✦ DateLore

On This Day · The 153rd day of the year

June 2

A look at June 2 through the almanac — historic events, famous birthdays including Tomasz Wróblewski and Marcel Reich-Ranicki, and the day's notable deaths and observances.

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Events

10 notable moments
  1. 2023

    2023 Odisha train collision

    A collision between two passenger trains and a parked freight train near the city of Balasor, Odisha in eastern India, results in 296 deaths and more than 1,200 people injured.

    Railway accident in Odisha,
  2. 2022

    Ankara

    Following a request from Ankara, the United Nations officially changed the name of the Republic of Turkey in the organization from what was previously known as "Turkey" to "Türkiye".

    Capital of Turkey
  3. 2003

    Mars

    Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

    Fourth planet from the
  4. 1997

    Denver

    In Denver, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in which 168 people died. He was executed four years later.

    Capital of Colorado, U.S.
  5. 1979

    Pope John Paul II

    Pope John Paul II starts his first official visit to his native Poland, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country.

    Head of the Catholic
  6. 1955

    Soviet Union

    The USSR and Yugoslavia sign the Belgrade declaration and thus normalize relations between the two countries, discontinued since 1948.

    Country in Eurasia from
  7. 1941

    World War II

    World War II: German paratroopers murder Greek civilians in the villages of Kondomari and Alikianos.

    1939–1945 global conflict
  8. 1919

    Anarchism

    Anarchists simultaneously set off bombs in eight separate U.S. cities.

    Political philosophy and movement
  9. 1805

    Napoleonic Wars

    Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptures from the British the island of Diamond Rock, which guards the entrance to the bay leading to Fort-de-France, Martinique.

    1803–1815 series of wars
  10. 1793

    French Revolution

    French Revolution: François Hanriot, leader of the Parisian National Guard, arrests 22 Girondists selected by Jean-Paul Marat, setting the stage for the Reign of Terror.

    1789–1799 sociopolitical change in
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Famous birthday twins

Born on June 2

Tomasz Wróblewski

b. 1980

Polish bass player and songwriter

Marcel Reich-Ranicki

b. 1920

Polish-German author and critic

Pope Pius X

b. 1835

Head of the Catholic Church from 1903 to 1914

Miyuki Sawashiro

b. 1985

Japanese voice actress and singer

Duchess Alexandra of Oldenburg

b. 1838

Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Russia

Caroline Link

b. 1964

German director and screenwriter

Heinz Sielmann

b. 1917

German photographer and director

Tony Hadley

b. 1960

English singer-songwriter and actor

Deaths

  • 2024Larry Allen, American football player
  • 1997Helen Jacobs, American tennis champion
  • 1988Raj Kapoor, Indian actor, director, and producer
  • 1967Killing of Benno Ohnesorg, German student and activist
  • 1948Karl Gebhardt, German physician
  • 1882Giuseppe Garibaldi, Italian general and politician

Holidays & observances

  • —Children's Day (North Korea)
  • —Christian feast day: Ahudemmeh (Syriac Orthodox Church)
  • —Christian feast day: Alexander (martyr)
  • —Christian feast day: Elmo
  • —Christian feast day: Felix of Nicosia
  • —Christian feast day: Marcellinus and Peter
  • —Christian feast day: Martyrs of Lyon, including Blandina
  • —Christian feast day: Pope Eugene I

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