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 2^nd day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 363 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is December 20, 2024 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,735,776,000 seconds 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.

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 27 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 4,395 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

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
• 1777 –
  American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey
• 1860 –
  The discovery of the planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France
• 1920 –
  The second Palmer Raid takes place with another 6,000 suspected communists and anarchists arrested and held without trial. These raids take place in several U.S. cities.
• 1935 –
  Bruno Hauptmann goes on trial for the murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., infant son of aviator Charles Lindbergh
• 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
• 1942 –
  World War II: Manila, Philippines is captured by Japanese forces
• 1974 –
  President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo
• 2002 –
  Eduardo Duhalde is appointed interim President of Argentina by the Legislative Assembly.

Who were born on January 2?

• 1866 –
  Prof. Gilbert Murray, Australian classical scholar (d. 1957)
• 1896 –
  Dziga Vertov, Russian filmmaker (d. 1954)
• 1897 –
  Jim Londos, Greek wrestler (d. 1975)
• 1916 –
  Zypora Spaisman, Polish-born American Yiddish theatre actress and producer (d. 2002)
• 1953 –
  Jacques Tichelaar, a Dutch politician and trade union leader
• 1971 –
  Yutaka Takenouchi, Japanese actor
• 1975 –
  Dax Shepard, American actor
• 1980 –
  Annie Bellemare, Canadian Figure Skater
• 1980 –
  Mac Danzig, American Mixed martial arts combatant
• 1986 –
  Troy Andrews, American musician

Who died on January 2?

• 1685 –
  Harbottle Grimston, English politician (b. 1603)
• 1893 –
  John Obadiah Westwood, British entomologist (b. 1805)
• 1913 –
  Léon Teisserenc de Bort, French meteorologist (b. 1855)
• 1948 –
  Vicente Huidobro, Chilean poet (b. 1893)
• 1960 –
  Paul Sauvé, Canadian politician (b. 1907)
• 1963 –
  Dick Powell, American actor (b. 1904)
• 1983 –
  Dick Emery, English comedian (b. 1915)
• 1990 –
  Alan Hale Jr., American actor (b. 1921)
• 2005 –
  Ronald ‘Bo’Ginn, American politician (b. 1934)
• 2007 –
  Dan Shaver, American racecar driver (b. 1950)