On This Day: March 2

This is the 61st day of the year.

Fact of the Day: caffeine

Here's a bunch of caffeine facts! The full chemical name for caffeine is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine and its chemical formula is C8H10N4O2. Caffeine was first isolated from coffee in 1820. In its pure state, caffeine is a crystalline white powder. Caffeine can be found in 60 different plants. About 10 grams of caffeine is considered a lethal dose. Caffeine is the most popular drug in the world. Ninety percent of Americans consume it in some form every day. Darkly roasted coffee has less caffeine than lightly roasted.

Holidays

Feast day of St. Chad and St. Joavan.

Ethiopia: Adwa Day.

Texas: Independence Day.

Events

1807 - The U.S. Congress abolished the African slave trade.

1836 - Texas declared its independence from Mexico.

1867 - The first Reconstruction Act was passed by Congress.

1877 - Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, was declared the winner of the 1876 presidential election over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, even though Tilden had won the popular vote. Congress accepted an electoral commission's decision that Hayes won the disputed election. Hayes was the only U.S. president to be elected by this particular process.

1889 - Congress passed the Indian Appropriations Bill, proclaiming unassigned lands in the public domain, the first step toward the famous Oklahoma Land Rush.

1899 - Congress established Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.

1917 - Puerto Ricans were granted U.S. citizenship.

1923 - "Time" magazine made its debut.

1925 - State and federal highway officials developed a nationwide route-numbering system and adopted the familiar U.S. shield-shaped numbered marker.

1933 - The motion picture "King Kong," starring Fay Wray, had its world premiere in New York.

1951 - The first NBA All-Star game was held.

1958 - The British Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition, led by Dr. Vivian Fuchs, completed the first surface crossing of the South Pole.

1969 - The French-built Concorde made its maiden flight.

1970 - Rhodesia proclaimed itself a republic.

1973 - The Vietnam peace treaty was signed in Paris.

1977 - The U.S. House of Representatives adopted a strict code of ethics.

1984 - The first McDonald's franchise was closed -- in Des Plaines, Illinois.

1985 - The government approved a screening test for AIDS that detected antibodies to the virus, allowing possibly contaminated blood to be excluded from the blood supply.

1987 - Government officials reported that the median price for a new home had topped $100,000 for the first time.

Births

1793 - Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas, U.S. Senator, Texas governor.

1900 - Kurt Weill, German-born American composer.

1904 - Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), American Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

1917 - Desi Arnaz (Desiderio Alberto Arnez y de Acha III), American bandleader, singer, actor.

1931 - Mikhail Gorbachev, Secretary General of the Soviet Union.

1962 - Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi), American musician and lead singer of the band Bon Jovi.

Deaths

1930 - D.H. Lawrence, English novelist.