# What happened on March 2 in history?

**Date:** March 2  
**Events recorded:** 66  
**Years spanned:** 537 – 2026  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/march/2/

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## Featured Event

**2014** — The Oscar Selfie, regarded as one of the most influential and important images of all time, is taken at the 86th Academy Awards.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_selfie)

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## Events on this date

- **537** — Siege 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Rome_(537%E2%80%93538)))
- **986** — Louis V becomes the last Carolingian king of West Francia after the death of his father, Lothaire. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_V_of_France))
- **1331** — Fall of Nicaea to the Ottoman Turks after a siege. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Nicaea_(1328%E2%80%931331)))
- **1444** — Skanderbeg organizes a group of Albanian nobles to form the League of Lezhë. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skanderbeg))
- **1458** — George of Poděbrady is chosen as the king of Bohemia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_of_Pod%C4%9Bbrady))
- **1476** — Burgundian Wars: The Old Swiss Confederacy hands Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a major defeat in the Battle of Grandson in Canton of Neuchâtel. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgundian_Wars))
- **1484** — The College of Arms is formally incorporated by Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_of_Arms))
- **1498** — Vasco da Gama's fleet visits the Island of Mozambique. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_da_Gama))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_Meireki))
- **1776** — American 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War))
- **1791** — Claude Chappe demonstrates the first semaphore line near Paris. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Chappe))
- **1796** — Napoleon Bonaparte is appointed to command the Army of Italy. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon))
- **1797** — The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_England))
- **1807** — The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress))
- **1811** — Argentine War of Independence: A royalist fleet defeats a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentine_War_of_Independence))
- **1815** — Signing of the Kandyan Convention treaty by British invaders and the leaders of the Kingdom of Kandy. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandyan_Convention))
- **1836** — Texas Revolution: The Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico is adopted. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Revolution))
- **1855** — Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_II_of_Russia))
- **1859** — The two-day Great Slave Auction, once thought to be the largest such auction in United States history, begins. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Slave_Auction))
- **1864** — Ulysses S. Grant is promoted to lieutenant general, giving him command of all Union Armies. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant))
- **1865** — East Cape War: The Völkner Incident in New Zealand. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Cape_War))
- **1867** — The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_Acts))
- **1877** — Just 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutherford_B._Hayes))
- **1882** — Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Roderick Maclean in Windsor. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria))
- **1901** — United 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Steel))
- **1901** — The U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment limiting the autonomy of Cuba, as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platt_Amendment))
- **1903** — In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Washington_Hotel))
- **1917** — The enactment of the Jones–Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jones%E2%80%93Shafroth_Act))
- **1919** — The first Communist International meets in Moscow. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_International))
- **1932** — Finnish 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pehr_Evind_Svinhufvud))
- **1933** — The film King Kong premieres in Radio City Music Hall and RKO Roxy in New York City. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_(1933_film)))
- **1937** — The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_Workers_Organizing_Committee))
- **1939** — Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected Pope and takes the name Pius XII. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_(Catholic_Church)))
- **1941** — World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joins the Axis Pact. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1943** — World War II: During the Battle of the Bismarck Sea Allied aircraft defeat a Japanese attempt to ship troops to New Guinea. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bismarck_Sea))
- **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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_(United_States_O-3)))
- **1955** — Norodom Sihanouk, king of Cambodia, abdicates the throne in favor of his father, Norodom Suramarit. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norodom_Sihanouk))
- **1962** — In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d'état. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar))
- **1962** — Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilt_Chamberlain))
- **1965** — The US and Republic of Vietnam Air Force begin Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force))
- **1968** — Baggeridge Colliery closes, marking the end of over 300 years of coal mining in the Black Country. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baggeridge_Colliery))
- **1969** — In Toulouse, France, the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toulouse))
- **1970** — Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodesia))
- **1972** — The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_10))
- **1977** — Libya 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". ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libya))
- **1978** — Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Soviet or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czechoslovakia))
- **1978** — The late iconic actor Charlie Chaplin's coffin is stolen from his grave in Switzerland. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin))
- **1983** — Compact discs and players are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had previously been available only in Japan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_disc))
- **1986** — Aeroflot Flight F-77 crashes near Bugulma Airport, killing all 38 people aboard. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroflot_Flight_F-77))
- **1989** — Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Economic_Community))
- **1990** — Nelson Mandela is elected deputy president of the African National Congress. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela))
- **1991** — Establishment of Kuwait Democratic Forum, center-left political organization in Kuwait. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuwait_Democratic_Forum))
- **1991** — Battle at Rumaila oil field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumaila_oil_field))
- **1992** — Start of the war in Transnistria. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transnistrian_War))
- **1992** — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, all of which (except San Marino) were former Soviet republics, join the United Nations. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia))
- **1995** — Researchers at Fermilab announce the discovery of the top quark. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_National_Accelerator_Laboratory))
- **1995** — Space Shuttle Endeavour launches from the Kennedy Space Center on STS-67, carrying the ASTRO-2 spacelab observatory. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Endeavour))
- **1998** — Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_(spacecraft)))
- **2002** — U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins, (ending on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001%E2%80%932021)))
- **2004** — War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War))
- **2006** — In 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterrey))
- **2012** — A tornado outbreak occurs over a large section of the Southern United States and into the Ohio Valley region, resulting in 40 tornado-related fatalities. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_outbreak_of_March_2%E2%80%933%2C_2012))
- **2014** — The Oscar Selfie, regarded as one of the most influential and important images of all time, is taken at the 86th Academy Awards. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_selfie))
- **2017** — The elements Moscovium, Tennessine, and Oganesson are officially added to the periodic table at a conference in Moscow, Russia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscovium))
- **2022** — Russian 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kherson))
- **2026** — The 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. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hezbollah))

