| Arab-controlled territory on the East African coast that was part of the Indian Ocean's network of trade. Fearing the local population would be hostile to Christians, da Gama impersonated a Muslim and gained audience with the Sultan of Mozambique. With the paltry trade goods he had to offer, da Gama was unable to provide a suitable gift to the ruler, and soon the local populace began to see through the subterfuge of da Gama and his men. |
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| On March 2, 1799, the Congress of the United States enacted its first weights and measures law, citing the necessity of standards of weights and measures. Congress enacted a law requiring the surveyors of the ports to periodically check weights and measures used in import and export tax collection and to report discrepancies to the tax collector. |
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| The U.S. Congress passes an act to "prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States ... from any foreign kingdom, place, or country." The law prohibited the importation of slaves into the United States after the new year. |
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| The Steerage Act of 1819 remains Congress's most aggressive action regarding immigration prior to 1875, and the 1819 law worked to encourage immigration by ensuring safe and healthy conditions aboard passenger ships.. It also required ship captains to keep detailed passenger records. |
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| The Convention of 1836 was convened at Washington-on-the-Brazos with Richard Ellis presiding, and the Texas Declaration of Independence was enacted on March 2, 1836, effectively creating the Republic of Texas. Four days later, the thirteen day Siege of the Alamo ended as Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna's forces defeated the 183 Texans defending the small mission. Remember the Alamo! became the battle cry of the Texas Revolution. The Texans’ victory at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21 resulted in Texas's independence from Mexico. |
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| In 1861 a number of amendments were made to the Patent law. Among the more important were: the appointment of three examiners-in-chief to hear appeals from the primary examiners of any application that had been rejected twice; the changing of the term of a utility patent to seventeen years from the date of grant ; and the provision of terms of three and a half, seven, or fourteen years for design patents at the choice of the applicant. |
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| There was no overwhelming practical reason for the adoption of the 4-foot 8 1/2-inch gauge in North America. Some early locomotives, imported from Britain, had been built to travel the 4-foot 8 1/2-inch gauge established by Parliament. The balance was probably tipped in favor of the narrower gauge by President Lincoln's call, in 1862, for a railroad to link the nation from sea to sea. The resulting road was known as the Union Pacific; legislation enacted in 1864 specified a "standard" 4-foot 8 1/2-inch gauge track. |
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| Starting with just six employees as the Excelsior Needle Company manufacturing sewing machine needles. The successful business rapidly grew and by the turn of the century the firm, now known as the Torrington Company, was producing many types of needles for fabric sewing, shoemaking and knitting machines. During the 1930's the company began manufacturing bearings for the automotive and other industries. |
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| James gang (5 riders) robbed the Judge John McClain Banking House of Savannah, Missouri. Judge John McClain was shot in the arm March 2, 1867 during the attempted Savannah, Mo. robbery. No money was taken. |  |
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| The 1874 season introduced a 6-by-3 rectangular batter's box. The dimensions were increased to the present 6-by-4 box in 1886. Prior to 1874, a batter had to stand with either his forward foot or his back foot on a line drawn across the center of the home plate area. If a batter struck a pitch without having a foot on the line, the umpire simply called the resulting blow "no hit" and called the batter back to the plate. |
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| The U.S. presidential election of 1876 was perhaps the most disputed and intense presidential election in American history. Samuel J. Tilden of New York defeated Ohio's Rutherford Hayes in the popular vote, and had 184 electoral votes to Hayes' 165, with 20 votes yet uncounted. These 20 electoral votes were in dispute: in three states (Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina) each party reported its candidate had won the state, while in Oregon one elector was declared illegal (on account of being an “elected or appointed official”) and replaced. The votes were ultimately awarded to Hayes after a bitter electoral dispute. |
