So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.
June 2nd - holidays
- Children's Day (North Korea)
- Christian Feast Day
- Death of Hristo Botev (Bulgaria)
- Festa della Repubblica, commemorates the birth of the Repubblica Italiana and the end of the monarchy. (Italy)
- Isabel Province Day (Isabel Province, Solomon Islands)
June 2nd - events
- 2004 - Ken Jennings begins his 74-game winning streak on the syndicated game show Jeopardy!
- 2003 - Europe launches its first voyage to another planet, Mars. The European Space Agency's Mars Express probe launches from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan.
- 1999 - The Bhutan Broadcasting Service brings television transmissions to the Kingdom for the first time.
- 1997 - In Denver, Colorado, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- 1995 - United States Air Force Captain Scott O'Grady's F-16 is shot down over Bosnia while patrolling the NATO no-fly zone.
- 1990 - The Lower Ohio Valley tornado outbreak spawns 66 confirmed tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio, killing 12. Petersburg, Indiana, is the hardest-hit town in the outbreak, with 6 deaths.
- 1984 - Operation Bluestar, a military offensive, is launched by the Indian government at Harmandir Sahib, also known as Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for the Sikhs, in Amritsar. The operation continues until June 6 with casualties, most of them civilians, in excess of 5,000.
- 1979 - Pope John Paul II first official visit to his native Poland, becoming the first Pope to visit a Communist country.
- 1967 - Luis Monge is executed in Colorado's gas chamber, in the last pre-Furman execution in the United States.
- 1967 - Protests in West Berlin against the arrival of the Shah of Iran turn into riots, during which Benno Ohnesorg is killed by a police officer. His death results in the founding of the terrorist group Movement 2 June.
- 1966 - Surveyor program: Surveyor 1 lands in Oceanus Procellarum on the Moon, becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to soft land on another world.
- 1955 - The USSR and Yugoslavia sign the Belgrade declaration and thus normalize relations between both countries, discontinued since .
- 1953 - The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, who was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories & Head of the Commonwealth, the first major international event to be televised.
- 1946 - Birth of the Italian Republic: In a referendum, Italians vote to turn Italy from a monarchy into a Republic. After the referendum the king of Italy Umberto II di Savoia is exiled.
- 1941 - World War II: German paratoopers murder Greek civilians in the village of Kondomari.
- 1925 - Because of a lineup revision by Miller Huggins, Wally Pipp is replaced by Lou Gehrig at first base for the New York Yankees, beginning a streak of 2,130 consecutive games played, topped only by Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1995. Exactly 16 years later to the day, in , Gehrig dies from Amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
- 1924 - U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act into law, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States.
- 1909 - Alfred Deakin becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.
- 1896 - Guglielmo Marconi applies for a patent for his newest invention: the radio.
- 1886 - U.S. President Grover Cleveland marries Frances Folsom in the White House, becoming the only president to wed in the executive mansion.
- 1876 - Hristo Botev, a national revolutionary of Bulgaria, is killed in Stara Planina
- 1855 - The Portland Rum Riot occurs in Portland, Maine.
- 1848 - The Slavic congress in Prague begins.
- 1835 - P. T. Barnum and his circus start their first tour of the United States.
- 1793 - Jean-Paul Marat recites the names of 29 people to the French National Convention. Almost all of these people are guillotined, followed by 17,000 more over the course of the next year during the Reign of Terror.
- 1774 - Intolerable Acts: The Quartering Act is enacted, allowing a governor in colonial America to house British soldiers in uninhabited houses, outhouses, barns, or other buildings if suitable quarters are not provided.
- 1763 - Pontiac's Rebellion: At what is now Mackinaw City, Michigan, Chippewas capture Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison's attention with a game of lacrosse, then chasing a ball into the fort.
- 1692 - Bridget Bishop is the first person to go to trial in the Salem witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Found guilty, she is hanged on June 10.
- 1615 - First Récollet missionaries arrive at Quebec City, from Rouen, France.
- 1098 - First Crusade: The first Siege of Antioch ends as Crusader forces take the city. The second siege would later start on June 7.
- 455 - Sack of Rome: The Vandals enter Rome, and plunder the city for two weeks
June 2nd - births
- 1994 - Jemma McKenzie-Brown, British actress
- 1990 - Brittany Curran, American actress
- 1989 - Freddy Adu, Ghanaian-American footballer
- 1988 - Sergio Agüero, Argentinian footballer
- 1988 - Patrik Berglund, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1987 - Darin Zanyar, Swedish singer
- 1985 - Ana Cristina, American singer, composer, and actress
- 1983 - Christopher Higgins, American ice hockey player
- 1983 - Brooke White, American singer
- 1983 - Leela James, American singer-songwriter
- 1982 - Jewel Staite, Canadian actress
- 1982 - Abdulkadir Kocak, Turkish boxer
- 1981 - Nikolay Davydenko, Russian professional tennis player
- 1981 - Chin-hui Tsao, Taiwanese baseball player
- 1980 - Fabrizio Moretti, Brazilian-born rock drummer (The Strokes)
- 1980 - Bobby Simmons, American basketball player
- 1980 - Abby Wambach, American soccer player
- 1978 - Nikki Cox, American actress
- 1978 - Justin Long, American actor
- 1978 - A.J. Styles, American professional wrestler
- 1978 - Dominic Cooper, English actor
- 1977 - Zachary Quinto, American actor
- 1976 - Earl Boykins, American basketball player
- 1976 - Tim Rice-Oxley, English musician (Keane)
- 1976 - Martin ?ech, Czech ice hockey player (d. 2007)
- 1976 - Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Brazilian mixed martial artist
- 1976 - Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho
- 1974 - Matt Serra, American mixed martial artist
- 1974 - Gata Kamsky, American chess player
- 1973 - Neifi Perez, Dominican baseball player
- 1972 - Wayne Brady, American actor and comedian
- 1972 - Raúl Ibáñez, American baseball player
- 1972 - Wentworth Miller, American actor
- 1972 - Simon Staho, Danish film director
- 1971 - Anthony Montgomery, American actor
- 1971 - Kate?ina Jacques, Czech politician
- 1971 - Jo Koy, Filipino-American comedian
- 1970 - Andy McCollum, American football player
- 1970 - B-Real, American rapper (Cypress Hill)
- 1969 - Cy Chadwick, English actor
- 1968 - Beetlejuice, American radio personality
- 1968 - Jon Culshaw, British comedian
- 1967 - Mike Stanton, American baseball player
- 1966 - Pedro Guerra, Spanish songwriter and singer
- 1965 - Jim Knipfel, American autobiographer and journalist
- 1965 - Mark Waugh Australian cricketer
- 1965 - Steve Waugh, Australian cricketer
- 1964 - Caroline Link, German film director and screenwriter
- 1963 - Jim Burns, American entrepreneur
- 1961 - Dez Cadena, American musician (Black Flag)
- 1960 - Kyle Petty, American race car driver
- 1960 - Tony Hadley, English singer (Spandau Ballet)
- 1959 - Charlie Huddy, Canadian hockey player
- 1959 - Lydia Lunch, American singer
- 1958 - Lawrence Pfohl, American professional wrestler
- 1957 - Mark Lawrenson, English football commentator
- 1957 - Jonathan Stack, American documentary filmmaker
- 1956 - Mani Ratnam, Indian director
- 1956 - Malcolm Garrett, English graphic designer
- 1955 - Michael Steele, American musician (The Bangles)
- 1955 - Chantal Hochuli, Swiss-born socialite
- 1955 - Dana Carvey, American actor
- 1954 - Dennis Haysbert, American actor
- 1953 - Keith Allen, Welsh comedian, actor, singer and writer
- 1953 - Craig Stadler, American golfer
- 1953 - Cornel West, American civil rights activist
- 1952 - Gary Bettman, American National Hockey League commissioner
- 1951 - Larry Robinson, Canadian hockey player
- 1950 - Joanna Gleason, Canadian actress and singer
- 1949 - Heather Couper, British astronomer
- 1949 - Frank Rich, American theater critic and columnist
- 1948 - Jerry Mathers, American actor
- 1947 - Mark Elder, British opera and symphony conductor
- 1946 - Peter Sutcliffe, English serial killer
- 1946 - Lasse Hallström, Swedish film director
- 1946 - Song Dae Kwan, Korean singer
- 1945 - Jane Bonnie Newman, American politician
- 1945 - Jon Peters, American film producer and hairdresser
- 1944 - Marvin Hamlisch, American composer and musician
- 1943 - Charles Haid, American actor
- 1943 - Ilaiyaraaja, Indian composer
- 1942 - Maree Cheatham, American actress
- 1941 - William Guest, American singer (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
- 1941 - Jeff Winkless, American voice actor (d. 2006)
- 1941 - Stacy Keach, American actor
- 1941 - Charlie Watts, English musician (The Rolling Stones)
- 1940 - King Constantine II of Greece
- 1938 - Kevin Brownlow, English film historian and author
- 1937 - Sally Kellerman, American actress
- 1937 - Jimmy Jones (singer), American singer and songwriter
- 1937 - Robert Paul, Canadian figure skater
- 1935 - Carol Shields, American-born novelist (d. 2003)
- 1935 - Roger Brierley, English actor (d. 2005)
- 1935 - Dimitri Kitsikis, Greek turkologist
- 1934 - Johnny Carter, American doo wop singer (d. 2009)
- 1932 - Sammy Turner, American singer
- 1931 - Larry Jackson, baseball player (d. 1990)
- 1931 - William Donaldson, American businessman and politician
- 1930 - Pete Conrad, American astronaut (d. 1999)
- 1930 - Bob Lillis, baseball player
- 1929 - Norton Juster, American author and architect
- 1929 - Ken McGregor, Australian tennis player (d. 2007)
- 1927 - W. Watts Biggers, American novelist and animator
- 1926 - Milo O'Shea, Irish actor
- 1926 - Chiyonoyama Masanobu, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 41st Yokozuna (d. 1977)
- 1924 - June Callwood, Canadian journalist and activist (d. 2007)
- 1922 - Charlie Sifford, American golfer
- 1922 - Juan Antonio Bardem, Spanish director and screenwriter (d. 2002)
- 1921 - Betty Freeman, American philanthropist and photographer (d. 2009)
- 1920 - Frank G. Clement, Governor of Tennessee (d. 1969)
- 1920 - Marcel Reich-Ranicki, Polish-born critic
- 1920 - Tex Schramm, American football team president and general manager (d. 2003)
- 1920 - Johnny Speight, British television writer (d. 1998)
- 1919 - Nat Mayer Shapiro, American painter (d. 2005)
- 1918 - Ruth Atkinson, American cartoonist (d. 1997)
- 1918 - Kathryn Tucker Windham, American writer and storyteller
- 1917 - Heinz Sielmann, German photographer and filmmaker (d. 2006)
- 1915 - Walter Tetley, American voice actor (d. 1975)
- 1915 - Alexandru Nicolschi, Romanian communist (d. 1992)
- 1913 - Walter Andreas Schwarz, German singer and author (d. 1992)
- 1913 - Barbara Pym, English novelist (d. 1980)
- 1907 - Dorothy West, American writer (d. 1998)
- 1907 - John Lehmann, English poet, editor, and publisher (d. 1987)
- 1904 - Frank Runacres, English artist (d. 1974)
- 1904 - Johnny Weissmuller, American swimmer and actor (d. 1984)
- 1899 - Lotte Reiniger, German film director (d. 1981)
- 1891 - Thurman Arnold, American attorney and jurist (d. 1969)
- 1891 - Takijir? ?nishi, Japanese WWII figure (d. 1945)
- 1887 - Howard Johnson, American songwriter (d. 1941)
- 1875 - Charles Stewart Mott, automotive industrialist and mayor (d. 1973)
- 1869 - Jack O'Connor, American baseball player (d. 1937)
- 1865 - George Lohmann, English cricketer (d. 1901)
- 1863 - Felix Weingartner, Yugoslavian conductor (d. 1942)
- 1857 - Edward Elgar, English composer (d. 1934)
- 1857 - Karl Adolph Gjellerup, Danish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)
- 1840 - Thomas Hardy, English writer (d. 1928)
- 1838 - Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna (d. 1900)
- 1835 - Pope Pius X (d. 1914)
- 1823 - Gédéon Ouimet, French Canadian politician (d. 1905)
- 1815 - Philip Kearny, American general (d. 1862)
- 1774 - William Lawson, explorer of New South Wales, Australia (d. 1850)
- 1773 - John Randolph, U.S. Senator from Virginia (d. 1833)
- 1743 - Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, Sicilian Occultist (d. 1795)
- 1740 - Marquis de Sade, French author (d. 1814)
- 1731 - Martha Washington, First American first lady (d. 1802)
- 1535 - Pope Leo XI (d. 1605)
- 926 - Murakami, Emperor of Japan (d. 967)