March 2

March 2 is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 304 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 986 – Louis V becomes King of the Franks.
• 1127 – Assassination of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders.
• 1717 – The Loves of Mars and Venus is the first ballet performed in England.
• 1791 – Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.
• 1807 – The U.S. Congress passes an act to "prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States... from any foreign kingdom, place, or country."
• 1808 – The inaugural meeting of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
• 1815 – Signing of the Kandyan Convention treaty by British invaders and the King of Sri Lanka.
• 1836 – Texas Revolution: Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico.
• 1842 – The Grand National steeplechase at Aintree near Liverpool England is won by Gaylad, ridden by Tom Olliver.
• 1855 – Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.
• 1861 – The Nevada Territory and Dakota Territory are organized as political divisions of the United States.
• 1861 – Emancipation reform of 1861 in Russia: Tsar Alexander II signs the emancipation reform into law, abolishing Russian serfdom.
• 1863 – The U.S. Congress authorizes a track width of 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) for the Union Pacific Railroad
• 1865 – East Cape War: The Volkner Incident in New Zealand.
• 1867 – The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act
• 1877 – U.S. presidential election, 1876: Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876.
• 1882 – Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt in Windsor.
• 1888 – The Convention of Constantinople is signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace.
• 1896 – Ethiopia defeats Italy in the Battle of Adwa, marking the first victory of an African nation over a colonial power.
• 1899 – Mount Rainier National Park is established in the state of Washington, USA.
• 1901 – The U.S. Congress passes the Platt amendment, limiting the autonomy of Cuba as a condition for the withdrawal of American troops.
• 1903 – In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.
• 1917 – The enactment of the Jones-Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
• 1919 – The first Communist International meets in Moscow.
• 1933 – The film King Kong opens at New York's Radio City Music Hall.
• 1937 – The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry.
• 1939 – Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected Pope and takes the name Pius XII.
• 1941 – World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joined the Axis Pact.
• 1942 – World War II: Australia declares war on Thailand.
• 1943 – World War II: Battle of the Bismarck Sea – United States and Australian forces sink Japanese convoy ships.
• 1946 – Ho Chi Minh is elected the President of North Vietnam.
• 1949 – Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute.
• 1949 – The first automatic street light is installed in New Milford, Conn..
• 1953 – The Academy Awards are first broadcast on television by NBC.
• 1955 – King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia abdicates the throne in favor of his father, King Norodom Suramarit.
• 1956 – Morocco declares its independence from France.
• 1962 – In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d'état.
• 1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.
• 1965 – The US and South Vietnamese Air Force begins Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
• 1969 – In Toulouse, France the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted.
• 1969 – Soviet and Chinese forces clash at a border outpost on the Ussuri River.
• 1970 – Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown.
• 1972 – The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets.
• 1978 – Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Russian or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28.
• 1983 – Compact Disc players and discs were released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had only been available in Japan before then.
• 1989 – Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century.
• 1990 – Nelson Mandela is elected deputy President of the African National Congress.
• 1991 – Battle at Rumaila Oil Field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War.
• 1992 – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan join the United Nations.
• 1998 – Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.
• 2002 – U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins, (ending on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities).
• 2004 – War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.

Births

• 1316 – Robert II of Scotland, Scottish king (d. 1390)
• 1409 – John II of Alençon, Duke of Alençon and Count of Perche (d. 1476)
• 1459 – Pope Adrian VI (d. 1523)
• 1545 – Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and library founder (d. 1613)
• 1578 – George Sandys, English colonist and poet (d. 1644)
• 1705 – William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Scottish judge and politician (d. 1793)
• 1760 – Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (d. 1794)
• 1770 – Louis Gabriel Suchet, French Marshal (d. 1826)
• 1779 – Joel Roberts Poinsett, American statesman and botanist (d. 1851)
• 1793 – Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1863)
• 1800 – Evgeny Baratynsky, Russian poet (d. 1844)
• 1810 – Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903)
• 1816 – Alexander H. Bullock, 26th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1882)
• 1817 – János Arany, Hungarian journalist, writer, poet, and translator (d. 1882)
• 1820 – Multatuli, Dutch writer (d. 1887)
• 1824 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer (d. 1884)
• 1829 – Carl Schurz, German revolutionary and statesman (d. 1906)
• 1836 – Henry Billings Brown, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1913)
• 1842 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer (d. 1914)
• 1843 – Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy (d. 1911)
• 1849 – Robert Means Thompson, U.S. Naval Officer (d. 1930)
• 1859 – Sholom Aleichem, Russian novelist (d. 1916)
• 1860 – Susanna M. Salter, American politician (d. 1961)
• 1862 – Boris Borisovich Galitzine, Russian physicist (d. 1916)
• 1876 – Pope Pius XII (d. 1958)
• 1878 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, member of the Vanderbilt family (d. 1944)
• 1886 – Willis O'Brien, American animator (d. 1962)
• 1897 – Minor Hall, American jazz musician (d. 1959)
• 1900 – Kurt Weill, German composer (d. 1950)
• 1902 – Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (d. 1972)
• 1904 – Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), American author (d. 1991)
• 1908 – Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper (d. 1968)
• 1908 – Walter Bruch, German engineer (d. 1990)
• 1909 – Mel Ott, American baseball player (d. 1958)
• 1912 – Henry Katzman, American composer and pianist (d. 2001)
• 1913 – Godfried Bomans, Flemish author and television personality (d. 1971)
• 1913 – Mort Cooper, American baseball player (d. 1958)
• 1913 – Celedonio Romero, Spanish guitarist (d. 1996)
• 1914 – Martin Ritt, American director (d. 1990)
• 1917 – Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born actor and bandleader (d. 1986)
• 1917 – David Goodis, American writer (d. 1967)
• 1917 – Jim Konstanty, American baseball player (d. 1976)
• 1918 – Peter O'Sullevan, Irish horse racing commentator
• 1919 – Jennifer Jones, American actress (d. 2009)
• 1919 – Tamara Toumanova, Russian ballerina and actress (d. 1996)
• 1922 – Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, American jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1986)
• 1923 – Basil Hume, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, England (d. 1999)
• 1923 – Orrin Keepnews, American writer and critic
• 1923 – Robert H. Michel, American politician
• 1926 – Murray Rothbard, American economist (d. 1995)
• 1927 – Roger Walkowiak, French cyclist and economist
• 1928 – Father John Romanides, Greek priest and professor (d. 2001)
• 1930 – Emma Penella, Spanish actress (d. 2007)
• 1930 – John Cullum, American actor and singer
• 1931 – Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Soviet Union and Nobel laureate
• 1931 – Tom Wolfe, American author
• 1934 – Dottie Rambo, American singer (d. 2008)
• 1935 – Al Waxman, Canadian actor (d. 2001)
• 1937 – Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria
• 1937 – Denny Crum, College basketball coach
• 1938 – Ricardo Lagos, President of Chile
• 1938 – Lawrence Payton, American singer and songwriter (The Four Tops) (d. 1997)
• 1940 – Tony Croatto, Italian-born composer (d. 2005)
• 1941 – Jon Finch, English actor
• 1941 – David Satcher, 16th United States Surgeon General
• 1942 – Kwang Jo Choi, Korean Choi Kwang-Do champion
• 1942 – Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Last Prime Minister of Iran
• 1942 – Peter Guber, American film producer
• 1942 – John Irving, American author
• 1942 – Luc Plamondon, French Canadian lyricist
• 1942 – Lou Reed, American singer and guitarist
• 1943 – Zygfryd Blaut, Polish footballer (d. 2005)
• 1943 – Claude Larose, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1943 – Tony Meehan, English drummer (The Shadows) (d. 2005)
