Following are some of the major events to have occurred on July 2:
1915 – Porfirio Diaz, Mexican soldier and president from 1877-1911, died in Paris.
1937 – Amelia Earhart and co-pilot Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific while trying to fly around the world.
1961 – Ernest Hemingway, the American novelist best known for “A Farewell to Arms” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, shot himself.
1964 – U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, prohibiting racial discrimination.
1973 – The American actress, singer and World War Two pin-up girl Betty Grable died.
1997 – The American movie star James Stewart died. He won an Oscar for his role in “The Philadelphia Story” in 1940 and a special Academy Award in 1984 after 50 years in films.
2002 – The millionaire Steve Fossett became the first solo balloonist to circle the globe non-stop, sailing into the record books off Australia’s southern coast. He had flown nearly 19,500 miles (31,400 km) around the southern hemisphere. He finally landed on July 4.
2004 – Marlon Brando, the reclusive Oscar-winning star of “The Godfather” and “On the Waterfront” who was hailed as one of the most influential actors of his generation, died aged 80.
2005 – Singers Paul McCartney and U2’s Bono fired up a huge London crowd at Hyde Park for the anti-poverty crusade, Live 8, the biggest music event ever staged.
2008 – French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt released with other hostages after years in jungle captivity.
2013 – Earthquake hits Indonesia’s Aceh province, killing hundreds.
(Reuters)