March 2 facts for kids

March 2 is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 304 days remain until the end of the year.

March 2 is a day packed with exciting events throughout history! From ancient battles to amazing inventions and the births of famous people, this date has seen a lot. Let's explore some of the most important and interesting things that have happened on March 2.

Historical Events

Ancient Times and Middle Ages

• 537 – The city of Rome was under attack! An army called the Ostrogoths started a long siege (a military blockade) of the city. A Roman general named Belisarius bravely tried to stop them.
• 986 – Louis V became the last king from the Carolingian dynasty in a part of France called West Francia.
• 1331 – The city of Nicaea was captured by the Ottoman Turks after a long siege.
• 1444 – A leader named Skanderbeg brought together many Albanian nobles to form the League of Lezhë. This group helped protect Albania.
• 1458 – George of Poděbrady was chosen to be the king of Bohemia, a historical region in Central Europe.
• 1476 – In the Burgundian Wars, the Old Swiss Confederacy (an early form of Switzerland) won a big victory against Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, at the Battle of Grandson.
• 1484 – The College of Arms, which deals with coats of arms and family histories in England, was officially created by King Richard III of England.
• 1498 – The famous explorer Vasco da Gama and his fleet visited the Island of Mozambique during their journey.

1600s to 1900s

• 1657 – The Great Fire of Meireki started in Edo (which is now Tokyo, Japan). This terrible fire caused over 100,000 deaths over three days.
• 1776 – During the American Revolutionary War, American soldiers called Patriots tried to stop British ships from capturing supplies near the Savannah River in the Battle of the Rice Boats.
• 1791 – Claude Chappe showed off the very first semaphore line near Paris. This was a system of tall towers with movable arms used for sending messages over long distances.
• 1797 – The Bank of England printed its first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
• 1807 – The United States Congress passed a law called the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves. This law made it illegal to bring new slaves into the country.
• 1811 – In the Argentine War of Independence, a Spanish fleet defeated revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate.
• 1815 – The Kandyan Convention treaty was signed by British invaders and the leaders of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka.
• 1836 – During the Texas Revolution, the Republic of Texas officially declared its independence from Mexico.
• 1855 – Alexander II became the new Tsar (emperor) of Russia.
• 1859 – The largest slave auction in United States history, known as the Great Slave Auction, began. It lasted for two days.
• 1865 – The Völkner Incident happened in New Zealand during the East Cape War.
• 1867 – The U.S. Congress passed the first Reconstruction Act, which was about rebuilding the Southern states after the Civil War.
• 1877 – Just two days before the inauguration, the U.S. Congress declared Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 U.S. presidential election. This was controversial because Samuel J. Tilden had won more popular votes.
• 1882 – Queen Victoria of England narrowly escaped an attempt on her life by Roderick Maclean in Windsor.

1900s to Today

• 1901 – The United States Steel Corporation was created. It was the first company in the world to be worth over $1 billion!
• 1901 – The U.S. Congress passed the Platt Amendment, which limited how much control Cuba had over its own affairs. This was a condition for American troops to leave Cuba.
• 1903 – The Martha Washington Hotel opened in New York City. It was the first hotel made just for women.
• 1917 – The Jones–Shafroth Act was passed, giving people from Puerto Rico United States citizenship.
• 1919 – The first Communist International meeting took place in Moscow.
• 1932 – The president of Finland, P. E. Svinhufvud, gave a radio speech that helped end the Mäntsälä Rebellion.
• 1937 – A big agreement was signed between the Steel Workers Organizing Committee and U.S. Steel. This helped workers in the United States steel industry form unions.
• 1939 – Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was chosen to be the new Pope and took the name Pius XII.
• 1941 – During World War II, German military units entered Bulgaria after it joined the Axis Pact.
• 1943 – In World War II, Allied aircraft stopped a Japanese attempt to send troops to New Guinea during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea.
• 1949 – Captain James Gallagher landed his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas. This plane had just completed the first non-stop flight around the world, taking 94 hours!
• 1955 – Norodom Sihanouk, the king of Cambodia, gave up his throne to his father, Norodom Suramarit.
• 1962 – In Burma, the army, led by General Ne Win, took control of the country in a coup d'état.
• 1962 – Basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain set an amazing record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points in a single game!
• 1965 – The US and Republic of Vietnam Air Force started Operation Rolling Thunder. This was a long bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
• 1968 – The Baggeridge Colliery coal mine closed, marking the end of over 300 years of coal mining in the Black Country region of England.
• 1969 – The first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde supersonic airplane happened in Toulouse, France.
• 1970 – Rhodesia declared itself a republic, cutting its last ties with the British crown.
• 1972 – The Pioneer 10 space probe was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Its mission was to explore the outer planets.
• 1977 – Libya became the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya after adopting the "Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People".
• 1978 – Czech astronaut Vladimír Remek became the first person who was not Russian or American to go into space. He launched aboard Soyuz 28.
• 1978 – The coffin of the famous actor Charlie Chaplin was stolen from his grave in Switzerland.
• 1983 – Compact discs (CDs) and CD players were released for the first time in the United States and other countries. They had only been available in Japan before this.
• 1989 – Twelve countries in the European Community agreed to stop making chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century. CFCs were known to harm the Earth's ozone layer.
• 1990 – Nelson Mandela was elected deputy president of the African National Congress.
• 1991 – The Kuwait Democratic Forum, a political group in Kuwait, was established.
• 1991 – The battle at Rumaila oil field brought an end to the 1991 Gulf War.
• 1992 – The Transnistria War began.
• 1992 – Many former Republics of the Soviet Union, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, joined the United Nations. San Marino also joined.
• 1995 – Scientists at Fermilab announced they had discovered the top quark, a tiny particle that is a basic building block of matter.
• 1998 – Data from the Galileo spacecraft suggested that Jupiter's moon Europa might have a liquid ocean hidden under a thick layer of ice.
• 2002 – During the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda began.
• 2012 – A series of powerful tornadoes hit the Southern United States and the Ohio Valley region, causing 40 deaths.
• 2017 – Three new elements, Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson, were officially added to the periodic table of elements.
• 2022 – Russian forces captured the city of Kherson during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This led to the Russian occupation of the area. Kherson was the only regional capital in Ukraine that Russia captured.

Famous Births

Born Before 1900

• 480 – Benedict of Nursia, an Italian Christian saint.
• 1316 – Robert II of Scotland, a king of Scotland.
• 1409 – Jean II, Duke of Alençon, a French duke.
• 1459 – Pope Adrian VI, a Pope.
• 1545 – Thomas Bodley, an English diplomat and scholar who founded the famous Bodleian Library.
• 1577 – George Sandys, an English traveler and poet.
• 1705 – William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, a Scottish lawyer and politician.
• 1740 – Nicholas Pocock, an English painter known for naval scenes.
• 1760 – Camille Desmoulins, a French journalist and politician.
• 1769 – DeWitt Clinton, an American lawyer and politician who was the 6th Governor of New York.
• 1779 – Joel Roberts Poinsett, an American physician and politician.
• 1793 – Sam Houston, an American soldier and politician who was the 1st President of the Republic of Texas.
• 1810 – Pope Leo XIII, a Pope.
• 1824 – Bedřich Smetana, a famous Czech pianist and composer.
• 1849 – Robert Means Thompson, an American commander and businessman.
• 1859 – Sholem Aleichem, a Ukrainian-American author and playwright.
• 1860 – Susanna M. Salter, an American activist and politician. She was the first woman elected as mayor in the United States.
• 1876 – Pope Pius XII, a Pope.
• 1900 – Kurt Weill, a German-American pianist and composer.

Born After 1900

• 1901 – Grete Hermann, a German mathematician and philosopher.
• 1902 – Moe Berg, an American baseball player who was also a spy!
• 1904 – Dr. Seuss, the beloved American children's book writer, poet, and illustrator.
• 1905 – Marc Blitzstein, an American composer and songwriter.
• 1909 – Mel Ott, an American baseball player.
• 1917 – Desi Arnaz, a Cuban-American actor, singer, and producer, famous for I Love Lucy.
• 1919 – Jennifer Jones, an American actress.
• 1921 – Kazimierz Górski, a Polish footballer and coach.
• 1922 – Frances Spence, an American computer programmer.
• 1924 – Renos Apostolidis, a Greek author and critic.
• 1930 – John Cullum, an American actor and singer.
• 1930 – Tom Wolfe, a famous American journalist and author.
• 1931 – Mikhail Gorbachev, a Russian lawyer and politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union. He won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1937 – Abdelaziz Bouteflika, an Algerian soldier and politician who was the 5th President of Algeria.
• 1938 – Ricardo Lagos, a Chilean economist and politician who was the 33rd President of Chile.
• 1942 – John Irving, an American novelist and screenwriter.
• 1942 – Lou Reed, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1948 – Rory Gallagher, an Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 1950 – Karen Carpenter, an American singer, famous for The Carpenters.
• 1952 – Laraine Newman, an American actress and comedian.
• 1955 – Jay Osmond, an American singer and drummer from The Osmonds.
• 1957 – Mark Dean, an American inventor and computer engineer.
• 1958 – Ian Woosnam, a Welsh golfer.
• 1962 – Jon Bon Jovi, a famous American singer-songwriter and actor.
• 1963 – Anthony Albanese, an Australian politician who became the 31st Prime Minister of Australia.
• 1964 – Laird Hamilton, an American surfer.
• 1968 – Daniel Craig, a famous English actor, known for playing James Bond.
• 1971 – Method Man, an American rapper and actor.
• 1972 – Mauricio Pochettino, an Argentinian footballer and manager.
• 1977 – Chris Martin, an English singer-songwriter, lead singer of the band Coldplay.
• 1977 – Andrew Strauss, an English cricketer.
• 1978 – Jim Chalmers, an Australian politician.
• 1978 – Sebastian Janikowski, a Polish-American football player.
• 1980 – Rebel Wilson, an Australian actress and screenwriter.
• 1981 – Bryce Dallas Howard, an American actress.
• 1982 – Henrik Lundqvist, a Swedish ice hockey player.
• 1982 – Ben Roethlisberger, an American football player.
• 1985 – Reggie Bush, an American football player.
• 1985 – Robert Iler, an American actor.
• 1988 – James Arthur, an English singer-songwriter.
• 1988 – Matthew Mitcham, an Australian diver who won an Olympic gold medal.
• 1989 – Toby Alderweireld, a Belgian footballer.
• 1989 – Nathalie Emmanuel, an English actress.
• 1990 – Luke Combs, an American singer-songwriter.
• 1990 – Tiger Shroff, an Indian actor.
• 1997 – Becky G, an American singer and actress.
• 1998 – Tua Tagovailoa, an American football player.
• 1999 – Isiah Pacheco, an American football player.
• 2016 – Prince Oscar, Duke of Skåne, a Swedish prince.

Notable Deaths

Died Before 1900

• 274 – Mani, a Persian prophet who founded a religion called Manichaeism.
• 672 – Chad of Mercia, an English bishop and saint.
• 986 – Lothair, a king of West Francia.
• 1127 – Charles the Good, a count of Flanders.
• 1316 – Marjorie Bruce, the daughter of Robert the Bruce, a famous Scottish king.
• 1333 – Wladyslaw I, a king of Poland.
• 1589 – Alessandro Farnese, an Italian cardinal and diplomat.
• 1619 – Anne of Denmark, the queen of Scotland.
• 1791 – John Wesley, an English cleric and theologian who founded Methodism.
• 1797 – Horace Walpole, an English historian and politician.
• 1835 – Francis II, the Holy Roman Emperor.
• 1840 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, a German physician and astronomer.
• 1855 – Nicholas I, the Russian emperor.
• 1895 – Berthe Morisot, a French painter.

Died After 1900

• 1921 – Champ Clark, an American lawyer and politician.
• 1930 – D. H. Lawrence, a famous English novelist and poet.
• 1939 – Howard Carter, an English archaeologist famous for discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun.
• 1945 – Emily Carr, a Canadian painter and author.
• 1949 – Sarojini Naidu, an Indian poet and activist.
• 1958 – Fred Merkle, an American baseball player.
• 1967 – José Martínez Ruiz, a Spanish author and critic.
• 1979 – Christy Ring, a famous Irish hurler (a type of athlete).
• 1982 – Philip K. Dick, an American science fiction author.
• 1987 – Randolph Scott, an American actor.
• 1991 – Serge Gainsbourg, a French singer-songwriter and actor.
• 1992 – Sandy Dennis, an American actress.
• 1999 – Dusty Springfield, a famous English singer.
• 2003 – Hank Ballard, an American singer-songwriter.
• 2004 – Mercedes McCambridge, an American actress.
• 2008 – Jeff Healey, a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist.
• 2009 – João Bernardo Vieira, the President of Guinea-Bissau.
• 2012 – Lawrence Anthony, a South African environmentalist and author.
• 2015 – Dave Mackay, a Scottish-English footballer and manager.
• 2016 – Aubrey McClendon, an American businessman.

Holidays and Observances

• Air Force Day (Sri Lanka)
• Baloch Culture Day (Balochistan)
• Christian feast day:
  • Agnes of Bohemia
  • Angela of the Cross
  • Blessed Charles the Good, Count of Flanders
  • Chad of Mercia (Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • John Maron
  • March 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Feast of 'Alá (Loftiness), First day of the 19th month of the Baháʼí calendar (Baháʼí Faith) and first day of the Baháʼí Nineteen Day Fast
• Jamahiriya Day (Libya)
• National Read Across America Day (United States)
• Peasants' Day (Myanmar)
• Texas Independence Day
• Adwa Victory Day (Ethiopia)

See also

In Spanish: 2 de marzo para niños