APRIL 2

Contents

Events

Births

Deaths

Holidays and observances

Liturgical feasts

External links

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 known European to do so.

★ 1755 - Commodore William James captures 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: Siege of Petersburg 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: The Battle of Vimy Ridge commences when the Canada Corps launches an artillery bombardment of the German trenches. To that time, the biggest artillery bombardment in history.

★ 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.

★ 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 in the early 1950s during the Red Scare.

★ 1972 - Vietnam War: Easter Offensive begins - North Vietnamese soldiers of the 304th Division take the northern half of Quang Tri Province.

★ 1973 - Launch of 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 - CN Tower completed in Toronto Ontario Canada: reaches 553.33 metres 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: 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina. See also 1833 invasion of the Falkland Islands by United Kingdom

★ 1984 - Sqn Ldr 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 - 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 surrounded the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians retreated. A siege ensues.

★ 2004 - Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt a thwarted bombing of the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid.

★ 2005 - James Stewart Jr. becomes first African American to win a major motorsports event.

★ 2006 - Over 60 tornadoes breakout, hardest hit is Tennessee with 29 people killed.

Births

★ 742 - Charlemagne (d. 814)

★ 1348 - Andronicus IV Palaeologus, Eastern Roman 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)

★ 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)

★ 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)

★ 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 - 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

★ 1926 - George MacDonald Fraser, English author

★ 1926 - Sir Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver

★ 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)

★ 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

★ 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

★ 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 - Dana Carvey, American actor, SNL

★ 1959 - Juha Kankkunen, Finnish race car driver

★ 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

★ 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

★ 1971 - Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player

★ 1971 - ZEEBRA, Japanese hip hop artist

★ 1972 - Chico Slimani, Moroccoan-British singer

★ 1973 - Roselyn Sanchez, Puerto Rican actress

★ 1974 - Håkan Hellström, Swedish musician

★ 1975 - Adam Rodriguez, American actor

★ 1977 - Jelena Abbou, Serbian fitness model

★ 1976 - Andreas Anastasopoulos, Greek shot putter

★ 1978 - John Gall, American baseball player

★ 1980 - Carlos Salcido, Mexican footballer

★ 1980 - Adam Fleming, English news reporter

★ 1980 - Ricky Hendrick, NASCAR driver and owner

★ 1981 - Michael Clarke, Australian cricketer

★ 1981 - Bethany Joy Lenz-Galeotti, American actress

★ 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 - Ashley Peldon, American actress

★ 1984 - Meryl Cassie, New Zealand actress

Deaths

★ 1118 - Baldwin I of Jerusalem, King of Jerusalem

★ 1272 - Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1209)

★ 1335 - Duke Henry of Carinthia

★ 1412 - Ruy Gonzáles de Clavijo, Spanish traveler and writer

★ 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

★ 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)

★ 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)

★ 1966 - C. S. Forester, English author (b. 1899)

★ 1972 - Franz Halder, German general (b. 1884)

★ 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)

★ 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)

★ 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 freedom fighter Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg (b. 1913)

Holidays and observances

★ International Children's Book Day

★ Malvinas Day in Argentina

★ Sizdah be dar in Iran

Liturgical feasts

★ Saint Franciscus of Paola (1507)

★ Blessed Arnold of Leuven

★ Saint Genoveva of Brabant (1760)

External links

★ BBC: On This Day

★

★ On This Day in Canada
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