Events on Aug 2
- 0257St. Stephen I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1057Frederik van Lotharingen elected as 1st Belgium, Pope Stephen IX [X]
- 1492Jews are expelled from Spain by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
- 1542French troops leave Flanders
- 1552Treaty of Passau: Emperor Charles V accepts Lutheran religion
- 1578Battle of Rijmenam
- 1581Leiden University names Snellius Math Professor
- 1610Henry Hudson enters bay later named after him, the Hudson Bay
- 1665French expedition against Barbarians in Tunis / Algiers
- 1704Duke of Marlborough beats French and Bavarians at Blenheim
- 1718Austrian joins Triple Alliance
- 1738France offers Emperor Karel VI mediation in war against Turkey
- 1776Formal signing of Declaration of Independence
- 1782George Washington creates Honorary Badge of Distinction
- 1786Utrechtse Vroedschap flees
- 1787Horace the Saussure reaches top of Mont Blanc
- 1791Samuel Briggs and his son, patent nail-making machine
- 1798British under Admiral Horatio Nelson beat French at Battle of Nile
- 1802Napoleon declared "Counsel for Life"
- 18191st parachute jump in US
- 1831Ten day campaign begins, Dutch army occupies Belgium
- 18321,300 Illinois militia defeat Sac and Fox indians, end Black Hawk War
- 1832Black Hawk defeated (IA)
- 1832Whites decimate Indians in Battle of Bad Axe River, Wisc
- 18581st mailboxes installed in Boston and NYC streets
- 1858Government of India transferred from East India Company to Crown
- 1861Skirmish at Dug Springs, MI
- 18642nd Saratoga Racetrack (NY) opens
- 1865Trans Atlantic Cable being laid by SS Great Eastern snaps and is lost
- 18731st trial run of SF cable car, Clay Street between Kearny and Jones
Born on Aug 2
- 1455Johan Cicero: Elect of Brandenburg (1486-99)
- 1627Samuel Dircksz van Hoogstraten: Dutch painter
- 1632Kaspar von Stieler: German poet (Teutsche Wolredner)
- 1696Mahmud I: Sultan of Ottoman (Turkey) (1730-54) / fought Austria and Russia
- 1723Nicolas de Pigage: French classical architect
- 1746Joan Lucaz: Dutch journalist / patriot
- 1775Jose Angel Lamas: Composer
- 1802Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman: 1st Archbishop of Westminster
- 1818[Willem] Alexander FCNM: Prince of the Netherlands / General Major
- 1826William Denison Whipple: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1902
- 1832Henry Steel Olcott: Co-founder (Theosophical Society)
- 1835Elisha Gray: Inventor (Telephone)
- 1854Francis Marion Crawford: British author
- 1858A Emma WT von Waldeck-Pyrmont: Queen / regent of the Netherlands
- 1858Catherina van Rennes: Composer
- 1865Irving Babbitt: US writer (Rousseau & Romanticism)
- 1867Ernest C Dowson: British poet
- 1868Constantine I: King of Greece
- 1878Aino J M Kallas: Finnish writer (White Ship, Estonian Tales)
- 1878Princess Ingeborg of Sweden
- 1881Ethel Mary Dell: English author (Storm Drift)
- 1881Stanislaw Kazuro: Composer
- 1882Johannes Tralow: Writer
- 1882Nanny I Larsen-Todsen: Swedish opera singer
- 1882Rik Wouters: Belgian painter / sculptor (Virgin Doll)
- 1888Oscar Rasbach: Composer
- 1890Pauline Hall: Composer
- 1891Arthur Edward Drummond Bliss: London, England -- Composer (Olympians)
- 1891Mihail Jora: Composer
- 1892Jack Warner: US movie studio head (Warner Bros)
Died on Aug 2
- 0257Stefanus I: Bishop of Rome (254-57) / heretic fighter
- 0686John V: 1st Greeks-Syrian Pope (685-86)
- 1075John VIII Xiphilinus: Theologian / patriarch of Constantinople
- 1100William II [Rufus]: King of England, shot in New Forest at 44
- 1512Alessandro Achillini: Italian Physician / philosopher, dies at 48
- 1589Henry III: King of Poland / France (1573-89), assassinated at 37
- 1600Arent van Dorp: Dutch Governor of East-Zealand, dies at about 70
- 1649Elisabeth Bas: Wife of Dutch Admiral Swartenhondt, dies at about 78
- 1655Alfonso de la Cueva: Spanish Marquis of Bedmar / diplomat, dies at 83
- 1788Thomas Gainsborough: English Painter (Blue Boy), dies at 61
