This Day In History : July 2

1823 Brazil

Bahia Independence Day

Bahia Independence Day is celebrated in Brazil, specifically in the state of Bahia, on July 2nd. This day commemorates the end of Portuguese rule in Bahia and marks the victory of Brazilian forces over Portuguese troops in 1823, during the Brazilian War of Independence.

Also on This Day in History July 2

Discover what happened on July 2 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, July 2
  • 1932 Dave Thomas

    American businessman who founded Wendy's Restaurants

  • 1821 Charles Tupper

    6th Prime Minister of Canada (Conservative: 69-day term in 1896)

  • 1862 William Henry Bragg

    English physicist (Nobel Prize for Physics, 1915 - crystalline structure analysis by means of X-rays

  • 1925 Patrice Lumumba

    Congolese politician and independence leader who was the 1st Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1960)

  • 1951 Sylvia Rivera

    American gay liberation and transgender activist and drag queen

Deaths on This Day, July 2
  • 1963 Alicia Patterson

    American publisher who co-founded Newsday

  • 2013 Douglas Engelbart

    American computer scientist who invented the computer mouse

  • 1963 Seth Barnes Nicholson

    American astronomer who discovered four satellites of Jupiter

  • 2013 Anthony Llewellyn

    Welsh-American scientist and NASA astronaut

  • 2019 Lee Iacocca

    American automotive executive (Development of Ford Mustang)

1964

U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits segregation in public places

U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law on July 2, 1964. This landmark legislation prohibited segregation in public places and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
1962

First Walmart Opens

The first Walmart store opened in the United States on July 2, 1962, in Rogers, Arkansas.
1985

European Space Agency launches Giotto (Halley's Comet Flyby)

The European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Giotto spacecraft on July 2, 1985. The mission's goal was to fly by and study Halley's Comet, which it successfully accomplished in March 1986.
2001

AbioCor self contained artificial heart created

The AbioCor self-contained artificial heart was created in the United States. It was first successfully implanted in a patient on July 2, 2001, at the Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. This innovative medical device represented a significant advancement in the field of artificial heart technology.
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