WEDNESDAY, Sept. 2, 2026

31 B.C.-Battle of Actium: Octavian's (later Augustus) naval forces defeat those under Mark Antony and Cleopatra off the western coast of Greece; naval battle leading to the end of the Roman Republic

1192-Sultan Saladin and King Richard the Lionheart of England sign the Treaty of Jaffa ending the Third Crusade in a compromise neither is happy with. Treaty leaves Jerusalem under Islamic control with Christian pilgrimage rights and restores the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

1666-Great Fire of London begins at 2am in Pudding Lane, 80 percent of London is destroyed

1792-September Massacres of the French Revolution: In Paris rampaging mobs slaughter three Roman Catholic bishops, more than two hundred priests, and prisoners believed to be royalist sympathizers.

1864-U.S. Civil War: Union General William T. Sherman captures and occupies Atlanta, Georgia, ending the Atlanta Campaign in the US Civil War

1945-V-J Day, formal surrender of Japan signed aboard the USS Missouri, marks the end of World War II

1974-U.S. President Gerald Ford signs Employee Retirement Income Security Act - sets minimum standards for pension plans

2018-About 400 prisoners escape a jail near Tripoli in Libya during militia fighting