Important Events From This day in History February 2nd
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USA - Groundhog Day
2nd February : In weather lore, if a groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, or marmot emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, winter will continue for 6 more weeks
1989 - Sky Television Launched
1989 : Sky Television Satellite Service launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International. Later after both British Sky Broadcasting and Sky Television are losing money they combine to create the current British Sky Broadcasting.
2 Feb, 1990 - Apartheid
1990 : President De Klerk of South Africa lifts the 30-year ban on leading anti-apartheid group the African National Congress ( ANC ). He also stated the jailed ANC leader Nelson Mandela would be released.
1916 - Zeppelins Drop Bombs
1916 : German zeppelins drop close to 400 bombs over the West Midlands the crew of a British fishing trawler later comes across the crashed remains of one of the giant airships floating in the North Sea.
1921 - Ideal Town
1921 : A short article was published in a local Pennsylvania newspaper indicating what people look for in a town-especially if contemplating moving there. Ten points of consideration were outlined in regards to what people look for in a town. Four of the ten points mentioned are as follows: Attractiveness, and healthfulness (availability of adequate health care), as well as availability of education, and friendliness of people. The availability of recreation, practicality of living, accessibility of necessities, along with business and employment opportunities are also very important to most people. Additionally, the level of progressiveness of an area is one factor that people consider when relocating to a new area.
1923 - Gasoline
: Gasoline mixed with tetraethyl lead was sold starting this day and year. This gasoline blend was first introduced to the public by the General Motors Company.
1925 - Alaska Diphtheria
1925 : A major epidemic of Diphtheria in Nome, Alaska, today received much needed diphtheria serum delivered by a team of sled dogs led by Gunnar Kasson.
1925 - Sears, Roebuck Opens It's First Store
1925 : Sears opens it's first retail store in the Merchandise building ( part of it's headquarters building in Chicago ). The first retail store was just an expansion of it's existing catalog business started in the 1890's
1933 - Buster Keaton
1933 : Buster Keaton was a slapstick comedy and silent film star who was fired from MGM as of this day. The reason that was given in one history report was that he was drinking excessively. A possible reason for Buster Keaton's failure to make it with MGM was the fact that it may have been hard for him to adjust working under the direction of someone else. Before this time, he had actually been able to have control over his own creativity. From the time that he had been fired until about 10 years later, Keaton had undergone more trials. For one, his wife had divorced him, and he had taken on smaller and smaller film roles. He had even ended up in a psychiatric ward (mental hospital) for awhile as well. However, he made a strong comeback in the 1950s
2 Feb, 1933 - Livestock
1933 : On this day, a new livestock board appointed by Ferguson (presumably the name of the livestock company) had decided to replace 260 old employees with new ones.
1936 - Babe Ruth
1936 : Babe Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on this day. He was a famous major league baseball player for the Boston Red Sox (1914-1919) and then the New York Yankees (1920-1934). He also played for the Boston Braves (now Atlanta Braves) during his last year as a player in 1935
During Ruth's career, he had achieved much, for instance, he ranked 3rd on the all-time home run list. Part of the reason why is because he achieved a record of 60 home runs in the year 1927
Babe Ruth was also the only player to hit three home runs in two World Series appearances (1926 and 1928).
1937 - White House
1937 : On this day it was reported that the White House roof was leaking, and that further rain and snow was expected to fall. Believe it or not, while this was going on Congress was still debating whether or not to spend $400 to fix it.
1937 - Paducah Flood
1937 : The city of Paducah in Kentucky experienced the affect of the terrible Ohio River Flood of 1937. Waters reached as high as 60.8 feet.
1942 - World War II in Norway
1942 : A Puppet government is set up in Norway following the German Occupation and Vidkun Quisling, a collaborator with the German occupiers is established as prime minister of a puppet government.
1943 - WWII German Armies Surrender to Red Army
1943 : On this day, a crucial battle had been one by Allied World War II forces. The remnants of the German 6th Army surrendered to the Russians (The Red Army) in Stalingrad. This was one more decisive victory that had occurred during World War II.
