Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on February 2nd?

Otto I is crowned Holy Roman Emperor, initiating the Ottonian dynasty in Germany.

Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, founding the Capetian dynasty.

Death of King William II of England in a hunting accident, leading to the accession of Henry I.

The White Ship sinks in the English Channel, resulting in the death of William Adelin, heir to King Henry I of England.

Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I, is declared the Lady of the English.

New Amsterdam is given municipal rights and becomes a city. In 1664, the English took over New Amsterdamand renamed it New York after the Duke of York (later James II & VII).

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought an official end to the Mexican-American War (1846-48), is signed at Guadalupe Hidalgo, a city to which the Mexican government had fled with the advance of U.S. forces. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. Mexico also relinquished all claims to Texas, and recognized the Rio Grande as the southern boundary with the United States.

Alfred L. Cralle, is granted a patent for the first ice cream scoop, Cralle was an African American businessman and inventor who noticed ice cream servers having difficulty getting the popular confection desired by the customer into the cone they were usually holding. The ice cream tended to stick to spoons and ladles, requiring the server to use two hands and at least two separate implements to serve customers. The invention solved a real problem and spread so quickly that people soon forgot or never knew ,Cralle as the inventor, so he never profited from his invention. More

The Grand Central Terminal officially opened to great fanfare at 12:01am on Sunday, February 2, 1913. Although construction was not yet entirely complete, more than 150,000 visited on opening day. New York City would never be the same. More

The battle of Stalingrad ends as the German 6th Army surrenders in a major turning point in World War II

Super Bowl LIV sees the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers.