Important Events From This day in History February 2nd

USA Groundhog Day

2nd February : In weather lore, if a groundhog, also known as a woodchuck, or marmot emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, winter will continue for 6 more weeks

1989 Sky Television Launched

1989 : Sky Television Satellite Service launched by Rupert Murdoch's News International. Later after both British Sky Broadcasting and Sky Television are losing money they combine to create the current British Sky Broadcasting.

2 Feb, 1990 Apartheid

1990 : President De Klerk of South Africa lifts the 30-year ban on leading anti-apartheid group the African National Congress ( ANC ). He also stated the jailed ANC leader Nelson Mandela would be released.

1916 Zeppelins Drop Bombs

1916 : German zeppelins drop close to 400 bombs over the West Midlands the crew of a British fishing trawler later comes across the crashed remains of one of the giant airships floating in the North Sea.

1921 Ideal Town

1921 : A short article was published in a local Pennsylvania newspaper indicating what people look for in a town-especially if contemplating moving there. Ten points of consideration were outlined in regards to what people look for in a town. Four of the ten points mentioned are as follows: Attractiveness, and healthfulness (availability of adequate health care), as well as availability of education, and friendliness of people. The availability of recreation, practicality of living, accessibility of necessities, along with business and employment opportunities are also very important to most people. Additionally, the level of progressiveness of an area is one factor that people consider when relocating to a new area.

1923 Gasoline

1923 : Gasoline mixed with tetraethyl lead was sold starting this day and year. This gasoline blend was first introduced to the public by the General Motors Company.

1925 Alaska Diphtheria

1925 : A major epidemic of Diphtheria in Nome, Alaska, today received much needed diphtheria serum delivered by a team of sled dogs led by Gunnar Kasson.

1925 Sears, Roebuck Opens It's First Store

1925 : Sears opens it's first retail store in the Merchandise building ( part of it's headquarters building in Chicago ). The first retail store was just an expansion of it's existing catalog business started in the 1890's

1933 Buster Keaton

1933 : Buster Keaton was a slapstick comedy and silent film star who was fired from MGM as of this day. The reason that was given in one history report was that he was drinking excessively. A possible reason for Buster Keaton's failure to make it with MGM was the fact that it may have been hard for him to adjust working under the direction of someone else. Before this time, he had actually been able to have control over his own creativity. From the time that he had been fired until about 10 years later, Keaton had undergone more trials. For one, his wife had divorced him, and he had taken on smaller and smaller film roles. He had even ended up in a psychiatric ward (mental hospital) for awhile as well. However, he made a strong comeback in the 1950s.

2 Feb, 1933 Livestock

1933 : On this day, a new livestock board appointed by Ferguson (presumably the name of the livestock company) had decided to replace 260 old employees with new ones.

1936 Babe Ruth

1936 : Babe Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on this day. He was a famous major league baseball player for the Boston Red Sox (1914-1919) and then the New York Yankees (1920-1934). He also played for the Boston Braves (now Atlanta Braves) during his last year as a player in 1935 During Ruth's career, he had achieved much, for instance, he ranked 3rd on the all-time home run list. Part of the reason why is because he achieved a record of 60 home runs in the year 1927 Babe Ruth was also the only player to hit three home runs in two World Series appearances (1926 and 1928).

1937 White House

1937 : On this day it was reported that the White House roof was leaking, and that further rain and snow was expected to fall. Believe it or not, while this was going on Congress was still debating whether or not to spend $400 to fix it.

1937 Paducah Flood

1937 : The city of Paducah in Kentucky experienced the affect of the terrible Ohio River Flood of 1937. Waters reached as high as 60.8 feet.

1942 World War II in Norway

1942 : A Puppet government is set up in Norway following the German Occupation and Vidkun Quisling, a collaborator with the German occupiers is established as prime minister of a puppet government.

1943 WWII German Armies Surrender to Red Army

1943 : On this day, a crucial battle had been one by Allied World War II forces. The remnants of the German 6th Army surrendered to the Russians (The Red Army) in Stalingrad. This was one more decisive victory that had occurred during World War II.

1949 First 45 RPM Vinyl Record Released

1949 : The first 45 RPM vinyl record was released. It would be one of the most popular ways for music lovers to enjoy their favorite song without buying an entire record. The cassette single during the 1980s and 1990s was a comparable format.

1961 Brazil Hijacking

1961 : The nearly 600 passengers aboard the hijacked Santa Maria liner were finally landed and released in Brazil.

1964 GI Joe Launched

1964 : Following the success of the Barbie doll for girl, Hasbro launches G.I. Joe, an action figure for boys. G.I. Joe stood for "Government Issue Joe," there were four originally four figures launched - one for each branch of the Armed Forces.

1968 Richard M. Nixon

1968 : Richard M. Nixon begins his campaign for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire.

1971 Idi Amin

1971 : Major General Idi Amin declares himself president of Uganda and chief of the armed forces. Shortly after taking power he launched a genocidal program to purge Uganda of its Lango and Acholi ethnic groups and later that year, he ordered all Indians and Pakistanis to leave the country.

2 Feb, 1972 British Embassy Destroyed

1972 : The British embassy in Dublin is destroyed by crowds throwing fire bombs as retaliation over the shooting dead of 13 people in Londonderry.

1976 Groundhog Day Gale

1976 : Groundhog Day Gale strikes the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada on February 2 (Groundhog Day), the effects of the storm included a flash flood causing major flooding in Bangor, Maine.

1979 Sid Vicious

1979 : Sid Vicious died on this day from a heroin overdose. His death occurred only one day after he was bailed out of jail. He had been facing charges for the murder of his girlfriend four months earlier.

