History of Today 02 September: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 02 September. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 02 September. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 02 September 2026, 01:01 AM

Important Events on 02 September in History

02 Sep 2024: Four people are killed in a mass shooting targeting homeless people on a Chicago Transit Authority train in Forest Park, Illinois, United States. Read more
02 Sep 2024: A suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan, kills 6 people and injures 13. Read more
02 Sep 2024: At least 129 inmates are killed and 59 more injured in an attempted prison break at Makala Prison in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Read more
02 Sep 2023: India's first solar observation mission: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches Aditya-L1 from Satish Dhawan space centre. Read more
02 Sep 2022: Eighteen people are killed and 23 others are injured by a suicide bombing at a Sunni mosque in Herat, Afghanistan. Read more
02 Sep 2019: Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 hurricane, devastates the Bahamas, killing at least five. Read more
02 Sep 2019: The dive boat MV Conception catches fire and sinks near Santa Cruz Island, killing 34. Read more
02 Sep 2018: National Museum of Brazil fire, A massive fire destroys most of the Paço de São Cristóvão, which houses the National Museum of Brazil, in Rio de Janeiro. The museum holds important archaeοlogical and anthropological objects, including the remains of the Luzia Woman, Marajoara vases and Egyptian mummies. Read more
02 Sep 2013: The Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens at 10:15 pm at a cost of $6.4 billion, after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the old span. Read more
02 Sep 2010: Israel-Palestinian conflict: the 2010 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are launched by the United States. Read more
02 Sep 2009: The Andhra Pradesh, India helicopter crash occurred near Rudrakonda Hill, 40 nautical miles (74 km) from Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India. Fatalities included Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Read more
02 Sep 2008: Google launches its Google Chrome web browser. Read more
02 Sep 1998: Swissair Flight 111 crashes near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia; all 229 people on board are killed. Read more
02 Sep 1998: The UN's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda finds Jean-Paul Akayesu, the former mayor of a small town in Rwanda, guilty of nine counts of genocide. Read more
02 Sep 1992: The 7.7 Mw Nicaragua earthquake affected the west coast of Nicaragua. With a Ms–Mw disparity of half a unit, this tsunami earthquake triggered a tsunami that caused most of the damage and casualties, with at least 116 killed. Typical runup heights were 3–8 meters (9.8–26.2 ft). Read more
02 Sep 1990: Transnistria is unilaterally proclaimed a Soviet republic; the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev declares the decision null and void. Read more
02 Sep 1987: In Moscow, the trial begins for 19-year-old pilot Mathias Rust, who flew his Cessna airplane into Red Square in May. Read more
02 Sep 1985: Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil politicians and former MPs M. Alalasundaram and V. Dharmalingam are shot dead. Read more
02 Sep 1984: Seven people are shot and killed and 12 wounded in the Milperra massacre, a shootout between the rival motorcycle gangs Bandidos and Comancheros in Sydney, Australia. Read more
02 Sep 1970: NASA announces the cancellation of two Apollo missions to the Moon, Apollo 15 (the designation is re-used by a later mission), and Apollo 19. Read more
02 Sep 1970: Aeroflot Flight 3630, a Tupolev Tu-124 en route from southern Russia to Lithuania, crashes after the pilots lost control of the aircraft at cruise altitude between Rostov-on-Don Airport and Vilnius Airport, on the second leg of the flight; all 37 passengers and crew are killed. Read more
02 Sep 1968: Operation OAU begins during the Nigerian Civil War. Read more
02 Sep 1963: CBS Evening News becomes U.S. network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, when the show is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes. Read more
02 Sep 1960: The first election of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The Tibetan community observes this date as Democracy Day. Read more
02 Sep 1958: A USAF RC-130 is shot down by fighters over Armenia when it strays into Soviet airspace while conducting a sigint mission. All crew members are killed. Read more
02 Sep 1957: President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam becomes the first foreign head of state to make a state visit to Australia. Read more
02 Sep 1946: The Interim Government of India is formed, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru as vice president with the powers of a Prime Minister. Read more
02 Sep 1945: World War II: The Japanese Instrument of Surrender is signed by Japan and the major warring powers aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, thus marking the official end to the war. Read more
02 Sep 1945: Communist leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam after the end of the Nguyễn dynasty. Read more
02 Sep 1944: The last execution of a Finn in Finland takes place when soldier Olavi Laiho is executed by shooting in Oulu. Read more
02 Sep 1939: World War II: Following the start of the invasion of Poland the previous day, the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) is annexed by Nazi Germany. Read more
02 Sep 1935: The Labor Day Hurricane, the most intense hurricane to strike the United States, makes landfall at Long Key, Florida, killing at least 400. Read more
02 Sep 1923: Kantō Massacre: Amid rumors that Koreans had been conducting acts of sabotage in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, lynch mobs of Japanese begin massacring thousands of civilians over the course of several weeks, mainly ethnic minorities such as Koreans and Chinese. Read more
02 Sep 1912: Arthur Rose Eldred is awarded the first Eagle Scout award of the Boy Scouts of America. Read more
02 Sep 1901: Vice President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" at the Minnesota State Fair. Read more
02 Sep 1898: Battle of Omdurman: British and Egyptian troops defeat Sudanese tribesmen and establish British dominance in Sudan. Read more
02 Sep 1885: Rock Springs massacre: In Rock Springs, Wyoming, 150 white miners, who are struggling to unionize so they could strike for better wages and work conditions, attack their Chinese fellow workers, killing 28, wounding 15 and forcing several hundred more out of town. Read more
02 Sep 1870: Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Sedan: Prussian forces take Napoleon III of France and 100,000 of his soldiers prisoner. Read more
02 Sep 1867: Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Japan, marries Masako Ichijō, thereafter known as Empress Shōken. Read more
02 Sep 1864: American Civil War: Union forces enter Atlanta as the city surrenders, ending the Atlanta campaign as a victory for General William T. Sherman. Read more
02 Sep 1862: American Civil War: United States President Abraham Lincoln reluctantly restores Union General George B. McClellan to full command after General John Pope's disastrous defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Read more
02 Sep 1859: The Carrington Event is the strongest geomagnetic storm on record. Read more
02 Sep 1856: The Tianjing incident takes place in Nanjing, China. Read more
02 Sep 1807: Napoleonic Wars: The British Royal Navy bombards Copenhagen with fire bombs and phosphorus rockets to prevent Denmark from surrendering its fleet to Napoleon. Read more
02 Sep 1806: A massive landslide destroys the town of Goldau, Switzerland, killing 457. Read more

Famous Births on 02 September

02 Sep 1998: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Canadian basketball player Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies. A versatile guard, Alexander-Walker was selected 17th overall by the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019 NBA draft but was traded shortly afterward to the New Orleans Pelicans. He has also played for the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves before joining the Hawks. In 2026, Alexander-Walker became the first Canadian to win the NBA Most Improved Player award. Read more
02 Sep 1998: Choi Ye-bin, South Korean actress Choi Ye-bin is a South Korean actress. She is best known for role in The Penthouse: War in Life (2020–2021), where she rose to prominence for playing the villainous soprano student Ha Eun-byeol. Read more
02 Sep 1998: Eetu Luostarinen, Finnish ice hockey player Eetu Luostarinen is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a centre for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 42nd overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2017 NHL entry draft. Luostarinen won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Panthers in 2024 and 2025. Read more
02 Sep 1997: 645AR, American rapper Austin Alan Rochez, known professionally as 645AR, is an American rapper. Best known for his use of a high-pitched voice, a hallmark of the hip hop style dubbed "squeak rap", he has released singles with artists such as Danny Brown, Tyga, FKA Twigs, Tony Shhnow, BabyTron, Tommy Cash, Valee, and Dorian Electra. 645AR first gained recognition after his 2018 single "Crack" went viral, and he further solidified his success with the release of "4 da Trap" the following year. He subsequently signed with Columbia Records. Read more
02 Sep 1997: Brandon Ingram, American basketball player Brandon Xavier Ingram is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a two-time NBA All-Star and was named the NBA Most Improved Player in 2020. He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in the same season. Read more
02 Sep 1996: Austin Abrams, American actor Austin Noah Abrams is an American actor. Following his film debut in Gangster Squad (2013), Abrams had lead roles in films such as Brad's Status (2017), Chemical Hearts (2020), and Do Revenge (2022), as well as supporting roles in The Kings of Summer (2013), Paper Towns (2015), Tragedy Girls (2017), Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019), The Starling Girl (2023), Wolfs (2024), and Weapons (2025). For his performance as Gettys O'Brien in the coming-of-age drama film The Line (2023), Abrams won the Rising Star Award at the Sarasota Film Festival. Read more
02 Sep 1995: Willy Adames, Dominican baseball player Willy Rafael Luna Adames is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers. Adames made his MLB debut with the Rays in 2018, and he remained with the team until they traded him to the Brewers during the 2021 season. After the 2024 season, Adames signed a free agent contract with the Giants. Read more
02 Sep 1995: Aleksander Barkov, Russian-Finnish ice hockey player Aleksander Aleksandrovich "Sasha" Barkov is a Finnish and Russian professional ice hockey player who is a centre and captain for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Barkov was selected by the Panthers in the first round, second overall, of the 2013 NHL entry draft. Barkov is regarded as an elite two-way centre and one of the best defensive forwards in hockey, winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2021, 2024, and 2025. Read more
02 Sep 1995: Deimantas Petravičius, Lithuanian footballer Deimantas Petravičius is a Lithuanian professional footballer who plays as a winger. Petravičius has previously played for Nottingham Forest, Stevenage, Zagłębie Lubin, Motherwell, Falkirk, Okzhetpes, Queen of the South, and Águilas. Read more
02 Sep 1994: Ishika Taneja, Indian beautician. Ishika Taneja is an Indian beautician. Read more
02 Sep 1994: Linda Dallmann, German professional footballer Linda Dallmann is a German professional footballer who plays for Frauen-Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Read more
02 Sep 1993: Tom Anderson, English footballer Thomas Robert Anderson is an English footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League Two club Shrewsbury Town. Read more
02 Sep 1993: Zaza Nadiradze, Georgian sprint canoeist Zaza Nadiradze is a Georgian sprint canoeist. He competed in the men's C-1 200 metres event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Read more
02 Sep 1993: Robert Rooba, Estonian ice hockey player Robert Rooba is an Estonian professional ice hockey left winger who currently plays for KooKoo of the Finnish Liiga. Read more
02 Sep 1992: Xenia Knoll, Swiss tennis player Xenia Knoll is a Swiss former tennis player. Read more
02 Sep 1992: Nenad Lukić, Serbian footballer Nenad Lukić is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Voždovac. Read more
02 Sep 1992: Alberto Masi, Italian footballer Alberto Masi is an Italian footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie D club Pro Patria. Read more
02 Sep 1992: Emiliano Martínez, Argentine footballer Damián Emiliano Martínez Romero, also known as Dibu Martínez, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Premier League club Chelsea and the Argentina national team. Known as a specialist in saving penalty kicks, he is often regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Read more
02 Sep 1992: Ella Toone, English footballer Ella Ann Toone is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Women's Super League club Manchester United and the England national team. She represented England from under-17 to under-21, scoring her first Euro goal against Spain in 2022, with another against Germany in the Euro 2022 final, helping the team to win the European Championship. Read more
02 Sep 1991: Christian Bethancourt, Panamanian baseball player Christian Gabriel Bethancourt Ruiz is a Panamanian professional baseball catcher and first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins, and Chicago Cubs, and in the KBO League for the NC Dinos. Bethancourt was signed by the Braves as an international free agent in 2008 and made his major league debut for them in 2013. Read more
02 Sep 1991: Mareks Mejeris, Latvian basketball player Mareks Mejeris is a Latvian professional basketball player for Stal Ostrów Wielkopolski of the Polish Basketball League, who plays the power forward position. Read more
02 Sep 1991: Gyasi Zardes, American footballer Gyasi A. Zardes is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward. Read more
02 Sep 1990: Marcus Ericsson, Swedish race car driver Marcus Thorbjörn Ericsson is a Swedish racing driver, who competes in the IndyCar Series for Andretti. Ericsson competed in Formula One from 2014 to 2018. In American open-wheel racing, Ericsson won the Indianapolis 500 in 2022 with Chip Ganassi Racing. Read more
02 Sep 1990: Shayla Worley, American gymnast Shayla Worley is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the gold-medal-winning American team at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She trained for most of her athletic career at Orlando Metro Gymnastics, where she was coached by Jeff Wood and Christi Barineau. From 2009 to 2013, she competed at the University of Georgia, the 10-time NCAA champion in gymnastics. Read more
02 Sep 1989: Marcus Morris, American basketball player Marcus Thomas Morris Sr. is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks before being selected 14th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2011 NBA draft. Read more
02 Sep 1989: Markieff Morris, American basketball player Markieff Morris is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks before being drafted 13th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns. Morris won an NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020. Read more
02 Sep 1989: Alexandre Pato, Brazilian footballer Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva, commonly known as Alexandre Pato or simply Pato, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a striker and could also operate as a second striker or winger. Read more
02 Sep 1989: Zedd, Russian-German record producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Anton Zaslavski, known professionally as Zedd, is a German record producer and DJ. His stage name was derived from zed, the English pronunciation for the letter Z, the first letter of his surname. Raised in Kaiserslautern, Zedd rose to mainstream success with his 2012 single "Clarity", which peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and won Best Dance Recording at the 56th Grammy Awards. It served as the third single for his debut studio album of the same name (2012), of which its deluxe edition spawned the US top 20 single "Stay the Night". Read more
