On this day 2nd December

Some notable facts about this date, for more, visit http://www.onthisday.com

Facts

1804 Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor of France in Paris

1823 President James Monroe declares his "Monroe Doctrine", a US foreign policy regarding Latin America

1845 Manifest Destiny: US President James K. Polk announces to Congress that the United States should aggressively expand into the West

1929 First skull of Peking man found, 50 km out of Peking at Tsjoe Koe Tien

1976 Fidel Castro becomes President of Cuba, replacing Osvaldo Dorticós Torrado

Deaths

1348 Emperor Hanazono of Japan (b. 1297)

1547 Hernán Cortés, Spanish conquistador (defeated the Aztec Empire and colonized large parts of Mexico)

1814 Marquis de Sade, French philosopher and writer (Justine), dies at 74. The words sadism and sadist are derived from his name.

1859 John Brown, American abolitionist and revolutionary (Harpers Ferry), hanged at 59

1888 Franz Xaver Witt, composer, dies at 54

1963 Sabu Sabu, actor (Jungle Book, Drums), dies of heart attack at 39

1982 Marty Feldman, comedian (Young Frankenstein), dies at 49

1986 Desi Arnaz, actor (Ricky Ricardo-I Love Lucy), dies at 69 of lung cancer

1990 Aaron Copland, American composer (Billy the Kid, Fanfare for Common Man), dies at 90

1993 Pablo Escobar, Colombian drug lord, shot to death by Colombian Police at 44

1997 Shirley Crabtree (Big Daddy), British professional wrestler (b. 1930)

2014 Jean Marc Beliveau, Canadian NHL player NHL, dies at 83

2015 Anthony Valentine, British actor (Colditz), dies at 76

Born on this day

1973 Monica Seles, Yugoslavian-American tennis star (US Open 1992), born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia

1981 Britney Spears, American popstar ("Baby One More Time," "Oops! ...I did it again")

A Couple of Pics from those no longer with us

Marty Feldman

Shirley Crabtree