On this day: September 2
After a Late-Season Home Run, a 1919 Ballplayer Vanishes for Days
On September 2, 1919, a professional ballplayer hit a home run late in the season and then was reported missing for several days. Contemporary newspapers noted the unusual absence amid a period of travel, roster instability and intense public attention to baseball.
U.S. Forces Accept Formal Japanese Surrenders in Occupied Zones, September 2, 1945
On September 2, 1945, following Japan’s announcement of surrender, United States military authorities formally received the capitulation of Japanese forces across occupied Chinese, Korean and Pacific zones, beginning the transition from wartime occupation to Allied administration and demobilization.
Scholars Reassess Death Toll from the Great Fire of London
Historians and archival researchers have revised estimates of fatalities from the Great Fire of London (September 2–6, 1666), arguing that previously cited low death tolls understate the human cost when broader archival evidence and demographic methods are considered.
Japan Signs Instrument of Surrender Aboard USS Missouri, Ending World War II
On September 2, 1945, representatives of Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, formally ending World War II hostilities between Japan and the Allied powers.