Trivia of the Day for September 2, 2026: We Bet You Can’t Get Every Question Right

We’re onto a new month and we’re just weeks away from the start of fall, meaning the leaves will soon be changing and the temperatures will soon be dropping. Looking back at September in history, there are many notable events that have taken place, and the same goes for today’s date, September 2. From the end of World War II to the first ATM opening in the U.S., trivia lovers might be experts on this day in history without even realizing.

Want to put your knowledge to the test? Mental Floss is back with a new entry in our Trivia of the Day series, challenging our readers on important events and facts about today in history. We’ll provide 20 questions on September 2, followed by 20 more questions all about September in general, and then we’ll finish off today’s quiz with five totally random trivia questions.

Think you have what it takes to get all 25 questions correct? Be sure to check your answers with the answer key at the end of the page.

September 2 Questions

1. Which devastating fire began in London on September 2, 1666?

2. Which U.S. government department was established on September 2, 1789, with Alexander Hamilton soon becoming its first secretary?

3. Which major Southern city was occupied by Union forces on September 2, 1864 during the Civil War?

4. Which future president used the phrase “speak softly and carry a big stick” in a speech on September 2, 1901?

5. Which hurricane struck the Florida Keys on September 2, 1935, becoming one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever to make U.S. landfall?

6. Which global conflict officially ended with Japan's formal surrender on September 2, 1945?

7. Which actor who played Neo in The Matrix was born on September 2, 1964?

8. Which British author and scholar best known for The Lord of the Rings died on September 2, 1973?

9. Which actress who earned an Oscar nomination for playing artist Frida Kahlo was born on September 2, 1966?

10. Which revolutionary leader proclaimed the independence of Vietnam on September 2, 1945?

General September Questions

11. Which other flower is traditionally considered a September birth flower alongside aster?

12. Which famous battle fought September 17, 1862, became the bloodiest single day in American military history?

13. Which song by Earth, Wind & Fire famously opens by asking if you remember “the 21st night” of September?

14. Which state became the 31st U.S. state on September 9, 1850?

15. Which Native American leader surrendered to U.S. forces on September 4, 1886, bringing the major Apache Wars to an end?

16. Which country became the first self-governing nation to grant women the right to vote in parliamentary elections in September 1893?

17. Which famous cave paintings were discovered by teenagers in southwestern France on September 12, 1940?

18. Which famous American newspaper debuted its first issue on September 18, 1851?

19. Which animated mystery series featuring Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. gang premiered on September 13, 1969?

20. Which NBC sitcom about six friends living in New York City premiered on September 22, 1994?

General Knowledge Questions

21. Which famous composer wrote the opera The Magic Flute?

22. What is the largest peninsula in the world?

23. Which famous children's book features a young girl named Sophie and a friendly giant?

24. Which board game features suspects named Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, and Miss Scarlet?

25. What is the term for a word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, such as NASA?

Answer Key

1. The Great Fire of London.

2. The Department of the Treasury.

3. Atlanta.

4. Theodore Roosevelt.

5. The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935.

6. World War II.

7. Keanu Reeves.

8. J.R.R. Tolkien.

9. Salma Hayek.

10. Ho Chi Minh.

11. Morning glory.

12. The Battle of Antietam.

13. “September.”

14. California.

15. Geronimo.

16. New Zealand.

17. The Lascaux cave paintings.

18. The New York Times (then called New-York Daily Times). 

19. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

20. Friends.

21. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

22. The Arabian Peninsula.

23. The BFG by Roald Dahl.

24. Clue.

25. Acronym.