September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 120 days remain until the end of the year.

• 44 BC – Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion.^[1]
• 44 BC – Cicero launches the first of his Philippicae (oratorical attacks) on Mark Antony. He will make 14 of them over the following months.^[2]
• 31 BC – Final War of the Roman Republic: Battle of Actium: Off the western coast of Greece, forces of Octavian defeat troops under Mark Antony and Cleopatra.^[3]
• 1192 – The Treaty of Jaffa is signed between Richard I of England and Saladin, leading to the end of the Third Crusade.^[4]
• 1561 – Entry of Mary, Queen of Scots into Edinburgh, a spectacular civic celebration for the Queen of Scotland, marred by religious controversy.^[5]

• 1649 – The Italian city of Castro is completely destroyed by the forces of Pope Innocent X, ending the Wars of Castro.
• 1666 – The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days, destroying 10,000 buildings, including Old St Paul's Cathedral.
• 1752 – Great Britain, along with its overseas possessions, adopts the Gregorian calendar.
• 1789 – The United States Department of the Treasury is founded.
• 1792 – During what became known as the September Massacres of the French Revolution, rampaging mobs slaughter three Roman Catholic bishops, more than two hundred priests, and prisoners believed to be royalist sympathizers.
• 1806 – A massive landslide destroys the town of Goldau, Switzerland, killing 457.
• 1807 – Napoleonic Wars: The British Royal Navy bombards Copenhagen with fire bombs and phosphorus rockets to prevent Denmark from surrendering its fleet to Napoleon.
• 1856 – The Tianjing incident takes place in Nanjing, China.
• 1859 – The Carrington Event is the strongest geomagnetic storm on record.^[6]
• 1862 – American Civil War: United States President Abraham Lincoln reluctantly restores Union General George B. McClellan to full command after General John Pope's disastrous defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run.
• 1864 – American Civil War: Union forces enter Atlanta, a day after the Confederate defenders flee the city, ending the Atlanta Campaign.
• 1867 – Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Japan, marries Masako Ichijō, thereafter known as Empress Shōken.
• 1870 – Franco-Prussian War: Battle of Sedan: Prussian forces take Napoleon III of France and 100,000 of his soldiers prisoner.
• 1885 – Rock Springs massacre: In Rock Springs, Wyoming, 150 white miners, who are struggling to unionize so they could strike for better wages and work conditions, attack their Chinese fellow workers killing 28, wounding 15 and forcing several hundred more out of town.
• 1898 – Battle of Omdurman: British and Egyptian troops defeat Sudanese tribesmen and establish British dominance in Sudan.

• 1901 – Vice President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" at the Minnesota State Fair.
• 1912 – Arthur Rose Eldred is awarded the first Eagle Scout award of the Boy Scouts of America.
• 1923 – Kantō Massacre: Amid rumors that Koreans had been conducting acts of sabotage in the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, lynch mobs of Japanese begin massacring thousands of civilians over the course of several weeks, mainly ethnic minorities such as Koreans and Chinese.^[7][8][9]
• 1935 – The Labor Day Hurricane, the most intense hurricane to strike the United States, makes landfall at Long Key, Florida, killing at least 400.
• 1939 – World War II: Following the start of the invasion of Poland the previous day, the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) is annexed by Nazi Germany.
• 1944 – The last execution of a Finn in Finland takes place when soldier Olavi Laiho is executed by shooting in Oulu.^[10]
• 1945 – World War II: The Japanese Instrument of Surrender is signed by Japan and the major warring powers aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
• 1945 – Communist leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam after the end of the Nguyễn dynasty.
• 1946 – The Interim Government of India is formed, headed by Jawaharlal Nehru as vice president with the powers of a Prime Minister.
• 1957 – President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam becomes the first foreign head of state to make a state visit to Australia.
• 1958 – A USAF RC-130 is shot down by fighters over Armenia when it strays into Soviet airspace while conducting a sigint mission. All crew members are killed.
• 1960 – The first election of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The Tibetan community observes this date as Democracy Day.