- 1792Nathanael Gottfried Gruner: Composer, dies at 60
- 1799Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier: Balloonist, dies at 54
- 1811William Williams: US Merchant / signer (Declaration of Independence), dies at 80
- 1827James Hewitt: Composer, dies at 57
- 1849Mehemet Ali: British Viceroy to Egypt
- 1869Alexandrine Tinne: Dutch explorer / photographer, murdered at 30+
- 1872Judocus Smits: Dutch RC newspaper publisher (De Tijd), dies at 59
- 1873Frank Mori: Composer, dies at 53
- 1881Marcus Andrews Hislop Clarke: Author (His Natural Life) at 35
- 1903Martha Jane Cannary [Calamity Jane]: US desperado
- 1914Gabriel Edouard Xavier Dupont: Composer, dies at 36
- 1916Hamish MacCunn: Composer, dies at 48
- 1921Enrico Caruso: Italian opera singer, dies at 48
- 1922[Wilhel]Mina JPR Kruseman: Dutch Author / feminist, dies at 82
- 1922Alexander Graham Bell: Scottish / US physicist (telephone)
- 1923Warren Harding: 29th President (1921-23), dies at 57 in the Palace Hotel, San Francisco
- 1932Gheorghe Cucu: Composer, dies at 50
- 1934Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Hindenburg: Soldier / statesman, dies at 86
- 1938Bjarni Thorsteinsson: Composer, dies at 76
- 1941Jose Juan Tablada: Mexican Poet (La Feria), dies at 70
Historical events on August 3
- 0881Battle at Saucourt: French King Louis III beats the Vikings
- 1108Louis VI, "the Fat One, " King of France, crowned
- 1312Power of Luik Patriarch murders over 200
- 1492All Jews are expelled from Spain
- 1492Columbus sets sail from Palos, Spain for "Indies"
- 1557Dutch States-General meet at Valenciennes
- 1596David Fabricius discovers light variation of Mira (1st variable star)
- 16402,000 men VOC-army surrounds the city of Malakka
- 1645Battle of Allersheim: French defeat Bavarians
- 1650Viceroy Willem II and Amsterdam reach accord about standing army
- 1676Nathaniel Bacon publishes "Declaration of People of Virginia"
- 1678Robert LaSalle builds 1st ship in America, Griffon
- 1692Battle at Steenkerke: French beat English / Dutch army
- 1704English / Dutch fleet under Rooke / Callenburgh occupy Gibraltar
- 1745Bonnie Prince Charlie lands on Eriskay, Hebrides
- 1778Teatro alla Scala opens in Milan
- 1797Emperor Francis I permits Jews who served in military in "Countries of Bohemian Crown" to marry non Jews
- 1833HMS Beagle reaches river mouth of Rio Negro
- 18521st intercollegiate rowing race, Harvard beats Yale by 4 lengths
- 1855Rotterdam-Gouda railway opens
- 1860American Canoe Association founded at Lake George, New York
- 1861Federal fleet bombs Galveston, Texas
- 1863Governor Seymour asks Lincoln to suspend draft in New York
- 1863Saratoga Racetrack (NY) opens
- 1864Battle of Mobile, Alabama
- 1881Boers signs Convention of Pretoria: Transvaal semi-autonomous
- 1881US Nation Lawn Tennis Association removes "Nation" from name
- 1882Congress passes 1st law restricting immigration
- 1904British journalist Francis Younghusband visits forbidden city Lhasa
- 19141st seaworthy ship through Panama Canal
Born on August 3
- 1645August Kuhnel: Composer
- 1748Carl Ludwig Junker: Composer
- 1770Frederik Willem III: Reactionary King of Prussia (1797-1840)
- 1801Joseph Paxton: English landscape architect (Crystal Palace)
- 1816John Eugene Smith: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1897
- 1817Albrecht FR: Archduke of Austria (Battle at Custozza)
- 1818HM Jozef Schadde: Flemish architect (New Stock exchange Antwerp)
- 1820Luther Orlando Emerson: Composer
- 1820William Miller: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1909
- 1823Thomas Francis Meagher: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1867
- 1824William Burnham Woods: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
- 1832Ivan Zajc: Composer
- 1833Auguste Schmidt: German teacher / feminist
- 1847Jan de Louter: Lawyer / tutor of Dutch Queen Wilhelmina
- 1850Paul A Daum: Dutch writer / founder / editor (Batavian Newspaper)
- 1851Isabella Caroline Somerset: Temperance leader
- 1854Fernand de La Tombelle: Composer
