December 2: Facts & Historical Events On This Day - The Fact Site

December 2nd is also known as Fritters Day as well as Mutt Day.

Today marks the 336th day of the year. There are 23 days to go until Christmas Day.

December 2 had its fair share of important historical events in areas like technology, discoveries and so much more. Here you’ll find facts and events that all fell on this day.

Did you know that on this day, December 2, 1899, The Battle of Tirad Pass was fought? During the battle, all 60 Filipino troops died while delaying 500 Americans so that their president could escape.

Keep reading for more fun & interesting facts about December 2nd in history!

Historical Events

What memorable events happened on December 2 in history? Keep reading to find out!

2023

KISS performed their final show at Madison Square Garden, ending their legendary “End of the Road” tour.

The iconic American rock band finished the concert with an encore performed by digital avatars, beginning its era as a virtual band.

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2020

The United Kingdom became the first country to legalize the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine.

Pfizer announced earlier in November that their vaccine had been proven to be 90% effective, making it the first fully tested and functional vaccine for COVID-19. At first, the vaccine was only approved for emergency use in the UK, with several countries following in their footsteps soon afterward.

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1994

Cobb, a film about the baseball player Ty Cobb and starring Tommy Lee Jones premiered.

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1993

Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was shot and killed in Medellín.

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NASA’s Endeavour Space Shuttle was launched through Mission STS-61.

STS-61's primary objectives were to service the Hubble Space Telescope, add additional solar panels, and make corrections to the telescope's lenses and cameras. It took eleven days and five spacewalks to make the necessary upgrades and corrections, making it the most complex Space Shuttle mission at the time.

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1982

The first artificial heart was successfully implanted.

This was the first permanent artificial heart transplant, a surgery that took seven hours. It was called Jarvik-7 and lasted for 112 days until the patient, Barney Clark, died of unrelated causes.

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1970

The United States Environmental Protection Agency was formed in the US under Director William Ruckelshaus.

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1960

Paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey discovered a 1.4 million-year-old Homo erectus in Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania.

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1950

The “I Robot” collection of sci-fi short stories by Isaac Asimov was published by Genome Press in the US.

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1942

The world’s first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction happened in Chicago Pile-1 at the University of Chicago. It was overseen by Enrico Fermi.

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1908

The Chinese child Emperor Pu Yi ascended the Chinese throne at the age of two.

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1899

The Battle of Tirad Pass was fought.

Sometimes referred to as "The Filipino Thermopylae," this was a battle in the Philippine–American War. The battle was fought by a 60-man Filipino rear guard against over 500 American troops. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the battle lasted for five hours and resulted in 52 of the 60 Filipinos being killed.

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1867

Charles Dickens gave his first public reading.

Taking place at a New York City theater, Charles Dickens gave his first reading of a six-month American book tour.

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1804

Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned the Emperor of France in Paris.

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1766

Sweden introduced a groundbreaking Freedom of Press Act, becoming the first nation to introduce freedom of speech.

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Famous Births

Are you celebrating your birthday today? If so, did you know that you share the same birthday as Britney Spears? See what other famous people were born on this day.

1981

Britney Spears

American Pop Singer

Age

44 years old

Born IN

Mississippi, USA

1991

Charlie Puth

American Singer

Age

34 years old

Born IN

New Jersey, USA

1946

Gianni Versace

Italian Fashion Designer

Died On

Jul 15, 1997 (Age 50)

Born IN

Calabria, Italy

1970

Joe Lo Truglio

American Actor

Age

55 years old

Born IN

New York, USA

Birthday & Zodiac

People who were born on December 2nd share the Sagittarius star sign.

Fire is the element given to Sagittarius. Sagittarians spread like flames in whichever direction the wind takes them while burning a light brightly under others as they go.

Blue Topaz is the birthstone given to people born in December. The icy-blue topaz provides special healing powers to those who wear it by recharging the body, mind, and spirit.

If you were born on this day, you would likely have been conceived on or around March 11th of the same year.

The due date for a baby conceived on this day is around August 25th, 2027.

Famous Deaths

Unfortunately, December 2nd has also been a day where we've had to say some goodbyes over the years…

1955 — 2024

Debbie Nelson

American Artist Debbie Nelson was born on January 6, 1955. She died on this day in 2024, at age 69 in Missouri, USA.

Quotes

Who said what today throughout history? Here are the most famous things people have said on this day.

1969

“We’ve got the gift of love. But love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard, or just think it’s gonna get on with itself. You gotta keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it, and be careful of it, and keep the flies off and see that it’s alright, and nurture it.”

John Lennon

(English Singer)

1887

“All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”

Mark Twain

(American Writer)

Special Holidays

Are you looking for something to do today? Well, here's a few special days that might just give you some ideas.

United States

National Fritters Day

Don't you dare go frittering away your time today on pointless endeavors, for today is all about fritters! Whether you like corn fritters, potato fritters, fruity fritters, or something more adventurous, make sure you eat some today!

United States

National Mutt Day

Purebreed dogs have always gotten the most love and attention, and that’s just straight-up unfair. Mixed breed dogs are often the best dogs around, so let’s celebrate these beautiful mutts today by giving them plenty of treats and a nice long walk!

Fact Of The Day

Sleeping under a weighted blanket may help reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality for some people, including those with insomnia.

Check out our daily facts page for fresh, random facts updated every day!

Days Until

Your countdown to 2026's upcoming special days!

• Human Rights Day

  8 days

• Christmas Eve

  22 days

• Christmas Day

  23 days

• Bacon Day

  28 days

• New Year's Day

  30 days