane, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1964 – Alan Tait, English-Scottish rugby player and coach
    • 1965 – Norbert Röttgen, German lawyer and politician
    • 1969 – Tim Rodber, English rugby player
    • 1970 – Derrick Adkins, American hurdler
    • 1970 – Steve Morrow, Northern Irish footballer and manager
    • 1971 – Troy Brown, American football player and actor
    • 1971 – Bryan Redpath, Scottish rugby player and coach
    • 1972 – Darren Shan, English author
    • 1974 – Sean Casey, American baseball player and sportscaster
    • 1975 – Éric Dazé, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1975 – Kristen Michal, Estonian lawyer and politician
    • 1975 – Erik Ohlsson, Swedish singer and guitarist
    • 1975 – Stefan Terblanche, South African rugby player
    • 1976 – Krisztián Lisztes, Hungarian footballer
    • 1976 – Tomáš Vokoun, Czech-American ice hockey player
    • 1977 – Deniz Barış, Turkish footballer
    • 1978 – Jüri Ratas, Estonian politician, 42nd Mayor of Tallinn
    • 1979 – Walter Davis, American triple jumper
    • 1979 – Ahmed al-Ghamdi, Saudi Arabian terrorist, hijacker of United Airlines Flight 175 (d. 2001)
    • 1979 – Sam Hornish Jr., American race car driver
    • 1979 – Joe Thornton, Canadian ice hockey player
    • 1980 – Nyjer Morgan, American baseball player
    • 1981 – Nathan Ellington, English footballer
    • 1981 – Carlos Rogers, American football player
    • 1983 – Michelle Branch, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
    • 1983 – Kyle Hogg, English cricketer
    • 1984 – Thomas Kortegaard, Danish footballer
    • 1984 – Johnny Weir, American figure skater
    • 1985 – Rhett Bomar, American football player
    • 1985 – Chad Henne, American football player
    • 1985 – Ashley Tisdale, American actress, singer, and producer
    • 1986 – Brett Cecil, American baseball player
    • 1986 – Lindsay Lohan, American actress and singer
    • 1987 – Esteban Granero, Spanish footballer
    • 1988 – Lee Chung-yong, South Korean footballer
    • 1989 – Nadezhda Grishaeva, Russian basketball player
    • 1989 – Alex Morgan, American soccer player
    • 1990 – Kayla Harrison, American judoka
    • 1990 – Merritt Mathias, American soccer player
    • 1990 – Morag McLellan, Scottish field hockey player
    • 1990 – Margot Robbie, Australian actress and producer
    • 1990 – Danny Rose, English footballer
    • 1990 – Bill Tupou, New Zealand rugby league player
    • 1992 – Madison Chock, American ice dancer
    • 1993 – Vince Staples, American rapper and actor
    • 1994 – Henrik Kristoffersen, Norwegian skier
    • 1995 – Ryan Murphy, American swimmer
    • 1996 – Julia Grabher, Austrian tennis player

