Date with History: September 2

A Pudding Lane bakery burns London down; centuries later, a war ends in Tokyo Bay.

One paperback for one calendar date: what happened on September 2, and who was born on it.

What happened on September 2

1666: A bakery fire on Pudding Lane burns down London

Before dawn on September 2, 1666, fire broke out in Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane and raced through London's tightly packed medieval streets. Over four days the Great Fire destroyed 13,200 houses, 87 churches, and Old St. Paul's Cathedral, yet only six deaths were verified. The city that rose from the ashes was built in brick and stone, redesigned in part by Christopher Wren, and gave the world organized fire brigades and fire insurance.

1945: Japan signs the surrender aboard the USS Missouri

General Douglas MacArthur presided over Japan's formal surrender in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, ending the deadliest conflict in human history. He signed with multiple pens so he could hand them out as souvenirs, and closed with reconciliation rather than triumph: "It is my earnest hope that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge." That same day, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence in Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square.

Famous birthdays on September 2

1838 — Queen Liliuokalani
Hawaii's last monarch and only queen regnant, composer of Aloha Oe, overthrown by sugar interests.

1964 — Keanu Reeves
Beirut-born star of Speed, The Matrix, and John Wick, and Hollywood's most stubbornly decent man.

Nearby dates

September 1 · September 3 · All September dates

Part of Date with History, a 366-book collection with one book for every date of the year. 5″×8″ paperback, cream paper.

Historical selections are editorially researched. This is a date-specific book, not a personalized or custom-made product.