November 2
November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 59 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 1570 - A tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1,000 people.
- 1675 - A combined attack by the Plymouth, Rhode Island, Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut colonies attacks the Great Swamp Fort, owned by the Narragansetts during King Philip's War.
- 1772 - American Revolutionary War: Samuel Adams and Joseph Warren form the first Committee of Correspondence.
- 1783 - In Rocky Hill, New Jersey, US General George Washington gives his "Farewell Address to the Army".
- 1795 - The French Directory succeeds the French National Convention as the government of Revolutionary France.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Western Department Union General John C. Fremont is relieved of command and replaced by David Hunter.
- 1868 - Time zone: New Zealand officially adopts a standard time to be observed nationally
- 1889 - North and South Dakota are admitted as the 39th and 40th U.S. states.
- 1895 - The first gasoline-powered race in the United States. First prize: $2,000
- 1898 - Cheerleading is started at the University of Minnesota with Johnny Campbell leading the crowd in cheering on the football team.
- 1899 - The Boers begin their 118 day siege of British held Ladysmith during the Second Boer War.
- 1909 - Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity is founded at Boston University.
- 1914 - Russia declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
- 1917 - The Balfour Declaration proclaims British support for the "establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people" with the clear understanding "that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities".
- 1920 - In the United States, KDKA of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania starts broadcasting as the first commercial radio station. The first broadcast was the results of the U.S. presidential election, 1920.
- 1930 - Haile Selassie is crowned emperor of Ethiopia.
- 1936 - The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is established.
- 1936 - Italian dictator Benito Mussolini proclaims the Rome-Berlin Axis, establishing the alliance of the Axis Powers.
- 1936 - The British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, the world's first regular, high-definition (then defined as at least 200 lines) service. Renamed BBC1 in 1964, the channel still runs to this day.
- 1947 - In California, designer Howard Hughes performs the maiden (and only) flight of the Spruce Goose; the largest fixed-wing aircraft ever built.
- 1953 - The Constituent Assembly of Pakistan names the country The Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
- 1957 - The Levelland UFO Case in Levelland, Texas, generates national publicity, and remains one of the most impressive UFO cases in American history.
- 1959 - Quiz show scandals: Twenty One game show contestant Charles Van Doren admits to a Congressional committee that he had been given questions and answers in advance.
- 1959 - Ice Hockey: After being struck in the face with a puck, goalkeeper Jacques Plante returns to play wearing a protective mask for the first time in professional play.
- 1959 - The first section of the M1 motorway, the first inter-urban motorway in the United Kingdom, is opened between the present junctions 5 and 18, along with the M10 motorway and M45 motorway
- 1960 - Penguin Books is found not guilty of obscenity in the Lady Chatterley's Lover case
- 1963 - South Vietnamese President Ngô Ðình Diệm is assassinated following a military coup.
- 1964 - King Saud of Saudi Arabia is deposed by a family coup, and replaced by his half-brother King Faisal.
- 1965 - Norman Morrison, a 31-year-old Quaker, sets himself on fire in front of the river entrance to the Pentagon to protest the use of napalm in the Vietnam war.
- 1966 - The Cuban Adjustment Act enters force, allowing 123,000 Cubans the opportunity to apply for permanent residence in the United States.
- 1967 - Vietnam War: US President Lyndon B. Johnson and "The Wise Men" conclude that the American people should be given more optimistic reports on the progress of the war.
- 1973 - The Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Communist Party of India forms a 'United Front' in the state of Tripura.
- 1974 - 78 die when the Time Go-Go Club in Seoul, South Korea burns down. Six of the victims jumped to their deaths from the seventh floor after a club official barred the doors after the fire started.
- 1983 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs a bill creating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
- 1984 - Capital punishment: Velma Barfield becomes the first woman executed in the United States since 1962.
- 1988 - The Morris worm, the first internet-distributed computer worm to gain significant mainstream media attention, is launched from MIT.
- 1991 - Bartholomew I becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.
