A British man legally changed his name to 'Bacon Double Cheeseburger' after losing a bet
Sam Smith lost a poker game and was forced by his friends to change his name via deed poll to the name of his favorite McDonald's menu item. He kept t...
September 2 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2013
1969
The first ATM in the United States was installed in Rockville Centre, New York
Chemical Bank installed the machine at its branch in Long Island, charging customers $5 to open an account that could use the revolutionary device. Th...
1945
Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent from France
MajorIn Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, quoting directly from the American Declaration of Independence i...
1945
Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II
MajorJapanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender in Tokyo Bay, officially ending the deadliest conflict in human history. General Douglas MacArth...
1935
A Category 5 hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys on Labor Day, killing over 400 people
The storm remains the most intense hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States, with winds exceeding 185 mph. Most victims were World War I v...
1910
Alice Stebbins Wells became the first American policewoman with full arrest powers
The Los Angeles Police Department hired Wells after she petitioned city officials, arguing that women officers were needed to protect women and childr...
1901
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt uttered 'Speak softly and carry a big stick' at the Minnesota State Fair
Roosevelt's speech articulated his foreign policy philosophy that became synonymous with American imperialism. Weeks later, President McKinley was ass...
1864
Union forces captured Atlanta during the Civil War, devastating the South's morale
MajorGeneral Sherman's capture of the crucial Confederate railroad hub helped secure Lincoln's reelection and set the stage for Sherman's infamous March to...
1789
The United States Department of the Treasury was established
Congress created the Treasury Department to manage government revenue and finances. It became one of the oldest and most important executive departmen...
1752
Britain and its colonies skipped 11 days when they adopted the Gregorian calendar
September 2 was immediately followed by September 14, causing widespread confusion and riots from people who thought the government had "stolen" eleve...
1666
King Charles II of England blamed French and Dutch immigrants for starting the Great Fire of London
Despite no evidence, paranoia and xenophobia led to attacks on foreign residents. A French watchmaker named Robert Hubert falsely confessed to startin...
1666
The Great Fire of London began in a bakery on Pudding Lane and burned for four days
MajorStarting at Thomas Farriner's bakery around 1am, the fire destroyed 13,200 houses and 87 churches including St. Paul's Cathedral. Despite the massive...
1666
Samuel Pepys buried his prized Parmesan cheese and wine in his garden to save them from the Great Fire
The famous diarist frantically dug a pit in his yard to protect his most valuable possessions as the fire approached. His detailed diary entries about...