    Deaths on July 2

    • 626 – Li Jiancheng, Chinese prince (b. 589)
    • 626 – Li Yuanji, Chinese prince (b. 603)
    • 649 – Li Jing, Chinese general (b. 571)
    • 862 – Swithun, English bishop and saint (b. 789)
    • 866 – Robert the Strong, Frankish nobleman
    • 936 – Henry the Fowler, German king (b. 876)
    • 1215 – Eisai, Japanese Buddhist priest (b. 1141)
    • 1298 – Adolf of Germany (b. 1220)
    • 1504 – Stephen III of Moldavia (b. 1434)
    • 1566 – Nostradamus, French astrologer and author (b. 1503)
    • 1578 – Thomas Doughty, English explorer
    • 1582 – Akechi Mitsuhide, Japanese samurai and warlord (b. 1528)
    • 1591 – Vincenzo Galilei, Italian lute player and composer (b. 1520)
    • 1619 – Francis II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg (b. 1547)
    • 1621 – Thomas Harriot, English astronomer, mathematician, and ethnographer (b. 1560)
    • 1656 – François-Marie, comte de Broglie, Italian-French general (b. 1611)
    • 1674 – Eberhard III, Duke of Württemberg (b. 1614)
    • 1743 – Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1673)
    • 1746 – Thomas Baker, English antiquarian and author (b. 1656)
    • 1778 – Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher and composer (b. 1712)
    • 1833 – Gervasio Antonio de Posadas, Argentinian lawyer and politician, 1st Supreme Director of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (b. 1757)
    • 1843 – Samuel Hahnemann, German physician and academic (b. 1755)
    • 1850 – Robert Peel, English lieutenant and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1788)
    • 1857 – Carlo Pisacane, Italian soldier and philosopher (b. 1818)
    • 1903 – Ed Delahanty, American baseball player (b. 1867)
    • 1912 – Tom Richardson, English cricketer (b. 1870)
    • 1914 – Joseph Chamberlain, English businessman and politician, Secretary of State for the Colonies (b. 1836)
    • 1915 – Porfirio Díaz, Mexican general and politician, 29th President of Mexico (b. 1830)
    • 1920 – William Louis Marshall, American general and engineer (b. 1846)
    • 1926 – Émile Coué, French psychologist and pharmacist (b. 1857)
    • 1929 – Gladys Brockwell, American actress (b. 1894)
    • 1932 – Manuel II of Portugal (b. 1889)
    • 1950 – Thomas William Burgess, English swimmer and water polo player (b. 1872)
    • 1955 – Edward Lawson, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (b. 1873)
    • 1961 – Ernest Hemingway, American novelist, short story writer, and journalist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1899)
    • 1963 – Alicia Patterson, American publisher, co-founded Newsday (b. 1906)
    • 1964 – Fireball Roberts, American race car driver (b. 1929)
    • 1966 – Jan Brzechwa, Polish poet and author (b. 1900)
    • 1970 – Jessie Street, Australian suffragette and feminist (b. 1889)
    • 1972 – Joseph Fielding Smith, American religious leader, 10th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1876)
    • 1973 – Betty Grable, American actress, singer, and dancer (b. 1916)
    • 1973 – George McBride, American baseball player and manager (b. 1880)
    • 1973 – Ferdinand Schörner, German field marshal (b. 1892)
    • 1975 – James Robertson Justice, English actor (b. 1907)
    • 1977 – Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-born novelist and critic (b. 1899)
    • 1978 – Aris Alexandrou, Greek author and poet (b. 1922)
    • 1986 – Peanuts Lowrey, American baseball player and manager (b. 1917)
    • 1988 – Vibert Douglas, Canadian astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1894)
    • 1989 – Andrei Gromyko, Soviet economist and politician, Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs (b. 1909)
    • 1990 – Snooky Lanson, American singer (b. 1914)
    • 1991 – Lee Remick, American actress (b. 1935)
    • 1993 – Fred Gwynne, American actor (b. 1926)
    • 1994 – Andrés Escobar, Colombian footballer (b. 1967)
    • 1995 – Lloyd MacPhail, Canadian businessman and politician, 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island (b. 1920)
    • 1997 – James Stewart, American actor (b. 1908)
    • 1999 – Mario Puzo, American author and screenwriter (b. 1920)
    • 2000 – Joey Dunlop, Northern Irish motorcycle racer (b. 1952)
    • 2002 – Ray Brown, American bassist and composer (b. 1926)
    • 2003 – Briggs Cunningham, American race car driver and businessman (b. 1907)
    • 2004 – Mochtar Lubis, Indonesian journalist and author (b. 1922)
    • 2005 – Ernest Lehman, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1915)
    • 2005 – Norm Prescott, American actor, composer, and producer, co-founded Filmation Studios (b. 1927)
    • 2006 – Jan Murray, American comedian, actor, and game show host (b. 1916)
    • 2007 – Beverly Sills, American operatic soprano and television personality (b. 1929)
    • 2008 – Natasha Shneider, Russian-American singer, keyboard player, and actress (b. 1956)
    • 2008 – Elizabeth Spriggs, English actress and screenwriter (b. 1929)
    • 2010 – Beryl Bainbridge, English screenwriter and author (b. 1932)
    • 2011 – Itamar Franco, Brazilian engineer and politician, 33rd President of Brazil (b. 1930)
    • 2012 – Maurice Chevit, French actor and screenwriter (b. 1923)
    • 2012 – Julian Goodman, American journalist (b. 1922)
    • 2012 – Angelo Mangiarotti, Italian architect and academic (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Betty Meggers, American archaeologist and academic (b. 1921)
    • 2012 – Ed Stroud, American baseball player (b. 1939)
    • 2013 – Anthony G. Bosco, American bishop (b. 1927)
    • 2013 – Douglas Engelbart, American computer scientist, invented the computer mouse (b. 1925)
    • 2013 – Armand Gaudreault, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1921)
    • 2013 – Anthony Llewellyn, Welsh-American chemist, academic, and astronaut (b. 1933)
    • 2014 – Emilio Álvarez Montalván, Nicaraguan ophthalmologist and politician (b. 1919)
    • 2014 – Manuel Cardona, Spanish physicist and academic (b. 1934)
    • 2014 – Mary Innes-Ker, Duchess of Roxburghe (b. 1915)
    • 2014 – Harold W. Kuhn, American mathematician and academic (b. 1925)
    • 2014 – Louis Zamperini, American runner and World War II US Army Air Forces captain (b. 1917)
    • 2015 – Ronald Davison, New Zealand lawyer and judge, 10th Chief Justice of New Zealand (b. 1920)
    • 2015 – Charlie Sanders, American football player and sportscaster (b. 1946)
    • 2015 – Jim Weaver, American football player and coach (b. 1945)
    • 2015 – Jacobo Zabludovsky, Mexican journalist (b. 1928)
    • 2016 – Caroline Aherne, English actress and comedian (b. 1963)
    • 2016 – Michael Cimino, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1939)
    • 2016 – Patrick Manning, 4th & 6th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (b. 1946)
    • 2016 – Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, activist, and author (b. 1928)
    • 2020 – Ángela Jeria, Chilean archaeologist (b. 1926)
    • 2020 – Byron Bernstein Reckful, gamer, Twitch streamer, investor (b. 1989)

    Holidays and observances on July 2

    • Christian feast day:
      • Aberoh and Atom (Coptic Church)
      • Bernardino Realino
      • Feast of the Visitation (Anglicanism; Levoča at Mariánska hora)
      • Monegundis
      • Otto of Bamberg
      • Oudoceus
      • Martinian and Processus
      • Pishoy (Coptic Church)
      • Stephen III of Moldavia
      • July 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
    • Earliest day on which Unity Day can fall, while July 8 is the latest; celebrated on Tuesday following Heroes’ Day. (Zambia)
    • Flag Day (Curaçao)
    • Palio di Provenzano (Siena, Italy)
    • Police Day (Azerbaijan)