What happened today in history
March
What happened on March 2
On March 2 history recorded 66 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 85 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 66events
- 160births
- 85deaths
- 13observances
Highlights
Highlights
1444The League of Lezhë, an alliance of regional chieftains, was established in Venetian Albania with Skanderbeg as their commander.
The League of Lezhë, also commonly referred to as the Albanian League, was a military and diplomatic alliance of the Albanian aristocracy, created in the city of Lezhë on 2 March 1444. The League of Lezhë is considered the first unified independent Albanian co
1484The College of Arms, one of the few remaining official heraldic authorities in Europe, was incorporated by royal charter in the City of London.
The College of Arms is the heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and some Commonwealth realms. It has no jurisdiction in Scotland, as the heraldic authority for Scotland is the Court of the Lord Lyon. The College is a royal corporation consi
1776American Revolutionary War: Patriot militiamen from Georgia and South Carolina attempted to resist the British action to seize and remove supply ships anchored at Savannah, Georgia.
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot for
March 2
On this day
VI century
- 537
537Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begins the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.
X century
XIV century
XV century
- 1444
1444Skanderbeg organizes a group of Albanian nobles to form the League of Lezhë. - 1458
1458George of Poděbrady is chosen as the king of Bohemia. - 1476
1476Burgundian Wars: The Old Swiss Confederacy hands Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a major defeat in the Battle of Grandson in Canton of Neuchâtel. - 1484
1484The College of Arms is formally incorporated by Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England. - 1498
1498Vasco da Gama's fleet visits the Island of Mozambique.
XVII century
XVIII century
- 1776
1776American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia units attempt to prevent capture of supply ships in and around the Savannah River by a small fleet of the Royal Navy in the Battle of the Rice Boats. - 1791
1791Claude Chappe demonstrates the first semaphore line near Paris. - 1796
1796Napoleon Bonaparte is appointed to command the Army of Italy. - 1797
1797The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
XIX century
- 1807
1807The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country. - 1811
1811Argentine War of Independence: A royalist fleet defeats a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate. - 1815
1815Signing of the Kandyan Convention treaty by British invaders and the leaders of the Kingdom of Kandy. - 1836
1836Texas Revolution: The Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico is adopted. - 1855
1855Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia. - 1859
1859The two-day Great Slave Auction, once thought to be the largest such auction in United States history, begins. - 1864
1864Ulysses S. Grant is promoted to lieutenant general, giving him command of all Union Armies. - 1865
1865East Cape War: The Völkner Incident in New Zealand. - 1867
1867The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act. - 1877
1877Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 U.S. presidential election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote. - 1882
1882Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Roderick Maclean in Windsor.
XX century
- 1901
1901United States Steel Corporation is founded as a result of a merger between Carnegie Steel Company and Federal Steel Company which became the first corporation in the world with a market capital over $1 billion. - 1901
1901The U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment limiting the autonomy of Cuba, as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops. - 1903
1903In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women. - 1917
1917The enactment of the Jones–Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship. - 1919
1919The first Communist International meets in Moscow. - 1932
1932Finnish president P. E. Svinhufvud gives a radio speech, which four days later finally ends the Mäntsälä Rebellion and the far-right Lapua Movement that started it. - 1933
1933The film King Kong premieres in Radio City Music Hall and RKO Roxy in New York City. - 1937
1937The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry. - 1939
1939Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected Pope and takes the name Pius XII. - 1941
1941World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joins the Axis Pact. - 1943
1943World War II: During the Battle of the Bismarck Sea Allied aircraft defeat a Japanese attempt to ship troops to New Guinea. - 1949
1949Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute. - 1955
1955Norodom Sihanouk, king of Cambodia, abdicates the throne in favor of his father, Norodom Suramarit. - 1962
1962In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d'état. - 1962
1962Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points. - 1965
1965The US and Republic of Vietnam Air Force begin Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. - 1968
1968Baggeridge Colliery closes, marking the end of over 300 years of coal mining in the Black Country. - 1969
1969In Toulouse, France, the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted. - 1970
1970Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown. - 1972
1972The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets. - 1977
1977Libya becomes the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya as the General People's Congress adopts the "Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People". - 1978
1978Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Soviet or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28. - 1978
1978The late iconic actor Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from his grave in Switzerland. - 1983
1983Compact discs and players are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had previously been available only in Japan. - 1986
1986Aeroflot Flight F-77 crashes near Bugulma Airport, killing all 38 people aboard. - 1989
1989Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century. - 1990
1990Nelson Mandela is elected deputy president of the African National Congress. - 1991
1991Establishment of Kuwait Democratic Forum, center-left political organization in Kuwait. - 1991
1991Battle at Rumaila oil field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War. - 1992
1992Start of the war in Transnistria. - 1992
1992Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, all of which (except San Marino) were former Soviet republics, join the United Nations. - 1995
1995Researchers at Fermilab announce the discovery of the top quark. - 1995
1995Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from the Kennedy Space Center on STS-67, carrying the ASTRO-2 spacelab observatory. - 1998
1998Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.
