January 2

533 When Mercurius became Pope John II on January 2, 533, he was the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy. Mercurius did this because he considered his birth name - after the pagan god Mercury - inappropriate for the role of Holy Father.

Pope John II

1491 On January 2, 1492, Emir Muhammad XII surrendered complete control of the Emirate of Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella after the last battle of the Granada War. The fall of the emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold on the Iberian peninsula in 1492, completed the unification of Spain. Under Ferdinand and Isabella, Charles I, and Philip II, Spain became one of the most powerful empires in the world.

1727 British Army officer James Wolfe was born at the local vicarage on January 2, 1727 at Westerham, Kent. He was the older of two sons of Colonel (later Lieutenant General) Edward Wolfe, a veteran soldier of Irish origin, and the former Henrietta Thompson. From his earliest years, Wolfe was destined for a career as a soldier. He first entered military service at age thirteen, when he joined his father's Marine regiment.

1792 In 1787 Bishop John Carroll proposed the establishment of a local Roman Catholic college in Georgetown, Maryland (now a part of Washington, D.C.) after the American Revolution allowed for the free practice of religion. Instruction began at Georgetown College, the first Catholic university in the United States, on January 2, 1792.

Healy Hall houses classrooms and the university's executive body. By Gtownsfs

1815 The English romantic poet Lord Byron married Annabella Milbanke on January 2, 1815 in the drawing room of her father's home at Seaham Hall, Durham. Byron wrote "I got a wife and a cold on the same day, but have got rid of the last pretty speedily. I have got great hopes this match will turn out well." The marriage ended after a year, Annabella leaving him after the birth of their daughter, probably because of suspicions of his sexual relationship with his half-sister, Augusta.

1843 The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. A stormy sea voyage to London gave Richard Wagner the idea for his opera The Flying Dutchman. It was produced in Dresden and premiered on January 2, 1843 at the Königliches Hoftheater there but was originally a flop.

1902 American engineer Willis Carrier invented the first electric air conditioning unit after he was commissioned to come up with the design by a printing company whose work was being wrecked by humidity in the factory.  He was awarded a patent for his appliance on January 2, 1902. The installation marked the birth of air conditioning because of the addition of humidity control.

1905 The Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul opened its doors to the public for the first time on January 2, 1905. This impressive building, designed by renowned architect Cass Gilbert, is the third state capitol to grace Minnesota's history. The first capitol was completed in 1853 but tragically burned down in 1881. Following that, a temporary building served as the seat of government until the current magnificent structure was constructed. 

1920 Isaac Asimov was born in Russia to a Jewish family on January 2, 1920. He was taken to the United States when he was three, and learnt English and Yiddish as his native languages. Asimov wrote or edited more than 500 books during his lifetime. He is best known for his science fiction novels, which have influenced science-fiction on television and movie.

1920 National Science Fiction Day is unofficially celebrated by many science fiction fans in the United States on January 2. This date was chosen in honor of the birth of Isaac Asimov. Asimov made significant contributions to the science fiction genre with works such as the "Foundation" series and the "Robot" series. 

1921 On January 2, 1921, just two months to the day after its first broadcast, KDKA aired the first Christian service in the history of radio. Pittsburgh's Calvary Episcopal Church was chosen because one of the Westinghouse engineers happened to be a member of the choir and made the arrangements. The technicians (one a Jew, one Catholic) were outfitted with choir robes in order to keep them from distracting the congregation.

1921 Dwight D Eisenhower and his wife Mamie had two sons. Doud Dwight "Icky" Eisenhower (see below with mother and father), their oldest child, was born September 24, 1917. He died of scarlet fever on January 2, 1921, at the age of three.

Dwight D. Eisenhower with his wife Mamie and infant son Icky

1928 Charles Lindbergh was selected as the first Time magazine "Man of the Year" (for 1927), appearing in its cover on January 2, 1928, and remains the youngest individual (age 25) to receive the designation.

1942 Four weeks after the Japanese invasion of the Philippines started, Manila fell to the Empire of Japan on January 2, 1942,  During the 1945 Battle of Manila most of the city was flattened by intensive aerial bombardment by the United States Air Force. It was the second most devastated city in the world after Warsaw during World War II. As a result, relatively little remains of Manila's prewar and colonial architecture.

1942 The German espionage network headed by Frederick "Fritz" Joubert Duquesne was convicted after a lengthy investigation by the FBI in 1941. Of those indicted, 19 pleaded guilty. The remaining 14 spies were brought to jury trial in Federal District Court, Brooklyn, New York and all were found guilty. On January 2, 1942, the group was sentenced to serve a total of over 300 years in prison.

The 33 convicted members of the Duquesne spy ring (FBI print).

1949 Puerto Rico inaugurated its first elected Governor on January 2, 1949. Nearly 200,000 people turned out for the six-hour colorful ceremonial celebration for the inauguration of Luis Muñoz Marín. He played a crucial role in the development of the Commonwealth status of Puerto Rico and had a significant impact on the island's political and economic history. .

1967 Ronald Reagan began his career in government when he was sworn in as the 33rd Governor of California on January 2, 1967. He served two terms as the governor, from 1967 to 1975, before going on to become the 40th President of the United States in 1981. Reagan's time as governor was marked by his conservative policies and efforts to address issues such as taxation and government spending in the state.

1971 Richard Nixon signed the Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act on January 2, 1974, requiring all states to lower the maximum speed limit to 55 MPH. The law was intended to conserve gasoline supplies during an embargo imposed by Arab oil-producing countries.

1987 76-year-old Kively Papajohn of Limassol, Cyprus, was found trapped in her apartment block elevator after six days on January 2, 1987. She survived the cold and beat dehydration by rationing fruit, vegetables and bread that she had in her shopping bag. It is the Guinness World Record for longest time trapped in a lift.

1991 Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as mayor of Washington, D.C. on January 2, 1991, thus becoming the first African American woman to lead a major American city. She served as the mayor of the District of Columbia for four years.

Photo of former Washington, DC, mayor Sharon Pratt Dixon