Britannica On This Day January 2 2024 * Granada reclaimed by Spain, Isaac Asimov is featured, and moree *

This Day in History: January 2

Featured Event

1492





Granada reclaimed by Spain
On this day in 1492, Granada, home of the Alhambra palace and the seat and final stronghold of the Moorish kingdom in Spain, was surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II and Isabella I, ending the Reconquest.

More Events On This Day

NASA's spacecraft Stardust collected dust grains from the comet Wild 2, and the cometary material was later revealed to contain the amino acid glycine, an essential building block of life.Take our space exploration quiz
NASA/JPL
1967

American Republican politician Ronald Reagan, who previously worked as an actor, was sworn in as governor of California.How much do you know about the history of American politics?
Courtesy, The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
1950

German actor Emil Jannings died.Take our film buff quiz
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corporation
1935

The widely publicized trial of Bruno Hauptmann began in New Jersey as he faced charges of kidnapping and murdering the infant son of famed American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh; he was found guilty and executed.Test your knowledge of criminality and famous outlaws
Keystone/Hulton Archive /Getty Images
1920

The most spectacular of the Palmer Raids took place when 3,000–10,000 were arrested in more than 30 U.S. cities, accused of being foreign anarchists, communists, or radical leftists; the raids, led by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, were viewed as the climax of that era's so-called Red Scare.How much do you know about U.S. history?
Newberry Library, Case Oversize HD6500 .N5 (A Britannica Publishing Partner)
1905

The Russians surrendered Port Arthur (later Lüshun, China) to the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War.Take our quiz about the history of war
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1904

American actress, fan dancer, and bubble dancer Sally Rand was born in Elkton, Missouri.Test your knowledge of American personalities
The Granger Collection, New York
1896

Dziga Vertov, a Soviet motion-picture director whose kino-glaz (“film-eye”) theory had international impact on the development of documentaries and cinema realism during the 1920s, was born.Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about film
Novosti Press Agency
1863

The Battle of Stones River came to an end during the American Civil War; although indecisive, the clash was a psychological victory for the Union forces, which were led by General William S. Rosecrans.Do you know who won which battles during the American Civil War?
Courtesy of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1861

Frederick William IV, king of Prussia from 1840, died at Sanssouci Palace on this day in 1861.Test your knowledge of kings and queens
Foto Marburg/Art Resource, New York

Featured Biography

Isaac Asimov
American author

BornJanuary 2, 1920
Petrovichi, Russia
(Birthday tomorrow)
DiedApril 6, 1992 (aged 72)
New York City, New York




Christy Turlington
American fashion model



Todd Haynes
American screenwriter and director



David Bailey
British photographer



Isaac Asimov
American author



St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Roman Catholic nun