On this day in History - Apr. 2

• 0742 - Charlemagne was born († 0814). King of the Franks and emperor of the Romans.
• 0999 - Sylvester II was elected pope.
• 1118 - Death of Baldwin I; Baldwin Le Bourg is named his successor. Baldwin I had been the real founder of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and the real force behind its expansion. Baldwin the second is his cousin and the choice of the various barons / Morte de Balduino I (rei de Jerusalém)
• 1212 - Exumação do corpo de São Isidro Labrador (1082-1172).
• 1284 - Nascimento de Eduardo II de Inglaterra
• 1285 - Honorius IV was elected pope / Início do pontificado do Papa Honório IV.
• 1335 - Henry, Duke of Carinthia and Carniola, Count of Tyrol , dies
• 1383 - Escritura de casamento da infanta D. Beatriz com D. João de Castela.
• 1416 - Início do reinado de Afonso V, o Magnânimo - rei de Aragão.
• 1502 - Prince Arthur Tudor, dies. Elder brother of Henry VIII of England
• 1508 - Morte de São Francisco de Paula.
• 1510 - Ashikaga Yoshiharu was born(† 1550). Ashikaga shogun.
• 1513 - Juan Ponce de Leon sets foot on Florida becoming the first known European to do so.
• 1521 - Martin Luther left for Worms. He had been summoned there by Church officials to be questioned about his writings.
• 1524 - At the age of 40, Swiss Protestant reformer Ulrich Zwingli (once a Catholic priest) married widow Anna Meyer. Their marriage lasted until Zwingli was killed at the Battle of Kappel in 1531.
• 1545 - Elizabeth of Valois was born († 1568). Queen of Philip II of Spain
• 1550 - Jews were expelled from Genoa, Italy.
• 1565 - Nascimento de Isidoro Aliaga. Arcebispo espanhol.
• 1566 - Nascimento de Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzi (canonizada em 28 Abr 1669).
• 1587 - Nascimento de Virgínia Centurione (canonizada em 18 Mai 2003.
• 1618 - Nascimento de Francesco Maria Grimaldi, físico italiano. Estudou a difração da luz.
• 1657 - Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor dies.
• 1709 - Giovanni-Battista Gaulli “Il Baciccio” dies (b. 08 May 1639). Italian Baroque painter.
• 1671 - Canonização de Rosa de Lima (1586 - 1617)
• 1681 - King Charles II of England officially proclaimed the charter he had granted in March to William Penn for the Quaker colony of Pennsylvania in North America.
• 1705 - Morte do compositor alemão Johann Löhner
• 1725 - Giacomo Casanova was born in Venice, Italy († 4 Jun 1798). Adventurer (his name became synonymous for philanderer) and writer.
• 1733 - Nascimento de Giacomo Tritto (compositor italiano)
• 1747 - Johann Jacob Dillenius dies (b. 1684). Botanist.
• 1751 - John L. Smibert dies in Boston (b. 24 Mar 1688 in Edinburgh). Scottish born/ American Baroque painter specialized in Portraits,
• 1755 - Commodore William James captures pirate fortress of Severndroog on west coast of India.
• 1763 - Nascimento de Giacomo Gotifredo Ferrari (compositor italiano)
• 1783 - William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck assume o cargo de primeiro-ministro britânico
• 1791 - Honoré Gabriel Riqueti dies. Conde de Mirabeau. French writer and politician.
• 1792 - The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.
• 1798 - August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben was born ( † 1874). German poet.
• 1799 - Nascimento de Charles Philip Yorke (4º conde de Hardwicke)
• 1800 - Manhattan Well Mystery: In New York City, the trial of Levi Weeks ends with an acquittal. Weeks was defended by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
• 1801 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Copenhagen - The British destroy the Danish fleet.
• 1801 - Thomas Dadford Junior dies. British canal engineer
• 1801 - Batalha naval de Copenhaga entre as frotas Britânica e Dinamarquesa. Comandada por Nelson a frota britânica destrói a frota dinamarquesa.
• 1805 - Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense († 1875). Danish writer.
• 1809 - Heinrich Hoffman was born (d. 1894). German physician, director of the state mental hospital in Frankfurt am Main and writer best known for Slovenly Peter
• 1810 - Casamento de Napoleão Bonaparte, imperador dos Franceses, com a arquiduquesa Maria Luísa de Áustria.
• 1810 - Kaspar Karsen was born († 24 Jul 1896). Dutch artist.
• 1811 - William Joseph Shayer Junior was born († 1892). British artist.
• 1822 - Nascimento em Lisboa de Luís Augusto Rebelo da Silva († 1871). Historiador, romancista e dramaturgo português.
