January 2

January 2

On this day in 1492, the Moorish stronghold of Granada surrendered to the Spanish. Washington Irving describes the humiliation of the last Moorish king Boabdil in his Chronicle of the Conquest of Grenada.
The last issue of Joseph Addison's The Tatler was published on this day in 1711. Addison began publishing in 1709. It was a pioneer publication in English journalism.
The British general James Wolfe was born on this day in 1727.
On this day in 1788, Georgia ratified the Constitution. The father of the colony, James Oglethorpe, gave it the name in honor of King George II.
The French photographer Louis Daguerre took the first photograph of the moon on this day in 1839.
The publishing firm of Simon and Shuster was founded on this day in 1924.
In 1929, Max Perkins, perhaps the greatest editor in American literary history (he was editor of both Fitzgerald and Hemingway) meets North Carolina writer Thomas Wolfe for the first time. Perkins says the wild-haired 28-year-old made him think of what Shelley must have been like. (See January 26. )
On this day in 1920, Isaac Azimov was born in Russia.
Manila fell to the Japanese on this day in 1942.
On this day in 1959, the Russian craft Luna 1 was launched. It was the first rocket to pass near the moon.
On this day in 1968, the first successful human heart transplant was made.
Rogues' gallery: