Osun Defender History Corner: February 2 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip in the realm of flashback and recall some events that marked this day.

February 2, 962

Pope John XII crowns German king Otto I the Great Holy Roman Emperor.

February 2, 1653

New Amsterdam (later New York City) is incorporated.

February 2, 1848

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the Mexican-American War.

February 2, 1887
In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the first Groundhog Day is observed.

February 2, 1925

Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska, with diphtheria serum, saving the town from an epidemic.

February 2, 1935

Leonarde Keeler administers polygraph tests to two murder suspects, the first time the lie detector is used in court.

February 2, 1943

Battle of Stalingrad: The Soviet Union announces the liberation of the city.

February 2, 1945

World War II: The Yalta Conference between the leaders of the Allied powers begins.

February 2, 1971

Idi Amin replaces President Milton Obote as leader of Uganda in a military coup.

February 2, 1980

Reports surface that FBI and CIA had investigated possible Soviet infiltration of the American political system.

February 2, 1990

South African President F.W. de Klerk announces the end of apartheid and promises to release Nelson Mandela.

February 2, 1998

A Cebu Pacific Flight 387 DC-9-32 crashes into a mountain near Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, killing 104.

February 2, 2002

The 19th Winter Olympics opens in Salt Lake City, Utah.

February 2, 2004

Swiss tennis player Roger Federer becomes the world No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time.

February 2, 2011

A winter storm hits North America, leaving over two million people without power.

February 2, 2012

The ferry MV Rabaul Queen sinks off the coast of Papua New Guinea, resulting in the deaths of at least 162 people.

February 2, 2014

The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics takes place in Sochi, Russia.

February 2, 2019

The United States withdraws from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with Russia.

February 2, 2020

The Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV, defeating the San Francisco 49ers.

February 2, 2021

NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance successfully lands on Mars.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on February 2. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.