February 2

Events

* 962 - "Translatio imperii": Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years.
*1032 - Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes King of Burgundy.
*1509 - The Battle of Diu takes place near Diu, India, between Portugal and Turkey.
*1536 - Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
*1542 - Portuguese under Christovão da Gama capture a Moslem-occupied hillfort in northern Ethiopia in the Battle of Baçente.
*1653 - New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
*1709 - Alexander Selkirk is rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe.
*1787 - Arthur St. Clair is elected the 9th President of the President of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation.
*1790 - The U.S. Supreme Court convenes for the first time after an unsuccessful attempt on February 1.
*1812 - Russia establishes a fur trading colony at what is now Fort Ross, California.
*1848 - Mexican-American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the war.
* 1848 - California Gold Rush: The first ship with Chinese emigrants seeking fortune in California's gold country arrives in San Francisco, California.
*1876 - The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
*1878 - Greece declares war on Turkey.
*1880 - The first electric streetlight is installed in Wabash, Indiana.
*1882 - The Knights of Columbus are formed in New Haven, Connecticut.
*1887 - In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
*1899 - The Australian Premiers' Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia's capital (Canberra) between Sydney and Melbourne.
*1901 - Queen Victoria's funeral takes place.
*1913 - Grand Central Station was opened in New York City.
*1920 - The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
* 1920 - France occupies Memel.
*1922 - "Ulysses" by James Joyce is published in Paris, France.
*1925 - Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race.
* 1925 - The Charlevoix-Kamouraska earthquake strikes northeastern North America.
*1933 - Adolf Hitler dissolves the German Parliament.
*1935 - Leonarde Keeler tests the first polygraph machine.
*1940 - Frank Sinatra debuts with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra.
*1943 - World War II: The last German forces surrender to the Soviets after the Battle of Stalingrad.
*1946 - The Proclamation of Hungarian Republic is made.
*1957 - President Iskander Mirza of Pakistan lays the foundation-stone of the Guddu Barrage across river Indus near Sukkur.
*1966 - Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir dispute as number one item for the proposed Indo-Pak ministerial talks after 1965 war.
*1967 - The American Basketball Association is formed.
*1971 - After a coup in Uganda, Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader.
*1972 - The British embassy in Dublin is destroyed in protest over Bloody Sunday.
*1974 - The F-16 Fighting Falcon flies for the first time.
*1976 - The Groundhog Day gale hits the north-eastern United States and south-eastern Canada.
*1980 - Reports surface that FBI personnel were targeting members of the U.S. Congress in the Abscam sting operation.
* 1980 - This Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey is formally founded.
*1982 - Hama Massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama and kills thousands of people.
*1989 - Soviet war in Afghanistan: The last Soviet Union armored column leaves Kabul, ending nine years of military occupation.
* 1989 - Satellite television service Sky Television plc launched in Europe.
*1990 - Apartheid: In South Africa President F.W. de Klerk allows the African National Congress to legally function again and promises to set Nelson Mandela free.
*1998 - A Cebu Pacific Air DC-9-32 crashes into a mountain near Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, killing 104.
*2002 - The wedding of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands to the Argentine-born Máxima Zorreguieta takes place.

Births

*1208 - James I of Aragon (d. 1276)
*1455 - King John of Denmark (d. 1513)
*1494 - Bona Sforza, queen of Sigismund I of Poland (d. 1557)
*1502 - Damião de Góis, Portuguese philosopher (d. 1574)
*1506 - René de Birague, French cardinal and chancellor (d. 1583)
*1522 - Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician (d. 1565)
*1600 - Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (d. 1653)
*1613 - Noël Chabanel, French Jesuit missionary (d. 1649)
*1621 - Johannes Schefferus, Alsatian-born humanist (d. 1679)
*1649 - Pope Benedict XIII (d. 1730)
*1650 - Nell Gwynne, English actress and royal mistress (d. 1687)
*1669 - Louis Marchand, French organist and harpsichordist (d. 1732)
*1695 - William Borlase, English naturalist (d. 1772)
*1695 - François de Chevert, French general (d. 1769)
*1700 - Johann Christoph Gottsched, German writer (d. 1766)
*1711 - Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz, Austrian diplomat (d. 1794)
*1714 - Gottfried August Homilius, German composer (d. 1785)
*1717 - Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon, Austrian field marshal (d. 1790)
*1786 - Jacques Philippe Marie Binet, French mathematician (d. 1856)
*1802 - Jean Baptiste Boussingault, French chemist (d. 1887)
*1803 - Albert Sidney Johnston, American Confederate general (d. 1862)
*1829 - Alfred Brehm, German zoologist (d. 1884)
*1841 - François-Alphonse Forel, Swiss hydrologist (d. 1912)
*1842 - Yulian Vasilievich Sokhotski, Russian mathematician (d. 1927)
*1849 - Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav, Slovak poet (d. 1921)
*1851 - José Guadalupe Posada, Mexican artist (d. 1913)
*1860 - Curtis Guild, Jr., 43^rd Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1915)
*1861 - Solomon R. Guggenheim, American art collector and philanthropist (d. 1949)
*1873 - Konstantin von Neurath, German foreign minister 1932-1938 (d. 1956)
*1875 - Fritz Kreisler, Austrian violinist (d. 1962)
*1878 - Alfréd Hajós, Hungarian swimmer (d. 1955)
*1881 - Orval Overall, major league baseball pitcher (d. 1947)
*1882 - James Joyce, Irish author (d. 1941)
*1887 - Ernst Hanfstängl, German pianist and politician (d. 1975)
*1888 - Frederick Lane, Australian swimmer (d. 1969)
*1889 - Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, French general, posthumous Marshal of France (d. 1952)
*1890 - Charles Correll, American actor (d. 1972)
*1893 - Cornelius Lanczos, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1974)
* 1893 - Raoul Riganti, Argentine racing driver (d. 1970)
*1895 - George Halas, American football player, coach, and league founder (d. 1983)
*1896 - Kazimierz Kuratowski, Polish mathematician and logician (d. 1980)
*1897 - Aimé Avignon, France's former oldest living man (d. 2007)
* 1897 - Howard Johnson, American hotelier (d. 1972)
*1900 - Willie Kamm, MLB third baseman (d. 1988)
*1901 - Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian violinist (d. 1987)
*1902 - Newbold Morris, American politician (d. 1966)
*1905 - Ayn Rand, Russian-born author and philosopher (d. 1982)
*1908 - Wes Ferrell, All-Star MLB pitcher (d. 1976)
*1909 - Frank Albertson, American actor (d. 1964)
*1912 - Millvina Dean, last living survivour of the RMS Titanic.
* 1912 - Burton Lane, American composer and lyricist (d. 1997)
*1913 - Poul Reichhardt, Danish actor (d. 1985)
*1914 - Eric Kierans, Canadian politician and economist (d. 2004)
*1915 - Abba Eban, Israeli diplomat (d. 2002)
* 1915 - Stan Leonard, Canadian professional golfer (d. 2005)
*1916 - Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet (d. 1985)
*1918 - Hella S. Haasse, Dutch writer
*1923 - James Dickey, American poet and author (d. 1997)
* 1923 - Bonita Granville, American actress (d. 1988)
* 1923 - Red Schoendienst, Hall of Famer baseball player and manager
* 1923 - Liz Smith, American gossip columnist
*1924 - Elfi von Dassanowsky, Austrian-American producer and musician
*1925 - Elaine Stritch, American actress
*1926 - Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, French politician
*1927 - Stan Getz, American musician (d. 1991)
*1928 - Aloyisus Leon Higginbotham, Jr., civil rights activist and author (d. 1998)