• 1943 – Peter Straub, American author
• 1944 – Uschi Glas, German actress
• 1947 – Harry Redknapp, English football manager
• 1948 – Larry Carlton, American guitarist
• 1948 – Rory Gallagher, Irish guitarist (d. 1995)
• 1948 – Jeff Kennett, Australian former politician
• 1949 – Alain Chamfort, French singer
• 1949 – Gates McFadden, American actress
• 1949 – J. P. R. Williams, Welsh rugby union player
• 1950 – Karen Carpenter, American singer and drummer (The Carpenters) (d. 1983)
• 1950 – Jeffrey Chodorow, American restaurateur and financier
• 1952 – Mark Evanier, American writer
• 1952 – Laraine Newman, American actress
• 1953 – Russ Feingold, American politician
• 1954 – Eddie Johnstone, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1955 – Shoko Asahara, Japanese cult leader
• 1955 – Jay Osmond, American musician (The Osmonds)
• 1955 – Ken Salazar, American politician
• 1955 – Terrence Stone, Irish-American voice actor
• 1956 – John Cowsill, American musician (The Cowsills)
• 1956 – Mark Evans, Australian bassist (AC/DC)
• 1958 – Kevin Curren, South African–born tennis player
• 1958 – Ian Woosnam, Welsh golfer
• 1960 – Hector Calma, Filipino basketball player
• 1960 – Debra Marshall, American professional wrestler and manager
• 1961 – Simone Young, Australian conductor
• 1962 – Jon Bon Jovi, American musician (Bon Jovi)
• 1962 – Al Del Greco, American football player
• 1962 – Morioka Hiroyuki, Japanese writer
• 1962 – Tom Nordlie, Norwegian football coach
• 1962 – Michael Salinger, American poet
• 1962 – Scott Sterling, American musician (Scott La Rock) (d. 1987)
• 1962 – Raimo Summanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
• 1963 – Tuff Hedeman, American bull rider
• 1963 – Tanyu Kiryakov, Bulgarian pistol shooter
• 1964 – Mike Von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1987)
• 1964 – Megan Leigh, American porn star (d. 1990)
• 1965 – Ron Gant, American baseball player
• 1965 – Lembit Öpik, British politician
• 1968 – Daniel Craig, English actor
• 1969 – Alessandro Moscardi, Italian rugby player
• 1971 – Amber Smith, American actress and model
• 1971 – Dave Gorman, English documentary comedian
• 1971 – Elizabeth Lackey, Australian actress
• 1972 – Richard Ruccolo, American actor
• 1973 – Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player
• 1973 – Trevor Sinclair, English footballer
• 1974 – Hayley Lewis, Australian swimmer
• 1974 – Monika Niederstätter, Italian athlete
• 1976 – Glenn Rubenstein, American writer and journalist
• 1977 – Dominique Canty, American basketball player
• 1977 – Jay Gibbons, American baseball player
• 1977 – Chris Martin, English musician (Coldplay)
• 1977 – Heather McComb, American actress
• 1977 – Andrew Strauss, English cricket player
• 1978 – Giannis Skopelitis, Greek footballer
• 1978 – Tomáš Kaberle, Czech ice hockey player
• 1979 – Damien Duff, Irish footballer
• 1979 – Sergei Davydov, Belarusian figure skater
• 1979 – Amanda Ireton, American reality TV figure
• 1979 – Nicky Weaver, English footballer
• 1980 – Lance Cade, American professional wrestler (d. 2010)
• 1980 – Sunny Lane, American pornographic actress
• 1980 – Karl Dominik, Polish-born actor
• 1980 – Édson Nobre, Angolan footballer
• 1980 – Vincent Walker, American musician (Suburban Legends)
• 1981 – Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
• 1982 – Kevin Kurányi, German footballer
• 1982 – Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1982 – Jade Galbraith, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1982 – Ben Roethlisberger, American football player
• 1982 – Corey Webster, American football player
• 1983 – Jay McClement, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Glen Perkins, American baseball player
• 1984 – Elizabeth Jagger, English model and actress
• 1985 – Reggie Bush, American football player
• 1985 – Robert Iler, American actor
• 1985 – Luke Pritchard, British singer (The Kooks)
• 1985 – Suso Santana, Spanish football player
• 1986 – Jon D'Aversa, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1988 – Keith Jack, British singer and actor
• 1988 – Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver
• 1988 – Nadine Samonte, Filipino actress
• 1989 – Toby Alderweireld, Belgian footballer
• 1990 – Lee Hongki, member of Korean boy band F.T. Island

Deaths

• 855 – Lothair, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor (b. 795)
• 1316 – Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I of Scotland (b. 1296)
• 1572 – Mem de Sá, Portuguese Governor-General of Brazil
• 1589 – Alessandro Farnese, Italian cardinal (b. 1520)
