1. In 1865, the last Confederate general to surrender during the Civil War, Stand Watie, signed a cease-fire agreement in Doaksville, Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). Watie was a member of the Cherokee Nation and fought for the Confederacy after the tribe became divided in its loyalties.

2. The town of Decorah was incorporated on August 2, 1851. The town was founded by Norwegian immigrants and named after their national hero, Sondre Norheim, who was from the village of Morgedal, which is near the town of Decorah in Norway.

3. On August 2, 1915, a circus train derailed near Emmetsburg, Iowa, killing three people and injuring dozens more. The circus was traveling from Minneapolis to Des Moines when one of the train cars derailed, causing a chain reaction that caused other cars to overturn. Some of the circus animals were also injured in the accident.

4. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum was dedicated on August 2, 1962, in West Branch, Iowa. Hoover, who was born in West Branch, was the 31st President of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. The library and museum are located on the grounds of Hoover's childhood home.

5. In 1983, Bill Snyder became the head football coach at Iowa's Iowa State University. Snyder went on to lead the Cyclones for the next 11 seasons, becoming the winningest coach in school history. He later became the head coach at Kansas State University, where he had even greater success, leading the Wildcats to two conference championships and numerous bowl appearances.