August 2 in History

• 1776

  August 2, 1776:

  A total of 56 people primarily sign what is termed as the ‘US Declaration of Independence’. The declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson alongside a group of five members of the Second Continental Congress.

• 1967

  August 2, 1967:

  Norman Jewison’s directed movie titled "In the Heat of the Night" premiers in New York. It would later win the “Best Picture” at the Academy Awards that year.

• 1973

  August 2, 1973:

  The Locarno International Film Festival, which was held in Switzerland, hosts the premiering of the film titled "American Graffiti". The movie stars Charlie Martin Smith and Richard Dreyfuss.

• 1978

  August 2, 1978:

  Renowned American band, Boston, issues an album titled “Don't Look Back”. It contains hit songs like "A Man I'll Never Be" and "Feelin' Satisfied".

• 1991

  August 2, 1991:

  American singer, Rick James is busted for kidnapping a lady known as Frances Alley. He was arrested alongside his then sweetheart, Tanya Hijazi.

• 1996

  August 2, 1996:

  The United States wins gold in the men’s basketball event at the Olympic Games. They beat their FR Yugoslavia counterparts to win the tournament.

• 1997

  August 2, 1997: Nigerian singer and instrumentalist, Fela Kuti dies. He was known for his numerous successful albums including “Roforofo Fight” and “Shakara”. He was 58.

• 2010

  August 2, 2010:

  Arcade Fire, a group formed in Canada, releases its 3rd studio album titled “The Suburbs”. The project peaked at the summit of UK Albums’ weekly chart.

• 2019

  August 2, 2019:

  Ed Sheeran sets a new record for the highest-earning tour during one of his shows in Germany. His tour dubbed “Divide” earned him a total of $775.6 million which surpasses U2’s $735.3 million in 2011.

• August 2, 2019:

  Christian music band, Skillet, drops their 10th studio album entitled “Victorious”. The work, which was released under the Atlantic record label, has tracks like "You Ain't Ready" and "Legendary".