This Day in History: March 2

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This Day in History: March 2

Take a look at all of the important historical events that took place on March 2nd.

On this day, March 2 …

2018: At a funeral before an invitation-only crowd of approximately 2,000 in Charlotte, N.C., the children of the Rev. Billy Graham remember "America’s Pastor" as a man devoted to spreading the Gospel and one who practiced what he preached.

Also on this day: 

• 1793: Sam Houston, an influential leader in the Texas Revolution and the first and third president of the Republic of Texas, is born near Lexington, Va.
• 1836: The Republic of Texas formally declares its independence from Mexico.
• 1877: Republican Rutherford B. Hayes is declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, even though Tilden wins the popular vote.
• 1917: Puerto Ricans are granted U.S. citizenship as President Woodrow Wilson signs the Jones-Shafroth Act.
• 1933: The motion picture "King Kong" has its world premiere at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall and the Roxy.
• 1939: Roman Catholic Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected pope; he takes the name Pius XII. 
• 1939: The Massachusetts legislature votes to ratify the Bill of Rights, 147 years after the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution went into effect. (Georgia and Connecticut would soon follow.)
• 1943: During World War II, the three-day Battle of the Bismarck Sea begins in the southwest Pacific.
• 1962: Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks, an NBA record that still stands. (Philadelphia wins, 169-147.)
• 1978: The remains of comedian Charles Chaplin are stolen by extortionists from his grave in Cosier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
• 1985: The government approves a screening test for AIDS that detects antibodies to the virus, allowing possibly contaminated blood to be excluded from the blood supply.
• 1989: Representatives from the 12 European Community nations agree to ban all production of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), the synthetic compounds blamed for destroying the Earth’s ozone layer, by the end of the 20th century.
• 1990: More than 6,000 drivers go on strike against Greyhound Lines Inc.
• 1995: The internet search engine website Yahoo! is incorporated by founders Jerry Yang and David Filo.
• 2009: President Barack Obama introduces Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as his choice to be secretary of Health and Human Services. 
• 2014: "12 Years a Slave" wins for best picture at the 86th annual Academy Awards; one of its stars, Lupita Nyong’o, wins the Oscar for best supporting actress. Matthew McConaughey wins for best actor for "Dallas Buyers Club," while Cate Blanchett takes best actress honors for "Blue Jasmine"; Alfonso Cuaron gets best director for "Gravity."