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| The Safety Appliance Act is a United States federal law that made air brakes and automatic couplers mandatory on all trains in the United States. It was enacted on March 2, 1893 and took effect in 1900 after a 7 year grace period. Its first section makes it unlawful, among other things, for a railroad company engaged in interstate commerce to run any train without having a sufficient number of the cars so equipped with train brakes (such as air brakes) that the engineer on the locomotive can control the speed of the train without requiring brakemen to use a hand brake for that purpose. The second section prohibits such a carrier from hauling or using on its line in moving interstate traffic any car not equipped with couplers which can be coupled and uncoupled automatically "without the necessity of men going between the ends of the cars", and the fourth section forbids the use in interstate commerce of any car not provided with secure grab irons or hand holds on the ends and sides of the car "for greater security to men in coupling and uncoupling cars." |
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| An Act of Congress on March 2, 1899 created the rank of Admiral of the Navy. It provided that when such office became vacant either by death or otherwise, the office would cease to exist. On March 24, 1903, Admiral Dewey, who held the rank of Admiral since March 8, 1899, was commissioned Admiral of the Navy, with date of rank March 2,1899, and became the only officer of the United States Navy who was ever so commissioned. |
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| On March 2, 1917 the Jones Act was approved. Under this act, citizenship was granted to people born in Puerto Rico, a bill of rights was established, and many aspects of territorial nature continued including economic and fiscal controls. |
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| Secretary Howard M. Gore appointed the Joint Board on Interstate Highways, as recommended by AASHO, on March 2, 1925. The Board was composed of 21 state highway officials and three federal Bureau of Public Roads officials. At the first meeting, on April 20 and 21, the name - U.S. Highway - was adopted. The tentative design for the U.S. Highway shield was also adopted, based on the official United States shield. |
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| $6,595.38 - The amount payable in 1927 in bi-weekly checks to Babe Ruth that added up to the record salary he earned of $70,000. Did you know that Babe Ruth hit 21 of his 60 homers in 1927 with the same bat? He carved a notch around the trademark each time he homered. |  |
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| In the original film, the character's name is Kong -- a name given to him by the inhabitants of "Skull Island" in the Indian Ocean, where Kong lived along with other over-sized animals such as snakes, pterosaurs and dinosaurs. 'King' is an appellation added by an American film crew led by Carl Denham who captures Kong and takes him to New York City to be exhibited. Kong escapes and climbs the Empire State Building searching for Fay Wray and is shot and killed by aircraft. King Kong is remembered for its pioneering special effects using stop-motion models, animatronics and evocative story. |
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| The streamliners' opulent furnishings, impeccable service and total comfort combined to lure customers back to the rail. Air conditioning, reduced noise, and a better ride distinguished these trains from the conventional steam-powered models. The City of Salina passenger train began service in 1934. |
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| In 1949, Captain James Gallagher and his 13-man US Air Force crew completed the first round-the-world non-stop flight in 94 hours in an American USAF B-50 Superfortress, the "Lucky Lady II." They landed at Fort Worth, Texas, after completing the covering 23,452-mis in 94 hrs. The plane was refueled several times in midflight. |  |
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| In 1950, Silly Putty was introduced as a toy by Peter Hodgson, a marketing consultant, who packaged one-ounce portions of the rubber-like material in plastic eggs. It could be stretched, rolled into a bouncing ball, or used to transfer colored ink from newsprint. The original discovery was made in 1943 by James Wright who combined silicone oil and boric acid at the laboratories of General Electric. He was researching methods of making synthetic rubber, but at the time no significant application existed for the material. However, it was passed around as a curiosity. Hodgson saw a sample and realized its potential simply for entertainment and coined its name for marketing it as a toy. Its popularity made him a millionaire. |
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| A crowd of 10,094 flocked to Boston Garden to watch 20 of the NBA's finest compete in the first All-Star Game. The East had little trouble taking it, 111-94, as "Easy Ed" Macauley of the Boston Celtics won the MVP trophy. Macauley not only scored a game-high 20 points, but he also held George Mikan of the Minneapolis Lakers to only 4 field goals. Top man for the West was Alex Groza of the Indianapolis Olympians with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Joe Fulks of the Philadelphia Warriors contributed 19 points for the winners. |