• 1963 – CBS Evening News becomes U.S. network television's first half-hour weeknight news broadcast, when the show is lengthened from 15 to 30 minutes.
• 1968 – Operation OAU begins during the Nigerian Civil War.
• 1970 – NASA announces the cancellation of two Apollo missions to the Moon, Apollo 15 (the designation is re-used by a later mission), and Apollo 19.
• 1984 – Seven people are shot and killed and 12 wounded in the Milperra massacre, a shootout between the rival motorcycle gangs Bandidos and Comancheros in Sydney, Australia.
• 1985 – Sri Lankan Civil War: Sri Lankan Tamil politicians and former MPs M. Alalasundaram and V. Dharmalingam are shot dead.
• 1987 – In Moscow, the trial begins for 19-year-old pilot Mathias Rust, who flew his Cessna airplane into Red Square in May.
• 1990 – Transnistria is unilaterally proclaimed a Soviet republic; the Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev declares the decision null and void.
• 1992 – The 7.7 M_w  Nicaragua earthquake affected the west coast of Nicaragua. With a M_s–M_w disparity of half a unit, this tsunami earthquake triggered a tsunami that caused most of the damage and casualties, with at least 116 killed. Typical runup heights were 3–8 meters (9.8–26.2 ft).
• 1998 – Swissair Flight 111 crashes near Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia; all 229 people on board are killed.
• 1998 – The UN's International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda finds Jean-Paul Akayesu, the former mayor of a small town in Rwanda, guilty of nine counts of genocide.
• 2008 – Google launches its Google Chrome web browser.^[11]
• 2009 – The Andhra Pradesh, India helicopter crash occurred near Rudrakonda Hill, 40 nautical miles (74 km) from Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India. Fatalities included Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
• 2010 – Israel-Palestinian conflict: the 2010 Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are launched by the United States.^[12]
• 2013 – The Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opens at 10:15 pm at a cost of $6.4 billion, after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the old span.
• 2019 – Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 hurricane, devastates the Bahamas, killing at least five.^[13]
• 2019 – The dive boat MV Conception catches fire and sinks near Santa Cruz Island, killing 34.^[14]
• 2023 – India's first solar observation mission: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launches Aditya-L1 from Satish Dhawan space centre.^[15][16]

• 1243 – Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester, 6th Earl of Hertford, English politician (d. 1295)^[17]
• 1251 – Francis of Fabriano, Italian writer (d. 1322)
• 1516 – Francis I, Duke of Nevers (d. 1561)
• 1531 – Francesco Cattani da Diacceto, Bishop of Fiesole (d. 1595)
• 1548 – Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect (d. 1616)

• 1661 – Georg Böhm, German organist and composer (d. 1733)
• 1675 – William Somervile, English poet and author (d. 1742)
• 1753 – Marie Joséphine of Savoy (d. 1810)^[18]
• 1778 – Louis Bonaparte, French-Dutch king (d. 1846)^[19]
• 1805 – Esteban Echeverría, Argentinian poet and author (d. 1851)
• 1810 – Lysander Button, American engineer (d. 1898)
• 1810 – William Seymour Tyler, American historian and educator (d. 1897)
• 1814 – Ernst Curtius, German archaeologist and historian (d. 1896)^[20]
• 1820 – Lucretia Peabody Hale, American journalist and author (d. 1900)^[21]
• 1830 – William P. Frye, American lawyer and politician (d. 1911)
• 1838 – Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Indian guru and philosopher (d. 1914)
• 1838 – Liliʻuokalani, Last sovereign monarch of Hawaiʻi (d. 1917)^[22]
