Event:
Ian Thorpe, an Australian swimmer, announces he will come out of retirement to compete in the London Olympics in 2012
More Notable Events on February 2:
1977 Radio Shack officially begins creating TRS-80 computer
1964 GI Joe, debuts as a popular American boy's toy
1962 8 of 9 planets align for 1st time in 400 years
1948 President Truman urges congress to adopt a civil rights program
1653 New Amsterdam becomes a city, later called New York City