What happened on August 2 ?

1533 - Theodor Zwinger, Swiss scholar (d. 1588)

1672 - Johann Jakob Scheuchzer, Swiss scholar (d. 1733)

1674 - Philip II, Duke of Orléans, regent of France (d. 1723)

1696 - Mahmud I, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1754)

1703 - Lorenzo Ricci, Italian Jesuit leader (d. 1775)

1754 - Pierre Charles L'Enfant, French-born architect and city planner (d. 1825)

1788 - Leopold Gmelin, German chemist (d. 1853)

1815 - Adolf Friedrich von Schack, German writer (d. 1894)

1834 - Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor (d. 1904)

1835 - Elisha Gray, American inventor and entrepreneur (d. 1901)

1854 - Milan I, King of Serbia (d. 1901)

1865 - Irving Babbitt, American literary critic (d. 1933)

1868 - King Constantine I of Greece (d. 1923)

1871 - John French Sloan, American artist (d. 1951)

1875 - Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, Russian-Lithuanian artist (d. 1957)

1890 - Marin Sais, American actress (d. 1971)

1892 - Jack Warner, Canadian film producer (d. 1978)

1897 - Max Weber, Swiss Federal Councilor (d. 1974)

1900 - Helen Morgan, American actress (d. 1941)

1902 - Georgette Heyer, English historical novelist (d. 1974)

1905 - Karl Amadeus Hartmann, German composer (d. 1963)

1905 - Myrna Loy, American actress (d. 1993)

1907 - Mary Hamman, American writer and editor, modern living editor LIFE and eidtor in chief Bride & Home (d. 1984)

1912 - Vladimir Zerjavic, Croatian statistician (d. 2001)

1914 - Beatrice Straight, American actress (d. 2001)

1915 - Gary Merrill, American actor (d. 1990)

1924 - James Baldwin, American author (d. 1987)

1924 - Carroll O'Connor, American actor (d. 2001)

1925 - Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentinian dictator

1925 - Alan Whicker, British journalist and broadcaster (?Whicker?s World?)

1930 - Vali Myers (artist), Australian painter (d. 2003)

1931 - Pierre DuMaine, Catholic bishop

1932 - Peter O'Toole, Irish-born actor

1934 - Valery Bykovsky, cosmonaut

1935 - Hank Cochran, American country music singer and songwriter

1937 - Garth Hudson, Canadian musician (The Band)

1939 - Wes Craven, American film director

1941 - Doris Coley, American singer (Shirelles) (d. 2000)

1942 - Isabel Allende, Chilean author

1945 - Alex Jesaulenko, Australian Rules footballer

1947 - Massiel, Spanish singer and Eurovision Song Contest winner

1948 - Andy Fairweather Low, British guitarist

1948 - Dennis Prager, American radio talk show host and author

1949 - James Fallows, journalist, The Atlantic Monthly.

1950 - Lance Ito, American judge

1951 - Andrew Gold, American singer, musician and songwriter

1953 - Butch Patrick, American actor

1954 - Sammy McIlroy, Northern Irish footballer and football manager

1957 - Mojo Nixon, American musician and actor

1959 - Apollonia Kotero, American singer and actress

1960 - Neal Morse, American singer (ex-Spock's Beard and Transatlantic)

1961 - Linda Fratianne, American figure skater

1964 - Mary-Louise Parker, American actress

1966 - Jeff Healy, Canadian musician

1966 - Tim Wakefield, baseball pitcher

1969 - Fernando Couto, Portuguese footballer

1969 - Richard Hallebeek, Dutch guitarist

1970 - Tony Amonte, American hockey player

1970 - Kevin Smith, American actor, director, and screenwriter

1971 - Michael Hughes, Northern Irish footballer

1972 - Justyna Steczkowska, Polish singer

1974 - Jeremy Castle, American singer and songwriter

1975 - Xu Huaiwen, Chinese-born badminton player

1977 - Edward Furlong, American actor

1982 - Grady Sizemore, American baseball player

1982 - Hélder Postiga, Portuguese footballer

1986 - Mathieu Razanakolona, first Malagasy Winter Olympic athlete - alpine skiing

1992 - Hallie Kate Eisenberg, American child actress

1992 - Jordan Rothwell, Television actor from Blackburn, Lancashire, England