April 2

Events

* 68 - Galba, governor of Hispania, names himself "legatus senatus populique Romani", breaking the line of Roman emperors begun with Julius Caesar and Augustus.
*1453 - Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople (İstanbul), which would fall on May 29.
*1513 - Juan Ponce de Leon sets foot on Florida becoming the first European known to do so.
*1755 - Commodore William James captures the pirate fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India.
*1792 - The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.
*1801 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Copenhagen - The British destroy the Danish fleet.
*1804 - Forty merchantmen are wrecked when a convoy led by HMS "Apollo" runs aground off Portugal.
*1810 - Napoleon Bonaparte marries Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria.
*1863 - Richmond Bread Riot: Food shortages incite hundreds of angry women to riot in Richmond, Virginia and demand the Confederate government to release emergency supplies.
*1865 - American Civil War: The Siege of Petersburg is broken - Union troops capture the trenches around Petersburg, Virginia, forcing Confederate General Robert E. Lee to retreat.
* 1865 - American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet flee the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.
*1900 - The Foraker Act passes through Congress, giving Puerto Ricans limited self-rule.
*1902 - Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated by a terrorist in the Marie Palace, St Petersburg.
* 1902 - "Electric Theatre", the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California.
*1917 - World War I: U.S. President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.
* 1917 - The first woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress, Jeannette Rankin, takes her seat as a representative from Montana.
*1930 - Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.
*1945 - Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Brazil are established.
*1962 - The first official Panda crossing is opened outside Waterloo station, London.
*1972 - Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s .
* 1972 - Vietnam War: The Easter Offensive begins - North Vietnamese soldiers of the 304th Division take the northern half of Quang Tri Province.
*1973 - Launch of the LexisNexis computerized legal research service.
*1975 - Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from the Quang Ngai Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
* 1975 - Construction of the CN Tower is completed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It reaches convert|553.33|m|ft in height, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure.
*1980 - U.S. President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act in an effort to help the U.S. economy rebound.
*1982 - Falklands War: The Falkland Islands are invaded by Argentina.
*1984 - Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma is launched aboard Soyuz T-11, and becomes the first Indian in space.
*1989 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.
*1991 - The first female Premier of a Canadian province takes office. Rita Johnston succeeds William Vander Zalm, who resigned, as Premier of British Columbia.
*1992 - In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.
*2002 - Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated. A siege ensues.
*2004 - Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid. Their attack is thwarted.
*2005 - James Stewart Jr. becomes first African American to win a major motor sports event.
*2006 - Over 60 tornadoes break out, hardest hit is Tennessee with 29 people killed.

Births

* 742 - Charlemagne (d. 814)
*1348 - Andronikos IV Palaiologos, Byzantine Emperor (d. 1385)
*1527 - Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (d. 1598)
*1565 - Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch explorer (d. 1599)
*1618 - Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1663)
*1653 - Prince George of Denmark, prince consort of Anne of England (d. 1708)
*1719 - Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (d. 1803)
*1725 - Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and writer (d. 1798)
*1743 - Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States (Old style date) (d. 1826)
*1781 - Bhagwan Swaminarayan, religious leader (d. 1830)
*1788 - Francisco Balagtas, Filipino poet (d. 1862)
*1798 - August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet (d. 1874)
*1805 - Hans Christian Andersen, Danish writer (d. 1875)
*1812 - Louise-Marie of France, queen of Belgium (d. 1850)
*1814 - Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor (d. 1879)
*1827 - William Holman Hunt, English painter (d. 1910)
*1838 - Léon Gambetta, French statesman (d. 1882)
*1840 - Émile Zola, French novelist and critic (d. 1902)
*1862 - Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1947)
*1867 - Eugen Sandow, German bodybuilder and circus performer (d. 1925)
*1869 - Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (d. 1928)
*1875 - Walter Chrysler, American automobile pioneer (d. 1940)
*1884 - Sir John Squire, British poet, writer, and historian (d. 1958))
*1891 - Max Ernst, German painter (d. 1976)
*1900 - Roberto Arlt, Argentine writer (d. 1942)
*1902 - Jan Tschichold, German typographer (d. 1974)
*1903 - Lionel Chevrier, Canadian politician (d. 1987)
*1907 - Luke Appling, American baseball player (d. 1991)
*1908 - Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (d. 2003)
*1910 - Paul Triquet, Canadian military officer (d. 1980)
*1912 - Herbert Mills, American singer (The Mills Brothers) (d. 1989)
*1914 - Sir Alec Guinness, English actor (d. 2000)
*1917 - Dabbs Greer, American actor (d. 2007)
* 1917 - Lou Monte, American singer (d. 1989)
*1920 - Jack Webb, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1982)
*1923 - G. Spencer-Brown, English mathematician
* 1923 - Clifford Scott Green, American Federal Judge (d. 2007)
* 1923 - Gloria Henry, American actress
*1926 - George MacDonald Fraser, English author (d. 2008)
* 1926 - Sir Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver, three-time F1 world champion and co-founder of eponymous race team
*1927 - Carmen Basilio, American boxer
* 1927 - Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian footballer (d. 2006)
* 1927 - Kenneth Tynan, English critic and writer (d. 1980)
*1928 - Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, American cardinal (d. 1996)
* 1928 - Serge Gainsbourg, French singer (d. 1991)
* 1928 - Prof David Robinson, Irish Horticulturist (d. 2004)
*1934 - Paul Joseph Cohen, American mathematician (d. 2007)
* 1934 - Brian Glover, British actor and wrestler (d. 1997)
*1937 - Dick Radatz, American baseball player (d. 2005)
*1938 - John Larsson, 17th General of The Salvation Army
* 1938 - Whirlaway, American thoroughbred racehorse, 1941 Triple Crown Winner (d. 1953)
*1938 - Booker Little, American jazz trumpeter (d. 1961)
*1939 - Marvin Gaye, American singer (d. 1984)
* 1939 - Lise Thibault, Lieutenant-governor of Quebec
*1940 - Penelope Keith, English actress
*1941 - Dr. Demento, American radio personality
*1942 - Leon Russell, American blues-rock pianist/guitarist session musician
* 1942 - Hiroyuki Sakai, Japanese chef
*1942 - Roshan Seth, Indian actor
*1945 - Linda Hunt, American actress
* 1945 - Reggie Smith, American baseball player
* 1945 - Don Sutton, American baseball player
* 1945 - Anne Waldman, American poet
*1946 - Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist (The Guess Who) (d. 1997)
*1947 - Emmylou Harris, American singer
* 1947 - Camille Paglia, American feminist writer
*1948 - Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer
* 1948 - Joan D. Vinge, American author
*1949 - Paul Gambaccini, British television presenter
* 1949 - Pamela Reed, American actress
* 1949 - Ron Palillo, American actor
*1951 - Ayako Okamoto, Japanese golfer
* 1951 - Moriteru Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist
*1952 - Pat Drummond, Australian singer-songwriter
* 1952 - Thierry Le Luron, French humorist (d. 1986)
* 1952 - Leon Wilkeson, American rock bassist (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (d. 2001)
*1953 - Jim Allister, Northern Irish politician
* 1953 - David Robinson, American musician
* 1953 - Debralee Scott, American actress (d. 2005)
*1954 - Allan Davis, Australian diplomat
* 1954 - Susumu Hirasawa, Japanese electropop musician
* 1955 - Michael Stone, British terrorist
*1959 - Juha Kankkunen, Finnish race car driver
* 1959 - Yves Lavandier, French film director
* 1959 - Badou Zaki, Morrocan footballer and manager
*1960 - Linford Christie, English athlete
* 1960 - Brad Jones, Australian racing driver
*1961 - Christopher Meloni, American actor
* 1961 - Keren Woodward, English singer (Bananarama)
*1962 - Pierre Carles, French documentarist
* 1962 - Clark Gregg, American actor
* 1962 - Mark Shulman, American children's author
*1963 - Mike Gascoyne, British engineer
* 1963 - Karl Beattie, English television director and producer
*1964 - Pete Incaviglia, American baseball player
*1965 - Rodney King, American victim of police brutality
*1966 - Bill Romanowski, American football player
* 1966 - Teddy Sheringham, English footballer
* 1966 - Garnet Silk, Jamaican singer (d. 1994)
*1967 - Greg Camp, American musician (Smash Mouth)
* 1967 - Helen Chamberlain, British television presenter
*1970 - Roselyn Sanchez, Puerto Rican actress
*1971 - Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player
* 1971 - ZEEBRA, Japanese hip hop artist
*1972 - Chico Slimani, Moroccoan-British singer
*1974 - Håkan Hellström, Swedish musician
*1975 - Adam Rodriguez, American actor
*1976 - Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer
*1977 - Jelena Abbou, Serbian fitness model
* 1977 - Michael Fassbender, Actor
* 1977 - Aiden Turner, British actor
*1976 - Andreas Anastasopoulos, Greek shot putter
*1978 - John Gall, American baseball player
*1979 - Jesse Carmichael, American musician (Maroon 5)
*1980 - Carlos Salcido, Mexican footballer
* 1980 - Adam Fleming, English news reporter
* 1980 - Ricky Hendrick, NASCAR driver and owner (d. 2004)
*1981 - Michael Clarke, Australian cricketer
* 1981 - Bethany Joy Lenz-Galeotti, American actress
*1982 - Marco Amelia, Italian World Cup-winning footballer
* 1982 - Jeremy Bloom, American skier and football player
* 1982 - Bianca Chatfield, Australian netballer
* 1982 - Jack Evans, American professional wrestler
* 1982 - Leyla Milani, Canadian actress and model
*1983 - Felix Borja, Ecuadorian footballer
* 1983 - Yung Joc, American rapper
* 1983 - Paul Capdeville, Chilean tennis player
*1984 - Meryl Cassie, New Zealand actress

