What Happened On
Pioneer Plaque
March 2, 1972
The gold-anodized aluminum plaque is launched into space aboard the NASA's Pioneer 10 spacecraft. It featured the nude figures of a human male and female along with several symbols that are designed to provide information about the origin of the spacecraft. A second plaque was placed aboard Pioneer 11 the following year.
Wilt Chamberlain Scores a Record 100 Points
March 2, 1962
Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association (NBA) by scoring 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks.
Kong atop the Empire State Building
King Kong
March 2, 1933
The movie King Kong, about a giant ape and his love for a beautiful woman (played by Fay Wray), opens in New York City to sell-out crowds setting an all-time attendance record for an indoor event.
Photo Credit: André Karwath aka Aka
Photo Credit: André Karwath aka Aka
Importation of Slaves Banned
March 2, 1807
U.S. Congress enacts a law prohibiting slaves from being imported into the U.S. It became effective January 1, 1808.
Lightning Rods
March 2, 1750
Benjamin Franklin proposes the use of lightning rods to protect houses in a letter to his colleague Peter Collinson.
First NBA All-Star Game
March 2, 1951
East beats West (111-94).
Lucky Lady II (bottom) being refueled and its flight map
Lucky Lady II (bottom) being refueled and its flight map
First Non-Stop Around-the-World Flight
March 2, 1949
Capt. James Gallagher and crew complete their flight which had begun on February 27. They flew a United States Air Force Boeing B-50 Superfortress named Lucky Lady II. For the flight, in-flight refueling was used along with an extra fuel tank added in the bomb bay. It had a double crew of 14 members, including three pilots who rotated in shifts of four to six hours.
Following the refueling near Luzon, Philippines, the refueling tanker encountered poor weather conditions and crashed on March 1, 1949, killing all nine aboard.
First U.S. Admiral of the Navy
March 2, 1899
Congress creates the position of Admiral of the Navy. This was the highest-possible rank in the United States Navy until the creation of fleet admiral in 1944.
George Dewey was appointed to the position the following day and remains the only person ever given this rank.
Dewey was noted for his spectacular defeat of the Spanish during the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War (1898).
Note: David Farragut was the first U.S. Navy Admiral (1862).
Territories of Nevada and Dakota
March 2, 1861
Territories of Nevada and Dakota are established by the U.S. Congress.
Texas Independence
March 2, 1836
Texas declares its independence from Mexico.
First Ballet
March 2, 1717
John Weaver's The Loves of Mars and Venus is staged at Drury Lane, England.
Birthdays
Sold Murder Victims as BBQ
Joe Metheny
Born March 2, 1955 d. 2017
American serial killer. He claims to have chopped up several of his victims and used them as meat in a roadside BBQ stand he operated. He said his BBQ was delicious and no one can tell the difference between pork and human flesh when they are mixed together. The 450-pound (204 kg) murderer claims to have killed seven people and that he started his killing spree when his crack-addicted wife ran off with their son. He went under a bridge where he thought she would be, but she wasn't there, so he killed and chopped up two men who were there. Later that night, he lured two women under the bridge and killed them. An old man who was fishing happened to see him, so he killed him too. Two and a half weeks later he was arrested and charged with the murders of the two men he chopped up and spent 18 months in jail awaiting trial; however, the case was thrown out due to lack of evidence. He then lured two more women to his trailer and chopped up their bodies for meat which he used in an open-pit BBQ stand he operated. When he ran out his special ingredient, he lured another women to his trailer for the purpose of chopping her up, but she managed to escape and summoned authorities. They found the remains of his victims buried around his property.
Karen Carpenter
Born March 2, 1950 d. 1983
American singer with the Carpenters. She was originally the group's drummer, but eventually became the group's leading woman and singer. With a distinctive three-octave contralto vocal range, she was praised by her peers as one of the greatest singers ever.
She died of a heart attack induced by anorexia nervosa. She had struggled with the disease for years and had even been hospitalized from it. Eventually the strain on her heart caused her death.
Carpenter had begun dieting in high school, reducing her weight to 120 pounds (54 kg) at a height of 5 feet 4 inches (1.63 m) tall. In 1973, she saw a concert photo of herself that she felt made her look fat. She then hired a personal trainer, but started gaining muscle which made her feel even fatter, so she fired the trainer and began dieting on her own. She used thyroid medicine, to increase her metabolism, and laxatives and continued to lose weight, dropping to 91 pounds (41 kg). She was hospitalized in September of 1982 for the condition and placed on intravenous parenteral nutrition. She gained some weight, but this put additional strain on her heart, already weakened from years of anorexia. On February 4, 1983, she collapsed and paramedics noted her heart beat was only once every 10 seconds. She was pronounced dead at the hospital. She was due to sign divorce papers later that day.
The autopsy attributed her death to "emetine cardiotoxicity due to or as a consequence of anorexia nervosa."
Music: We've Only Just Begun (1970, #2) and Rainy Days and Mondays (1971, #2).
Desi with wife Lucille Ball
Desi Arnaz (Desiderio Arnaz III)
Born March 2, 1917 d. 1986
Cuban-born band leader, actor. TV: I Love Lucy (1951-57, Ricky Ricardo).
Arnaz and wife Lucille Ball created Desilu Productions, whose productions included I Love Lucy, Mission: Impossible, The Untouchables, and Star Trek. Desilu Productions also pioneered a number TV production methods, such as filming before a live studio audience with multiple cameras and distinct sets adjacent to each other.
