Today in History: US bans segregation with Civil Rights Act in 1964

The following is a chronological list of notable events that occurred on July 2 throughout history:

706 – Burial of Tang Emperor Zhongzong’s relatives
Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang dynasty inters the remains of his family at Qianling Mausoleum on Mount Liang, near Chang’an.

866 – Battle of Brissarthe
Frankish forces under Robert the Strong are defeated by a combined Breton–Viking army at Brissarthe.

936 – Death of King Henry the Fowler
King Henry the Fowler dies in Memleben and is succeeded by his son Otto I as ruler of East Francia.

963 – Nikephoros II Phokas proclaimed Byzantine Emperor
The Byzantine army declares Nikephoros II Phokas emperor near Caesarea in Cappadocia.

1298 – Battle of Göllheim
Forces of Albert I of Habsburg clash with those of Adolf of Nassau-Weilburg at Göllheim, resulting in Adolf’s death.

1505 – Martin Luther vows to become a monk
After fearing lightning, the future Reformation leader Martin Luther pledges to enter monastic life.

1644 – Battle of Marston Moor
During the English Civil War, Parliamentary forces hand Royalists a decisive defeat at Marston Moor.

1776 – Continental Congress votes for independence
The Second Continental Congress approves Richard Henry Lee’s resolution to sever ties with Great Britain—an essential step toward U.S. independence.

1881 – President Garfield shot
U.S. President James A. Garfield is shot by Charles J. Guiteau in a Washington railroad station; he later dies from his wounds.

1964 – Civil Rights Act signed into law
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964, banning segregation and discrimination across the U.S.—a landmark moment in civil rights history.