- 1995 - Former South African defence minister General Magnus Malan and 10 other former senior military officers are arrested and charged with murdering 13 black people in 1987, (all the accused are later acquitted).
- 2000 - Expedition 1: American astronaut William Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko became the first resident crew to arrive at the International Space Station.
Births
- 1082 - Emperor Huizong of China (d. 1135)
- 1475 - Princess Anne of York (d. 1511)
- 1636 - Edward Colston, English merchant and philanthropist (d. 1721)
- 1667 - James Sobieski, Crown Prince of Poland (d. 1737)
- 1692 - Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer, Dutch composer (d. 1766)
- 1696 - Conrad Weiser, Pennsylvania's ambassador to the Native Americans (d. 1760)
- 1699 - Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, French painter (d. 1779)
- 1709 - Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (d. 1759)
- 1739 - Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf, Austrian composer (d. 1799)
- 1741 - Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol, Dutch politician (d. 1784)
- 1755 - Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (d. 1793)
- 1766 - Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, Austrian field marshal (d. 1858)
- 1777 - Fortunat Alojzy Gonzaga Żółkowski, Polish actor (d. 1822)
- 1777 - Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom (d. 1848)
- 1795 - James Knox Polk, 11th President of the United States (d. 1849)
- 1808 - Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly, French writer (d. 1889)
- 1815 - George Boole, English mathematician and philosopher (d. 1864)
- 1821 - Sir George Bowen, British provincial governor (d. 1899)
- 1833 - Mahendralal Sarkar, Indian doctor (d. 1904)
- 1837 - Émile Bayard, French artist, illustrator (d. (1891)
- 1844 - Mehmed V, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1918)
- 1865 - Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States (d. 1923)
- 1877 - Joseph De Piro, Maltese founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul (d. 1933)
- 1877 - Victor Trumper, Australian cricketer (d. 1915)
- 1877 - Aga Khan III, Shia Imam (d. 1957)
- 1883 - Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve, cardinal and archbishop of Quebec (d. 1947)
- 1885 - Harlow Shapley, American astronomer (d. 1972)
- 1886 - Dhirendranath Datta, Bangladeshi politician (d. 1971)
- 1892 - Alice Brady, Academy Award-winning American actress (d. 1939)
- 1893 - Battista Farina, founder of Pininfarina company (d. 1966)
- 1894 - Alexander Lippisch, German scientist (d. 1976)
- 1903 - Travis Jackson, American baseball player (d. 1987)
- 1905 - James Dunn, American actor (d. 1967)
- 1906 - Daniil Andreev, Russian poet (d. 1959)
- 1906 - Luchino Visconti, Italian director (d. 1976)
- 1908 - Fred Bakewell, English cricketer (d. 1983)
- 1910 - Fouad Serageddin, Egyptian politician (d. 1999)
- 1911 - Odysseus Elytis, Greek writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1996)
- 1911 - Raphael Robinson, US mathematician (d. 1995)
- 1913 - Burt Lancaster, American actor (d. 1994)
- 1914 - Johnny Vander Meer, baseball player (d. 1997)
- 1915 - Beryl McBurnie, Trinidadian dancer (d. 2000)
- 1915 - Sidney Luft, American movie director (d. 2005)
- 1920 - Ann Rutherford, American actress
- 1921 - Shepard Menken, American voice actor (d. 1999)
- 1921 - Bill Mosienko, National Hockey League player (d. 1994)
- 1924 - (Father) David Bauer, Canadian ice hockey player and priest (d. 1988)
- 1924 - Rudy Van Gelder, American recording engineer
- 1927 - Steve Ditko, American artist
- 1927 - Kirk Pugsley, Famous American School Teacher
- 1928 - Paul Johnson, British historian
- 1929 - Muhammad Rafiq Tarar, President of Pakistan
