Osun Defender History Corner: January 2 In Focus

Today, on the history corner, we take a trip in the realm of flashback and recall some events that marked this day.

January 2, 366

The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire.

January 2, 1492

Reconquista: The Muslims in Granada, Spain, surrender to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, effectively ending the Moors’ control of Spain.

January 2, 1788

Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.

January 2, 1818

The British Institution of Civil Engineers is founded.

January 2, 1833

Re-establishment of British rule on the Falkland Islands.

January 2, 1900

American statesman and diplomat John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.

January 2, 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.

January 2, 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.

January 2, 1959

Luna 1 becomes the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.

January 2, 1967

Ronald Reagan sworn in as Governor of California.

January 2, 1971

The second Ibrox disaster kills 66 fans at a Rangers-Celtic association football (soccer) match.

January 2, 1974

United States 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.

January 2, 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, where temperatures plunge to −13 °F (−25 °C); 68 deaths are reported.

January 2, 2004

Stardust successfully flies by Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.

January 2, 2006

An explosion in a coal mine in Sago, West Virginia traps and kills 12 miners, while leaving one miner in critical condition.

January 2, 2016

Thirty-nine people are killed and 69 injured in an attack on a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey.

January 2, 2018

Thirty-nine people are killed and dozens injured when a regional train derails near Milan, Italy.

January 2, 2019

A gunman opens fire on a church in White Settlement, Texas, killing two people before being shot and killed by churchgoers.

January 2, 2020

Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 is shot down by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, killing all 176 people on board.

January 2, 2021

A mob of supporters of United States President Donald Trump storms the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Please note that these are just a few historical events that happened on January 2. History is full of numerous other significant events on this day, ranging from politics and warfare to cultural and scientific milestones.