• 1839 – Henry George, American economist and author (d. 1897)
• 1850 – Eugene Field, American author and poet (d. 1895)
• 1850 – Albert Spalding, American baseball player, manager, and businessman, co-founded the Spalding Sporting Goods Company (d. 1915)
• 1850 – Woldemar Voigt, German physicist and academic (d. 1919)
• 1852 – Paul Bourget, French author and critic (d. 1935)^[23]
• 1853 – Wilhelm Ostwald, Latvian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1932)^[24]
• 1856 – John Bowser, English-Australian politician, 26th Premier of Victoria (d. 1936)
• 1865 – Simeón Ola, Filipino general and politician (d. 1952)
• 1866 – Charles Vintcent, South African cricketer and rugby player (d. 1943)
• 1873 – Lily Poulett-Harris, Australian cricketer and educator (d. 1897)
• 1877 – Frederick Soddy, English chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1956)
• 1878 – Herman, Estonian-Finnish archbishop (d. 1961)
• 1878 – Werner von Blomberg, German field marshal (d. 1946)
• 1883 – Archduchess Elisabeth Marie of Austria (d. 1963)
• 1884 – Frank Laubach, American missionary and mystic (d. 1970)
• 1892 – Dezső Kertész, Hungarian actor and film director (d. 1965)
• 1894 – Joseph Roth, Austrian journalist and author (d. 1939)^[25]
• 1897 – Fazlollah Zahedi, Iranian general and statesman, 36th Prime Minister of Iran (d. 1963)

• 1901 – Andreas Embirikos, Greek psychoanalyst and poet (d. 1975)
• 1901 – Adolph Rupp, American basketball player and coach (d. 1977)^[26]
• 1904 – August Jakobson, Estonian author and politician (d. 1963)
• 1907 – Pertev Naili Boratav, Turkish author and educator (d. 1998)
• 1908 – Ruth Bancroft, American landscape and garden designer (d. 2017)
• 1910 – Paul Saagpakk, Estonian linguist, lexicographer, and academic (d. 1996)
• 1910 – Donald Watson, English activist, founded the Vegan Society (d. 2005)
• 1911 – Romare Bearden, American painter and author (d. 1988)
• 1911 – William F. Harrah, American businessman, founded Harrah's Entertainment (d. 1978)
• 1911 – Lill Tschudi, Swiss artist (d. 2004)^[27]
• 1912 – Ernest Bromley, Australian cricketer (d. 1967)
• 1913 – Israel Gelfand, Russian-American mathematician and biologist (d. 2009)
• 1913 – Bill Shankly, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 1981)
• 1915 – Benjamin Aaron, American lawyer and scholar (d. 2007)
• 1916 – Ömer Lütfi Akad, Turkish director and screenwriter (d. 2011)
• 1917 – Laurindo Almeida, Brazilian-American guitarist and composer (d. 1995)
• 1917 – Cleveland Amory, American author and critic (d. 1997)
• 1918 – Allen Drury, American journalist and author (d. 1998)
• 1919 – Marge Champion, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2020)^[26]
• 1919 – Lance Macklin, English racing driver and businessman (d. 2002)^[28]
• 1922 – Arthur Ashkin, American physicist and Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2020)
• 1922 – Leigh Kamman, American radio host (d. 2014)
• 1923 – René Thom, French mathematician, biologist, and academic (d. 2002)
• 1923 – Ramón Valdés, Mexican actor and comedian (d. 1988)
• 1924 – Daniel arap Moi, Kenyan educator and politician, 2nd President of Kenya (d. 2020)^[29]
• 1925 – Hugo Montenegro, American composer and conductor (d. 1981)
• 1927 – Milo Hamilton, American sportscaster (d. 2015)
• 1927 – Francis Matthews, English actor (d. 2014)^[30]
• 1927 – Alice Raftary, American educator of blind adults (d. 2014)^[31]
• 1928 – Jim Jordan, Canadian educator and politician (d. 2012)
• 1928 – Horace Silver, American pianist and composer (d. 2014)^[32]
• 1928 – Mel Stuart, American director and producer (d. 2012)
• 1929 – Hal Ashby, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1988)
• 1929 – Beulah Bewley, English physician and academic (d. 2018)
• 1929 – Rex Hartwig, Australian tennis player (d. 2022)^[33]
• 1929 – Victor Spinetti, Welsh actor and director (d. 2012)
• 1931 – Clifford Jordan, American saxophonist (d. 1993)
• 1931 – Alan K. Simpson, American politician, senator of Wyoming
• 1932 – Walter Davis Jr., American pianist (d. 1990)
• 1932 – Arnold Greenberg, American businessman, co-founded Snapple (d. 2012)^[26]
• 1933 – Ed Conlin, American basketball player and coach (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Mathieu Kérékou, Beninese soldier and politician, President of Benin (d. 2015)
• 1934 – Hilla Becher, German conceptual photographer (d. 2015)
• 1934 – Sam Gooden, American soul singer (d. 2022)
• 1934 – Chuck McCann, American actor and screenwriter (d. 2018)
• 1934 – Grady Nutt, American comedian, minister, and author (d. 1982)
• 1935 – D. Wayne Lukas, American horse trainer^[26]
• 1936 – Andrew Grove, Hungarian-American businessman, engineer, and author (d. 2016)
• 1936 – Károly Krajczár, Hungarian-Slovene author and educator (d. 2018)
• 1937 – Len Carlson, Canadian voice actor (d. 2006)
• 1937 – Peter Ueberroth, American businessman
• 1938 – Leonard Appleyard, English diplomat, British Ambassador to China (d. 2020)
• 1938 – Jimmy Clanton, American pop singer-songwriter^[34]
• 1938 – Ernie Sigley, Australian television host (d. 2021)
• 1941 – Jyrki Otila, Finnish economist and politician (d. 2003)
• 1941 – Sadhana Shivdasani, Indian actress (d. 2015)
• 1941 – John Thompson, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2020)^[26]
• 1943 – Rosalind Ashford, American singer^[34]
• 1943 – Glen Sather, Canadian ice hockey player and manager
• 1943 – Joe Simon, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2021)
• 1944 – Janet Simpson, English sprinter (d. 2010)
• 1946 – Luis Ávalos, Cuban-American actor (d. 2014)
• 1946 – Mary Goudie, Baroness Goudie, English humanitarian and politician
• 1946 – Marty Grebb, American keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist, and music producer/arranger (d. 2020)
• 1946 – Billy Preston, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actor (d. 2006)
• 1946 – Walt Simonson, American author and illustrator
• 1946 – Dan White, American assassin and politician (d. 1985)
• 1947 – Louis Michel, Belgian educator and politician, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1947 – Jim Richards, New Zealand racing driver
• 1948 – Nate Archibald, American basketball player and coach^[26]
• 1948 – Terry Bradshaw, American football player, sportscaster, and actor^[26]
• 1948 – Christa McAuliffe, American educator and astronaut (d. 1986)^[35]
• 1949 – Hans-Hermann Hoppe, American economist and philosopher
• 1949 – Moira Stuart, British broadcaster
• 1950 – Rosanna DeSoto, American actress
• 1950 – Michael Rother, German guitarist, keyboard player, and songwriter
• 1950 – Tony Windsor, Australian politician^[36]
• 1951 – Jim DeMint, American politician
• 1951 – Mark Harmon, American actor and producer^[34]
• 1951 – Mik Kaminski, English musician, rock violinist
• 1952 – Jimmy Connors, American tennis player, coach, and sportscaster^[26]
• 1952 – Mihhail Lotman, Estonian linguist, scholar, and politician
• 1953 – Maurice Colclough, English rugby player (d. 2006)
• 1953 – Ahmad Shah Massoud, Afghan commander and politician, Afghan Minister of Defense (d. 2001)
• 1953 – John Zorn, American saxophonist, composer, and producer
• 1954 – Billi Gordon, American neuroscientist, author, and actor. (d. 2018)
• 1954 – Gai Waterhouse, Scottish-Australian horse trainer and businesswoman
• 1954 – Andrej Babiš, Czech politician, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic^[37]
• 1955 – Linda Purl, American actress^[34]
• 1956 – Mario Tremblay, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1957 – Tony Alva, American skateboarder and bass player
• 1957 – Steve Porcaro, American keyboard player and songwriter
• 1958 – Lynne Kosky, Australian social worker and politician (d. 2014)
• 1959 – Drungo Hazewood, American baseball player (d. 2013)
• 1959 – Guy Laliberté, Canadian businessman, philanthropist, and poker player, founded Cirque du Soleil^[26]
• 1960 – Eric Dickerson, American football player and sportscaster^[26]
• 1960 – Kristin Halvorsen, Norwegian politician, Norwegian Minister of Finance
• 1960 – Rex Hudler, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1961 – Eugenio Derbez, Mexican actor, director, producer, and screenwriter^[26]
• 1961 – Carlos Valderrama, Colombian footballer and manager
• 1961 – Ron Wasserman, American singer-songwriter and producer
• 1962 – Alonso Lujambio, Mexican academic and politician (d. 2012)
• 1962 – Prachya Pinkaew, Thai director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1962 – Tracy Smothers, American wrestler (d. 2020)
• 1962 – Keir Starmer, English lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
• 1963 – Sam Mitchell, American basketball player and coach
• 1964 – Andrea Illy, Italian businessman
• 1964 – Keanu Reeves, Canadian actor, singer, and producer^[34]
• 1965 – Lennox Lewis, English-Canadian boxer
• 1965 – Partho Sen-Gupta, Indian director and screenwriter
• 1966 – Dino Cazares, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1966 – Massimo Cuttitta, Italian rugby player and coach
• 1966 – Salma Hayek, Mexican-American actress, director, and producer^[34]
• 1966 – Olivier Panis, French racing driver^[38]
• 1966 – Tuc Watkins, American actor^[34]
• 1967 – Frank Fontsere, American drummer and songwriter
• 1967 – Andreas Möller, German footballer and manager
• 1968 – Cynthia Watros, American actress^[34]
• 1968 – Francisco Acevedo, American serial killer^[39]
• 1969 – Laurence Brihaye, Belgian rhythmic gymnast^[40]
• 1969 – K-Ci, American R&B singer-songwriter^[34]
• 1969 – Stéphane Matteau, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1971 – Kjetil André Aamodt, Norwegian skier
• 1971 – Pawan Kalyan, Indian actor politician
• 1971 – Tommy Maddox, American football player and coach
• 1971 – César Sánchez, Spanish footballer
• 1971 – Tom Steels, Belgian cyclist
• 1971 – Katt Williams, American comedian and actor^[26]
• 1972 – Robert Coles, English golfer
• 1973 – Jason Blake, American ice hockey player
• 1973 – Indika de Saram, Sri Lankan cricketer
• 1973 – Matthew Dunn, Australian swimmer
• 1973 – Nicholas Pinnock, English actor^[34]
• 1973 – Sudeep, Indian actor, filmmaker and television presenter
• 1974 – Sami Salo, Finnish ice hockey player^[41]
• 1975 – Jill Janus, American singer (d. 2018)
• 1975 – MC Chris, American rapper, actor, and screenwriter
• 1975 – Tony Thompson, American singer (d. 2007)^[42]
• 1976 – Syleena Johnson, American R&B and soul singer-songwriter and actress
• 1976 – Aziz Zakari, Ghanaian sprinter
• 1977 – Tiffany Hines, American actress^[34]
• 1977 – Frédéric Kanouté, Malian footballer
• 1977 – Sam Rivers, American musician^[34]
• 1979 – Tomer Ben Yosef, Israeli footballer
• 1979 – Jonathan Kite, American actor and comedian^[34]
• 1979 – Brian Westbrook, American football player
• 1980 – Dany Sabourin, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Danny Shittu, Nigerian footballer
• 1980 – Hiroki Yoshimoto, Japanese race car driver
• 1981 – Fariborz Kamkari, Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1981 – Jennifer Hopkins, American tennis player
• 1981 – Chris Tremlett, English cricketer
• 1982 – Joey Barton, English footballer
• 1982 – Jason Hammel, American baseball player
• 1982 – Mark Phillips, English footballer
• 1983 – Rich Boy, American rapper and producer
• 1983 – Mark Foster, English rugby player
• 1984 – Jack Peñate, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1985 – Keith Galloway, Australian rugby league player
• 1985 – Allison Miller, American actress^[34]
• 1986 – Gélson Fernandes, Swiss footballer
• 1986 – Kyle Hines, American basketball player
• 1987 – Scott Moir, Canadian ice dancer
• 1987 – Spencer Smith, American musician^[34]
• 1988 – Keisuke Kato, Japanese actor and singer
• 1988 – Javi Martínez, Spanish footballer
• 1988 – Ibrahim Šehić, Bosnian footballer
• 1988 – Ishant Sharma, Indian cricketer
• 1988 – Ishmeet Singh, Indian singer (d. 2008)
• 1989 – Marcus Morris, American basketball player
• 1989 – Markieff Morris, American basketball player
• 1989 – Alexandre Pato, Brazilian footballer
• 1989 – Zedd, Russian-German record producer, DJ, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter^[34]
• 1990 – Marcus Ericsson, Swedish race car driver
• 1990 – Shayla Worley, American gymnast
• 1991 – Christian Bethancourt, Panamanian baseball player^[43]
• 1991 – Mareks Mejeris, Latvian basketball player^[44]
• 1991 – Gyasi Zardes, American footballer
• 1992 – Xenia Knoll, Swiss tennis player
• 1992 – Nenad Lukić, Serbian footballer
• 1992 – Alberto Masi, Italian footballer
• 1992 – Emiliano Martínez, Argentine footballer^[45]
• 1993 – Tom Anderson, English footballer
• 1993 – Zaza Nadiradze, Georgian sprint canoeist^[46]
• 1993 – Robert Rooba, Estonian ice hockey player
• 1994 – Kishen Velani, English cricketer
• 1995 – Willy Adames, Dominican baseball player
• 1995 – Aleksander Barkov, Russian-Finnish ice hockey player^[47]
• 1995 – İbrahim Demir, Turkish footballer
• 1995 – Deimantas Petravičius, Lithuanian footballer
• 1996 – Austin Abrams, American actor^[26]
• 1997 – 645AR, American rapper^[48]
• 1997 – Brandon Ingram, American basketball player^[49]
• 1998 – Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Canadian basketball player^[50]
• 1998 – Choi Ye-bin, South Korean actress^[51]

• 421 – Constantius III, Roman emperor
• 459 – Simeon Stylites, Byzantine saint (b. 390)
• 595 – John IV of Constantinople
• 1022 – Máel Sechnaill mac Domnaill, king of Mide and High King of Ireland
• 1031 – Saint Emeric of Hungary (b. 1000)
• 1083 – King Munjong of Goryeo (b. 1019)
• 1274 – Prince Munetaka, Japanese shōgun (b. 1242)
• 1397 – Francesco Landini, Italian composer
• 1540 – Dawit II of Ethiopia (b. 1501)

• 1606 – Karel van Mander, Dutch painter and poet (b. 1548)
• 1651 – Kosem Sultan, Ottoman Valide sultan and regent (b. 1589)
• 1680 – Per Brahe the Younger, Swedish soldier and politician, Lord High Steward of Sweden (b. 1602)
• 1688 – Sir Robert Vyner, 1st Baronet, English businessman and politician, Lord Mayor of London (b. 1631)
• 1690 – Philip William, Elector Palatine, German Count Palatine of Neuburg (b. 1615)
• 1764 – Nathaniel Bliss, English astronomer and mathematician (b. 1700)
• 1765 – Henry Bouquet, Swiss-English colonel (b. 1719)
• 1768 – Antoine Deparcieux, French mathematician and theorist (b. 1703)
• 1790 – Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim, German historian and theologian (b. 1701)
• 1813 – Jean Victor Marie Moreau, French general (b. 1763)
• 1820 – Jiaqing Emperor of China (b. 1760)
• 1832 – Franz Xaver von Zach, Hungarian-French astronomer and academic (b. 1754)
• 1834 – Thomas Telford, Scottish engineer and architect, designed the Menai Suspension Bridge (b. 1757)
• 1865 – William Rowan Hamilton, Irish physicist, astronomer, and mathematician (b. 1805)
• 1872 – N. F. S. Grundtvig, Danish pastor, philosopher, and author (b. 1783)
• 1877 – Konstantinos Kanaris, Greek admiral and politician, 16th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1793)
• 1885 – Giuseppe Bonavia, Maltese architect (b. 1821)
• 1898 – Wilford Woodruff, American religious leader, 4th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1807)

• 1910 – Henri Rousseau, French painter (b. 1844)
• 1918 – John Forrest, Australian politician, 1st Premier of Western Australia (b. 1847)
• 1921 – Henry Austin Dobson, English poet and critic (b. 1840)
• 1922 – Henry Lawson, Australian poet and author (b. 1867)
• 1927 – Umegatani Tōtarō II, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 20th Yokozuna (b. 1878)
• 1934 – James Allan, New Zealand rugby player (b. 1860)
• 1934 – Russ Columbo, American singer, violinist, and actor (b. 1908)
• 1934 – Alcide Nunez, American clarinet player (Original Dixieland Jass Band) (b. 1884)
• 1937 – Pierre de Coubertin, French historian and educator, founded the International Olympic Committee (b. 1863)^[52]
• 1941 – Lloyd Seay, American race car driver (b. 1919)
• 1942 – Tom Williams (Irish republican), Executed Irish Republican^[53]
• 1942 – James Juvenal, American rower (b. 1874)
• 1943 – Marsden Hartley, American painter and poet (b. 1877)
• 1944 – Bella Rosenfeld, Russian-American model and author (b. 1895)
• 1945 – Mason Phelps, American golfer (b. 1885)
• 1948 – Sylvanus Morley, American archaeologist and spy (b. 1883)
• 1953 – Hendrik Offerhaus, Dutch rower (b. 1875)
• 1953 – Jonathan M. Wainwright, American general, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1883)
• 1954 – Franz Leopold Neumann, German lawyer and political scientist (b. 1900)
• 1962 – William Wilkerson, American publisher and businessman (b. 1890)
• 1964 – Glenn Albert Black, American archaeologist and scholar (b. 1900)
• 1964 – Alvin C. York, American colonel, Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1887)
• 1965 – Johannes Bobrowski, German poet and author (b. 1917)
• 1969 – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese politician, 1st President of Vietnam (b. 1890)
• 1971 – Robert Mensah, Ghanaian footballer (b. 1939)
• 1973 – Carl Dudley, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1910)
• 1973 – J. R. R. Tolkien, English novelist, short story writer, poet, and philologist (b. 1892)
• 1975 – Mabel Vernon, American activist (b. 1883)
• 1976 – Stanisław Grochowiak, Polish poet and playwright (b. 1934)
• 1977 – Stephen Dunne, American actor (b. 1918)
• 1978 – Fred G. Meyer, American businessman, founded Fred Meyer (b. 1886)
• 1979 – Otto P. Weyland, American general (b. 1903)
• 1983 – Feri Cansel, Turkish-Cypriot actress (b. 1944)
• 1984 – Manos Katrakis, Greek actor (b. 1908)
• 1985 – M. Alalasundaram, Sri Lankan Tamil teacher and politician
• 1985 – Abe Lenstra, Dutch footballer (b. 1920)
• 1985 – V. Dharmalingam, Sri Lankan Tamil politician (b. 1918)
• 1985 – Jay Youngblood, American wrestler (b. 1955)
• 1987 – Brian Clay, Australian rugby league player (b. 1935)
• 1990 – Robert Holmes à Court, South African-Australian businessman and lawyer (b. 1937)
• 1991 – Alfonso García Robles, Mexican politician and diplomat, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1911)
• 1992 – Barbara McClintock, American geneticist and botanist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1902)
• 1996 – Paddy Clift, Zimbabwean cricketer (b. 1953)
• 1997 – Rudolf Bing, Austrian-American manager (b. 1902)
• 1997 – Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist (b. 1905)
• 1998 – Jackie Blanchflower, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1933)
• 1998 – Allen Drury, American journalist and author (b. 1918)
• 2000 – Elvera Sanchez, American dancer (b. 1905)