- 1929 - Richard E. Taylor, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1934 - Bill Gothard, American speaker
- 1934 - Ken Rosewall, Australian tennis player
- 1936 - Abdullah the Butcher, wrestler
- 1936 - Rose Bird, American judge (d. 1999)
- 1936 - Jack Starrett, American actor and director (d. 1989)
- 1937 - Earl Carroll, lead vocalist of The Cadillacs
- 1938 - Jay Black, American singer (Jay and the Americans)
- 1938 - Pat Buchanan, American journalist and politician
- 1938 - Queen Sofia of Spain
- 1939 - Richard Serra, American sculptor and video artist
- 1940 - Jim Bakken, American football player
- 1941 - Bruce Welch, English musician and songwriter (The Shadows)
- 1942 - Shere Hite, American author
- 1942 - Stefanie Powers, American actress
- 1944 - Patrice Chéreau, French director, actor and producer
- 1944 - Keith Emerson, British keyboardist and composer (Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
- 1946 - Alan Jones, Australian race car driver and one-time F1 world champion
- 1946 - Giuseppe Sinopoli, Italian conductor and composer (d. 2001)
- 1949 - Simon Augustini, Albanian politician
- 1951 - Thomas Mallon, American novelist and critic
- 1951 - Lindy Morrison, Australian musician (The Go-Betweens)
- 1952 - Maxine Nightingale, English singer
- 1954 - Pat Croce, American entrepreneur
- 1955 - Chris Burnett, American musician
- 1956 - Peter Mullan, Scottish actor
- 1957 - Carter Beauford, American drummer (Dave Matthews Band)
- 1957 - Rita Crockett, American Olympic volleyball player
- 1958 - Willie McGee, American baseball player
- 1960 - Tihomir Blaškić, Croatian war criminal
- 1961 - K.D. Lang, Canadian musician
- 1961 - Jeff Tedford, head coach of the California Golden Bears
- 1962 - David Brock, American political commentator, pundit
- 1962 - Mireille Delunsch, French soprano
- 1962 - Simon Hill, English-Australian Football commentator
- 1963 - Bobby Dall American Musician Poison (band)
- 1963 - Craig Saavedra, American filmmaker
- 1964 - Britta Lejon, Swedish politician
- 1965 - Shahrukh Khan, Indian actor
- 1965 - Samuel Le Bihan, French actor
- 1966 - Sean Kanan, American actor
- 1966 - Tim Kirkman, American filmmaker
- 1966 - Khaled Abol Naga, Egyptian actor
- 1966 - David Schwimmer, American actor
- 1966 - Yoshinari Ogawa, Japanese professional wrestler
- 1967 - Kurt Elling, American jazz vocalist
- 1967 - Marc van Roon, Dutch improvising musician
- 1968 - Ultra Naté, American musician
- 1969 - Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, American bassist (KoЯn)
- 1970 - Sharmell Sullivan, American professional wrestling valet
- 1972 - Samantha Janus, British entertainer
- 1972 - Darío Silva, Uruguayan footballer
- 1972 - Vladimir Vorobiev, Russian ice hockey player
- 1973 - Marisol Nichols, American actress
- 1974 - Orlando Cabrera, Colombian baseball player
- 1974 - Nelly, American rapper
- 1974 - Prodigy, American rapper (Mobb Deep)
- 1975 - Stéphane Sarrazin, French rally driver
- 1975 - Chris Walla, American musician (Death Cab for Cutie)
- 1976 - Sidney Ponson, Aruban baseball player
- 1977 - Jason Cerbone, American actor (The Sopranos)
- 1977 - Randy Harrison, American actor
- 1978 - Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, Brazilian mixed-martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion
- 1979 - Julie Lund, Danish actress
- 1980 - Kim So-yeon, South Korean actress
- 1981 - Wilson Betemit, Dominican baseball player
- 1981 - Avy Scott, American pornographic actress
- 1982 - Kyoko Fukada, Japanese actress, model and singer
- 1982 - Charles Itandje, French footballer
- 1984 - Tamara Hope, Canadian actress
- 1984 - Julia Stegner, German supermodel
- 1986 - Erika Jo, American musician
- 1986 - Lara Sacher, Australian actress
- 1987 - Danny Cipriani English rugby union player.
- 1988 - Lindze Letherman, American actress (General Hospital)
- 1989 - Katelyn Tarver, American singer
Deaths
- 943 - Queen Emma of France, (b. 894)
- 1083 - Matilda of Flanders, Queen consort (b. 1031)
- 1285 - King Peter III of Aragon (b. 1239)
- 1327 - King James II of Aragon (b. 1267)
- 1483 - Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, English politician (b. 1454)
- 1610 - Richard Bancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1544)
- 1618 - Archduke Maximilian III of Austria (b. 1568)
- 1716 - Engelbert Kaempfer, German physician and traveler (b. 1651)
- 1807 - Baron de Breteuil, French statesman (b. 1730)
- 1852 - Pyotr Kotlyarevsky, Russian general (b. 1782)
- 1863 - Theodore Judah, American railroad engineer (b. 1826)
- 1877 - Friedrich Graf von Wrangel, Prussian field marshal (b. 1784)
- 1887 - Jenny Lind, Swedish soprano (b. 1820)
- 1898 - George Goyder, English-born surveyor-general of South Australia (b. 1826)
- 1905 - Albert von Kölliker, Swiss anatomist (b. 1817)
- 1935 - Jock Cameron, South African cricketer (b. 1905)
- 1944 - Thomas Midgley, American chemist and inventor (b. 1889)
- 1945 - Princess Thyra, daughter of Frederick VIII of Denmark (b. 1880)
- 1949 - Jerome F. Donovan, American politician (b. 1872)
- 1950 - George Bernard Shaw, Irish writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1856)
- 1960 - Dimitris Mitropoulos, Greek conductor and composer (b. 1896)
- 1961 - James Thurber, American humorist (b. 1894)
- 1963 - Ngô Đình Diệm, President of South Vietnam (b. 1901)
- 1966 - Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1884)
- 1966 - Mississippi John Hurt, American blues singer (b. 1892)
- 1970 - Richard Cardinal Cushing, archbishop of Boston (b. 1895)
- 1975 - Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italian film director (b. 1922)
- 1979 - Jacques Mesrine, French criminal (b. 1936)
- 1982 - Lester Roloff, Man of God, preacher (b. 1914)
- 1984 - Velma Barfield, American murderer (b. 1932)
- 1986 - Paul Frees, American voice actor (b. 1920)
- 1991 - Irwin Allen, American film producer (b. 1916)
- 1992 - Hal Roach, American director and producer (b. 1892)
- 1996 - Eva Cassidy, American singer (b. 1963)
- 1998 - Vincent Winter, British actor (b. 1957)
- 2002 - Tonio Selwart, German actor (b. 1896)
- 2002 - Charles Sheffield, American author and physicist (b. 1935)
- 2003 - Frank McCloskey, American politician (b. 1939)
- 2004 - Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (b. 1918)
- 2004 - Theo van Gogh, Dutch filmmaker (b. 1957)
- 2004 - Gerrie Knetemann, Dutch cyclist (b. 1951)
- 2005 - Ferruccio Valcareggi, Italian football player and coach (b. 1919)
- 2007 - Charmaine Dragun, Australian journalist (b. 1978)
- 2007 - Witold Kiełtyka, Polish metal drummer (Decapitated) (b. 1984)
- 2007 - Igor Moiseyev, Russian choreographer (b. 1906)
- 2007 - Lillian Ellison, American professional wrestler (b. 1923)
- 2007 - Henry Cele, South African Actor; best known for his onscreen portrayal of the legendary Shaka Zulu (b. 1949)
Holidays and observances
- Mauritius - Indian Arrival Day
- Catholicism and Anglicanism - All Souls Day
- Ancient Latvia - Dveselu Diena held
- Mexico and Ecuador - Day of the Dead (Spanish: El Dia de los Muertos), a celebration of dead ancestors.
- United States - admission day (1889) of North Dakota and South Dakota as 39th and 40th states.
- Rastafari movement - The coronation of Haile Selassie (1930) celebrated
- Brazil and Portugal - Dia de Finados, a celebration of dead ancestors in the All Souls Day.