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Today April 2nd 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
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 (Istanbul), 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.
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. Prior to this, soap operas were 15 minutes each weekday. The Edge of Night switched to ABC-TV on December 1, 1975. As The World Turns expanded to 60 minutes on that same day on CBS.
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 553.33 metres (1,815.4 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)
1614 – Jahanara Begum Sahib Parents;Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal (d. September 16, 1681)
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)
1932 – Edward Cardinal Egan, Cardinal-Archbishop Emeritus of New York
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. c. 1058)
1272 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1209)
1335 – Duke Henry of Carinthia (b. c. 1265)
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 (b. c. 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)
Holidays and observances
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)
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