March 2

March 2 in recent years

2024 (Saturday)

2023 (Thursday)

2022 (Wednesday)

2021 (Tuesday)

2020 (Monday)

2019 (Saturday)

2018 (Friday)

2017 (Thursday)

2016 (Wednesday)

2015 (Monday)

March 2 is the 61st day of the year (62nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 304 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

• 537 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoth army under king Vitiges begin the siege of the capital. Belisarius conducts a delaying action outside the Flaminian Gate, he and a detachment of his bucellarii are almost cut off.
• 871 – Æthelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army at the Battle of Marton.
• 986 – Louis V becomes King of the Franks.
• 1121 – Dirk VI becomes the Count of Holland.
• 1127 – Assassination of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders.
• 1444 – Skanderbeg organizes a group of Albanian nobles to form the League of Lezhë.
• 1458 – George of Poděbrady is chosen as the King of Bohemia.
• 1476 – Burgundian Wars: The Old Swiss Confederacy hands Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a major defeat in the Battle of Grandson in Canton of Neuchâtel.
• 1484 – The College of Arms was formally incorporated by Royal Charter signed by King Richard III of England.
• 1498 – Vasco da Gama's fleet visits the island of Mozambique Island.
• 1717 – The Loves of Mars and Venus is the first ballet performed in England.
• 1776 – American Revolutionary War: Patriot militia units arrest the Royal Governor of Georgia James Wright and attempt to prevent capture of supply ships in the Battle of the Rice Boats.
• 1791 – Long-distance communication speeds up with the unveiling of a semaphore machine in Paris.
• 1797 – The Bank of England issues the first one-pound and two-pound banknotes.
• 1807 – The U.S. Congress passes the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves, disallowing the importation of new slaves into the country.
• 1808 – The inaugural meeting of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
• 1811 – Argentine War of Independence: A royalist fleet defeats a small flotilla of revolutionary ships in the Battle of San Nicolás on the River Plate.
• 1815 – Signing of the Kandyan Convention treaty by British invaders and the King of Sri Lanka.
• 1825 – Roberto Cofresí, one of the last successful Caribbean pirates, is defeated in combat and captured by authorities.
• 1836 – Texas Revolution: Declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico.
• 1855 – Alexander II becomes Tsar of Russia.
• 1861 – Emancipation reform of 1861 in Russia: Tsar Alexander II signs the emancipation reform into law, abolishing Russian serfdom.
• 1865 – East Cape War: The Volkner Incident in New Zealand.
• 1867 – The U.S. Congress passes the first Reconstruction Act.
• 1877 – U.S. presidential election, 1876: Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote on November 7, 1876.
• 1882 – Queen Victoria narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Roderick McLean in Windsor.
• 1901 – The U.S. Congress passes the Platt Amendment, limiting the autonomy of Cuba as a condition of the withdrawal of American troops.
• 1903 – In New York City the Martha Washington Hotel opens, becoming the first hotel exclusively for women.
• 1917 – The enactment of the Jones-Shafroth Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
• 1919 – The first Communist International meets in Moscow.
• 1933 – The film King Kong opens at New York's Radio City Music Hall.
• 1937 – The Steel Workers Organizing Committee signs a collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Steel, leading to unionization of the United States steel industry.
• 1939 – Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli is elected Pope and takes the name Pius XII.
• 1941 – World War II: First German military units enter Bulgaria after it joined the Axis Pact.
• 1943 – World War II: Battle of the Bismarck Sea – United States and Australian forces sink Japanese convoy ships.
• 1946 – Ho Chi Minh is elected the President of North Vietnam.
• 1949 – Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II in Fort Worth, Texas after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight in 94 hours and one minute.
• 1949 – The first automatic street light is installed in New Milford, Connecticut.
• 1955 – King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia abdicates the throne in favor of his father, King Norodom Suramarit.
• 1956 – Morocco gains its independence from France.
• 1962 – In Burma, the army led by General Ne Win seizes power in a coup d'état.
• 1962 – Wilt Chamberlain sets the single-game scoring record in the National Basketball Association by scoring 100 points.
• 1965 – The US and South Vietnamese Air Force begin Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
• 1969 – In Toulouse, France, the first test flight of the Anglo-French Concorde is conducted.
• 1969 – Soviet and Chinese forces clash at a border outpost on the Ussuri River.
• 1970 – Rhodesia declares itself a republic, breaking its last links with the British crown.
• 1972 – The Pioneer 10 space probe is launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida with a mission to explore the outer planets.
• 1978 – Czech Vladimír Remek becomes the first non-Russian or non-American to go into space, when he is launched aboard Soyuz 28.
• 1983 – Compact Disc players and discs are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had been available only in Japan before then.
• 1989 – Twelve European Community nations agree to ban the production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century.
• 1990 – Nelson Mandela is elected deputy President of the African National Congress.
• 1991 – Battle at Rumaila Oil Field brings an end to the 1991 Gulf War.
• 1992 – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, San Marino, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan join the United Nations.
• 1993 – 1993 Storm of the Century begins to form over the North Atlantic Ocean.
• 1995 – Researchers at Fermilab announce the discovery of the top quark.
• 1998 – Data sent from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that Jupiter's moon Europa has a liquid ocean under a thick crust of ice.
• 2002 – U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda begins, (ending on March 19 after killing 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters, with 11 Western troop fatalities).
• 2004 – War in Iraq: Al-Qaeda carries out the Ashoura Massacre in Iraq, killing 170 and wounding over 500.
• 2012 – March 2–3, 2012 tornado outbreak: A tornado outbreak occurred over a large section of the Southern United States and into the Ohio Valley region, resulting in 40 tornado-related fatalities.

