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, 1,704,153,600 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 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
- 366 –The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire
- 1900 –John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China
- 1905 –Russo-Japanese War: The Russian garrison surrenders at Port Arthur, China
- 1941 –World War II: German bombing severely damages the Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
- 1942 –World War II: Manila, Philippines is captured by Japanese forces
- 1945 –World War II: Nuremberg, Germany (in German, Nürnberg) is severely bombed by Allied forces
- 1992 –Leaders of armed opposition declare the President Zviad Gamsakhurdia deposed during a military coup in Georgia.
- 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
- 2006 –An explosion in a coal mine in Sago, West Virginia traps and kills 12 miners, while leaving one miner in critical condition.
Who were born on January 2?
- 1699 –Osman III, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1757)
- 1909 –Barry M. Goldwater, American politician (d. 1998)
- 1942 –Ray Moore, Radio 2 DJ (d. 1989)
- 1948 –Judith Miller, American journalist
- 1949 –Christopher Durang, American playwright
- 1952 –Graeme Strachan, Australian rock singer (Skyhooks) (d. 2001)
- 1969 –Robby Gordon, American racing driver
- 1971 –Yutaka Takenouchi, Japanese actor
- 1978 –Karina Smirnoff, Ukrainian-American professional ballroom dancer
- 1988 –Jonny Evans, Northern Irish footballer
Who died on January 2?
- 1726 –Domenico Zipoli, Italian composer (b. 1688)
- 1904 –James Longstreet, American Confederate general (b. 1821)
- 1946 –Joe Darling, Australian cricketer (b. 1870)
- 1963 –Jack Carson, American actor (b. 1910)
- 1977 –Erroll Garner, American musician (b. 1921)
- 1996 –Karl Targownik, Hungarian psychiatrist (b. 1915)
- 2007 –Mauno Jokipii, Finnish professor and researcher (b. 1924)
- 2009 –Inger Christensen, Danish poet (b. 1935)
- 2011 –Richard D. Winters, American Army officer (b.1918)
- 2012 –Helmut Müller-Brühl, 78, German conductor(b.19)
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