What happened on March 2? There are more than 296 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About March 2
March 2 is the 62nd day of the year 2024. There are 304 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday. This day falls under the 9th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Marysville, California 95901 sunrise occured at 06:34 AM and sunset occured at 06:01 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Pisces. The modern birthstone for this month is Aquamarine while the mystical birthstone is Jade.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 333 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 22 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For March 2
- 986Louis V becomes King of the Franks.
- 1127Assassination of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders.
- 1444Skanderbeg organizes a group of Albanian nobles to form the League of Lezhë.
- 1476Burgundian Wars: The Old Swiss Confederacy hands Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a major defeat in the Battle of Grandson in Canton of Neuchâtel.
- 1717The Loves of Mars and Venus is the first ballet performed in England.
- 1776American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia units arrest the Royal Governor of Georgia James Wright and attempt to prevent capture of supply ships in the Battle of the Rice Boats.
- 1791Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.
- 1797The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
- 1807The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.
- 1808The inaugural meeting of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
- 1811Argentine War of Independence: A royalist fleet defeats a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate.
- 1815Signing of the Kandyan Convention treaty by British invaders and the King of Sri Lanka.
- 1825Roberto Cofresí, one of the last successful Caribbean pirates, is defeated in combat and captured by authorities.
- 1836Texas Revolution: Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico.
- 1855Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.
- 1861Emancipation reform of 1861 in Russia: Tsar Alexander II signs the emancipation reform into law, abolishing Russian serfdom.
- 1865East Cape War: The Volkner Incident in New Zealand.
- 1867The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act.
- 1877U.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.
- 1882Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Roderick McLean in Windsor.
- 1888The Convention of Constantinople is signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace.
- 1901The U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment, limiting the autonomy of Cuba as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops.
- 1903In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.
- 1917The enactment of the Jones-Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
- 1919The first Communist International meets in Moscow.
- 1933The film King Kong opens at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
- 1937The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry.
- 1939Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected Pope and takes the name Pius XII.
- 1941World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joined the Axis Pact.
- 1943World War II: Battle of the Bismarck Sea – United States and Australian forces sink Japanese convoy ships.
- 1946Ho Chi Minh is elected the President of North Vietnam.
- 1949Captain 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.
- 1949The first automatic street light is installed in New Milford, Connecticut.
- 1953The Academy Awards are first broadcast on television by NBC.
- 1955King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia abdicates the throne in favor of his father, King Norodom Suramarit.
- 1956Morocco gains its independence from France.
- 1962In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d'état.
- 1962Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.
- 1965The US and South Vietnamese Air Force begin Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
- 1969In Toulouse, France, the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted.
- 1969Soviet and Chinese forces clash at a border outpost on the Ussuri River.
- 1970Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown.
- 1972The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets.
- 1978Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Russian or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28.
- 1983Compact Disc players and discs are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had only been available in Japan before then.
- 1989Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century.
- 1990Nelson Mandela is elected deputy President of the African National Congress.
- 1991Battle at Rumaila Oil Field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War.
- 1992Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan join the United Nations.
- 1995Researchers at Fermilab announce the discovery of the top quark.
- 1998Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter’s moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.
- 2002U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins, (ending on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities).
- 2004War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.
Who Were Born On March 2?
