In History, Today on September 2

The Great Fire of London began in a bakery on Pudding Lane, eventually destroying a large part of the city over several days.

The United States Department of the Treasury was established.

Union forces under General William T. Sherman captured Atlanta during the American Civil War.

The Battle of Sedan took place during the Franco-Prussian War, resulting in a decisive Prussian victory and the capture of French Emperor Napoleon III.

World War II officially ended when Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

The first automatic teller machine (ATM) in the United States was installed in Rockville Centre, New York.

Swissair Flight 111 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people on board.

The United Nations World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (WCAR) took place in Durban, South Africa. The conference aimed to address issues of racism and discrimination globally, but was marked by controversy and disagreements, particularly over the Middle East conflict.

Hurricane Katrina relief efforts continued as the U.S. government faced criticism for its response to the disaster. The hurricane had struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, causing widespread devastation, particularly in New Orleans.

The United Nations released a report on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, confirming the use of sarin gas in the Ghouta area near Damascus. This event intensified international debate over military intervention in Syria.

The image of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea, went viral, highlighting the Syrian refugee crisis and prompting international outcry and calls for action.

The United States and China, the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, formally joined the Paris Agreement on climate change, significantly boosting the accord's chances of coming into force by the end of the year.

A fire broke out at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, causing extensive damage and the loss of millions of artifacts, including many irreplaceable items from Brazil's history and natural history collections.

The United States recorded its highest temperature in over a century, with Death Valley reaching 54.4°C (129.9°F), amid a severe heatwave affecting the western states.