July 2: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

2013 The International Astronomical Union named Pluto’s fourth and fifth moons Kerberos and Styx.

1998 “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,” the second book in the series, was published by Bloomsbury in the UK.

1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by US President Lyndon B. Johnson.

President John F. Kennedy originally proposed the legislation. After his assassination, Johnson pushed the bill forward. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, and national origin.

1962 The first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas.

1937 American aviator Amelia Earhart disappeared.

On this day, Amelia and navigator Frederick Noonan were on a journey around the world. They had set off from New Guinea to Howard Island, which is a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, the duo lost their bearings and were never seen again.

1881 Charles J. Guiteau shot US President James A. Garfield in Washington, D.C.

While he was not fatally wounded, the President died later that year in September. The cause of death was determined to be infections caused by his doctors when they operated on him.

1865 The Salvation Army was founded in London by Methodist preacher William Booth and his wife, Catherine Booth.

Its origins trace back to the Blind Beggar tavern on Whitechapel Road, East London, which was initially called the East London Christian Mission.

1850 Inventor Benjamin J. Lane patented the first self-contained gas mask.

1843 During a thunderstorm in Charleston, South Carolina, the National Weather Service reported an alligator falling from the sky.

1698 Inventor Thomas Savery patented the first steam engine in England.

1681 The first Earl of Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper, was arrested for high treason in England.

1505 Martin Luther was almost struck by lightning and became a monk.

On this day, a thunderstorm broke out in Germany. Martin Luther was making his way home and begged St. Anne to save him. He stated if she did, then he would become a monk.

1214 A peace agreement was signed between King John of England and Prince Louis VIII of France, marking the end of the Siege of Roche-au-Moine, France.

After leading his final campaign to take over Normandy, France, King John failed to reclaim Normandy from France on June 19, 1214. After losing the battle, a truce was signed, and King John paid King Philip Augustus of France compensation.