This Day In History : March 2

1972 United States

NASA Launches Pioneer 10 to Jupiter

On March 2, 1972, NASA launched the Pioneer 10 space probe, marking the agency's first mission to the outer planets. Pioneer 10's successful journey to Jupiter provided crucial data about the planet and its environment, paving the way for future explorations of the outer solar system.

Also on This Day in History March 2

Discover what happened on March 2 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries,
famous births and notable deaths.

Births on This Day, March 2
  • 1908 Walter Bruch

    German electrical engineer who invented the Phase Alternating Line (PAL) colour television system

  • 1902 Edward Condon

    American nuclear physicist who was a pioneer in quantum mechanics

  • 1913 Georgy Flyorov

    Soviet-Russian physicist who Discovered of spontaneous fission

  • 1793 Sam Houston

    American 1st President of Republic of Texas (1836-38, 1841-44) who had a leading role in bringing Texas into the United States 

  • 1937 Abdelaziz Bouteflika

    Algerian politician, President of Algeria (1999-2019)

Deaths on This Day, March 2
  • 1729 Francesco Bianchini

    Italian philosopher and scientist

  • 1840 Wilhelm Olbers

    German astronomer and physician who discovered Pallas & Vesta asteroids 

  • 1962 Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin

    Belgian mathematician who discovered Prime number theorem

  • 1939 Howard Carter

    British archaeologist and Egyptologist who found King Tutankhamun's tomb

  • 1887 August Wilhelm Eichler

    German botanist who developed a new system of classification of plants to reflect the concept of evolution

1995

Discovery of the Top Quark Announced

In 1995, scientists at Fermilab confirmed the discovery of the top quark, the last missing elementary particle predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics. This groundbreaking finding completed the quark family and provided crucial insights into the fundamental structure of matter.
1836

Republic of Texas Declares Independence from Mexico

On March 2, 1836, the Republic of Texas declared its independence from Mexico in Columbia (now Houston). This historic declaration set the stage for the establishment of the Republic of Texas, which would later join the United States.
1949

First Automatic Street Light Installed in New Milford, Connecticut

On March 2, 1949, New Milford, Connecticut, became the site of the first automatic street light installation. This innovation marked a significant advancement in urban infrastructure, enhancing city safety and efficiency by allowing street lights to operate automatically based on lighting conditions.
1969

Concorde SST Prototype 001 Makes First Flight from Toulouse

On March 2, 1969, the Concorde SST prototype 001 made its inaugural flight from Toulouse Airport in France. This historic event marked the beginning of supersonic passenger travel, with the Concorde later becoming a symbol of advanced aviation technology.
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