February 2

1536 – Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aires, Argentina.

1653 – New Amsterdam (later renamed The City of New York) is incorporated.

1709 – Alexander Selkirk is rescued after being shipwrecked on a desert island for over 4 years, inspiring Daniel Defoe’s adventure book Robinson Crusoe.

1848 – The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican-American War, is signed.

1876 – The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed.

1887 – In Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania the first Groundhog Day is observed.

1913 – Grand Central Terminal rail terminal, often called Grand Central Station, opens in New York City.

1925 – Dog sleds loaded with diphtheria serum reach Nome, Alaska,  inspiring the Iditarod race.

1934 – The Export-Import Bank of the United States, the official export credit agency of the federal government, is incorporated.

1943 – The Battle of Stalingrad comes to an end when Soviet troops accept the surrender of the last organized German troops in the city.

1980 – Reports surface that the FBI is targeting allegedly corrupt Congressmen in the Abscam operation.

1989 –  The last Soviet armored column leaves Kabul, Afghanistan ending the Soviet–Afghan War

2013 – Chris Kyle is murdered at a shooting range near Chalk Mountain, Texas, by a mentally disturbed veteran he was shooting with.