- 1316King Robert II of Scotland (d. 1390)
- 1409John II of Alençon, Duke of Alençon and Count of Perche (d. 1476)
- 1459Pope Adrian VI (d. 1523)
- 1545Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and library founder (d. 1613)
- 1578George Sandys, English colonist and poet (d. 1644)
- 1705William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Scottish judge and politician (d. 1793)
- 1760Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (d. 1794)
- 1770Louis Gabriel Suchet, French Marshal (d. 1826)
- 1779Joel Roberts Poinsett, American statesman and botanist (d. 1851)
- 1793Sam Houston, American politician, 8th Governor of Tennessee and 7th Governor of Texas (d. 1863)
- 1800Evgeny Baratynsky, Russian poet (d. 1844)
- 1810Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903)
- 1816Alexander H. Bullock, American politician and 26th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1882)
- 1817János Arany, Hungarian journalist (d. 1882)
- 1820Multatuli, Dutch writer (d. 1887)
- 1824Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer (d. 1884)
- 1829Carl Schurz, German revolutionary and statesman (d. 1906)
- 1836Henry Billings Brown, American jurist (d. 1913)
- 1842Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer (d. 1914)
- 1843Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy (d. 1911)
- 1849Robert Means Thompson, American naval officer (d. 1930)
- 1859Sholom Aleichem, Russian novelist (d. 1916)
- 1860Susanna M. Salter, American politician (d. 1961)
- 1862Boris Borisovich Galitzine, Russian physicist (d. 1916)
- 1876Pope Pius XII (d. 1958)
- 1878William Kissam Vanderbilt II, member of the Vanderbilt family (d. 1944)
- 1886Willis O'Brien, American animator (d. 1962)
- 1897Minor Hall, American jazz musician (d. 1959)
- 1900Kurt Weill, German composer (d. 1950)
- 1902Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (d. 1972)
- 1904Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), American author (d. 1991)
- 1908Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper (d. 1968)
- 1908Walter Bruch, German engineer (d. 1990)
- 1909Mel Ott, American baseball player (d. 1958)
- 1912Henry Katzman, American composer and pianist (d. 2001)
- 1913Celedonio Romero, Spanish guitarist (d. 1996)
- 1913Godfried Bomans, Flemish author and television personality (d. 1971)
- 1913Mort Cooper, American baseball player (d. 1958)
- 1914Martin Ritt, American director (d. 1990)
- 1917David Goodis, American writer (d. 1967)
- 1917Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born actor and bandleader (d. 1986)
- 1917Jim Konstanty, American baseball player (d. 1976)
- 1918Peter O'Sullevan, Irish horse racing commentator
- 1919Jennifer Jones, American actress (d. 2009)
- 1919Tamara Toumanova, Russian ballerina and actress (d. 1996)
- 1920Heinz-Ludwig Schmidt, German football manager
- 1922Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, American jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1986)
- 1923Basil Hume, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, England (d. 1999)
- 1923Orrin Keepnews, American writer and critic
- 1923Robert H. Michel, American politician
- 1924Cal Abrams, American baseball player
- 1926Murray Rothbard, American economist (d. 1995)
- 1927Roger Walkowiak, French cyclist and economist
- 1928Father John Romanides, Greek priest and professor (d. 2001)
- 1930Emma Penella, Spanish actress (d. 2007)
- 1930John Cullum, American actor and singer
- 1931Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet Nobel laureate and statesman
- 1931Tom Wolfe, American author
- 1932Gun Hägglund, Swedish news presenter (d. 2011)
- 1934Dottie Rambo, American singer (d. 2008)
- 1935Al Waxman, Canadian actor (d. 2001)
- 1937Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria
- 1937Denny Crum, College basketball coach
- 1938Lawrence Payton, American singer and songwriter (The Four Tops) (d. 1997)
- 1938Ricardo Lagos, former President of Chile
- 1939BarBara Luna, American actress
- 1940Tony Croatto, Italian-born composer (d. 2005)
- 1941David Satcher, 16th United States Surgeon General
- 1941Jon Finch, English actor
- 1942John Irving, American author
- 1942Jonathan Borofsky, American artist
- 1942Kwang Jo Choi, Korean Choi Kwang-Do champion
- 1942Lou Reed, American singer and guitarist
- 1942Luc Plamondon, Canadian lyricist
- 1942Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Last Prime Minister of Iran
- 1942Peter Guber, American film producer
- 1943Claude Larose, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1943Peter Straub, American author
- 1943Tony Meehan, English drummer (The Shadows) (d. 2005)