- 1867Stanley Baldwin: (C) British Prime Minister (1923-24, 1924-29, 1935-37)
- 1871Vernon Louis Parrington: Author (Romantic Revolution, Pulitzer 1928)
- 1872Haakon VII: Charlottenlund, Denmark -- King of Norway (1905-57)
- 1873Albert MLA de Bassompierre: Belgian ambassador to Tokyo (1921-39)
- 1878Constantino Gaito: Composer
- 1882Segundo Luis Moreno Andrade: Composer
- 1884Louis Gruenberg: Near Brest Litovsk Poland, composer (Daniel Jazz)
- 1885Naphtali Siegfried Salomon: Composer
- 1887Rupert Brooke: British WWI poet (1914)
- 1892Oscar van Hemel: Composer
- 1894Harry Heilmann: San Francisco, California -- Baseball hall of famer outfielder (Detroit)
- 1894John H van Maarseveen: Dutch Minister of Justice / Internal minister
- 1898Brother Adam [Kehrle]: Benedictine Monk / beekeeper
Died on August 3
- 1387Olaf V Haakonsson: King of Denmark (1376-87) / Norway (1380-87)
- 1530Philibert Chalon: Prince of Orange / Viceroy of Naples
- 1716Sebastian Duron: Composer, dies at 56
- 1779Henry Kobell: Dutch Painter / cartoonist, dies at 27
- 1780Etienne B de Condillac: French philosopher (sensualism), dies at 64
- 1784Giovanni Battista Martini: Composer, dies at 78
- 1797Jeffrey Amherst: English Governor-General of America, dies at 80
- 1800Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch: Composer, dies at 63
- 1802Henry DFL: Prince of Prussia / General / diplomat
- 1811Sebastiaan C Nederburgh: Dutch Director-General of East Indies Co, dies at 49
- 1823Jacob A Uitenhage de Mist: Dutch politician / colonial dir, dies at 74
- 1825Ambrogio Minoja: Composer, dies at 72
- 1833Stoffel Muller: Dutch Sect Leader
- 1835Wenzel Muller: Composer, dies at 67
- 1877Karl Georg Lickl: Composer, dies at 75
- 1886Per August Olander: Composer, dies at 62
- 1890Louise Ackermann-Choquet: French Author (Journal), dies at 76
- 1894George Inness: US landscape Painter (Delaware Water Gap), dies at 69
- 1902August Friedrich Martin Klughardt: Composer, dies at 54
- 1907August Saint-Gaudens: Irish / US Sculptor (Mrs Henry Adams), dies at 59
- 1910Nicolas Kinet: Belgian pilot
- 1916Roger Casement: Irish nationalist (Easter uprising 1916), executed 51
- 1918Albert P Hahn: Dutch political cartoonist (Het Volk), dies at 41
- 1924Joseph Conrad: Polish / British writer (Heart of Darkness), dies at 66
- 1933Arthur Collins: Singer / comedian (Peerless Quartet), dies at 69
- 1934Carl F baron von Langen-Parow: German equestrian (1928 Olympics - Gold Medalist)
- 1938Alexander Malyschkin: Writer
- 1939Eugust Enna: Composer, dies at 80
- 1940Willard Hershberger: Catcher (Cin Reds), commits suicide
- 1944Felix Nussbaum: German Painter (Widerstandskunst), dies in Auschwitz
Events on Aug 4
- 1181Supernova seen in Cassiopia
- 1265Battle at Evesham: English Prince Edward beats Simon de Montfort
- 1347English troops conquer Ft Calais
- 1351Sea battle at Zwartewaal: Willem V beats Hoeksen and English
- 15581st printing of Zohar (Jewish Kabbalah)
- 1578Battle of Alcazarquivir, Moroccans defeat Portuguese, 10,000 killed
- 1636Johan Mauritius appointed Governor of Dutch Brazil
- 1666Hurricane hits Guadeloupe, Martinique and St. Christopher; thousands die
- 1666Sea battle between Netherlands and England
- 1693Dom Perignon invents champagne
- 1695French garrison of surrenders to Willem III
- 1704War of Spanish Succession, English and Dutch troops occupy Gibraltar
- 1730Crown Prince Frederik of Prussia escapes to England
- 1735Jury acquits John Zenger (NY Weekly Journal) charged with seditious libel by royal Governor of New York (victory for Freedom of press)
- 1753George Washington becomes a master mason
- 1777Retired British cavalry officer Philip Astley establishes 1st circus
- 1789French National Meeting ending feudal system
- 1790US Coast Guard founded as Revenue Cutter Service
- 1791Austria and Turkey sign Peace of Sistova
- 18211st edition of Saturday Evening Post (publishes until 1969)
- 1830Plans for city of Chicago laid out
- 1855John Bartlett publishes "Familiar Quotations"
- 1862US government collects its 1st income tax
- 1864Land and naval action new Brazos Santiago, Texas
- 1870British Red Cross Society forms
- 1879Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Aeterni Patris
- 1886Colombia adopts constitution
- 1892Queen Wilhelmina and Emma open Merwede Canal between Amsterdam-Rhine
- 1892Sunday school teacher Lizzie Borden arrested in Fall River, Massachusetts
- 1897Henry A Rucker appointed Collector of Internal Revenue for Georgia
Born on Aug 4
- 1502Pieter Coecke van Aelst: Flemish painter / carpet designer
- 1664Louis Lully: Composer
- 1705Vaclav Matyas Gurecky: Composer
- 1731Giuseppe Colla: Composer
- 1748Maximilian Stadler: Composer
- 1755Nicolas-Jacque Conte: Inventor (modern pencil)
- 1776Wenzel Sedlak: Composer
- 1792Percy Bysshe Shelley: England, United Kingdom -- Romantic poet (Adonais)
- 1799Olof Wilhelm Udden: Composer
- 1816Israel Vogdes: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1889
- 1818Lovell Harrison Rosseau: Major General (Union volunteers)
- 1823Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton: (Gov-Indiana), died in 1877
- 1839Walter Pater: London, England -- Writer (Plato & Platoism)
- 1843Flor van Duyse: Composer
- 1846Silas Gamaliel Pratt: Composer
- 1859Knut Hamsun: Norway -- Writer / Nazi (Hunger-Nobel 1920)
- 1870Harry Lauder: Scotland, United Kingdom -- Comedian / singer (Roman in the Gloamin)
- 1873Damasco Berenguer y Fuste: Spanish General / Minister of War
- 1888Philip Greeley Clapp: Composer
- 1890Erich Weinert: Writer
- 1892Johanna Bordewijk-Roepman: Composer
- 1897Joseph Calleia: Malta -- Actor (Jungle Book, Gilda, Touch of Evil)
- 1900Arturo Umberto Illia: President of Argentina (1963-66)
- 1900Douglas L Mays: Cartoonist (Punch)
- 1901Louie "Satchmo" Armstrong: New Orleans, Louisiana -- Jazz trumpeter (Hello Dolly)
- 1903Helen Kane [Schroeder]: Bronx, New York -- Actress (Heads Up, Pointed Heels)
- 1904Theodore Newton: New Jersey, United States -- Actor (Ace of Aces, Voltaire)
- 1904Witold Gombrowicz: Polish author (Ferdydurke, Pornography)
- 1905Michael Scott Montague Fordham: Jungian analyst / educator
- 1908Kurt Eichhorn: Conductor
Died on Aug 4
- 1060Henry I: King of France (1027..60), dies at 52
- 1204Boniface of Montferrat: Margrave of Montferrat, murdered
- 1430Philip of Saint-Pol: Duke of Brabant / Limburg, dies at 26
- 1476Jacob van Armagnac-Pardiac: French Duke of Nemours, beheaded
- 1566Girolamo della Robbia: Italian Sculptor (Majolica relief)
- 15782 Moroccan royalist, Die in battle
- 1578Sebastiaan: King of Portugal (1557-78), dies in battle at about 24
- 1584John van Hembyze: South Netherlands Calvinist, dies at 71
- 1598William Cecil 1st baron Burghley: English Premier, dies at 77
- 1633George Abbott: English Theologist / Archbishop of Canterbury, dies at 60
- 1639Juan R Alarcon y Mendoza: Mexican / Spanish playwright, dies at 58
- 1666Johan Evertsen: Ltalian Admiral of Zeeland, lynched in Brielle
- 1708Vincenzo De Grandis: Composer, dies at 77
- 1712Johann Jacob de Neufville: Composer, dies at 27
- 1821William Floyd: US soldier / signer (Declar of Independence), dies at 86
- 1850Frantisek Tucek: Composer, dies at 68
- 1856Johann Gottlieb Schneider: Composer, dies at 59
- 1875Hans Christian Andersen: Danish fairy tale writer, dies at 70
- 1889Carl Ludwig Amand Mangold: Composer, dies at 75
- 1892Andrew & Abby Borden: Axed to death in Mass (by Lizzie Borden?)
- 1904Arnold Krug: Composer, dies at 54
- 1915Richard Kiepert: German cartographer (Africa), dies at 68
- 1920Vladimir Ivanovich Rebikov: Composer, dies at 54
- 1922Enver Pasa: Turkish politician, dies at 40
- 1925Alfons Van de Perre: Flemish physician
- 1927John Dillon: Irish nationalist / British Lower house leader, dies at 75
- 1931Daniel H Williams: Doctor (pioneer in surgery)
- 1936Henry Schoenfeld: Composer, dies at 78
- 1938L H Perquin: Dutch radio announcer, dies at 73
- 1938Pearl White: US actress / stunt woman (Perils of Pauline), dies at 49