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Today March 2nd 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
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 becomes 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, was held in Edinburgh.
1815 – Signing of Kandyan treaty by British invaders and Sri Lankan King.
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 – Nevada Territory and Dakota Territory are organized as political divisions of the United States.
1861 – Emancipation reform of 1861 in Russia: Tsar Alexander II signed the emancipation reform into law, abolishing Russian serfdom.
1863 – The United States Congress authorizes track width of 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) for Union Pacific Railroad
1865 – Second Taranaki War: The Volkner Incident in New Zealand.
1867 – The United States Congress passed the 1st 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.
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 – In the state of Washington, USA, 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-Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
1917 – (Old Style) – Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the throne in favor of his brother Michael II of Russia.
1919 – The first Communist International meets in Moscow.
1937 – The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a surprise 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.
1943 – World War II: Battle of the Bismarck Sea – United States and Australian forces sink Japanese convoy ships.
1943 – 173 people die in the Bethnal Green Tube Disaster, London, the worst civilian disaster of World War 2.
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 was 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.
1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by tallying 100 points.
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.
1989 – Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century.
1990 – Nelson Mandela elected deputy President of the African National Congress.
1991 – Battle at Rumaila Oil Field brings end to the 1991 Gulf War.
1992 – Moldova joins 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).
2003 – The first International Symposium on Taiwan Sign Language Linguistics is held at Chung Cheng University.
2004 – Voters in the U.S. state of Georgia vote on a referendum concerning its Confederacy-derived flag.
2004 – War in Iraq: Al Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.
2008 – Riots in Yerevan, Armenia concerning the Armenian presidential election, 2008 come to a fatal end, with police forces clashing with civilians in their peaceful protest, resulting in 8 deaths.
Births
1316 – Robert II of Scotland, (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)
1820 – Multatuli, Dutch writer (d. 1887)
1824 – Bedrich 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)
1900 – Kurt Weill, German composer (d. 1950)
1902 – Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (d. 1972)
1904 – Dr. Seuss, 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, Dutch author and television personality (d. 1971)
1913 – Celedonio Romero, Spanish guitarist (d. 1996)
1913 – Mort Cooper, American baseball player (d. 1958)
1914 – Martin Ritt, American director (d. 1990)
1917 – Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born American actor and bandleader (d. 1986)
1917 – Jim Konstanty, American baseball player (d. 1976)
1917 – David Goodis, American writer (d. 1967)
1918 – Peter O Sullevan, Irish horse racing commentator
1919 – Jennifer Jones, American actress
1919 – Tamara Toumanova, Russian ballerina and actress (d. 1996)
1922 – Eddie Lockjaw Davis, American jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1986)
1923 – Orrin Keepnews, American writer and critic
1923 – Robert H. Michel, American politician
1923 – Basil Hume, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, England (d. 1999)
1926 – Murray Rothbard, American economist (d. 1995)
1927 – Roger Walkowiak, French cyclist
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 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
1931 – Tom Wolfe, American author
1935 – Al Waxman, Canadian actor (d. 2001)
1937 – Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria
1938 – Ricardo Lagos, former President of Chile
1938 – Lawrence Payton, American singer and songwriter (The Four Tops) (d. 1997)
1940 – Tony Croatto, Italian-born composer (d. 2005)
1941 – David Satcher, 16th United States Surgeon General
1942 – Peter Guber, American film producer
1942 – John Irving, American author
1942 – Luc Plamondon, French Canadian lyricist
1942 – Lou Reed, American singer and guitarist
1942 – Kwang Jo Choi, the founder of Choi Kwang- do and is one of the twelve original Masters of Taekwon-Do.
1943 – Zygfryd Blaut, Polish footballer (d. 2005)
1943 – Claude Larose, French 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 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
1955 – Shoko Asahara, Japanese cult leader
1955 – Jay Osmond, American musician (The Osmonds)
1955 – Ken Salazar, American politician
1956 – Mark Evans, Australian bassist (AC/DC)
1956 – John Cowsill, American musician (The Cowsills)
1958 – Ian Woosnam, Welsh golfer
1958 – Peter Arnold, American architect
1958 – Kevin Curren, South African-born tennis player
1960 – Hector Calma, Filipino basketball player
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)
1962 – Raimo Summanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
1963 – Tuff Hedeman, American bull rider
1963 – Tanyu Kiryakov, Bulgarian pistol shooter
1964 – Megan Leigh, American porn star (d. 1990)
1964 – Mike Von Erich, American professional wrestler (d. 1987)
1965 – Ron Gant, American baseball player
1965 – Lembit Öpik, British politician
1968 – Daniel Craig, English actor
1971 – Dave Gorman, English documentary comedian
1971 – Elizabeth Lackey, American actress
1972 – Richard Ruccolo, American actor
1972 – Amber Smith, American actress and model
1973 – Trevor Sinclair, English footballer
1973 – Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player
1974 – Monika Niederstätter, Italian athlete
1974 – Hayley Lewis, Australian swimmer
1976 – Glenn Rubenstein, American writer and journalist
1977 – Chris Martin, English musician (Coldplay)
1977 – Dominique Canty, American basketball player
1977 – Heather McComb, American actress
1977 – Andrew Strauss, English cricket player
1977 – Jay Gibbons, American baseball player
1978 – Giannis Skopelitis, Greek footballer
1979 – Damien Duff, Irish footballer
1979 – Sergei Davydov, Belarusian figure skater
1979 – Amanda Ireton, Cast member of MTV s A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
1979 – Nicky Weaver, English footballer
1980 – Édson Nobre, Angolan footballer
1980 – Lance Cade, American professional wrestler
1980 – Karl Dominik, China based foreign actor
1981 – Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
1982 – Kevin Kurányi, German footballer
1982 – Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
1982 – Ben Roethlisberger, American football player
1982 – Corey Webster, American football player
1983 – Glen Perkins, American baseball player
1983 – Jay McClement, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 – Elizabeth Jagger, English model and actress
1985 – Robert Iler, American actor
1985 – Reggie Bush, American football player
1985 – Luke Pritchard, British singer (The Kooks)
1988 – Keith Jack, British singer and actor
1988 – Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver
1988 – Nadine Samonte, Filipino actress
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 Cardinal 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)
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)
1953 – Jim Lightbody, American runner (b. 1882)
1958 – Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (b. 1888)
1959 – Eric Blore, English actor (b. 1887)
1960 – Stanislaw 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). See 1973 Khartoum diplomatic assassinations.
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)
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)
Holidays and observances
Bahá í Faith – Feast of Alá (Loftiness) – First day of the 19th month of the Bahá í calendar.
Texas Independence Day (1836).
Church of England – Saint Chad s Day.
March 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
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