December 2

December 2: This Day in History

• 1804— Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself Emperor of the French in a grand ceremony at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
• 1823— President James Monroe articulated the Monroe Doctrine in his address to Congress, declaring the Western Hemisphere off-limits to European colonization.
• 1942— Enrico Fermi and his team achieved the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at the University of Chicago, ushering in the nuclear age.
• 1954— The U.S. Senate voted to censure Senator Joseph McCarthy, effectively ending his campaign of anti-Communist investigations.
• 1971— The United Arab Emirates was formally established as an independent federation of seven emirates.

Famous Birthdays on December 2

• Britney Spears (1981) — pop singer
• Monica Seles (1973) — tennis player
• Lucy Liu (1968) — actress
• Nelly Furtado (1978) — canadian singer-songwriter
• Georges Seurat (1859) — french post-impressionist painter

What Happens on December 2?

Did You Know? December 2 Fun Facts

• On December 2, 1942, the world's first nuclear reactor — Chicago Pile-1 — went critical under the bleachers of Stagg Field at the University of Chicago.
• Napoleon's coronation in 1804 was notable because he took the crown from Pope Pius VII's hands and placed it on his own head himself.

Count Down to Events on December 2

• How many days until National Finals Rodeo?