Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.

On 2, Saturday October 1869, Mahatma Gandhi was born today.
On 2, Saturday October 1869, Mohandas Gandhi, Indian political leader, Father of the Nation, born (d. 1948)
On 2, Tuesday October 1894, Thomas L. Sprague, American admiral, born (d. 1972)
On 2, Thursday October 1919, President of the United States Woodrow Wilson suffers a serious stroke, rendering him an invalid for the remainder of his life.
On 2, Thursday October 1919, Victorino de la Plaza, Argentinian politician, 18th President of Argentina, leader, died (b. 1840)
On 2, Monday October 1944, WWII: Nazi troops end the Warsaw Uprising.
On 2, Monday October 1944, Vernor Vinge, American science fiction writer, born
On 2, Monday October 1944, Benjamin Fondane, Romanian-French Symbolist poet, critic and existentialist philosopher (gassed in Auschwitz concentration camp), died (b. 1898)
On 2, Monday October 1944, Julián Felipe, Filipino musician and bandleader, died (b. 1861)
On 2, Monday October 1944, Maeda Toshisada, Japanese politician, died (b. 1874)
On 2, Friday October 1959, Rod Serling’s classic anthology series The Twilight Zone premieres on CBS.
On 2, Thursday October 1969, Tennis player Rod Laver beats fellow Australian Tony Roche in the men’s singles final of the U.S. Open, achieving his second Grand Slam (having also won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon in that year).
On 2, Thursday October 1969, A 1.2 megaton thermonuclear device is tested at Amchitka Island, Alaska. This test is code-named Project Milrow, the 11th test of the Operation Mandrel 1969–1970 underground nuclear test series. This test is known as a “calibration shot” to test if the island is fit for larger underground nuclear detonations.
On 2, Thursday October 1969, Mitch English, American actor and television host, born
On 2, Tuesday October 1979, Pope John Paul II arrives in New York City for his first papal tour where he addresses the U.N. General Assembly against all forms of concentration camps and torture.
On 2, Tuesday October 1979, Brianna Brown, American actress, born
On 2, Tuesday October 1979, Ray Genet, American mountain climber, died (b. 1931)
On 2, Monday October 1989, Janine Gutierrez, Filipino actress, born
On 2, Monday October 1989, Brad Peltz, American ex-professional ice hockey defenceman, born
On 2, Monday October 1989, Paola Barbara, Italian actress, died (b. 1912)
On 2, Monday October 1989, Vittorio Caprioli, Italian actor, director and screenwriter, died (b. 1921)
On 2, Monday October 1989, Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve, Colombian Roman Catholic prelate and blessed (assassinated), died (b. 1916)
On 2, Sunday October 1994, A Seaview Air Aero Commander crashes into the sea on flight to Lord Howe Island with the loss of all 9 people on board.
On 2, Sunday October 1994, Harriet Nelson, American actress, died (b. 1909)
On 2, Friday October 2009, Jack Evans, 80, former Senator, died
On 2, Friday October 2009, Ireland holds a second referendum on the EU’s Lisbon Treaty. The amendment is approved by the Irish electorate, having been rejected in the Lisbon I referendum held last year.
On 2, Friday October 2009, The International Olympic Committee awards Rio de Janeiro the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
On 2, Friday October 2009, Marek Edelman, Polish political and social activist, died (b. 1922)
On 2, Thursday October 2014, Robert Flower, 59, Australian rules footballer (Melbourne), died
On 2, Thursday October 2014, György Lázár, Hungarian politician, Chairman of the Council of Ministers, died (b. 1924)

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Neville Buch

Professional Historian at Professional Historians Association (Queensland) Inc.

Neville Buch (Pronounced Book) Ph.D. is a certified member of the Professional Historians Association (Queensland). Since 2010 he has operated a sole trade business in history consultancy. He was a Q ANZAC 100 Fellow 2014-2015 at the State Library of Queensland. Dr Buch was the PHA (Qld) e-Bulletin, the monthly state association’s electronic publication, and was a member of its Management Committee. He is the Managing Director of the Brisbane Southside History Network.

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