*1931 - Dries van Agt, Dutch politician
* 1931 - Les Dawson, British comedian (d. 1993)
* 1931 - Judith Viorst, American author
*1932 - Robert Mandan, American actor
*1933 - Tony Jay, English actor (d. 2006)
* 1933 - Than Shwe, ruler of Myanmar
*1936 - Duane Jones, American actor
*1937 - Don Buford, All-Star MLB outfielder
* 1937 - Remak Ramsay, American actor
* 1937 - Tom Smothers, American musician and comedian
*1939 - Akbar Adibi, Iranian scientist, father of electronics in Iran (d. 2000)
*1940 - Wayne Fontes, American football coach
* 1940 - David Jason, English actor
*1942 - Graham Nash, American (British-born) rock musician
*1943 - Susan Hanson, English actress
*1944 - Karen Foss, American broadcaster
* 1944 - Geoffrey Hughes, British actor
*1946 - Alpha Oumar Konaré, ex-president of Mali
*1947 - Farrah Fawcett, American actress
*1948 - Al McKay, American guitarist and songwriter (Earth, Wind & Fire)
* 1948 - Roger Williamson, English racecar driver (d. 1973)
*1949 - Francisco Maturana, Colombian football manager
* 1949 - Brent Spiner, American actor
* 1949 - Ross Valory, American musician (Journey)
*1952 - John Cornyn, American politician
* 1952 - Genichiro Tenryu, Japanese professional wrestler
*1953 - Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter.
*1954 - Christie Brinkley, American model
* 1954 - Ina Garten, American author and TV personality
* 1954 - Hansi Hinterseer, Austrian singer, actor, former skier
* 1954 - John Tudor, American baseball pitcher
*1957 - Phil Barney, French singer
*1958 - Michel Marc Bouchard, Quebec playwright
*1960 - Jari Porttila, Finnish sports journalist
*1961 - Lauren Lane, American actress
* 1961 - Steve Penney, National Hockey League goaltender
*1962 - Andy Fordham, English darts player
* 1962 - Paul Kilgus, baseball player
* 1962 - Michael T. Weiss, American actor
*1963 - Eva Cassidy, American singer (d. 1996)
* 1963 - Philip Laats, Belgian judoka
*1965 - Carl Airey, English footballer
* 1965 - Naoki Sano, Japanese professional wrestler
*1966 - Andrei Chesnokov, Russian former tennis player
* 1966 - D. C. Douglas, American actor and director
* 1966 - Robert DeLeo, American musician (Stone Temple Pilots)
*1967 - Arturs Irbe, Latvian hockey player
* 1967 - Laurent Nkunda, Congolese general
*1968 - Sean Elliott, American basketball player
* 1968 - Scott Erickson, MLB pitcher
* 1968 - Simon Wickham-Smith, composer and Mongolist
*1969 - Valeri Karpin, Russian footballer
* 1969 - Tim Sherwood, English footballer
*1970 - C. Ernst Harth, Canadian actor
* 1970 - Nikolaos Michopoulos, Greek footballer
* 1970 - Roar Strand, Norwegian footballer
* 1970 - Jennifer Westfeldt, American actress
*1972 - Tego Calderón , nominated reggaeton singer/rapper.
* 1972 - Dana International, Israeli singer
* 1972 - Melvin Mora, Venezuelan baseball player
*1973 - Aleksander Tammert, Estonian discus thrower
*1975 - Todd Bertuzzi, Canadian hockey player
* 1975 - Vaggelis Koutsoures, Greek footballer
* 1975 - Ieroklis Stoltidis, Greek footballer
* 1975 - Niclas Wallin, Swedish hockey player
*1976 - James Hickman, British swimmer
* 1976 - Lori Beth Denberg, American actress
*1977 - Heather Martin, American gospel singer
* 1977 - Shakira, Colombian singer
* 1977 - Libor Sionko, Czech football player
*1978 - Eden Espinosa, American singer and stage actress
* 1978 - Barry Ferguson, Scotish football player
*1979 - Fani Halkia, Greek hurdler
* 1979 - Shamita Shetty, Indian actress
* 1979 - Irini Terzoglou, Greek shot putter
*1980 - Teddy Hart, Canadian professional wrestler
* 1980 - Gucci Mane, African-American rapper
* 1980 - Oleguer Presas, Spanish football player
*1981 - Jason Kapono, American basketball player
*1982 - Sergio Castaño, Spanish footballer
* 1982 - Han Ga In, South Korean model/actress
* 1982 - Kelly Mazzante, American basketball player
* 1982 - Brandy Talore, American pornographic actress
*1983 - Carolina Klüft, Swedish athlete
* 1983 - Will South, Thirteen Senses frontman
* 1983 - Jordin Tootoo, Canadian hockey player
* 1983 - Alex Westaway, British musician
*1987 - Gerard Piqué, Spanish football player
* 1987 - Martin Spanjers, American actor
*1992 - Danielle White, American singer

