107 things happened on 2 January, from AD 69 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1818 · 208 years ago
A group of six engineers founded the Institution of Civil Engineers in Britain. Civil engineers design things such as roads, bridges, canals and harbours. The Scottish engineer Thomas Telford became its first president, and the town of Telford in Shropshire i…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
A group of six engineers founded the Institution of Civil Engineers in Britain. Civil engineers design things such as roads, bridges, canals and harbours. The Scottish engineer Thomas Telford became its first president, and the town of Telford in Shropshire is named after him. He designed so many roads and bridges that he was nicknamed the 'Colossus of Roads'.
UK story
American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey.
The Emirate of Granada, the last part of Spain under Muslim rule, surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. This ended the Reconquista, a series of military campaigns that had gone on since the 700s. In them, Christian kingdoms from the north took over al-Andalus, the Muslim-ruled lands of the Iberian Peninsula.
French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier told the French Academy of Sciences in Paris about the discovery of a new planet. It was called Vulcan, and it was thought to orbit between Mercury and the Sun. Le Verrier was already famous for using maths alone to predict where Neptune would be found. But Vulcan is now known as a hypothetical planet, one that was only imagined.
The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal opened in Illinois, in the United States. The canal is about 51 kilometres long and links the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River. It reversed the direction of part of the Chicago River. That part of the river now flows out of Lake Michigan instead of into it.
The science fiction play R.U.R. by the Czech writer Karel Čapek had its first performance, in a theatre in Hradec Králové. The letters stand for 'Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti', which means 'Rossum's Universal Robots'. The play introduced the word 'robot' to the world. Čapek also wrote other science fiction, including the novel War with the Newts.
India set up its two highest civilian awards, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan. The Bharat Ratna can be given to anyone for service of the highest order, whatever their race, job or gender. Winners receive a certificate signed by India's president and a medal shaped like a leaf of the sacred fig tree.
The Soviet Union launched the spacecraft Luna 1 on a Vostok rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Luna 1 became the first spacecraft to reach the area near the Moon. It was also the first spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit. Instead of circling Earth, it ended up in an orbit around the Sun.
NASA's Stardust space probe flew past Comet Wild 2 and collected tiny specks of dust from its coma, the cloudy envelope around a comet. The samples came back to Earth in a capsule on 15 January 2006. It was the first sample return mission of its kind. The word 'comet' comes from a Greek word meaning 'hair'.
The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.
The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire.
Mercurius, a Roman priest, was elected Pope John II; he was likely the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.
Christian forces defeat the Turks in the battle of Kunovica.
Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution.
American Civil War: The three-day Battle of Stones River ends in a Union victory when the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg are repulsed for the final time by the Army of the Cumberland under General William S. Rosecrans.
Uruguayan War: Brazilian and Colorado Party forces captured the city of Paysandú from its Uruguayan defenders.
American statesman and diplomat John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.
World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces, enabling them to control the Philippines.
World War II: United States and Australian forces successfully landed in Papua New Guinea in an attempt to cut off a Japanese retreat.
Luis Muñoz Marín is inaugurated as the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.
Vietnam War: The Viet Cong won its first major victory at the Battle of Ap Bac.
Ronald Reagan began his career in government when he was sworn in as the 33rd governor of California.
Sharon Pratt Dixon was sworn in as the mayor of Washington, D.C., becoming the first African-American woman to hold the position.
Sri Lankan civil war: The Sri Lankan army captured the town of Kilinochchi from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, concluding the Battle of Kilinochchi.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Six engineers found the Institution of Civil Engineers”?
A: 1818. 1818 — that’s 208 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year was Apsley Cherry-Garrard born?
C: 1886. 1886 — that’s 140 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
A: Six engineers found the Institution of Civil Engineers. 1818: Six engineers found the Institution of Civil Engineers · 1959: The Soviet Union launches Luna 1 towards the Moon · 1860: Urbain Le Verrier announces the discovery of planet Vulcan Find it on the page
“Urbain Le Verrier announces the discovery of planet Vulcan” happened in 1860. How many years ago was that?
A: 166 years. 2026 − 1860 = 166. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 2 January.
UK story
Apsley Cherry-Garrard was an English explorer of Antarctica, the frozen continent around the South Pole. He was a member of the Terra Nova Expedition to Antarctica. In 1922 he published his own account of the expedition. It has a memorable title, The Worst Journey in the World, and it is still highly praised.
Well-known people who died on 2 January.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 2 January somewhere in the world.
UK story
In Scotland, 2 January is a bank holiday as well as New Year's Day, so many people get two days off to start the year. The extra holiday is given each year by royal proclamation, an official announcement from the monarch. Holidays in Scotland work differently from the rest of the UK, and many are decided by local councils.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “January 2” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.