Today in History: 2nd February

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Way back in 962, on the second day of February, Pope John XII had crowned German King Otto I as the Great Emperor. In 1032, on this day, Conrad II, the Holy Emperor of Rome had become the King of Burgandy. King Stephen was captured in the Battle of Lincoln, as he was trying to win the battle for his country, in February 2, 1141.

The early 16th century was marked by the fierce battle between Portugal and Turkey. This battle had also touched the shores of India, as on February 2, 1509, a conflict between the two warring nations took place in Diu, India. In 1550, February 2, the Duke of Somerset, Edward Seymor was finally freed from captivity.

Thomas Walpole was one of the most famous prime ministers of England. But he was forced to resign along with his cabinet of ministers on this day, in 1742. This created more disturbances and confusion in the whole of England. York Cathedral is one of the prominent landmarks of England. But in the year 1829, even this landmark was damaged by a man named Jonathan Martin, who was later described as a mad person. He had actually set fire to the cathedral on this day in 1829 and nearly 60,000 pounds worth of property was damaged.

Samuel Clemens is a legendary figure in the literary world. But he is very known by his original name. We better know him as Mark Twain. On this day in 1863, Samuel had used the pen name of Mark Twain for the first time. Another important event in the life of Mark Twain is also associated with this day. In 1870, at the age of 34, Mark Twain married Olivia Langdon in Elmira, New York on this day.

February 2, is also remembered in history as the day when Greece declared war on Turkey in the year 1878. After just four years, the bottle cap with a cork seal was patented by William Painter of Baltimore. The first female Army Nurse Corps was established as a permanent organization way back in the year 1901, February 2.

The International Ski Federation was also formed on this day in 1924. The Geneva Disarmament Conference had begun in 1932, with 60 countries, on this day. The aim of the conference was to reach a consensus about the disarmament of harmful weapons.

The legendary singer Frank Sinatra had debuted on this very day. The year was 1940 and the location was Indianapolis. Frank was then a member of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. This day is also remembered as the day when Adolf Hitler had dissolved the Parliament of Germany, in 1933. Ten years later, in 1943, February 2, the Battle of Stalingrad came to an end. The German Army was forced to surrender to the Russians. The battle left more than 600,000 dead and millions more injured.

Shamita Shetty, an Indian actress and sister of Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty was born on this day in 1979. In 2007, Vijay Arora a noted film and television actor died on February 2.