January 2 in History

• 1492

  January 2, 1492:

  Granada, under the Moorish Kingdom, finally falls to Spain under the rule of Catholic monarchs Ferdinand II and Isabella I.

• 1897

  January 2, 1897:

  The Commodore, a boat which had author Stephen Crane on board sinks. His experience as a survivor inspires the short story, “The Open Boat”.

• 1905

  January 2, 1905:

  Port Arthur in China is surrendered to the Japanese by Russians during the Russo-Japanese War.

• 1935

  January 2, 1935:

  The trial of Bruno Hauptmann, kidnapper and murderer of the son of renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh, begins.

• 1958

  January 2, 1958:

  Distinguished opera soprano Maria Callas abandons her performance at a concert which also had the Italian president in attendance.

• 1966

  January 2, 1966:

  The first NFL Championship game to be televised in colored pictures is played between the Greenbay Packers and Cleveland Browns.

• 1967

  January 2, 1967:

  Future US President Ronald Reagan is sworn in as California’s governor.

• 1971

  January 2, 1971:

  A stampede kills 66 spectators of a match between Scottish teams Celtic and Rangers at the Ibrox Park in Glasgow.

• 2006

  January 2, 2006:

  A coal mine explosion traps 13 miners at the Sago Mine in West Virginia. Only one would be found alive two days later upon the arrival of the rescue team.