Today in History: September 2, Japan surrenders to end World War II

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Today in History

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 2, the 245th day of 2026. There are 120 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

Also on this date:

In 1666, the Great Fire of London began, which would destroy more than 13,000 homes and hundreds of additional structures, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, over the ensuing three days.

In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.

In 1935, a Category 5 hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys on Labor Day, claiming more than 400 lives.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act, which provided aid to public and private education to promote learning in such fields as math and science.

In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.

In 1969, in what some regard as the birth of the internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable.

In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.

In 2005, four days after Hurricane Katrina, a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans.

In 2013, on her fifth attempt, U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without using a shark cage.

In 2018, a huge fire engulfed Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, as firefighters and museum workers raced to save historical relics.

In 2019, a fire swept a vessel carrying recreational scuba divers that was anchored near an island off the Southern California coast; the captain and four other crew members were able to escape the flames, but 34 people who were trapped below died.

In 2024, an attempted jailbreak in Congo's main prison left at least 129 people dead, including some who were shot by guards and soldiers and others who died in a stampede at the overcrowded penitentiary in Kinshasa.

Today’s Birthdays: Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman and former Major League Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth is 89. Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 78. Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 78. Actor Mark Harmon is 75. Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 74. Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is 66. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is 64. Actor Keanu Reeves is 62. Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 61. Actor Salma Hayek is 60. R&B singer K-Ci is 57. Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 37.