July 2 is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, leaving 182 days until the year’s end.
On July 2, various historical events are commemorated, from key legislative acts to significant cultural milestones, reflecting the day’s rich and diverse impact on history and society.
In this post, we revisit historical events that occurred on this day in the past.
July 2, 2012: Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with U.S.-based Vulcan Petroleum Resources Ltd. to build six oil refineries in a $4.5 billion project.
However, that was the start and end.
July 2, 2008: Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt was freed from captivity by FARC guerrillas during a daring rescue mission, where army soldiers posed as international aid workers after more than six years in captivity.
July 2, 2002: American adventurer Steve Fossett became the first balloonist to circumnavigate the world alone. However, he disappeared on September 3, 2007.
July 2, 1997: The science fiction-comedy Men in Black, starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, opened in U.S. theaters, grossing over $250 million domestically.
July 2, 1992: Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking achieved a British publishing milestone with his book A Brief History of Time, remaining on the nonfiction bestseller list for three and a half years and selling over 3 million copies in 22 languages.
July 2, 1990: A stampede in a pedestrian tunnel in Mecca tragically claimed the lives of over 1,400 religious pilgrims, marking one of the deadliest incidents during the annual pilgrimage to the holy city.
July 2, 1979: New currency banknotes of three denominations, namely ₦1, ₦5, and ₦10, were introduced in Nigeria.
July 02, 1967: Two bomb explosions in Lagos resulted in the deaths of four people and injuries to fourteen others.
July 2, 1964: the U.S. enacted the Civil Rights Act, landmark legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, fundamentally reshaping American civil rights law.
July 2, 1962: American businessman Sam Walton opened the first Walmart (then known as Wal-Mart) store in Rogers, Arkansas. This marked the beginning of what would eventually become the largest retail sales chain in the United States.
July 2, 1925: Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1960), was born in Onalua, Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo).
July 2, 1900: The first flight of a zeppelin occurred as the airship departed from a floating hangar on Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen, Germany. During World War I, German zeppelins achieved moderate success in long-range bombing operations, thanks to their ability to reach higher altitudes compared to the airplanes of that era.
July 2, 1881: James A. Garfield, the 20th President of The USA was shot in a Washington, D.C. railroad waiting room just four months into his administration. His assailant, Charles J. Guiteau, a disgruntled office seeker who had failed to secure an appointment as U.S. consul in Paris, shot him in the back and arm. Guiteau was promptly arrested.
July 2, 1882: Denmark Vesey was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, for planning what was considered the most extensive slave revolt in U.S. history.
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