February 2 in History

• 1653

  February 2, 1653:

  New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) is incorporated into a city through its reception of municipal rights.

• 1848

  February 2, 1848:

  The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed by Mexico and the United States.

• 1901

  February 2, 1901:

  A state funeral is held in Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel for the fallen British monarch, Queen Victoria.

• 1912

  February 2, 1912:

  The first movie stunt is performed by Frederick Rodman Law with a parachute from the Statue of Liberty.

• 1971

  February 2, 1971:

  Idi Amin begins his reign as the self-declared President of Uganda.

• 1974

  February 2, 1974:

  The song “The Way We Were” by Barbra Streisand peaks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

• 1979

  February 2, 1979:

  British punk rock band, the Sex Pistols member Sid Vicious is killed by a drug overdose in New York City.

• 1990

  February 2, 1990:

  The ban on the African National Congress party of South Africa is finally lifted by the country’s President, F.W. de Klerk after 30 years, freeing Nelson Mandela from prison.

• 2012

  February 2, 2012:

  An accidental heroin overdose kills American actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

• 2014

  February 2, 2014:

  The Seattle Seahawks defeat Denver Broncos to become Super Bowl XLVIII champions.