Births

• 1316 – King Robert II of Scotland (d. 1390)
• 1409 – John II of Alençon, Duke of Alençon and Count of Perche (d. 1476)
• 1459 – Pope Adrian VI (d. 1523)
• 1545 – Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and library founder (d. 1613)
• 1578 – George Sandys, English colonist and poet (d. 1644)
• 1705 – William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Scottish judge and politician (d. 1793)
• 1755 – Antoine-Frédéric Gresnick, Belgian classical composer (d. 1799)
• 1760 – Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (d. 1794)
• 1769 – DeWitt Clinton, American politician and naturalist (d. 1828)
• 1770 – Louis Gabriel Suchet, French Marshal (d. 1826)
• 1779 – Joel Roberts Poinsett, American statesman and botanist (d. 1851)
• 1793 – Sam Houston, American politician (d. 1863)
• 1800 – Evgeny Baratynsky, Russian poet (d. 1844)
• 1810 – Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903)
• 1816 – Alexander H. Bullock, American politician (d. 1882)
• 1817 – János Arany, Hungarian journalist (d. 1882)
• 1820 – Multatuli (Eduard Douwes Dekker), Dutch writer (d. 1887)
• 1824 – Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer (d. 1884)
• 1829 – Carl Schurz, German revolutionary and statesman (d. 1906)
• 1836 – Henry Billings Brown, American jurist (d. 1913)
• 1842 – Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer (d. 1914)
• 1843 – Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy (d. 1911)
• 1849 – Robert Means Thompson, American naval officer (d. 1930)
• 1859 – Sholom Aleichem, Russian novelist (d. 1916)
• 1860 – Susanna M. Salter, American politician (d. 1961)
• 1862 – John Jay Chapman, American author (d. 1933)
• 1862 – Boris Borisovich Galitzine, Russian physicist (d. 1916)
• 1876 – Pope Pius XII (d. 1958)
• 1878 – William Kissam Vanderbilt II, American scion (d. 1944)
• 1885 – Victor Houteff, Bulgarian religious reformer and author (d. 1955)
• 1886 – Willis O'Brien, American animator (d. 1962)
• 1897 – Minor Hall, American jazz musician (d. 1959)
• 1900 – Kurt Weill, German composer (d. 1950)
• 1902 – Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (d. 1972)
• 1902 – Edward Condon, American nuclear physicist (d. 1974)
• 1904 – Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), American author (d. 1991)
• 1905 – Marc Blitzstein, American composer (d. 1964)
• 1905 – Geoffrey Grigson, British writer (d. 1985)
• 1906 – Jan Ankerman, Dutch field hockey player (d. 1942)
• 1908 – Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper (d. 1968)
• 1908 – Walter Bruch, German engineer (d. 1990)
• 1909 – Mel Ott, American baseball player (d. 1958)
• 1912 – Henry Katzman, American composer and pianist (d. 2001)
• 1912 – William Thayer Tutt, American ice hockey executive (d. 1989)
• 1913 – Godfried Bomans, Flemish author and television personality (d. 1971)
• 1913 – Mort Cooper, American baseball player (d. 1958)
• 1913 – Celedonio Romero, Spanish guitarist (The Romeros) (d. 1996)
• 1914 – Mayo Kaan, bodybuilder (d. 2002)
• 1914 – Martin Ritt, American director (d. 1990)
• 1917 – Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born actor and bandleader (d. 1986)
• 1917 – David Goodis, American writer (d. 1967)
• 1917 – Jim Konstanty, American baseball player (d. 1976)
• 1918 – Peter O'Sullevan, Irish horse racing commentator
• 1918 – Michael Rye, American voice actor (d. 2012)
• 1919 – Jennifer Jones, American actress (d. 2009)
• 1919 – Tamara Toumanova, Russian ballerina and actress (d. 1996)