02 Sep 1988: Keisuke Kato, Japanese actor and singer Keisuke Katō is a Japanese actor. He is best known for his roles as Kousuke Kitamura (Ivory) in TV Tokyo's drama Happy Boys and Keisuke Nago/Kamen Rider Ixa in TV Asahi's tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Kiva. Also, he is one of PureBoys, though on March 21, 2008 he announced his graduation from the group alongside colleagues Yukihiro Takiguchi and Masei Nakayama. This graduation was made official on March 31, 2008; the "graduation ceremony" was on March 28, 2008 during the PureBoys' weekly school-themed internet broadcast show. He graduated from Nihon University. In 2016, he launched his apparel brand "StarLean". On March 31, 2017, he left the talent agency Box Corporation to retire from the entertainment business, but from 2018, he is affiliated with the talent agency G-Star.Pro. Read more
02 Sep 1988: Javi Martínez, Spanish footballer Javier Martínez Aginaga is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder. Read more
02 Sep 1988: Ibrahim Šehić, Bosnian footballer Ibrahim Šehić is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for 1. Lig club Sarıyer. Read more
02 Sep 1988: Ishant Sharma, Indian cricketer Ishant Sharma is an Indian cricketer who has represented India in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He is a 6 ft 4 in tall right-arm fast-medium bowler. In 2011, he became the fifth youngest player to take 100 Test wickets. While often considered a "rhythm" bowler, prioritizing accuracy, he still is one of the fastest Indian bowlers having bowled in excess of 150 km/h on several occasions. In 2020, Indian government has awarded him the Arjuna Award to recognize his outstanding achievement in cricket. Sharma was a member of the Indian team that won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Read more
02 Sep 1988: Ishmeet Singh, Indian singer (died 2008) Ishmeet Singh was a winning singer on the STAR Plus show Amul STAR Voice of India. Hailing from Model town, Ludhiana of Punjab, Ishmeet won the Star Plus show in 2007 and also participated in another reality show called Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar. His first album was a religious Gurbani album called Satgur Tumre Kaaj Savaare. Read more
02 Sep 1987: Scott Moir, Canadian ice dancer Scott Patrick Moir is a Canadian retired ice dancer and coach. With ice dance partner Tessa Virtue, he is the 2010 and 2018 Olympic champion, the 2014 Olympic silver medallist, a three-time World champion, a three-time Four Continents champion, the 2016–17 Grand Prix Final champion, an eight-time Canadian national champion, the 2006 World Junior champion and the 2006 Junior Grand Prix champion. Moir and Virtue are also the 2018 Olympic gold medallists in the team event and the 2014 Olympic silver medallists in the team event. Upon winning their third Olympic gold medal, they became the most decorated Canadian ice dance team of all time and the most decorated Olympic figure skaters of all time. Widely regarded as one of the greatest ice dance teams of all time, they are the only ice dancers in history to achieve a Super Slam, having won all major international competitions in their senior and junior careers. Virtue and Moir are holders of the world record score for the now-defunct original dance. Read more
02 Sep 1987: Spencer Smith, American musician Spencer James Smith is an American talent agent and former musician and songwriter. He is best known as a co-founding member and the former drummer of the rock band Panic! at the Disco. He recorded four studio albums with the band: A Fever You Can't Sweat Out (2005), Pretty. Odd. (2008), Vices & Virtues (2011), and Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! (2013). The band's debut album went quadruple platinum and charted at No. 13 on the US Billboard 200, spearheaded by the hit single "I Write Sins Not Tragedies", which peaked at No. 7 in the Billboard Hot 100. Read more
02 Sep 1986: Gélson Fernandes, Swiss footballer Gelson da Conceição Tavares Fernandes is a former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Born in Cape Verde, he represented the Switzerland national team. He is most well known for scoring the winner for Switzerland against eventual champions Spain in a group game at the 2010 World Cup. Read more
02 Sep 1986: Kyle Hines, American basketball player Kyle Terrel Hines is an American former professional basketball player. He played at the power forward and center positions. Hines played college basketball with the UNC Greensboro Spartans of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. With Olympiacos Piraeus, he won two EuroLeague championships, before winning another two with CSKA Moscow. Hines also won the EuroLeague Best Defender award three times, in 2016, 2018 and 2022. In addition, he was named to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team. Read more
02 Sep 1985: Keith Galloway, Australian rugby league player Keith Galloway is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop in the 2000s and 2010s. Read more
02 Sep 1985: Allison Miller, American actress Allison Miller is an American actress. She is best known for playing Michelle Benjamin on the NBC series Kings, Skye Tate on the Fox series Terra Nova, Carrie on the NBC series Go On, and Dr. Maggie Bloom in ABC's A Million Little Things. She starred as Laura Larson on the Syfy television series Incorporated. Read more
02 Sep 1984: Jack Peñate, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Jack Peñate is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and musician. Read more
02 Sep 1983: Mark Foster, English rugby player Mark Foster is an English retired rugby union footballer who played at wing or centre for Jersey. Read more
02 Sep 1982: Joey Barton, English footballer Joseph Anthony Barton is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Barton made 269 appearances in the Premier League, including 130 for Manchester City; he was most recently the manager of League One side Bristol Rovers. Read more
02 Sep 1982: Jason Hammel, American baseball player Jason Aaron Hammel is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Kansas City Royals. Read more
02 Sep 1982: Mark Phillips, English footballer Mark Ian Phillips is a retired professional footballer who played in the Football League for Southend United, Millwall, Brentford, Darlington and AFC Wimbledon as a defender. Read more
02 Sep 1981: Fariborz Kamkari, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter Fariborz Kamkari is a Kurdish Iranian film director and producer. Read more
02 Sep 1981: Jennifer Hopkins, American tennis player Jennifer Dent is an American former professional tennis player. Read more
02 Sep 1981: Chris Tremlett, English cricketer Christopher Timothy Tremlett is a former English cricketer who played international cricket for England and domestically for Hampshire and Surrey. He was a 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall fast-medium bowler able to extract bounce on most surfaces. Tremlett started his playing career with Hampshire in 2000 and was awarded his county cap in 2004. He made his One Day International debut in 2005, and two years later played his first Test. Tremlett played three Tests in 2007 before injury interrupted. Read more
02 Sep 1980: Dany Sabourin, Canadian ice hockey player Dany Sabourin is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former goaltender. Read more
02 Sep 1980: Danny Shittu, Nigerian footballer Daniel Olusola Shittu is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He made 346 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, including 190 for Queens Park Rangers. Read more
02 Sep 1980: Hiroki Yoshimoto, Japanese race car driver Hiroki Yoshimoto is a Japanese race car driver. He raced in the 2005 GP2 Series for the BCN Competicion team, alongside the Venezuelan E. J. Viso. For 2006, he was initially teamed with the more experienced Timo Glock of Germany. In addition to his racing, he is also the vocalist for Japanese rock band doa under the name Daiki Yoshimoto . In 2023, Yoshimoto and doa's members have announced departure from the agency Giza Studio and from September and became freelancer under Floodlight company, the announcement was made on doa's official website. Read more
02 Sep 1979: Tomer Ben Yosef, Israeli footballer Tomer Ben Yosef is an Israeli football player who plays as a central defender. Read more
02 Sep 1979: Jonathan Kite, American actor and comedian Jonathan Kite is an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He is best known for his role as Oleg Golishevsky on 2 Broke Girls. Read more
02 Sep 1979: Brian Westbrook, American football player Brian Collins Westbrook is an American former professional football player who was a running back for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2002 NFL draft after playing college football for the Villanova Wildcats. Following an eight-year career with the Eagles, in which he earned two Pro Bowl selections in 2004 and 2007, Westbrook signed with the San Francisco 49ers, for whom he played in 2010. Read more
02 Sep 1977: Tiffany Hines, American actress Tiffany Hines is an American actress, known for her roles as Birdie Scott in Beyond the Break, Michelle Welton in Bones, Jaden in Nikita, Didi Miller in Devious Maids, Tamar Braxton in Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, Aisha in 24: Legacy, Eve Vincent in Hit the Floor, and Lara Nuzo in Magnum P.I.. Read more
02 Sep 1977: Frédéric Kanouté, Malian footballer Frédéric Oumar "Freddie" Kanouté is a former professional footballer who played as a striker for several top-tier clubs in Europe, enjoying his greatest success with La Liga side Sevilla. Kanouté was named the 2007 African Footballer of the Year, the first player born outside Africa to win the award. Read more
02 Sep 1977: Sam Rivers, American musician (died 2025) Samuel Robert Rivers was an American musician. He was the bassist, backing vocalist and was one of the founding members of the nu metal band Limp Bizkit. Read more
02 Sep 1976: Syleena Johnson, American R&B and soul singer-songwriter and actress Syleena Johnson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter and actress. She is best known for her guest appearance on Kanye West's 2004 single "All Falls Down", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. She signed with Jive Records to release three albums: Chapter 1: Love, Pain & Forgiveness (2001), Chapter 2: The Voice (2002), and Chapter 3: The Flesh (2005), each of which received critical acclaim and modest commercial reception. She returned to work with West for his tenth album, Donda (2021), where she performed on the spoken-word song "Donda Chant". Read more
02 Sep 1976: Aziz Zakari, Ghanaian sprinter Abdul Aziz Zakari is a Ghanaian athlete specializing in the 100 metres. He was born in Accra, Ghana. Read more
02 Sep 1975: Jill Janus, American singer (died 2018) Jill Janus was an American singer who was the lead vocalist of heavy metal bands Huntress, The Starbreakers and Chelsea Girls. Read more
02 Sep 1975: MC Chris, American rapper, actor, and screenwriter Christopher Brendan Ward IV, better known by the stage name mc chris, is an American rapper, voice actor, comedian, and writer. He is recognized for his high-pitched voice and for blending his "geek” background with a “gangsta rap” persona, contributing to the popularization of the nerdcore genre. He has released ten albums, five EPs, one re-release, and a tenth-anniversary edition of his recordings with the Lee Majors. He is also known for his work on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block. Read more
02 Sep 1975: Tony Thompson, American singer (died 2007) Tony Ulysses Thompson was an American singer–songwriter. Thompson was best known as the lead vocalist of the American R&B quintet Hi-Five, which had hit singles such as "I Like the Way " and "I Can't Wait Another Minute". After the group disbanded in 1994, Thompson found solo success the following year with his debut album Sexsational in 1995. Read more
02 Sep 1974: Sami Salo, Finnish ice hockey player Sami Sakari Salo is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player who was a defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL). He began his professional career with TPS of the SM-liiga before being selected by the Ottawa Senators with their last pick in the 1996 NHL entry draft. Read more
02 Sep 1973: Jason Blake, American ice hockey player Jason Wayne Blake is an American former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Read more
02 Sep 1973: Indika de Saram, Sri Lankan cricketer Samantha Indika de Saram is a former Sri Lankan cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm off-break bowler who usually plays as a wicketkeeper. He is a former student of St. Thomas' College, Matara. Read more
02 Sep 1973: Matthew Dunn, Australian swimmer Matthew Stephen Dunn is an Australian former freestyle and medley swimmer who competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. Read more
02 Sep 1973: Nicholas Pinnock, English actor Nicholas Pinnock is a British actor. He is known for his role as lead character Aaron Wallace in the ABC legal drama For Life and as Truman Dawes in the Peacock crime drama Long Bright River. Read more
02 Sep 1973: Sudeep, Indian actor, filmmaker and television presenter Sudeep Sanjeev, also known as Sudeepa, is an Indian actor, director, producer, screenwriter, singer and television presenter, who primarily works in Kannada cinema. He has also worked in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. He is one of the highest paid actors of Kannada films and also featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2013. He has received several awards including four Filmfare awards, two Karnataka State Film Awards and one Nandi Award. Read more
02 Sep 1972: Robert Coles, English golfer Robert Anthony Coles is an English professional golfer who formerly played on the European Tour. Read more
02 Sep 1971: Kjetil André Aamodt, Norwegian skier Kjetil André Aamodt is a former World Cup alpine ski racer from Norway, a champion in the Olympics, World Championships, and World Cup. He is one of the most successful alpine ski racers from Norway. Read more
02 Sep 1971: Pawan Kalyan, Indian actor politician Konidela Pawan Kalyan is an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and martial artist serving as the 11th Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh since June 2024. He is also the Minister of Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Rural Water Supply; Environment, Forest, Science and Technology in the Government of Andhra Pradesh as MLA representing the Pitapuram constituency. He is the founder and president of the Janasena Party. Read more
02 Sep 1971: Tommy Maddox, American football player and coach Thomas Alfred Maddox is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also played one season each for the New Jersey Red Dogs of the Arena Football League (AFL) and the Los Angeles Xtreme of the XFL. In the XFL's only season, Maddox was the league's most valuable player (MVP) while leading the Xtreme to victory in the league's championship. Read more
02 Sep 1971: César Sánchez, Spanish footballer César Sánchez Domínguez, sometimes known as simply César, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Read more
02 Sep 1971: Tom Steels, Belgian cyclist Tom Steels is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, specialising in sprint finishes and one-day races. He was one of the top sprinters in the peloton. Read more
02 Sep 1971: Katt Williams, American comedian and actor Micah Sierra "Katt" Williams is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He played Money Mike in Friday After Next, was a recurring cast member on the first four seasons of Wild 'n Out, portrayed Bobby Shaw in My Wife and Kids, provided the voice of A Pimp Named Slickback in The Boondocks and Seamus in Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, and portrayed Lord Have Mercy in Norbit. Read more
02 Sep 1969: Laurence Brihaye, Belgian rhythmic gymnast Laurence Brihaye is a Belgian rhythmic gymnast. Read more
02 Sep 1969: K-Ci, American R&B singer-songwriter Cedric Renard Hailey, known professionally as K-Ci, is an American singer, songwriter and member of K-Ci & JoJo and Jodeci. Read more
02 Sep 1969: Stéphane Matteau, Canadian ice hockey player Stéphane Matteau is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played over 800 regular-season games in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 25th overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 1987 NHL entry draft. Read more
02 Sep 1968: Cynthia Watros, American actress Cynthia Michele Watros is an American actress recognized for her roles in both daytime and primetime television. In 1994, she was cast in the regular role of Annie Dutton on Guiding Light, which earned her the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1998. In 2002, she was cast as Kellie on The Drew Carey Show and in 2005 joined the cast of Lost as Libby Smith. Since 2019, Watros has portrayed the role of Nina Reeves on ABC's General Hospital, for which she earned further Daytime Emmy Award nominations. Read more
02 Sep 1968: Francisco Acevedo, American serial killer Francisco Acevedo is an American serial killer who was convicted of strangling three women to death in New York between 1989 and 1996. Acevedo was linked to the murders in 2009 after voluntarily giving his DNA as a parole condition for drunk driving. In 2012, he was sentenced to 75 years to life imprisonment. Read more