1949 - First 45 RPM Vinyl Record Released
1949 : The first 45 RPM vinyl record was released. It would be one of the most popular ways for music lovers to enjoy their favorite song without buying an entire record. The cassette single during the 1980s
and 1990s was a comparable format.
1961 - Brazil Hijacking
1961 : The nearly 600 passengers aboard the hijacked Santa Maria liner were finally landed and released in Brazil.
1964 - GI Joe Launched
1964 : Following the success of the Barbie doll for girl, Hasbro launches G.I. Joe, an action figure for boys. G.I. Joe stood for "Government Issue Joe," there were four originally four figures launched - one for each branch of the Armed Forces.
1968 - Richard M. Nixon
1968 : Richard M. Nixon begins his campaign for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire.
1971 - Idi Amin
1971 : Major General Idi Amin declares himself president of Uganda and chief of the armed forces. Shortly after taking power he launched a genocidal program to purge Uganda of its Lango and Acholi ethnic groups and later that year, he ordered all Indians and Pakistanis to leave the country.
2 Feb, 1972 - British Embassy Destroyed
1972 : The British embassy in Dublin is destroyed by crowds throwing fire bombs as retaliation over the shooting dead of 13 people in Londonderry.
1976 - Groundhog Day Gale
1976 : Groundhog Day Gale strikes the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada on February 2 (Groundhog Day), the effects of the storm included a flash flood causing major flooding in Bangor, Maine.
1979 - Sid Vicious
1979 : Sid Vicious died on this day from a heroin overdose. His death occurred only one day after he was bailed out of jail. He had been facing charges for the murder of his girlfriend four months earlier.
1980 - FBI Operation
1980 : An FBI operation called ABSCAM was made known to the public on this day. This was a mission that was designed to uncover scandalous activity taking place within the government. As a result, a handful of members within Congress were found guilty of various crimes, such as bribery and corruption.
1987 - Terry Waite
1987 : Terry Waite is kidnapped by the Islamic militia group Islamic Jihad in Lebanon.
1992 - Daytona 24hrs
1992 : A race had occurred on this day called the "24 Hours of Daytona” event. This is an international competition which the Japanese had won for the first time.
2006 - UN Resolution on Iran
2006 : The U.N. nuclear watchdog meets in an emergency session in Vienna. Russia and China promise to back a resolution that takes Iran to the Security Council over its disputed nuclear activities, and may lead to sanctions. The body is hoping that the resolution will be backed by the five permanent Security Council members as well as Germany. Iran has already said that it will resume uranium enrichment, and end U.N. checks, if it is reported.
2007 - Humans Responsible for Climate Change
2007 : Having analyzed decades of climate data from the depths of the oceans to the stratosphere, scientists are reporting major advances in the understanding of climate change. Six years after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment, this synthesizes current understanding of global warming and projects future climate change using the most comprehensive set of global climate models.
2007 - Severe Storms in Florida
2007 : At least nineteen people have died in the severe storms and tornadoes that have taken place in Florida. The State Governor has declaring a state of emergency in the four affected counties. There are fears of a higher death toll. The storms hit before dawn, and damaged hundreds of houses, leaving more than ten thousand residents people without power. All of the deaths occurred in Lake County, where some of the worst of the damage is said to have occurred.
2008 - Hostile Bid For Yahoo
2008 : Microsoft has made an unsolicited offer for Yahoo offering $31-per-share which is higher than the current value of Yahoo shares on the market. This is an attempt by Microsoft to challenge Google's dominance in the Internet Advertising Market, the growth of online advertising is expected to double in the next 3 years as more people use the Internet for news and entertainment forsaking the traditional television, radio, newspapers and magazines.
2008 - Romney Wins Maine Caucuses
2008 : Ex-Governor Mitt Romney has won the Maine Republican presidential caucuses by beating Senator John McCain and Texas Representative Ron Paul. Romney has won 52% of the vote in Maine, with 64% of precincts reporting. McCain is said to have received 22%, Paul 19% and Mike Huckabee 6%.
2009 - Recession in California
2009 : California has started delaying $3.5 billion in payments to taxpayers, contractors, counties and social service agencies. With the governor and state lawmakers in disagreement on how to resolve California's budget problems, the controller has halted checks covering these obligations so that the state can continue funding its school system, and making its debt payments. The delay is unlikely to help California's $40 billion budget gap. There will be no tax refund money to spend, businesses won't be paid for the services they render and agencies won't receive any funds to help the needy.
2009 - Shoe Thrown at Chinese Prime Minister
2009 : A protester has thrown a shoe at Wen Jiabao during his speech at Cambridge University, and called the Chinese Prime Minister a 'dictator.' The shoe landed about a meter away from its target, and the protester was removed by security guards. Mr. Jiabao, who had been signing a series of trade agreements with Gordon Brown on the final day of a three-day U.K. visit has described the incident as 'despicable.'
2010 - Kraft Foods Buys Cadbury
2010 : Kraft Foods has confirmed its takeover of Cadbury after the U.K. chocolate maker's shareholders voted in favor of it. Cadbury has said it has received valid acceptances of the offer from investors, and Kraft's chief executive Irene Rosenfeld has welcomed the Cadbury employees into the Kraft Foods family. Cadbury's workers have been staging protests in London, and called upon the government to guarantee their jobs. The deadline for Cadbury shareholders to accept a $18.9 billion deal was at 1300 GMT today.
2010 - Russia and U.S. Exchanged Letters on Nuclear Disarmament
2010 : Barack Obama has committed his administration to a world without nuclear weapons. The move comes in a written statement to a conference in Paris, where the U.S. and international community have been preparing for the spread of nuclear weapons. The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has offered his own written message of support to the Global Zero conference.
2010 - Lancet MMR Autism Link Withdrawn
2010 : The Lancet Medical Journal that published a 1998 paper linking Autism with the MMR vacine has issued a full retraction of the paper. The paper was discredited after findings that Dr. Wakefield was in the pay of solicitors who were acting for parents who believed their children had been harmed by MMR and therefore not an independent study.
2011 - Yemen's President Announces 2013 Resignation
2011 : The President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, announced that he would step down in 2013 as a response to citizens' protests against the government in January. He also asked that the opposition to hold off on further protests. While the opposition to President Saleh accepted the news, they also stated that they would not cancel any planned activities.
2012 - Artist Mike Kelley Dies
2012 : Multi-media artist Mike Kelley died at the age of 57 in Los Angeles. Kelley came to prominence in the 1980s with his artwork that featured "high-concept surrealism with a macabre twist." Police suspect that his death could be the result of a suicide and announced that an autopsy would be performed.
2012 - Washington State Votes In Favor of Gay Marriage
2012 : Lawmakers in the state of Washington have voted in favor of gay marriages. The governor signed the bill into law on February 13th, meaning the law would go into effect by June 7th
2013 - French Parliament Approves Gay Marriage
2013 : Members of the French parliament voted 249-97 to approve one of the most important parts of a law that would redefine marriage as an agreement between two people and not just a man and a woman.
2014 - Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman Dies
2014 : Academy award winning actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman died at his home in New York after overdosing on drugs. Hoffman had previously spoken about his problems with drug abuse. It was revealed later that he had overdosed on a combination of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines.
Born This Day In History 2nd February
Celebrating Birthdays Today
Ferrah Leni Fawcett 2nd February 1947 Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
Died: June 25th
2009 Santa Monica, California, United States
Known For :
American actress best known for her role in the television series Charlies Angels which ran from 1976 to 1981 about three women ( Kate Jackson as "Sabrina Duncan," Farrah Fawcett-Majors as "Jill Munroe," and Jaclyn Smith as "Kelly Garrett" ) who work for a private investigation agency. The show was one of the most successful series of the 1970s. Farrah Fawcett was married to Lee Majors who was Colonel Steve Austin in the Six Million Dollar Man ( 1974 - 1978 ) until divorce in 1982. In 2006 she was diagnosed with cancer and died just 3 years later.
Barry Diller IAC
2nd February 1942
, Beverly Hills, California
Known For :
Best known as the media executive responsible for the creation of Fox Broadcasting Company and USA Broadcasting. He is Chief Executive Officer of IAC/InterActiveCorp which owns a number of high profile Internet based companies including ASK, Match.com, Ticketmaster Dictionary.Com and many, many more household names.