On This Day - What Happened On August 2 - Encyclopedia Britannica

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1990 Kuwait invaded Iraq invaded Kuwait on this day in 1990, and Saddam Hussein's subsequent refusal to withdraw his troops sparked the Persian Gulf War, in which an international force led by the United States quickly defeated Iraq. How much do you know about the history of war? U.S. Department of Defense

Featured Biography

Peter O'Toole Irish actor bornAugust 2, 1932Leeds, EnglanddiedDecember 14, 2013 (aged 81)London, EnglandCourtesy of Columbia Pictures Corporation 1964 Mary-Louise Parker American actress 1942 Isabel Allende Chilean-American author 1939 Wes Craven American director and screenwriter 1932 Peter O’Toole Irish actor 1924 James Baldwin American author See All Biographies On This Day

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2016 Chemist Ahmed H. Zewail, who in 1999 became the first Egyptian and the first Arab to win a Nobel Prize in a science category (chemistry), died at age 70. Take our quiz about the Nobel PrizeZUMA Press/Alamy 1997 American writer William S. Burroughs—whose sexual explicitness and the frankness with which he dealt with his experiences as a drug addict won him a following among writers of the Beat movement—died at age 83. Test your knowledge of American writersMichel Lipchitz—AP/Shutterstock.com 1992 At the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, American athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, considered by many to be the greatest female athlete ever, won the heptathlon, becoming the first person to win the event in consecutive Games. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the Olympics© Tony Duffy/Getty Images 1943 PT-109, a U.S. Navy torpedo boat under John F. Kennedy's command, was sunk by a Japanese destroyer during World War II. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about World War IIEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1924 American essayist, novelist, and playwright James Baldwin, who wrote with eloquence and passion on the subject of racism in the United States, was born. Test your knowledge of African American writersUPI/Bettmann Archive 1920 Marcus Garvey, Black leader and founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, reached the height of his power as he presided at an international convention in New York City.UPI/Bettmann Archive 1876 Wild Bill Hickok—a frontiersman, marksman, gambler, and legend of the American West—was murdered in the city of Deadwood, in what is now South Dakota. Take our quiz about American personalitiesCulver Pictures 1830 Charles X of France abdicated the throne, unable to resist the July Revolution. How much do you know about French history?Gianni Dagli Orti/Shutterstock.com SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.