Historical Events on June 2
- 1692: During the Salem Witch Trials, the first person to go to trial is Bridget Bishop on this day.
- 1774: The Quartering Act is enacted on this day. This act allows British soldiers to live in outhouses, barns or other buildings if suitable quarters can’t be found.
- 1805: Diamond Rock, an uninhabited island owned by the British, is captured by a Franco-Spanish fleet.
- 1835:T Barnum takes his circus on its first U.S Tour.
- 1919: Anarchists set off bomb in 8 separate cities in the United States.
- 1941: Greek civilians in Kondomari are slaughtered by German paratroopers during World War II.
- 1966: Surveyor 1 lands on the Moon and becomes the first United States space vehicle to softly land on another planet.
- 1967: In Colorado’s gas chamber, Luis Monge is put to death.
- 1967: The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is released in the U.S on this day.
- 1990: Over 65 tornadoes break out in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky during the Lower Ohio Valley Tornado Outbreak of 1990. Twelve people are killed as a result.
- 1997: Timoth McVeigh is convicted on fifteen counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building where almost 170 people are killed. McVeigh would be executed on June 11, 2001.
- 2003: The European Space Agency launches the Mars Express Probe from Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. It’s Europe’s first probe to another planet.
Famous Birthdays on June 2
- French philosopher Marquis de Sade is born in 1740.
- Italian occultist and explorer, Alessandro Cagliostro is born in 1743.
- English novelist and poet, Thomas Hardy is born in 1840.
- American golfer Walter Egan is born in 1881.
- American actor Stacy Keach is born in 1941.
- English drummer and songwriter, Charlie Watts is born in 1941.
- American actor Charles Haid is born in 1943.
- American actor Robert Elliott is born in 1944.
- American actor Jerry Mathers is born in 1948.
- American comedian, actor and TV game show host, Wayne Brady is born in 1972.