1792 – The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.
1863 – Richmond Bread Riot: Food shortages incite hundreds of angry women to riot in Richmond, Virginia, and demand that the Confederate government 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
1875 – Walter Chrysler, American businessman, founded Chrysler (d. 1940) was born.
1900 – The United States Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.
1902 – “Electric Theatre”, the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California.
1912 – The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.
1914 – Alec Guinness, English actor (d. 2000) was born.
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.
1932 – Charles Lindbergh, whose son was kidnapped paid $50,000 ransom in a New York cemetery to a man who promised to return his kidnapped son. ( His son is later found dead after being murdered by Bruno Hauptmann, who was executed )
1939 – Anthony Lake, American diplomat and academic, 18th United States National Security Advisor was born.
1962 – The first official Panda crossing is opened outside London Waterloo station.
1962 – Clark Gregg, American actor, director, and screenwriter (Agent Phil Coulson in The Marvel Movies and TV Series) was born.
1965 – Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (d. 2012) was born.
1972 – Following 20 years of self imposed exile after he was accused of “un-American activities” as a suspected communist sympathizer during the era of McCarthyism. He returned only to receive an Honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards, and went back to his home in Vevey, Switzerland.
1975 – Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
1975 – Construction of the CN Tower is completed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It reaches 553.33 metres (1,815.4 ft) in height, becoming the world’s tallest free-standing structure.
1978 – Nick Berg, American businessman (d. 2004) was born.
1979 – The world’s first anthrax epidemic begins in Ekaterinburg, Russia by the time it was finished 62 people were dead. The town did contain a biological weapons plant, and in 1992 the cause was confirmed as starting at that plant
1980 – United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act in an effort to help the U.S. economy rebound.
1982 – Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.
1986 – Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727 tearing hole in the side of the aircraft which sucks four passengers including an eight-month old baby from the aircraft. The TWA Passenger Jet was flying over Greece, on its way to Athens, when the bomb exploded
1986 – Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist most widely 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.
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 – Pope John Paul II (b. 1920) died.
2008 – The Pentagon has declassified the 2003 legal memo that approved the use of harsh interrogation techniques for terror suspects. The U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memo said President Bush’s war-time authority superseded international laws on interrogation, and gave legal justification for aggressive methods (as long as no intended torture was taking place). The memo was subsequently overruled, but its release allowed a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union to take place.
2011 – A Southwest Airlines flight carrying one hundred and eighteen passengers is forced to make an emergency landing after a hole opened up in the roof of the plane mid-flight. The rupture appeared as a result of metal fatigue on the fuselage. The pilot was able to land safely with only one small injury to a flight attendant. The incident caused many other planes to be grounded and inspected for similar problems.
2012 – A passenger plane on its way to Surgut was carrying forty-three people and crashed after taking off from Tyumen in Siberia. Thirty-one people were killed in the crash and the remaining twelve were injured and taken to a hospital. The cause of the crash was unknown.
NOTABLE BIRTHS NOT MENTIONED ABOVE:
742 – Charlemagne, 1st Holy Roman emperor (800-14)
1725 – Giacomo Casanova, Venice, Italian writer, adventurer and famous lover
1805 – Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark, author of 150 fairy tales
1840 – Émile Zola, French novelist and critic (d. 1902)
1891 – Max Ernst, Germany, painter/sculptor (founded surrealism)
1920 – Jack Webb, Santa Monica California, actor (Joe Friday-Dragnet)
1939 – Marvin Gaye (Jr), Wash DC, singer (Sexual Healing)
1947 – Camille Paglia, Endicott NY, author and social critic
1947 – Emmylou Harris, Birmingham Alabama, country singer (Together Again)
1952 – Leon Wilkerson, rock musician (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
1959 – Victoria Jackson, Miami Florida, comedian (SNL, Casual Sex)
More Here: http://www.historyorb.com/birthdays/april/2
NOTABLE DEATHS:
1872 – Samuel Morse developer of electric telegraph, dies at 80
1987 – Buddy Rich, drummer/orchestra leader (Away We Go), dies at 69
1998 – Rob Pilatus, American model and entertainer (Milli Vanilli) (b. 1965)
2003 – Edwin Starr, American singer (b. 1942)
MORE HERE: http://www.historyorb.com/deaths/april/2