Historical Events on January 2, Special Events on This Day

Important Events From This day in History January 2nd. Find Out What happened 2nd January This Day in History on your birthday. Also you can find some answers for the following questions;
Which major historical events happened on January 2?
What happened on January 2nd in history?
What special day is January 2?
What happened in history on January 2nd?

What Happened on January 2nd This Day in History

Year Name
2004 Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.
1993 Sri Lankan Civil War: The Sri Lanka Navy kill 35–100 civilians on the Jaffna Lagoon.
1991 Sharon Pratt Dixon becomes the first African American woman mayor of a major city and first woman Mayor of the District of Columbia.
1988 Condor Flugdienst Flight 3782 crashes near Seferihisar, Turkey, killing 16 people.
1981 One of the largest investigations by a British police force ends when serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper", is arrested in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
1978 On the orders of the President of Pakistan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, paramilitary forces opened fire on peaceful protesting workers in Multan, Pakistan; it is known as 1978 massacre at Multan Colony Textile Mills.
1976 The Gale of January 1976 begins, resulting in coastal flooding around the southern North Sea coasts, affecting countries from Ireland to Yugoslavia and causing at least 82 deaths and US$1.3 billion in damage.
1975 At the opening of a new railway line, a bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar, India, fatally wounds Lalit Narayan Mishra, Minister of Railways.
1975 The Federal Rules of Evidence are approved by the United States Congress.
1974 United States President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo.
1971 The second Ibrox disaster kills 66 fans at a Rangers-Celtic association football (soccer) match.
1967 Ronald Reagan, past movie actor and future President of the United States, is sworn in as Governor of California.
1963 Vietnam War: The Viet Cong wins its first major victory, at the Battle of Ap Bac.
1959 Luna 1, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon and to orbit the Sun, is launched by the Soviet Union.
1955 Following the assassination of the Panamanian president José Antonio Remón Cantera, his deputy, José Ramón Guizado, takes power, but is quickly deposed after his involvement in Cantera's death is discovered.
1954 India establishes its highest civilian awards, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan.
1949 Luis Muñoz Marín is inaugurated as the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
1942 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtains the conviction of 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history; Also known as the Duquesne Spy Ring.
1942 World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces, enabling them to control the Philippines.
1941 World War II: The Cardiff Blitz severely damages the cathedral in Cardiff, Wales.
1921 World premiere of the science fiction play R.U.R. by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in a theater in Hradec Králové.
1920 The second Palmer Raid, ordered by the US Department of Justice, results in 6,000 suspected communists and anarchists being arrested and held without trial.
1900 American statesman and diplomat John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.
1900 Chicago Canal opens.
1865 Uruguayan War: The Siege of Paysandú ends as the Brazilians and Coloradans capture Paysandú, Uruguay.
1818 The British Institution of Civil Engineers is founded by a group of six engineers; Thomas Telford would later become its first president.
1791 Big Bottom massacre in the Ohio Country, North America, marking the beginning of the Northwest Indian War.
1788 Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
1777 American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey.
1680 Trunajaya rebellion: Amangkurat II of Mataram and his bodyguards execute the rebel leader Trunajaya.
1492 Reconquista: The Emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders.
533 Mercurius becomes Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.
366 The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire.
69 The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.
Famous People Born on January 2

Here is a random list who born on January 2. For full list please click on the link above.

Year Name
869 Yōzei, Japanese emperor (d. 949)
1979 Jonathan Greening, English footballer
1895 Folke Bernadotte, Swedish diplomat (d. 1948)
1836 Queen Emma of Hawaii (d. 1885)
1993 Bryson Tiller, American singer and rapper
1462 Piero di Cosimo, Italian painter (d. 1522)
1938 David Bailey, English photographer and painter
1934 John Hollowbread, English footballer, goalkeeper (d. 2007)
1999 Fernando Tatís Jr., American baseball player
1913 Anna Lee, English-American actress (d. 2004)
Famous People Deaths On January 2

Here is a list of some famous peope who died on January 2. For full list please click on the link above.

Date Name
1512 Svante Nilsson, Sweden politician (b. 1460)
1557 Pontormo, Italian painter and educator (b. 1494)
1950 James Dooley, Irish-Australian politician, 21st Premier of New South Wales (b. 1877)
1989 Safdar Hashmi, Indian actor, director, and playwright (b. 1954)
1904 James Longstreet, American general and diplomat (b. 1821)
1915 Karl Goldmark, Hungarian violinist and composer (b. 1830)
1917 Léon Flameng, French cyclist (b. 1877)
2006 Cecilia Muñoz-Palma, Filipino lawyer and jurist (b. 1913)
2013 Gerda Lerner, Austrian-American historian, author, and academic (b. 1920)
2010 David R. Ross, Scottish historian and author (b. 1958)