March 02
1836
Texas declared its independence from Mexico.
1877
Rutherford B. Hayes was declared president by a U.S. electoral commission since the original result was too close to call. He was the only president elected this way.
1917
Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and Puerto Ricans gained American citizenship.
1923
The first issue of Henry Luce’s TIME magazine appeared on newsstands.
1933
King Kong, starring Fay Wray, premiered in New York City.
1949
Captain James Gallagher completed the first non-stop around the world flight. He completed the 23,452-mile journey in 94 hours, 1 minute.
1956
Morocco gained independence from France.
1962
Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain scored an NBA-record 100 points in a basketball game.
2001
The Taliban began the destruction of ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan.
2008
Dmitri A. Medvedev, a former aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin who has never held elected office, won the Russian presidential election in a landslide. Putin remained in a position of power, serving as Medvedev’s prime minister.
Birthdays
Dr. Seuss
1904–1991; author of children’s books
Samuel Houston
frontier hero and statesman (1793)
Tom Wolfe
journalist and novelist (1931)
John Irving
writer (1942)
Jon Bon Jovi
musician (1962)