MARCH 2 ~ ON THiS DAY in History

1498 – Vasco da Gama‘s fleet visited the Island of Mozambique on the 2nd March 1498.

1717 – The Loves of Mars and Venus was the 1st ballet performed in England on the 2nd March 1717.

1791 – Long-distance communication sped up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine on the 2nd March 1791, in Paris.

1797 – The Bank of England issued the 1st one-pound and two-pound banknotes on the 2nd March 1797.

1842 – Carl Jacobsen the Danish brewer was born on the 2nd March 1842 (died 1914).

1882 – Queen Victoria narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on the 2nd March 1882, by Roderick McLean in Windsor.

1886 – Willis H. O’Brien the American animator was born on the 2nd March 1886 (died 1962).

1904 – Dr. Seuss the American author, poet, and illustrator was born on the 2nd March 1904 (died 1991).

1921 – Ernst Haas the Austrian photographer was born on the 2nd March 1921 (died 1986).

1933 – The film King Kong opened at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on the 2nd March 1933.

1942 – Lou Reed the American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer was born on the 2nd March 1942.

1948 – Rory Gallagher the Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist from Taste was born on the 2nd March 1948 (died 1995).

1948 – Jeff Kennett the Australian politician and 43rd Premier of Victoria was born on the 2nd March 1948.

1949 – The 1st automatic street light was installed on the 2nd March 1949, in New Milford, Connecticut.

1950 – Karen Carpenter the American singer and drummer from The Carpenters was born on the 2nd March 1950 (died 1983).

1955 – Dale Bozzio the American singer from Missing Persons was born on the 2nd March 1955.

1956 – Morocco gained its independence from France on the 2nd March 1956.

1956 – Mark Evans the Australian bass player from AC/DC was born on the 2nd March 1956.

1959 – GX Jupitter-Larsen the American painter was born on the 2nd March 1959.

1962 – Jon Bon Jovi the American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor was born on the 2nd March 1962.

1963 – Anthony Albanese the Australian politician and 15th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia was born on the 2nd March 1963.

1969 – In Toulouse, France, the 1st test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde was conducted on the 2nd March 1969.

1971 – Dave Gorman the English comedian and author was born on the 2nd March 1971.

1971 – Lisa Lackey the Australian actress was born on the 2nd March 1971.

1972 – The Pioneer 10 space probe was launched from Cape CanaveralFlorida on the 2nd March 1972, with a mission to explore the outer planets.

1977 – Chris Martin the English singer-songwriter from Coldplay was born on the 2nd March 1977.

1978 – Czech Vladimír Remek became the 1st non-Russian or non-American to go into space on the 2nd March 1978, when he was launched aboard Soyuz 28.

1983 – Compact Discs and players were released for the 1st time in the United States and other markets on the 2nd March 1983. They had previously been available only in Japan.

1984 – Elizabeth Jagger the English model and actress was born on the 2nd March 1984.

1989 – 12 European Community nations agreed to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century, on the 2nd March 1989.

1990 – Nelson Mandela was elected deputy President of the African National Congress on the 2nd March 1990.

1998 – Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicated that Jupiter‘s moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice on the 2nd March 1998.