• 1822 - Nascimento de Roque Sáenz Peña. Presidente argentino (1910-1914)
• 1824 - John Johnson é enforcado por roubo e assassinato de um marinheiro
• 1827 - William Holman Hunt, was born in London († 07 Sep 1910). English Pre-Raphaelite painter.
• 1834 - Nasce o escultor francês Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, autor da Estátua da Liberdade em Nova York.
• 1836 - Charles Dickens got married with Catherine Hogarth.
• 1837 - Johan Conrad Greive was born († 14 May 1891). Dutch artist.
• 1840 - Émile Zola was born († 29 Sep 1902). French novelist and critic.
• 1841 - Nascimento de Clément Ader. Engenheiro francês - pioneiro da aviação.
• 1854 - O semanário "Le Figaro" começa a publicar-se em Paris.
• 1861 - Uchimura Kanzowas born in Edo (now Tokyo) to a samurai family (d. 28 Mar 1930). Japanese religious thinker and critic who would exert an important, formative influence on many writers & intellectual leaders of modern Japan.
• 1862 - Nicholas Murray Butler was born. USA philosopher and teacher, Nobel Prize for Peace Paz in 1931.
• 1863 - Richmond Bread Riots: 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.
• 1865 - General A.P. Hill, dies (b. 1825). Confederate commander.
• 1867 - Eugen Sandow was born ( † 1925). Body builder, circus performer.
• 1869 - Hughie Jennings was born († 1928). Baseball Hall of Famer.
• 1872 - Samuel Morse dies (b. 1791). Inventor of Morse code .
• 1875 - Walter Chrysler was born († 1940). Automobile pioneer.
• 1881 - Johannes (or Jan) Tavenraat (or Tavenraet ), dies (b. 20 Mar 1809). Rotterdam Dutch painter.
• 1883 - Paul Radin was born in Lodz, Poland (d. 1959). Ethnologist .
• 1889 - Charles Hall patented aluminum on this day.
• 1891 - Max Ernst was born († 1976). German-born French artist, founder of surrealism
• 1900 - Roberto Arlt, was born. Argentine novelist and dramaturg.
• 1901 - Claude Thomas Stanfield Moore dies (b. 10 Jun 1853). British artist.
• 1902 - Esther Morris, dies. Suffragist and the first woman judge in U.S. history.
• 1902 - "Electric Theatre", the first movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California.
• 1905 - Hjalmar “Magnus” Munsterhjelm, dies (b. 19 Oct 1840). Swedish French artist.
• 1908 - Buddy Ebsen, was born († 2003). Actor, dancer.
• 1910 - Francisco Cândido Xavier was born in Pedro Leopoldo -Minas Gerais. Brazilian medium ans spiritist.
• 1911 - O clube de futebol Guarani Futebol Clube é fundado na cidade de Campinas / Brasil
• 1914 - Sir Alec Guinness was born († 8 May 2000) . English actor.
• 1914 - Paul von Heyse dies. German writer Nobel Prize in Literature 1910.
• 1914 - Nascimento de Alec Guinness, actor inglês.
• 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.
• 1920 - Jack Webb was born († 1982). Actor, director, producer.
• 1922 - Nasce, em Matosinhos, Egito Gonçalves. Poeta português e importante nome na divulgação da poesia, tanto neo-realista como surrealista, foi igualmente um importante activista político.
• 1922 - Hermann Rorschach dies (b. 1884). Psychologist.
• 1923 - G. Spencer-Brown was born. Mathematician.
• 1925 - George MacDonald Fraser was born. Author
• 1925 - Hans Rosenthal was born († 1987) . Showmaster.
• 1925 - Pinheiro Correia, Sérgio da Silva e António Gouveia concluem o raid aéreo Lisboa-Guiné.
• 1926 - Jack Brabham was born. Grand Prix racer.
• 1926 - Salvador Caetano was born. Portuguese entrepreneur/ Nascimento de Salvador Caetano, industrial português.
• 1927 - Carmen Basiliowas born. Boxer
• 1927 - Ferenc Puskás was born. Great Hungarian football (soccer) player
• 1928 - Serge Gainsbourg was born ( † 1991). Singer.
• 1930 - Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.
• 1932 - In New York, aviator Charles Lindbergh pays a ransom to secure the return of his kidnapped infant son; the baby is later found murdered.
• 1934 - Paul Joseph Cohen was born. Mathematician.
• 1934 - Brian Glover was born († 1997). British actor, wrestler.
• 1935 - O físico britânico Sir Watson Watt regista a patente do RADAR.
• 1939 - Marvin Gaye was born ( † 01 Apr 1984). Singer ans songwriter.
• 1940 - Penelope Keith was born. Actress.
• 1941 - The radio program Life of Riley aired for the first time.
• 1945 - Linda Hunt was born. Academy Award-winning actress: The Year of Living Dangerously [1983]; Silverado, Dune, Popeye, Kindergarten Cop, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Flying Nun
• 1945 - Anne Waldman was born in Millville, New Jersey. American poet.
• 1947 - Emmylou Harris was born. Grammy Award-winning singer: Elite Hotel [1976], Blue Kentucky Girl [1978], That Lovin’ You Feeling Again [with Roy Orbison - 1980], Trio [1987], At the Ryman [with the Nash Ramblers - 1992], Wrecking Ball [1996]; Mr. Sandman, The Last Waltz, Pledging My Love, In My Dreams, Amarillo, ’Till I Gain Control AgainSinger
• 1947 - Camille Paglia was born. Feminist writer
• 1953 - David Robinson was born. Musician.
• 1954 - Seamus O'Sheel dies (b. 1886). Irish-American bellettrist, poet.
• 1954 - Carl ‘Bobo’ Olson defeated Kid Gavilan to retain the world middleweight boxing title.
• 1956 - General Motors board member Alfred P. Sloan steps down after 19 years as chairman with Albert Bradley as his successor.
• 1956 - As the World Turns and The Edge of Night first aired on the CBS network in the United States, as the first half-hour serial dramas
• 1960 - Linford Christie was born. British athlete.
• 1962 - Mark Shulman was born. Children's author .
• 1964 - The Saab board started Project Gudmund to develop a new and larger car, later released as Saab 99.
• 1966 - Teddy Sheringham was born in Walthamstow, London, England, UK. English football ( soccer) player (Manchester United )
• 1966 - C.S. Forester dies (b. 1899). Author.
• 1970 - Roselyn Sanchez was born. Actress.
• 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.
• 1974 - Georges Pompidou dies (b. 1911) . President of France.
• 1974 - 46th Annual Academy Awards presentation at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Hosting the cerimony were John Huston, David Niven, Burt Reynolds, and Diana Ross. The Best Picture of the Year Award went to " The Sting" (producers: Tony Bill, Michael Phillips, Julia Phillips). The Sting won six additional Oscars: Director (George Roy Hill); Art Direction (Henry Bumstead)and Set Decoration (James Payne); Costume Design (Edith Head); Film Editing (William Reynolds); Scoring/Original Song Score/Adaptation: (Marvin Hamlisch); Writing/Original Story/Screenplay based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced (David S. Ward); plus three additional nominations. Oscar winners: Best Actor: Jack Lemmon for Save the Tiger; Best Actress: Glenda Jackson for A Touch of Class; Best Supporting Actor: John Houseman for The Paper Chase; Best Supporting Actress: Tatum O’Neal for Paper Moon; and Best Music/Song: The Way We Were -- Marvin Hamlisch (music), Alan and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics) from the movie of the same title.
• 1975 - Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from the Quang Ngai Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
• 1976 - A Constituição da República Portuguesa ( pós 25 Abril 74) é promulgada no decorrer da última sessão da Assembleia Constituinte.
• 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: Argentina invades the British-owned Falkland Islands starting the war.
• 1982 - John Chancellor helms the news desk at the NBC Nightly News for the final time, after eleven-and-a-half years.
• 1986 - A bomb on a TWA plane flying from Rome to Athens exploded, killing four Americans.
• 1986 - Chris Walberg was born. Voice actor (Hey Arnold!)
• 1987 - Buddy Rich dies (b. 1917). Drummer .
• 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.
• 1992 - Pierre Bérégovoy becomes Prime Minister of France
• 1993 - Doom alpha version 0.4 is finished.
• 1994 - Betty Furness dies. Author.
• 1995 - O atleta português Domingos Castro vence a Maratona de Paris.
• 1996 - Lech Walesa, ex presidente da Polonia, regressa como electricista nos estaleiros de Gdansk, após a sua derrota nas eleições.
• 2002 - Israeli forces surrounded the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem which has around 200 Palestinians inside. A siege ensues.
• 2003 - Special operations forces rescue U.S. soldier Jessica Lynch, who was captured in the early days fighting in Iraq.
• 2003 - Terenci Moix dies. Spanish author.
• 2003 - Edwin Starr dies (b. 1942). Singer.
• 2003 - Beatrice Riese dies at 86. Abstract artist and collector born in The Hague, Netherlands.
• 2004 - Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt a thwarted bombing of the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid.
• 2004 - Bulgaria, Eslovaquia, Eslovenia, Estonia, Letonia, Lituania y Rumania se asocian OTAN cómo miembros completos.
• 2004 - Lynne Cheney, wife of the United States Vice-president, halts the reissue of her lesbian romance novel, "Sisters," originally published in 1981.
• 2005 - Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła) dies on Vatican at the age of 84, after more than 26 years as the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II, who was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first from a Slavic country.