February 2 ...
In 1536 the Argentine city of Buenos Aires was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain. In 1653 New Amsterdam, later re-christened New York in 1664, was incorporated. In 1848 the Mexican-American War formally ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. As part of the accord Mexico sold Arizona and New Mexico and parts of California, Utah, Nevada, and Colorado to the US for $15 million. In 1863 Samuel Langhorne Clemens used the pseudonym 'Mark Twain' for the first time. In 1876 Major League Baseball's National League was formed; the eight original teams were in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Louisville, and Hartford. In 1882 author James Joyce was born in Dublin, Ireland. In 1887 the first Groundhog Day was observed in Punxsutawney, PA. In 1893 the first-ever movie close-up was filmed (showing comedian Fred Ott sneezing) at Thomas Edison's studio in West Orange, NJ. In 1895 one of the founders of the NFL, Chicago Bears Hall of Fame player, coach, and owner George Halas was born in Chicago. Halas, MVP of the 1919 Rose Bowl, also played right field for the New York Yankees. In 1905 Ayn Rand was born in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1927 jazz great Stan Getz was born in New York City. In 1932 Al Capone was sent to prison at Atlanta, GA, for tax evasion. In 1933 Adolf Hitler dissolved the German Parliament. In 1940 Frank Sinatra debuted with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra. In 1943 the remainder of Nazi forces from the Battle of Stalingrad surrendered in a major victory for the Soviets in World War II. In 1945 President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill departed Malta for the summit in Yalta with Soviet leader Josef Stalin. In 1963 The Beatles began their first British tour, supporting Helen Shapiro. In 1971 Idi Amin assumed power in Uganda after a coup that ousted President Milton Obote. In 1996 dancer, actor, and choreographer Gene Kelly died at his Beverly Hills, CA, home at age 83. In 1998 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended that the Security Council more than double the amount of oil that Iraq was allowed to sell under the Oil-For-Food program. In 2003 Vaclav Havel stepped down after 13 years as president of the Czech Republic. In 2005 the German heavyweight boxer and former world champion Max Schmeling died in Hollenstedt, Germany, at age 99.