02 Sep 1967: Frank Fontsere, American drummer and songwriter Frank Fontsere is an American drummer from Marietta, Georgia. He is known mostly for his work in rap metal group Stuck Mojo (1996–2000) and heavy metal group Fozzy. He has also been a member of Agent Cooper, The Duke (2005), Soundevice (2006), Love Said No (2007) and Primer 55 (2007). He is known for using drum triggers on his albums and for every live performance. Read more
02 Sep 1967: Andreas Möller, German footballer and manager Andreas Möller is a German former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He also worked as the head of the youth department at Eintracht Frankfurt for three years, between 2019 and 2022. Read more
02 Sep 1966: Dino Cazares, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer Dino Cazares is an American musician, best known as the guitarist and one of the co-founders of industrial metal band Fear Factory. He is also a co-founder of Divine Heresy, Asesino, and Brujeria. Cazares popularized the use of digital amp modelling processors, as well as the use of seven and eight-string guitars in metal music. Read more
02 Sep 1966: Massimo Cuttitta, Italian rugby player and coach Massimo Cuttitta was an Italian professional rugby union player and coach. He used to play as a prop. He was the twin brother of Marcello Cuttitta. Read more
02 Sep 1966: Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress, director, and producer Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela Teresa (1989–1991) as well as the romantic drama Midaq Alley (1995). She soon established herself in Hollywood with appearances in films such as Desperado (1995), From Dusk till Dawn (1996), Wild Wild West (1999), and Dogma (1999). Read more
02 Sep 1966: Olivier Panis, French racing driver Olivier Jean Denis Marie Panis is a French former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1994 to 2004, earning the first and only win of his F1 career at the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. Read more
02 Sep 1966: Tuc Watkins, American actor Charles Curtis "Tuc" Watkins III is an American actor, known for his roles as David Vickers on One Life to Live, Bernard Burns in The Mummy, Bob Hunter on Desperate Housewives, Congressman Roger Harris on Black Monday, Hank in The Boys in the Band, Troy on The Other Two, and Colin McKenna on Uncoupled. Read more
02 Sep 1965: Lennox Lewis, English-Canadian boxer Lennox Claudius Lewis is a boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed in the heavyweight division from 1989 to 2003. He was a three-time world champion, a two-time lineal champion, and held the undisputed championship. Holding dual British and Canadian citizenship, Lewis represented Canada as an amateur at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, winning the super-heavyweight gold medal in 1988. Lewis is regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, and is considered among the greatest British and Canadian boxers in history. Read more
02 Sep 1965: Partho Sen-Gupta, Indian director and screenwriter Partho Sen-Gupta is an independent film director and screenwriter who has made films in India, France, and Australia. He has a post-graduate degree in film direction from the FEMIS in France. Read more
02 Sep 1964: Andrea Illy, Italian businessman Andrea Illy is an Italian businessman. He is the Chairman of illycaffè S.p.A., a family coffee business founded in Trieste in 1933. He has additionally been Chairman of Altagamma since 2013. Read more
02 Sep 1964: Keanu Reeves, Canadian actor, singer, and producer Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades, he is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public image, and his philanthropic efforts. In 2020, The New York Times ranked him as the fourth-greatest actor of the 21st century, and in 2022, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Read more
02 Sep 1963: Sam Mitchell, American basketball player and coach Samuel E. Mitchell Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Playing at small forward, Mitchell's 18-year professional basketball career spanned three decades, and was most notable for his ten seasons with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves, whom he also coached as an interim for the 2015–16 season. Mitchell coached for the Toronto Raptors from 2004 to 2008 as well, winning Coach of the Year Award in 2007. Read more
02 Sep 1962: Alonso Lujambio, Mexican academic and politician (died 2012) Alonso José Ricardo Lujambio Irazábal was a Mexican academic and politician who served as Secretary of Public Education in the cabinet of President Felipe Calderón. Read more
02 Sep 1962: Prachya Pinkaew, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter Prachya Pinkaew is a Thai filmmaker. His films include Ong-Bak and Tom-Yum-Goong, both martial arts films starring Tony Jaa. Read more
02 Sep 1962: Tracy Smothers, American wrestler (died 2020) Tracy Stanton Smothers was an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling, Smoky Mountain Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation, and Extreme Championship Wrestling. Read more
02 Sep 1962: Keir Starmer, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Sir Keir Rodney Starmer is a British politician and former lawyer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2024 to 2026. He served as Leader of the Labour Party from 2020 to 2026 and as Leader of the Opposition from 2020 to 2024. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras from 2015 to 2026. Before entering politics, he was a barrister and served as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013. Read more
02 Sep 1961: Eugenio Derbez, Mexican actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Eugenio González Derbez is a Mexican actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films and television series, including The Book of Life, The Angry Birds Movie 2, and CODA. Read more
02 Sep 1961: Carlos Valderrama, Colombian footballer and manager Carlos Alberto Valderrama Palacio, also known as "El Pibe", is a Colombian former professional footballer and commentator for Fútbol de Primera. An attacking midfielder, Valderrama is considered by many to be one of the greatest South American players in history and was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. Read more
02 Sep 1961: Ron Wasserman, American singer-songwriter and producer Ronald Aaron Wasserman, also known as Aaron Waters and The Mighty Raw, is an American musician who composed the original theme songs for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and X-Men: The Animated Series. He was also a member of the band Fisher. Read more
02 Sep 1960: Eric Dickerson, American football player and sportscaster Eric Demetric Dickerson is an American former professional football player who was a running back for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the SMU Mustangs, earning unanimous All-American honors in 1982. Dickerson was selected second overall in the 1983 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, and later played for the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Raiders, and Atlanta Falcons. During his NFL career, he rushed for over 13,000 yards. He holds the NFL's single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards, set in 1984. Dickerson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2019, was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest running backs of all time. He wore prescription goggles throughout his career due to myopia. Read more
02 Sep 1960: Kristin Halvorsen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Finance Kristin Halvorsen is a Norwegian politician of the Socialist Left Party. She served as Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2009 and as Minister of Education from 2009 to 2013. She also served as the party's leader from 1997 to 2012 and a member of parliament representing Oslo, from 1989 to 2013. Read more
02 Sep 1960: Rex Hudler, American baseball player and sportscaster Rex Allen Hudler is an American former Major League Baseball utility player and color commentator for the Kansas City Royals. He played a total of 14 seasons after being a first round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 1978. Read more
02 Sep 1959: Drungo Hazewood, American baseball player (died 2013) Drungo LaRue Hazewood was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played for the Baltimore Orioles in 1980. He spent the majority of his career in the minor leagues, playing for the Class AA Charlotte O's in the 1980s. Read more
02 Sep 1959: Guy Laliberté, Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and poker player, founded Cirque du Soleil Guy Laliberté is a Québécois billionaire businessman and poker player. Along with Gilles Ste-Croix, he is the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, which was founded in 1984. The Canadian circus company's shows have since been seen by more than 90 million people worldwide. Before founding the company, he had busked, performing as an accordion player, stiltwalker, and fire-eater. Read more
02 Sep 1958: Lynne Kosky, Australian social worker and politician (died 2014) Lynne Janice Kosky was an Australian politician and senior minister in the Government of Victoria. She represented the electoral district of Altona in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Labor Party from 1996 to 2010 and held key ministerial posts from 1999 through to her retirement from politics, including the key education and public transport portfolios. Read more
02 Sep 1957: Tony Alva, American skateboarder and bass player Tony Alva is an American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and musician. He is a pioneer of vertical skateboarding and one of the original members of the Zephyr Competition Skateboarding Team, also known as the Z-boys. Transworld Skateboarding Magazine ranked him eighth in its list of the "30 Most Influential skateboarders" of all time. Read more
02 Sep 1957: Steve Porcaro, American keyboard player and songwriter Steven Maxwell Porcaro is an American keyboardist, synth programmer, songwriter, film & television composer, and founding member of the rock band Toto, which he founded with his brother, drummer Jeff Porcaro, and later included their brother Mike Porcaro on bass. He has won three Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for "Rosanna" and Album of the Year for Toto IV, and three nominations. Read more
02 Sep 1956: Mario Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Joseph Daniel Mario Tremblay is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). As a player, he was a five-time Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens. Read more
02 Sep 1955: Linda Purl, American actress Linda Purl is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Ashley Pfister on Happy Days, Sheila Munroe in the 1982 horror film Visiting Hours, Pam Beesly's mother Helene in The Office, and Ben Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock for the first season of the television series Matlock. Read more
02 Sep 1954: Billi Gordon, American neuroscientist, author, and actor. (died 2018) Wilbert Anthony Gordon Jr., better known as Billi Gordon, was an American author, television writer, neuroscientist, actor and model. Read more
02 Sep 1954: Gai Waterhouse, Scottish-Australian horse trainer and businesswoman Gabriel Marie "Gai" Waterhouse is an Australian horse trainer and businesswoman. The daughter of Tommy J. Smith, a leading trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses, Waterhouse was born and raised in Sydney. After graduating from the University of New South Wales, she worked as an actor for a time, appearing in both Australian and English television series. Having worked under her father for a period of 15 years, Waterhouse was granted an Australian Jockey Club (AJC) licence in 1992, and trained her first Group One winner later that year. Read more
02 Sep 1954: Andrej Babiš, Czech politician, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš is a Czech politician and businessman who has been the prime minister of the Czech Republic since December 2025, having previously served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021. Prior to that, he was the minister of finance and deputy prime minister from 2014 to 2017. A right-wing populist, Babiš has led the ANO 2011 political party since he founded it in 2012. Read more
02 Sep 1953: Maurice Colclough, English rugby player (died 2006) Maurice John Colclough was an England international rugby union player. He was selected for the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa and the 1983 British Lions tour to New Zealand, playing in all four internationals each tour. He was a member of the England team that won the Grand Slam in 1980. At the time he played club rugby for Angoulême; he also played for Wasps RFC and Swansea RFC. Read more
02 Sep 1953: Ahmad Shah Massoud, Afghan commander and politician, Afghan Minister of Defense (died 2001) Ahmad Shah Massoud was an Afghan military leader and politician. Known as the "Lion of Panjshir", he was the foremost commander of the Afghan mujahideen against Soviet occupation during the Soviet–Afghan War from 1979 to 1989. Later, in the 1990s, he led the government's military wing against rival militias, and actively fought against the Taliban and their allies, from the time the regime rose to power in 1996, and until his assassination in 2001. Read more
02 Sep 1953: John Zorn, American saxophonist, composer, and producer John Zorn is an American composer, conductor, producer, arranger and saxophonist who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde compositions and experimental improvisations meld jazz, rock, hardcore, classical, contemporary, surf, metal, soundtrack, ambient, Jewish and world music performed by "often unexpected groups of players.. getting startling, unrepeatable results". Rolling Stone noted that "[alt]hough Zorn has operated almost entirely outside the mainstream, he's gradually asserted himself as one of the most influential musicians of our time". Read more
02 Sep 1952: Jimmy Connors, American tennis player, coach, and sportscaster James Scott Connors is an American former professional tennis player as well as an author, a tennis commentator, and a coach. He was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 268 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Known for his fiery competitiveness, Connors holds three prominent Open Era men's singles records: 109 titles, 1,557 matches played, and 1,274 match wins. His titles include eight singles majors and three year-end championships. In 1974, he became the second man in the Open Era to win three major titles in a calendar year; he was not permitted to participate in the fourth, the French Open. His playing career ended in 1996. Read more
02 Sep 1952: Mihhail Lotman, Estonian linguist, scholar, and politician Mihhail Lotman is an Estonian literature researcher and politician, son of Juri Lotman and Zara Mints. Read more
02 Sep 1951: Jim DeMint, American politician James Warren DeMint is an American businessman, author, and retired politician who served as a United States senator from South Carolina and as president of The Heritage Foundation. A leading figure in the Tea Party movement, DeMint is a member of the Republican Party and is the founder of the Senate Conservatives Fund. Read more
02 Sep 1951: Mark Harmon, American actor and producer Thomas Mark Harmon is an American actor, writer, producer, television director and former football player. He is best known for playing the lead role of Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS. Read more
02 Sep 1951: Mik Kaminski, English musician, rock violinist Michael Kaminski is an English musician. He played violin in the rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) between 1973 and 1980 and toured with the band from 1981 to 1986. He was a member of Electric Light Orchestra Part II from 1991 until its end in 2000, and then The Orchestra from 2000 to 2026. Read more
02 Sep 1950: Rosanna DeSoto, American actress Rosanna DeSoto is an American actress who has performed in films and television. She is best known for her roles in Stand and Deliver, for which she won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female, and in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Azetbur, the daughter of Klingon Chancellor Gorkon. Read more
02 Sep 1950: Michael Rother, German guitarist, keyboard player, and songwriter Michael Rother is a German experimental musician, best known for being a founding member of the influential bands Neu! and Harmonia, and an early member of the band Kraftwerk. Read more
02 Sep 1950: Tony Windsor, Australian politician Antony Harold Curties Windsor, is a former Australian politician. Windsor was an independent member for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Tamworth from 1991 to 2001 − supporting the incumbent Greiner Liberal/National Coalition minority government at the 1991 election. Read more
02 Sep 1949: Hans-Hermann Hoppe, American economist and philosopher Hans-Hermann Hoppe is a German-American academic associated with Austrian School economics, anarcho-capitalism, right-wing libertarianism, paleolibertarianism, and opposition to democracy. From 1986 until 2008 he was professor of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He is a senior fellow of the Mises Institute think tank. In 2006 he emigrated to Turkey and founded the Property and Freedom Society. Read more
02 Sep 1949: Moira Stuart, British broadcaster Moira Clare Ruby Stuart is a British TV presenter and broadcaster. She was the first female newsreader of Caribbean heritage to appear on British national television, having worked on BBC News since 1981. Read more
02 Sep 1948: Nate Archibald, American basketball player and coach Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald is an American former professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City–Omaha Kings and Boston Celtics. In 1991, he was enshrined into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Read more
02 Sep 1948: Terry Bradshaw, American football player, sportscaster, and actor Terry Paxton Bradshaw is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since 1994, he has been a television sports analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday. Bradshaw is also an actor and recording artist, having participated in several television shows and films, most notably co-starring in the movie Failure to Launch, and releasing several country music albums. Read more
02 Sep 1948: Christa McAuliffe, American educator and astronaut (died 1986) Sharon Christa McAuliffe was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire, who died on the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L, where she was serving as a payload specialist. Read more
02 Sep 1947: Louis Michel, Belgian educator and politician, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Michel is a Belgian politician. He served in the government of Belgium as minister of foreign affairs from 1999 to 2004 and was European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid from 2004 to 2009. From 2009 to 2019, he was a Member of the European Parliament. Michel is a prominent member of the French-speaking liberal party, the Mouvement Réformateur. He is the father of Charles Michel, a former prime minister of Belgium and previous president of the European Council. Read more
02 Sep 1947: Jim Richards, New Zealand racing driver James Charles Richards is a New Zealand racing driver who won numerous championships in his home country and in Australia. While now retired from professional racing, Richards continued to compete in the Touring Car Masters series until 2018. Read more
02 Sep 1946: Luis Ávalos, Cuban-American actor (died 2014) Luis Ávalos was an American character actor. A Cuban-American, he made numerous film and television appearances, most notably in the 1971–1977 children's television show The Electric Company. Read more
02 Sep 1946: Mary Goudie, Baroness Goudie, English humanitarian and politician Mary Teresa Goudie, Baroness Goudie is a British politician and life peer, currently sitting for the Labour Party. In 1998, she was made a life peer as Baroness Goudie, of Roundwood in the London Borough of Brent. She is on the board of Vital Voices and is involved in promoting gender equity with both the G8 and G20. Read more
02 Sep 1946: Marty Grebb, American keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist, and music producer/arranger (died 2020) Martin Joseph Grebb was an American keyboardist, guitarist, and saxophonist. A member of The Buckinghams in the late 1960s, Grebb was also a record producer and an arranger, who worked with musicians including Peter Cetera, Bill Payne, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, Etta James, and Leon Russell. Read more
02 Sep 1946: Billy Preston, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (died 2006) William Everett Preston was an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, backing Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, the Everly Brothers, Reverend James Cleveland, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. He gained attention as a solo artist with hit singles "That's the Way God Planned It", the Grammy-winning "Outa-Space", "Will It Go Round in Circles", "Space Race", "Nothing from Nothing", and "With You I'm Born Again". Additionally, Preston co-wrote "You Are So Beautiful", which became a hit for Joe Cocker. Read more
02 Sep 1946: Walt Simonson, American author and illustrator Walter Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for a run on Marvel Comics' Thor from 1983 to 1987, during which he created the character Beta Ray Bill. He is also known for the creator-owned work Star Slammers, which he inaugurated in 1972 as a Rhode Island School of Design thesis. He has also worked on other Marvel titles such as X-Factor and Fantastic Four, on DC Comics books including Detective Comics, Manhunter, Metal Men and Orion, and on licensed properties such as Star Wars, Alien, Battlestar Galactica and Robocop vs. Terminator. Read more
02 Sep 1946: Dan White, American assassin and politician (died 1985) Daniel James White was an American politician who assassinated George Moscone, the 37th mayor of San Francisco, and Harvey Milk, a fellow member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, inside San Francisco City Hall on November 27, 1978. Read more
02 Sep 1944: Janet Simpson, English sprinter (died 2010) Janet Mary Simpson was a British athlete who competed in sprint events and the 400 metres and competed at three Olympic Games. Read more
02 Sep 1943: Rosalind Ashford, American singer Rosalind "Roz" Ashford-Holmes is an American soprano R&B and soul singer, known for her work as an original member of the Motown singing group Martha and the Vandellas. Read more
02 Sep 1943: Glen Sather, Canadian ice hockey player and manager Glen Cameron Sather is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and current executive. He is the current senior advisor and alternate governor of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the Rangers' general manager until stepping down on July 1, 2015, and then served as their president until April 4, 2019. He stepped down from his advisory role with the Rangers on June 26, 2024. Read more
02 Sep 1943: Joe Simon, American singer-songwriter and producer (died 2021) Joseph Simon was an American soul and R&B musician. He began as a gospel artist singing with the Golden West Singers in the Bay Area in California. A consistent presence on the US charts between 1964 and 1981, Simon charted 51 U.S. Pop and R&B chart hits between 1964 and 1981, including eight times in the US top forty, 38 times in the top 40 of the US R&B chart, with 13 chart hits in Canada. His biggest hits included three number one entries on the US Billboard R&B chart: "The Chokin' Kind" (1969), "Power of Love" (1972), and "Get Down, Get Down " (1975). In 2021, he was one of the 60 nominees for the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. Read more
02 Sep 1941: Jyrki Otila, Finnish economist and politician (died 2003) Jyrki Ilari Otila was a Finnish quiz show judge and a member of the European Parliament. Read more
02 Sep 1941: Sadhana Shivdasani, Indian actress (died 2015) Sadhana Shivdasani, known mononymously as Sadhana, was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of the finest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema, Sadhana was known for her exquisite beauty, trendsetting fashion statements and understated acting style. She was popularly known as the "Mystery Girl" for her roles in three suspense thrillers directed by Raj Khosla during the mid 1960s. Read more
02 Sep 1941: John Thompson, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (died 2020) John Robert Thompson Jr. was an American professional basketball player and college basketball coach for the Georgetown Hoyas men's team. He became the first African-American head coach to win a major collegiate championship in basketball when he led the Hoyas to the NCAA Division I national championship in 1984. Thompson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Read more
02 Sep 1938: Leonard Appleyard, English diplomat, British Ambassador to China (died 2020) Sir Leonard Vincent Appleyard, was a British diplomat. Read more
02 Sep 1938: Jimmy Clanton, American pop singer-songwriter Jimmy Clanton is an American singer who became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". His band recorded a hit song "Just a Dream" which Clanton had written in 1958 for the Ace Records label. It reached number four on the Billboard chart and sold a million copies. Clanton performed on Dick Clark's American Bandstand and toured with popular artists like Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and the Platters. Read more
02 Sep 1938: Ernie Sigley, Australian television host (died 2021) Ernest William Sigley was an Australian Gold Logie award winning television host, comedian, variety performer, radio presenter and singer. Known as a pioneer of radio and television in Australian, he was often styled as a "little Aussie battler" with a larrikin sense of humour. Read more
02 Sep 1937: Len Carlson, Canadian voice actor (died 2006) Len Carlson was a Canadian voice actor who voiced various characters on many animated television series from the 1960s to the 2000s, an occasional live-action TV actor, and a Kraft Canada TV pitchman during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a native of Edmonton and a former professional athlete, playing baseball for a San Francisco Giants farm team before his acting career. Read more
02 Sep 1937: Peter Ueberroth, American businessman Peter Victor Ueberroth is an American sports and business executive known for his involvement in the Olympics and in Major League Baseball. A Los Angeles–based businessman, he was the chairman of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee which brought the games to Los Angeles in 1984. Ueberroth was named 1984's Time Man of the Year for his success in organizing the Olympic Games, and was also named The Sporting News Sportsman of the Year. Read more
02 Sep 1936: Andrew Grove, Hungarian-American businessman, engineer, and author (died 2016) Andrew "Andy" Stephen Grove was a Hungarian-American businessman and engineer who served as the third CEO of Intel Corporation. He left Hungary during the 1956 revolution at the age of 20 and moved to the United States, where he finished his education. He was the third employee and eventual third CEO of Intel, transforming the company into the world's largest semiconductor company. Read more
02 Sep 1936: Károly Krajczár, Hungarian-Slovene author and educator (died 2018) Károly Krajczár was a Hungarian Slovene teacher and writer. He was born in Apátistvánfalva. He wrote Slovene textbooks and collected ethnological objects. Read more
02 Sep 1935: D. Wayne Lukas, American horse trainer (died 2025) Darrell Wayne Lukas was an American horse trainer and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee. He won 20 Breeders' Cup races, 15 Triple Crown races, received five Eclipse Awards for his accomplishments, and his horses won 25 year-end Eclipse Awards. Lukas was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2007. Read more
02 Sep 1934: Hilla Becher, German conceptual photographer (died 2015) Hilla Becher was a German conceptual photographer. Becher was well known for her industrial photographs, or typologies, with longtime collaborator and husband, Bernd Becher. Her career spanned more than 50 years and included photographs from the United States, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Italy. Read more
02 Sep 1934: Sam Gooden, American soul singer (died 2022) Samuel Gooden was an American soul singer. He was best known for being an original member of the successful 1991 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted R&B group The Impressions, from its beginnings as The Roosters in the 1950s. Read more
02 Sep 1934: Chuck McCann, American actor and screenwriter (died 2018) Charles John Thomas McCann was an American actor, comedian, puppeteer, commercial presenter and television host. His career spanned over 70 years. He was best known for his work in presenting children's television programming and animation, as well as his own program The Chuck McCann Show and he also recorded comedy parody style albums. Read more
02 Sep 1934: Grady Nutt, American comedian, minister, and author (died 1982) Grady Lee Nutt was a Southern Baptist minister, humorist, television personality, and author. His humor revolved around rural Southern Protestantism and earned him the title of "The Prime Minister of Humor". Read more
02 Sep 1933: Ed Conlin, American basketball player and coach (died 2012) Edward James Conlin was an American basketball player and coach. Read more
02 Sep 1933: Mathieu Kérékou, Beninese soldier and politician, President of Benin (died 2015) Mathieu Kérékou was a Beninese politician and revolutionary who served as president of the People's Republic of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and the Republic of Benin from 1996 to 2006. Read more
02 Sep 1932: Walter Davis Jr., American pianist (died 1990) Walter Davis Jr. was an American bebop and hard bop pianist. Read more
02 Sep 1932: Arnold Greenberg, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (died 2012) Arnold Shepard Greenberg was an American businessman who co-founded Snapple, a brand of tea and juice drinks, in the 1970s with Leonard Marsh, his former high school classmate, and Hyman Golden, who was Marsh's brother-in-law. Greenberg later became the vice president and chief operating officer of the Snapple Corporation and retired after the 1994 acquisition of the brand to Quaker Oats. Read more
02 Sep 1931: Clifford Jordan, American saxophonist (died 1993) Clifford Laconia Jordan was an American jazz tenor saxophone player and composer. Originally from Chicago, Jordan later moved to New York City, where he recorded extensively in addition to touring across both Europe and Africa. He recorded and performed with Art Farmer, Horace Silver, Max Roach, J.J. Johnson, and Kenny Dorham, among others. In later years, he performed with Cedar Walton's quartet Eastern Rebellion, and led his own groups, including a big band. Read more
02 Sep 1931: Alan Simpson, American politician, US Senator from Wyoming (died 2025) Alan Kooi Simpson was an American politician from Wyoming who served as a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives representing Park County, Wyoming from 1965 to 1977 and as a member of the United States Senate from 1979 to 1997. Simpson was Republican whip of the U.S. Senate from 1985 to 1995, serving as majority whip of the U.S. Senate from 1985 to 1987. He also served as co-chair of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform with Democratic co-chair Erskine Bowles of North Carolina. Read more
02 Sep 1929: Hal Ashby, American actor, director, and producer (died 1988) William Hal Ashby was an American film director and editor. His work exemplified the countercultural attitude of the era. He directed wide-ranging films featuring iconic performances. He is associated with the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking with filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Mike Nichols and Sidney Lumet. Read more
02 Sep 1929: Beulah Bewley, English physician and academic (died 2018) Dame Beulah Rosemary Bewley was a British public health physician and past president of the Medical Women's Federation on the General Medical Council. Read more
02 Sep 1929: Rex Hartwig, Australian tennis player (died 2022) Rex Noel Hartwig was an Australian tennis player. Read more
02 Sep 1929: Victor Spinetti, Welsh actor and director (died 2012) Vittorio Giorgio Andre "Victor" Spinetti was a Welsh actor, author, poet and raconteur. He appeared in dozens of films and stage plays throughout his fifty-year career, including the three 1960s Beatles films A Hard Day's Night, Help! and Magical Mystery Tour. Read more
02 Sep 1928: Jim Jordan, Canadian educator and politician (died 2012) Jim Jordan was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1997. His career had been in education as a teacher and administrator. Read more
02 Sep 1928: Horace Silver, American pianist and composer (died 2014) Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. Read more
02 Sep 1928: Mel Stuart, American director and producer (died 2012) Mel Stuart was an American film director and producer who often worked with producer David L. Wolper, at whose production firm he worked for 17 years, before going freelance. Read more
02 Sep 1927: Milo Hamilton, American sportscaster (died 2015) Leland Milo Hamilton was an American sportscaster, best known for calling play-by-play for seven different Major League Baseball teams from 1953 to 2012. He received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. Read more
02 Sep 1927: Francis Matthews, English actor (died 2014) Francis Matthews was an English actor, best known for playing Paul Temple in the BBC television series of the same name and for voicing Captain Scarlet in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Read more
02 Sep 1927: Alice Raftary, American educator of blind adults (died 2014) Alice Geisler Raftary was an American educator, based in Detroit, who specialized in education and rehabilitation for newly blind adults. Read more
02 Sep 1925: Hugo Montenegro, American composer and conductor (died 1981) Hugo Mario Montenegro was an American orchestra leader and composer of film soundtracks. His best-known work is interpretations of the music from Spaghetti Westerns, especially his cover version of Ennio Morricone's main theme from the 1966 film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. He composed the score for the 1969 Western Charro!, which starred Elvis Presley. He also wrote for various television series, most notably the theme to "I Dream of Jeannie" Read more
02 Sep 1924: Daniel arap Moi, Kenyan educator and politician, 2nd President of Kenya (died 2020) Daniel Toroitich arap Moi was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the third vice president of Kenya from 1967 to 1978 under President Jomo Kenyatta, becoming the president following the latter's death. Read more
02 Sep 1923: René Thom, French mathematician, biologist, and academic (died 2002) René Frédéric Thom was a French mathematician, who received the Fields Medal in 1958. Read more
02 Sep 1923: Ramón Valdés, Mexican actor and comedian (died 1988) Ramón Esteban Gómez-Valdés y Castillo was a Mexican actor and comedian. He is best remembered for his portrayal of Don Ramón in the Mexican sitcom El Chavo del Ocho. He is also recognized as one of Mexico's best comedians. Read more
02 Sep 1922: Arthur Ashkin, American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (died 2020) Arthur Ashkin was an American scientist and Nobel laureate who worked at Bell Labs. Ashkin has been considered by many as the father of optical tweezers,
for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 at age 96, becoming the oldest Nobel laureate until 2019 when John B. Goodenough was awarded at 97. He resided in Rumson, New Jersey. Read more
02 Sep 1922: Leigh Kamman, American radio host (died 2014) Leigh Kamman was an American radio host who focused on bringing jazz music to the airwaves during his career, which spanned more than six decades. Read more
02 Sep 1919: Marge Champion, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (died 2020) Marjorie Celeste Champion was an American dancer and actress. At fourteen, she was hired as a dance model for Walt Disney Studios animated films. Later, she performed as an actress and dancer in film musicals, and in 1957 had a television show based on song and dance. She also did creative choreography for liturgy, and served as a dialogue and movement coach for the 1978 TV miniseries, The Awakening Land, set in the late 18th century in the Ohio Valley. Read more
02 Sep 1919: Lance Macklin, English racing driver and businessman (died 2002) Lance Noel Macklin was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 15 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952. He was involved in the 1955 Le Mans disaster, starting the initial chain reaction after a dangerous manoeuvre by Mike Hawthorn. Read more
02 Sep 1918: Allen Drury, American journalist and author (died 1998) Allen Stuart Drury was an American novelist. During World War II, he was a reporter in the Senate, closely observing Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, among others. He would convert these experiences into his first novel Advise and Consent, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960. Long afterwards, it was still being praised as ‘the definitive Washington tale’. His diaries from this period were published as A Senate Journal 1943–45. Read more
02 Sep 1917: Laurindo Almeida, Brazilian-American guitarist and composer (died 1995) Laurindo José de Araújo Almeida Nóbrega Neto was a Brazilian guitarist and composer in classical, jazz, and Latin music. He was one of the pioneers in the creation of bossa nova. Almeida was the first guitarist to receive Grammy Awards for both classical and jazz performances. His discography encompasses more than a hundred recordings over five decades. Read more
02 Sep 1917: Cleveland Amory, American author and critic (died 1997) Cleveland Amory was an American author, reporter, television critic, commentator and animal rights activist. He wrote a series of popular books poking fun at the pretensions and customs of society, starting with The Proper Bostonians in 1947. From the 1950s through the 1990s, he had a career as a reporter and writer for national magazines and as a television and radio commentator. In the late 1980s and 1990s, he wrote bestselling books about his adopted cat, Polar Bear, starting with The Cat Who Came for Christmas (1987). Amory devoted much of his life to promoting animal rights, particularly protection of animals from hunting and vivisection. The executive director of the Humane Society of the United States described Amory as "the founding father of the modern animal protection movement." Read more
02 Sep 1916: Ömer Lütfi Akad, Turkish director and screenwriter (died 2011) Lütfi Ömer Akad was a Turkish film director, screenwriter, and academic, who directed movies from 1948 to 1990. In 1949, he debuted as a film director with Vurun Kahpeye an adaptation of Halide Edib Adıvar's book of the same title. He became one of the pioneers of the period in the "Director Generation". His 1970s trilogy comprising The Bride, The Wedding and The Sacrifice, is considered his masterpiece. Afterwards, he withdrew from movie making instead directing adaptations for TV. Read more
02 Sep 1915: Benjamin Aaron, American lawyer and scholar (died 2007) Benjamin Aaron was an American attorney, labor law scholar and civil servant. He is known for his work as an arbitrator and mediator, and for helping to advance the development of the field of comparative labor law in the United States. Read more
02 Sep 1913: Israel Gelfand, Russian-American mathematician and biologist (died 2009) Israel Moiseevich Gelfand, also written Israïl Moyseyovich Gel'fand, or Izrail M. Gelfand was a prominent Soviet and American mathematician, one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century, biologist, teacher and organizer of mathematical education. He made significant contributions to many branches of mathematics, including group theory, representation theory and functional analysis. The recipient of many awards, including the Order of Lenin and the first Wolf Prize, he was a Foreign Fellow of the Royal Society and professor at Moscow State University and, after immigrating to the United States shortly before his 76th birthday, at Rutgers University. Gelfand is also a 1994 MacArthur Fellow. Read more
02 Sep 1913: Bill Shankly, Scottish footballer and manager (died 1981) William Shankly was a Scottish football player and manager who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool. Shankly brought success to Liverpool, gaining promotion to the First Division and winning three League Championships and the UEFA Cup. He laid foundations on which his successors Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan were able to build by winning seven league titles and four European Cups in the ten seasons after Shankly retired in 1974. A charismatic, iconic figure at the club, his oratory stirred the emotions of the fanbase. Ronnie Moran, who was the captain of Liverpool when Shankly arrived in 1959, said "he was the one that resurrected the club." Read more
02 Sep 1912: Ernest Bromley, Australian cricketer (died 1967) Ernest Harvey Bromley was an Australian cricketer who played in two Test matches, one in 1933 and the other in 1934. Read more
02 Sep 1911: Romare Bearden, American painter and author (died 1988) Romare Howard Bearden was an American artist, author, and songwriter. He worked with many types of media including cartoons, oils, and collages. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bearden grew up in New York City and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from New York University in 1935. Read more
02 Sep 1911: William F. Harrah, American businessman, founded Harrah's Entertainment (died 1978) William Fisk Harrah was an American businessman and the founder of Harrah's Hotel and Casinos, now part of Caesars Entertainment. Read more
02 Sep 1911: Lill Tschudi, Swiss artist (died 2004) Lill Tschudi was a Swiss artist associated with the Grosvenor School of Modern Art. Read more
02 Sep 1910: Paul Saagpakk, Estonian linguist, lexicographer, and academic (died 1996) Paul Friedrich Saagpakk was an Estonian linguist who compiled a standard reference dictionary of Estonian with 500,000 Estonian expressions and their English equivalents. Read more
02 Sep 1910: Donald Watson, English activist, founded the Vegan Society (died 2005) Donald Watson was an English animal rights and veganism advocate who co-founded The Vegan Society. Read more
02 Sep 1908: Ruth Bancroft, American landscape and garden designer (died 2017) Ruth Bancroft was the creator of the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, California. Read more
02 Sep 1907: Pertev Naili Boratav, Turkish author and educator (died 1998) Pertev Naili Boratav, born Mustafa Pertev was a Turkish folklorist and researcher of folk literature. He has been characterized as 'the founding father of Turkish folkloristics during the Republic'. Read more
02 Sep 1904: August Jakobson, Estonian author and politician (died 1963) August Jakobson was an Estonian writer and politician. He was one of the few Estonian playwright among his contemporaries whose plays were untouched by Soviet censorship and reached other Soviet states. He has been described as the leading Stalinist in Soviet Estonian drama. In the 1960s his work was described as "ideologically militant". Read more
02 Sep 1901: Andreas Embirikos, Greek psychoanalyst and poet (died 1975) Andreas Embirikos was a Greek surrealist poet, writer, photographer, and one of the first Greek psychoanalysts. As a writer, he emerged from the Generation of the '30s and is considered one of the most important representatives of Greek surrealism. He studied psychoanalysis in France and was the first to practice it as a profession in Greece in the years 1935–1951. Out of his entire literary work, his first collection of poetry, titled Ypsikaminos, stands out as the first purely surrealist Greek text. Among his prose works, his bold erotic novel The Great Eastern was completed over a period of several decades becoming the lengthiest modern Greek novel. Described as Embirikos' "lifework", It was received with both praise and criticism for its libertine nature and highly erotic content. A large part of Embirikos' work was published well after his death. Read more
02 Sep 1901: Adolph Rupp, American basketball player and coach (died 1977) Adolph Frederick Rupp was an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed the "Baron of the Bluegrass", he coached the University of Kentucky Wildcats to four NCAA championships, one NIT championship, 27 Southeastern Conference championships, and 13 SEC tournament championships. In his 41 years of coaching at Kentucky, he won 876 games, retiring with the most total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach at the time; he has since been surpassed by six coaches and ranks seventh. Rupp is second among all men's college coaches in all-time winning percentage (.822) and third in NCAA championships. In 1948, he coached the US Olympic Team to a gold medal in London. Read more
02 Sep 1897: Fazlollah Zahedi, Iranian general and statesman, 36th Prime Minister of Iran (died 1963) Fazlollah Zahedi was an Iranian military officer and statesman who replaced the Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh through a coup d'état supported by the United States and the United Kingdom. Read more
02 Sep 1894: Joseph Roth, Austrian journalist and author (died 1939) Moses Joseph Roth was an Austrian novelist, journalist and essayist. Born into a Jewish family in Brody, eastern Galicia, then part of Austria-Hungary, he became one of the leading German-language journalists and novelists of the interwar period. His best-known fiction includes Job (1930), Radetzky March (1932), The Emperor's Tomb (1938) and the posthumously published The Legend of the Holy Drinker (1939). His nonfiction includes The Wandering Jews (1927), an extended essay on eastern European Jewish migration. Read more
02 Sep 1892: Dezső Kertész, Hungarian actor and film director (died 1965) Dezső Kertész was a Hungarian film actor and director. Read more
02 Sep 1884: Frank Laubach, American missionary and mystic (died 1970) Frank Charles Laubach, from Benton, Pennsylvania was a Congregational Christian missionary educated at Union Theological Seminary and Columbia University, and a mystic known as "The Apostle to the Illiterates." In 1915, while working among Muslims at a remote location in the Philippines, he developed the "Each One Teach One" literacy program. It has been used to teach about 60 million people to read in their own language. He was deeply concerned about poverty, injustice and illiteracy, and considered them barriers to peace in the world. Read more
02 Sep 1883: Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria (died 1963) Archduchess Elisabeth Marie Henriette Stephanie Gisela of Austria was the only child of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, and Princess Stéphanie of Belgium. Her father was the son and heir apparent of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, and her mother was a daughter of King Leopold II of Belgium. She was known to her family as "Erzsi", a diminutive of her name Erzsébet in Hungarian. Later nicknamed The Red Archduchess, she was famous for becoming a socialist and a member of the Austrian Social Democratic Party. Read more
02 Sep 1878: Herman, Estonian-Finnish archbishop (died 1961) Archbishop Herman was an Estonian-born Orthodox bishop who served from 1925 to 1960 as Archbishop of Karelia and All Finland of the Orthodox Church of Finland. Read more
02 Sep 1878: Werner von Blomberg, German field marshal (died 1946) Werner von Blomberg was a German field marshal and politician who served as the first Minister of War in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1938. Blomberg had served as Chief of the Truppenamt, equivalent to the German General Staff, during the Weimar Republic from 1927 to 1929. Read more
02 Sep 1877: Frederick Soddy, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1956) Frederick Soddy FRS was an English radiochemist who explained, with Ernest Rutherford, that radioactivity is due to the transmutation of elements, now known to involve nuclear reactions. He also proved the existence of isotopes of certain radioactive elements. In 1921, he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his contributions to our knowledge of the chemistry of radioactive substances, and his investigations into the origin and nature of isotopes". Soddy was a polymath who mastered chemistry, nuclear physics, statistical mechanics, finance, and economics. Read more
02 Sep 1873: Lily Poulett-Harris, Australian cricketer and educator (died 1897) Lily Poulett-Harris was an Australian sportswoman and educationalist, notable for being the founder of the first women's cricket league in Australia. She captained the Oyster Cove team in the league. She continued to play until forced to retire due to ill health from tuberculosis that would eventually claim her life at the young age of 23. Read more
02 Sep 1866: Charles Vintcent, South African cricketer and rugby player (died 1943) Charles Henry Vintcent was a South African cricketer who played in three Test matches from 1889 to 1892. Read more
02 Sep 1865: Simeón Ola, Filipino general and politician (died 1952) Simeón Ola y Arboleda is a hero of the Philippine Revolution and was the last general of the Philippines to surrender to the American forces after the Philippine–American War. Read more
02 Sep 1856: John Bowser, English-Australian politician, 26th Premier of Victoria (died 1936) Sir John Bowser, Australian politician, was the 26th Premier of Victoria. He was born in London, the son of an army officer, and arrived in Melbourne as a child with his family. He grew up at Bacchus Marsh and when he left school got a job with the Bacchus Marsh Express. As a young man he went to Scotland and worked on newspapers while studying at University of Edinburgh. Returning to Australia, he settled in Wangaratta, where he farmed and managed the Wangaratta Chronicle, which he eventually bought. Read more
02 Sep 1853: Wilhelm Ostwald, Latvian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1932) Wilhelm Friedrich Ostwald was a Baltic German chemist and philosopher. Ostwald is credited with being one of the founders of the field of physical chemistry, with Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Walther Nernst and Svante Arrhenius.
He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909 for his scientific contributions to the fields of catalysis, chemical equilibria and reaction velocities. Read more
02 Sep 1852: Paul Bourget, French author and critic (died 1935) Paul Charles Joseph Bourget was a French poet, novelist and critic. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times. Read more
02 Sep 1850: Eugene Field, American author and poet (died 1895) Eugene Field Sr. was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. He was known as the "poet of childhood". Read more
02 Sep 1850: Albert Spalding, American baseball player, manager, and businessman, co-founded the Spalding Sporting Goods Company (died 1915) Albert Goodwill Spalding was an American pitcher, manager, and executive in the early years of professional baseball, and the co-founder of the Spalding sporting goods company. He was born and raised in Byron, Illinois, and graduated from Rockford Central High School in Rockford, Illinois. He played major league baseball from 1871 to 1878. Spalding set a trend when he started wearing a baseball glove. Read more
02 Sep 1850: Woldemar Voigt, German physicist and academic (died 1919) Woldemar Voigt was a German mathematician and physicist. Read more
02 Sep 1839: Henry George, American economist and author (died 1897) Henry George was an American political economist, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the economic philosophy known as Georgism, the belief that people should own the value they produce themselves, but that the economic value of land should belong equally to all members of society. George famously argued that a single tax on land values would create a more productive and just society. Read more
02 Sep 1838: Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Indian guru and philosopher (died 1914) Bhaktivinoda Thakur, born Kedarnath Datta, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and spiritual reformer of Gaudiya Vaishnavism who effected its resurgence in India in late 19th and early 20th century and was called by contemporary scholars as a Gaudiya Vaishnava leader of his time. He, along with his son Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, is also credited with initiating the propagation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism in the West and its global spread. Read more
02 Sep 1838: Liliʻuokalani, Last sovereign monarch of Hawaiʻi (died 1917) Liliʻuokalani was the only queen regnant and the last sovereign monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom, ruling from January 29, 1891, until the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom on January 17, 1893, in a coup that was led by the Committee of Safety, composed of seven foreign residents and six Hawaiian Kingdom subjects of American descent in Honolulu. The composer of "Aloha ʻOe" and numerous other works, she wrote her autobiography Hawaiʻi's Story by Hawaiʻi's Queen (1898) during her imprisonment following the overthrow. Read more
02 Sep 1830: William P. Frye, American lawyer and politician (died 1911) William Pierce Frye was an American politician from Maine. A member of the Republican Party, Frye spent most of his political career as a legislator, serving in the Maine House of Representatives and then U.S. House of Representatives, before being elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served for 30 years before dying in office. Frye was a member of the Frye political family, and was the grandfather of Wallace H. White Jr., and the son of John March Frye. He was also a prominent member of the Peucinian Society tradition. To date, Frye is the longest serving Senator in Maine's history. Read more
02 Sep 1820: Lucretia Peabody Hale, American journalist and author (died 1900) Lucretia Peabody Hale was an American writer and editor, best known for her humorous The Peterkin Papers stories. Read more
02 Sep 1814: Ernst Curtius, German archaeologist and historian (died 1896) Ernst Curtius was a German archaeologist, historian and museum director. Read more
02 Sep 1810: Lysander Button, American engineer (died 1898) Lysander Button was the inventor of many of the early improvements made on hand and steam fire engines. Many of those improvements made their way to the modern fire engines of today. Read more
02 Sep 1810: William Seymour Tyler, American historian and educator (died 1897) William Seymour Tyler was the Amherst College, Massachusetts, historian during his tenure as professor of Latin, Greek, and Greek literature from 1832 to 1893. Read more
02 Sep 1805: Esteban Echeverría, Argentinian poet and author (died 1851) José Esteban Antonio Echeverría was an Argentine poet, fiction writer, cultural promoter, and liberal activist who played a significant role in the development of Argentine literature, not only through his own writings but also through his organizational efforts. He was one of Latin America's most important Romantic authors. Echeverría's romantic liberalism was influenced by both the democratic nationalism of Giuseppe Mazzini and the utopian socialist doctrines of Henri de Saint-Simon. Read more

Notable Deaths on 02 September

02 Sep 2024: James Darren, American actor (born 1936) James William Ercolani, known by his stage name James Darren, was an American actor, singer, and television director. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and supporting roles in films including the youth and beach-culture film Gidget (1959) and its sequels. He also appeared in The Gene Krupa Story (1959), All the Young Men (1960), The Guns of Navarone (1961), and Diamond Head (1962). Read more
02 Sep 2024: Rodolfo Hernández Suárez, Colombian politician (born 1945) Rodolfo Hernández Suárez was a Colombian politician, civil engineer, and businessman who served as a senator of Colombia from July to October 2022. He was mayor of Bucaramanga from 2016 until his resignation in 2019. As the nominee for the League of Anti-Corruption Governors (LIGA) coalition, Hernández placed second in the first round of the 2022 Colombian presidential election, and he was ultimately defeated by Gustavo Petro in the second round run-off election. Hernández briefly served in a senate seat offered to the runner-up in a presidential election and took office on 20 July and resigned in October that same year. Read more
02 Sep 2022: Frank Drake, American radio astronomer and astrophysicist (born 1930) Frank Donald Drake was an American astrophysicist and astrobiologist. Read more
02 Sep 2022: T. V. Sankaranarayanan, Indian Carnatic vocalist (born 1945) T. V. Sankaranarayanan, was an Indian Carnatic vocalist, known for his music that stems from the style of his guru and maternal-uncle, Madurai Mani Iyer. TVS was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2003. Read more
02 Sep 2021: Siddharth Shukla, Indian TV and film actor (born 1980) Sidharth Shukla was an Indian actor, host and model who mostly appeared in Hindi television and films. He was known for his roles in Balika Vadhu, Broken But Beautiful 3, and Dil Se Dil Tak. He was the winner of Bigg Boss 13 and Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 7. He hosted Savdhaan India, and India's Got Talent. He won the World's Best Model title in December 2005, beating 40 other participants from across Asia, Latin America, and Europe. He made his acting debut with a lead role in the 2008 show Babul Ka Aangann Chootey Na. In 2014, Shukla made his Bollywood debut in a supporting role in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Read more
02 Sep 2021: Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer (born 1925) Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. Read more
02 Sep 2018: Claire Wineland, American activist and author (born 1997) Claire Lucia Wineland was an American activist, author, speaker and social media personality. Through her non-profit organization, Claire's Place Foundation, she provided support to children and families affected by cystic fibrosis (CF). She died from a blood clot one week after receiving a double lung transplant at the age of 21. Read more
02 Sep 2016: Jerry Heller, American music manager (born 1940) Gerald Elliot Heller was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for managing West Coast rap and gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A and Eazy-E. He rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s representing Journey, Marvin Gaye, Van Morrison, War, Eric Burdon, Crosby Stills & Nash, Ike & Tina Turner, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Otis Redding, The Who, REO Speedwagon, Black Sabbath, Humble Pie, Styx, the Grass Roots, and the Standells, among many others. Read more
02 Sep 2016: Islam Karimov, Uzbek politician, 1st President of Uzbekistan (born 1938) Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov was an Uzbek politician who served as the first president of Uzbekistan, from the country's independence in 1991 until his death in 2016. He was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan from 1989 to 1991, the last to hold the post. The party was reconstituted as the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (O‘zXDP); which Karimov led until 1996. He was the President of the Uzbek SSR from 24 March 1990 until he declared the independence of Uzbekistan on 1 September 1991. Read more
02 Sep 2015: Ephraim Engleman, American rheumatologist, author, and academic (born 1911) Ephraim Engleman was an American rheumatologist and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
He had a major national and international impact on rheumatology during more than six decades, and wrote more than one hundred scientific and medical papers. Read more
02 Sep 2014: F. Emmett Fitzpatrick, American lawyer and politician, 20th District Attorney of Philadelphia (born 1930) F. Emmett Fitzpatrick Jr. was an American politician, attorney and professor. A noted criminal defense attorney, he served as the District Attorney of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between 1974 and 1978. Read more
02 Sep 2014: Norman Gordon, South African cricketer (born 1911) Norman Gordon was a South African cricketer who played in five Test matches during the 1938–39 South African cricket season. Read more
02 Sep 2014: Helena Rakoczy, Polish gymnast (born 1921) Helena Rakoczy was a Polish artistic gymnast. She is a 1956 Olympic bronze medalist with the Polish team, as well as 4-time World champion and a 7-time World Championships medalist. She was born in Kraków, Poland. Read more
02 Sep 2014: Goolam Essaji Vahanvati, Indian lawyer and politician, 13th Attorney General of India (born 1949) Goolamhussein Essaji Vahanvati (1949-2014) was an Indian senior counsel who served as the 11th Attorney General for India. His first term in office began in June 2009 and was for three years. Read more
02 Sep 2013: Valérie Benguigui, French actress and director (born 1965) Valérie Benguigui was a French actress and theater director. Born in Oran, Algeria, she took acting courses at the Cours Florent and the National Chaillot Theatre School. Her first film role was in Francis Huster's On a volé Charlie Spencer (1986). Read more
02 Sep 2013: Terry Clawson, English rugby player and coach (born 1940) Terence A. Clawson was an English World Cup winning professional rugby league footballer who played from the 1950s through to the 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain between 1962 and 1974, and was part of the 1972 Rugby League World Cup winning squad. He also played for Yorkshire, and at club level for Featherstone Rovers (captain), Bradford Northern, Leeds, Hull Kingston Rovers, Oldham, York, Wakefield Trinity, Hull F.C. and South Newcastle, as a goal-kicking prop or second-row. He coached at club level for South Newcastle and Featherstone Rovers. Read more
02 Sep 2013: Ronald Coase, English-American economist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1910) Ronald Harry Coase was a British economist and author. Coase was educated at the London School of Economics, where he was a member of the faculty until 1951. He was the Clifton R. Musser Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Law School, where he arrived in 1964 and remained for the rest of his life. He received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1991. Read more
02 Sep 2013: David Jacobs, English radio and television host (born 1926) David Lewis Jacobs was a British broadcaster. He was the presenter of the BBC Television series Juke Box Jury in the 1960s, and chaired the long-running BBC Radio 4 topical discussion series Any Questions?. His earlier radio work included small acting parts: over the years he played himself or the characters of presenters in film, television and radio productions. Jacobs finally stepped down as a BBC Radio 2 presenter shortly before his death in 2013, his career having spanned more than 65 years. Read more
02 Sep 2013: Frederik Pohl, American author and publisher (born 1919) Frederik George Pohl Jr. was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satellite: Luna", to the 2011 novel All the Lives He Led. Read more
02 Sep 2013: Paul Scoon, Grenadian politician, 2nd Governor-General of Grenada (born 1935) Sir Paul Godwin Scoon was a Grenadian politician who served as governor-general of Grenada from 1978 to 1992. His tenure is notable for the hectic events related to the rise and fall of the People's Revolutionary Government, as well as his personal involvement in and support of the invasion of Grenada. Read more
02 Sep 2012: Mark Abrahamian, American guitarist (born 1966) Starship is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Initially a continuation of Jefferson Starship, it underwent a change in musical direction, the subsequent loss of personnel, and a lawsuit settlement that led to a name change. Starship's 1985 album, Knee Deep in the Hoopla, was certified platinum by the RIAA, and included two singles that went to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart: "We Built This City" and "Sara". Their follow up album, No Protection, released in 1987, was certified gold and featured the band's third number one single, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now". After a short hiatus in the early 1990s, the band reformed in 1992 as "Starship featuring Mickey Thomas" and resumed touring. Read more
02 Sep 2012: Jack Boucher, American photographer and director (born 1931) Jack E. Boucher was an American photographer for the National Park Service for more than 40 years beginning in 1958. He served as the Chief Photographer for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). In 1966 he left the Park Service for two years to supervise New Jersey's State Historic Preservation program, including the State's roadside marker program, 18 historic museum houses, several lighthouses, and two historic villages. Offered his old job back by the Park Service/HABS in 1970, he left New Jersey to return to NPS/HABS and the highly specialized job of large format photographic architectural documentation. His work took him to 49 States, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. April 2008 was the fiftieth anniversary of his employment with the National Park Service's "HABS" program. He traveled with 900 pounds of photographic equipment. Read more
