September 2 Birthday
September 2, 1945: On the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japanese officials signed the Instrument of Surrender, ending World War II. The ceremony lasted 23 minutes. General Douglas MacArthur signed for the Allied Powers. The Missouri was chosen because it was the flagship of Admiral Nimitz. A Canadian colonel accidentally signed on the wrong line of the Japanese copy, causing a brief diplomatic moment. Also on this day in 1969: the first ARPANET message was sent from UCLA to Stanford. The system crashed after two letters. The intended message was "LOGIN." Only "LO" arrived. People born on September 2 fall under the zodiac sign of Virgo. The birthstone is Sapphire and the birth flower is Aster. Historical events on September 2 include 1666: Great Fire of London starts in a bakery on Pudding Lane, 1945: Japan signs surrender on USS Missouri, ending World War II, 1969: First ARPANET message sent (crashes after two letters). Famous people born on September 2 include Eugene Field (1850), Beyoncé's sister Solange (1986), Mark Harmon (1951).