- 1943Zygfryd Blaut, Polish footballer (d. 2005)
- 1944Uschi Glas, German actress
- 1947Harry Redknapp, English football manager
- 1948Jeff Kennett, Australian former politician
- 1948Larry Carlton, American guitarist
- 1948Rory Gallagher, Irish guitarist (d. 1995)
- 1949Alain Chamfort, French singer
- 1949Gates McFadden, American actress
- 1949J. P. R. Williams, Welsh rugby union player
- 1950Jeffrey Chodorow, American restaurateur and financier
- 1950Karen Carpenter, American singer and drummer (The Carpenters) (d. 1983)
- 1952Laraine Newman, American actress
- 1952Mark Evanier, American writer
- 1953Russ Feingold, American politician
- 1954Eddie Johnstone, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1954Hans-Jürgen Baake, German footballer
- 1955Jay Osmond, American musician (The Osmonds)
- 1955Ken Salazar, American politician, United States Senator from Colorado, 50th United States Secretary of the Interior
- 1955Shoko Asahara, Japanese cult leader
- 1955Terrence Stone, Irish-American voice actor
- 1956John Cowsill, American musician (The Cowsills)
- 1956Mark Evans, Australian bassist (AC/DC)
- 1958Ian Woosnam, Welsh golfer
- 1958Kevin Curren, South African tennis player
- 1959GX Jupitter-Larsen, American artist/writer
- 1960Debra Marshall, American professional wrestler and manager
- 1960Hector Calma, Filipino basketball player
- 1961Simone Young, Australian conductor
- 1962Al Del Greco, American football player
- 1962Jon Bon Jovi, American musician (Bon Jovi)
- 1962Michael Salinger, American poet
- 1962Morioka Hiroyuki, Japanese writer
- 1962Raimo Summanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
- 1962Scott “La Rock” Sterling, American musician (Scott La Rock) (d. 1987)
- 1962Tom Nordlie, Norwegian football coach
- 1963Tanyu Kiryakov, Bulgarian pistol shooter
- 1963Tuff Hedeman, American bull rider
- 1964Laird Hamilton, American big-wave surfer
- 1964Megan Leigh, American porn star (d. 1990)
- 1964Mike Von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1987)
- 1965Lembit Öpik, British politician
- 1965Ron Gant, American baseball player
- 1968Daniel Craig, English actor
- 1969Alessandro Moscardi, Italian rugby player
- 1970Alexander Armstrong, British comedian, actor and television presenter
- 1971Amber Smith, American actress and model
- 1971Dave Gorman, English documentary comedian
- 1971Lisa Lackey, Australian actress
- 1972Richard Ruccolo, American actor
- 1973Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player
- 1973Trevor Sinclair, English footballer
- 1974Hayley Lewis, Australian swimmer
- 1974Monika Niederstätter, Italian athlete
- 1976Glenn Rubenstein, American writer and journalist
- 1976JJ Fernandez, Malaysian radio personality
- 1977Andrew Strauss, English cricket player
- 1977Chris Martin, English musician (Coldplay)
- 1977Dominique Canty, American basketball player
- 1977Heather McComb, American actress
- 1977Jay Gibbons, American baseball player
- 1978Giannis Skopelitis, Greek footballer
- 1978Tomáš Kaberle, Czech ice hockey player
- 1979Damien Duff, Irish footballer
- 1979Nicky Weaver, English footballer
- 1979Sergei Davydov, Belarusian figure skater
- 1980Édson Nobre, Angolan footballer
- 1980Karl Dominik, Polish-born actor
- 1980Lance Cade, American professional wrestler (d. 2010)
- 1980Sunny Lane, American pornographic actress
- 1980Vincent Walker, American musician (Suburban Legends)
- 1981Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
- 1982Ben Roethlisberger, American football player
- 1982Corey Webster, American football player
- 1982Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1982Jade Galbraith, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1982Kevin Kurányi, German footballer
- 1983Glen Perkins, American baseball player
- 1983Jay McClement, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983Kolawole Agodirin, Nigerian footballer
- 1983Ryan Shannon, American ice hockey player
- 1984Elizabeth Jagger, English model and actress
- 1985Luke Pritchard, British singer (The Kooks)
- 1985Reggie Bush, American football player
- 1985Robert Iler, American actor
- 1985Suso Santana, Spanish football player
- 1986Jon D'Aversa, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1988Keith Jack, Scottish singer and actor
- 1988Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver
- 1988Nadine Samonte, Filipino actress
- 1988Nicola Geuer, German tennis player
- 1989Alemão, Brazilian footballer
- 1989Shane Vereen, American college football player
- 1989Toby Alderweireld, Belgian footballer
- 1990Lee Hongki, Korean singer (F.T. Island)
Who Died On March 2?
