What are the important events that happened on January 2? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
January 2: Facts & Myths About This Day
January 2 is the 2nd day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 364 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is December 20, 2023 – a Tuesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 473,376 hours has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘digon’ day.
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Capricorn is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 39 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,029 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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January 2 Historical Events
- 533 –Mercurius becomes Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy
- 1492 –Reconquista: the emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders
- 1871 –Amadeus I becomes King of Spain
- 1942 –The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) convicts 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history—the Duquesne Spy Ring
- 1945 –World War II: Nuremberg, Germany (in German, Nürnberg) is severely bombed by Allied forces
- 1949 –Luis Muñoz Marín becomes the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico
- 1999 –A brutal snowstorm smashes into the Midwestern United States, causing 14 inches (359 mm) of snow in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and 19 inches (487 mm) in Chicago, Illinois, where temperatures plunge to -13 °F (-25 °C); 68 deaths are reported
- 2001 –Sila María Calderón becomes the first female Governor of Puerto Rico
- 2002 –Eduardo Duhalde is appointed interim President of Argentina by the Legislative Assembly.
- 2004 –Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.
Who were born on January 2?
- 1837 –Mily Balakirev, Russian composer (d. 1910)
- 1904 –Truus Klapwijk, Dutch diver and freestyle swimmer(d. 1991)
- 1920 –Isaac Asimov, American author and biochemistry professor (d. 1992)
- 1928 –Daisaku Ikeda, Japanese writer
- 1928 –Robert Goralski, American journalist (d. 1988)
- 1947 –Jack Hanna, American zoologist
- 1969 –Róbert Švehla, Slovak ice hockey player
- 1971 –Yutaka Takenouchi, Japanese actor
- 1976 –Hrysopiyi Devetzi, Greek triple jumper
- 1980 –Jérôme Pineau, French cyclist
Who died on January 2?
- 1726 –Domenico Zipoli, Italian composer (b. 1688)
- 1893 –John Obadiah Westwood, British entomologist (b. 1805)
- 1920 –Paul Adam, French novelist (b. 1862)
- 1950 –James Dooley, Premier of New South Wales (b. 1877)
- 1951 –Sir William Campion, Governor of Western Australia (b. 1870)
- 1998 –Frank Muir, English writer, raconteur (b. 1920)
- 1999 –Rolf Liebermann, Swiss composer (b. 1910)
- 2002 –Armi Aavikko, Finnish singer (b. 1958)
- 2005 –Cyril Fletcher, British comedian (b. 1913)
- 2008 –George MacDonald Fraser, British author (b. 1925)
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