On January 2nd, 1492, Granada, home of the Alhambra palace and the seat and final stronghold of the Moorish kingdom in Spain, was surrendered to the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II and Isabella I, ending the Reconquest.

On January 2, 1999, a major snowstorm struck the Midwest, leaving 14 inches of snow in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and 19 inches in Chicago, Illinois, where temperatures plunged to -13 °F (-25 °C); 68 deaths were reported.

January 2nd, 1776 is the anniversary of the first revolutionary flag to be displayed.

Also on this date in 1936, the first night vision electron tube was revealed in St. Louis, Missouri.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. But first, an  important reminder: