History of Today in India – 02 June

Explore the history of today 02 June in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 02 June 2026, 10:00 AM

📜 Important Events on 02 June in World History

• 02 Jun 2023: A collision between two passenger trains and a parked freight train near the city of Balasor, Odisha in eastern India, results in 296 deaths and more than 1,200 people injured. Read more
• 02 Jun 2022: Following a request from Ankara, the United Nations officially changes the name of the Republic of Turkey in the organization from what was previously known as "Turkey" to "Türkiye". Read more
• 02 Jun 2014: Telangana officially becomes the 29th state of India, formed from ten districts of northwestern Andhra Pradesh. Read more
• 02 Jun 2012: Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Read more
• 02 Jun 2010: Twelve people are killed and eleven others injured in a spree shooting in Cumbria, England, before the perpetrator takes his own life. Read more
• 02 Jun 2003: Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Read more
• 02 Jun 1998: Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-91, the final mission of the Shuttle-Mir program. Read more
• 02 Jun 1997: In Denver, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in which 168 people died. He was executed four years later. Read more
• 02 Jun 1990: The Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak spawns 66 confirmed tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, killing 12. Read more
• 02 Jun 1983: After an emergency landing because of an in-flight fire, twenty-three passengers aboard Air Canada Flight 797 are killed when a flashover occurs as the plane's doors open. Because of this incident, numerous new safety regulations are put in place. Read more
• 02 Jun 1979: Pope John Paul II starts his first official visit to his native Poland, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country. Read more
• 02 Jun 1967: Luis Monge is executed in Colorado's gas chamber, in the last pre-Furman execution in the United States. Read more
• 02 Jun 1967: Protests in West Berlin against the arrival of the Shah of Iran are brutally suppressed, during which Benno Ohnesorg is killed by a police officer. His death results in the founding of the terrorist group Movement 2 June. Read more
• 02 Jun 1966: Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on another world. Read more
• 02 Jun 1964: The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is formed. Read more
• 02 Jun 1962: During the FIFA World Cup, police intervene multiple times in fights between Chilean and Italian players in one of the most violent games in football history. Read more
• 02 Jun 1958: Aeronaves de México Flight 111 crashes on approach to Guadalajara International Airport, killing 45. Read more
• 02 Jun 1955: The USSR and Yugoslavia sign the Belgrade declaration and thus normalize relations between the two countries, discontinued since 1948. Read more
• 02 Jun 1953: The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey becomes the first British coronation, and one of the first major international events, to be televised. Read more
• 02 Jun 1946: Birth of the Italian Republic: In a referendum, Italians vote to turn Italy from a monarchy into a Republic. After the referendum, King Umberto II of Italy is exiled. Read more
• 02 Jun 1941: World War II: German paratroopers murder Greek civilians in the villages of Kondomari and Alikianos. Read more
• 02 Jun 1924: U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act into law, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States. Read more
• 02 Jun 1919: Anarchists simultaneously set off bombs in eight separate U.S. cities. Read more
• 02 Jun 1910: Charles Rolls, a co-founder of Rolls-Royce Limited, becomes the first man to make a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel by plane. Read more
• 02 Jun 1909: Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time. Read more
• 02 Jun 1896: Guglielmo Marconi applies for a patent for his wireless telegraph. Read more
• 02 Jun 1878: Nobiling assassination attempt by anarchist Karl Nobiling targeting the German Kaiser, Wilhelm I. Read more
• 02 Jun 1866: The Fenians defeat Canadian forces at Ridgeway and Fort Erie, but the raids end soon after. Read more
• 02 Jun 1848: The Slavic Congress opens in Prague. Read more
• 02 Jun 1805: Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptures from the British the island of Diamond Rock, which guards the entrance to the bay leading to Fort-de-France, Martinique. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 02 June in World History

• 02 Jun 2002: Madison Hu, American actress Madison Hu is an American actress. She is known for playing the role of Frankie Wong on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark, and for her previous recurring role as Marci on another Disney Channel series, Best Friends Whenever. More recently, she was cast as Constance Wang in the Netflix limited series The Altruists, with casting news reported in July 2025. She also played college student Eva in a recurring role for the show Rooster with Steve Carrell. Read more
• 02 Jun 2002: Fonua Pole, New Zealand rugby league player Fonua Pole is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop or lock forward for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL). Read more
• 02 Jun 2001: Kysaiah Pickett, Australian rules footballer Kysaiah Klem Paul Kropinyeri-Pickett is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder and a forward, he is 1.71 metres tall and weighs 73 kilograms (161 lb). Read more
• 02 Jun 2000: Jay Idzes, Indonesian footballer Jay Noah Idzes is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club Sassuolo. Born in the Netherlands, he captains the Indonesia national team. Read more
• 02 Jun 1999: Campbell Graham, Australian rugby league player Campbell Graham is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a centre or winger for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL and Australia at international level. Read more
• 02 Jun 1997: Scott Wozniak, American YouTuber Scott the Woz is a gaming comedy review web series created by American YouTuber Scott Wozniak. It stars Wozniak, covering video game topics such as consoles, accessories, gaming history and subculture. Episodes are written and directed by Wozniak, with recurring characters played by his friends. Read more
• 02 Jun 1996: Morissette, Filipina singer-songwriter Johanne Morissette Daug Amon is a Filipino singer and songwriter nicknamed in the press "Asia's Phoenix". She gained notice as a runner-up in TV5's Star Factor at age 14 and made her theatrical debut in 2012 as Mitchie Torres in Repertory Philippines' adaptation of Disney's Camp Rock. She received wider notice as a semi-finalist in the first season of ABS-CBN's The Voice of the Philippines (2013). She has a wide vocal range and has used the whistle register in some songs. Read more
• 02 Jun 1993: Adam Taggart, Australian footballer Adam Jake Taggart is an Australian soccer player who plays as a striker for A-League club Perth Glory, whom he captains, and the Australia national team. Read more
• 02 Jun 1992: Pajtim Kasami, Swiss footballer Pajtim Kasami is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Winterthur in the Swiss Super League. Read more
• 02 Jun 1990: Dane Rampe, Australian rules footballer Dane Rampe is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously served as co-captain of the Swans from 2019 until the end of the 2023 season. Read more
• 02 Jun 1989: Steve Smith, Australian cricketer Steven Peter Devereux Smith is an Australian international cricketer, former captain of the Australian national team in all three formats of the game and since 2021, the vice-captain of the Australian Test team. He is regarded as the best Test batsman of his generation, scoring over 10,000 Test runs, having reached an ICC Test batting rating of 947, the second-highest figure of all time, only behind Don Bradman's 961 and was named ICC Men's Test Player of the Decade for 2011–2020. Read more
• 02 Jun 1988: Sergio Agüero, Argentine footballer Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo, also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest players in the history of the Premier League. He played for Manchester City from 2011 to 2021 and is the club's all-time top goalscorer and holds the record for most Premier League hat-tricks, with 12. Read more
• 02 Jun 1988: Awkwafina, American actress, rapper, and comedian Nora Lum, known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress and rapper. She rose to prominence in 2012 when her rap song "My Vag" became popular on YouTube. She then released her debut album, Yellow Ranger (2014), and appeared on the MTV comedy series Girl Code (2014–2015). She expanded to films with supporting roles in the comedies Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), Ocean's 8 (2018), Crazy Rich Asians (2018), and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). For her starring role as a grieving young woman in The Farewell (2019), she won a Golden Globe Award. Read more
• 02 Jun 1988: Staniliya Stamenova, Bulgarian canoeist Staniliya Stamenova is a Bulgarian sprint canoer and former athletics competitor. She won the gold medal in the C-1 200 m event at the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan and has won the gold in the same event at the Canoe Sprint European Championships three times, in 2012, 2014, and 2015. Read more
• 02 Jun 1987: Clayton Bartolo, Maltese politician Clayton Bartolo is a Maltese politician, accountant and registered auditor. He was member of the Labour Party and former Minister for Tourism. He first entered politics as a councillor and later deputy mayor of the local council of Mellieħa. He was elected as a Labour member of the Parliament of Malta in June 2017. Read more
• 02 Jun 1987: Maryka Holtzhausen, South African netball player Maryka Holtzhausen is a former South African netball player. She played in the positions of GA and WA. She was a member of the South Africa national netball team, and competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and the 2011 World Netball Championships in Singapore. She also participated in the 2010 World Netball Series and the 2011 World Netball Series. She played in the 2012 Netball Quad Series, and in the same year, she won a bronze medal in 2012 Fast5 Netball World Series with the Fast5 Proteas. Read more
• 02 Jun 1987: Yoann Huget, French rugby player Yoann Huget is a former French rugby union player. He played as a wing or fullback. Read more
• 02 Jun 1987: Matthew Koma, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Matthew Fredrick Bair, known professionally as Matthew Koma, is an American singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Songs written or co-written by Koma include "Spectrum", "Find You", and Grammy Award-winner "Clarity", all produced by Zedd. He has collaborated with artists such as Shania Twain, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, Hardwell, Zedd, Miriam Bryant, Sebastian Ingrosso, Alesso, Afrojack, Tiësto, Vicetone, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, and others. Read more
• 02 Jun 1987: Angelo Mathews, Sri Lankan cricketer Angelo Davis Mathews is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer and a former captain of the national cricket team in all formats. Mathews retired from Test cricket in 2025. Mathews was a member of the team that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 and was part of the team that made the finals of 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20. Mathews and Lasith Malinga hold the record for the highest ninth wicket partnership in ODI cricket. Read more
• 02 Jun 1987: Sonakshi Sinha, Indian actress Sonakshi Sinha is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films and series. The daughter of actors and politicians Poonam and Shatrughan Sinha, she has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list from 2012 to 2017, and in 2019. Her accolades include a Filmfare Award. Read more
• 02 Jun 1986: Todd Carney, Australian rugby league player Todd Carney, also known by the nickname of "Toddy", is an Australian former professional rugby league player who played in the 2000s and 2010s. Read more
• 02 Jun 1985: Rhett Bomar, American football player Rhett Matthew Bomar is an American former professional football quarterback. He was selected by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma and Sam Houston State University. He was also a member of the Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders. Read more
• 02 Jun 1985: Miyuki Sawashiro, Japanese voice actress and singer Miyuki Sawashiro is a Japanese actress and narrator. She has played voice roles in a number of Japanese anime/games including Beelzebub, Bishamon in Noragami, Petit Charat/Puchiko in Di Gi Charat, Mint in Galaxy Angel, Sinon in Sword Art Online II, Twilight/Towa Akagi/Cure Scarlet in Go! Princess Precure, Dlanor A. Knox in Umineko: When They Cry, Izuna Hatsuse in No Game, No Life, Amagi in Azur Lane, Celty Sturluson in Durarara!!, Kurapika in Hunter × Hunter, Raiden Mei and Dr. Mei in Honkai Impact 3 and Gun Girl Z, Raiden Shogun/Raiden Ei in Genshin Impact, Acheron in Honkai: Star Rail, Akane Kurashiki in Zero Escape, Ayane Yano in Kimi ni Todoke, Fujiko Mine in later installments of Lupin the Third, Queen in Mysterious Joker, Jun Sasada in Natsume's Book of Friends, Shinku in Rozen Maiden, Haruka Nanami in Uta no Prince-sama, Kotoha Isone in Yozakura Quartet, Kanbaru Suruga in Bakemonogatari, Saber of Red/Mordred in Fate/Apocrypha, Elizabeth and Chidori in Persona 3, Catherine in Catherine, Ivy Valentine in Soulcalibur, Jolyne Cujoh in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven, Wizard Cookie in Cookie Run: Kingdom, Kirari Momobami in Kakegurui, Ho'olheyak in Arknights and Rosetta in Punishing: Gray Raven. Read more
• 02 Jun 1984: Jack Afamasaga, New Zealand rugby league player Jack Taualii Afamasaga, also known by the nickname of "Skuks", is a New Zealand former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s. He played at club level for the Parramatta Eels, the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League, the Western Suburbs Rosellas in the Newcastle Rugby League competition, with stints in the Queensland Cup and France, as a second-row or lock. Read more
• 02 Jun 1984: Feleti Mateo, Australian-Tongan rugby league player Feleti Sosefo Mateo is a former Tonga international rugby league footballer. He played a variety of positions from lock, second-row and five-eighth. Mateo was also selected to represent NSW City Origin and the NRL All Stars. He last played for English club Salford Red Devils of Super League in 2016. Before that, he played for Sydney club the Parramatta Eels between 2004 and 2010. He also played for the New Zealand Warriors between 2011 and 2014, and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in 2015 and 2016 before moving back to England and finishing his top-level career with Salford. Mateo was renowned for his versatility and extravagant style of play. Read more
• 02 Jun 1983: Chris Higgins, American ice hockey player Christopher Robert Higgins is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the skills and development coach for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). While playing college hockey, he was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the 2002 NHL entry draft. He finished a two-year career with the Yale Bulldogs, earning ECAC Hockey Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, before turning professional for the 2003–04 season. After two seasons with the Canadiens' minor league affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League (AHL), he joined the NHL in 2005–06. He recorded three consecutive 20-goal seasons to begin his NHL career before being traded to the New York Rangers in June 2009. After brief stints with the Rangers, Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers, he joined the Vancouver Canucks in February 2011. Internationally, Higgins has competed for the United States in two World Junior Championships and one World Championship (2009). Read more
• 02 Jun 1983: Toni Livers, Swiss skier Toni Livers is a Swiss former cross-country skier. Livers began competing in 2000 and competed in the World Cup from 2003 to 2020. His best individual finish at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships was ninth in the 15 km + 15 km double pursuit at Sapporo in 2007. Read more
• 02 Jun 1982: Jewel Staite, Canadian actress Jewel Belair Staite is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in the series Firefly (2002–2003) and its follow-up movie Serenity (2005), and as Jennifer Keller on science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis (2007–2009). Staite also starred as Catalina in Space Cases (1996), as "Becca" Fisher in Flash Forward (1996–1997), as Raquel Westbrook in the Canadian drama The L.A. Complex (2012), as Caroline Swift in AMC's crime drama The Killing (2013–2014), and as Abigail Bianchi in the Canadian legal drama series Family Law (2021–2026). Read more
• 02 Jun 1981: Nikolay Davydenko, Russian tennis player Nikolay Vladimirovich Davydenko is a Russian former professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3 in November 2006. Davydenko's best result in a Grand Slam tournament was reaching the semi-finals, which he accomplished on four occasions: twice each at the French Open and the U.S. Open, losing to Roger Federer in all but one of them. His biggest achievement was winning the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals, and he also won three ATP Masters Series. In mid-October 2014 Davydenko retired from playing professionally. Read more
• 02 Jun 1981: Chin-hui Tsao, Taiwanese baseball player Chin-Hui Tsao is a Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher for the Fuzhou Sea Knights of Chinese Professional Baseball. He is the second major league player, and the first major league pitcher from Taiwan. Like the first Taiwanese major league player, former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Chin-Feng Chen, he is a Taiwanese aborigine of Amis ancestry. He had previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies and Dodgers before spending the 2009 season with the Brother Elephants in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). After the 2009 Taiwan Series, Tsao was investigated for game-fixing scandals, although he was ultimately not indicted on February 10, 2010. Tsao was expelled by CPBL on December 23, 2009. He has recorded the fastest pitch by a Taiwanese pitcher at 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) in 2005. Read more
• 02 Jun 1980: Fabrizio Moretti, Brazilian-American drummer Fabrizio "Fab" Moretti is a Brazilian-American musician and visual artist best known as the drummer for American rock band The Strokes, with whom he has released six studio albums since 2001. A collaborative artist, he has been part of a series of groups since the mid-2000s, most notably the Brazilian-American band Little Joy, which released one album in 2008, and the experimental pop collective Machinegum, which he has led since 2018. Throughout his career, Moretti has worked on a variety of art projects which span the mediums of drawing, sculpture, and installation and performance art. Read more
• 02 Jun 1980: Bobby Simmons, American basketball player Bobby Simmons is an American former professional basketball player. During his NBA career, Simmons played for five NBA teams between 2001 and 2012. He won the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2005. Read more
• 02 Jun 1980: Richard Skuse, English rugby player Richard David Skuse is a retired Rugby union prop who last played for the Saracens during the 2009–10 season. Read more
• 02 Jun 1980: Abby Wambach, American soccer player and coach Mary Abigail Wambach is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward. She played for the U.S. women's national soccer team from 2003 to 2015. With 184 international goals, she ranks second on the all-time list of international goals scored by players of any gender. Wambach is a six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, and was named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2012. She was included on the 2015 Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. Read more
• 02 Jun 1980: Tomasz Wróblewski, Polish bass player and songwriter Tomasz Wróblewski, stage name Orion, is a Polish musician, best known as the bassist for the extreme metal band Behemoth. Since 1997, he also is a member of symphonic black metal band Vesania as a lead vocalist and guitarist. Read more
• 02 Jun 1979: Morena Baccarin, Brazilian-American actress Morena Silva de Vaz Setta Baccarin is an American actress. Known for her lead role as Mickey Fox in the CBS television series Sheriff Country since 2025, Baccarin has played multiple television and film roles. She portrayed Adria in season 10 of the TV series Stargate SG-1, Inara Serra in the sci-fi television series Firefly (2002–2003) and its follow-up film Serenity (2005), Vanessa in the superhero comedy films Deadpool (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Jessica Brody in the thriller series Homeland (2011–2013), and Leslie Thompkins in the superhero series Gotham (2015–2019). For Homeland, Baccarin was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2013. Born in Brazil, she immigrated to the United States as a child. Read more
• 02 Jun 1979: Butterfly Boucher, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Butterfly Giselle Grace Boucher is an Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer born in Adelaide. From the age of 15 years she played bass guitar in her older sister Rebecca Boucher Burns (Becca)'s band Eat the Menu, which issued a debut album, Whoosh, in 1996. Since mid-2000 Boucher has lived in Nashville, United States, and has released four solo albums, Flutterby, Scary Fragile, a self-titled album, and a 10th-anniversary celebration of Flutterby called Happy Birthday Flutterby. Since 2008, Boucher has recorded material for Ten Out of Tenn, a Nashville-based music collective. Boucher is also a member of the pop rock trio Elle Macho. Read more
• 02 Jun 1978: Dominic Cooper, English actor Dominic Edward Cooper is an English actor known for his portrayal of comic book characters Jesse Custer on the AMC show Preacher (2016–2019) and young Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with appearances in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and the ABC series Agent Carter (2015–2016), among other Marvel productions. Cooper played Sky in Mamma Mia! (2008) and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018). Read more
• 02 Jun 1978: Nikki Cox, American actress Nikki Cox is an American actress, known for her roles on the television series Unhappily Ever After, Las Vegas, The Norm Show, and Nikki. Read more
• 02 Jun 1978: Yi So-yeon, biotechnologist and astronaut, the first Korean in space Yi So-yeon is a South Korean astronaut and biotechnologist who became the first South Korean to fly in space. Read more
• 02 Jun 1978: Justin Long, American actor Justin Jacob Long is an American actor and comedian. Read more
• 02 Jun 1977: Teet Allas, Estonian footballer Teet Allas is a retired Estonian professional footballer. He played the position of defender. Read more
• 02 Jun 1977: A.J. Styles, American wrestler Allen Neal Jones, better known by his ring name AJ Styles, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as a talent scout. He is also best known for his tenures in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), and Ring of Honor (ROH). Jones debuted in 1998 and competed for various independent promotions as well as World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before gaining initial mainstream exposure in TNA. Read more
• 02 Jun 1977: Zachary Quinto, American actor and producer Zachary John Quinto is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Sylar, the primary antagonist from the science fiction drama series Heroes (2006–2010); Spock in the film Star Trek (2009) and its sequels Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016); Charlie Manx in the AMC series NOS4A2, and Dr. Oliver Thredson in American Horror Story: Asylum, for which he received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. Read more
• 02 Jun 1976: Earl Boykins, American basketball player Earl Antoine Boykins is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is an assistant coach for the USC Trojans men's team. He played thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets. Standing at 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) in height, Boykins is the second-shortest player in NBA history behind Muggsy Bogues. He also played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and overseas in Italy. Read more
• 02 Jun 1976: Martin Čech, Czech ice hockey player (died 2007) Martin Čech was a Czech ice hockey defenceman. Read more
• 02 Jun 1976: Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brazilian mixed martial artist and boxer Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, better known as Minotauro or Big Nog, is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is the twin brother of UFC fighter Antônio Rogério Nogueira. Nogueira rose to prominence in Japanese promotions Fighting Network RINGS where he won the 2000 RINGS King of Kings tournament, and later with Pride Fighting Championships, where he was the first Pride Heavyweight Champion from November 2001 to March 2003, as well as a 2004 PRIDE FC Heavyweight Grand Prix Finalist. He is one of only three men to have held championship titles in both Pride Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Read more
• 02 Jun 1976: Tim Rice-Oxley, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player Timothy James Rice-Oxley is a British musician, best known for being the keyboardist, backing vocalist and songwriter of the alternative rock band Keane. In 2010, he formed a side-project, Mt. Desolation, with his Keane bandmate Jesse Quin. Read more
• 02 Jun 1975: Salvatore Scibona, American author Salvatore Scibona is an American novelist. He has won awards for his novels as well as short stories, and was selected in 2010 as one of The New Yorker's "20 under 40: Fiction Writers to Watch". His work has been published in ten languages. In 2021 he was awarded the $200,000 Mildred and Harold Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters for his novel The Volunteer. In its citation the academy wrote, "Salvatore Scibona's work is grand, tragic, epic. His novel The Volunteer, about war, masculinity, abandonment, and grimly executed grace, is an intricate masterpiece of plot, scene, and troubled character. In language both meticulous and extravagant, Scibona brings to the American novel a mythic fury, a fresh greatness." Read more
• 02 Jun 1974: Gata Kamsky, Russian-American chess player Gata Rustemovich Kamsky is an American-French chess grandmaster and a five-time U.S. champion. Read more
• 02 Jun 1974: Matt Serra, American mixed martial artist Matt Serra is an American former professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion. He is the co-star of Dana White: Lookin' for a Fight and co-host of the official podcast of the UFC, UFC Unfiltered, alongside Jim Norton. Read more
• 02 Jun 1973: Marko Kristal, Estonian footballer and manager Marko Kristal is an Estonian football manager and former player. He is the assistant manager of Nõmme Kalju. Read more
• 02 Jun 1973: Neifi Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player Neifi Neftali Pérez is a Dominican former Major League baseball player. He was a switch hitter who threw right-handed. During his career, he played with the Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Detroit Tigers. Read more
• 02 Jun 1972: Wayne Brady, American actor, comedian, game show host, and singer Wayne Alphonso Brady is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is a regular cast member on the American version of the improvisational comedy television series Whose Line Is It Anyway? He was the host of the daytime talk show The Wayne Brady Show, the original host of Fox's Don't Forget the Lyrics!, and he has hosted Let's Make a Deal since its 2009 revival. Read more
• 02 Jun 1972: Raúl Ibañez, American baseball player Raúl Javier Ibañez is an American former professional baseball left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) now serving as vice president of baseball development and special projects for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played 11 of his 19 big league seasons for the Seattle Mariners, while also playing for the Kansas City Royals, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. While primarily a left fielder, Ibañez often saw considerable time as a designated hitter (DH) throughout his career. Read more
• 02 Jun 1972: Wentworth Miller, American actor and screenwriter Wentworth Earl Miller III is an American actor known for playing the role of Michael Scofield in Prison Break, for which he received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2005. He made his screenwriting debut with the 2013 thriller film Stoker. In 2014, he began playing Leonard Snart / Captain Cold in a recurring role on The Flash before becoming a main series regular on the spin-off first season, Legends of Tomorrow. Read more
• 02 Jun 1971: Kateřina Jacques, Czech translator and politician Kateřina Jacques is a Czech Green Party politician. She was elected to the lower house of the Parliament of the Czech Republic in the June 2006 election, representing the Prague electoral district. Before the election she was director of the human rights section of the prime minister's office.
  She gained media attention when she was assaulted by a policeman while protesting against a neo-Nazi rally on 1 May 2006.
  Read more
• 02 Jun 1970: B Real, American rapper and actor Louis Mario Freese, known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper. Since 1991, he has been one of two lead rappers in the hip hop group Cypress Hill, along with Sen Dog, and the only constant member of the band. He has also been a part of the rap metal band Kush (2000–2002), the hip hop supergroup Serial Killers (2014–present) and the rap rock supergroup Prophets of Rage (2016–2019). He has released a variety of solo mixtapes, as well as two solo albums: Smoke n Mirrors (2009) and Tell You Something (2020). Read more
• 02 Jun 1969: Kurt Abbott, American baseball player Kurt Thomas Abbott is an American former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) primarily as a shortstop and second baseman from 1993 to 2001. Read more
• 02 Jun 1969: Paulo Sérgio, Brazilian footballer Paulo Sérgio Silvestre do Nascimento, commonly known as Paulo Sérgio, is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a forward. Whilst at German club Bayern Munich, he won the Champions League in 2001. Read more
• 02 Jun 1969: David Wheaton, American tennis player, radio host, and author David Wheaton is an American author, radio host, columnist, and former professional tennis player. Read more
• 02 Jun 1968: Merril Bainbridge, Australian singer-songwriter Merril Bainbridge is an Australian pop music singer and songwriter. Her debut was in 1994 with the single, "Mouth", which peaked at number one for six consecutive weeks in Australia and became a top five hit in the United States. Read more
• 02 Jun 1968: Andy Cohen, American television host Andrew Joseph Cohen is an American radio and television talk show host, producer, and writer. He is the host and executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise and Bravo's late night talk show, Watch What Happens Live! He also hosts a two-hour show with co-host John Hill twice a week on Sirius XM. Read more
• 02 Jun 1968: Lester Green, American comedian and actor Lester Green, known professionally as Beetlejuice, is an American comedian and actor. Green rose to prominence in 1999 due to his appearances on The Howard Stern Show, becoming a member of Stern's Wack Pack. He was named the greatest Wack Packer of all time in 2015. He has also appeared in such feature films as Bubble Boy (2001) and Scary Movie 2 (2001). Read more
• 02 Jun 1967: Remigija Nazarovienė, Lithuanian heptathlete and coach Remigija Nazarovienė is a retired Lithuanian heptathlete. She won the bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships and finished third at the 1998 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. She won the Talence Decastar twice, in 1996 and 1997, and was runner-up in 1989 and 1998. She competed at three consecutive Olympic Games, three consecutive World Championships in Athletics, ad four straight editions of the European Athletics Championships. Read more
• 02 Jun 1967: Mike Stanton, American baseball player William Michael Stanton is an American former left-handed relief pitcher who pitched for eight teams in Major League Baseball between 1989 and 2007. Stanton won the World Series in 1998, 1999, and 2000 as a member of the New York Yankees. Read more
• 02 Jun 1967: Nadhim Zahawi, British politician Nadhim Zahawi is an Iraqi-born British politician who served in various ministerial positions under prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak from 2018 to 2023. He most recently served as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio from 25 October 2022 until he was dismissed by Sunak on 29 January 2023. A former member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Stratford-on-Avon from 2010 to 2024. As of January 2026, he is a member of Reform UK. Read more
• 02 Jun 1966: Dayana Cadeau, Haitian born Canadian-American professional bodybuilder Dayana M. Cadeau is a Haitian Canadian professional female bodybuilder. Read more
• 02 Jun 1966: Candace Gingrich, American activist Candace Gingrich is an American LGBT rights activist at the Human Rights Campaign. Candace is the half-sibling of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Read more
• 02 Jun 1966: Pedro Guerra, Spanish singer-songwriter Pedro Manuel Guerra Mansito, better known as Pedro Guerra, is a Spanish singer-songwriter. He originally performed under the name Pedro Manuel. Read more
• 02 Jun 1966: Catherine King, Australian politician Catherine Fiona King is an Australian politician serving as the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government since 2022 and as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ballarat since 2001. She is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and briefly served as a minister in the Gillard and Rudd governments in 2013. She served as Shadow Minister of Health from 2013 to 2019 and as Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development from 2019 to 2022. Read more
• 02 Jun 1966: Petra van Staveren, Dutch swimmer Petronella ("Petra") Grietje van Staveren is a former breaststroke swimmer from the Netherlands who won the gold medal in the 100 meter breaststroke at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She also won a bronze at the 1986 world championships and a European silver in 1983 in the 4×100 meter medley relay. She finished five times in fourth place at European championships in 1981–1985. Read more
• 02 Jun 1965: Mark Waugh, Australian cricketer and journalist Mark Edward Waugh is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer, who represented Australia in Test matches from early 1991 to late 2002, after previously making his One Day International (ODI) debut in 1988. Waugh was a part of the Australian team that won the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Read more
• 02 Jun 1965: Steve Waugh, Australian cricketer Stephen Rodger Waugh is an Australian former international cricketer and twin brother of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman and a medium-pace bowler, Waugh is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time. Waugh was a part of the Australian team that won their first world title during the 1987 Cricket World Cup. As Australian captain from 1997 to 2004, he led Australia to fifteen of their record sixteen consecutive Test wins, and to victory in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Waugh is considered the most successful Test captain in history with 41 victories and a winning ratio of 72%. Read more
• 02 Jun 1964: Caroline Link, German director and screenwriter Caroline Link is a German television and film director and screenwriter. Read more
• 02 Jun 1963: Anand Abhyankar, Indian actor (died 2012) Anand Abhyankar was an Indian actor who appeared in Marathi film, television and theatre. He starred in films such as Spandan (2012), Balgandharva (2011), Matichya Chuli (2006), Vaastav (1999) and Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hain. On television, he is known for his roles in Mala Sasu Havi, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, Fu Bai Fu, Avaghachi Sansar and Asambhav. Read more
• 02 Jun 1962: Mark Plaatjes, South African-American runner and coach Mark Plaatjes is a former marathon runner who was champion at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics in Stuttgart. Read more
• 02 Jun 1960: Olga Bondarenko, Russian runner Olga Petrovna Bondarenko is a retired Russian track and field athlete who competed mainly in the 10,000 metres. She trained at the Armed Forces sports society in Volgograd and represented the Soviet Union internationally. Read more
• 02 Jun 1960: Tony Hadley, English singer-songwriter and actor Anthony Patrick Hadley is an English pop singer. He rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of the new wave band Spandau Ballet and launched a solo career following the group's split in 1990. Hadley returned to the band in 2009 but left again in 2017, and has since toured regularly as a solo artist. Hadley has been noted for his expressive voice and vocal range. Read more
• 02 Jun 1960: Kyle Petty, American race car driver and sportscaster Kyle Eugene Petty is an American former stock car racing driver and current racing commentator. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of racer Adam Petty, who was killed in a crash during practice in May 2000. Petty last drove the No. 45 Dodge Charger for Petty Enterprises, where he was CEO; his last race was in 2008. He is also an active philanthropist and has run the Kyle Petty Charity Ride Across America since 1995. Read more
• 02 Jun 1959: Rineke Dijkstra, Dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra HonFRPS is a Dutch photographer. She lives and works in Amsterdam. Dijkstra has been awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society, the 1999 Citibank Private Bank Photography Prize and the 2017 Hasselblad Award. Read more
• 02 Jun 1959: Lydia Lunch, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress Lydia Lunch is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no wave scene as the singer and guitarist of Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. Read more
• 02 Jun 1958: Lex Luger, American wrestler and football player Lawrence Wendell Pfohl, better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and professional football lineman. He is best known for his work with National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under Jim Crockett Promotions, and the World Wrestling Federation. Read more
• 02 Jun 1957: Mark Lawrenson, English footballer and manager Mark Thomas Lawrenson is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. He is best known for his time at Liverpool, during the 1980s. After a short career as a manager, he then became a radio, television and internet pundit, most prominently with the BBC, until his retirement in 2022. Born and raised in England, Lawrenson qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland through his grandfather, Thomas Crotty, who was born in Waterford. Read more
• 02 Jun 1956: Jan Lammers, Dutch race car driver Johannes Antonius "Jan" Lammers is a Dutch racecar driver, most notable for winning the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans world endurance race, for Silk Cut Jaguar/TWR; after four seasons in Formula One racing, from 1979 through 1982, for the F1 teams of Shadow, ATS, Ensign and Theodore, respectively. After a world-record setting ten-year hiatus, Lammers made a brief Formula One comeback, for two races, with team March in 1992. Aside from racing in these two of the highest leagues of global auto-sports, Lammers has raced in an exceptionally wide number of racing series and competitions, domestic and abroad, over four decades. Read more
• 02 Jun 1955: Dana Carvey, American comedian and actor Dana Thomas Carvey is an American stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster, screenwriter and producer. Read more
• 02 Jun 1955: Nandan Nilekani, Indian businessman, co-founded Infosys Nandan Mohanrao Nilekani is an Indian entrepreneur. He co-founded Infosys and is the non-executive chairman of Infosys replacing R Seshasayee and Ravi Venkatesan, who were the co-chairs of the board, on 24 August 2017. After the exit of Vishal Sikka, Nilekani was appointed non-executive chairman of the board effective 24 August 2017.
  He was the chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). After a successful career at Infosys, he headed the Government of India's technology committee, TAGUP. He is a member of Indian National Congress but not active in politics as of 2019. As of October 2025, he is the 100th richest person in India with a net worth of US$3.2 billion. Read more
• 02 Jun 1955: Mani Ratnam, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter Gopalaratnam Subramaniam, known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and a few Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada films. He is known as one of the most prominent and greatest directors in the history of Indian cinema. Read more
• 02 Jun 1955: Michael Steele, American singer-songwriter and bass player Michael Steele is an American former musician, best known as the bassist for the Bangles. Under the name Micki Steele, she was a founding member of the Runaways but left in 1975, shortly before the band's major label debut. For the next several years, she played with various other musical groups for short periods of time. Read more
• 02 Jun 1954: Dennis Haysbert, American actor and producer Dennis Dexter Haysbert is an American actor and voice actor. He is known for his roles as President David Palmer on the first five seasons of 24, baseball player Pedro Cerrano in the Major League film trilogy, Secret Service agent Tim Collin in the political thriller film Absolute Power, Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on the CBS military action drama series The Unit, and God on the Netflix show Lucifer. He has also appeared in the films Love Field, Navy SEALS, Heat, Waiting to Exhale, and Far from Heaven, as well as the science fiction series Incorporated. He is currently the narrator for the A&E Network's American Justice television series. Read more
• 02 Jun 1953: Vidar Johansen, Norwegian saxophonist Vidar Johansen is a Norwegian jazz musician, music arranger and composer.
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• 02 Jun 1953: Craig Stadler, American golfer Craig Robert Stadler is an American professional golfer who has won numerous tournaments at both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour level, including one major championship, the 1982 Masters Tournament. Read more
• 02 Jun 1953: Cornel West, American philosopher, author, and academic Cornel Ronald West is an American philosopher, theologian, political activist, politician, social critic, and public intellectual. West was an independent candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election and is an outspoken voice in left-wing politics in the United States. The grandson of a Baptist minister, West's primary philosophy focuses on the roles of race, gender, and class struggle in American society. A socialist, West draws intellectual contributions from multiple traditions, including Christianity, the black church, democratic socialism, left-wing populism, neopragmatism, and transcendentalism. Read more
• 02 Jun 1952: Gary Bettman, American sports executive, 14th Commissioner of the National Hockey League Gary Bruce Bettman is an American sports executive who serves as the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bettman is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law. Bettman was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018. Read more
• 02 Jun 1951: Gilbert Baker, American artist, gay rights activist, and designer of the rainbow flag (died 2017) Gilbert Baker was an American artist, designer, activist, and vexillographer, best known as the creator of the rainbow flag. Read more
• 02 Jun 1951: Arnold Mühren, Dutch footballer and manager Arnold Johannes Hyacinthus Mühren is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. His older brother Gerrie, also a midfielder, won three European Cup titles with Ajax in the early 1970s. Mühren is among the few players to have won all three major UEFA-organised club competitions, the European Cup (1972–73), the Cup Winners' Cup (1986–87) and the UEFA Cup (1980–81). The last of these was won with Ipswich Town, while the other titles were won while playing for Ajax. He is also one of the two Dutch players, together with Danny Blind, to have won all UEFA club competitions. Read more
• 02 Jun 1951: Larry Robinson, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Larry Clark Robinson is a Canadian former ice hockey coach, executive and player. His coaching career includes head coaching positions with the New Jersey Devils, as well as the Los Angeles Kings. For his play in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings, Robinson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1995. He was also inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2017, Robinson was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players". Larry is the brother of Moe Robinson. Read more
• 02 Jun 1951: Alexander Wylie, Lord Kinclaven, Scottish lawyer, judge, and educator Alexander Featherstonhaugh Wylie, Lord Kinclaven was a Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland. Read more
• 02 Jun 1950: Joanna Gleason, Canadian actress and singer Joanna Hall Gleason Sarandon is a Canadian-American actress and singer, known for her performances in theatrical musicals and plays, and on film and television. Read more
• 02 Jun 1950: Momčilo Vukotić, Serbian footballer and manager (died 2021) Momčilo "Moca" Vukotić was a Serbian football coach and player. Read more
• 02 Jun 1949: Heather Couper, English astronomer and physicist (died 2020) Heather Anita Couper, was a British astronomer, broadcaster and science populariser. Read more
• 02 Jun 1949: Frank Rich, American journalist and critic Frank Hart Rich Jr. is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within The New York Times from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Read more
• 02 Jun 1948: Jerry Mathers, American actor Gerald Patrick Mathers is an American former actor best known for his role in the television sitcom Leave It to Beaver, originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963. He played the protagonist Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the younger son of the suburban couple June and Ward Cleaver and the younger brother of Wally Cleaver. Read more
• 02 Jun 1946: Lasse Hallström, Swedish director, producer, and screenwriter Lars Sven "Lasse" Hallström is a Swedish film director. He first became known for directing almost all music videos by the pop group ABBA, and came to international attention with My Life as a Dog (1985). He is also known for What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), The Cider House Rules (1999), and Chocolat (2000). He has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as the Academy Award for Best Director twice. Read more
• 02 Jun 1946: Peter Sutcliffe, English serial killer (died 2020) Peter William Sutcliffe, also known as Peter Coonan, was an English serial killer who was convicted of murdering thirteen women and attempting to murder seven others between 1975 and 1980. Press reports dubbed him the Yorkshire Ripper, an allusion to the Victorian serial killer Jack the Ripper. Sutcliffe was sentenced to twenty concurrent sentences of life imprisonment, which were converted to a whole life order in 2010. Two of his murders took place in Manchester; all the others took place in West Yorkshire. Criminal psychologist David Holmes characterised Sutcliffe as being an "extremely callous, sexually sadistic serial killer". Read more
• 02 Jun 1945: Richard Long, English painter, sculptor, and photographer Sir Richard Julian Long is an English sculptor, painter, photographer, and one of the best-known British land artists. Read more
• 02 Jun 1945: Bonnie Newman, American businesswoman and politician Jane Ellen "Bonnie" Newman from North Hampton, New Hampshire is an American administrator and business executive. A Republican, she worked for Judd Gregg, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush. Newman was also interim president of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and the Community College System of New Hampshire. She was announced by the governor of New Hampshire as his selection for eventual appointment to the United States Senate when Gregg was nominated to become the United States Secretary of Commerce, but did not take office when the vacancy she was to fill did not materialize. Read more
• 02 Jun 1944: Robert Elliott, American actor (died 2004) Robert Elliott was an American actor. He is known for his roles in the movies Animal House (1978), Flashpoint (1984) and Vixen Highway (2001). He died on December 25, 2004, in Tucson, Arizona. Read more
• 02 Jun 1944: Marvin Hamlisch, American composer and conductor (died 2012) Marvin Frederick Hamlisch was an American composer and conductor. He is one of a handful of people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards, a feat dubbed the "EGOT". He and composer Richard Rodgers are the only people to have won those prizes and a Pulitzer Prize ("PEGOT"). Read more
• 02 Jun 1943: Ivi Eenmaa, Estonian politician, 36th Mayor of Tallinn Ivi Eenmaa is an Estonian politician. Read more
• 02 Jun 1943: Charles Haid, American actor and director Charles Maurice Haid III is an American actor and television director, with notable work in both movies and television. He is best known for his portrayal of Officer Andy Renko in Hill Street Blues. Read more
• 02 Jun 1943: Crescenzio Sepe, Italian cardinal Crescenzio Sepe is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Naples from 2006 to 2020. He served in the Roman Curia as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples from 2001 to 2006. He was made a cardinal in 2001. Before that he spent 25 years in increasingly important positions in the Roman Curia. Read more
• 02 Jun 1942: Mike Ahern, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of Queensland (died 2023) Michael John Ahern was an Australian National Party politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1987 to September 1989. After a long career in the government of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, Ahern became his successor amid the controversy caused by the Fitzgerald Inquiry into official corruption. Ahern's consensus style and political moderation contrasted strongly with Bjelke-Petersen's leadership, but he could not escape the division and strife caused by his predecessor's downfall. Read more
• 02 Jun 1941: Stacy Keach, American actor Walter Stacy Keach Jr. is an American actor, active in theatre, film and television since the 1960s. Keach first distinguished himself in Off-Broadway productions and is a prominent figure in American theatre, particularly as a noted Shakespearean. He is the recipient of several theatrical accolades, including four Drama Desk Awards and two Helen Hayes Awards. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Arthur Kopit's 1969 production of Indians, and twice nominated for the Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actor Read more
• 02 Jun 1941: Lou Nanne, Canadian-American ice hockey player and manager Louis Vincent Anthony Nanne is a Canadian-born American former National Hockey League defenceman and general manager. He played in the National Hockey League with the Minnesota North Stars between 1968 and 1978 and then served as the general manager of the team from 1978 to 1988. He also coached the team briefly during the 1978–79 season. Internationally Nanne played for the American national team at the 1968 Winter Olympics and the 1976 and 1977 World Championships, as well as 1976 Canada Cup, and managed the American teams at the 1981, 1984, and 1987 Canada Cup. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame and of the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame. Read more
• 02 Jun 1941: Irène Schweizer, Swiss jazz pianist (died 2024) Irène Schweizer was a Swiss jazz and free improvising pianist. Read more
• 02 Jun 1941: Charlie Watts, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (died 2021) Charles Robert Watts was an English musician who was the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021. Read more
• 02 Jun 1940: Constantine II of Greece (died 2023) Constantine II was the last King of Greece, reigning from 6 March 1964 until the abolition of the Greek monarchy on 1 June 1973. Read more
• 02 Jun 1939: Charles Miller, American musician (died 1980) Charles William Miller was an American musician best known as the saxophonist and flutist for the multicultural California funk band War. Notably, Miller provided lead vocals as well as saxophone on the band's Billboard R&B number one hit "Low Rider" (1975). Read more
• 02 Jun 1939: John Schlee, American golfer (died 2000) John H. Schlee was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s. Read more
• 02 Jun 1938: Kevin Brownlow, English historian and author Kevin Brownlow is a British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor. He is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era, having become interested in silent film at the age of eleven. This interest grew into a career spent documenting and restoring film. Brownlow has rescued many silent films and their history. His initiative in interviewing many largely forgotten, elderly film pioneers in the 1960s and 1970s preserved a legacy of early mass-entertainment cinema. In 1981, he received a BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at the 34th British Academy Film Awards. He received an Academy Honorary Award at the 2nd Annual Governors Awards given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on 13 November 2010. This was the first occasion on which an Academy Honorary Award was given to a film preservationist. Read more
• 02 Jun 1938: George William Penrose, Lord Penrose, Scottish lawyer and judge George William Penrose, Lord Penrose, PC was a Scottish judge and member of the Privy Council who sat in the Court of Session, the supreme civil court. Read more
• 02 Jun 1937: Rosalyn Higgins, English lawyer and judge Rosalyn Cohen Higgins, Lady Higgins, is a British judge who was a judge of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 1995 to 2009. She was the first female judge elected to the ICJ. Higgins was elected to a three-year term as its president in 2006. Read more
• 02 Jun 1937: Sally Kellerman, American actress (died 2022) Sally Clare Kellerman was an American actress whose acting career spanned 60 years. Her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's film M*A*S*H (1970) earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. After M*A*S*H, she appeared in a number of the director's projects, namely the films Brewster McCloud (1970), Welcome to L.A. (1976), The Player (1992), and Prêt-à-Porter (1994), and the short-lived anthology TV series Gun (1997). In addition to her work with Altman, Kellerman appeared in films such as Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1972), Back to School (1986), plus many television series such as The Twilight Zone (1963), The Outer Limits, Star Trek (1966), Bonanza, The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman (2006), 90210 (2008), Chemistry (2011), and Maron (2013). She also voiced Miss Finch in Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985), which went on to become one of her most significant voice roles. Read more
• 02 Jun 1937: Jimmy Jones, American singer-songwriter (died 2012) James Jones was an American singer-songwriter who moved to New York City while a teenager. His biggest hits were "Handy Man" (1959) and "Good Timin'" (1960). According to Allmusic journalist Steve Huey, Jones sang "in a smooth yet soulful falsetto modeled on the likes of Clyde McPhatter and Sam Cooke." Read more
• 02 Jun 1937: Robert Paul, Canadian figure skater and choreographer Robert Paul was a Canadian pair skater. He teamed up with Barbara Wagner in 1952. They became the 1960 Olympic champions, four-time World champions, and five-time Canadian national champions. After retiring from competition, the pair toured with Ice Capades. Read more
• 02 Jun 1937: Deric Washburn, American screenwriter and playwright Deric Washburn is an American screenwriter. Read more
• 02 Jun 1936: Volodymyr Holubnychy, Ukrainian race walker (died 2021) Volodymyr Stepanovych Holubnychy was a Ukrainian race walker, who competed for the Soviet Union. He dominated the 20 kilometre race walk in the 1960s and 1970s, winning four Olympic medals from 1960 to 1972 and finishing seventh in 1976. He became Olympic champion in 1960 and 1968. He is regarded as one of the greatest race walkers of all time and competed at the Olympics on five occasions in 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976. Read more
• 02 Jun 1935: Carol Shields, American-Canadian novelist and short story writer (died 2003) Carol Ann Shields was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel The Stone Diaries, which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as the Governor General's Award in Canada. Read more
• 02 Jun 1935: Dimitri Kitsikis, Greek poet and educator (died 2021) Dimitri Kitsikis was a Greek philosopher, Turkologist and Sinologist, as well as a professor of international relations and geopolitics. He also published poetry in French and Greek. Read more
• 02 Jun 1933: Sasao Gouland, governor of Chuuk State, Micronesia (died 2011) Sasao H. Gouland was the governor of Chuuk State, Micronesia from 1990 to June 1996. Read more
• 02 Jun 1933: Lew "Sneaky Pete" Robinson, drag racer (died 1971) Lew Russell Robinson, nicknamed "Sneaky Pete", was an American drag racer. Read more
• 02 Jun 1930: Pete Conrad, American captain, pilot, and astronaut (died 1999) Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. was an American NASA astronaut, aeronautical engineer, naval officer, aviator, and test pilot who commanded the Apollo 12 mission, on which he became the third person to walk on the Moon. Conrad was selected for NASA's second astronaut class in 1962. Read more
• 02 Jun 1929: Norton Juster, American architect, author, and academic (died 2021) Norton Juster was an American academic, architect, and writer. He was best known as an author of children's books, notably for The Phantom Tollbooth (1961) and The Dot and the Line (1963). Read more
• 02 Jun 1929: Ken McGregor, Australian tennis player (died 2007) Kenneth Bruce McGregor was an Australian tennis player from Adelaide who won the Men's Singles title at the Australian Championships in 1952. He and his longtime doubles partner, Frank Sedgman, are generally considered one of the greatest men's doubles teams of all time and won the doubles Grand Slam in 1951. McGregor was also a member of three Australian Davis Cup winning teams in 1950–1952. In 1953, Jack Kramer induced both Sedgman and McGregor to turn professional. He was ranked as high as World No. 3 in 1952. Read more
• 02 Jun 1928: Erzsi Kovács, Hungarian singer (died 2014) Erzsébet "Erzsi" Kovács DRH was a Hungarian pop singer and performer. After an attempt to escape to the west in 1951, she was arrested and imprisoned for three years. Afterwards, she resumed her singing career. She recorded her last album, Mosolyogva búcsúzom, aged 79. She was awarded the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary. Read more
• 02 Jun 1928: Ron Reynolds, English footballer (died 1999) Ronald Sidney Maurice Reynolds was an English goalkeeper whose career spanned nearly 20 years; he played 290 League games for three professional clubs, and for most of the 1950s played for Tottenham Hotspur, alongside his friend and tactical confidant, Danny Blanchflower. Read more
• 02 Jun 1927: W. Watts Biggers, American author, screenwriter, and animator (died 2013) William Watts "Buck" Biggers was an American novelist and co-creator of the long-running animated television series Underdog. Read more
• 02 Jun 1927: Colin Brittan, English footballer (died 2013) Colin Brittan was an English professional footballer who played for Bristol North Old Boys, Tottenham Hotspur and Bedford Town. Read more
• 02 Jun 1926: Chiyonoyama Masanobu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 41st Yokozuna (died 1977) Chiyonoyama Masanobu was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Fukushima, Hokkaidō. He was the sport's 41st yokozuna, between 1951 until 1959. He is regarded as the first "modern" yokozuna in that he was promoted by the Japan Sumo Association itself and not the House of Yoshida Tsukasa. He was the first yokozuna from Hokkaidō, which was also the birthplace of the subsequent yokozuna Yoshibayama, Taihō, Kitanoumi and his own recruits Kitanofuji and Chiyonofuji. After his retirement he left the Dewanoumi group of stables and founded Kokonoe stable in 1967. He died in 1977 while still an active stablemaster. Read more
• 02 Jun 1926: Milo O'Shea, Irish-American actor (died 2013) Milo Donal O'Shea was an Irish actor. He received nomination for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his breakthrough role of Leopold Bloom in Ulysses (1967), and was twice nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Play for his performances in Broadway productions of Staircase (1968) and Mass Appeal (1982). Read more
• 02 Jun 1924: June Callwood, Canadian journalist, author, and activist (died 2007) June Rose Callwood, was a Canadian journalist, author and social activist. She wrote articles and columns written for national newspapers and magazines, including Maclean's and Chatelaine. She also founded a number of charities. Read more
• 02 Jun 1923: Lloyd Shapley, American mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2016) Lloyd Stowell Shapley was an American mathematician and Nobel Memorial Prize-winning economist. He contributed to the fields of mathematical economics and especially game theory. Shapley is generally considered one of the most important contributors to the development of game theory since the work of von Neumann and Morgenstern. With Alvin E. Roth, Shapley won the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design." Read more
• 02 Jun 1922: Juan Antonio Bardem, Spanish director and screenwriter (died 2002) Juan Antonio Bardem Muñoz was a Spanish film director and screenwriter, born in Madrid. Bardem was best known for Muerte de un ciclista (1955) which won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, and El puente (1977) which won the Golden Prize at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1979 film Seven Days in January won the Golden Prize at the 11th Moscow International Film Festival. Read more
• 02 Jun 1922: Charlie Sifford, American professional golfer (died 2015) Charles Luther Sifford was an American professional golfer. Early in his career, he won a number of All-Negro events, winning the United Golf Association's National Negro Open six times. Later in his career, he was permitted to play on the PGA Tour, winning two events, the 1967 Greater Hartford Open and the 1969 Los Angeles Open. His huge influence was later acknowledged by Tiger Woods: without Sifford, "I probably wouldn't be here. My dad would have never picked up the game. Who knows if the clause would still exist or not? But he broke it down." Read more
• 02 Jun 1922: Carmen Silvera, Canadian-English actress (died 2002) Carmen Blanche Silvera was a British actress. Born in Canada of Spanish descent, she moved to Coventry, England, with her family when she was a child. She started working in theatre and appeared on television regularly in the 1960s, and achieved mainstream fame in the 1980s with her starring role in the British television sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! as Edith Artois. Read more
• 02 Jun 1921: Betty Freeman, American photographer and philanthropist (died 2009) Betty Freeman was an American philanthropist and photographer. She had originally trained to be a concert pianist, practicing six to eight hours per day for twenty years, but eventually, by the mid-1960s, gave up this dream to pursue concert managing. Read more
• 02 Jun 1921: Ernie Royal, American trumpet player (died 1983) Ernest Andrew Royal was a jazz trumpeter. His older brother was clarinetist and alto saxophonist Marshal Royal, with whom he appears on the classic Ray Charles big band recording The Genius of Ray Charles (1959). Read more
• 02 Jun 1921: Sigmund Sternberg, Hungarian-English businessman and philanthropist (died 2016) Sir Sigmund Sternberg was a Hungarian-British philanthropist, interfaith campaigner, businessman and Labour Party donor. Read more
• 02 Jun 1921: András Szennay, Hungarian priest (died 2012) András Szennay was a Hungarian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was born in Budapest and ordained a priest on 19 November 1944. Szennay was appointed Abbot nullius and Archabbot of the Pannonhalma Archabbey on 14 March 1973 and remained in this position until resigning in 1991. He died in 2012, aged 91. Read more
• 02 Jun 1920: Frank G. Clement, American lawyer and politician, 41st Governor of Tennessee (died 1969) Frank Goad Clement was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st governor of Tennessee from 1953 to 1959 and from 1963 to 1967. Inaugurated for the first time at age 32, he was the state's youngest and longest-serving governor in the 20th century with 10 years of service, having been elected to the governorship in 1952 and re-elected in 1954 and again in 1962. Clement owed much of his rapid political rise to his ability to deliver rousing, mesmerizing speeches. His sermon-like keynote address at the 1956 Democratic National Convention has been described as both one of the best and one of the worst keynote addresses in the era of televised conventions. Read more
• 02 Jun 1920: Yolande Donlan, American-English actress (died 2014) Yolande Donlan was an American-born British-based actress who worked extensively in the United Kingdom. Read more
• 02 Jun 1920: Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Polish-German author and critic (died 2013) Marcel Reich-Ranicki was a Polish-born German literary critic and member of the informal literary association Gruppe 47. He was regarded as one of the most influential contemporary literary critics in the field of German literature and has often been called Literaturpapst in Germany. His TV appearances made Reich-Ranicki a household name even among non-readers; in 2010, a survey found that 98% of Germans had heard of him. Read more
• 02 Jun 1920: Tex Schramm, American businessman (died 2003) Texas Earnest Schramm Jr. was an American professional football executive who was the original president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys franchise of the National Football League (NFL). Schramm, usually referred to as "Tex", became the head of the Cowboys when the former expansion team started operations in 1960. Read more
• 02 Jun 1920: Johnny Speight, English screenwriter and producer (died 1998) Johnny Speight was an English television scriptwriter of many classic British sitcoms. Read more
• 02 Jun 1918: Ruth Atkinson, Canadian-American illustrator (died 1997) Ruth Atkinson Ford, née Ruth Atkinson and a.k.a. R. Atkinson, was an American cartoonist and pioneering female comic book writer-artist who created the long-running Marvel Comics character Millie the Model and co-created Patsy Walker. Read more
• 02 Jun 1918: Kathryn Tucker Windham, American journalist and author (died 2011) Kathryn Tucker Windham was an American storyteller, author, photographer, folklorist, and journalist. She was born in Selma, Alabama, and grew up in nearby Thomasville. Read more
• 02 Jun 1917: Heinz Sielmann, German photographer and director (died 2006) Heinz Sielmann was a German wildlife photographer, biologist, zoologist and documentary filmmaker. Read more
• 02 Jun 1915: Alexandru Nicolschi, Romanian spy (died 1992) Alexandru Nicolschi was a Romanian communist activist, Soviet agent and officer, and Securitate chief under the Communist regime. Active until 1961, he was one of the most recognizable leaders of violent political repression. Read more
• 02 Jun 1915: Lester del Rey, American science fiction author (died 1993) Leonard Knapp, best known by his primary pseudonym, Lester del Rey, was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series, and the fantasy editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction imprint of Ballantine Books, working for his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. Read more
• 02 Jun 1913: Barbara Pym, English author (died 1980) Barbara Mary Crampton Pym was an English novelist. In the 1950s, she published a series of social comedies, of which the best known are Excellent Women (1952) and A Glass of Blessings (1958). After a period of rejection by publishers, her career was revived in 1977 when the critic Lord David Cecil and the poet Philip Larkin nominated her as the most underrated writer of the previous 75 years. Her novel Quartet in Autumn (1977) was nominated for the Booker Prize that year, and she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Read more
• 02 Jun 1913: Elsie Tu, English-Hong Kong educator and politician (died 2015) Elsie Tu, known as Elsie Elliott in her earlier life, was a British-born Hong Kong social activist, elected member of the Urban Council of Hong Kong from 1963 to 1995, and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong from 1988 to 1995. Read more
• 02 Jun 1911: Joe McCluskey, American runner (died 2002) Joseph Paul McCluskey was an American track and field athlete. During his running career, he won 27 national titles in various distance events and captured the steeplechase title a record nine times in a 13-year period. Read more
• 02 Jun 1910: Hector Dyer, American sprinter (died 1990) Hector "Hec" Monroe Dyer was an American athlete, winner of a gold medal in 4 × 100 m relay at the 1932 Summer Olympics. Read more
• 02 Jun 1907: Dorothy West, American journalist and author (died 1998) Dorothy West was an American novelist, short-story writer, and magazine editor associated with the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement in the 1920s and 1930s that celebrated black art, literature, and music. She was one of the few Black women writers to be published in major literary magazines in the 1930s and 1940s. Read more
• 02 Jun 1907: John Lehmann, English poet and publisher (died 1987) Rudolf John Frederick Lehmann was an English publisher, poet and man of letters. He founded the periodicals New Writing and The London Magazine, and the publishing house of John Lehmann Limited. Read more
• 02 Jun 1904: Frank Runacres, English painter and educator (died 1974) Frank Runacres was an English painter who worked in both watercolours and oil. He studied at Saint Martin's School of Art, at the Slade School of Fine Arts, and at the Royal College of Art under Sir William Rothenstein between 1930 and 1933. Read more
• 02 Jun 1904: Johnny Weissmuller, Hungarian-American swimmer and actor (died 1984) Johnny Weissmuller was a Hungarian-born German American Olympic swimmer, water polo player and actor. He has one of the best competitive-swimming records of the 20th century. He set world records alongside winning five gold medals in the Olympics. He won the 100m freestyle and the 4 × 200 m relay team event in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris and the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam. Weissmuller also won gold in the 400m freestyle, as well as a bronze medal in the water polo competition in Paris. Read more
• 02 Jun 1899: Lotte Reiniger, German animator and director (died 1981) Charlotte "Lotte" Reiniger was a German film director and the foremost pioneer of silhouette animation. Her best known films are The Adventures of Prince Achmed, from 1926, the oldest surviving feature-length animated film, and Papageno (1935). Reiniger is also noted for having devised, from 1923 to 1926, the first form of a multiplane camera, one of the most important devices in pre digital animation. Reiniger worked on more than 40 films throughout her career. Read more
• 02 Jun 1899: Edwin Way Teale, American environmentalist and photographer (died 1980) Edwin Way Teale was an American naturalist, photographer and writer. Teale's works serve as primary source material documenting environmental conditions across North America from 1930–1980. He is perhaps best known for his series The American Seasons, four books documenting over 75,000 miles (121,000 km) of automobile travel across North America following the changing seasons. Read more
• 02 Jun 1893: Maire Comerford, Irish Republican (died 1982) Mary Eva Comerford was an Irish republican from County Wexford. As a member of Cumann na mBan she witnessed the events of 1916 to 1923 and took an active part in the Irish War of Independence. She opposed the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. During the Irish Civil War she fought against the Irish Free State, being imprisoned and wounded by gunfire, and went on hunger strike. She was later a journalist for The Irish Press. Comerford remained an opponent of partition and the Free State until her death. Her memoir of the Irish revolutionary period, On Dangerous Ground, was published posthumously in 2021. The British newspaper, The Daily Mail, called her "the Jeanne d'Arc of the Republican cause". Read more
• 02 Jun 1891: Thurman Arnold, American lawyer and judge (died 1969) Thurman Wesley Arnold was an American lawyer best known for his trust-busting campaign as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Department of Justice from 1938 to 1943. He later served as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Before coming to Washington in 1938, Arnold was the mayor of Laramie, Wyoming and a professor at Yale Law School, where he took part in the legal realism movement and published two books: The Symbols of Government (1935) and The Folklore of Capitalism (1937). He also published The Bottlenecks of Business (1940). Read more
• 02 Jun 1891: Takijirō Ōnishi, Japanese admiral and pilot (died 1945) Takijirō Ōnishi was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II who came to be known as the father of the kamikaze. Read more
• 02 Jun 1881: Walter Egan, American golfer (died 1971) Walter Eugene Egan was an American golfer who competed in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Read more
• 02 Jun 1878: Wallace Hartley, English violinist and bandleader (died 1912) Wallace Henry Hartley was an English violinist, who became best known for his actions during the sinking of the Titanic. The bandleader on the Titanic during its maiden voyage, he led the eight-member band in various pieces as the ship sank on 15 April 1912; neither he nor any of the band survived. Read more
• 02 Jun 1875: Charles Stewart Mott, American businessman and politician, 50th Mayor of Flint, Michigan (died 1973) Charles Stewart Mott was an American industrialist and businessman, philanthropist, a co-owner of General Motors, and the 50th and 55th mayor of Flint, Michigan. Read more
• 02 Jun 1866: Jack O'Connor, American baseball player and manager (died 1937) John Joseph O'Connor, also known as Peach Pie, was an American catcher, outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball in the American Association, the National League, and the American League, primarily used as a catcher. O'Connor appeared in games across four decades. He also was player-manager of the 1910 St. Louis Browns, finishing with a record of 47–107–4 (.305). O'Connor has the most career stolen bases (219) by a primary catcher in MLB history. Read more
• 02 Jun 1865: George Lohmann, English cricketer (died 1901) George Alfred Lohmann was an English cricketer, regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. Statistically, he holds the lowest lifetime Test bowling average among bowlers with more than fifteen wickets and he has the second highest peak rating for a bowler in the ICC ratings. He also holds the record for the lowest strike rate in all Test history. Read more
• 02 Jun 1865: Adelaide Casely-Hayford, Sierra Leone Creole advocate and activist for cultural nationalism (died 1960) Adelaide Casely-Hayford, was a Sierra Leone Creole advocate, activist of cultural nationalism, teacher, fiction writer, and feminist. Her commitment to public service led her to improving the conditions of black women and men. She played an important role as an advocate of women's education in Sierra Leone to popularize Pan-Africanist and feminist politics in the early 1900s. In 1923, she founded a Girls' Vocational and Training School in Freetown to instil cultural and racial pride for Sierra Leoneans under colonial rule. The school lasted until 1940 and strongly emphasized the education of African women. She later went on to further her mission of feminism and cultural nationalism from the school by writing short stories and memoirs. Read more
• 02 Jun 1863: Felix Weingartner, Croatian-Austrian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1942) Paul Felix Weingartner, Edler von Münzberg was an Austrian conductor, composer and pianist. Read more
• 02 Jun 1861: Concordia Selander, Swedish actress and manager (died 1935) Concordia Cornelia Johanna Selander, née Hård, was a Swedish actress and theatre manager. Read more
• 02 Jun 1857: Edward Elgar, English composer and educator (died 1934) Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. He also composed choral works, including The Dream of Gerontius, chamber music and songs. He was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1924. Read more
• 02 Jun 1857: Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Danish author and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1919) Karl Adolph Gjellerup was a Danish poet and novelist who together with his compatriot Henrik Pontoppidan won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1917. He is associated with the Modern Breakthrough period of Scandinavian literature. He occasionally used the pseudonym Epigonos. Read more
• 02 Jun 1840: Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet (died 1928) Thomas Hardy was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Wordsworth. He was highly critical of much in Victorian society, especially on the declining status of rural people in Britain such as those from his native South West England. Read more
• 02 Jun 1840: Émile Munier, French artist (died 1895) Émile Munier was a French academic artist and student of William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Read more
• 02 Jun 1838: Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Oldenburg (died 1900) Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Russia was a great-granddaughter of Emperor Paul I of Russia and the wife of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia, the elder. Read more
• 02 Jun 1835: Pope Pius X (died 1914) Pope Pius X was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 until his death in August 1914. He was known for opposing modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, and for promoting liturgical reforms and Thomist scholastic theology. He initiated the preparation of the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the first comprehensive and systemic work of its kind, which was ultimately promulgated by his successor. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. Read more
• 02 Jun 1823: Gédéon Ouimet, Canadian lawyer and politician, 2nd Premier of Quebec (died 1905) Gédéon Ouimet was a French-Canadian politician. Read more
• 02 Jun 1813: Daniel Pollen, Irish-New Zealand politician, 9th Prime Minister of New Zealand (died 1896) Daniel Pollen was an Irish-New Zealand politician who became the ninth premier of New Zealand, serving from 6 July 1875 to 15 February 1876. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 02 June in World History

• 02 Jun 2024: Larry Allen, American football player (born 1971) Larry Christopher Allen Jr. was an American professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Butte Roadrunners and the Sonoma State Cossacks, and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft. A player capable of using his speed against defenders, Allen was regarded as one of the strongest players to ever play in the NFL, and has been ranked as the best offensive lineman of all-time by Fox Sports. Read more
• 02 Jun 2024: Rob Burrow, English rugby league footballer (born 1982) Robert Geoffrey Burrow was an English professional rugby league footballer who played as a scrum-half or hooker. Burrow spent his entire professional career with the Leeds Rhinos, making nearly 500 appearances as well as representing Great Britain, England, and Yorkshire. Read more
• 02 Jun 2024: David Levy, Israeli politician (born 1937) David Levy was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset between 1969 and 2006. Levy's ascent to political prominence demonstrated the growing influence of Mizrahi Jews in Israel. He played a crucial role in changing the political power structure in Israel by motivating hundreds of thousands of Mizrahi voters to cast their ballots for Menachem Begin. To quote Benjamin Netanyahu, "David, born in Morocco, forged his way through life with his own two hands… On the national level, he made a personal mark on the political world, while taking care of weak populations that knew adversity." Read more
• 02 Jun 2024: Janis Paige, American actress and singer (born 1922) Janis Paige was an American actress and singer. With a career spanning nearly 60 years, she was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Read more
• 02 Jun 2017: Peter Sallis, English actor (born 1921) Peter Sallis was an English actor. He was the original voice of Wallace in the Academy Award-winning Wallace & Gromit films and played Norman "Cleggy" Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine from its 1973 inception until the final episode in 2010, making him the only actor to appear in all 295 episodes. Additionally, he portrayed Norman Clegg's father in the prequel series First of the Summer Wine. Read more
• 02 Jun 2015: Fernando de Araújo, East Timorese politician, President of East Timor (born 1963) Fernando de Araújo, also known as Lasama was an East Timorese activist and politician. He was a clandestine activist for the independence of East Timor, and then founded the Democratic Party after independence. He was President of the National Parliament of East Timor from 2007 to 2012. He also served as the Acting President for two months in early 2008. Read more
• 02 Jun 2015: Irwin Rose, American biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1926) Irwin Allan Rose was an American biologist. Along with Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko, he was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation. Read more
• 02 Jun 2014: Ivica Brzić, Serbian footballer and manager (born 1941) Ivan "Ivica" Brzić was a Yugoslav and Serbian football manager and player. Read more
• 02 Jun 2014: Nikolay Khrenkov, Russian bobsledder (born 1984) Nikolay Nikolayevich Khrenkov was a Russian bobsledder. Read more
• 02 Jun 2014: Alexander Shulgin, American pharmacologist and chemist (born 1925) Alexander Theodore "Sasha" Shulgin was an American biochemist, broad researcher of synthetic psychoactive compounds, and author of works regarding these, who independently explored the organic chemistry and pharmacology of such agents—in his mid-life and later, many through preparation in his home laboratory, and testing on himself. He is acknowledged to have introduced to broader use, in the late 1970s, the previously synthesized compound MDMA ("ecstasy"), in research psychopharmacology and in combination with conventional therapy, the latter through presentations and academic publications, including to psychologists; and for the rediscovery, occasional discovery, and regular synthesis and personal use and distribution, of possibly hundreds of psychoactive compounds. As such, Shulgin is seen both as a pioneering and a controversial participant in the emergence of the broad use of psychedelics. Read more
• 02 Jun 2013: Mario Bernardi, Canadian pianist and conductor (born 1930) Mario Bernardi, was a Canadian conductor and pianist. He conducted 75 different operas and over 450 other works with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Read more
• 02 Jun 2013: Chen Xitong, Chinese politician, 8th Mayor of Beijing (born 1930) Chen Xitong was a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and the Mayor of Beijing until he was removed from office on charges of corruption in 1995. Read more
• 02 Jun 2013: Mandawuy Yunupingu, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1956) Mandawuy Djarrtjuntjun Yunupingu, formerly Tom Djambayang Bakamana Yunupingu, and also known as Dr Yunupingu, was a teacher and musician, and frontman of the Aboriginal rock group Yothu Yindi from 1986. He was an Aboriginal Australian man of the Yolŋu people, with a skin name of Gudjuk. Read more
• 02 Jun 2012: Adolfo Calero, Nicaraguan businessman and political activist (born 1931) Adolfo Calero Portocarrero was a Nicaraguan businessman and the leader of the Nicaraguan Democratic Force, the largest rebel group of the Contras, opposing the Sandinista government. Read more
• 02 Jun 2012: Richard Dawson, English-American soldier, actor, television personality, and game show host (born 1932) Richard Dawson was an English actor, comedian, game-show host, and panelist. He was well known for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk in Hogan's Heroes, as a regular panelist on Match Game (1973–1978), and as the original host of Family Feud. Read more
• 02 Jun 2012: LeRoy Ellis, American basketball player (born 1940) LeRoy Ellis was an American basketball player. Read more
• 02 Jun 2012: Kathryn Joosten, American actress (born 1939) Kathryn Joosten was an American actress. Her best known roles include Delores Landingham on NBC's The West Wing from 1999 to 2002 and Karen McCluskey on ABC's Desperate Housewives from 2005 to 2012, for which she won two Primetime Emmy Awards in 2005 and 2008. Read more
• 02 Jun 2009: David Eddings, American author (born 1931) David Carroll Eddings was an American fantasy writer. With his wife Leigh, he authored several best-selling epic fantasy novel series, including The Belgariad (1982–84), The Malloreon (1987–91), The Elenium (1989–91), The Tamuli (1992–94), and The Dreamers (2003–06). Whether credited as the sole author or with Leigh, David Eddings wrote over two dozen novels. Read more
• 02 Jun 2008: Bo Diddley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1928) Ellas Otha Bates, known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy Holly, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, George Thorogood, Syd Barrett, Tom Petty, and the Clash. Read more
• 02 Jun 2008: Mel Ferrer, American actor (born 1917) Melchor Gastón Ferrer was an American actor, director, and producer, active in film, theatre, and television. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with Scaramouche (1952), Lili (1953), and Knights of the Round Table . He starred opposite his wife, actress Audrey Hepburn, in War and Peace (1956) and produced her film Wait Until Dark (1967). Read more
• 02 Jun 2007: Kentarō Haneda, Japanese pianist and composer (born 1949) Kentarō Haneda was a Japanese pianist, composer and arranger. He composed for popular anime series, movies and video games. His popular name was Haneken. Read more
• 02 Jun 2007: Huang Ju, Chinese engineer and politician, 1st Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (born 1938) Huang Ju was a Chinese politician and a high-ranking leader in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was one of the nine members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP, China's top decision-making body, between 2002 until his death in 2007, and also served as the first-ranked vice premier of China beginning in 2003. He died in office before he could complete his terms on the Standing Committee and as vice premier. Read more
• 02 Jun 2006: Keith Smith, English rugby player and coach (born 1952) Keith Smith was an English dual-code international rugby footballer who played in the 1970s. He played representative rugby union (RU) as a centre, for England, England (Under-23s), Yorkshire, and Yorkshire (Colts), and at club level for Moortown RUFC and Roundhay RUFC, and he played representative rugby league (RL) as a centre for England, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity. Read more
• 02 Jun 2005: Lucien Cliche, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1916) Lucien Cliche was a lawyer and political figure in Quebec. He represented Abitibi-Est in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and then the Quebec National Assembly from 1960 to 1970 as a Liberal. Cliche was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1960 to 1961. Read more
• 02 Jun 2005: Gunder Gundersen, Norwegian skier (born 1930) Gunder Gundersen was a Norwegian Nordic combined skier and sports official. He was born in Asker. Read more
• 02 Jun 2005: Samir Kassir, Lebanese journalist and educator (born 1950) Samir Kassir was a Lebanese-Syrian-Palestinian journalist of An-Nahar and professor of history at Saint-Joseph University, who was an advocate of democracy and prominent opponent of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. He was assassinated in 2005 as part of a series of assassinations of anti-Syria Lebanese political figures such as Rafic Hariri and George Hawi. Read more
• 02 Jun 2005: Melita Norwood, English civil servant and spy (born 1912) Melita Stedman Norwood was a British civil servant, Communist Party of Great Britain member and KGB spy. Read more
• 02 Jun 2003: Freddie Blassie, American wrestler and manager (born 1918) Frederick Kenneth Blassie was an American professional wrestler and manager, known by the ring name "Classy" Freddie Blassie. His achievements in the ring included holding the Los Angeles-based World Wrestling Associates (WWA) world title four times. Renowned as "The Hollywood Fashion Plate", he was a one-time NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion and was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994. He is regarded as one of the greatest wrestling heels, or villains, of all time. Read more
• 02 Jun 2003: Alma Ricard, Canadian broadcaster and philanthropist (born 1906) Alma Ricard, née Vézina was a Canadian broadcaster and philanthropist. A partner with her husband F. Baxter Ricard in his broadcasting holdings, including Northern Cable and Mid-Canada Communications, after her husband's death in 1993 she became a prominent donor to institutional and educational charities. Read more
• 02 Jun 2002: Hugo van Lawick, Dutch director and photographer (born 1937) Hugo Arndt Rodolf, Baron van Lawick was a Dutch wildlife filmmaker and photographer. Read more
• 02 Jun 2001: Imogene Coca, American actress and comedian (born 1908) Imogene Coca was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on Your Show of Shows. Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and pursued a serious career in music and dance, graduating to decades of stage musical revues, cabaret, and summer stock. In her 40s, she began a celebrated career as a comedian on television, starring in six series and guest-starring on successful television programs from the 1940s to the '90s. Read more
• 02 Jun 2001: Joey Maxim, American boxer (born 1922) Giuseppe Antonio Berardinelli was an American professional boxer. He was the World Light Heavyweight Champion from 1950 to 1952. He took the ring-name Joey Maxim from the Maxim gun, the world's first self-acting machine gun, based on his ability to rapidly throw a large number of left jabs. Read more
• 02 Jun 2000: Svyatoslav Fyodorov, Russian ophthalmologist, academic, and politician (born 1927) Svyatoslav Nikolayevich Fyodorov was a Russian ophthalmologist, politician, professor, full member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. He is considered to be a pioneer of refractive surgery. He was also one of the candidates in the 1996 Russian presidential election, running as a member of the Party of Workers' Self-Government. Read more
• 02 Jun 2000: John Schlee, American golfer (born 1939) John H. Schlee was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s. Read more
• 02 Jun 2000: Gerald James Whitrow, English mathematician, cosmologist, and historian (born 1912) Gerald James Whitrow was a British mathematician, cosmologist and science historian. Read more
• 02 Jun 1999: Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican singer (born 1949)

  Franklin Delano Alexander "Junior" Braithwaite was a reggae musician from Kingston, Jamaica and the youngest member of the vocal group, The Wailing Wailers. Read more

• 02 Jun 1997: Doc Cheatham, American trumpet player, singer, and bandleader (born 1905) Adolphus Anthony Cheatham, better known as Doc Cheatham, was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and bandleader. He is also the grandfather of musician Theo Croker. Read more
• 02 Jun 1997: Helen Jacobs, American tennis champion (born 1908) Helen Hull Jacobs was an American tennis player who won nine Grand Slam titles. In 1936 she was ranked No. 1 in singles by A. Wallis Myers. Read more
• 02 Jun 1996: John Alton, Hungarian-American cinematographer and director (born 1901) John Alton was an American cinematographer of Hungarian-German origin. Alton photographed some of the most famous films noir of the classic period and won an Academy Award for the cinematography of An American in Paris (1951), becoming the first Hungarian-born person to do so in the cinematography category. He also worked as a director during the Golden Age of Argentine cinema. Read more
• 02 Jun 1996: Leon Garfield, English author (born 1921) Leon Garfield FRSL was a British writer of fiction. He is best known for children's historical novels, though he also wrote for adults. He wrote more than thirty books and scripted Shakespeare: The Animated Tales for television. He won the Carnegie Medal for The God Beneath the Sea, a retelling of Greek mythology cowritten with Edward Blishen.. Read more
• 02 Jun 1996: Ray Combs, American game show host (born 1956) Raymond Neil Combs Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and game show host. He began his professional career in the late 1970s. His popularity on the stand-up circuit led to him being signed as the second host of the game show Family Feud in its second run and first revival. The show aired on CBS from 1988 to 1993 and was in syndication from 1988 to 1994. From 1995 to 1996, Combs hosted another game show, Family Challenge. Read more
• 02 Jun 1994: David Stove, Australian philosopher, author, and academic (born 1927) David Charles Stove was an Australian philosopher whose writings often challenged prevailing academic orthodoxy. He was known for his critiques of postmodernism, feminism, and multiculturalism. Read more
• 02 Jun 1993: Johnny Mize, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster (born 1913) John Robert Mize, nicknamed "Big Jawn" and "the Big Cat", was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, and New York Yankees from 1936 to 1953, losing three seasons to military service during World War II. Mize was a ten-time All-Star and won five consecutive World Series with the Yankees. Read more
• 02 Jun 1993: Tahar Djaout, Algerian journalist, writer and poet (born 1954) Tahar Djaout was an Algerian journalist, poet, and fiction writer. He was assassinated in 1993 by the Armed Islamic Group. Read more
• 02 Jun 1992: Philip Dunne, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1908) Philip Ives Dunne was an American screenwriter, film director, and producer, who worked prolifically from 1932 until 1965. He spent the majority of his career at 20th Century Fox. He crafted well regarded romantic and historical dramas, usually adapted from another medium. Dunne was a leading Screen Writers Guild organizer and was politically active during the "Hollywood Blacklist" episode of the 1940s–1950s. He is best known for the films How Green Was My Valley (1941), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), The Robe (1953) and The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965). Read more
• 02 Jun 1991: Ahmed Arif, Turkish poet and author (born 1927) Ahmed Arif was a Turkish-Kurdish poet. Read more
• 02 Jun 1990: Rex Harrison, English actor (born 1908) Sir Reginald Carey Harrison was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play French Without Tears, in what was his breakthrough role. He won his first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance as Henry VIII in the Broadway play Anne of the Thousand Days in 1949. He returned to Broadway portraying Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady (1956) where he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Read more
• 02 Jun 1989: Ted a'Beckett, Australian cricketer and footballer (born 1907) Edward Lambert à Beckett was an Australian cricketer who played in four Test matches between 1928 and 1931. He played in 47 first-class matches for Victoria. Read more
• 02 Jun 1988: Raj Kapoor, Indian actor, director, and producer (born 1924) Ranbir Raj Kapoor was an Indian actor and filmmaker who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors and filmmakers in the history of Indian cinema. He has been referred to as The Greatest Showman of Indian Cinema as well as The Charlie Chaplin of Indian Cinema. Read more
• 02 Jun 1987: Anthony de Mello, Indian-American priest and psychotherapist (born 1931) Anthony de Mello, also known as Tony de Mello, was an Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapist. A teacher and public speaker, de Mello wrote several books on spirituality and hosted numerous spiritual retreats and conferences. He is known for his storytelling, which drew from the various mystical traditions of both East and West. Read more
• 02 Jun 1987: Sammy Kaye, American bandleader and songwriter (born 1910) Sammy Kaye was an American bandleader and songwriter, whose tag line, "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the Big Band Era. The expression springs from his first hit single in 1937, "Swing and Sway". He was the first to record and release the standard "Blueberry Hill" in 1940. During World War II, he co-wrote and recorded the anthemic "Remember Pearl Harbor". He was the first to record and release the #1 song "Daddy" in 1941. His final #1 hit was "Harbor Lights" in 1950. Read more
• 02 Jun 1987: Andrés Segovia, Spanish guitarist (born 1893) Andrés Segovia Torres, 1st Marquis of Salobreña, was a Spanish virtuoso classical guitarist. Many professional classical guitarists were either students of Segovia or students of Segovia's students.
  Segovia's contribution to the modern-romantic repertoire included not only commissions but also his own transcriptions of classical or baroque works. He is remembered for his expressive performances: his wide palette of tone, and his distinctive musical personality, phrasing and style. Read more
• 02 Jun 1986: Aurèle Joliat, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1901) Aurèle Émile Joliat, nicknamed the "Mighty Atom" and "Little Giant", was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens. Read more
• 02 Jun 1983: Stan Rogers, Canadian singer-songwriter (born 1949) Stanley Allison Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter who sang traditional-sounding songs frequently inspired by Canadian history and the working people's daily lives, especially from the fishing villages of the Maritime provinces and, later, the farms of the Canadian prairies and Great Lakes. He died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797, grounded at the Greater Cincinnati Airport, at the age of 33. Read more
• 02 Jun 1983: Ray Stehr, Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1913) Raymond Ernest Stehr was an Australian rugby league footballer, a state and national representative player whose club career was played at Sydney's Eastern Suburbs club. He has been named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century. Read more
• 02 Jun 1982: Fazal Ilahi Chaudhry, Pakistani lawyer and politician, 5th President of Pakistan (born 1904) Fazal Elahi Chaudhry was a Pakistani barrister, politician and statesman who served as the fifth president of Pakistan from 1973 until his resignation in 1978, due to Zia-ul-Haq's martial law following the 1977 coup d'état which overthrew Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's government. He was the first legislatively-elected president in the country's history, serving as a constitutional figurehead. Read more
• 02 Jun 1982: Shah Abdul Wahhab, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar (born 1894) Shah Abdul Wahhab was a Bangladeshi Deobandi Islamic scholar, educator, jurist, and spiritual leader. He served as the second rector of Darul Uloom Hathazari, primarily participating in administrative and educational activities. He was a vice president of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, and sat on the Chittagong Court jury for 23 years. He graduated from Darul Uloom Deoband and Mazahir Uloom, and was one of the disciples of Ashraf Ali Thanwi. Read more
• 02 Jun 1979: Jim Hutton, American actor (born 1934) Dana Scott James Hutton was an American actor in film and television best remembered for his role as Ellery Queen in the 1970s TV series of the same name, and his screen partnership with Paula Prentiss in four films, starting with Where the Boys Are. He was the father of actor Timothy Hutton. Read more
• 02 Jun 1978: Santiago Bernabéu Yeste, Spanish footballer and coach (born 1895) Santiago Bernabéu de Yeste was a Spanish football player, coach, and administrator who played for Real Madrid as a forward, later serving as the club's manager and then president. He is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Real Madrid, having served as its president for 34 years and 264 days, from 11 September 1943 until his death on 2 June 1978. Read more
• 02 Jun 1977: Albert Bittlmayer, German footballer (born 1952) Albert Bittlmayer was a German footballer who made a combined total of 142 league appearances for 1. FC Nürnberg and Tennis Borussia Berlin until he died of cancer at the age of 24. Read more
• 02 Jun 1977: Stephen Boyd, Northern Irish-born American actor (born 1931) William Millar, better known by his stage name Stephen Boyd, was an actor from Northern Ireland. He emerged as a leading man during the late 1950s with his role as the villainous Messala in Ben-Hur (1959), a role that earned him the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. He received his second Golden Globe nomination for the musical Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962). Read more
• 02 Jun 1976: Kenneth Mason, English soldier and geographer (born 1887) Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth Mason MC was a British soldier and explorer notable as the first statutory professor of Geography at the University of Oxford. His work surveying the Himalayas was rewarded in 1927 with a Royal Geographical Society Founder's Medal, the citation reading for his connection between the surveys of India and Russian Turkestan, and his leadership of the Shaksgam Expedition. Read more
• 02 Jun 1976: Juan José Torres, Bolivian general and politician, 61st President of Bolivia (born 1920) Juan José Torres González was a Bolivian socialist politician and military leader who served as the 50th president of Bolivia from 1970 to 1971, when he was ousted in a coup that resulted in the dictatorship of Hugo Banzer. He was popularly known as "J.J." (Jota-Jota). Juan José Torres was murdered in 1976 in Buenos Aires, in the frame of the United States-backed campaign Operation Condor. Read more
• 02 Jun 1974: Hiroshi Kazato, Japanese race car driver (born 1949) Hiroshi Kazato was a Japanese racecar driver. Kazato started his career at age 19. He took part in the 1971 Can-Am season, finishing 10th in the championship driving a Lola T222-Chevrolet. He participated at Formula Two European seasons 1972 and 1973, scoring 7 championship points. He graduated from Seikei University in 1973. Read more
• 02 Jun 1970: Orhan Kemal, Turkish author (born 1914) Orhan Kemal is the pen name of Turkish novelist Mehmet Reşit Öğütçü. He is known for his realist novels that describe the life of the poor in Turkey. Read more
• 02 Jun 1970: Albert Lamorisse, French director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1922) Albert Lamorisse was a French filmmaker, film producer, and writer of short films which he began making in the late 1940s. Read more
• 02 Jun 1970: Bruce McLaren, New Zealand race car driver and engineer, founded the McLaren racing team (born 1937) Bruce Leslie McLaren was a New Zealand racing driver, automotive designer, engineer, and motorsport executive who competed in Formula One from 1958 to 1970. He won four Grands Prix across 13 seasons and was runner-up in the 1960 Formula One World Drivers' Championship with Cooper. He won the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans with Chris Amon in a Ford GT40 and won the Canadian-American Challenge Cup in 1967 and 1969. Read more
• 02 Jun 1970: Giuseppe Ungaretti, Italian soldier, journalist, and academic (born 1888) Giuseppe Ungaretti was an Italian modernist poet, journalist, essayist, critic, academic, and recipient of the inaugural 1970 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. A leading representative of the experimental trend known as Ermetismo ("Hermeticism"), he was one of the most prominent contributors to 20th-century Italian literature. Influenced by symbolism, he was briefly aligned with futurism. Like many futurists, he took an irredentist position during World War I. Ungaretti debuted as a poet while fighting in the trenches, publishing one of his best-known pieces, L'allegria. Read more
• 02 Jun 1970: Lucía Sánchez Saornil, Spanish anarchist feminist (born 1895) Lucía Sánchez Saornil, was a Spanish poet and anarcha-feminist activist, best known for co-founding the Mujeres Libres organisation together with Mercedes Comaposada and Amparo Poch y Gascón. Born into a working-class Madrilenian family, she taught herself from an early age and began writing poems for the burgeoning Futurist and Ultraist movements. Read more
• 02 Jun 1969: Leo Gorcey, American actor (born 1917) Leo Bernard Gorcey was an American stage and film actor, famous for portraying the leader of a group of street-wise city toughs known variously as the Dead End Kids, the East Side Kids, and as adults, The Bowery Boys. Gorcey was famous for his use of malapropisms, such as "I depreciate it!" instead of "I appreciate it!" Read more
• 02 Jun 1968: André Mathieu, Canadian pianist and composer (born 1929) André Mathieu was a Canadian pianist and composer. Read more
• 02 Jun 1967: Benno Ohnesorg, German student and activist (born 1940) Benno Ohnesorg was a West German university student who was fatally shot in the back of the head by policeman Karl-Heinz Kurras during a demonstration in West Berlin. His death spurred the growth of the left-wing West German student movement. Read more
• 02 Jun 1962: Vita Sackville-West, English author and poet (born 1892) Victoria Mary, Lady Nicolson, CH, usually known as Vita Sackville-West, was an English author and garden designer. Read more
• 02 Jun 1961: George S. Kaufman, American director, producer, and playwright (born 1889) George Simon Kaufman was an American playwright, theater director and producer, humorist, and drama critic. In addition to comedies and political satire, he wrote several musicals for the Marx Brothers and others. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the musical Of Thee I Sing in 1932, and won again in 1937 for the play You Can't Take It with You. He also won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 1951 for Guys and Dolls. Read more
• 02 Jun 1959: Lyda Borelli, Italian actress (born 1884) Lyda Cini, Countess of Monselice was an Italian actress of cinema and theatre. Her career in theatre started when she was a child, acting on stage with Paola Pezzaglia in the French drama I due derelitti. Read more
• 02 Jun 1956: Jean Hersholt, Danish-American actor and director (born 1886) Jean Pierre Carl Buron, known professionally as Jean Hersholt, was a Danish-American actor. He is most famous for starring on the CBS radio series Dr. Christian from 1937–1954, reprising the role in a film series from 1939-1941. He also co-starred with Shirley Temple in the film Heidi (1937). When asked how to pronounce his name, he told The Literary Digest, "in English her'sholt; in Danish, hairs'hult." From 1924 to 1955, he had 140 motion picture credits: 75 silent film and 65 "talkies"; he directed four. Read more
• 02 Jun 1952: Naum Torbov, Bulgarian architect, designed the Central Sofia Market Hall (born 1880) Naum Torbov was a Bulgarian architect. Read more
• 02 Jun 1948: Viktor Brack, German physician (born 1904) Viktor Hermann Brack was a member of the Schutzstaffel (SS), a convicted Nazi war criminal and one of the prominent organisers of the involuntary euthanasia programme Aktion T4; this Nazi initiative resulted in the systematic murder of 275,000 to 300,000 disabled people. He held various positions of responsibility in Hitler's Chancellery in Berlin. Following his role in the T4 programme, Brack was one of the men identified as responsible for the gassing of Jews in extermination camps, having conferred with Odilo Globočnik about its use in the practical implementation of the Final Solution. Brack was sentenced to death in 1947 in the Doctors' Trial and executed by hanging in 1948. Read more
• 02 Jun 1948: Karl Brandt, German SS officer (born 1904) Karl Brandt was a German physician and Schutzstaffel (SS) officer in Nazi Germany. Trained in surgery, Brandt joined the Nazi Party in 1932 and became Adolf Hitler's "escort doctor" (Begleitarzt) in August 1934. A member of Hitler's inner circle at the Berghof, he was selected by Philipp Bouhler, the head of Hitler's Chancellery, to administer the Aktion T4 euthanasia program. Brandt was later appointed the Reich Commissioner of Health and Emergency Services. Accused of involvement in human experimentation and other war crimes, Brandt was indicted in late 1946 and faced trial before a U.S. military tribunal along with 22 others in the Doctors' Trial. He was found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed on 2 June 1948. Read more
• 02 Jun 1948: Karl Gebhardt, German physician (born 1897) Karl Franz Gebhardt was a German physician and a war criminal. Gebhardt was the main coordinator of a series of medical atrocities performed on inmates of the concentration camps at Ravensbrück and Auschwitz. These experiments were an attempt to defend his approach to the surgical management of grossly contaminated traumatic wounds, against the then-new innovations of antibiotic treatment of injuries acquired on the battlefield. Read more
• 02 Jun 1948: Waldemar Hoven, German physician (born 1903) Waldemar Hoven was a Nazi physician at Buchenwald concentration camp, and convicted war criminal for conducting human experiments regarding typhus which led to the deaths of many concentration camp prisoners, and as one of the organizers of the euthanasia program Aktion T4; this Nazi initiative resulted in the systematic murder of 275,000 to 300,000 disabled people. He was sentenced to death and hanged on 2 June 1948. Read more
• 02 Jun 1948: Wolfram Sievers, German SS officer (born 1905) Wolfram Sievers was a Nazi and convicted war criminal for medical atrocities carried out while he was managing director of the Ahnenerbe from 1935–1945. He was convicted of war crimes in the Doctors' Trial in 1947 and executed by hanging in 1948. Read more
• 02 Jun 1947: John Gretton, 1st Baron Gretton, English sailor and politician (born 1867) John Gretton, 1st Baron Gretton, was a British businessman and Conservative politician. Gretton won two gold medals in the 1900 Olympic Games. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 46 years, representing three midlands-based constituencies in that period. Read more
• 02 Jun 1942: Bunny Berigan, American singer and trumpet player (born 1908) Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan was an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader who rose to fame during the swing era. Although he composed some jazz instrumentals such as "Chicken and Waffles" and "Blues", Berigan was best known for his virtuoso jazz trumpeting. His 1937 classic recording "I Can't Get Started" on RCA Victor was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1975. His career and influence were shortened by alcoholism which ended with his early death at the age of 33 from cirrhosis. His recordings of "I Can't Get Started" on Vocalion and "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love" were re-released in 1976 as part of the Columbia Records Hall of Fame series. Read more
• 02 Jun 1941: Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (born 1903) Henry Louis Gehrig was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. Gehrig was renowned for his prowess as a hitter and for his durability, which earned him the nickname "the Iron Horse", and he is regarded as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Gehrig was an All-Star seven consecutive times, a Triple Crown winner once, an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player twice and a member of six World Series champion teams. He had a career .340 batting average, .632 slugging average, and a .447 on-base average. He hit 493 home runs and had 1,995 runs batted in (RBIs). He is also one of 21 players to hit four home runs in a single game. In 1939, Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame and was the first MLB player to have his uniform number retired by a team when his number 4 was retired by the Yankees. Read more
• 02 Jun 1937: Louis Vierne, French organist and composer (born 1870) Louis Victor Jules Vierne was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death. As a composer, much of his output was organ music, including six symphonies and four suites, and works for choir and organ, including a Messe solennelle for choir and two organs. He toured Europe and the United States as a concert organist. His students included Nadia Boulanger and Maurice Duruflé. Read more
• 02 Jun 1933: Frank Jarvis, American runner and triple jumper (born 1878) Frank Washington Jarvis was an American sprinter, the 1900 Olympic 100 m champion, and a triple jumper. Read more
• 02 Jun 1929: Enrique Gorostieta, Mexican general (born 1889) Enrique Gorostieta Velarde was a Mexican soldier best known for his leadership as a general during the Cristero War. Read more
• 02 Jun 1927: Hüseyin Avni Lifij, Turkish painter (born 1886) Hüseyin Avni Lifij was a Turkish impressionist painter of Circassian origin. He is known for landscapes with architectural features. Read more
• 02 Jun 1901: George Leslie Mackay, Canadian missionary and author (born 1844) George Leslie Mackay was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary. He was the first Presbyterian missionary to northern Taiwan, serving with the Canadian Presbyterian Mission. Mackay is among the best known and most influential Westerners to have lived in Taiwan. Read more
• 02 Jun 1882: Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and politician (born 1807) Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi was an Italian general, revolutionary and republican. He contributed to the Unification of Italy (Risorgimento) and the creation of the Kingdom of Italy. He is considered to be one of Italy's "fathers of the fatherland", along with Camillo Benso di Cavour, King Victor Emmanuel II and Giuseppe Mazzini. Garibaldi is also known as the "Hero of the Two Worlds" because of his military enterprises in South America and Europe. Read more
• 02 Jun 1881: Émile Littré, French lexicographer and philosopher (born 1801) Émile Maximilien Paul Littré was a French lexicographer, freemason and philosopher, best known for his Dictionnaire de la langue française, commonly called le Littré. Read more
• 02 Jun 1875: Józef Kremer, Polish psychologist, historian, and philosopher (born 1806) Józef Kremer was a Polish historian of art, philosopher, aesthetician and psychologist. Read more
• 02 Jun 1865: Ner Middleswarth, American judge and politician (born 1783) Ner Middleswarth was an American politician from New Jersey who served as a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district from 1853 to 1855. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from 1815 to 1841 including two terms as speaker of the house. He also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 15th district from 1853 to 1854. Read more
• 02 Jun 1853: Henry Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre, English general (born 1777) General Henry Otway Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre, CB was a peer and British Army officer. Read more
• 02 Jun 1806: William Tate, English painter (born 1747) William Tate was an English portrait painter who was a pupil and friend of Joseph Wright of Derby. Read more

Why is 02 June Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 02 June, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

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What happened on 02 June in World history?

On 02 June, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

Is History of Today important for competitive exams?

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