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| William Inge, described by the playwright as “a composite picture of various kinds of love.” In a small restaurant in Kansas, four passengers and the driver of a west-bound bus await the reopening of the highway closed by a blizzard.” What unfolds is an exploration of the bounds of acceptable behavior in the middle America of that time. |  |
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| Hunter was signed to a contract at Warner Brothers and re-named "Tab Hunter" by his first agent, Henry Willson. His good looks got him pegged as a teen idol. He landed a role in the film “Island of Desire” opposite Linda Darnell. Although he believed that he had a mediocre singing voice, he had a 1957 hit record with a cover of the Sonny James song, "Young Love," which was #1 for Hunter for over a month. Hunter's success led Warner Brothers to form Warner Bros Records. |
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| Planning for the expedition began in 1953, and envisioned the use of Sno-Cat tractors to cross the continent in 100 days, starting at Weddell Sea, ending at Ross Sea, and crossing the South Pole. Sir Vivian Fuchs and his party arrived at Antarctica in January 1957 after camp had been set up. The party departed from Shackleton Base on November 24, 1957. During the voyage, a variety of scientific data were collected from seismic soundings and gravimetric readings. Scientists established the thickness of ice at the pole, and the existence of a land mass beneath the ice. On March 2, 1958, Fuchs and company completed the 99-day trip, having travelled 2,158 miles. |
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| Wilt ‘The Stilt’ Chamberlain scored 100 points and broke an NBA record as the Philadelphia Warriors beat the New York Knicks 169-147. Chamberlain broke NBA marks for the most field goal attempts (63), most field goals made (36), most free throws made (28), most points in a half (59), most field goal attempts in a half (37), most field goals made in a half (22), and most field goal attempts in one quarter (21). The 316 total points scored tied an NBA record. While a home game for the Knicks, the game was played in Hershey, PA. Few reporters made the trip. |
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| "Walk Like a Man" was recorded under extraordinary circumstances - they recorded it in a burning building! According to guitarist Vinne Bell, their producer, Bob Crewe, locked the door to the studio (a standard practice on recording day), then after a while - and a couple of bad takes - the musicians smelled smoke and there was a pounding on the studio door. Crewe refused to unlock it, even though plaster was falling from the ceiling, because he wanted one more take to perfect the song. The musicians were afraid of electrocution as water leaked into the studio. The session ended when firemen axed open the studio door and knocked Crewe to the floor in the process. |
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| Initially, the movie "A Hard Day's Night," was conceived as a film to be seen only in the United Kingdom, and other smaller countries. This low-cost black and white production was designed so that The Beatles could be seen in some of the smaller towns that The Beatles either could not nor would ever visit in person. The Beatles were approached to do a film in the Fall of 1963, back when their fame had hardly spread much further than England. When filming began, there was no title for the film. Suggested titles were "On The Move," "Let's Go," and "Beatlemania," but The Beatles rejected these. Once after a concert, following a long day that started early in the morning, Ringo went outside and still thinking it was day, said, "It's been a hard day, (then looked around and saw it was dark out and said) "day's night," and the title was born. |
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| The opening sequence of The Sound of Music is a much-heralded, breath-taking piece of film-making. With a sweeping aerial view, the film opens with a left-to-right camera pan through the clouds and across rocky, snow-covered mountains. The camera dips into a green, wooded valley with steep cliffs that descend into a snow-fed lake. The sentimental, entertaining musical was nominated for ten Academy Awards, and came away with five major wins: Best Picture and Best Director (Robert Wise), Best Sound, Best Score (Irwin Kostal), and Best Film Editing (William Reynolds). Its other five nominations were for Best Actress (Julie Andrews who lost to Julie Christie in Darling), Best Supporting Actress (Peggy Wood), Best Color Cinematography (Ted McCord), Best Color Art Direction/Set Decoration, and Best Color Costume Design. |
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| The C-5 Galaxy is a heavy-cargo transport designed to provide massive strategic airlift, for deployment and supply of combat and support forces. Both nose and rear doors open the full width and height of the cargo compartment, allowing drive-through loading and unloading of wheeled and tracked vehicles, and faster, easier loading of bulky equipment. A "kneeling" landing gear system lowers the aircraft's cargo floor to truck-bed height. Thirty-six fully loaded pallets can be loaded aboard in about 90 minutes. The Galaxy's weight is distributed on its high flotation landing gear, which has 28 wheels. The Galaxy has 12 integral wing tanks with a capacity of 51,150 gallons (194,370 liters) of fuel - enough to fill 6 1/2 regular-size railroad tank cars. |
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| In 1965 Mauriat established "Le Grand Orchestre de Paul Mauriat" and released hundreds of recordings and compilations through the Philips label for the next 28 years. He is best known for his masterpiece 1968 "L'Amour est bleu" ("Love is Blue"), written by André Popp and originally recorded by Vicky Leandros,which was a number one hit in the United States. |  |
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| On March 2, the first prototype of the Concorde supersonic aircraft made its maiden flight. The Concorde was the product of a joint venture of the British and French Aerospace Industries. Ovwer twenty years passed between the time initial design work began and the Concord entered commercial service. It entered service in 1975. Its small capacity of only 128 passengers limited its viability and the last Concord was scheduled to fly in October 2003. |
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| The massive Boeing 747 was the world's first jumbo jet. American Airlines first introduced the 747 in March 1970. While American used the 747 to carry passengers for only a few years, it served as an all-cargo aircraft for longer. This oversized aircraft was capable of carrying oversized cargo such as one of San Francisco's famous streetcars. |
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| Wonder’s Innervisions album blew apart the boundaries between pop, rock and soul and as a concept album on the state of contemporary society, it ranks with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On as the pinnacle of socially conscious R&B. Wonder topped the charts with the insistent, driving funk of Superstition for a second No.1 single while the mellow, jazz-tinged You Are The Sunshine Of My Life would go on to become a pop standard. |
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| Canadian singer Terry Jacks was in the duo The Poppy Family with his wife, Susan. After their divorce,Terry worked on a session with the Beach Boys, where he suggested this song. The Beach Boys recorded it but decided not to release it. Terry released this on his own label, Goldfish Records, and was amazed when it became the largest-selling single in Canadian history -- more than 285,000 copies sold in a matter of weeks. Worldwide, the figure is over six million. |
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| In response to a public outcry against the dismissal of Cox, President Nixon appointed a new special prosecutor, Leon Jaworksi, and released to Judge Sirica the tapes of the Watergate conversations subpoenaed by Cox. Jaworski subsequently obtained indictments and convictions against several high-ranking administration officials; one of the grand juries investigating the Watergate affair named Nixon as an unindicted coconspirator and turned its evidence over to the Judiciary Committee. |
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| A 1976 Broadway hit, "Bubbling Brown Sugar" recreates the night life of the 1920's - when they drank "scotch in teacups" and bathtub gin - and the 1930's, from downtown speak-easies to the Savoy Ballroom and Small's Paradise uptown. |  |
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| In 1977 Leno made his first appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." After many return appearances there and on its associated show "Late Night with David Letterman," Leno became the Tonight Show's exclusive guest host in September 1987. |  |
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| Soyuz 28 was a manned Soviet was launched March 2, 1978, and was the third mission to dock with Salyut 6. Vladimír Remek was also the first person who was launch into space who was not a citizen of the United States or the Soviet Union. The mission was mostly for propaganda purposes. The four crew on Salyut 6 received messages from Leonid Brezhnev and Gustáv Husák, the leader of Czechoslovakia. It was hoped that the Intercosmos flights would help prop up some of the failing communist regimes in the Eastern Bloc. |
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| A Compact Disc (CD) is an optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio. An audio compact disc consists of one or more stereo tracks stored using 16-bit PCM coding at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz. Standard compact discs have a diameter of 120 mm or 80 mm. The 120 mm discs can hold approximately 80 minutes of audio. |
