On This Day: 2 January

2 January in Indian history

• 2009Sri Lankan civil war: The Sri Lankan army captured the town of Kilinochchi from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, concluding the Battle of Kilinochchi.India
• 1975At the opening of a new railway line, a bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar, India, fatally wounds Lalit Narayan Mishra, Minister of Railways.India
• 1954India establishes its highest civilian awards, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan.India

2 January in world history

• 2024While landing at Haneda Airport, Japan Airlines Flight 516 collided with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 which killed five people in total.
• 2022Massive nationwide protests and unrest break out in Kazakhstan over the sudden increase of liquefied petroleum gas prices, leading to 238 people dead and thousands injured by January 11.
• 2004Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.
• 1981One of the largest investigations by a British police force ends when serial killer Peter Sutcliffe, the "Yorkshire Ripper", is arrested in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
• 1978On the orders of the President of Pakistan, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, paramilitary forces opened fire on peaceful protesting workers in Multan, Pakistan; it is known as 1978 massacre at Multan Colony Textile Mills.
• 1976An extratropical cyclone began affecting parts of western Europe, resulting in coastal flooding around the southern portions of the North Sea and leading to at least 82 deaths.
• 1963Vietnam War: The Viet Cong won its first major victory at the Battle of Ap Bac.
• 1942The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtains the conviction of 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history; Also known as the Duquesne Spy Ring.
• 1941Second World War: Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, was severely damaged by German bombing during the Cardiff Blitz.
• 1920The second Palmer Raid, ordered by the US Department of Justice, results in 6,000 suspected communists and anarchists being arrested and held without trial.
• 1865Uruguayan War: Brazilian and Colorado Party forces captured the city of Paysandú from its Uruguayan defenders.
• 1863American Civil War: The three-day Battle of Stones River ends in a Union victory when the Confederate Army of Tennessee under General Braxton Bragg are repulsed for the final time by the Army of the Cumberland under General William S. Rosecrans.
• 1818The British Institution of Civil Engineers is founded by a group of six engineers; Thomas Telford would later become its first president.
• 1777American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey.
• 1680Trunajaya rebellion: Amangkurat II of Mataram of Java and his courtiers stabbed Trunajaya to death a week after the rebel leader surrendered to VOC forces.

Born on 2 January

• 1975Chris Cheney, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
• 1972Shiraz Minwalla, Indian theoretical physicist and string theoristIndia
• 1969William Fox-Pitt, English horse rider and journalist
• 1901Bob Marshall, American activist, co-founded The Wilderness Society (died 1939)
• 1878Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai, Indian activist, founded the Nair Service Society (died 1970)India
• 1860Dugald Campbell Patterson, Canadian engineer (died 1931)

Died on 2 January

• 2011Bali Ram Bhagat, Indian politician; 16th Governor of Rajasthan (born 1922)India
• 1995Nancy Kelly, American actress (born 1921)
• 1987Harekrushna Mahatab, Indian journalist and politician, 1st Chief Minister of Odisha (born 1899)India
• 1096William de St-Calais, Bishop of Durham and chief counsellor of William II of England

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 2 January in history?

2024: While landing at Haneda Airport, Japan Airlines Flight 516 collided with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 which killed five people in total. 2022: Massive nationwide protests and unrest break out in Kazakhstan over the sudden increase of liquefied petroleum gas prices, leading to 238 people dead and thousands injured by January 11. 2009: Sri Lankan civil war: The Sri Lankan army captured the town of Kilinochchi from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, concluding the Battle of Kilinochchi. 2004: Stardust successfully flies past Comet Wild 2, collecting samples that are returned to Earth.

What happened on 2 January in Indian history?

2009: Sri Lankan civil war: The Sri Lankan army captured the town of Kilinochchi from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, concluding the Battle of Kilinochchi. 1975: At the opening of a new railway line, a bomb blast at Samastipur, Bihar, India, fatally wounds Lalit Narayan Mishra, Minister of Railways. 1954: India establishes its highest civilian awards, the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan.

Which famous people were born on 2 January?

Chris Cheney, Australian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (1975); Shiraz Minwalla, Indian theoretical physicist and string theorist (1972); William Fox-Pitt, English horse rider and journalist (1969); Bob Marshall, American activist, co-founded The Wilderness Society (died 1939) (1901).

Which day is observed on 2 January?

Ancestry Day (Haiti); Berchtold's Day (Switzerland); The Day after New Year's Day (New Zealand); Kaapse Klopse (Cape Town, South Africa); The first day of Blacks and Whites' Carnival, celebrated until January 7 (Colombia).