On This Day: 2 June

2 June in Indian history

• 2023A collision between two passenger trains and a parked freight train near the city of Balasore, Odisha, in eastern India resulted in 296 deaths and more than 1,200 people injured.India
• 2014Telangana officially becomes the 29th state of India, formed from ten districts of northwestern Andhra Pradesh.India
• 1924U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act into law, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States.India

2 June in world history

• 2003Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.
• 1997In Denver, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in which 168 people died. He was executed four years later.
• 1995Bosnian War: U.S. Air Force captain Scott O'Grady was shot down while patrolling the NATO no-fly zone over Bosnia, but ejected safely and was rescued six days later.
• 1983After an emergency landing due to an in-flight fire, 23 passengers aboard Air Canada Flight 797 were killed when a flashover occurred as the aircraft's doors opened.
• 1967Benno Ohnesorg, a German university student, was killed in West Berlin while protesting against the visit of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran; the anarchist militant 2 June Movement was later named after the incident.
• 1966Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on another world.
• 1955The USSR and Yugoslavia sign the Belgrade declaration and thus normalize relations between the two countries, discontinued since 1948.
• 1953Queen Elizabeth II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in London.
• 1946Birth of the Italian Republic: In a referendum, Italians vote to turn Italy from a monarchy into a Republic. After the referendum, King Umberto II of Italy is exiled.
• 1919First Red Scare: The anarchist followers of Luigi Galleani set off eight bombs in eight cities across the United States.
• 1886The wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom (wedding depicted) took place in the White House, in the only time that a U.S. president has married in the building.
• 1805Napoleonic Wars: A Franco-Spanish fleet recaptured the British-held Diamond Rock, an uninhabited island at the entrance to the bay leading to Fort-de-France, Martinique.
• 1793French 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.
• 1774Intolerable Acts: The Quartering Act of 1774 is enacted, allowing a governor in colonial America to house British soldiers in uninhabited houses, outhouses, barns, or other buildings if suitable quarters are not provided.
• 1259Wedding of Manfred, King of Sicily, and Byzantine princess Helena Angelina Doukaina.

Born on 2 June

• 1985Miyuki Sawashiro, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1963Anand Abhyankar, Indian actor (died 2012)India
• 1955Nandan Nilekani, Indian businessman, co-founded InfosysIndia
• 1955Mani Ratnam, Indian director, producer, and screenwriterIndia
• 1865Adelaide Casely-Hayford, Sierra Leone Creole advocate and activist for cultural nationalism (died 1960)
• 1489Charles, Duke of Vendôme (died 1537)

Died on 2 June

• 1988Raj Kapoor, Indian actor, director, and producer (born 1924)India
• 1987Anthony de Mello, Indian-American priest and psychotherapist (born 1931)India
• 1941Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (born 1903)
• 1567Shane O'Neill, head of the O'Neill dynasty in Ireland (born 1530)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 2 June in history?

2023: A collision between two passenger trains and a parked freight train near the city of Balasore, Odisha, in eastern India resulted in 296 deaths and more than 1,200 people injured. 2014: Telangana officially becomes the 29th state of India, formed from ten districts of northwestern Andhra Pradesh. 2003: Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. 1997: In Denver, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 11 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in which 168 people died. He was executed four years later.

What happened on 2 June in Indian history?

2023: A collision between two passenger trains and a parked freight train near the city of Balasore, Odisha, in eastern India resulted in 296 deaths and more than 1,200 people injured. 2014: Telangana officially becomes the 29th state of India, formed from ten districts of northwestern Andhra Pradesh. 1924: U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act into law, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States.

Which famous people were born on 2 June?

Miyuki Sawashiro, Japanese voice actress and singer (1985); Anand Abhyankar, Indian actor (died 2012) (1963); Nandan Nilekani, Indian businessman, co-founded Infosys (1955); Mani Ratnam, Indian director, producer, and screenwriter (1955).

Which day is observed on 2 June?

Children's Day (North Korea); Civil Aviation Day (Azerbaijan); Coronation of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, also Social Forestry Day (Bhutan); Day of Hristo Botev (Bulgaria); Decoration Day (Canada).