History for February 2

History for February 2 - On-This-Day.com
James Joyce 1882, George Halas 1895, Ayn Rand 1905 


James Dickey 1923, Bo Hopkins 1942, Farrah Fawcett 1947 


1653 - New Amsterdam, now known as New York City, was incorporated.


1848 - The Mexican War was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty turned over portions of land to the U.S., including Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, California and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. The U.S. gave Mexico $15,000,000 and assumed responsibility of all claims against Mexico by American citizens. Texas had already entered the U.S. on December 29, 1845.


1863 - Samuel Langhorne Clemens used a pseudonym for the first time. He is better remembered by the pseudonym which is Mark Twain.


1870 - The "Cardiff Giant" was revealed to be nothing more than carved gypsum. The discovery in Cardiff, NY, was alleged to be the petrified remains of a human.


1887 - The beginning of Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, PA.


1892 - William Painter patented the bottle cap.


1971 - Idi Amin assumed power in Uganda after a coup that ousted President Milton Obote.


1999 - Hugo Chávez Frías took office. He had been elected president of Venezuela in December 1998.