February 2 is the 33rd day of the year.
There are 333 days remaining until the end of 2016.
The sun will rise in San Francisco at 7:12 am
and sunset will be at 5:35 pm.
Today we will have 10 hours and 23 minutes of sun.
The first high tide will be at 6:08 am
and the next high tide at 8:16 pm.
The only low tide of the day will be at 1:14 pm.
The lunar phase is a Waning Crescent.
Today is…
NATIONAL GROUNDHOG DAY
NATIONAL HEAVENLY HASH DAY
(marshmallows, ice cream, fruit salads, chocolate bars with nuts)
Anniversary of Treaty of Tartu (Estonia)
Constitution Day (Philippines)
Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)
Bun Day (Iceland)
Fastelavn (Denmark/Norway)
Rosenmontag (Germany)
A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas) (Scotland)
Celebration of Yemanja (Candomblé)
La Chandeleur or Crêpe Day (France)
Our Lady of Navigators (Brazil)
Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)
Groundhog Day (United States and Canada)
Inventor's Day (Thailand)
World Wetlands Day (International)
If today is your birthday, Happy Birthday! You share festivities with:
1522 – Lodovico Ferrari, Italian mathematician and academic (d. 1565)
1669 – Louis Marchand, French organist and composer (d. 1732)
1861 – Solomon R. Guggenheim, American businessman and philanthropist,
founded the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (d. 1949)
1875 – Fritz Kreisler, Austrian-American violinist and composer (d. 1962)
1882 – James Joyce, Irish novelist and poet (d. 1941)
1883 – Johnston McCulley, American author and screenwriter, created Zorro (d.
1958)
1897 – Howard Deering Johnson, American businessman, founded Howard
Johnson's (d. 1972)
1901 – Jascha Heifetz, Lithuanian violinist and educator (d. 1987)
1905 – Ayn Rand, Russian-born American author and philosopher (d. 1982)
1915 – Abba Eban, South African-Israeli politician and diplomat, 1st Israel
Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
1923 – James Dickey, American poet and author (d. 1997)
1926 – Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, French academic and politician, 20th President of
France
1927 – Stan Getz, American saxophonist (d. 1991)
1931 – Judith Viorst, American journalist and author
1932 – Arthur Lyman, American vibraphone player (d. 2002)
1933 – Orlando "Cachaíto" López, Cuban bassist (Buena Vista Social Club) (d.
2009)
1937 – Tom Smothers, American comedian, actor, and singer (Smothers Brothers)
1942 – Graham Nash, English-American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1947 – Farrah Fawcett, American actress and producer (d. 2009)
1954 – Christie Brinkley, American model and actress
1963 – Eva Cassidy, American singer and guitarist (d. 1996)
On this day in history….
1536 – Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.
1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.
1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island,
inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.
1848The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican War.
1848 – California Gold Rush: The first ship with Chinese immigrants arrives in San
Francisco.
1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League
Baseball is formed.
1887Punxsutawney (punks-suh Ta-WAH-ee) , Pa., held its first Groundhog Day festival.
1913 – Grand Central Terminal is opened in New York City.
1914 – Charlie Chaplin's first film appearance, Making a Living premieres.
1920 – The Tartu Peace Treaty is signed between Estonia and Russia.
1922The James Joyce novel "Ulysses" was published in Paris on the author's
40th birthday.
1925 – Serum run to Nome: Dog sleds reach Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum,
inspiring the Iditarod race.
1936 – Babe Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame
On Feb. 2, 1943, the remainder of Nazi forces from the Battle of Stalingrad surrendered in a major victory for the Soviets in World War II.
1964 – Mattel launched G.I. Joe
1971Idi Amin assumed power in Uganda following a coup.
1979Punk rock musician Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols died of a drug overdose
at age 21.
1989 – Soviet war in Afghanistan: The last Soviet armoured column leaves Kabul.
1990 – Apartheid: F. W. de Klerk announces the unbanning of the African National
Congress and promises to release Nelson Mandela.
2000 – First digital cinema projection in Europe (Paris) realized by Philippe Binant
with the DLP CINEMA technology developed by Texas Instruments.
2007The world's leading climate scientists said global warming has begun, is
"very likely" caused by humans and will be unstoppable for centuries.
2008French President Nicolas Sarkozy and former supermodel Carla Bruni
were married at the presidential Elysee Palace.
2009Hillary Rodham Clinton was sworn in as U.S. secretary of state.
