1. Birthdate of Sam Houston
Sam Houston, the first president of the Republic of Texas, was born on October 2, 1793, in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He later moved to Tennessee and became a lawyer and politician before leading Texas to independence from Mexico.

2. Signing of the Treaty of Tellico
On October 2, 1798, the Cherokee Nation signed the Treaty of Tellico with the United States, ceding their lands in the southeastern U.S. in exchange for a new homeland west of the Mississippi River.

3. Dedication of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
On October 2, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles the Tennessee-North Carolina border. The park is the most-visited national park in the U.S., with over 11 million visitors in 2018.

4. Launch of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
On October 2, 1943, officials broke ground for the construction of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The lab played a key role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and continues to conduct scientific research in various fields to this day.

5. Student sit-in at Nashville lunch counters
On October 2, 1960, a group of African-American students from Fisk University and other colleges in Nashville launched a sit-in campaign at lunch counters in downtown Nashville. The nonviolent protest was part of a larger civil rights movement and helped to desegregate Nashville's public accommodations.