Historical Events on April 2, Facts & Special Events On This Day

670

The second Shia Imam Hassan ibn Ali passes away after being poisoned

1513

Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now the United States state of Florida.

1755

Commodore William James captures the Maratha fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India.

1792

American Civil War: The largest in a series of Southern bread riots occurs in Richmond, Virginia.

1865

American Civil War: Defeat at the Third Battle of Petersburg forces the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate government to abandon Richmond, Virginia.

1885

Canadian Cree warriors attack the village of Frog Lake, killing nine.

1900

The United States Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.

1902

Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated in the Marie Palace, St Petersburg.

1902

"Electric Theatre", the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles.

1911

The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts the country's first national census.

1912

The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.

1917

World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

1921

The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.

1930

After the mysterious death of Empress Zewditu, Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.

1956

As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS-TV. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.

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.

1973

Launch of the LexisNexis computerized legal research service.

1975

Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.

1979

A Soviet bio-warfare laboratory at Sverdlovsk accidentally releases airborne anthrax spores, killing 66 plus an unknown amount of livestock.

1980

United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act.

1982

Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.

1986

Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist, best known for the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door", announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.

1989

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba, to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.

1991

Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province when she succeeds William Vander Zalm (who had 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.

1992

Forty-two civilians were massacred in the town of Bijeljina.

2002

Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated.

2004

Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; the attack is thwarted.

2006

Over 60 tornadoes break out in the United States; Tennessee is hardest hit with 29 people killed.

2012

A mass shooting at Oikos University in California leaves seven people dead and three injured.

2014

A spree shooting occurs at the Fort Hood army base in Texas, with four dead, including the gunman, and 16 others injured.

2015

April 2 in History

Historical Events on April 2

The second Shia Imam Hassan ibn Ali passes away after being poisoned

Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first sights land in what is now the United States state of Florida.

Commodore William James captures the Maratha fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India.

The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.

Ludwig van Beethoven leads the premiere of his First Symphony in Vienna.

French Revolutionary Wars: The British capture the Danish fleet.

Rama IV is crowned King of Thailand.

American Civil War: The largest in a series of Southern bread riots occurs in Richmond, Virginia.

American Civil War: Defeat at the Third Battle of Petersburg forces the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate government to abandon Richmond, Virginia.

Canadian Cree warriors attack the village of Frog Lake, killing nine.

The United States Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.

Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated in the Marie Palace, St Petersburg.

"Electric Theatre", the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts the country's first national census.

The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.

World War I: United States President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.

After the mysterious death of Empress Zewditu, Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.

As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS-TV. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.

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.

Launch of the LexisNexis computerized legal research service.

Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.

A Soviet bio-warfare laboratory at Sverdlovsk accidentally releases airborne anthrax spores, killing 66 plus an unknown amount of livestock.

United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act.

Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.

Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist, best known for the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door", announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba, to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.

Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province when she succeeds William Vander Zalm (who had resigned) as Premier of British Columbia.

In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.

Forty-two civilians were massacred in the town of Bijeljina.

Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated.

Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; the attack is thwarted.

Over 60 tornadoes break out in the United States; Tennessee is hardest hit with 29 people killed.

A mass shooting at Oikos University in California leaves seven people dead and three injured.

A spree shooting occurs at the Fort Hood army base in Texas, with four dead, including the gunman, and 16 others injured.

Gunmen attack Garissa University College in Kenya, killing at least 148 people and wounding 79 others.

Choose Another Date