02 Sep 2012: John C. Marshall, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1941) John C. Marshall was a British guitarist, vocalist and songwriter in the jazz and blues vein. He was born in London, England. Read more
02 Sep 2012: Emmanuel Nunes, Portuguese-French composer and educator (born 1941) Emmanuel Nunes was a Portuguese composer who lived and worked in Paris from 1964. Read more
02 Sep 2011: Roberto Bruce, Chilean journalist (born 1979) Roberto Andrés Bruce Pruzzo was a Chilean television journalist, mainly known for his work on Televisión Nacional de Chile's breakfast programme Buenos Días a Todos. Bruce also worked as host of Dónde La Viste in the same TV channel. Read more
02 Sep 2011: Felipe Camiroaga, Chilean television presenter (born 1966) Felipe Humberto Camiroaga Fernández was a Chilean television presenter, actor and comedian, one of the most popular in his country. Read more
02 Sep 2009: Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (born 1949) Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, popularly known as YSR, was an Indian politician. He served as the 14th chief minister of Andhra Pradesh from 2004 to 2009. Reddy was elected four terms to the Lok Sabha from Kadapa. He was also elected six terms to the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Pulivendula. Over the course of his career, he won every election that he contested, either to Assembly or Lok Sabha. Read more
02 Sep 2008: Bill Melendez, Mexican-American animator, director, producer, and voice actor (born 1916) José Cuauhtémoc "Bill" Melendez was a Mexican-American animator, director, producer, and voice actor. Melendez was known for working on the Peanuts animated specials, as well as providing the voices of Snoopy and Woodstock. Before Peanuts, he previously worked as an animator for Walt Disney Productions, Warner Bros. Cartoons, and UPA. Read more
02 Sep 2008: Alan Waddell, Australian walker Alan Mossman Waddell was an Australian walker who received national and international media attention for walking every street in over 280 suburbs in Sydney. Read more
02 Sep 2007: Franz-Benno Delonge, German game designer, created TransAmerica (born 1957) Franz-Benno Delonge was a designer of German-style board games. He has been nominated for multiple best game awards, including Spiel des Jahres and International Gamers Awards. TransAmerica won the Mensa best mind game award for 2003. He died of cancer on 2 September 2007. Read more
02 Sep 2007: Max McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1924) Maxwell Douglas McNab was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach, and National Hockey League (NHL) general manager. He played in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings between 1947 and 1951, winning the Stanley Cup with them in 1950. The rest of his playing career, which lasted from 1945 to 1959, was spent in various minor leagues. Read more
02 Sep 2006: Bob Mathias, American decathlete and politician (born 1930) Robert Bruce Mathias was an American decathlete, politician, and actor. Representing the United States, he won two Olympic gold medals in the Decathlon, at the 1948 and the 1952 Summer Games. As a Republican, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives for California's 18th congressional district, for four terms from 1967 to 1975. Read more
02 Sep 2006: Willi Ninja, American dancer and choreographer (born 1961) William Roscoe Leake, better known as Willi Ninja, was an American dancer and choreographer known for his appearance in the documentary film Paris Is Burning. Read more
02 Sep 2006: Dewey Redman, American saxophonist (born 1931) Walter Dewey Redman was an American saxophonist who performed free jazz as a bandleader, and as a member of bands including those led by Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett. Read more
02 Sep 2005: Bob Denver, American actor (born 1935) Robert Osbourne Denver was an American comedic actor who portrayed beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis and Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television series Gilligan's Island. Read more
02 Sep 2004: Joan Oró, Catalan biochemist and academic (born 1923) Joan Oró i Florensa, 1st Marquess of Oró was a Spanish Catalan biochemist, whose research has been of importance in understanding the origin of life. Living in the United States for many years, he participated in several NASA missions, including the Apollo mission to the Moon and the Viking lander. He received the Oparin Medal for his contributions to the field of origins of life. Read more
02 Sep 2002: Dick Reynolds, Australian footballer and coach (born 1915) Richard Sylvannus Reynolds was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Read more
02 Sep 2001: Christiaan Barnard, South African surgeon and academic (born 1922) Christiaan Neethling Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant operation. On 3 December 1967, Barnard transplanted the heart of accident victim Denise Darvall into the chest of 54-year-old Louis Washkansky, who regained full consciousness and was able to talk easily with his wife, before dying 18 days later of pneumonia, largely brought on by the anti-rejection drugs that suppressed his immune system. Barnard had told Mr. and Mrs. Washkansky that the operation had an 80% chance of success, an assessment which has been criticised as misleading. Barnard's second transplant patient, Philip Blaiberg, whose operation was performed at the beginning of 1968, returned home from the hospital and lived for a year and a half. Read more
02 Sep 2001: Troy Donahue, American actor (born 1936) Troy Donahue was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Johnny Hunter in the film A Summer Place. He was a popular sex symbol in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Read more
02 Sep 2000: Elvera Sanchez, American dancer (born 1905) Elvera "Baby" Sánchez Davis was an American dancer and the mother of Sammy Davis Jr. Read more
02 Sep 2000: Curt Siodmak, German-American author and screenwriter (born 1907) Curt Siodmak was a German-American novelist, screenwriter and director. He is known for his work in the horror and science fiction film genres, with such films as The Wolf Man and Donovan's Brain. He was the younger brother of noir director Robert Siodmak. Read more
02 Sep 1998: Jackie Blanchflower, Northern Irish footballer (born 1933) John Blanchflower was a footballer from Northern Ireland. He graduated from Manchester United's youth system and played for the club on 117 occasions, winning one league title, before his career was cut short due to injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster. He was also capped 12 times at senior level by Northern Ireland. Read more
02 Sep 1998: Allen Drury, American journalist and author (born 1918) Allen Stuart Drury was an American novelist. During World War II, he was a reporter in the Senate, closely observing Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, among others. He would convert these experiences into his first novel Advise and Consent, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1960. Long afterwards, it was still being praised as ‘the definitive Washington tale’. His diaries from this period were published as A Senate Journal 1943–45. Read more
02 Sep 1997: Rudolf Bing, Austrian-American manager (born 1902) Sir Rudolf Bing, KBE was an Austrian-born British opera impresario who worked in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, including as General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1950 to 1972. He was naturalized as a British subject in 1946 and was knighted in 1971, although he spent decades living in the United States, where he died. Read more
02 Sep 1997: Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (born 1905) Viktor Emil Frankl
was an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor, who founded logotherapy, a school of psychotherapy that describes a search for a life's meaning as the central human motivational force. Logotherapy is part of existential and humanistic psychology theories. Read more
02 Sep 1996: Paddy Clift, Zimbabwean cricketer (born 1953) Patrick Bernard Clift was a Zimbabwean first class cricketer for Leicestershire County Cricket Club, who was educated at St. George's College, Harare. He was a right-armed medium bowler and right-handed batsman. Clift died in South Africa after a battle with bone marrow cancer, in the same year that Leicestershire won the County Championship. Read more
02 Sep 1992: Barbara McClintock, American geneticist and botanist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1902) Barbara McClintock was an American scientist and cytogeneticist who was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. McClintock received her PhD in botany from Cornell University in 1927. There, she started her career as the leader of the development of maize cytogenetics, the focus of her research for the rest of her life. From the late 1920s, McClintock studied chromosomes and how they change during reproduction in maize. She developed the technique for visualizing maize chromosomes and used microscopic analysis to demonstrate many fundamental genetic ideas. One of those ideas was the notion of genetic recombination by crossing-over during meiosis—a mechanism by which chromosomes exchange information. She demonstrated the role of the telomere and centromere, regions of the chromosome that are important in the conservation of genetic information. She was recognized as among the best in the field, awarded prestigious fellowships, and elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1944. Read more
02 Sep 1991: Alfonso García Robles, Mexican politician and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1911) Alfonso García Robles was a Mexican diplomat and politician who, in conjunction with Sweden's Alva Myrdal, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. Read more
02 Sep 1990: Robert Holmes à Court, South African-Australian businessman and lawyer (born 1937) Michael Robert Hamilton Holmes à Court was a South African-born Australian businessman who became Australia's first billionaire. He died suddenly of heart failure in 1990 at the age of 53. Read more
02 Sep 1987: Brian Clay, Australian rugby league player (born 1935) Brian Joseph 'Poppa' Clay (1935–1987) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a five-eighth with the St. George Dragons during their 11-year consecutive premiership winning run from 1956 to 1966. He was a representative in the Australian national team in 1957 and from 1959 to 1960 earning five Test caps plus three World Cup appearances. He is considered one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century. Read more
02 Sep 1985: M. Alalasundaram, Sri Lankan Tamil teacher and politician Arumugam Murugesu Alalasundaram was an assassinated Sri Lankan Tamil teacher, politician and Member of Parliament. Read more
02 Sep 1985: Abe Lenstra, Dutch footballer (born 1920) Abe Minderts Lenstra was a Dutch footballer and national football icon in the 1950s who played as a forward. He is regarded as one of the greatest players ever to hail from the Netherlands. He was also a Frisian legend, most notably with the club where he made his name as a football player, Heerenveen. Known for his exceptional dribbling skills, creativity, and goal-scoring ability, Lenstra was considered one of the best forwards of his generation. He earned 47 caps for the Netherlands national team, scoring 33 goals, and played a crucial role in the team's success during his era. In addition to his national fame, Lenstra was beloved in Friesland, where his contributions to both Heerenveen and regional football left a lasting legacy. Read more
02 Sep 1985: V. Dharmalingam, Sri Lankan Tamil politician (born 1918) Visvanathan Dharmalingam was a Sri Lankan Tamil politician and Member of Parliament. Read more
02 Sep 1985: Jay Youngblood, American wrestler (born 1955) Steven Nicolas Romero was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Jay Youngblood. He wrestled in the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions in a tag team with Ricky Steamboat. In addition, he wrestled with Championship Wrestling from Florida, Pacific Northwest Wrestling, NWA All-Star Wrestling and the American Wrestling Association. Read more
02 Sep 1984: Manos Katrakis, Greek actor (born 1908) Emmanuel "Manos" Katrakis was a Greek actor of theater and film. Read more
02 Sep 1983: Feri Cansel, Turkish-Cypriot actress (born 1944) Feriha "Feri" Cansel was a Turkish Cypriot actress. Read more
02 Sep 1979: Otto P. Weyland, American general (born 1903) Otto Paul Weyland was a United States Air Force (USAF) general and the post-World War II Commander of Far East Air Forces during the Korean War and of Tactical Air Command. Read more
02 Sep 1978: Fred G. Meyer, American businessman, founded Fred Meyer (born 1886) Fred G. Meyer was an American businessman who founded the Oregon-based Fred Meyer store chain, which had 63 stores in four western states at the time of his death. He was known for successfully introducing several innovative marketing concepts. He is credited for inventing the modern hypermarket. Read more
02 Sep 1977: Stephen Dunne, American actor (born 1918) Francis Michael Dunne was an American actor, radio personality and disc jockey. He was active in television and films from 1945 to 1973, and was also credited as Steve Dunn, Michael Dunne, Stephan Dunne, and Steve Dunne. Read more
02 Sep 1976: Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet and playwright (born 1934) Stanisław Antoni Grochowiak, pen-name "Kain" was a Polish poet and dramatist. His is often classified as a representative of turpism, because of his interest in the physical, ugly and brutal, but he also exhibits strong tendencies toward formal, rhymed poetry, reaching on many occasions the ornamental grace of a baroque style. Grochowiak was born in Leszno and died, aged 42, in Warsaw. Read more
02 Sep 1975: Mabel Vernon, American activist (born 1883) Mabel Vernon was an American suffragist, pacifist, and a national leader in the United States suffrage movement. She was a Quaker and a member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Vernon was inspired by the methods used by the Women's Social and Political Union in Britain. Vernon was one of the principal members of the Congressional Union for Women Suffrage (CUWS) alongside Olympia Brown, Inez Milholland, Crystal Eastman, Lucy Burns, and Alice Paul, and helped to organize the Silent Sentinels protests that involved daily picketing of Woodrow Wilson's White House. Read more
02 Sep 1973: Carl Dudley, American director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1910) Carl Ward Dudley (1910–1973) was an American film director and producer. He was best known for directing and producing short travelogues. Read more
02 Sep 1973: J. R. R. Tolkien, English novelist, short story writer, poet, and philologist (born 1892) John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer and academic philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954–1955). Read more
02 Sep 1971: Robert Mensah, Ghanaian footballer (born 1939) Robert Mensah was a Ghanaian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. As a player, he was best known for his exploits at Asante Kotoko where he won the African Clubs Cup in 1970. He was also a runner-up with the Ghana squad for the 1968 African Cup of Nations and represented Ghana at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Read more
02 Sep 1969: Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese politician, 1st President of Vietnam (born 1890) Hồ Chí Minh, colloquially known as Uncle Ho among other aliases and sobriquets, was a Vietnamese communist revolutionary and statesman who founded the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945. He served as its first president from 1946 until his death in 1969 and as its first prime minister from 1945 to 1955. A committed Marxist–Leninist, Hồ played a central role in establishing the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930 and later led its successor, the Workers' Party of Vietnam, as chairman until his death. Read more
02 Sep 1965: Johannes Bobrowski, German poet and author (born 1917) Johannes Bobrowski was a German lyric poet, narrative writer, adaptor and essayist. Read more
02 Sep 1964: Glenn Albert Black, American archaeologist and scholar (born 1900) Glenn Albert Black was an American archaeologist, author, and part-time university lecturer who was among the first professional archaeologists to study prehistoric sites in Indiana continuously. Black, a pioneer and innovator in developing archaeology field research techniques, is best known for his excavation of Angel Mounds, a Mississippian community near present-day Evansville, Indiana, that he brought to national attention. Angel Mounds was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. Black was largely self-taught and began serious work on archaeological sites in Indiana in the 1930s, before there were many training opportunities in archaeology in the United States. He is considered to have been the first full-time professional archaeologist focusing on Indiana's ancient history, and the only professional archaeologist in the state until the 1960s. During his thirty-five-year career as an archaeologist in Indiana, Black also worked as a part-time lecturer at Indiana University Bloomington from 1944 to 1960 and conducted a field school at the Angel site during the summer months. Read more
02 Sep 1964: Alvin C. York, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1887) Alvin Cullum York, also known by his rank as Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, gathering 35 machine guns, killing at least 25 enemy soldiers, and capturing 132 prisoners. York's Medal of Honor action occurred during the United States-led portion of the Meuse–Argonne offensive in France, which sought to breach the Hindenburg line and force the Germans to surrender. He earned decorations from several Allied countries during the war, including France, Italy, and Montenegro. Read more
02 Sep 1962: William Wilkerson, American publisher and businessman (born 1890) William Richard "Billy" Wilkerson was an American businessman who founded The Hollywood Reporter. He was real estate developer in Las Vegas and owner of such nightclubs as Ciro's. His series of columns known as "Billy's List" helped to initiate the red scare that led to the Hollywood blacklist. Wilkerson "discovered" Lana Turner. Read more
02 Sep 1954: Franz Leopold Neumann, German lawyer and political scientist (born 1900) Franz Leopold Neumann was a German political activist, Western Marxist theorist, and labor lawyer who became a political scientist in exile and is best known for his theoretical analyses of Nazism. He studied in Germany and the United Kingdom, and spent the last phase of his career in the United States, where he worked for the Office of Strategic Services from 1943 to 1945 writing the Secret Reports on Nazi Germany. During the Second World War, Neumann spied for the Soviet Union under the code-name "Ruff". Together with Ernst Fraenkel and Arnold Bergstraesser, Neumann is considered to be among the founders of modern political science in Germany. Read more
02 Sep 1953: Hendrik Offerhaus, Dutch rower (born 1875) Hendrik Karel Offerhaus was a Dutch medical doctor and rower who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was part of the Dutch boat Minerva Amsterdam, which finished third in the eight event. Read more
02 Sep 1953: Jonathan M. Wainwright, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1883) Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV was a United States Army general, the commander of Allied forces in the Philippines, and prisoner of war during World War II. Read more
02 Sep 1948: Sylvanus Morley, American archaeologist and spy (born 1883) Sylvanus Griswold Morley was an American archaeologist and epigrapher who studied the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in the early 20th century. Morley led extensive excavations of the Maya site of Chichen Itza on behalf of the Carnegie Institution and published several large compilations and treatises on Maya hieroglyphic writing. He also wrote popular accounts on the Maya for a general audience. Read more
02 Sep 1945: Mason Phelps, American golfer (born 1885) Mason Elliott Phelps was an American golfer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. Read more
02 Sep 1944: Bella Rosenfeld, Russian-American model and author (born 1895) Bella Rosenfeld Chagall was a Russian Jewish writer and the first wife of painter Marc Chagall. She was the subject of many of Chagall's paintings including Bella au col blanc in 1917, and appears posthumously in Bouquet près de la fenêtre, painted in 1959–1960. Read more
02 Sep 1943: Marsden Hartley, American painter and poet (born 1877) Marsden Hartley was an American Modernist painter, poet, and essayist. Hartley developed his painting abilities by observing Cubist artists in Paris and Berlin. Read more
02 Sep 1942: Tom Williams (Irish republican), Executed Irish Republican (born 1923) Thomas Joseph Williams was a volunteer in C Company, 2nd Battalion of the Belfast Brigade in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) from the Bombay Street area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. He was hanged in the Crumlin Road Gaol for his involvement in the killing of Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) police officer Patrick Murphy during the IRAs Northern Campaign. Read more
02 Sep 1942: James Juvenal, American rower (born 1874) James Benner Juvenal was an American rower, born in Philadelphia, who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics and in the 1904 Summer Olympics. Read more
02 Sep 1941: Lloyd Seay, American race car driver (born 1919) Carl D. "Lightning" Lloyd Seay was an early stock car racing driver from Dawsonville Georgia. NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. described Seay as the "best pure race driver I ever saw". He was shot to death by his cousin Woodrow Anderson over a moonshine operation. His last name was pronounced as "See". Read more
02 Sep 1937: Pierre de Coubertin, French historian and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (born 1863) Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin, also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and its second president. He is known as the father of the modern Olympic Games. He was particularly active in promoting the introduction of sport in French schools. Read more
02 Sep 1934: James Allan, New Zealand rugby player (born 1860) James Allan ) was a New Zealand rugby union player who played eight games for the New Zealand national rugby union team, and was nicknamed the Taieri Giant. Allan played in the first match contested by the New Zealand team, and the New Zealand Rugby Union regard him as the first ever All Black. Read more
02 Sep 1934: Russ Columbo, American singer, violinist, and actor (born 1908) Ruggiero Eugenio di Rodolfo Colombo, known as Russ Columbo, was an American baritone, songwriter, violinist, and actor. He is famous for romantic ballads such as his signature tune "You Call It Madness, But I Call It Love" and his own compositions "Prisoner of Love" and "Too Beautiful for Words". Read more
02 Sep 1934: Alcide Nunez, American clarinet player (Original Dixieland Jass Band) (born 1884) Alcide Patrick Nunez, also known as Yellow Nunez and Al Nunez, was an American jazz clarinetist. He was one of the first musicians of New Orleans to make audio recordings. Read more
02 Sep 1927: Umegatani Tōtarō II, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 20th Yokozuna (born 1878) Umegatani Tōtarō II was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture. He was the sport's 20th yokozuna. Umegatani had a great rivalry with fellow yokozuna Hitachiyama Taniemon. Their era was known as the Ume-Hitachi Era and it brought sumo to heights of popularity never before seen in the Meiji period. Read more
02 Sep 1922: Henry Lawson, Australian poet and author (born 1867) Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest short story writer". Read more
02 Sep 1921: Henry Austin Dobson, English poet and critic (born 1840) Henry Austin Dobson, usually known as Austin Dobson, was an English poet, biographer and essayist. Read more
02 Sep 1918: John Forrest, Australian politician, 1st Premier of Western Australia (born 1847) Sir John Forrest was an Australian explorer and politician. He was the first premier of Western Australia (1890–1901) and a long-serving cabinet minister in federal politics. Read more
02 Sep 1911: Marie Andrieu, French anarchist, cartomancer and spiritualist (born 1851) Marie Andrieu, also known as Marie de Saint-Rémy, Romanoff, or the Seer, was a French spiritualist, cartomancer, editor of newspapers, and anarchist. She is best known for her work as an anarchist editor, founding nearly a dozen newspapers, the most famous of which was titled Le Christ Anarchiste. Read more
02 Sep 1910: Henri Rousseau, French painter (born 1844) Henri Julien Félix Rousseau was a French post-Impressionist painter in the Naïve or Primitive manner. He was also known as Le Douanier, a humorous description of his occupation as a toll and tax collector. He started painting seriously in his early forties; by age 49, he retired from his job to work on his art full-time. Read more
02 Sep 1898: Wilford Woodruff, American religious leader, 4th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (born 1807) Wilford Woodruff Sr. was an American religious leader who served as the fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death. He ended the public practice of plural marriage among members of the LDS Church in 1890. Read more
02 Sep 1885: Giuseppe Bonavia, Maltese architect (born 1821) Giuseppe Bonavia was a Maltese draughtsman and architect who was mainly active in the second half of the 19th century. Born in Valletta, he was initially a clerk of works with the Royal Engineers, before becoming the Head of the Civil Service Works Department. Read more
02 Sep 1877: Konstantinos Kanaris, Greek admiral and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Greece (born 1793) Konstantinos Kanaris, also anglicised as Constantine Kanaris or Canaris, was a Greek statesman, an admiral, and a hero of the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829). Read more
02 Sep 1872: N. F. S. Grundtvig, Danish pastor, philosopher, and author (born 1783) Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig, most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential people in Danish history, as his philosophy gave rise to a new form of nationalism in the last half of the 19th century. It was steeped in the national literature and supported by deep spirituality. Read more
02 Sep 1865: William Rowan Hamilton, Irish physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (born 1805) Sir William Rowan Hamilton was an Irish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer who made numerous major contributions to algebra, classical mechanics, and optics. His theoretical works and mathematical equations are considered fundamental to modern theoretical physics, particularly his reformulation of Lagrangian mechanics. His research included the analysis of geometrical optics, Fourier analysis, and quaternions, the last of which made him one of the founders of modern linear algebra. Read more
02 Sep 1834: Thomas Telford, Scottish engineer and architect, designed the Menai Suspension Bridge (born 1757) Thomas Telford was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scotland, as well as harbours and tunnels. Such was his reputation as a prolific designer of highways and related bridges, he was dubbed the 'Colossus of Roads', and, reflecting his command of all types of civil engineering in the early 19th century, he was elected as the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a post he held for 14 years until his death. The town of Telford in Shropshire was named after him. Read more
02 Sep 1832: Franz Xaver von Zach, Hungarian-French astronomer and academic (born 1754) Baron Franz Xaver von Zach was an Austrian astronomer born in Pest, Hungary. Read more
02 Sep 1820: Jiaqing Emperor of China (born 1760) The Jiaqing Emperor, also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, personal name Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He was the 15th son of the Qianlong Emperor. During his reign, he prosecuted Heshen, the corrupt favorite of his father and attempted to restore order within the empire while curbing the smuggling of opium into China. Assessments of his reign are mixed, either seen as the "beginning of the end" of the Qing dynasty, or as a period of moderate reform that presaged the intellectual movements of the 1860s. Read more
02 Sep 1813: Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (born 1763) Jean Victor Marie Moreau was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte rise to power, but later became his chief military and political rival and was banished to the United States. A product of the French Revolution, he is among the foremost French generals in military history. He led the French Revolutionary Army to a series of victories, including the major Battle of Hohenlinden; however, he also suffered defeats against such capable military commanders as Archduke Charles and Alexander Suvorov. Read more

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