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| "Careless Whisper" was Epic Records first million selling single and it was George Michael's biggest selling single in the UK, either as a solo artist or with Wham! selling 1,365,995 copies. In the US, this was credited to "Wham featuring George Michael." Andrew Ridgeley (the other half of Wham!) helped write it, but Michael was being groomed for a solo career and the record company wanted to get his name out. |
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1498 Vasco da Gama's fleet visits
Mozambique Island
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1799 Congress standardizes US weights & measures
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1807 US slave importation forbidden
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1819 US passed its first immigration law
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1836 Republic of Texas declares independence from
Mexico
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1861 The Patent Act of 1861 increased term of
a patent grant from 14 to 17 years
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1863 Congress authorizes track width of 4'8 1/2"
for Union Pacific RR
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1866 The Excelsior Needle Company began making
sewing machine needles
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1867 Jesse James-gang robs bank in Savannah MO,
1 dead
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1874 Baseball batter's box is officially adopted
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1877 Rutherford B Hayes (R) declared President
despite losing the popular vote
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1893 First federal railroad legislation passed;
required safety features
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1899 George Dewey becomes first in US with rank
of Admiral of the Navy
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1917 Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship
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1925 Nationwide road numbering system & US
shield marker adopted
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1927 Babe Ruth becomes highest paid baseball player
($70,000 per year)
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1930 Harry Kuchins made the first indoor glider
flight inside the St. Louis, Mo, Terminal Building
1933 "King Kong" premieres at Radio
City Music Hall & RKO Roxy NYC
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1934 Union Pacific tests light-weight high-speed
passenger train, Omaha
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1940 First intercollegiate track meet telecast
(W2XBS-TV), Madison Square Garden, NYC
1949 First automatic street light (New Milford
CT)
1949 Lucky Lady II
completes first nonstop round-the-world flight
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1950 Silly Putty invented
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1951 First NBA All-Star Game: East beats West
111-94 at Boston
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1955 William Inge's "Bus Stop" premieres
at the Music Box Theater in New York
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1957 Teenage heartthrob Tab Hunter’s song
"Young Love" was number one in the US
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1958 First surface crossing of Antarctic continent
is completed in 99 days
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1962 Chamberlain scores 100 points as the Philadelphia
Warriors beat the New York Knicks 169-147
More ...
1963 "Walk Like a Man" by the Four Seasons
topped the charts
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1964 Beatles begin filming "A Hard Day's
Night"
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1965 "Sound Of Music" opens
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1968 USAF displays Lockheed C-5A Galaxy, biggest
plane in the world
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1968 "Love Is Blue" by Paul Mauriat
topped the charts
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1969 First test flight of the supersonic Concorde
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1970 American Airlines first flight of Boeing
747
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1974 Stevie Wonder wins Grammys for
"Innervisions," "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" & "Superstition"
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1974 "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks
topped the charts
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1974 Grand jury concludes President Nixon is involved
in Watergate cover-up
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1976 "Bubbling Brown Sugar" opens at
ANTA Theater NYC for 766 performances
More ...
1976 Walt Disney World logged its 50 millionth
guest
1977 Future Tonight Show host Jay Leno debuts
with host Johnny Carson
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1978 Soyuz 28 carries 2 cosmonauts (1 Czechoslovakian)
to Salyut 6
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1983 Compact Disc recordings developed by Phillips
& Sony introduced
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1985 "Careless Whisper" by George Michael
topped the charts
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