January 2

69 – The Roman legions in Germania Superior refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor. 366 – The Alemanni cross the frozen Rhine in large numbers, invading the Roman Empire. 533 – Mercurius becomes Pope John II, the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy. 1492 – Reconquista: The Emirate of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, surrenders. 1680 – Trunajaya rebellion: Amangkurat II of Mataram and his bodyguards execute the rebel leader Trunajaya. 1777 – American Revolutionary War: American forces under the command of George Washington repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek near Trenton, New Jersey. 1788 – Georgia becomes the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution. 1791 – Big Bottom massacre in the Ohio Country, North America, marking the beginning of the Northwest Indian War. 1818 – The British Institution of Civil Engineers is founded by a group of six engineers; Thomas Telford would later become its first president. 1865 – Uruguayan War: The Siege of Paysandú ends as the Brazilians and Coloradans capture Paysandú, Uruguay. 1900 – American statesman and diplomat John Hay announces the Open Door Policy to promote trade with China. 1900 – Chicago Canal opens. 1920 – The second Palmer Raid, ordered by the US Department of Justice, results in 6,000 suspected communists and anarchists being arrested and held without trial. 1921 – World premiere of the science fiction play R.U.R. by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in a theater in Hradec Králové. 1941 – World War II: The Cardiff Blitz severely damages the cathedral in Cardiff, Wales. 1942 – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) obtains the conviction of 33 members of a German spy ring headed by Fritz Joubert Duquesne in the largest espionage case in United States history; Also known as the Duquesne Spy Ring. 1942 – World War II: Manila is captured by Japanese forces, enabling them to control the Philippines. 1949 – Luis Muñoz Marín is inaugurated as the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico.