WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2008

Today is Wednesday, January 2, the second day of 2008. There are 364 days left in the year.

533 _ John II begins his reign as Catholic pope

1492 _ Spain recaptures Granada from the Moors (Granada Day)

1570 _ Tsar Ivan the Terrible march to Novgorod begins

1757 _ British troops occupy Calcutta, India

1790 _ Mozart's opera ``Cosi fan tutti" premieres, Vienna

1814 _ Lord Byron completes "The Corsair"

1905 _ Japanese troops capture Port Arthur

1919 _ Lithuania gains independence

1942 _ Japanese troops occupy Manila, the Philippines

1974 _ Worst fire in Argentine history destroys 1.2 million acres

1988 _ Mulroney and Reagan sign Canada-U.S. free trade agreement

1994 _ Battles between army and rebellious Indians in South Mexico, kill 57

1995 _ Most distant galaxy yet discovered found by scientists using Keck telescope in Hawaii (estimated 15 billion light years away)