Deaths

* 672 - Saint Chad
*1124 - Bořivoj II of Bohemia
*1218 - Konstantin of Rostov, Prince of Novgorod (b. 1186)
*1250 - Eric XI of Sweden (b. 1216)
*1461 - Owen Tudor, Welsh founder of the Tudor dynasty of England
*1529 - Baldassare Castiglione, Italian writer (b. 1478)
*1580 - Bessho Nagaharu, Japanese retainer (b. 1558)
*1594 - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Italian composer (b. 1525)
*1648 - George Abbot, English writer
*1660 - Govert Flinck, Dutch painter (b. 1615)
* 1660 - Gaston, Duke of Orléans, French politician (b. 1608)
*1661 - Lucas Holstenius, German humanist (b. 1596)
*1688 - Abraham Duquesne, French naval officer (b. 1610)
*1704 - Guillaume François Antoine, Marquis de l'Hôpital, French mathematician (b. 1661)
*1712 - Martin Lister, English naturalist and physician
*1714 - John Sharp, English Archbishop of York (b. 1643)
*1723 - Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist (b. 1666)
*1768 - Robert Smith, English mathematician (b. 1689)
*1769 - Pope Clement XIII (b. 1693)
*1802 - Welbore Ellis, 1st Baron Mendip, British statesman (b. 1713)
*1804 - George Walton, Signer of the Declaration of Independence (b. 1749-50)
*1895 - Archduke Albert, Austrian general (b. 1817)
*1904 - William C. Whitney, American financier (b. 1841)
*1907 - Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist (b. 1834)
*1918 - John L. Sullivan, American heavyweight boxer (b. 1858)
*1922 - William Desmond Taylor, Irish film director (b. 1872)
*1925 - Jaap Eden, Dutch skater and cyclist (b. 1873)
*1926 - Vladimir Sukhomlinov, Russian general (b. 1848)
*1932 - Agha Petros, Assyrian nationalist leader
*1942 - Daniil Kharms, Russian playwright (b. 1905)
*1945 - Carl Friedrich Goerdeler, German politician (b. 1884)
*1948 - Bevil Rudd, South African athlete (b. 1894)
* 1948 - Thomas W. Lamont, American banker; father or Corliss Lamont; great-grandfather of Ned Lamont (b. 1870)
*1950 - Constantin Carathéodory, Greek mathematician (b. 1873)
*1956 - Charles Grapewin, American actor (b. 1869)
* 1956 - Pyotr Konchalovsky, Russian painter (b. 1876)
*1957 - Grigory Landsberg, Russian physicist (b. 1890)
*1961 - Anna May Wong, American actress (b. 1905)
*1969 - Boris Karloff, English actor (b. 1887)
*1970 - Lawrence Gray, American actor (b.1898)
* 1970 - Bertrand Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, English mathematician, writer and philosopher, Nobel laureate (b. 1872)
*1972 - Natalie Clifford Barney, American writer (b. 1876)
*1973 - Hendrik Elias, Belgian politician (b. 1902)
*1979 - Sid Vicious, English musician (Sex Pistols) (b. 1957)
*1980 - William Howard Stein, Nobel laureate (b. 1911)
*1982 - Paul Desruisseaux, French Canadian lawyer, businessman and politician (b 1905)
*1987 - Castilho, Brazilian footballer (b. 1927)
* 1987 - Alistair MacLean, Scottish novelist (b. 1922)
*1988 - Marcel Bozzuffi, French film actor (b. 1929)
*1989 - Ondrej Nepela, Slovak figure skater (b. 1951)
*1990 - Joe Erskine, Welsh boxer (b. 1934)
*1992 - Bert Parks, American television host (b. 1914)
*1995 - Fred Perry, British former tennis player (b. 1909)
* 1995 - Donald Pleasence, English actor (b. 1919)
*1996 - Gene Kelly, American dancer, actor, and director (b. 1912)
*1997 - Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (b. 1913)
* 1997 - Sanford Meisner, American actor (b. 1904)
*1999 - David McComb, Australian musician (The Triffids) (b. 1962)
*2002 - Paul Baloff, American singer (Exodus) (b. 1960)
* 2002 - Claude Brown, American writer (b. 1937)
*2003 - Lou Harrison, American composer (b. 1917)
*2004 - Bernard McEveety, American film director (b. 1924)
*2005 - Max Schmeling, German boxer (b. 1905)
*2007 - Vijay Arora, Indian film and television actor (b. 1944)
* 2007 - Billy Henderson, American singer (The Spinners) (b. 1939)
* 2007 - Joe Hunter, American pianist and bandleader of The Funk Brothers (b. 1927)
* 2007 - Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (b. 1967)
* 2007 - Masao Takemoto, Japanese gymnast (b. 1919)
* 2007 - Eric von Schmidt, American folk/blues singer-songwriter (b. 1931)
* 2008- Katoucha, Guinean model and activist (b. 1960)

Holidays and observances

* Ancient Latvia - Veja Diena observed.
* Czech Republic - Hromnice.
* France - Chandeleur (= Candlemas), AKA "Crêpe (Pancake) Day".
* Paganism - Imbolc (in northern hemisphere), Lughnasadh (in southern hemisphere).
* Scotland - A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas).
* United States and Canada - Groundhog Day.
* University of King's College - George III Day
* Yemanja - Celebration of Yemanja, the sea goddess.
* Roman Catholicism - Candlemas, The Presentation of the Lord, The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, World Day for Consecrated Life (also February 3 in the United States).
* St. Cornelius
* February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
* World Wetlands Day

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/2 BBC: On This Day]
*
* [http://www1.sympatico.ca/cgi-bin/on_this_day?mth=Feb&day=02 On This Day in Canada] ----