Historical Events on July 2

1214 Battle of La Roche-aux-Moines (Angers), part of King John of England attempt to reclaim Normandy from France

1505 After an encounter with a violent thunderstorm, Martin Luther declares that he will become a monk

1776 At the Continental Congress, John Dickinson abstains from the votes that declare independence

1787 Marquis de Sade shouts from Bastille that prisoners are being slaughtered

1849 Giuseppe Garibaldi begins hunger strike in Rome

1881 US President James Garfield shot by Charles J. Guiteau a disappointed office-seeker; Garfield dies 79 days later

1900 Jean Sibelius' "Finlandia" premieres in Helsinki

1900 First flight LZ-1, of a dirigible airship designed by Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin, at Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen, Germany

1901 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rob train of $40,000 at Wagner, Montana

1902 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Muriel Robb wins her only major title with a 7-5, 6-1 defeat of fellow Briton Charlotte Cooper

1911 Detroit Tigers legend Ty Cobb hits in his 40th straight game in 14-6 rout of Cleveland. Streak ends next game

1916 Lenin says Imperialism is caused by capitalism

1921 In boxing's first million dollar gate ($1.7m), world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey KOs Frenchman Georges Carpentier in round 4 of his 3rd title defence; crowd 91,000 at Boyle's Thirty Acres in Jersey City, New Jersey

1921 Warren G. Harding signs a joint congressional resolution declaring the official end of war with Germany

1927 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Helen Wills Moody beats Spaniard Lilí Álvarez 6-2, 6-4 for her first of 8 Wimbledon titles

1932 FDR makes 1st presidential nominating conventional acceptance speech

1932 American golfer Walter Hagen wins his 5th and last Western Open in Cleveland, 16 years after he won his first

1933 NY Giants pitcher Carl Hubbell works 18 innings of shutout ball without a walk to beat St Louis Cardinals 1-0

1937 Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan disappear flying over the Pacific Ocean en route to Howland Island. Noonan is declared dead the following year, and Earhart is declared the year after (1939)

1940 British PM Churchill meets Major General Bernard Montgomery

1941 Joe DiMaggio hits a 3-run homer off Boston's Dick Newsome to pass Willie Keeler's MLB record 44 game hitting streak

1941 Noël Coward's "Blithe Spirit" premieres in London

1949 The State of Vietnam is internationally recognised, governing the southern half of Vietnam, with Bảo Đại as chief of state

1951 Bill Veeck buys St Louis Browns from Bill & Charlie DeWitt; after 1953 season sells franchise to Clarence Miles, team moves to Baltimore (Orioles)

1954 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Czech Jaroslav Drobný beats Ken Rosewall of Australia 13-11, 4-6, 6-2, 9-7 for his only Wimbledon singles title

1955 US Open Women's Golf, Wichita GC: Uruguayan Fay Crocker beats Louise Suggs & Mary Lena Faulk by 4 to become the tournament's first overseas winner

1956 Elvis Presley records "Hound Dog" and "Don't Be Cruel"

1957 Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Le pelerinage De Lourdes

1960 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Defending champion Maria Bueno of Brazil beats South African Sandra Reynolds 8–6, 6–0

1961 Amidst 5 NY Yankee homers v Washington, Roger Maris hits 29th and 30th en route to 61 for the season

1962 Cuba's Minister of Foreign affairs Raúl Castro arrives in Moscow

1962 Fidel Castro visits Moscow

1962 Sam Walton opens his first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas

1963 SF Giants legend Willie Mays breaks up classic Juan Marichal vs Warren Spahn pitching dual, homering in 16th inning off Spahn for 1-0 win vs Milwaukee Braves

1964 Cilla Black records Beatle's "Its For You", Paul McCartney plays piano

1964 US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act into law

1964 Architect Le Corbusier is made Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur

1965 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Roy Emerson scores second consecutive title win over fellow Australian Fred Stolle 6-2, 6-4, 6-4

1966 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: American Billie Jean King beats Maria Bueno of Brazil 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 for the first of her 12 Grand Slam singles titles

1976 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: American Chris Evert beats Evonne Goolagong Cawley of Australia 6-3, 4-6, 8-6 for second of 3 Wimbledon singles titles

1977 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Sweden's Björn Borg beats American Jimmy Connors 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 for the second of 5 consecutive Wimbledon singles titles

1979 Susan B. Anthony dollar is issued, 1st US coin to honor a woman

1983 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Martina Navratilova beats Andrea Jaeger 6-0, 6-3 for the 4th of 9 Wimbledon singles titles

1986 Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens (14-0) suffers his 1st loss (4-2 v Toronto), one win short of AL record for consecutive wins to start season

1986 General strike against Pinochet regime in Chile

1988 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Germany's Steffi Graf beats Martina Navratilova 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 for the 3rd leg of her Golden Slam

1989 Canadian Open Women's Golf (du Maurier Classic), Beaconsfield GC: Tammie Green wins her only LPGA major title with a 1 shot victory over fellow Americans Pat Bradley & Betsy King

1990 Imelda Marcos and Adnan Khashoggi found not guilty of racketeering

1991 Donald Trump proposes to Marla Maples and gives her a 7.5 carat diamond ring

1993 Pope John Paul II hospitalized for Cat Scan test

1995 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Congressional GC: Tom Weiskopf wins by 4 strokes from Jack Nicklaus for his only Champions Tour major victory