February 2
1536 - The city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was founded by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Mendoza.
1653 - New Amsterdam -- now New York City -- was incorprated.
1709 - Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe," was rescued after having spent four years alone on an island off the coast of Chile.
1848 - The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican War, was signed. In the treaty, Mexico ceded to the United States a huge portion of land that is now the American West and Southwest, including California and New Mexico.
1870 - The Cardiff Giant was revealed to be a hoax.
1887 - The first gathering at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsatawney, Pennsylvania to wait for the groundhog's shadow occurred.
1913 - New York's rebuilt Grand Central Terminal officially opened to the public at one minute past midnight.
1914 - Charles Chaplin made his movie debut as the comedy short "Making a Living" was released by Keystone Film Co.
1922 - James Joyce's "Ulysses" was published.
1925 - The legendary Alaska Serum Run ended as the last of a series of dog mushers brought a life-saving treatment to Nome, the scene of a diphtheria epidemic, six days after the drug left Nenana.
1943 - Nazi troops surrendered to the Soviets at the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II.
1948 - President Harry S. Truman sent a 10-point civil rights program to Congress, where the proposals ran into fierce opposition from Southern lawmakers.
1971 - Idi Amin became dictator of Uganda.
1980 - NBC News reported the FBI had conducted a sting operation targeting members of Congress using phony Arab businessmen in what became known as "Abscam," a codename protested by Arab Americans.
1990 - South African President F.W. de Klerk lifted a ban on the African National Congress and promised to free Nelson Mandela.
2003 - Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel stepped down after 13 years in power.
2006 - House Republicans elected John Boehner of Ohio as their new majority leader to replace the indicted Tom DeLay.
2013 - Former Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle was fatally shot along with a friend, Chad Littlefield, at a gun range west of Glen Rose, Texas; suspect Eddie Ray Routh was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
2016 - Health officials reported that a person in Texas had become infected with the Zika virus in the first case of the illness being transmitted within the United States.
2017 - Using a backhoe to smash through a barricade of water-filled footlockers, police stormed Delaware's largest prison, ending a nearly 20-hour hostage standoff with inmates; one hostage, a guard, was killed.
2020 - The Philippines reported that a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan had died in a Manila hospital from the new coronavirus; it was the first death from the virus to be recorded outside of China.
2021 - The Senate approved Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary, making him the first openly gay person confirmed to a Cabinet post.
2023 - A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailing across the U.S. drew Pentagon accusations of spying while sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars.
Birthdays
22 - Soni Nicole Bringas (actress)
29 - Tom Blyth (actor)
34 - Julia Fox (actress)
36 - Natalie Halcro (model)
38 - Blaine Larsen (singer)
46 - Rich Sommer (actor)
47 - Shakira (singer)
48 - Lori Beth Denberg (actress)
51 - Marissa Jaret Winokur (actress)
54 - Jennifer Westfeldt (actress)
58 - Adam Ferrara (actor/comedian)
62 - Michael T. Weiss (actor)
69 - Kim Zimmer (actress)
69 - Michael Talbott (actor)
70 - Christie Brinkley (model)
75 - Brent Spiner (actor)
75 - Jack McGee (actor)
78 - Howard Bellamy (actor)
====================================
Today in Sports History - February 2
1876 - The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs was formed with teams in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis.
1892 - The longest boxing match under modern rules takes place; 77 rounds in Nameoki, Illinois between Harry Sharpe & Frank Crosby.
1949 - Professional golfer Ben Hogan was seriously injured in an automobile accident.
1954 - Rio Grande College basketball forward Bevo Francis scores an NCAA record 113 points in a game against Hillsdale College.
1970 - Pete Maravich becomes the first player in NCAA history to score 3,000 points in a college basketball career.
2014 - The Seattle Seahawks defeat the Denver Broncos 42-8 to win Super Bowl XLVIII.
2018 - At a sentencing hearing in Michigan for former sports doctor Larry Nassar, a distraught father of three girls who the doctor had sexually abused tried to attack Nassar before being tackled by sheriff's deputies and hauled out of court. (Randall Margraves later apologized; the judge said there was "no way" she would fine him or send him to jail for trying to attack Nassar.)
2020 - The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to win Super Bowl LIV.
1536 - The city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, was founded by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Mendoza.