- 855Lothair, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor (b. 795)
- 1316Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I of Scotland (b. 1296)
- 1572Mem de Sá, Portuguese Governor-General of Brazil
- 1589Alessandro Farnese, Italian cardinal (b. 1520)
- 1625James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton, Scottish nobleman and politician (b. 1589)
- 1729Francesco Bianchini, Italian philosopher and scientist (b. 1662)
- 1755Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French writer (b. 1675)
- 1758Pierre Guérin de Tencin, French cardinal (b. 1679)
- 1791John Wesley, English founder of Methodism (b. 1703)
- 1793Carl Gustaf Pilo, Swedish-born artist
- 1797Horace Walpole, English politician and writer (b. 1717)
- 1829Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, conspirator and supporter of the Mexican War of Independence (b. 1768)
- 1830Samuel Thomas von Sömmering, German physician (b. 1755)
- 1835Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1768)
- 1840Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers, German astronomer (b. 1758)
- 1855Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Emperor of Russia (b. 1796)
- 1864Ulric Dahlgren, American Unionist colonel (b. 1842)
- 1865Carl Sylvius Völkner, German missionary to New Zealand (b. 1819)
- 1880John MacNeill, Irish civil engineer (b. 1790)
- 1895Berthe Morisot, French painter (b. 1841)
- 1895Isma'il Pasha, Governor of Egypt (b. 1830)
- 1919Melchora Aquino, Filipino revolutionary hero (b. 1812)
- 1921Champ Clark, American politician (b. 1850)
- 1921Nicholas I of Montenegro (b. 1841)
- 1930D. H. Lawrence, English writer (b. 1885)
- 1938Ben Harney, American composer and pianist (b. 1871)
- 1939Howard Carter, British archaeologist (b. 1874)
- 1942Charlie Christian, American swing and jazz guitarist (b. 1916)
- 1945Emily Carr, Canadian artist (b. 1871)
- 1946Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian National socialist (b. 1895)
- 1946George E. Stewart, American Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1872)
- 1950Rosli Dhobi, famous Malay Sarawakian (b. 1932)
- 1953James Lightbody, American middle distance runner (b. 1882)
- 1958Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (b. 1888)
- 1959Eric Blore, English actor (b. 1887)
- 1960Stanisław Taczak, Polish general, commander-in-chief of the Greater Poland Uprising (b. 1874)
- 1962Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin, Belgian mathematician (b. 1866)
- 1967José Martínez Ruiz, Spanish poet and writer (b. 1873)
- 1970Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Canadian painter (b. 1888)
- 1973Cleo A. Noel, Jr., US Chief of Mission to Sudan (b. 1918)
- 1974Salvador Puig Antich, Spanish anarchist (b. 1948)
- 1975Josiah Mwangi Kariuki, Kenyan politician (b. 1929)
- 1979Christy Ring Irish hurler (b. 1920)
- 1982Philip K. Dick, American author (b. 1928)
- 1987Randolph Scott, American actor and director (b. 1898)
- 1991Serge Gainsbourg, French singer (b. 1928)
- 1992Sandy Dennis, American actress (b. 1937)
- 1994Anita Morris, American actress (b. 1943)
- 1994Maurice Bambier, French politician (b. 1925)
- 1999David Ackles, American singer and songwriter (b. 1937)
- 1999Dusty Springfield, English singer (b. 1939)
- 2000Sandra Schmirler, Canadian curler (b. 1963)
- 2001François Abadie, French politician (b. 1930)
- 2001John Diamond, British journalist (b. 1953)
- 2003Hank Ballard, American musician (b. 1927)
- 2003Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer (b. 1931)
- 2004Cormac McAnallen, Northern Irish Gaelic footballer (b. 1980)
- 2004Marge Schott, American baseball team owner (b. 1928)
- 2004Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (b. 1916)
- 2005Martin Denny, American musician (b. 1911)
- 2005Rick Mahler, American baseball player (b. 1953)
- 2006Milton Katims, American violist and conductor (b. 1909)
- 2007Clem Labine, American baseball player (b. 1926)
- 2007Henri Troyat, French writer, dean of the Académie française (b. 1911)
- 2007Ivan Safronov, Russian journalist (b. 1956)
- 2007Thomas S. Kleppe, U.S. politician (b. 1919)
- 2008Jeff Healey, Canadian musician (b. 1966)
- 2009Chris Finnegan, British boxer (b. 1944)
- 2009João Bernardo “Nino” Vieira, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1939)
- 2010Winston Spencer-Churchill, British politician (b. 1940)
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