September 2
What happened on September 2 in history
8 events fall on September 2, from 31 BC to 1969. Read them below, then try to place a historical scene yourself — guess where in the world it happened and in what year.
Guess where and when
Explore a 360° historical scene and place it on the map and the timeline. Free, no sign-up.
Events on September 2
31 BC
The Battle of Actium
Octavian's fleet defeats Antony and Cleopatra off western Greece.
1666
The Great Fire of London begins
A fire in Pudding Lane burns for four days and destroys the medieval city.
The fire started in a baker's house on Pudding Lane and spread through a city of timber, pitch and tightly packed streets for four days. It destroyed most of the medieval City of London — including old St Paul's Cathedral — yet the recorded death toll was remarkably small. Rebuilding in brick and stone, under new street and building rules, produced much of the London street plan that survives today.
1752
Britain's last Julian day
The next morning is 14 September; eleven days are dropped in the calendar switch.
1789
The US Treasury is created
Congress establishes the department Alexander Hamilton will run.
1898
The Battle of Omdurman
Kitchener's machine guns destroy the Mahdist army outside Khartoum.
1901
Speak softly and carry a big stick
Theodore Roosevelt gives the speech that names his foreign policy.
1945
Japan formally surrenders
The instrument is signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
1969
The first US cash machine
Chemical Bank opens an automated teller to the public in Rockville Centre, New York.