On This Day

Birthdays in History on June 2

  • 926 Murakami, Emperor of Japan (d. 967)
  • 1504 George/Joris van Egmont, bishop of Utrecht
  • 1535 Leo XI [Alessandro O de' Medici], Italian Pope (1605)
  • 1624 Jan III Sobieski, King of Poland (1674-96)
  • 1719 Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (Le Philosophe sans le savoir), born in Paris (d. 1797)

Marquis de SadeMarquis de Sade (1740-1814)

French philosopher and writer (Justine) and where the words sadism and sadist are derived from, born in Paris, France

Marquis de Sade
  • 1758 Cornelis R T Krayenhoff, Dutch fortress engineer/cartographer
  • 1759 Jan Ekels, the Young, Dutch painter, born in Amsterdam (d. 1793)
  • 1773 John Randolph [of Roanoke], American planter, Congressman (Virginia) and Minister to Russia, born in Cawsons, Virginia (d. 1833)
  • 1774 William Lawson, English born explorer of New South Wales, Australia, born in Finchley, England (d. 1850)
  • 1802 Adrian van der Hoop Jr, Dutch poet/critic
  • 1815 Philip Kearny, American Major General (Union Army), born in NYC, New York (d. 1862)
  • 1821 Ion Bratianu, (Lib), premier of Romania (1876-88)
  • 1823 Gédéon Ouimet, French Canadian politician (d. 1905)
  • 1824 Samuel Wilks, British Physician and founding father of clinical science, born in London, England
  • 1831 Benjamin Hardin Helm, Brigadier General (Conf)/Lincoln's brother-in-law
  • 1835 Pius X [Giuseppe Sarto], 257th Roman Catholic pope (1903-14)
  • 1838 Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna (d. 1900)
  • 1840 Thomas Hardy, poet and novelist (Far from the Madding Crowd), born in Higher Bockhampton, Dorset (d. 1928)
  • 1842 Constantly AM Cap, Flemish poet/etcher
  • 1849 Paul-Albert Besnard, French painter and graphic artist (La femme), born in Paris, France (d. 1909)
  • 1851 Sophus Tromholt, Norwegian astrophysicist and photographer (photographed Sami people), (d. 1896) [1]
  • 1857 Karl Adolph Gjellerup, poet (Poutnici Svetem, Nobel 1917), born in Roholte, Denmark (d. 1919)
  • 1868 John Hope, American educator (President of Atlanta Baptist/Morehouse College,1906-36 and Atlanta University, 1929-36), born in Augusta, Georgia (d. 1936)
  • 1879 Adolf Herckenrath, Flemish playwright/poet (Avondvlam)
  • 1883 Bokke R S Pollema, Dutch Frisian journalist/author (Lock of Hair)
  • 1891 Thurman Arnold, American attorney and jurist (d. 1969)
  • 1899 Eric Jan Hanussen [Hermann Steinschneider], Austrian astrologist, clairvoyant, illusionist, and speaking tutor to Hitler, born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1933)
  • 1899 Tan Malaka, Indonesian philosopher and founder (Indonesian Communist), born in Limapuluh Koto, Dutch East Indies (d. 1949)
  • 1907 Dorothy West, American journalist/author (Living is Easy)
  • 1911 Xiao Hong, Chinese writer (The Field of Life and Death), born in Hulan County, Heilongjiang Province (d. 1942)
  • 1913 Barbara Pym, romantic author (Very Private Eye), (d. 1980)
  • 1913 Walter Andreas Schwarz, German singer and author (d. 1992)
  • 1915 Alexandru Nicolschi, Russian communist (d. 1992)
  • 1915 Florence Holway, Massachusetts, 75 year old rape victim and activist, (d. 2012)
  • 1915 Lester del Rey, American sci-fi author (Moon Trilogy, Marooned on Mars)
  • 1918 Robert Manry, American copy editor of the Cleveland newspaper editor who sailed the Atlantic (Tinkerbelle), born in Landour, India (d. 1971)
  • 1918 Ruth Atkinson, American cartoonist (d. 1997)
  • 1919 Nat Mayer Shapiro, American painter (d. 2005)
  • 1920 Frank G. Clement, Governor of Tennessee (d. 1969)
  • 1920 Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Polish-born cr
  • 1920 Michael James O'Hehir, commentator/journalist
  • 1921 Alexander Salkind, producer (Superman)
  • 1923 Lloyd Shapley, Mathematician (2012 Nobel Prize Game Theory), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts (d. 2016)
  • 1924 June Callwood, Canadian journalist and activist (d. 2007)
  • 1927 Phillip Burton, historian (Vanishing Eagles)
  • 1928 John Anthony Bowden Cuddon, writer/teacher
  • 1929 Norton Juster, American architect and children's author (The Phantom Tollbooth; The Dot and The Line), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2021) [1] [2]
  • 1930 Charles Pete Conrad Jr, USN/astro (Gem 5 11, Ap 12, Skylab 2), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 1932 Yaroslav Kirillovich Golovyanov, cosmonaut
  • 1935 Carol Shields, American-Canadian novelist (The Stone Diaries) and short story writer, born in Oak Park, Illinois (d. 2003)
  • 1935 Dimitri Kitsikis, Greek turkologist
  • 1938 Frits Wols [Eugene W Wong Loi Sing], Suriname, Secretary-General (UNESCO)
  • 1940 Constantine II, deposed King of Greece (1964-73)
  • 1941 Oda Mayumi, resident artist (Green Gulch Zen Center), born in Tokyo, Japan
  • 1943 John Lilipaly, Dutch 2nd Chamber member (PvdA)
  • 1943 Maarten B Engwirda, Dutch 2nd Chamber member (D66)

Peter SutcliffePeter Sutcliffe (1946-2020)

English murderer of 13 women "The Yorkshire Ripper", born in Bingley, England

Peter Sutcliffe
  • 1949 Heather Couper, British astronomer and presenter (The Sky at Night), born in Wallesey, England (d. 2020)
  • 1951 Gilbert Baker, American gay activist who designed the rainbow flag, born in Chanute, Kansas (d. 2017)
  • 1952 Gary Bettman, American National Hockey League commissioner
  • 1955 Chantal Hochuli, Swiss-born socialite
  • 1956 Malcolm Garrett, English graphic designer
  • 1956 Mark L Polansky, pilot/astronaut, born in Paterson, New Jersey
  • 1957 Mark Lawrenson, English Football Pundit
  • 1965 Jim Knipfel, American autobiographer and journalist (Slackjaw, Quitting the Nairobi Trio), born in Grand Forks, North Dakota
  • 1968 Beetlejuice, member of Howard Stern's Wack
  • 1971 Kateřina Jacques, Czech politician
  • 1973 Kevin Feige, American producer, President of Marvel Studios (2007-), born in Boston, Massachusetts
  • 1974 Matt Serra, American mixed martial ar
  • 1976 Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brazilian mixed martial artist
  • 1976 Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Queen consort of Lesotho
  • 1989 Freddy Adu, Ghanaian-American footballer


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