On This Day - December 2nd

Napoleon became Emperor.

In 1804, General Napoleon Bonaparte was ceremoniously crowned Emperor of the French. The ceremony took place at the Notre Dame de Paris and was officiated by Pope Pius VII. Bonaparte would go on to be one of the most iconic figures in French military history – though he would eventually face exile.

Franz 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!

The First Skull of Peking Man was found.

In 1929, an ancient skull was found in the Zhoukoudian caves, roughly 50 km outside of Peking, China. Later, it was dated to be about 750,000 years old! We probably wouldn’t be here without Peking Man.

The 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.

Castro 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!

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 Dayc

On a happier note, December 2nd is also Lao National Day! The holiday takes place in the Southeast Asian country of Laos, and marks the end of the monarchy’s rule and the establishment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in 1975. Seems there’s always an independence day somewhere in the world, whenever you look!