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## Notable births on March 2

- **2016** — **Prince Oscar** — Duke of Skåne ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Oscar%2C_Duke_of_Sk%C3%A5ne))
- **2006** — **Windy Zhan** — Hong Kong singer and actress ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windy_Zhan))
- **2002** — **Brooks Barnhizer** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks_Barnhizer))
- **2000** — **Bárbara Domingos** — Brazilian rhythmic gymnast ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1rbara_Domingos))
- **2000** — **Illan Meslier** — French footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illan_Meslier))
- **1999** — **Isiah Pacheco** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isiah_Pacheco))
- **1999** — **Iñaki Peña** — Spanish footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%C3%B1aki_Pe%C3%B1a))
- **1998** — **Tua Tagovailoa** — American football player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tua_Tagovailoa))
- **1997** — **Arike Ogunbowale** — American basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arike_Ogunbowale))
- **1997** — **Becky G** — American singer and actress ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becky_G))

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## Notable deaths on March 2

- **2024** — **Janice Burgess** — American television executive, screenwriter, and producer (born 1952) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janice_Burgess))
- **2024** — **Jaclyn Jose** — Filipino actress (born 1963) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaclyn_Jose))
- **2019** — **Mike Oliver** — British sociologist, disability rights activist (born 1945) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Oliver_(disability_advocate)))
- **2018** — **Billy Herrington** — American actor (born 1969) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Herrington))
- **2018** — **Lin Hu** — Chinese lieutenant general (born 1927) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Hu_(general)))
- **2016** — **Benoît Lacroix** — Canadian priest, historian, and philosopher (born 1915) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beno%C3%AEt_Lacroix))
- **2016** — **Aubrey McClendon** — American businessman (born 1959) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey_McClendon))
- **2015** — **Dean Hess** — American minister and colonel (born 1917) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Hess))
- **2015** — **Dave Mackay** — Scottish-English footballer and manager (born 1934) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Mackay))
- **2015** — **Mal Peet** — English author and illustrator (born 1947) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mal_Peet))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/march/2/](https://thisday.info/events/march/2/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.