October 2 in History

2 people are killed and at least 4 others injured in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester, UK, during Yom Kippur.

A privately owned Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress conducting a living history exhibition flight crashes shortly after takeoff from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, killing seven.

The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi is assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ethiopian protests break out during a festival in the Oromia region, killing dozens of people.

President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea goes to North Korea for an Inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Five Amish girls are murdered in a shooting at a school in Pennsylvania, United States.

The first parkrun, then known as the Bushy Park Time Trial, takes place in Bushy Park, London, UK.

The Beltway sniper attacks begin in Washington, D.C., extending over three weeks and killing 10 people.

Aeroperú Flight 603 crashes into the ocean near Peru, killing all 70 people on board.

The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments are signed by U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Military police storm the Carandiru Penitentiary in São Paulo, Brazil during a prison riot. The resulting massacre leaves 111 prisoners dead.

Xiamen Airlines Flight 8301 is hijacked and lands at Guangzhou, where it crashes into two other airliners on the ground, killing 132.

Michael Myers becomes the first member of either chamber of Congress to be expelled since the Civil War.

South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu is re-elected in a one-man election.

British European Airways Flight 706 crashes near Aarsele, Belgium, killing 63.

An aircraft carrying the Wichita State University football team, administrators, and supporters crashes in Colorado, killing 31 people.

Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz orders soldiers to suppress a demonstration of unarmed students, ten days before the start of the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Guinea declares its independence from France.

World War II: German troops end the Warsaw Uprising.

World War II: Ocean Liner RMS Queen Mary accidentally rams and sinks HMS Curacoa, killing over 300 crewmen aboard Curacoa.

Rafael Trujillo orders the execution of Haitians living in the border region of the Dominican Republic.

The "Prelature of the Holy Cross and the Work of God", commonly known as Opus Dei, is founded.

Ukrainian War of Independence: Mikhail Frunze orders the Red Army to immediately cease hostilities with the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.

Seven days after suffering a "physical collapse" following a speech in Pueblo, Colorado, U.S. president Woodrow Wilson has a catastrophic stroke at the White House, leaving him physically and mentally incapacitated for the remainder of his presidency.

By plebiscite, the citizens of the Papal States accept annexation by the Kingdom of Italy.

American Civil War: Confederates defeat a Union attack on Saltville, Virginia. A massacre of wounded Union prisoners ensues.

Texas Revolution: Mexican troops attempt to disarm the people of Gonzales, but encounter stiff resistance from a hastily assembled militia.

The United States Bill of Rights is sent to the various States for ratification.

American Revolutionary War: John André, a British Army officer, is hanged as a spy by the Continental Army.

The Nottingham Cheese Riot breaks out at the Goose Fair in Nottingham, UK, in response to the excessive cost of cheese.

Russo-Kazan Wars: Russian troops enter Kazan.

The Earl of Warwick's rebellion forces King Edward IV of England to flee to the Netherlands, restoring Henry VI to the throne.

The Battle of Largs is fought between Norwegians and Scots.

Saladin won Jerusalem after the city surrendered to his forces following a prolonged siege.

Battle of Andernach: Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, crushes a rebellion against his rule, by a coalition of Eberhard of Franconia and other Frankish dukes.

Theophilos succeeds his father Michael II as Byzantine Emperor.

Sam Konstas, Australian cricketer

Jacob Sartorius, American social media personality and singer

Quadeca, American singer-songwriter and YouTuber

Tom Trbojevic, Australian rugby league player

Tepai Moeroa, Cook Islands rugby league player

Lance McCullers Jr., American baseball player

Alisson Becker, Brazilian footballer

Shane Larkin, American-Turkish basketball player

Nicol Ruprecht, Austrian rhythmic gymnast

Roberto Firmino, Brazilian footballer

Samantha Barks, Manx actress and singer

Frederik Andersen, Danish ice hockey player

Josh Bailey, Canadian ice hockey player

Aaron Hicks, American baseball player

George Nash, English rower

Brittany Howard, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Joe Ingles, Australian basketball player

Phil Kessel, American ice hockey player

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., American race car driver

Camilla Belle, American actress

Çağlar Birinci, Turkish footballer

Marion Bartoli, French tennis player

Tyson Chandler, American basketball player

Esra Gümüş, Turkish volleyball player

Luke Wilkshire, Australian footballer

Ayumi Hamasaki, Japanese singer, songwriter, actress

Didier Défago, Swiss skier

Mark Chilton, English cricketer

Bjarke Ingels, Danish architect

Sam Roberts, Canadian singer-songwriter and musician

Paul Teutul Jr., American motorcycle designer, co-founded Orange County Choppers

Melissa Harris-Perry, American journalist, author, and educator

Lene Nystrøm, Norwegian singer, songwriter, and musician

Efren Ramirez, American actor

Scott Schoeneweis, American baseball player

Aaron McKie, American basketball player

Tiffany Darwish, American singer-songwriter

Jim Root, American guitarist and songwriter

Chris Savino, American comic book artist, writer, animator and creator of The Loud House

Eddie Guardado, American baseball player

Patricia O'Callaghan, Canadian soprano

Kelly Ripa, American actress and talk show host

Maribel Verdú, Spanish actress

Badly Drawn Boy, English musician

Jana Novotná, Czech tennis player and sportscaster (died 2017)

Joey Slotnick, American actor

Glen Wesley, Canadian ice hockey player

Kelly Willis, American country music singer-songwriter

Frankie Fredericks, Namibian sprinter

Alex Karp, American businessman

Thomas Muster, Austrian tennis player

Gillian Welch, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Yokozuna, American wrestler (died 2000)

Darren Cahill, Australian tennis player

Tom Moody, Australian cricketer

Ferhan and Ferzan Önder, Turkish-Austrian pianists

Dirk Brinkmann, German field hockey player

Keith Bradshaw, Australian cricketer

Maria Ressa, Filipino-American journalist

Mark Rypien, Canadian-American football player

Glenn Anderson, Canadian ice hockey player

Django Bates, English musician and composer

Joe Sacco, Maltese-American journalist and cartoonist

Dereck Whittenburg, American basketball player and coach

Robbie Nevil, American singer-songwriter

John Cook, American golfer

Wade Dooley, English rugby player

Freddie Jackson, American soul singer

Philip Oakey, English singer-songwriter, keyboard player, and producer

Lorraine Bracco, American actress

Vanessa Bell Armstrong, American singer

Tom Boswell, American basketball player

Janusz Olejniczak, Polish classical pianist and actor (died 2024)

Robin Riker, American actress

Sting, English singer-songwriter and actor

Mike Rutherford, English guitarist

Richard Hell, American singer-songwriter and bass player

Annie Leibovitz, American photographer

Trevor Brooking, English footballer and manager

Avery Brooks, American actor

Donna Karan, American fashion designer, founded DKNY

Siim Kallas, Estonian politician, Prime Minister of Estonia

Persis Khambatta, Indian model and actress, (died 1998)

Ward Churchill, American author and activist

Sonthi Boonyaratglin, Thai general and politician

Martin Hellman, American cryptographer and academic

Don McLean, American singer-songwriter

Vernor Vinge, American author (died 2024)

Anna Ford, English journalist

Henri Szeps, Australian actor (died 2025)

Steve Sabol, American director and producer, co-founded NFL Films (died 2012)

Diana Hendry, English poet and author

Ron Meagher, American rock bass player

Budhi Kunderan, Indian cricketer (died 2006)

Nick Gravenites, American singer-songwriter (died 2024)

Waheed Murad, Pakistani actor, producer, and screenwriter (died 1983)

Rex Reed, American film critic (died 2026)

Johnnie Cochran, American lawyer (died 2005)

Dick Barnett, American basketball player (died 2025)

Connie Dierking, American basketball player (died 2013)

Gwen Marston, American quilter and writer (died 2019)

Omar Sívori, Italian-Argentine footballer and manager (died 2005)

Richard Scott, Baron Scott of Foscote, English lawyer and judge

Earl Wilson, American baseball player (died 2005)

John Gurdon, English biologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2025)

Dave Somerville, Canadian singer (died 2015)

Maury Wills, American baseball player and manager (died 2022)

Dave Barrett, Canadian social worker and politician, 26th Premier of British Columbia (died 2018)

Peter Bronfman, Canadian businessman (died 1996)

Moses Gunn, American actor (died 1993)

George McFarland, American actor (died 1993)

Wolfhart Pannenberg, Polish-German theologian and academic (died 2014)

Jan Morris, Welsh historian and author (died 2020)

Wren Blair, Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (died 2013)

Edmund Crispin, English writer and composer (died 1978)

Albert Scott Crossfield, American pilot and engineer (died 2006)

Robert Runcie, English archbishop (died 2000)

John W. Duarte, English guitarist and composer (died 2004)

Christian de Duve, Belgian cytologist and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2013)

Charles Drake, American actor (died 1994)

Chuck Williams, American author and businessman, founded Williams Sonoma (died 2015)

Jack Parsons, American chemist, occultist, and engineer (died 1952)

Bernarr Rainbow, English organist, conductor, and historian (died 1998)

Frank Malina, American engineer and painter (died 1981)

Alex Raymond, American cartoonist, creator of Flash Gordon (died 1956)

Víctor Paz Estenssoro, Bolivian politician, President of Bolivia (died 2001)

Alexander R. Todd, Scottish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1997)

Thomas Hollway, Australian politician, Premier of Victoria (died 1971)

Franjo Šeper, Croatian cardinal (died 1981)

Graham Greene, English novelist, playwright, and critic (died 1991)

Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indian and politician, Prime Minister of India (died 1966)

Leopold Figl, Austrian politician, Chancellor of Austria (died 1965)

Leela Roy Nag, Indian freedom fighter, social reformer and politician (died 1970)

Ruth Cheney Streeter, American colonel (died 1990)

Leroy Shield, American composer and conductor (died 1962)

Groucho Marx, American comedian and actor (died 1977)

Karl von Terzaghi, Austrian geologist and engineer (died 1963)

Boris Shaposhnikov, Russian colonel (died 1945)

Wallace Stevens, American poet (died 1955)

Pattie Ruffner Jacobs, American suffragist (died 1935)

Stephen Warfield Gambrill, American lawyer and politician (died 1924)

Pelham Warner, English cricketer and manager (died 1963)

Cordell Hull, American politician, United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1955)

Martha Brookes Hutcheson, American landscaper and author (died 1959)

Mahatma Gandhi, Indian freedom fighter, activist and philosopher (died 1948)

Swami Abhedananda, Indian mystic and philosopher (died 1939)

Patrick Geddes, Scottish biologist, sociologist, geographer, and philanthropist (died 1932)

William Ramsay, Scottish chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1916)

Ferdinand Foch, French field marshal (died 1929)

Paul von Hindenburg, German field marshal and politician, 2nd President of Germany (died 1934)

Edward Burnett Tylor, English anthropologist (died 1917)

Charles Floquet, French lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of France (died 1896)

Alexander P. Stewart, American general (died 1908)

James Agnew, Irish-Australian politician, Premier of Tasmania (died 1901)

Nat Turner, American slave and uprising leader (died 1831)

Charles Albert, King of Sardinia (1831–49) (died 1849)

William Beresford, 1st Viscount Beresford, English general and politician (died 1854)

Elizabeth Montagu, English author and critic (died 1800)

Charles Borromeo, Italian cardinal and saint (died 1584)

William Drury, English politician (died 1579)

Isabella of Aragon, Queen of Portugal, Daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (died 1498)

Richard III of England (died 1485)

Susie Berning, American professional golfer (born 1941)

Marissa Haque, Indonesian politician (born 1962)

Francis Lee, English footballer (born 1944)

Sacheen Littlefeather, American actress, model and activist for Native American civil rights (born 1946)

Jack Biondolillo, American bowler (born 1940)

Anne-Marie Hutchinson, British lawyer (born 1957)

Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi journalist (born 1958)

Tom Petty, American musician (born 1950)

Neville Marriner, British conductor (born 1924)

Brian Friel, Irish author, playwright, and director (born 1929)

Coleridge Goode, Jamaican-English bassist and composer (born 1914)

Johnny Paton, Scottish footballer and coach (born 1923)

Robert Flower, Australian footballer (born 1955)

Abraham Nemeth, American mathematician and academic (born 1918)

Nguyễn Chí Thiện, Vietnamese-American poet and activist (born 1939)

Charles Roach, Trinidadian-Canadian lawyer and activist (born 1933)

J. Philippe Rushton, English-Canadian psychologist, theorist, academic (born 1943)

Kwa Geok Choo, Singaporean lawyer and scholar (born 1920)

Tex Coulter, American football player (born 1924)

George Grizzard, American actor (born 1928)

Dan Keating, Irish Republican Army volunteer (born 1902)

Helen Chenoweth-Hage, American politician (born 1938)

Paul Halmos, Hungarian-American mathematician (born 1916)

Nipsey Russell, American comedian and actor (born 1918)

August Wilson, American author and playwright (born 1945)

John Thomas Dunlop, American scholar and politician, United States Secretary of Labor (born 1914)

Heinz von Foerster, Austrian-American physicist and philosopher (born 1911)

Franz Biebl, German composer and academic (born 1906)

David Tonkin, Australian politician, Premier of South Australia (born 1929)

Heinz G. Konsalik, German journalist and author (born 1921)

Gene Autry, American actor, singer, and guitarist (born 1907)

Robert Bourassa, Canadian lawyer and politician, Premier of Quebec (born 1933)

Andrey Lukanov, Bulgarian politician, 40th Prime Minister of Bulgaria (born 1938)

Hazen Argue, Canadian politician (born 1921)

Demetrios I of Constantinople (born 1914)

Alec Issigonis, English car designer, designed the Mini (born 1906)

Hamengkubuwono IX, Indonesian politician, 2nd vice president of Indonesia (born 1912)

Madeleine Carroll, English actress (born 1906)

Peter Medawar, Brazilian-English biologist and zoologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1915)

Rock Hudson, American actor (born 1925)

Harry Golden, American journalist and author (born 1902)

Hazel Scott, Trinidadian-American activist, actress, and musician (born 1920)

K. Kamaraj, Indian lawyer and politician (born 1903)

Vasily Shukshin, Russian actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1929)

Paul Hartman, American actor and dancer (born 1904)

Paavo Nurmi, Finnish runner (born 1897)

Jessie Arms Botke, American painter (born 1883)

Marcel Duchamp, French painter and sculptor (born 1887)

William R. Orthwein, American swimmer and water polo player (born 1881)

John Marin, American painter (born 1870)

Émilie Busquant, French anarcho-syndicalist, sewed the first Flag of Algeria (born 1901)

John Evans, English-Australian politician, 21st Premier of Tasmania (born 1855)

Alexandru Averescu, Romanian military leader and politician, 24th Prime Minister of Romania (born 1859)

Svante Arrhenius, Swedish physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1859)

Max Bruch, German composer and conductor (born 1838)

François Arago, French mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and politician (born 1786)

Sarah Biffen, English painter (born 1784)

Vasil Aprilov, Bulgarian educator, merchant and writer (born 1789)

Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, French engineer (born 1725)

Samuel Adams, American politician, Governor of Massachusetts (born 1722)

Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel, English admiral and politician (born 1725)

Charles Lee, English-born American general (born 1732)

John André, English soldier (born 1750)

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1720)

Josiah Burchett, English admiral and politician (born 1666)

François-Timoléon de Choisy, French historian and author (born 1644)

Ivan Mazepa, Ukrainian diplomat (born 1639)

Anne Jules de Noailles, French general (born 1650)

Wu Sangui, Qing Chinese general (born 1612)

George Frederick of Nassau-Siegen, officer in the Dutch Army (born 1606)

Antonio Cifra, Italian composer (born 1584)

Pierre de Bérulle, French cardinal and theologian (born 1575)

Diego Sarmiento de Acuña, 1st Count of Gondomar, Spanish academic and diplomat (born 1567)

Jacquet of Mantua, French-Italian composer (born 1483)

Pope Urban IV (born c. 1200)

Eberhard of Franconia

Gilbert, Duke of Lorraine

Michael II, Byzantine emperor

Athalaric, king of the Ostrogoths in Italy