February 2nd What Happened on the day you were born on This day in History
1990 South Africa Apartheid
2nd February, 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.
2nd February, 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 Great Britain Zeppelins Drop Bombs
2nd February, 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 U.S.A. Ideal Town
2nd February, 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 U.S.A. Gas
2nd February, 1923 : 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 Diptheria
2nd February, 1925 : A major epidemic of Diptheria in Nome, Alaska, today recieved much needed diphtheria serum delivered by a team of sled dogs led by Gunnar Kasson
1925 U.S.A. Sears, Roebuck Opens It's First Store
2nd February, 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 U.S.A. Buster Keaton
2nd February, 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.
1933 U.S.A. Livestock
2nd February, 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 U.S.A. Babe Ruth
2nd February, 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 64 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 U.S.A. White House
2nd February, 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 U.S.A. Paducah Flood
2nd February, 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 Norway
2nd February, 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 World War II German Armies Surrender to Red Army
2nd February, 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 U.S.A. First 45 RPM vinyl record released
2nd February, 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 Hijack
2nd February, 1961 : The nearly 600 passengers aboard the hijacked Santa Maria liner were finaly landed and released in Brazil
1964 U.S.A. GI Joe Launched
2nd February, 1964 : Following the success of the Barbie doll for girls Hasbro launch 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 U.S.A. Richard M. Nixon
2nd February, 1968 : Richard M. Nixon begins his campaign for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire .
1971 Uganda Idi Amin
2nd February, 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.
1972 Ireland British Embassy Destroyed
2nd February, 1972 : The British embassy in Dublin is destroyed by crowds throwing fire bombs as retaliation over the shooting dead of 13 people in Londonderry.
1979 U.S.A. Sid Vicious
2nd February, 1979 : Sid Vicious had died on this day from a heroine overdose. His death occurred only one day after he was bailed out of jail. He was charged for the murder of his previous girlfriend (one the one he was with he had overdosed).
1980 U.S.A. FBI Operation
2nd February, 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 Lebanon Terry Waite
2nd February, 1987 : Terry Waite is kidnapped by the Islamic militia group Islamic Jihad in Lebanon .
1992 U.S.A. Daytona 24hrs
2nd February, 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.
2008 U.S.A. Hostile Bid For Yahoo
2nd February, 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.
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