• 1920 – Heinz-Ludwig Schmidt, German football manager (d. 2008)
• 1921 – Ernst Haas, Austrian artist and photographer (d. 1986)
• 1922 – Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, American jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1986)
• 1922 – Bill Quackenbush, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1999)
• 1923 – Basil Hume, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, England (d. 1999)
• 1923 – Orrin Keepnews, American writer and critic
• 1923 – Robert H. Michel, American politician
• 1924 – Cal Abrams, American baseball player (d. 1997)
• 1926 – Murray Rothbard, American economist (d. 1995)
• 1927 – Roger Walkowiak, French cyclist and economist
• 1928 – Father John S. Romanides, Greek priest and professor (d. 2001)
• 1930 – John Cullum, American actor and singer
• 1930 – Emma Penella, Spanish actress (d. 2007)
• 1931 – Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the Soviet Union and Nobel laureate
• 1931 – Tom Wolfe, American author
• 1932 – Gun Hägglund, Swedish news presenter (d. 2011)
• 1934 – Dottie Rambo, American singer (The Rambos) (d. 2008)
• 1935 – Al Waxman, Canadian actor (d. 2001)
• 1937 – Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria
• 1937 – Denny Crum, College basketball coach
• 1938 – Ricardo Lagos, 33rd President of Chile
• 1938 – Lawrence Payton, American singer and songwriter (The Four Tops) (d. 1997)
• 1939 – BarBara Luna, American actress
• 1940 – Tony Croatto, Italian-born composer (d. 2005)
• 1941 – Jon Finch, English actor
• 1941 – David Satcher, 16th United States Surgeon General
• 1942 – Kwang Jo Choi, Korean Choi Kwang-Do champion
• 1942 – John Irving, American author
• 1942 – Claude Larose, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1942 – Mir-Hossein Mousavi, Last Prime Minister of Iran
• 1942 – Luc Plamondon, Canadian lyricist
• 1942 – Lou Reed, American singer and guitarist (The Velvet Underground)
• 1943 – Zygfryd Blaut, Polish footballer (d. 2005)
• 1943 – Tony Meehan, English drummer (The Shadows) (d. 2005)
• 1943 – Peter Straub, American author
• 1944 – Uschi Glas, German actress
• 1947 – Harry Redknapp, English football manager
• 1948 – Rory Gallagher, Irish guitarist (Taste) (d. 1995)
• 1948 – Jeff Kennett, Australian former politician
• 1949 – Alain Chamfort, French singer
• 1949 – Gates McFadden, American actress
• 1949 – J. P. R. Williams, Welsh rugby union player
• 1950 – Karen Carpenter, American singer and drummer (The Carpenters) (d. 1983)
• 1950 – Jeffrey Chodorow, American restaurateur and financier
• 1952 – Mark Evanier, American writer
• 1953 – Russ Feingold, American politician
• 1954 – Hans-Jürgen Baake, German footballer
• 1954 – Eddie Johnstone, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1955 – Shoko Asahara, Japanese cult leader
• 1955 – Ken Salazar, American politician
• 1955 – Terrence Stone, Irish-American voice actor
• 1956 – John Cowsill, American musician (The Cowsills)
• 1956 – Mark Evans, Australian bassist (AC/DC)
• 1958 – Kevin Curren, South African tennis player
• 1958 – Ian Woosnam, Welsh golfer
• 1959 – GX Jupitter-Larsen, American artist and writer
• 1959 – Larry Stewart, American singer
• 1960 – Hector Calma, Filipino basketball player
• 1960 – Debra Marshall, American professional wrestler and manager
• 1961 – Simone Young, Australian conductor
• 1962 – Jon Bon Jovi, American musician (Bon Jovi)
• 1962 – Morioka Hiroyuki, Japanese writer
• 1962 – Tom Nordlie, Norwegian football coach
• 1962 – Michael Salinger, American poet
• 1962 – Scott "La Rock" Sterling, American musician (Boogie Down Productions) (d. 1987)
• 1962 – Raimo Summanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
• 1963 – Alvin Youngblood Hart, American musician
• 1963 – Tuff Hedeman, American bull rider
• 1963 – Tanyu Kiryakov, Bulgarian pistol shooter
• 1964 – Mike Von Erich, American wrestler (d. 1987)
• 1964 – Laird Hamilton, American surfer
• 1965 – Ron Gant, American baseball player
• 1965 – Lembit Öpik, British politician
• 1968 – Daniel Craig, English actor
• 1969 – Ben Oxenbould, Australian actor
• 1969 – Han ten Broeke, Dutch politician
• 1970 – Alexander Armstrong, British comedian, actor and TV presenter
• 1970 – Wibi Soerjadi, Dutch concert pianist and composer
• 1971 – Dave Gorman, English documentary comedian
• 1971 – Lisa Lackey, Australian actress
• 1971 – Amber Smith, American actress and model
• 1972 – Michael Buskermolen, Dutch footballer
• 1972 – Richard Ruccolo, American actor
• 1972 – Rene Bitorajac, Croatian actor
• 1973 – Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player
• 1973 – Trevor Sinclair, English footballer
• 1974 – Hayley Lewis, Australian swimmer
• 1974 – Monika Niederstätter, Italian athlete
• 1975 – El-P (Jaime Meline), American hip hop artist (Company Flow and The Weathermen)
• 1976 – JJ Fernandez, Malaysian radio personality
• 1977 – Dominique Canty, American basketball player
• 1977 – Chris Martin, English musician (Coldplay)
• 1977 – Andrew Strauss, English cricket player
• 1978 – Tomáš Kaberle, Czech ice hockey player
• 1978 – Giannis Skopelitis, Greek footballer
• 1979 – Sergei Davydov, Belarusian figure skater
• 1979 – Damien Duff, Irish footballer
• 1979 – Nicky Weaver, English footballer
• 1980 – Karl Dominik, Polish-born actor
• 1980 – Sunny Lane, American pornographic actress
• 1980 – Édson Nobre, Angolan footballer
• 1981 – Lance Cade, American professional wrestler (d. 2010)
• 1981 – Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
• 1982 – Jade Galbraith, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1982 – Kevin Kurányi, German footballer
• 1982 – Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1982 – Ben Roethlisberger, American football player
• 1982 – Corey Webster, American football player
• 1983 – Kolawole Agodirin, Nigerian footballer
• 1983 – Jay McClement, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Glen Perkins, American baseball player
• 1983 – Ryan Shannon, American ice hockey player
• 1983 – Lisandro López, Argentine footballer
• 1984 – Elizabeth Jagger, English model and actress
• 1985 – Reggie Bush, American football player
• 1985 – Suso Santana, Spanish footballer
• 1986 – Deuce, American singer-songwriter and producer (Hollywood Undead)
• 1986 – Jon D'Aversa, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1988 – Edgar Andrade, Mexican footballer
• 1988 – Nicola Geuer, German tennis player
• 1988 – Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver
• 1988 – Geert Arend Roorda, Dutch footballer
• 1988 – Nadine Samonte, Filipino actress
• 1988 – Chris Rainey, American football player
• 1989 – Toby Alderweireld, Belgian footballer
• 1989 – André Bernardes Santos, Portuguese footballer
• 1989 – Alemão, Brazilian footballer
• 1989 – Marcel Hirscher, Austrian alpine ski racer
• 1989 – Shane Vereen, American football player
• 1990 – Lee Hongki, Korean singer (F.T. Island)

