1. On March 2, 1836, the Battle of the Alamo was still raging in Texas, but Florida played a critical role in the Texian Revolution. Juan Seguín, a Tejano from San Antonio, had fled to Florida for refuge and gathered men to join the fight for Texan independence.

2. On March 2, 1864, the Union Army captured Florida's capital city, Tallahassee, during the Civil War. This marked a significant turning point in the war in Florida, as it gave the Union control over the state's government and infrastructure.

3. In 1917, the Smith-Lever Act was signed into law on March 2. This legislation established the Cooperative Extension Service, which provides agricultural education and research to farmers and communities throughout the United States. Today, the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is a key player in the program.

4. On March 2, 1962, the first contingent of U.S. military advisers arrived in South Vietnam. This event marked the beginning of America's deeply controversial involvement in the Vietnam War, which would claim the lives of over 58,000 U.S. soldiers.

5. In 1972, the state of Florida opened its first state-run gambling casino on March 2. The Hollywood Greyhound Track, now known as the Mardi Gras Casino, was the first legal gambling establishment in Florida and paved the way for the state's current gaming industry, which includes casinos, poker rooms, and horse and dog racing tracks.