On This Day February 2nd
OTD
February 2nd is the Thirty-third day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar; 331 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
880 – Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III of France is
defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony.
1141 – The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of
England, is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda.
1207 – Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day
Latvia and Estonia, is established.
1461 – Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer's Cross
results in the death of Owen Tudor.
1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is
incorporated.
1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked
on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe's adventure book Robinson Crusoe.
1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of
Major League Baseball is formed.
1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog
Day is observed.
1913 – Grand Central Terminal opens in New York City.
1943 – World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad ends when
Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German soldiers in the
city.
2000 – The first digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris)
was realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by
Texas Instruments.
Birthdays
1585 – Judith Quiney, William Shakespeare's youngest
daughter (d. 1662)
1856 – Frederick William Vanderbilt, American railway
magnate (d. 1938)
1882 – James Joyce, Irish novelist, short story writer, and
poet (d. 1941)
1895 – George Halas, American football player and coach (d.
1983)
1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American novelist and
philosopher (d. 1982)
1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor and singer
Holiday Spotlight
Candlemas
The Feast of
Candelaria has a long history, dating back to the 16th Century. According to a
local legend, in 1576, some Inca fishermen were caught in a terrible storm on
Lake Titicaca. As they prayed for help, the Virgin Mary appeared, leading them
to safety. In gratitude, they built a shrine containing a statue of the Virgin,
which was sculpted by the Inca craftsman Tito Yupanqui the same year.
Another account of
the statue’s origins focuses on the sculptor. It is said that the Virgin of
Copacabana, who had appeared to the sailors, appeared in a dream to Tito
Yupanqui, who was not a sculptor. But the vision affected him so much that he
set out to learn to sculpt in Potosí. With his acquired skill, he hand-carved
the Virgin from the wood of a maguey cactus, carried it on foot for 400 miles
from Potosí to Copacabana, and placed it in an adobe chapel.
During festivals, the
courtyard is filled with colorful flowers, and for the feast, pilgrims and
dancers come to Copacabana from Peru and across Bolivia. There are traditional
Aymar dances, music, drinking, and feasting. On the third day of the feast, 100
bulls are gathered in a stone corral along the Yampupata road, and some of the
braver revelers jump into the arena and try to avoid being attacked.
Believed to work
miracles, the Virgin of Candelaria statue is Bolivia's most important
pilgrimage destination. The holiday has gained global traction in the last
century, with much of the effort Saint John Paul II exerted to integrate the
celebration with renewed religious vows.
Other Include
Ayn Rand Day
Bonza Bottler Day
Bubble Gum Day
California Kiwi Fruit Day
Crepe Day
Give Kids a Smile Day
Groundhog Day
Heavenly Hash Day
Hedgehog Day
Lung Leavin' Day
Marmot Day (Alaska)
National Wear Red Day
Rheumatoid Awareness Day
Self Renewal Day
Sled Dog Day
Tater Tot Day
The Record of a Sneeze Day
Working Naked Day
World Play Your Ukulele Day
World Wetlands Day
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