Deaths

*1118 - Baldwin I of Jerusalem, King of Jerusalem (b. circa 1058)
*1272 - Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1209)
*1335 - Duke Henry of Carinthia (b. circa 1265)
*1412 - Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, Spanish traveler and writer (b. ????)
*1502 - Prince Arthur Tudor, son of Henry VII of England (b. 1486)
*1507 - Francis of Paola, Italian founder of the Order of the Minims (b. 1416)
*1657 - Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1608)
* 1657 - Jean-Jacques Olier - French catholic priest, founder of the Society of Saint-Sulpice (b. 1608)
*1720 - Joseph Dudley, colonial Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1647)
*1742 - James Douglas, Scottish physician and anatomist (b. 1675)
*1747 - Johann Jacob Dillenius, German botanist (b. 1684)
*1754 - Thomas Carte, English historian (b. 1686)
*1787 - Thomas Gage, British general (b. 1719)
*1791 - Mirabeau, French statesman (b. 1749)
*1801 - Thomas Dadford Junior, British canal engineer (b. circa 1761)
*1803 - Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet, Scottish politician and judge (b. 1721)
*1817 - Johann Heinrich Jung, German author (b. 1740)
*1827 - Ludwig Heinrich Bojanus, German physician and naturalist (b. 1776)
*1845 - Philip Charles Durham, Royal Navy Admiral (b. 1763)
*1865 - General A. P. Hill, American Confederate general (b. 1825)
*1872 - Samuel F. B. Morse, American painter and inventor of the telegraph (b. 1791)
*1882 - Jesse James, American outlaw, shot in the back of the head by Robert Ford (b. 1847)
*1902 - Esther Morris, suffragist and first female American judge (b. 1814)
*1914 - Paul von Heyse, German writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1830)
*1922 - Hermann Rorschach, Swiss psychologist (b. 1884)
*1928 - Theodore William Richards, American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1868)
*1930 - Empress Zauditu of Ethiopia (b. 1876)
*1936 - Jean-Baptiste Eugène Estienne, French general (b. 1860)
*1953 - Hugo Sperrle, German field marshal (b. 1885)
*1958 - Josei Toda, Japanese second president of the Buddhist association Soka Gakkai (b. 1900)
*1966 - C. S. Forester, English author (b. 1899)
*1972 - Franz Halder, German general (b. 1884)
*1972 - Toshitsugu Takamatsu, Japanese Martial Arts Grandmaster (b. 1887)
* 1972 - Gil Hodges, American baseball player and manager (b. 1924)
*1974 - Georges Pompidou, President of France (b. 1911)
*1987 - Buddy Rich, American drummer (b. 1917)
*1992 - Tomisaburo Wakayama, Japanese actor (b. 1929)
*1992 - Juan Gómez González, Spanish footballplayer (b. 1954)
*1994 - Betty Furness, American actress (b. 1916)
*1995 - Harvey Penick, American golf instructor (b. 1904)
* 1995 - Hannes Alfvén, Swedish physicist (b. 1908)
*1998 - Rob Pilatus, American model and entertainer (Milli Vanilli) (b. 1965)
*2000 - Tommaso Buscetta, Sicilian mafioso and pentito (b. 1928)
*2001 - Charles Daudelin, Canadian artist (b. 1920)
* 2001 - Jennifer Syme, American actress (b. 1972)
*2003 - Edwin Starr, American singer (b. 1942)
*2004 - John Argyris, Greek aeronautical engineer (b. 1913)
*2005 - Pope John Paul II (b. 1920)
*2006 - Nina Schenk von Stauffenberg, German wife of Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg (b. 1913)

Holidays and observances

* International Children's Book Day
* Malvinas Day in Argentina
* Sizdah be dar in Iran
* Saint Franciscus of Paola

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/2 BBC: On This Day]
*
* [http://www1.sympatico.ca/cgi-bin/on_this_day?mth=Apr&day=02 On This Day in Canada]

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