October 2: Independence Day in Guinea (1958); Gandhi Jayanti in India and International Day of Non-Violence.

• 1535 – French explorer Jacques Cartier sailed along the St. Lawrence River and reached an Iroquois fort on the island now known as Montreal.

• 1835 – Mexican dragoons dispatched to disarm settlers at Gonzales, Texas encountered stiff resistance from a Texian militia in the Battle of Gonzales, the first armed engagement of the Texas Revolution.

• 1928 – Saint Josemaría Escrivá (pictured) founded Opus Dei, a worldwide organization of lay members of the Roman Catholic Church.

• 1941 – World War II: Nazi German forces began Operation Typhoon, an all-out offensive against Moscow, starting the three-month long Battle of Moscow.

• 1992 – In response to a prison riot, military police stormed the Carandiru Penitentiary in São Paulo, Brazil, killing at least 100 prisoners.

More events on this day... Recent days: October 1 – September 30 – September 29