August 2 in Pop Culture History

August 2nd Fun Facts, Trivia and History

August 2nd History Highlights

  • August 2, 1776 – The official signing of The Declaration of Independence took place in Philadelphia.
  • 1943 – A Japanese destroyer sank the US torpedo boat PT 109, Future president John F. Kennedy and 10 other crewmen survived.
  • 1990 – Iraq invaded Kuwait, instigating the Gulf War.
  • If you were born on August 2nd,
    You were likely conceived the week of… November 9th (prior year)

August 2nd is…

Coloring Book Day
Ice Cream Sandwich Day

August 2nd Birthday Quotes

Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”
– Peter O’Toole

“Life is not a having and a getting, but a being and a becoming.”
– Myrna Loy

” Goodness is about character – integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.”
– Dennis Prager

“There may be honor among thieves, but there’s none in politicians.”
– Peter O’Toole

“In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least trying to accomplish all of your wildest dreams in life.”
– Kevin Smith

August 2nd Birthdays

1835 – Elisha Gray, American businessman, co-founded Western Electric (died in 1901)
1905 – Myrna Loy, American actress (died in 1993)
1922 – Betsy Bloomingdale, American philanthropist, and socialite (died in 2016)
1924 – Carroll O’Connor, American actor (died in 2001)
1932 – Peter O’Toole, British-Irish actor (died in 2013)
1944 – Jim Capaldi, English drummer and singer-songwriter (died in 2005)
1945 – Joanna Cassidy, American actress
1948 – Dennis Prager, American radio host, and author
1951 – Andrew Gold, American singer-songwriter(died in 2011)
1953 – Butch Patrick, American actor
1959 – Victoria Jackson, American comedic actress
1959 – Johnny Kemp, Bahamian singer-songwriter (died in 2015)
1959 – Apollonia Kotero, American singer and actress
1964 – Mary-Louise Parker, American actress
1970 – Kevin Smith, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1976 – Michael Weiss, American figure skater
1976 – Sam Worthington, English-Australian actor

August 2nd History

1610 – Henry Hudson sailed into what is now known as Hudson Bay (he thought he had made it through the Northwest Passage, and reached the Pacific Ocean).

1776 – The signing of the Declaration of Independence didn’t occur on July 4. After the Continental Congress voted to declare independence on July 2, the final language of the document was approved on July 4, and it was printed and distributed on July 4 – 5. The actual signing was on August 2, 1776, Matthew Thornton from New Hampshire signed it on November 4, 1776.

1790 – The first United States Census was conducted. There were 3,929,214 people counted that year.

1869 – Japan’s samurai, farmer, artisan, merchant class system (Shinokosho) was abolished as part of the Meiji Restoration reforms.

1870 – Tower Subway, the first underground tube railway, opened in London, England.

1873 – The Clay Street Hill Railroad began operating the first cable car in San Francisco’s famous cable car system.

1876 – In Jack McCall shot Wild Bill Hickok in the back as he played poker at a saloon in Deadwood, in the Dakota Territory. Wild Bill held black aces and eights, which became known as the “dead man’s hand.”

1937 – The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed in America, making marijuana and all its by-products illegal.

1973 – The Summerland Disaster occurred when a fire spread through the Summerland leisure center in Douglas on the Isle of Man. Fifty people were killed and eighty seriously injured in the fire, started by some boys smoking in a closet.

1975 – #1 Hit August 2, 1975 – August 8, 1975: Eagles – One of These Nights

1980 – #1 Hit August 2, 1980 – August 29, 1980: Olivia Newton-John – Magic

1986 – #1 Hit August 2, 1986 – August 15, 1986: Peter Cetera – Glory of Love

1990 – Iraq invaded Kuwait, leading to the Gulf War.

August 3, 2032 (fiction) Crimelord Simon Phoenix escaped from cryo-prison and had a crime spree in San Angeles. Demolition Man, Film

What’s the difference between a nook and a cranny?
A nook is a corner and cranny is a crack.

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

“Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!” – Mame Dennis (Rosalind Russell) in Auntie Mame, 1958

The whip is probably the first human invention to break the sound barrier.

The library posters in “The Breakfast Club” can also be seen in the school halls of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Both John Hughes’s films were shot back-to-back to save time and money.

Columbus thought manatees were mermaids, describing them as “not half as beautiful as they are painted.”

The first airline stewardesses were all registered nurses, but this requirement disappeared when many nurses left to enlist during WWII.

The Capital of the Marshall Islands is Majuro

Childhood is when you idolize the Jedi. Adulthood is when you realize Emperor Palpatine was right.

Walking around the earth (if it were all land) at average walking speed would take 3.4 years.

Marc Bolan – Real Name: Marc Feld

World-wide lightning strikes peak in activity at 7:00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time.

In 1976, the first eight Jelly Belly® flavors were sold: Orange, Green Apple, Root Beer, Very Cherry, Lemon, Cream Soda, Grape, and Licorice.

The Vlassic pickle mascot is a stork because pregnant women often crave pickles.

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