On This Day March 2nd

 OTD

March 2 is the Sixty-second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 303 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under King Vitiges begins the capital's siege. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate; he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.

1484 – The College of Arms is formally incorporated by the Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England.

1657 – The Great Fire of Meireki begins in Edo (now Tokyo), Japan, causing more than 100,000 deaths before it exhausts itself three days later.

1797 – The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.

1807 – The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.

1855 – Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.

1877 – Two days before the inauguration, the U.S. Congress declared Rutherford B. Hayes the 1876 U.S. presidential election winner even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote.

1901 – United States Steel Corporation was founded because of a merger between Carnegie Steel Company and Federal Steel Company, which became the first corporation in the world with a market capital of over $1 billion.

1949 – Captain 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.

1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.

1972 – The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to explore the outer planets.

2017 – The elements Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson are officially added to the periodic table at a conference in Moscow, Russia.

 

Birthdays

1316 – Robert II of Scotland (d. 1390)

1577 – George Sandys, English traveler, colonist, and poet (d. 1644)

1770 – Louis-Gabriel Suchet, French general (d. 1826)

1793 – Sam Houston, American soldier and politician, 1st President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1863)

1842 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer, art collector, and philanthropist (d. 1914)

1900 – Kurt Weill, German American pianist and composer (d. 1950)

1902 – Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (d. 1972) *If you haven’t heard of him, look him up.

1904 – Dr. Seuss, American children's book writer, poet, and illustrator (d. 1991)

1926 – Murray Rothbard, American economist and historian (d. 1995)

1935 – Gene Stallings was an American football player and coach.

1947 – Harry Redknapp, English footballer and manager

1977 – Chris Martin, English singer-songwriter (Coldplay)

1978 – Sebastian Jankowski, Polish gridiron football player.

1990 – Luke Combs, American singer-songwriter

1998 – Tua Tagovailoa, American football player

 

Holiday Spotlight

The Great Iditarod Race

Alaska’s most iconic race, known locally as the Great Race, pays homage to the century-old tale of the state. In the early 1900s, dogs were the primary means of transportation for Alaskan natives. From carrying critical goods to patrolling the wilderness via Eskimo Scouts, the sled dogs were generationally trained to wade through the snow. When a virus tore through the villages of south-central Alaska, a 10-day mission chaperoned by Leonhard Seppala delivered lifesaving serum to the coastal holdout of Nome and saved countless children.

This incident, coupled with preserving the original trail of Iditarod, became the founding principles behind the first Iditarod race, held on March 3, 1973. The Iditarod Race channels the determination and grit of mushers who once delivered the lifesaving diphtheria serum across the state. The spirit of the competition is about the selfless efforts and perseverance of the Alaskan ancestors who made civilization possible. The trail of the race stretches for about 1,200 miles, covering all the towns and villages from Anchorage to Nome. The checkpoints include famous Alaskan strongholds such as Takotna, Skwentna, Finger Lake, Rohn Roadhouse, Nikolai, and Ophir. Every participant is greeted by the crowd fashioning a festive chute.

Considered the Mecca of sled dog racing, Alaska conducts over a dozen races yearly, including the grueling thousand-mile Yukon Quest held in February. The Iditarod Race has significant cultural and economic importance for Alaska. Every year, top mushers and their dogs line up to compete in the race.

 

Others Include.

Dr. Seuss Day

International Open Data Day

International Rescue Cat Day

National Banana Cream Pie Day

National Frozen Food Day

National Old Stuff Day

National Play Outside Day

Read Across America Day

Sock Monkey Day

Texas Independence Day

World Day of Prayer

World Teen Mental Wellness Day

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