On This Day: August 2nd

At least 146 people are killed and more than 114 injured in a factory explosion in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China.

Air France Flight 358 lands at Toronto Pearson International Airport and runs off the runway, causing the plane to burst into flames, leaving 12 injuries and no fatalities.

The Gaisal train disaster claims 285 lives in Assam, India.

Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on STS-43 to deploy the TDRS-5 satellite.

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait: Iraq invades Kuwait and temporarily establishes the Republic of Kuwait puppet state on the orders of Saddam Hussein, eventually leading to the Gulf War.

Pakistan is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations after having restored democracy for the first time since 1972.

A massacre is carried out by an Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka killing 64 ethnic Tamil civilians.

Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, crashes at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport killing 137.

The Helsinki Metro, the first rapid transit system of Finland, is opened to the general public.

A bomb explodes at the railway station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200.