2nd March

Events

• 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks.
• 1807 - The United States 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."
• 1836 - Declaration of independence of Texas from Mexico.
• 1855 - Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.
• 1861 - Nevada is organized as a United States territory.
• 1877 - U.S. presidential election, 1876: The United States Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876 (Reconstruction ends).
• 1899 - In Washington, Mount Rainier National Park is established.
• 1901 - The United States 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 Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
• 1919 - The first Communist International meets in Moscow.
• 1923 - Time Magazine hits newsstands for the first time.
• 1933 - King Kong premieres in New York City.
• 1939 - Pius XII becomes Pope.
• 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 - The B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II lands in Fort Worth, Texas after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight.
• 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 Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt Chamberlain of the Philadelphia 76ers scores 100 points against the New York Knicks, breaking several National Basketball Association records.
• 1963 - Release of Please Please Me in the United Kingdom, first LP from The Beatles.
• 1969 - In Toulouse, France the first Concorde test flight is conducted.
• 1969 - Soviet and Chinese forces clash at a border outpost on the Ussuri River.
• 1972 - The Pioneer 10 spaceprobe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets.
• 1986 - Corazon Aquino is inaugurated as President of the Philippines.
• 1989 - 12 European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end century.
• 1995 - In Moscow, Russian anti-corruption journalist Vladislav Listyev is killed by a gunman.
• 1995 - Nick Leeson is arrested for his role in the collapse of Barings Bank.
• 1998 - Data sent from the Galileo spaceprobe indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.

Births

• 1316 - King Robert II of Scotland, (d. 1390)
• 1793 - Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas, (d. 1863)
• 1810 - Pope Leo XIII, (d. 1903)
• 1824 - Bedrich Smetana, composer, (d. 1884)
• 1829 - Carl Schurz, German-American statesman, (d. 1906)
• 1849 - Robert Means Thompson, naval officer, (d. 1930)
• 1859 - Sholom Aleichem, novelist, (d. 1916)
• 1876 - Pope Pius XII, (d. 1958)
• 1900 - Kurt Weil, composer, (d. 1950)
• 1904 - Dr. Seuss, author, (d. 1991)
• 1908 - Walter Bruch, engineer, (d. 1990)
• 1909 - Mel Ott, Baseball Hall of Famer, (d. 1958)
• 1914 - Martin Ritt, director, (d. 1990)
• 1917 - Desi Arnaz, actor, bandleader, musician, (d. 1986)
• 1919 - Jennifer Jones, actress
• 1926 - Murray Rothbard American economist born March 2, (d. 1995)
• 1931 - Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union
• 1931 - Tom Wolfe, author
• 1942 - John Irving, author
• 1942 - Lou Reed, singer and guitarist
• 1944 - Uschi Glas, actress
• 1948 - R. T. Crowley, writer, pioneer of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
• 1949 - Eddie Money, singer
• 1950 - Karen Carpenter, singer and drummer, (d. 1983)
• 1952 - Laraine Newman, comedian
• 1956 - Mark Evans, bassist of AC/DC
• 1962 - Jon Bon Jovi, singer, songwriter, and actor
• 1985 - Robert Iler, actor

Deaths

• 986 - Lothair, King of the Franks, Holy Roman Emperor, (b. 795)
• 1880 - Sir John MacNeill civil engineer, (b. 1790)
• 1895 - Berthe Morisot, Impressionist painter, (b. 1841)
• 1921 - King Nicholas of Montenegro
• 1930 - D. H. Lawrence, writer, (b. 1885)
• 1953 - Jim Lightbody, American middle-distance runner
• 1982 - Philip K. Dick, science fiction author, (b. 1928)
• 1987 - Randolph Scott, actor, (b. 1898)
• 1991 - Serge Gainsbourg, singer, (b. 1928)
• 1992 - Sandy Dennis, actress
• 1999 - Dusty Springfield, singer, (b. 1939)
• 2003 - Roger Needham, Computer scientist, (b. 1935)
• 2003 - Malcolm Williamson, composer, (b. 1931)

Holidays and observances

• Bahá'í Faith - Feast of 'Alá (Loftiness) - First day of the 19th month of the Bahá'í Calendar
• Bahá'í Faith - Beginning of the Fast (sunrise to sunset fast for 19 days)

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