The standard at the time was to broadcast live in New York, and use a lower-quality kinescopes for the rest of the country. Arnaz wanted to film the shows live so that all audiences received a high-quality image. Network executives considered the use of film too expensive, so Arnaz agreed to cover the costs in exchange for the rights to the prints. As a result, Desilu made a fortune from the reruns in what is considered one of the shrewdest deals in television history.
Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel)
Born March 2, 1904 d. 1991
American Pulitzer-winning children's author. His first children's book And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937) was rejected by more than two dozen publishers. Books: The Cat in the Hat (1957), How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957), and Green Eggs and Ham (1960).
First U.S. Woman Elected Mayor - Nominated as a Prank that Backfired
Susanna Madora Salter
Born March 2, 1860 d. 1961
American politician. She was the first U.S. woman elected mayor (1887, Argonia, Kansas). Nominated as a prank, she didn't find out she was running until the morning of the election. She was nominated without her knowledge by a group of men who opposed women in politics as an attempt to humiliate her and discourage other women from running for office. She won with two-thirds of the vote. She served her one-year term and declined to run for reelection.
Sam Houston
Born March 2, 1793 d. 1863
American soldier, politician. Governor of Tennessee (1827-29) and first president of the Republic of Texas (1836-38, also reelected as its 3rd president 1841-44), governor of Texas (1859-61). He was the only American elected governor of two different U.S. states.
His defeat of Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto paved the way for Texas' independence. The city of Houston, Texas is name in his honor.
Jon Bon Jovi (John Bongiovi)
Born March 2, 1962
American singer. Music: Livin' on a Prayer (1986, #1), Bad Medicine (1988, #1), and Blaze of Glory (1990).
John Cowsill
Born March 2, 1956
American drummer, member of the singing family The Cowsills (They were the basis for TV's The Partridge Family). Music: The Rain, The Park & Other Things (1967, #2) and the title song for the musical Hair (1969, #2).
Jay Osmond
Born March 2, 1955
American drummer, with The Osmonds. Music: One Bad Apple (1971, #1) and Go Away Little Girl (1971, #1).
Laraine Newman
Born March 2, 1952
American comedienne. TV: Saturday Night Live (1975-80, original cast member).
Lou Reed (Louis Firbank)
Born March 2, 1942 d. 2013
American singer. He pioneered "ostrich guitar tuning," in which one note is used for all strings. Music: Walk On The Wild Side (1973, about actress Holly Woodlawn).
Mikhail Gorbachev
Born March 2, 1931 d. 2022
Russian politician, Communist Party Leader (1985-91).
Max Lincoln Schuster
Born March 2, 1897 d. 1970
Austrian-born American publisher, co-founder of the publishing house of Simon and Schuster (1924). Their first book was the world's first crossword puzzle book.
Pius XII (Eugenio Maria Giovanni Pacelli)
Born March 2, 1876 d. 1958
Italian religious leader, 260th Pope (1939-58). He was elected pope on his 63rd birthday. In 1950, he proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
Leo XIII
Born March 2, 1810 d. 1903
Italian religious leader, 256th Pope (1878-1903).
Adrian VI
Born March 2, 1459 d. 1523
Dutch-born religious leader, 218th Pope (1522-23), the only Dutch pope.
Deaths
Fred Merkle
Died March 2, 1956 b. 1888
American baseball player. Known for losing the pennant race due to a base running error, which has become known as "Merkle's Boner."
Bottom of the 9th of the deciding game of the 1908 National League pennant race; score 1-1. The New York Giants hit to center field, bringing the man on 3rd in for the winning run. Giants player Fred Merkle, who had been on 1st, considered the game won and headed for the dugout without advancing to 2nd. This resulted in a forced out at 2nd, nullifying the run, and therefore ending the game in a tie. This resulted in a playoff game, which Merkle's Giants lost, causing them to lose the National League pennant to the opposing Chicago Cubs.
Photo Credit: Roland Unger
Photo Credit: Roland Unger
Howard Carter
Died March 2, 1939 b. 1874
English Egyptologist. Discovered King Tutankhamen's tomb (1922).
Johnny Brown
Died March 2, 2022 b. 1937
American actor, singer. TV: Good Times (1975-79, Nathan Bookman the building superintendent) and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1970-72).
Mercedes McCambridge
Died March 2, 2004 b. 1916
American Oscar-winning actress. Film: All the King's Men (1949, Oscar), Giant (1956), and The Exorcist (1973, voice of the demon-child).
Carlos Marcello (Calogero Minacori)
Died March 2, 1993 b. 1910
New Orleans and Gulf Coast mafia boss.
Randolph Scott (Randolph Crane)
Died March 2, 1987 b. 1898
American actor. Film: Seven Men from Now (1956), The Tall T (1957), and Ride the High Country (1962).
Philip K. Dick
Died March 2, 1982 b. 1928
American Hugo-winning science fiction writer. Writings: The Man in the High Castle (1962, Hugo Award for Best Novel) and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968, the inspiration for the 1982 film Blade Runner).
D.H. Lawrence (David Herbert Lawrence)
Died March 2, 1930 b. 1885
English novelist. Writings: The Rainbow (1915) and Lady Chatterley's Lover (1928).
Wilhelm Olbers
Died March 2, 1840 b. 1758
German astronomer. He discovered two asteroids (including Vesta), several comets, a method of determining their orbits, and Olbers' Paradox: "If the stars are distributed evenly through infinite space, why is the night sky dark?"
John Wesley
Died March 2, 1791 b. 1703
English clergyman, founder of Methodism. He believed in salvation through faith. He and his brother Charles Wesley established the Methodist Church.