Calendar date · July

What happened on July 2

On July 2, 626: Li Shimin, the future Emperor Taizong of Tang, ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng in the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Events

29

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Cancer

Featured moment · 626

Li Shimin, the future Emperor Taizong of Tang, ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng in the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Emperor Taizong of Tang, previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty for his role in encouraging his father Li Yuan to rebel against the Sui dynasty at Jinyang in 617. Taizong subsequently played a pivotal role in defeating several of the dynasty's most dangerous opponents and solidifying its rule over China proper.

People

Born on July 2

Julia Grabher 1996– Austrian tennis player (born 1996)
Ryan Murphy 1995– American swimmer (born 1995)
Henrik Kristoffersen 1994– Norwegian alpine skier (born 1994)
Derrick White 1994– American basketball player (born 1994)
Vince Staples 1993– American rapper and actor (born 1993)
Saweetie 1993– American rapper (born 1993)
Madison Chock 1992– American ice dancer (born 1992)
Jānis Timma 1992– Latvian basketball player (1992–2024)
Kayla Harrison 1990– American Olympic judoka and mixed martial artist (born 1990)
Show 9 more — notable births on July 2
Merritt Mathias 1990– American soccer player (born 1990)
Morag McLellan 1990– Scottish field hockey player
Margot Robbie 1990– Australian actress and producer (born 1990)
Danny Rose 1990– English footballer (born 1990)
Bill Tupou 1990– Tonga international rugby league footballer (born 1990)
Nadezhda Grishaeva 1989– Russian basketball player (born 1989)
Alex Morgan 1989– American soccer player (born 1989)
Lee Chung-yong 1988– South Korean footballer (born 1988)
Esteban Granero 1987– Spanish footballer (born 1987)

People

Died on July 2

Sophia Hutchins American socialite (1996–2025)
Julian McMahon Australian and American actor (1968–2025)
Ángela Jeria Chilean mother of President Michelle Bachelet (1926–2020)
Byron Bernstein American professional esports player (1989–2020)
Lee Iacocca American businessman (1924–2019)
Alan Longmuir Scottish musician (1948–2018)
Vladislav Rastorotsky a Russian (and former Soviet) artistic gymnastics coach, (born 1933)
Smith Hart American-Canadian professional wrestler (1948–2017)
Caroline Aherne English actress, comedian and writer (1963–2016)
Show 9 more — notable deaths on July 2
Michael Cimino American filmmaker (1939–2016)
Patrick Manning Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (1991–1995, 2001–2010)
Elie Wiesel American writer and activist (1928–2016)
Ronald Davison New Zealand lawyer (1920–2015)
Charlie Sanders American football player (1946–2015)
Jim Weaver American football player and coach, college athletics administrator (1945–2015)
Jacobo Zabludovsky Mexican journalist (1928–2015)
Emilio Álvarez Montalván Nicaraguan ophthalmologist and Foreign Minister (1919–2014)
Manuel Cardona Spanish physicist (1934–2014)

Timeline

Every July 2 on record

  1. 626 Li Shimin, the future Emperor Taizong of Tang, ambushes and kills his rival brothers Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng in the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

    Emperor of China from 626 to 649

    Emperor Taizong of Tang, previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder of the dynasty for his role in encouraging his father Li Yuan to rebel against the Sui dynasty at Jinyang in 617. Taizong subsequently played a pivotal role in defeating several of the dynasty's most dangerous opponents and solidifying its rule over China proper.

  2. 866 Battle of Brissarthe: The Franks led by Robert the Strong are defeated by a joint Breton-Viking army.

    Conflict between Frankish and joint Breton-Viking forces in 866 AD

    The Battle of Brissarthe was fought on 2 July 866, between the West Franks and a joint Breton-Viking army near Brissarthe, Neustria. It was marked by the death of Robert the Strong, the Neustrian margrave, and Ranulf I, the duke of Aquitaine, and an ancestor of all the kings of France from 987 to 1848.

  3. 1298 Battle of Göllheim: Albert I of Habsburg defeats Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg.