• 1729 – Francesco Bianchini, Italian philosopher and scientist (b. 1662)
• 1755 – Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French writer (b. 1675)
• 1758 – Pierre Guérin de Tencin, French cardinal (b. 1679)
• 1791 – John Wesley, English founder of Methodism (b. 1703)
• 1793 – Carl Gustaf Pilo, Swedish-born artist
• 1797 – Horace Walpole, English politician and writer (b. 1717)
• 1829 – Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, conspirator and supporter of the Mexican War of Independence (b. 1768)
• 1830 – Samuel Thomas von Sömmering, German physician (b. 1755)
• 1835 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1768)
• 1840 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers, German astronomer (b. 1758)
• 1855 – Nicholas I of Russia, Emperor of Russia (b. 1796)
• 1864 – Ulric Dahlgren, American Unionist colonel (b. 1842)
• 1865 – Carl Sylvius Völkner, German missionary to New Zealand (b. 1819)
• 1880 – Sir John MacNeill, Irish civil engineer (b. 1790)
• 1895 – Berthe Morisot, French painter (b. 1841)
• 1895 – Isma'il Pasha, Governor of Egypt (b. 1830)
• 1919 – Melchora Aquino, Filipino revolutionary hero (b. 1812)
• 1921 – Champ Clark, American politician (b. 1850)
• 1921 – King Nicholas I of Montenegro (b. 1841)
• 1930 – D. H. Lawrence, English writer (b. 1885)
• 1938 – Ben Harney, American composer and pianist (b. 1871)
• 1939 – Howard Carter, British archaeologist (b. 1874)
• 1945 – Emily Carr, Canadian artist (b. 1871)
• 1946 – Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian National socialist (b. 1895)
• 1946 – George E. Stewart, American Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1872)
• 1950 – Rosli Dhobi, famous Malay Sarawakian (b. 1932)
• 1953 – Jim Lightbody, American runner (b. 1882)
• 1958 – Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (b. 1888)
• 1959 – Eric Blore, English actor (b. 1887)
• 1960 – Stanisław Taczak, Polish general, commander-in-chief of the Greater Poland Uprising (b. 1874)
• 1962 – Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin, Belgian mathematician (b. 1866)
• 1967 – José Martínez Ruiz, Spanish poet and writer (b. 1873)
• 1970 – Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Quebec painter (b. 1888)
• 1973 – Cleo A. Noel, Jr., US Chief of Mission to Sudan (b. 1918)
• 1974 – Salvador Puig Antich, Spanish anarchist (b. 1948)
• 1975 – Josiah Mwangi Kariuki, Kenyan politician (b. 1929)
• 1979 – Christy Ring Irish hurler (b. 1920)
• 1982 – Philip K. Dick, American author (b. 1928)
• 1987 – Randolph Scott, American actor and director (b. 1898)
• 1991 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer (b. 1928)
• 1992 – Sandy Dennis, American actress (b. 1937)
• 1994 – Anita Morris, American actress (b. 1943)
• 1999 – David Ackles, American singer and songwriter (b. 1937)
• 1999 – Dusty Springfield, English singer (b. 1939)
• 2000 – Sandra Schmirler, Canadian World Class curler (b. 1963)
• 2001 – John Diamond, British journalist (b. 1953)
• 2003 – Hank Ballard, American musician (b. 1927)
• 2003 – Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer (b. 1931)
• 2004 – Cormac McAnallen, Northern Irish Gaelic footballer (b. 1980)
• 2004 – Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (b. 1916)
• 2004 – Marge Schott, American baseball team owner (b. 1928)
• 2005 – Rick Mahler, American baseball player (b. 1953)
• 2005 – Martin Denny, American musician (b. 1911)
• 2006 – Milton Katims, American violist and conductor (b. 1909)
• 2006 – Jack Wild, British actor (b. 1952)
• 2007 – Ivan Safronov, Russian journalist (b. 1956)
• 2007 – Clem Labine, American baseball player (b. 1926)
• 2007 – Thomas S. Kleppe, U.S. politician (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Henri Troyat, French writer, dean of the Académie française (b. 1911)
• 2008 – Jeff Healey, Canadian musician (b. 1966)
• 2009 – João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1939)
• 2009 – Chris Finnegan, British boxer (b. 1944)
• 2010 – Winston Spencer-Churchill, British politician (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day
  • Agnes of Bohemia
  • Blessed Charles the Good, Count of Flanders
  • Chad of Mercia (Church of England)
  • Jovinus
  • March 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Feast of 'Alá (Loftiness), First day of the 19th month of the Bahá'í calendar (Bahá'í Faith) and first day of the Baha'i Nineteen Day Fast
• Omizu-okuri ("Water Carrying") Festival (Obama, Japan)
• St Chad's Day (St Chad's College)
• Texas Independence Day (Texas)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada