Today
Wednesday December 2 2026
- Day of the year
- 336/ 365
- Week
- 492,026
- Days left
- 2992%
- Moon
- 35%Waning crescent
Today is Wednesday, December 2, 2026. It is day 336 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 29 remain, and 92% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 49.
What's celebrated on this date
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
WorldwideUnited Nations — International Days
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Habakkukbiblical prophet associated to the Book of Habakkuk
- Blanche of CastileQueen consort of France (1188–1252)
- Peter the IberianGeorgian saint
- John of RuysbroeckBrabantian mystic and writer (1293–1381)
- ChromatiusBishop of Aquileia
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 07:02
- Sunset
- 16:29
- Length of day
- 9h 27m−1 min vs yesterday
- Solar noon
- 11:46
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Autumn
began on September 22, 2026
Next season
Winter — 19 days, December 21, 2026 (December solstice)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Christmas Day — December 25, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waning crescent
Illumination : 35%
Moon age : 23.4 days
- Next full moon
- December 24, 2026
- Next new moon
- December 9, 2026
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Sagittarius
until December 22, 2026 — Capricorn
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
1804
At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French. Wikipedia
1805
War of the Third Coalition: Battle of Austerlitz: French troops under Napoleon decisively defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force. Wikipedia
1823
Monroe Doctrine: In a State of the Union message, U.S. President James Monroe proclaims American neutrality in future European conflicts, and warns European powers not to interfere in the Americas. Wikipedia
1942
World War II: During the Manhattan Project, a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first artificial self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. Wikipedia
1956
The Granma reaches the shores of Cuba's Oriente Province. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution. Wikipedia
1961
In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba will adopt Communism. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1971
Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, and Umm al-Quwain form the United Arab Emirates. Wikipedia
1988
Benazir Bhutto is sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman to head the government of a Muslim-majority state. Wikipedia
1993
Space Shuttle program: STS-61: NASA launches the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Wikipedia
1993
Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is shot and killed by police in Medellín. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day December 2
- 1825Pedro II of Brazil (died 1891)
- 1885George Minot, American physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1950)
- 1891Otto Dix, German painter and illustrator (died 1969)
- 1923Maria Callas, American-Greek soprano and actress (died 1977)
- 1925Julie Harris, American actress (died 2013)
- 1933Mike Larrabee, American sprinter and educator (died 2003)
- 1934Tarcisio Bertone, Italian cardinalturns 92 years
- 1944Ibrahim Rugova, Kosovan journalist and politician, 1st President of Kosovo (died 2006)
Died on this day December 2
- 1547Hernán Cortés, Spanish general and explorer (born 1485)aged 62 years
- 1594Gerardus Mercator, Flemish mathematician, cartographer, and philosopher (born 1512)aged 82 years
- 1814Marquis de Sade, French philosopher, author, and politician (born 1740)aged 74 years
- 1918Edmond Rostand, French poet and playwright (born 1868)aged 50 years
- 1990Aaron Copland, American composer and conductor (born 1900)aged 90 years
- 1993Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord (born 1949)aged 44 years
- 1999Charlie Byrd, American guitarist (born 1925)aged 74 years
- 2002Ivan Illich, Austrian priest and philosopher (born 1926)aged 76 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 07:02 and sets at 16:29, giving 9h 27m of daylight — 1 minute less than yesterday. It has been autumn since September 22, 2026; winter opens in 19 days, on December 21, 2026 (December solstice).
The moon is a waning crescent, 35% illuminated. The next full moon falls on December 24, 2026 and the next new moon on December 9, 2026.
The saints' calendar attaches December 2 to Habakkuk, Blanche of Castile and Peter the Iberian.
December 2 is International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, designated by the United Nations or one of its agencies.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: At Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the French (1804); War of the Third Coalition: Battle of Austerlitz: French troops under Napoleon decisively defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force (1805). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Pedro II of Brazil was born on December 2, 1825; Hernán Cortés died on December 2, 1547.
23 days remain until Christmas and 30 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — December 2 falls under the sign of Sagittarius.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 92%
- of the year elapsed
- 23
- until Christmas
- 30
- until New Year
- 454
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26