1653 - New Amsterdam -- now New York City -- was incorprated.
1709 - Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk, the inspiration for Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe," was rescued after having spent four years alone on an island off the coast of Chile.
1848 - The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican War, was signed. In the treaty, Mexico ceded to the United States a huge portion of land that is now the American West and Southwest, including California and New Mexico.
1870 - The Cardiff Giant was revealed to be a hoax.
1887 - The first gathering at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsatawney, Pennsylvania to wait for the groundhog's shadow occurred.
1913 - New York's rebuilt Grand Central Terminal officially opened to the public at one minute past midnight.
1914 - Charles Chaplin made his movie debut as the comedy short "Making a Living" was released by Keystone Film Co.
1922 - James Joyce's "Ulysses" was published.
1925 - The legendary Alaska Serum Run ended as the last of a series of dog mushers brought a life-saving treatment to Nome, the scene of a diphtheria epidemic, six days after the drug left Nenana.
1943 - Nazi troops surrendered to the Soviets at the Battle of Stalingrad during World War II.
1948 - President Harry S. Truman sent a 10-point civil rights program to Congress, where the proposals ran into fierce opposition from Southern lawmakers.
1971 - Idi Amin became dictator of Uganda.
1980 - NBC News reported the FBI had conducted a sting operation targeting members of Congress using phony Arab businessmen in what became known as "Abscam," a codename protested by Arab Americans.
1990 - South African President F.W. de Klerk lifted a ban on the African National Congress and promised to free Nelson Mandela.
2003 - Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel stepped down after 13 years in power.
2006 - House Republicans elected John Boehner of Ohio as their new majority leader to replace the indicted Tom DeLay.
2013 - Former Navy SEAL and "American Sniper" author Chris Kyle was fatally shot along with a friend, Chad Littlefield, at a gun range west of Glen Rose, Texas; suspect Eddie Ray Routh was later convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
2016 - Health officials reported that a person in Texas had become infected with the Zika virus in the first case of the illness being transmitted within the United States.
2017 - Using a backhoe to smash through a barricade of water-filled footlockers, police stormed Delaware's largest prison, ending a nearly 20-hour hostage standoff with inmates; one hostage, a guard, was killed.
2020 - The Philippines reported that a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan had died in a Manila hospital from the new coronavirus; it was the first death from the virus to be recorded outside of China.
2021 - The Senate approved Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary, making him the first openly gay person confirmed to a Cabinet post.
2023 - A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailing across the U.S. drew Pentagon accusations of spying while sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars.
Birthdays
22 - Soni Nicole Bringas (actress)
29 - Tom Blyth (actor)
34 - Julia Fox (actress)
36 - Natalie Halcro (model)
38 - Blaine Larsen (singer)
46 - Rich Sommer (actor)
47 - Shakira (singer)
48 - Lori Beth Denberg (actress)
51 - Marissa Jaret Winokur (actress)
54 - Jennifer Westfeldt (actress)
58 - Adam Ferrara (actor/comedian)
62 - Michael T. Weiss (actor)
69 - Kim Zimmer (actress)
69 - Michael Talbott (actor)
70 - Christie Brinkley (model)
75 - Brent Spiner (actor)
75 - Jack McGee (actor)
78 - Howard Bellamy (actor)
====================================
Today in Sports History - February 2
1876 - The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs was formed with teams in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Hartford, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis.
1892 - The longest boxing match under modern rules takes place; 77 rounds in Nameoki, Illinois between Harry Sharpe & Frank Crosby.
1949 - Professional golfer Ben Hogan was seriously injured in an automobile accident.
1954 - Rio Grande College basketball forward Bevo Francis scores an NCAA record 113 points in a game against Hillsdale College.
1970 - Pete Maravich becomes the first player in NCAA history to score 3,000 points in a college basketball career.
2014 - The Seattle Seahawks defeat the Denver Broncos 42-8 to win Super Bowl XLVIII.
2018 - At a sentencing hearing in Michigan for former sports doctor Larry Nassar, a distraught father of three girls who the doctor had sexually abused tried to attack Nassar before being tackled by sheriff's deputies and hauled out of court. (Randall Margraves later apologized; the judge said there was "no way" she would fine him or send him to jail for trying to attack Nassar.)
2020 - The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to win Super Bowl LIV.
