This Day In History:
February 2
http://www.historyguy.com/this_day_in_history_february_2.htm
1653 – The Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
1659 – Jan van Riebeeck, the founder of Cape Town, produced the first bottle of South African wine.
1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.
1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.
1901 – The funeral of Queen Victoria of Britain.
1971– One week after overthrowing President Obote in a coup, Idi Amin declared himself President of Uganda, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Army Chief of Staff and Chief of Air Staff.
1972 – The British embassy in Dublin is destroyed in protest of the Bloody Sunday violence in Northern Ireland.
1974 – The F-16 Fighting Falcon takes flight for the first time.
1982 – The Syrian army bombarded the town of Hama in order to quell a revolt by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing about 7,000–25,000 people.
1989 – Soviet war in Afghanistan: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul. The Soviets would finish their retreat out of Afghanistan on Feb. 15.
2004 – Swiss tennis player Roger Federer became the No. 1 ranked men’s singles player, a position he held for a record 237 weeks.
February 2 Birthdays:
1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American author and philosopher (d. 1982)
1915 – Abba Eban, Israeli diplomat (d. 2002)
1937 – Tom Smothers, American musician and comedian (The Smothers Brothers)
1942 – Graham Nash, British-born American musician (Crosby, Stills, and Nash)
1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress (d. 2009)
1949 – Brent Spiner, American actor (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
1949 – Ross Valory, American musician (Journey)
1953 – Duane Chapman, American bounty hunter and television personality (Dog the Bounty Hunter)
1954 – Christie Brinkley, American model
1975 – Donald Driver, American football player (Green Bay Packers)
1983 – Ronny Cedeño, Venezuelan baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates)