Calendar date · December

What happened on December 2

On December 2, 1244: Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon.

Events

54

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Sagittarius

Featured moment · 1244

Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon.

Pope Innocent IV, born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254.

People

Born on December 2

Learner Tien 2005– American professional tennis player (born 2005)
Ilia Malinin 2004– American figure skater (born 2004)
Neil Erasmus 2003– Australian rules football player
Annalise Basso 1998– American actress (born 1998)
Anna Kalinskaya 1998– Russian tennis player (born 1998)
Juice Wrld 1998– American rapper (1998–2019)
De'Andre Hunter 1997– American basketball player (born 1997)
Jake Doran 1996– Australian cricketer
Uladzislau Hancharou 1995– Belarusian trampoline gymnast
Show 9 more — notable births on December 2
Inori Minase 1995– Japanese voice actress
Zach Cunningham 1994– American football player (born 1994)
Aaron Jones 1994– American football player (born 1994)
Elias Lindholm 1994– Swedish ice hockey player (born 1994)
Fumika Shimizu 1994– Japanese actress and gravure model (born 1994)
Tomokaze Yūta 1994– Japanese professional sumo wrestler
Haruka Ishida 1993– Japanese actress, voice actress (born 1993)
Kostas Stafylidis 1993– Greek footballer
Sim Bhullar 1992– Canadian basketball player (born 1992)

People

Died on December 2

Ed Botterell Canadian sailor (1931–2024)
Helmut Duckadam Romanian footballer (1959–2024)
Neale Fraser Australian tennis player (1933–2024)
Paul Maslansky American film producer and writer (1933–2024)
Debbie Mathers American rapper (born 1972)
Israel Vázquez Mexican boxer (1977–2024)
Pat Patterson Canadian-American professional wrestler (1941–2020)
Sandy Berger American political advisor (1945–2015)
Will McMillan American actor
Show 9 more — notable deaths on December 2
George T. Sakato American soldier, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1921)
A. R. Antulay Indian politician
Jean Béliveau Canadian ice hockey player (1931–2014)
Josie Cichockyj British wheelchair athlete
Bobby Keys American saxophonist (1943–2014)
Don Laws American figure skater and coach
William Allain American politician (1928–2013)
Jean-Claude Beton Algerian-born French businessman (1925–2013)
Marcelo Déda Brazilian politician (1960–2013)

Timeline

Every December 2 on record

  1. 1244 Pope Innocent IV arrives at Lyon for the First Council of Lyon.

    Head of the Catholic Church from 1243 to 1254

    Pope Innocent IV, born Sinibaldo Fieschi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 June 1243 to his death in 1254.

  2. 1409 The University of Leipzig opens.

    University in Leipzig, Germany

    Leipzig University, in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university in Germany. The university was founded on 2 December 1409 by Frederick I, Elector of Saxony and his brother William II, Margrave of Meissen, and originally comprised the four scholastic faculties. Since its inception, the university has engaged in teaching and research for over 600 years without interruption.

  3. 1697 St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt to the design of Sir Christopher Wren following the Great Fire of London, is consecrated.

    Anglican cathedral in London, England

    St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul in London, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of England. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London.

  4. 1763 Dedication of the Touro Synagogue, in Newport, Rhode Island, the first synagogue in what will become the United States.

    Historic synagogue in Rhode Island, United States

    The Touro Synagogue is a synagogue built in 1763 in Newport, Rhode Island. The building has been occupied by several different congregations over the years. The current occupant is known as Congregation Ahavath Israel.

  5. 1766 Swedish parliament approves the Swedish Freedom of the Press Act and implements it as a ground law, thus being first in the world with freedom of speech.

    Part of the Swedish Constitution

    The Freedom of the Press Act is one of four Fundamental Laws of the Realm and thus forms part of the Swedish Constitution. The Act regulates matters regarding freedom of press and principle of public access to official records. The Freedom of the Press Act as well as the Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression is one of the two "basic media acts" in Sweden.

  6. 1804 At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French.
  7. 1805 War of the Third Coalition: Battle of Austerlitz: French troops under Napoleon decisively defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force.
  8. 1823 Monroe Doctrine: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James Monroe proclaims American neutrality in future European conflicts, and warns European powers not to interfere in the Americas.
  9. 1845 Manifest Destiny: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James K. Polk proposes that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
  10. 1848 Franz Joseph I becomes Emperor of Austria.
  11. 1851 French President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte overthrows the Second Republic.
  12. 1852 Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte becomes Emperor of the French as Napoleon III.
  13. 1859 Origins of the American Civil War: Militant abolitionist leader John Brown is hanged for his October raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia).
  14. 1865 Alabama ratifies the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, followed by North Carolina, then Georgia; U.S. slaves were legally free within two weeks.
  15. 1867 At Tremont Temple in Boston, British author Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the United States.
Show 15 earlier entries from December 2
  1. 1899 Philippine–American War: The Battle of Tirad Pass, known as the "Filipino Thermopylae", is fought.
  2. 1908 Puyi becomes Emperor of China at the age of two.
  3. 1917 World War I: Russia and the Central Powers sign an armistice at Brest-Litovsk, and peace talks leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk begin.
  4. 1927 Following 19 years of Ford Model T production, the Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Model A as its new automobile.
  5. 1930 Great Depression: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposes a $150 million public works program to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy.
  6. 1939 New York City's LaGuardia Airport opens.
  7. 1942 World War II: During the Manhattan Project, a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.
  8. 1943 World War II: A Luftwaffe bombing raid on the harbour of Bari, Italy, sinks numerous cargo and transport ships, including the American SS John Harvey, which is carrying a stockpile of mustard gas.
  9. 1947 Jerusalem Riots of 1947: Arabs riot in Jerusalem in response to the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine.
  10. 1949 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others is adopted.
  11. 1950 Korean War: The Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River ends with a decisive Chinese victory and UN forces are completely expelled from North Korea.
  12. 1954 Cold War: The United States Senate votes 65 to 22 to censure Joseph McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute".
  13. 1954 The Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, between the United States and Taiwan, is signed in Washington, D.C.
  14. 1956 The Granma reaches the shores of Cuba's Oriente Province. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution.
  15. 1957 United Nations Security Council Resolution 126 relating to the Kashmir conflict is adopted.

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