We take a look at some of the events that occurred on March 2nd.

Today In …

1836 - Texas officially declared its independence from Mexico.

1877 - Congress elected Rutherford B. Hayes as the 19th President of the United States.

1899 - Mount Rainier in Washington became a national park.

1917 - Czar Nicholas II of Russia abdicated his throne.

1995 - One of the web’s most popular sites, Yahoo!, was incorporated today.

Sharing A Birthday Today…

Desi Arnaz the actor/musician best known as Ricky Ricardo on TV’s “I Love Lucy” was born in 1917.

Jon Bon Jovi the front man for the rock band Bon Jovi and sometimes actor was born in 1962.

Reggie Bush the popular NFL player was born in 1985.

Karen Carpenter one half of the brother-sister singing duo The Carpenters was born in 1950.

Daniel Craig who starred in “Layer Cake” and “Infamous” and took over the role of James Bond in the film “Casino Royale” was born in 1968.

John Cullum the Broadway actor and star of TV’s “Northern Exposure” was born in 1930.

Mikhail Gorbachev the former President of the Soviet Union was born in 1931.

Sam Houston General and leader of the Republic of Texas was born in 1793.

Bryce Dallas Howard who starred in “Lady in the Water” and “The Village” was born in 1981.

John Irving the author of “Cider House Rules” was born in 1942.

Jennifer Jones the Oscar winning actress of “The Song of Bernadette” was born in 1919.

Eddie Money who sings such hits as “Take Me Home Tonight” was born in 1949.

Jay Osmond a member of the singing Osmond Brothers was born in 1955.

Lou Reed the singer of “Walk on the Wild Side” was born in 1942.

Ben Roethlisberger the Super Bowl winning NFL Quarterback was born in 1982.

Dr. Seuss the author of such infamous tales as “Cat in the Hat” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was born in 1904.

Tom Wolfe the author of such notable works as “Bonfire of the Vanities” and “The Right Stuff” was born in 1931.

We Said Goodbye To…

Howard Carter the renowned archaeologist best remembered for his discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb passed away in 1939 at the age of 64.

Sandy Dennis the Oscar winning actress of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” passed away in 1992 at the age of 54.

Philip Dick the author of “Minority Report” and “Total Recall” passed away in 1982 at the age of 53. His book “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” was the precursor for the story best known as “Blade Runner”.

D. H. Lawrence the author of “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” passed away in 1930 at the age of 54.

Mercedes McCambridge the Academy Award winning actress of “All the King’s Men” passed away in 2004 at the age of 87.

Randolph Scott the popular actor who appeared in such films as “Santa Fe” and “Ride the High Country” passed away in 1987 at the age of 89. He was immortalized in the song “Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott” by the Statler Brothers.

Dusty Springfield the songstress behind “Son of a Preacher Man” passed away in 1999 at the age of 59.

John Wesley the founder of the Methodist church passed away in 1791 at the age of 87.

Top Of The Charts On This Day In…

1963 - “Walk Like a Man” by The Four Seasons
1974 - “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks
1985 - On the Country Charts – “Baby Bye Bye” by Gary Morris

TV Moments In…

1944 - The 16th Academy Awards became the first Oscars to be broadcast on TV.

Movie Moments In...

1933 - “King Kong” premiered today!

1940 - Elmer Fudd made his on-screen debut in the animated “Elmer’s Candid Camera”.

1964 - The Beatles began working on their film “A Hard Day’s Night”.

1965 - “The Sound of Music” premiered.

Memorable Sports Moments In…

1927 - Babe Ruth signed a contract worth $70,000 per year making him (at the time) the highest paid player in baseball.

1962 - Wilt Chamberlain broke NBA records when scored 100 points in the Philadelphia Warriors’ victory over the New York Knicks. The final score was 169 to 147.

In Print In…

1923 - The first issue of “Time” magazine hit newsstands today.

Don’t forget about the Today In History Newsletter!