1980 FBI Operation

1980 : An FBI operation called ABSCAM was made known to the public on this day. This was a mission that was designed to uncover scandalous activity taking place within the government. As a result, a handful of members within Congress were found guilty of various crimes, such as bribery and corruption.

1987 Terry Waite

1987 : Terry Waite is kidnapped by the Islamic militia group Islamic Jihad in Lebanon.

1992 Daytona 24hrs

1992 : A race had occurred on this day called the "24 Hours of Daytona” event. This is an international competition which the Japanese had won for the first time.

2006 UN Resolution on Iran

2006 : The U.N. nuclear watchdog meets in an emergency session in Vienna. Russia and China promise to back a resolution that takes Iran to the Security Council over its disputed nuclear activities, and may lead to sanctions. The body is hoping that the resolution will be backed by the five permanent Security Council members as well as Germany. Iran has already said that it will resume uranium enrichment, and end U.N. checks, if it is reported.

2007 Humans Responsible for Climate Change

2007 : Having analyzed decades of climate data from the depths of the oceans to the stratosphere, scientists are reporting major advances in the understanding of climate change. Six years after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment, this synthesizes current understanding of global warming and projects future climate change using the most comprehensive set of global climate models.

2007 Severe Storms in Florida

2007 : At least nineteen people have died in the severe storms and tornadoes that have taken place in Florida. The State Governor has declaring a state of emergency in the four affected counties. There are fears of a higher death toll. The storms hit before dawn, and damaged hundreds of houses, leaving more than ten thousand residents people without power. All of the deaths occurred in Lake County, where some of the worst of the damage is said to have occurred.

2008 Hostile Bid For Yahoo

2008 : Microsoft has made an unsolicited offer for Yahoo offering $31-per-share which is higher than the current value of Yahoo shares on the market. This is an attempt by Microsoft to challenge Google's dominance in the Internet Advertising Market, the growth of online advertising is expected to double in the next 3 years as more people use the Internet for news and entertainment forsaking the traditional television, radio, newspapers and magazines.

2008 Romney Wins Maine Caucuses

2008 : Ex-Governor Mitt Romney has won the Maine Republican presidential caucuses by beating Senator John McCain and Texas Representative Ron Paul. Romney has won 52% of the vote in Maine, with 64% of precincts reporting. McCain is said to have received 22%, Paul 19% and Mike Huckabee 6%.

2009 Recession in California

2009 : California has started delaying $3.5 billion in payments to taxpayers, contractors, counties and social service agencies. With the governor and state lawmakers in disagreement on how to resolve California's budget problems, the controller has halted checks covering these obligations so that the state can continue funding its school system, and making its debt payments. The delay is unlikely to help California's $40 billion budget gap. There will be no tax refund money to spend, businesses won't be paid for the services they render and agencies won't receive any funds to help the needy.

2009 Shoe Thrown at Chinese Prime Minister

2009 : A protester has thrown a shoe at Wen Jiabao during his speech at Cambridge University, and called the Chinese Prime Minister a 'dictator.' The shoe landed about a meter away from its target, and the protester was removed by security guards. Mr. Jiabao, who had been signing a series of trade agreements with Gordon Brown on the final day of a three-day U.K. visit has described the incident as 'despicable.'

2010 Kraft Foods Buys Cadbury

2010 : Kraft Foods has confirmed its takeover of Cadbury after the U.K. chocolate maker's shareholders voted in favor of it. Cadbury has said it has received valid acceptances of the offer from investors, and Kraft's chief executive Irene Rosenfeld has welcomed the Cadbury employees into the Kraft Foods family. Cadbury's workers have been staging protests in London, and called upon the government to guarantee their jobs. The deadline for Cadbury shareholders to accept a $18.9 billion deal was at 1300 GMT today.

2010 Russia and U.S. Exchanged Letters on Nuclear Disarmament

2010 : Barack Obama has committed his administration to a world without nuclear weapons. The move comes in a written statement to a conference in Paris, where the U.S. and international community have been preparing for the spread of nuclear weapons. The Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has offered his own written message of support to the Global Zero conference.

2010 Lancet MMR Autism Link Withdrawn

2010 : The Lancet Medical Journal that published a 1998 paper linking Autism with the MMR vacine has issued a full retraction of the paper. The paper was discredited after findings that Dr. Wakefield was in the pay of solicitors who were acting for parents who believed their children had been harmed by MMR and therefore not an independent study.

2011 Yemen's President Announces 2013 Resignation

2011 : The President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, announced that he would step down in 2013 as a response to citizens' protests against the government in January. He also asked that the opposition to hold off on further protests. While the opposition to President Saleh accepted the news, they also stated that they would not cancel any planned activities.

2012 Artist Mike Kelley Dies

2012 : Multi-media artist Mike Kelley died at the age of 57 in Los Angeles. Kelley came to prominence in the 1980s with his artwork that featured "high-concept surrealism with a macabre twist." Police suspect that his death could be the result of a suicide and announced that an autopsy would be performed.

2012 Washington State Votes In Favor of Gay Marriage

2012 : Lawmakers in the state of Washington have voted in favor of gay marriages. The governor signed the bill into law on the 13th, meaning the law would go into effect by June 7th of 2012.

2013 French Parliament Approves Gay Marriage

2013 : Members of the French parliament voted 249-97 to approve one of the most important parts of a law that would redefine marriage as an agreement between two people and not just a man and a woman.

2014 Actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman Dies

2014 : Academy award winning actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman died at his home in New York after overdosing on drugs. Hoffman had previously spoken about his problems with drug abuse. It was revealed later that he had overdosed on a combination of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines.

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