Roman legions in Germania Superior proclaim their commander, Vitellius, as emperor.
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What Happened Today in History on January 2
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on January 2nd. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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The Peace of Szeged is signed, ending the 1443-1444 Crusade of Varna between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.
Christopher of Bavaria, King of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, dies.
The Ottomans capture Constantinople's strategically important region, the Morea, completing their conquest of the Byzantine Empire.
Granada, the last stronghold of the Moorish kingdom in Spain surrenders to Spain ending the Reconquest led by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II and Isabella I
Vasco da Gama departs from Lisbon on his first voyage to India.
King Ferdinand II of Aragon abandons the Kingdom of Naples, leaving it under the control of Louis XII of France.
King Henry VIII of England orders the burning of all Lutheran books.
The Council of Trent concludes its meetings, marking the end of the Council's discussions on church reform.
Tsar Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible suppresses a rebellion in Novgorod, Russia, executing thousands. The massacre lasted from January 2 to Feb 12, 1570
The Dutch buy Manhattan Island from Native Americans for trinkets and tools, founding New Amsterdam.
American forces defeat the British at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek in the American Revolutionary War.
Georgia ratifies the Articles of Confederation becoming the fourth State.
Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from Mexico, initiating American colonization.
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City begins.
John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Trust is formed.
Alice Sanger becomes the first female White House staffer.
NASA's spacecraft Stardust flies within 155 miles from the comet P/Wild 2, and collects dust grains and the cometary material. Stardust sealed its collected matter inside a sample reentry capsule, which separated from Stardust and landed in the Utah desert on Jan. 15, 2006. They were later revealed to contain the amino acid glycine, an essential building block of life. More