June 2 has produced turning points in politics, science, culture, war, law, and technology. This timeline collects notable events recorded for this calendar day.
The list below is generated from public historical datasets and refreshed automatically by date.
Timeline for June 2
20232023 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.
2022Ankara
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".
2014Telangana
Telangana officially becomes the 29th state of India, formed from ten districts of northwestern Andhra Pradesh.
2012President of Egypt
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the killing of demonstrators during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
2003Mars
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.
1998Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-91, the final mission of the Shuttle-Mir program.
1997Denver
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.
1990June 1990 Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak
The Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak spawns 66 confirmed tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, killing 12.
1983Air Canada Flight 797
After an emergency landing because of an in-flight fire, twenty-three passengers aboard Air Canada Flight 797 are killed when a flashover occurs as the plane's doors open. Because of this incident, numerous new safety regulations are put in place.
1979Pope 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.
1967Luis Monge (mass murderer)
Luis Monge is executed in Colorado's gas chamber, in the last pre-Furman execution in the United States.
1967West Berlin
Protests in West Berlin against the arrival of the Shah of Iran are brutally suppressed, during which Benno Ohnesorg is killed by a police officer. His death results in the founding of the terrorist group Movement 2 June.
1966Surveyor program
Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft-land on another world.
1964Palestine Liberation Organization
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is formed.
19621962 FIFA World Cup
During the FIFA World Cup, police had to intervene multiple times in fights between Chilean and Italian players in one of the most violent games in football history.
1958Aeronaves de México Flight 111
Aeronaves de México Flight 111 crashes on approach to Guadalajara International Airport, killing 45.
1955Soviet Union
The USSR and Yugoslavia sign the Belgrade declaration and thus normalize relations between the two countries, discontinued since 1948.
1953Coronation of Elizabeth II
The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey becomes the first British coronation and one of the first major international events to be televised.
19461946 Italian institutional referendum
Birth of the Italian Republic: In a referendum, Italians vote to turn Italy from a monarchy into a Republic. After the referendum, King Umberto II of Italy is exiled.
1941World War II
World War II: German paratroopers murder Greek civilians in the villages of Kondomari and Alikianos.
1924Calvin Coolidge
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.
1919Anarchism
Anarchists simultaneously set off bombs in eight separate U.S. cities.
1910Charles Rolls
Charles Rolls, a co-founder of Rolls-Royce Limited, becomes the first man to make a non-stop double crossing of the English Channel by plane.
1909Alfred Deakin
Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.
1896Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi applies for a patent for his wireless telegraph.
1878Nobiling assassination attempt
Nobiling assassination attempt by anarchist Karl Nobiling targeting the German Kaiser, Wilhelm I.
1866Fenian Brotherhood
The Fenians defeat Canadian forces at Ridgeway and Fort Erie, but the raids end soon after.
1848Prague Slavic Congress, 1848
The Slavic Congress opens in Prague.
1805Napoleonic 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.
1793French 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.
1780Gordon Riots
The anti-Catholic Gordon Riots in London leave an estimated 300 to 700 people dead.
1774Intolerable Acts
Intolerable 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.
1763Pontiac's War
Pontiac's Rebellion: At what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan, Chippewas capture Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison's attention with a game of lacrosse, then chasing a ball into the fort.
1692Bridget Bishop
Bridget Bishop is the first person to be tried for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts; she was found guilty the same day and hanged on June 10.
1676Franco-Dutch War
Franco-Dutch War: France ensured the supremacy of its naval fleet for the remainder of the war with its victory in the Battle of Palermo.
1615Recollects
The first Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France.
1608Colony of Virginia
The Colony of Virginia gets a charter, extending borders from "sea to sea".
1259Manfred, King of Sicily
Wedding of Manfred, King of Sicily, and Byzantine princess Helena Angelina Doukaina.
1098First Crusade
First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ends as Crusader forces take the city; the second siege began five days later.
575Pope Benedict I
Pope Benedict I is consecrated after obtaining imperial approval from Constantinople.
455Sack of Rome (455)
Sack of Rome: Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks.
260Sima Zhao's regicide of Cao Mao
Sima Zhao's regicide of Cao Mao: The figurehead Wei emperor Cao Mao personally leads an attempt to oust his regent, Sima Zhao; the attempted coup is crushed and the emperor killed.