• 2000 – Curt Siodmak, German-American author and screenwriter (b. 1907)
• 2001 – Christiaan Barnard, South African surgeon and academic (b. 1922)
• 2001 – Troy Donahue, American actor (b. 1936)
• 2002 – Dick Reynolds, Australian footballer and coach (b. 1915)
• 2004 – Joan Oró, Catalan biochemist and academic (b. 1923)
• 2005 – Bob Denver, American actor (b. 1935)
• 2006 – Bob Mathias, American decathlete and politician (b. 1930)
• 2006 – Willi Ninja, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1961)
• 2006 – Dewey Redman, American saxophonist (b. 1931)
• 2007 – Franz-Benno Delonge, German game designer, created TransAmerica (b. 1957)
• 2007 – Max McNab, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1924)
• 2008 – Bill Melendez, Mexican-American animator, director, producer, and voice actor (b. 1916)
• 2008 – Alan Waddell, Australian walker
• 2009 – Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh (b. 1949)
• 2011 – Roberto Bruce, Chilean journalist (b. 1979)
• 2011 – Felipe Camiroaga, Chilean television presenter (b. 1966)
• 2012 – Mark Abrahamian, American guitarist (b. 1966)
• 2012 – Jack Boucher, American photographer and director (b. 1931)
• 2012 – John C. Marshall, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1941)
• 2012 – Emmanuel Nunes, Portuguese-French composer and educator (b. 1941)
• 2013 – Valérie Benguigui, French actress and director (b. 1965)
• 2013 – Terry Clawson, English rugby player and coach (b. 1940)
• 2013 – Ronald Coase, English-American economist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1910)
• 2013 – David Jacobs, English radio and television host (b. 1926)
• 2013 – Frederik Pohl, American author and publisher (b. 1919)
• 2013 – Paul Scoon, Grenadian politician, 2nd Governor-General of Grenada (b. 1935)
• 2014 – F. Emmett Fitzpatrick, American lawyer and politician, 20th District Attorney of Philadelphia (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Norman Gordon, South African cricketer (b. 1911)
• 2014 – Helena Rakoczy, Polish gymnast (b. 1921)
• 2014 – Goolam Essaji Vahanvati, Indian lawyer and politician, 13th Attorney General of India (b. 1949)
• 2015 – Ephraim Engleman, American rheumatologist, author, and academic (b. 1911)
• 2016 – Jerry Heller, American music manager (b. 1940)^[54]
• 2016 – Islam Karimov, Uzbek politician, 1st President of Uzbekistan (b. 1938)
• 2018 – Claire Wineland, American activist and author (b. 1997)^[55][56]
• 2021 – Siddharth Shukla, Indian TV and film actor (b. 1980)^[57]
• 2021 – Mikis Theodorakis, Greek composer (b. 1925)^[58]
• 2022 – Frank Drake, American radio astronomer and astrophysicist (b. 1930)^[59]
• 2022 – T. V. Sankaranarayanan, Indian Carnatic vocalist (b. 1945)^[60]
• 2024 – James Darren, American actor (b. 1936)^[61]
• 2024 – Rodolfo Hernández Suárez, Colombian politician (b. 1945)^[62]

• Christian feast day:
  • Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions (Syriac Orthodox Church)
  • Agricola of Avignon
  • Antoninus of Pamiers
  • Brocard
  • Castor of Apt
  • Diomedes
  • Eleazar
  • Hieu
  • Ingrid of Sweden
  • Justus of Lyon
  • Margaret of Louvain
  • Maxima of Rome
  • Nonnosus
  • William of Roskilde
  • September 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Democracy Day (Tibet)
• Independence Day (Transnistria, unrecognized)
• Independence Day (Artsakh, unrecognized)
• National Blueberry Popsicle Day (United States)
• National Day, celebrates the independence of Vietnam from Japan and France in 1945
• Victory over Japan Day (United States)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to September 2.

• "On This Day". BBC.
• The New York Times: On This Day
• "Historical Events on September 2". OnThisDay.com.