March 2 is the 61st day of the year the 62nd in leap years there are 304 days remaining until the end of the year.
1791 Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.
1797 The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
1807 The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.
1819 Territory of Arkansas organized
1819 U.S. passed its 1st immigration law
1822 Christian Friedrich Hermann Uber, composer, dies at 40
1825 1st grand opera in U.S. sung in English, New York City
1836 Texas Revolution: Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico.
1853 Territory of Washington organized after separating from Oregon Territory
1855 Aleksandr Romanov becomes tsar of Russia
1861 U.S. creates Dakota and Nevada Territories out of the Nebraska and Utah territories
1861 The U.S. Government Printing Office purchases 1st printing plant in Washington
1865 “Morning Chronicle” a British newspaper begins publishing
1863 Congress authorizes track width of 4’8″ for Union Pacific Railroad
1866 1st U.S. company to make sewing needles by machine incorporated, Connecticut
1867 U.S. Congress creates the Department of Education
1867 Jesse James-gang robs bank in Savannah Missouri, 1 dead
1867 The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act.
1868 Carl Eberwein, composer, dies at 81
1874 Baseball batter’s box is officially adopted
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. Tilden had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876, but is one vote shy of the necessary electoral vote
1882 Louis Kufferath, composer, dies at 70
1887 American Trotting Association organized in Detroit
1887 Wilhelm Troszel, composer, dies at 63
1895 Berthe MP Morisot, French painter/aquarelliste, dies at 54
1903 In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.
1904 “Official Playing Rules of Professional Base Ball Clubs” adopted
1917 The enactment of the Jones-Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
1923 Time Magazine publishes it’s first issue
1925 Japan’s House of Representatives recognizes male suffrage
1927 Babe Ruth becomes highest paid baseball player ($70,000 per year)
1930 David H Lawrence, poet and writer (Lady Chatterley’s Lover), dies at 44
1933 The film King Kong opens at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.
1934 Union Pacific tests light-weight high-speed passenger train, Omaha
1937 The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry.
1937 Gustav Wohlgemuth, composer, dies at 73
1938 Ben Harney, died on this day an American composer and pianist (b. 1871)
1939 Massachusetts Legislature vote to ratify the Bill of Rights – 147 years late
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.
1949 1st automatic street light (New Milford, Ct)
1953 The Academy Awards are first broadcast on television by NBC.
1958 Marilynn Smith wins LPGA Jacksonville Golf Open
1959 Yrlo Henrik Kilpinen, Finnish composer, dies at 67
1961 “13 Daughters” opens at 54th St. Theater New York City for 28 performances
1962 Wilt Chamberlain scores an NBA-record 100 points to lead the Philadelphia Warriors to a 169-147 triumph over the New York Knicks. Chamberlain scores 59 second-half points and 28 points from the free-throw line for records. Both teams combine for 316 points to surpass the record of 312 set by Boston-Minneapolis on Feb. 27, 1959.
1967 Gordon Harker, actor (Inspector Hornleigh), dies at 81
1969 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 14th Symphony
1969 Phil Esposito becomes 1st NHL Player to score 100 points in a season
1969 1st test flight of the supersonic Concorde
1970 1st commercial flight of a Boeing 747 American Airlines
1972 Bill Lawrence, news anchor (ABC), dies at 56
1974 Grand jury concludes President Nixon is involved in Watergate cover-up
1975 Jean Kurt Forest, composer, dies at 65
1976 Walt Disney World logged its 50 millionth guest
1976 “Bubbling Brown Sugar” opens at ANTA Theater New York City for 766 performances
1977 1st time Jay Leno appears on Tonight Show with host Johnny Carson
1979 Edith Craig, actress (Harmony Lane, Smashing Rackets), dies at 71
1980 Jan Stephenson wins LPGA Sun City Golf Classic
1981 Janear Hines, actress (Roberta-Julia), dies at 30
1981 Howard Stern begins broadcasting on WWDC in Washington D.C.
1983 Compact Disc recordings developed by Phillips and Sony introduced
1984 Louis Basile, actor (Louie-The Super), dies at 48
1985 Michael Redgrave, actor (Goodbye Mr. Chips), dies at 77 of Parkinson’s
1986 1st million-dollar purse for a handicap race won at Santa Anita
1987 Randolph Scott, actor (Ft. Worth, Gung Ho, Jesse James), dies at 89 (b. 1898)
1989 Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” premieres on worldwide Pepsi commercial
1990 Nelson Mandela is elected deputy President of the African National Congress.
1991 “Aspects of Love” closes at Broadhurst Theater New York City after 377 performances
1991 “La Bete” closes at Eugene O’Neill Theater New York City after 24 performances
1991 North Carolina State Chris Corchiani becomes 1st NCAAer to get 1,000 assists
1991 Serge Gainsbourg, composer/actor (Fury of Hercules), dies at 62
1991 Deb Richard wins LPGA Women’s Kemper Golf Open
1992 Sandy Dennis passed away on this day, American actress (b. 1937)
1993 Paul D Zimmerman, U.S. screenwriter (King of Comedy), dies at 54
1994 Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh promises to surrender if taped statement is broadcasted, it is, but he doesn’t
1995 “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” opens at Virginia Theater New York City
1995 Hugo Cole, musician/critic, dies at 77
1995 Vladislav Listyev, TV journalist, dies at 48
1997 Saudi Arab billionaire Prince al-Waleed bin Talal aquires 5% of Apple Computer
1997 Nick Faldo wins Nissan Golf Open
1997 Gail Graham wins LPGA Alpine Australian Ladies Masters
1998 Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter’s moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.
1999 David Ackles, American singer and songwriter (b. 1937)
1999 Dusty Springfield died on this day, English singer (b. 1939)
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).
2003 Hank Ballard, American musician died on this day (b. 1927)
2003 Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer passed away on this day (b. 1931)
2004 War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.
2005 Martin Denny, American musician (b. 1911)
2006 Milton Katims, American violist and conductor (b. 1909)
2008 Jeff Healey, Canadian musician (b. 1966)
2004 Mercedes McCambridge, actress, The Exorcist, dies at 85
2011 In his book ‘Jesus of Nazareth Part II’, Pope Benedict XVI exonerates the Jewish people for the responsibility of the death of Jesus
1555 Ludovico Spontoni, composer
1755 Antoine-Frederic Gresnick, composer
1759 Johann Christian Friedrich Haeffner, composer
1793 Samuel Houston, 1st president of Texas, 1836-38, 1841-44
1813 George Alexander Macfarren, composer
1815 Antonio Buzzolla, composer
1838 David Duffle Wood, composer
1884 Leon Jongen, composer
1893 Maxime Dumoulin, composer
1909 Hanoch Jacoby, composer
1914 Martin Ritt, American Actor
1916 Bernard George Stevens, composer
1915 Lona Andre, actress, Case of Baby Sitter
1917 John Gardner, composer
1917 Desi Arnaz, born in Santiago Cuba, actor and bandleader (d. 1986)
1919 Eddie Lawrence, comedian
1919 Jennifer Jones, Phyllis Isley, born in Oklahoma, actress, Farewell to Arms
1919 Tamara Toumanova, dancer
1920 Enrique Franco, composer
1921 Robert Wilfred Levick Simpson, composer
1921 Ernst Haas, Austrian Photographer
1922 Eric Feldbush, composer
1922 Mario Zafred, composer
1922 Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, American jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1986)
1923 “Doc” Watson, bluegrass musician
1927 Siegfried Kohler, composer
1927 Witold Szalonec, composer
1928 Philip K. Dick, writer of Blade Runner, Minority Report
1930 John Cullum, born in Knoxville, actor, Hamlet, Hawaii, Northern Exposure
1931 Tom Wolfe, Richmond Virginia, journalist and author of “The Right Stuff”
1934 Bernard Rands, born in Sheffield, England, composer, Wildtrack
1935 Al Waxman, born in Toronto, Canada, actor, Cagney and Lacey, Meatballs 3, Spasms
1938 Simon Estes, born in Centerville, Iowa, bass/baritone, Wonton, Don Carlos
1938 Lawrence Payton, American singer and songwriter (The Four Tops) (d. 1997)
1939 Gerard van Tongeren, Dutch singer, Buffoons
1942 Tony Meehan, born in New End, England, born Daniel Joseph Anthony Meehan, musician, drummer, founding member of the Shadows with Hank Marvin, Bruce Welch, Jet Harris
1942 Luc Plamondon, Canadian lyricist
1942 Lou Reed, Firbank, Freeport, New York, rock vocalist in the Velvet Underground
1943 Geogre Benson, jazz/blues guitarist
1943 Tony Meehan, English drummer (The Shadows) (d. 2005)
1944 Leif Segerstam, born in Vaasa, Finland, composer, chief conductor, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra 1995 – 2007, professor Sibelius Academy
1948 Larry Carlton, American guitarist
1948 Rory Gallagher, Irish guitarist (d. 1995)
1950 Karen Carpenter, born in New Haven, Connecticut, vocalist and drummer (The Carpenters) (d. 1983)
1953 William Simmons, sax/keyboardist, Midnight Star-No Parking
1955 Dale Bozzio, Boston, vocalist, Missing Persons-Destination Unknown
1955 Dale Bosworth, TV host, America’s Most Wanted
1955 Jay Osmond, born in Ogden musician (The Osmonds)
1956 John Cowsill, born in Newport, Rhode Island, rock drummer, Cowsills-We Can Fly
1956 Mark Evans born in Melbourne, Australia, rock bassist, AC/DC
1959 Larry Stewart, born in Paducah, Kentucky, country singer, Restless Heart-Wheels
1959 Andrew Farriss, born in Australia, rock keyboardist, Inxs-Kiss the Dirt
1960 Debra Marshall, American professional wrestler and manager
1962 Jon Bon Jovi, born in Sayreville, New Jersey
1962 Al Del Greco, American football player
1963 Tuff Hedeman, American bull rider
1963 Tanyu Kiryakov, Bulgarian pistol shooter
1964 Mike Von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1987)
1964 Megan Leigh, American porn star (d. 1990)
1966 Stevie Rachelle, rock vocalist, Tuff-What Comes Around Goes Around
1971 Amber Smith, American actress and model
1973 Paul Popowich, actor, Tommy Tricker and Stamp Traveler
1976 Glenn Rubenstein, American writer and journalist
1977 Chris Martin, born in Exeter, England, singer, songwriter, musician, member and lead vocalist of Coldplay band, married to Gwyneth Paltrow
1977 Heather McComb, American actress
1979 Amanda Ireton, American reality TV figure
1980 Lance Cade, American professional wrestler (d. 2010)
1980 Sunny Lane, American pornographic actress
1980 Vincent Walker, American musician (Suburban Legends)
1981 Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
1982 Jessica Biel, born in Ely, Minnesota, actress
1984 Elizabeth Jagger, English model and actress
1985 Robert Iler, American actor
1985 Luke Pritchard, British singer (The Kooks)