Today in History - March 2nd

986
Louis V becomes King of the Franks
1127
Assassination of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders
1717
"The Loves of Mars and Venues" becomes the first ballet performed in England
1791
Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in
Paris
1807
The U.S. Congress passes an act to prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or
place within the jurisdiction of the United States from any foreign kingdom, place, or
country
1808
The inaugural meeting of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish
learned society, is held in Edinburg
1815
Signing of Kandyan treaty by British invader and Sri Lankan King
1836
Texas Revolution: Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico
1842
The Grand National steeplechase at Aintree near Liverpool England is won by Gaylad,
ridden by Tom Olliver
1855
Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia

1861
Emancipation reform of 1861 in Russia: Tsar Alexander II signs the emancipation reform
into law, abolishing Russian serfdom
1863
The U.S. Congress authorizes track width of ussg for Union Pacific Railroad
1865
East Cape War: The Volkner incident in New Zealand
1867
The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act
1877
U.S. presidential election, 1876: Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress
declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the election even though Samuel J. Tiden
had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876
1888
The Convention of Constantinople is signed, guaranteeing free maritime passage
through the Suez Canal during war and peace
1896
Ethiopia defeats Italy in the Battle of Adwa, marking the first victory of an African nation
over a colonial power
1899
In the state of Washington, USA, Mount Rainier National Park is established
1901
The U.S. Congress passes the Platt amendment, limiting the autonomy of Cuba as a
condition for the withdrawal of American troops
1903
In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel
exclusively for women

1915
Explosion killed 112 coal miners in the lay land no.3 mine in Fayette County, West
Virginia
1917
The enactment of the Jones-Shafronth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States
citizenship
1919
The first Communist International meets in Moscow
1933
The film "King Kong" opens at New York's Radio City Music Hall
1937
The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a surprise collective bargaining
agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry
1939
Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected Pope and takes the name Pius XII
1941
World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joined the Axis Pact
1943
World War II: Battle of the Bismarck Sea - United States and Australian forces sink
Japanese convoy ships
1946
Ho Chi Minh is elected the President of North Vietnam
1949
The first automatic street light is installed in New Milford, Conn.
1953
The Academy Awards are first broadcast on television by NBC

1955
King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia abdicates the throne in favour of his father, King
Norodom Suramarit
1956
Morocco declares its independence from France
1962
In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d'etat
Wilt Chamberlain sets the single- game scoring record in the National Basketball
Association by scoring 100 points
1969
Soviet and Chinese forces clash at a border outpost on the Ussuri River
1970
Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown
1972
The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to
explore the outer planets
1978
Czech Vladimir Remek becomes the first non-Russian or non-American to go into
space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28.
1989
Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all
chlorofluorocarbons by the end of the century
1990
Nelson Mandela elected deputy President of the African National Congress
1991
Battle at Rumaila Oil Field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War

1992
Moldova joins the United Nations
1998
Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter's moon Europe has a liquid
ocean under a tick crust of ice
2002
U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins.
2003
The first International Symposium on Taiwan Sign Language Linguistics is held at
Chung Cheng University
2004
Voters in the U.S. state of Georgia vote on a referendum concerning its Confederacyderived flag
2008
Riots in Yerevan, Armenia concerning the Armenian presidential election, 2008 come to
a fatal end, with police forces clashing with civilians in their peaceful protest, resulting 8
deaths
2010
The Release of Battlefield Bad Company 2