Vintage News · Odd history for February 2

What Happened On February 2

Q: What happened on February 2?

2007: Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy. 1954: The Detroit Red Wings played in the first outdoor hockey game by any NHL team in an exhibition against the Marquette Branch Prison Pirates in Marquette, Michigan. 1725: J. S. Bach led the first performance of his chorale cantata Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125, based on Luther's paraphrase of the Nunc dimittis. 1659: Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, produced the first bottle of South African wine. 1959: Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances. 1887: In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog Day is observed. 1870: The Seven Brothers (Seitsemän veljestä), a novel by Finnish author Aleksis Kivi, is published first time in several thin booklets. 1814: The last of the River Thames frost fairs comes to an end. 1797: The siege of Mantua ends after eight months when Count Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser surrenders the fortress of Mantua to Napoleon Bonaparte. The fall of Mantua secures French control over Northern Italy and marks the beginning of the conclusion of the Italian campaign of 1796-1797, and sets the stage for the end of the War of the First Coalition. 1725: J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his chorale cantata Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125, based on Luther's paraphrase of the Nunc dimittis.

54 events and 335 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 2 February →

February 1 February 3

10 odd things that happened on February 2

2007 Oddly true
Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1954 First ever
The Detroit Red Wings played in the first outdoor hockey game by any NHL team in an exhibition against the Marquette Branch Prison Pirates in Marquette, Michigan.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1725 First ever
J. S. Bach led the first performance of his chorale cantata Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125, based on Luther's paraphrase of the Nunc dimittis.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1659 First ever
Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, produced the first bottle of South African wine.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1959 Weird
Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1887 First ever
In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog Day is observed.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1870 First ever
The Seven Brothers (Seitsemän veljestä), a novel by Finnish author Aleksis Kivi, is published first time in several thin booklets.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1814 Oddly true
The last of the River Thames frost fairs comes to an end.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1797 First ever
The siege of Mantua ends after eight months when Count Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser surrenders the fortress of Mantua to Napoleon Bonaparte. The fall of Mantua secures French control over Northern Italy and marks the beginning of the conclusion of the Italian campaign of 1796-1797, and sets the stage for the end of the War of the First Coalition.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1725 First ever
J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his chorale cantata Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125, based on Luther's paraphrase of the Nunc dimittis.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2025Slovenian NBA player Luka Doncic is traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis in one of the largest trades in American sports history. Wikipedia →
2021The Burmese military establishes the State Administration Council, the military junta, after deposing the democratically elected government in the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état. Wikipedia →
2012The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea near the Finschhafen District, with an estimated 146–165 dead. Wikipedia →
2007Police officer Filippo Raciti is killed when a clash breaks out in the Sicily derby between Catania and Palermo, in the Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. This event led to major changes in stadium regulations in Italy. Wikipedia →
2005The Government of Canada introduces the Civil Marriage Act. This legislation would become law on July 20, 2005, legalizing same-sex marriage. Wikipedia →
2004Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the No. 1 ranked men's singles player, a position he will hold for a record 237 weeks. Wikipedia →
2000First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments. Wikipedia →
1998Cebu Pacific Flight 387 crashes into Mount Sumagaya in the Philippines, killing all 104 people on board. Wikipedia →
1990Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela. Wikipedia →
1989Soviet–Afghan War: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul. Wikipedia →
1987After the 1986 People Power Revolution, the Philippines enacts a new constitution. Wikipedia →
1982Hama massacre: The government of Syria attacks the town of Hama. Wikipedia →
1980Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation. Wikipedia →
1971Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda. Wikipedia →
1971The international Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands is signed in Ramsar, Mazandaran, Iran. Wikipedia →
1966Pakistan suggests a six-point agenda with Kashmir after the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965. Wikipedia →
1959Nine experienced ski hikers in the northern Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union die under mysterious circumstances. Wikipedia →
1954The Detroit Red Wings played in the first outdoor hockey game by any NHL team in an exhibition against the Marquette Branch Prison Pirates in Marquette, Michigan. Wikipedia →
1943World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city. Wikipedia →
1942The Osvald Group is responsible for the first, active event of anti-Nazi resistance in Norway, to protest the inauguration of Vidkun Quisling. Wikipedia →
1935Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time polygraph evidence was admitted in U.S. courts. Wikipedia →
1934The Export-Import Bank of the United States is incorporated. Wikipedia →
1925Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod race. Wikipedia →
1922Ulysses by James Joyce is published. Wikipedia →
1922The uprising called the "pork mutiny" starts in the region between Kuolajärvi and Savukoski in Finland. Wikipedia →
1920The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia. Wikipedia →
1913Grand Central Terminal opens in New York City. Wikipedia →
1909The Paris Film Congress opens, an attempt by European producers to form an equivalent to the MPPC cartel in the United States. Wikipedia →
1901Funeral of Queen Victoria. Wikipedia →
1899The Australian Premiers' Conference held in Melbourne decides to locate Australia's capital city, Canberra, between Sydney and Melbourne. Wikipedia →
1887In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog Day is observed. Wikipedia →
1881The sentences of the trial of the warlocks of Chiloé are imparted. Wikipedia →
1876The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed. Wikipedia →
1870The Seven Brothers (Seitsemän veljestä), a novel by Finnish author Aleksis Kivi, is published first time in several thin booklets. Wikipedia →
1868Pro-Imperial forces capture Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa shogunate and burn it to the ground. Wikipedia →
1850Brigham Young declares war on Timpanogos in the Battle at Fort Utah. Wikipedia →
1848Mexican–American War: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed. Wikipedia →
1814The last of the River Thames frost fairs comes to an end. Wikipedia →
1797The siege of Mantua ends after eight months when Count Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser surrenders the fortress of Mantua to Napoleon Bonaparte. The fall of Mantua secures French control over Northern Italy and marks the beginning of the conclusion of the Italian campaign of 1796-1797, and sets the stage for the end of the War of the First Coalition. Wikipedia →
1725J. S. Bach leads the first performance of his chorale cantata Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125, based on Luther's paraphrase of the Nunc dimittis. Wikipedia →
1709Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island, inspiring Daniel Defoe's adventure book Robinson Crusoe. Wikipedia →
1653New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated. Wikipedia →
1645Wars of the Three Kingdoms: In Scotland, the Battle of Inverlochy results in a Royalist/Irish victory. Wikipedia →
1536Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina. Wikipedia →
1461Wars of the Roses: The Battle of Mortimer's Cross results in the death of Owen Tudor. Wikipedia →
1438Nine leaders of the Transylvanian peasant revolt are executed at Torda. Wikipedia →
1428An intense earthquake struck the Principality of Catalonia, with the epicenter near Camprodon. Widespread destruction and heavy casualties were reported. Wikipedia →
1347Byzantine Empress Anna convenes a synod to depose patriarch Joseph XIV in Constantinople. The same night, conspirators let in her rival John VI Kantakouzenos which ends the Byzantine civil war of 1341–1347. Wikipedia →
1207Terra Mariana, eventually comprising present-day Latvia and Estonia, is established. Wikipedia →
1141The Battle of Lincoln, at which Stephen, King of England is defeated and captured by the allies of Empress Matilda. Wikipedia →
1032Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor becomes king of Burgundy. Wikipedia →
962Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor in nearly 40 years. Wikipedia →
880Battle of Lüneburg Heath: King Louis III of France is defeated by the Norse Great Heathen Army at Lüneburg Heath in Saxony. Wikipedia →
506Alaric II, eighth king of the Visigoths, promulgates the Breviary of Alaric (Breviarium Alaricianum or Lex Romana Visigothorum), a collection of "Roman law". Wikipedia →

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.