    13th century battle fought over German kingship

    The Battle of Göllheim was fought on 2 July 1298 between the forces of duke Albert I of Habsburg and king Adolf of Nassau following the unilateral decision of the prince electors, without any formal election, to dethrone Adolf and proclaim Albert as king. Adolf died in the battle.

  4. 1494 Age of Discovery: The Treaty of Tordesillas is ratified by Spain.

    Period of European global exploration

    The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration, was part of the early modern period and overlapped with the Age of Sail. It was a period from approximately the 15th to the 17th century, during which seafarers from European countries explored, colonized, and conquered regions across the globe. The Age of Discovery was a transformative period when previously isolated parts of the world became connected to form the world-system, and laid the groundwork for globalization.

  5. 1582 Battle of Yamazaki: Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeats Akechi Mitsuhide.

    1582 battle between the forces of Akechi Mitsuhide and Toyotomi Hideyoshi

    The Battle of Yamazaki was fought in 1582 in Yamazaki, Japan, located in current-day Kyoto Prefecture. This battle is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Mt. Tennō.

  6. 1644 English Civil War: Battle of Marston Moor.
  7. 1645 Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Battle of Alford.
  8. 1776 American Revolution: The Continental Congress adopts the Lee Resolution severing ties with the Kingdom of Great Britain, although the wording of the formal Declaration of Independence is not adopted until July 4.
  9. 1823 Bahia Independence Day: The Siege of Salvador ends Portuguese rule in Brazil, with the final defeat of the Portuguese crown loyalists in the province of Bahia.
  10. 1840 A Ms  7.4 earthquake strikes present-day Turkey and Armenia; combined with the effects of an eruption on Mount Ararat, kills 10,000 people.
  11. 1863 American Civil War: On the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg - the Battle of Little Round Top takes place and results in a Union victory after the Confederate troops unsuccessfully try to assault the Union left flank.
  12. 1881 Charles J. Guiteau shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President James A. Garfield (who will die of complications from his wounds on September 19).
  13. 1890 The U.S. Congress passes the Sherman Antitrust Act.
  14. 1921 World War I: U.S. President Warren G. Harding signs the Knox–Porter Resolution formally ending the war between the United States and Germany.
  15. 1934 The Night of the Long Knives ends after three days of killings.
Show 14 earlier entries from July 2
  1. 1937 Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan are last heard from over the Pacific Ocean and disappear while attempting to make the first equatorial round-the-world flight.
  2. 1964 Civil rights movement: U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant to prohibit segregation in public places.
  3. 1966 France conducts its first nuclear weapon test in the Pacific, on Moruroa Atoll.
  4. 1976 End of South Vietnam; Communist North Vietnam annexes the former South Vietnam to form the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
  5. 1986 Rodrigo Rojas and Carmen Gloria Quintana are burnt alive during a street demonstration against the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile in the Quemados case.
  6. 1986 Aeroflot Flight 2306 crashes while attempting an emergency landing at Syktyvkar Airport in Syktyvkar, in present-day Komi Republic, Russia, killing 54 people.
  7. 1990 In the 1990 Mecca tunnel tragedy, 1,400 Muslim pilgrims are suffocated to death and trampled upon in a pedestrian tunnel leading to the holy city of Mecca.
  8. 1993 A mob sets fire to the Hotel Madımak in Sivas, Turkey, where a Alevi cultural festival was taking place, killing 37 people.
  9. 1994 USAir Flight 1016 crashes near Charlotte Douglas International Airport, killing 37 of the 57 people on board.
  10. 1997 The Bank of Thailand floats the baht, triggering the Asian financial crisis.
  11. 2000 Vicente Fox Quesada is elected the first President of México from an opposition party, the Partido Acción Nacional, after more than 70 years of continuous rule by the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, in the 2000 Mexican general election.
  12. 2005 The Live 8 benefit concerts takes place in the G8 states and in South Africa. More than 1,000 musicians perform and are broadcast on 182 television networks and 2,000 radio networks.
  13. 2013 A magnitude 6.1 earthquake strikes Aceh, Indonesia, killing at least 42 people and injuring 420 others.
  14. 2024 A stampede during a religious event in Uttar Pradesh, India, leaves at least 121 people dead and 150 others injured.

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