XXI century
- 2002
2002U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins, (ending on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities). - 2004
2004War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500. - 2006
2006In Monterrey, Mexico, a man identified as Diego Santoy Riveroll commits a double murder against two children, followed by an attempted murder of his ex-partner, Erika. The incident is popularly known as the Cumbres case. - 2012
2012A tornado outbreak occurs over a large section of the Southern United States and into the Ohio Valley region, resulting in 40 tornado-related fatalities. - 2014
2014The Oscar Selfie, regarded as one of the most influential and important images of all time, is taken at the 86th Academy Awards. - 2017
2017The elements Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson are officially added to the periodic table at a conference in Moscow, Russia. - 2022
2022Russian forces capture the city of Kherson during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which subsequently began the start of the Russian occupation and military-civilian administration in Kherson. Kherson is the only regional capital in Ukraine that Russia captured. - 2026
2026The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launches several projectiles into northern Israel as a response to the assassination of Ali Khamenei, formally initiating the 2026 Lebanon War.
Best known
Born on March 2
Best known
Died on March 2
672Chad of Mercia
Bishop of York and Lichfield from 664 to 669
986Lothair of France
King of West Francia from 954 to 986
1127Charles the Good
Count of Flanders from 1119 to 1127
1316Marjorie Bruce
Scottish princess (c. 1296 – 1316/17)
1333Władysław I Łokietek
King of Poland from 1320 to 1333
1589Alessandro Farnese (cardinal)
Italian cardinal and diplomat
Holidays and observances
- Air Force Day (Sri Lanka)
- Baloch Culture Day (Balochistan)
- Christian feast day: Agnes of Bohemia
- Christian feast day: Angela of the Cross
- Christian feast day: Blessed Charles the Good, Count of Flanders
- Christian feast day: Chad of Mercia (Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: John Maron
- Christian feast day: 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
- National Read Across America Day (United States)
- Peasants' Day (Myanmar)
- Texas Independence Day
- Adwa Victory Day (Ethiopia)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on March 2?
66 documented historical events happened on March 2, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: The League of Lezhë, an alliance of regional chieftains, was established in Venetian Albania with Skanderbeg as their commander. On the same day, in another year: The College of Arms, one of the few remaining official heraldic authorities in Europe, was incorporated by royal charter in the City of London. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on March 2?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on March 2, including Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Bill Quackenbush, Basil Hume. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on March 2?
85 people with a Wikipedia article died on March 2, including Chad of Mercia, Lothair of France, Charles the Good. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on March 2?
13 observances are celebrated on March 2 around the world: Air Force Day (Sri Lanka), Baloch Culture Day (Balochistan), Christian feast day: Agnes of Bohemia, Christian feast day: Angela of the Cross, Christian feast day: Blessed Charles the Good, Count of Flanders, Christian feast day: Chad of Mercia (Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar