1. Iowa was officially admitted as the 29th state in the Union on June 1, 1846. However, on June 2, 1856, the first state Democratic convention was held in Iowa City to nominate candidates for the upcoming election.

2. On June 2, 1900, the first Iowa State Bank was established in Charles City. It was the first bank in the state to be chartered under the new banking laws that were enacted after the Panic of 1893.

3. In 1942, during World War II, a Japanese submarine fired shells at Fort Stevens, Oregon, which was the only time since the War of 1812 that a foreign power had attacked the continental United States. On June 2 of that year, Iowa Governor George Wilson ordered the state's National Guard to take up positions along the Mississippi River in case of a similar attack.

4. On June 2, 1954, a tornado touched down near the city of Oelwein, Iowa, causing significant damage and claiming the lives of six people. This was part of a larger outbreak of tornadoes across the Midwest that day, which caused a total of 54 fatalities.

5. In 1979, the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship, defeating the Georgetown Hoyas 86-72. The game was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 2, making it the latest date in the year that a college basketball national championship has ever been contested.