Deaths

• 855 – Lothair, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor (b. 795)
• 1316 – Marjorie Bruce, daughter of Robert I of Scotland (b. 1296)
• 1572 – Mem de Sá, Portuguese Governor-General of Brazil
• 1589 – Alessandro Farnese, Italian cardinal (b. 1520)
• 1619 – Anne of Denmark, Queen consort of Britain (b. 1574)
• 1625 – James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton, Scottish noble and politician (b. 1589)
• 1729 – Francesco Bianchini, Italian philosopher and scientist (b. 1662)
• 1755 – Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, French writer (b. 1675)
• 1758 – Pierre Guérin de Tencin, French cardinal (b. 1679)
• 1791 – John Wesley, English founder of Methodism (b. 1703)
• 1793 – Carl Gustaf Pilo, Swedish-born artist
• 1797 – Horace Walpole, English politician and writer (b. 1717)
• 1829 – Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez, Mexican conspirator (b. 1768)
• 1830 – Samuel Thomas von Sömmering, German physician (b. 1755)
• 1835 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1768)
• 1840 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers, German astronomer (b. 1758)
• 1855 – Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Emperor of Russia (b. 1796)
• 1864 – Ulric Dahlgren, American Unionist colonel (b. 1842)
• 1865 – Carl Sylvius Völkner, German missionary to New Zealand (b. 1819)
• 1880 – John MacNeill, Irish civil engineer (b. 1790)
• 1895 – Berthe Morisot, French painter (b. 1841)
• 1895 – Isma'il Pasha, Governor of Egypt (b. 1830)
• 1919 – Melchora Aquino, Filipino revolutionary hero (b. 1812)
• 1921 – Champ Clark, American politician (b. 1850)
• 1921 – Nicholas I of Montenegro (b. 1841)
• 1930 – D. H. Lawrence, English writer (b. 1885)
• 1938 – Ben Harney, American composer and pianist (b. 1871)
• 1939 – Howard Carter, British archaeologist (b. 1874)
• 1942 – Charlie Christian, American swing and jazz guitarist (b. 1916)
• 1945 – Emily Carr, Canadian artist (b. 1871)
• 1946 – Fidél Pálffy, Hungarian National socialist (b. 1895)
• 1946 – George E. Stewart, American Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1872)
• 1947 – Frans Johan Louwrens Ghijsels, Dutch architect and urban planner (b. 1882)
• 1948 – Algernon Maudslay, British sailor (b. 1873)
• 1949 – Sarojini Naidu, Indian politician (b. 1879)
• 1950 – Rosli Dhobi, Malay Sarawakian (b. 1932)
• 1953 – James Lightbody, American middle distance runner (b. 1882)
• 1958 – Fred Merkle, American baseball figure (b. 1888)
• 1959 – Eric Blore, English actor (b. 1887)
• 1960 – Stanisław Taczak, Polish general (b. 1874)
• 1962 – Charles Jean de la Vallée-Poussin, Belgian mathematician (b. 1866)
• 1967 – José Martínez Ruiz, Spanish poet and writer (b. 1873)
• 1970 – Marc-Aurèle Fortin, Canadian painter (b. 1888)
• 1973 – Cleo A. Noel, Jr., American foreign envoy (b. 1918)
• 1974 – Salvador Puig Antich, Spanish anarchist (b. 1948)
• 1975 – Josiah Mwangi Kariuki, Kenyan politician (b. 1929)
• 1979 – Christy Ring Irish hurler (b. 1920)
• 1982 – Philip K. Dick, American author (b. 1928)
• 1987 – Randolph Scott, American actor and director (b. 1898)
• 1991 – Serge Gainsbourg, French singer (b. 1928)
• 1991 – Mary Howard aka Josephine Edgar, British writer (b. 1907)
• 1992 – Sandy Dennis, American actress (b. 1937)
• 1994 – Maurice Bambier, French politician (b. 1925)
• 1994 – Anita Morris, American actress (b. 1943)
• 1999 – David Ackles, American singer and songwriter (b. 1937)
• 1999 – Dusty Springfield, English singer (Lana Sisters and The Springfields) (b. 1939)
• 2000 – Sandra Schmirler, Canadian curler (b. 1963)
• 2001 – François Abadie, French politician (b. 1930)
• 2001 – John Diamond, British journalist (b. 1953)
• 2003 – Hank Ballard, American musician (The Midnighters) (b. 1927)
• 2003 – Malcolm Williamson, Australian composer (b. 1931)
• 2004 – Cormac McAnallen, Northern Irish footballer (b. 1980)
• 2004 – Mercedes McCambridge, American actress (b. 1916)
• 2004 – Marge Schott, American baseball team owner (b. 1928)
• 2005 – Martin Denny, American musician (b. 1911)
• 2005 – Rick Mahler, American baseball player (b. 1953)
• 2006 – Milton Katims, American violist and conductor (b. 1909)
• 2007 – Thomas S. Kleppe, U.S. politician (b. 1919)
• 2007 – Clem Labine, American baseball player (b. 1926)
• 2007 – Ivan Safronov, Russian journalist (b. 1956)
• 2007 – Henri Troyat, French writer (b. 1911)
• 2008 – Jeff Healey, Canadian musician (b. 1966)
• 2009 – João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1939)
• 2009 – Chris Finnegan, British boxer (b. 1944)
• 2010 – Winston Spencer-Churchill, British politician (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Agnes of Bohemia
  • Blessed Charles the Good, Count of Flanders
  • Chad of Mercia (Church of England)
  • March 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Feast of 'Alá (Loftiness), First day of the 19th month of the Bahá'í calendar (Bahá'í Faith) and first day of the Baha'i Nineteen Day Fast
• Omizu-okuri ("Water Carrying") Festival (Obama, Japan)
• Peasants Day (Burma)
• St Chad's Day (St Chad's College)
• Texas Independence Day (Texas)
• Victory at Adwa Day (Ethiopia)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

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