Calendar for March 2nd, 2013

Texas Independence Day

2008: Casimir Pulaski Day

2001: Discovery Day (Guam)

2001: Town Meeting Day (Vermont)

2001: Quinquagesima

Born 1793: Sam Houston (president of Texas, 1836-38; 1841-44)

1829: John Dix of Boston founded the first school for educating the blind, the New England Asylum for the Blind

1867: U.S. Congress passed first Reconstruction Act, setting up conditions for reintegration of Southern states into the Union

1877: Rutherford B. Hayes declared U.S. President by a special Electoral Commission in the disputed election of 1876

1887: Hatch Act, providing for the promotion of U.S. agricultural science by creating state agricultural experiment stations, became law

1901: Congress adopted the Platt Amendment, which established a U.S. protectorate over Cuba

1903: Martha Washington Hotel, for women only, opened in N.Y.C.

Born 1904: Theodor Seuss Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss; author)

Born 1917: Desi Arnaz (musician & actor)

1917: Puerto Rico became U.S. territory and its inhabitants became U.S. citizens

Died 1930: DH Lawrence (writer)

Born 1931: Tom Wolfe (writer)

Born 1931: Mikhail Sergeyvich Gorbachev (former Soviet political leader)

1933: World premiere of King Kong

Born 1942: John Irving (author)

1943: Battle of Bismarck Sea began, resulting in major victory by U.S. over Japanese shipping and aircraft

1949: US Air Force Captain James Gallagher and 13 crew members completed the first round-the-world nonstop flight in a Boeing B-50 Superfortress, Lucky Lady II

Born 1950: Karen Carpenter (singer)

Born 1952: Laraine Newman (comedienne & actress)

1958: First crossing of Antarctica by land completed by Dr. (later Sir) Vivian Fuchs and team. It had taken 99 days.

Born 1962: Jon Bon Jovi (musician)

1962: Wilt Chamberlain set an NBA scoring record of 100 points as the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the New York Knicks

Born 1968: Daniel Craig (actor)

1969: Concorde prototype 001, a supersonic jetliner, tested for the first time

1972: Pioneer 10, unmanned U.S. interplanetary probe, was launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida

1973: Congress signed the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide broad protection for threatened species of fish, wildlife, and plants

Born 1977: Chris Martin (musician)

Born 1977: Heather McComb (actress)

Born 1982: Ben Roethlisberger (football player)

Died 1982: Philip K. Dick (author)

1985: The FDA approved the first commercial blood test for AIDS

1986: Queen Elizabeth II signed the Australia Act, defining Australia as a sovereign, independent, and federal nation

Died 1999: Dusty Springfield (singer)

2005: A 3.5 earthquake rattled parts of Quebec along the border of the United States

2005: Microsoft founder Bill Gates received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II

2006: The new U.S. $10 bills went into circulation. The redesigned note had shades of orange, yellow, and red

Died 2008: Jeff Healey (musician)