On This Day – December 2nd

By now, we fully expect that you’ve got the advent calendars out, and are counting down the days to your favourite time of year! But, before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s take a moment to appreciate all that every day of December brings. For example, here are some of the most interesting things about December 2nd.

On this day

1Napoleon crowned himself emperor.

On 2 December 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of the French in Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Pope Pius VII attended, but Napoleon famously placed the crown on his own head.

2Franz Joseph I became Emperor, too!

In 1848, Franz Joseph I became Emperor of Austria. At the same time, he also became King of Hungary, Croatia, and Bohemia. That’s a lot of ground to take care of at once!

3The first skull of Peking Man was found.

On 2 December 1929, the Chinese archaeologist Pei Wenzhong found a nearly complete skull of ‘Peking Man’ at Zhoukoudian, near Beijing. These early humans, a type of Homo erectus, lived there several hundred thousand years ago. The original fossils went missing in 1941 and have never been found.

4The World's first-ever nuclear chain reaction took place.

In 1942, the world’s first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction occurred in Chicago Pile-1 at the University of Chicago. The experiment was overseen by Enrico Fermi.

5Castro became President – and was in power for a long time!

In 1976, Communist revolutionary, Fidel Castro, became President of Cuba. He replaced Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado. Castro would eventually retire from the Presidency in 2008 – he oversaw the country across four different decades!

Special Days Falling on December 2nd

No one wants to have to wait all the way til the holidays to start celebrating! On the bright side, you can start marking an occasion or two right now with these holidays around the world today.

Asom Divas

Every December 2nd is Asom Divas for the people of the Indian State of Assam. It is a public holiday there to commemorate the arrival of the founder and very first King of the Ahom in the territory of ancient Assam. The day is also known by several other names, including Asom Day and Sukapha Divas.

International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

For people all over the world, December 2nd is always International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. On this very day back in 1949, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. Modern slavery is still very much a burning issue, with millions of people impacted every single day.

Today, we raise awareness of child labor, human trafficking, forced marriage and sexual exploitation – in the hope that, some day, everyone can truly be free.

Lao National Day

On 2 December 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao abolished the monarchy and declared the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The date is Laos’s National Day.

This month in history

The Vatican and Israel recognised each other. On 30 December 1993, the Holy See and Israel signed a Fundamental Agreement, leading to full diplomatic relations the following year.

Famous Birthdays on December 2nd

• Deacon White, American baseball player, born 1847
• Maria Callas, Greek-American opera singer, born 1923
• Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, born 1946
• Lucy Liu, American actor, born 1968
• Britney Spears, American musician, born 1981

If you were born on December 2nd

…you’re a Sagittarius! You’re a very independent person, and as friendly as you are, you are also known for being a bit careless at times. That being said, you are also optimistic, and, with the right people, you can also be pretty forgiving. So, why shouldn’t we forgive you a bit of carelessness?

There’s tons more to know about the centaur sign, so if you’re new to the Western Zodiac, learn more about Sagittarius from our Sagittarius facts page! You never know what you might learn about yourself…