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On March 2, 1972, NASA launched the Pioneer 10 probe — the first spacecraft designed to cross the asteroid belt and study Jupiter. The probe was also the first to leave the solar system. It carries on board an anodised aluminium plaque with information about humanity for possible extraterrestrial civilisations. Contact was lost in 2003 at more than 12 billion km from Earth.

On March 2, 1931, Spanish painter Joaquín Sorolla died in Madrid — known as the "Master of Light" for his way of capturing Mediterranean luminosity in his paintings. His works — especially his Valencian beach scenes — are considered peaks of Spanish luminism and post-impressionism. The Sorolla Museum in Madrid, in his former home and studio, holds the largest collection of his work.

On March 2, 1969, the supersonic airliner Concorde made its first test flight from Toulouse, France, piloted by André Turcat. The Concorde, jointly developed by France and the United Kingdom, could cross the Atlantic in just over three hours — half the time of a conventional aircraft. It operated in commercial service from 1976 to 2003, when it was retired for economic reasons.