🗞️Today’s Headlines

Everything important that’s ever happened on February 2:

1990 — The ban on the African National Congress, an anti-apartheid political party in South Africa, was lifted, paving the way for the release of Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid. 

1980 — Abscam, an FBI sting operation, was revealed to the public. The sting started as an effort to recover stolen artworks but caught some prominent politicians accepting bribes. 

1971 — Idi Amin declared himself president of Uganda. During his eight years as president, up to 80,000 Ugandan-Asians were expelled, and many extrajudicial killings, imprisonments, and other atrocities occurred. 

1887 — first official Groundhog Day was held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Based on a Celtic superstition, it is believed that if the groundhog sees its shadow, winter will last four more weeks.

1876 — The National League, an American professional baseball league still in existence, was founded with eight teams, four of which are still playing in the National League today.  

1848 — The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American war and resulted in the US receiving 55% of Mexican territory, including future states California, Nevada, and Arizona. 

1653 — New York City, known as New Amsterdam at the time, was incorporated as a city under Dutch control, with around 1,500 residents. 

🎂 Today’s Birthdays

On February 2, we’re singing to:

James Joyce (1882) — Irish author of Finnegan’s Wake, Dubliners, and Ulysses, considered by many to be the best English language novel of the 20th century. 

Shakira (1977) — Colombian musician who started her music career at age 13 and has become one of the most popular pop stars of all time with over 100 million albums sold.

 🪦Who Died Today?

On February 2, we’re saying goodbye to:

Dmitri Mendeleev (1907) — Brilliant Russian scientist who developed one of the earlier versions of the Periodic Table of Elements and was rumored to have set the standard alcohol content of Russian vodka. 

Boris Karloff (1969) — British actor who started in silent films and later found his signature role as Frankenstein. 

Bertrand Russell (1970) — British logician and philosopher, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature (1950), and a founder of analytical philosophy. 

Gene Kelly (1996) — Actor, choreographer, director, and famous leading man who danced his way through such classic musicals as Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris. 

Philip Seymour Hoffman (2014) — Highly regarded Academy Award-winning actor famous for his roles in Capote, for which he won Best Actor, The Big Lebowski, The Master, and many more.

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