January 2 in History

January 2 is the second day of the year. There are 364 days remaining until the end of the year.

• 533– Mercurius becomes Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy.
• 1860 – The discovery of the planet Vulcan was announced the Academie des Sciences in Paris, it was hypothesized that the oddness of Mercury’s orbit was the result of another planet. Vulcan was never found and Mercury’s orbit is explained by the theory of general relativity.
• 1900 – US announced the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China.
• 1974 – President Nixon signed a bill lowering the maximum speed limit to 55 mph to conserve gas during an OPEC embargo.
• 1999– A blizzard hit the US midwest, temperatures dropped to -13°F in Chicago; and caused 68 deaths.