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

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1836 Charles Darwin's return to England Naturalist Charles Darwin returned to England this day in 1836 after a five-year journey on the HMS Beagle, on which he gathered the specimens and observations that led to his theory of evolution by natural selection. Universa Images Group/Getty Images

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Mahatma Gandhi Indian leader bornOctober 2, 1869Porbandar, IndiadiedJanuary 30, 1948 (aged 78)Delhi, IndiaHistory Archive/REX/Shutterstock.com 1951 Sting British musician 1949 Annie Leibovitz American photographer 1937 Johnnie Cochran American lawyer 1869 Mahatma Gandhi Indian leader 1847 Paul von Hindenburg German president See All Biographies On This Day

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2017 American singer and songwriter Tom Petty, whose roots-oriented guitar rock arose from the new-wave movement of the late 1970s and resulted in a string of hit singles and albums, died at age 66. Test your knowledge of songs and music stars© steve white photos/Shutterstock.com 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson—who was best known for a cycle of plays, each set in a different decade of the 20th century, about Black American life—died at age 60. Take our theatre quizTed S. Warren/AP Images 1985 American actor Rock Hudson died, becoming one of the first Hollywood celebrities known to succumb to AIDS-related complications; the extensive publicity surrounding his death drew attention to the disease.© 1955 Universal International Pictures; photograph from a private collection 1967 American lawyer and civil rights activist Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming its first African American member. Why are there nine justices on the U.S. Supreme Court?National Archives, Washington, D.C. (2803441) 1959 The science-fiction anthology TV series The Twilight Zone debuted and became hugely popular, known for its unexpected plot twists and moral lessons; the show was created by Rod Serling. Sort fact from fiction in our pop culture quizColumbia Broadcasting System 1957 The British-American war classic The Bridge on the River Kwai had its world premiere, and it later won the Academy Award for best picture. How much do you know about the Academy Awards?© 1957 Columbia Pictures Corporation 1954 Elvis Presley made his only appearance on the Grand Ole Opry radio show, drawing a tepid response from the audience. (Soon afterward, Presley had much more success on the rival Louisiana Hayride show.)Picture Lux/The Hollywood Archive/Alamy 1937 Rafael Trujillo, the dictator of the Dominican Republic, gave a speech in Dajabón in which he made false claims about attacks by Haitians on local residents. Over the next several days, Dominican soldiers carried out what came to be known as the Parsley Massacre, resulting in the deaths of thousands of Haitians.© Erika Santelices—AFP/Getty images 1935 Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie ordered mobilization upon learning that Italian forces had crossed the frontier to begin the Italo-Ethiopian War.AP 1879 Poet Wallace Stevens, whose work explores the interaction of reality and a person's perception of reality, was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. Take our poetry quiz© Rollie McKenna 1780 British army officer John André was executed by the Americans as a spy after conducting secret meetings with American General Benedict Arnold during the American Revolution. How much do you know about the American Revolution?Photos.com/Jupiterimages 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.