April 2
1513 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida.
1792 - Congress authorized the first U.S. mint, in Philadelphia.
1865 - Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia because of advancing Union forces.
1870 - Victoria Claflin Woodhull announced her candidacy for president of the United States.
1912 - The recently-completed RMS Titanic left Belfast to begin its sea trials eight days before the start of its ill-fated maiden voyage.
1917 - President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying "The world must be made safe for democracy." (Congress declared war four days later.)
1932 - Charles Lindbergh paid a $50,000 ransom for the return of his kidnapped son.
1982 - Argentina seized the Falkland Islands from Britain.
1986 - Four American passengers, including an 8-month-old girl, her mother and her grandmother, were killed when a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a TWA jetliner en route from Rome to Athens, Greece.
1992 - Mob boss John Gotti was convicted in New York of murder and racketeering; he was later sentenced to life, and died while in prison.
2002 - Israel seized control of Bethlehem; Palestinian gunmen forced their way into the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, beginning a 39-day standoff.
2005 - Pope John Paul II died at age 84.
2007 - The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
2009 - A 19-count federal racketeering indictment was returned against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who denied doing anything illegal.
2011 - Highly radioactive water leaked into the sea from a crack at Japan's stricken nuclear power plant.
2012 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that jailers may perform invasive strip searches on people arrested even for minor offenses.
2021 - In his first call to the president of Ukraine, President Joe Biden underscored U.S. support for that country, amid reports of Russian troop movements on Ukraine’s eastern border.
Birthdays
23 - Sophie Reynolds (actrses)
29 - Aaron Kelly (singer)
34 - Jesse Plemons (actor)
35 - Briga Heelan (actress)
36 - Drew Van Acker (actor)
36 - Chris Janson (singer)
41 - Bethany Joy Lenz (actress)
44 - Jaime Ray Newman (actress)
45 - Michael Fassbender (actor)
47 - Adam Rodriguez (actor)
47 - Pedro Pascal (actor)
47 - Jill King (singer)
49 - Roselyn Sanchez (actress)
58 - Jana Marie Hupp (actress)
60 - Clark Gregg (actor)
60 - Billy Dean (singer)
61 - Christopher Meloni (actor)
73 - Pamela Reed (actress)
75 - Sam Anderson (actor)
75 - Emmylou Harris (singer)
77 - Linda Hunt (actress)
82 - Penelope Keith (actress)
87 - Sharon Acker (actress)
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Today in Sports History - April 2
1980 - In his first full season in the NHL, Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers becomes the youngest in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season (19 years, 2 months).
1980 - Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in six consecutive seasons.
1983 - Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders becomes the first player in NHL history to score 60 goals in three consecutive seasons.
1984 - Georgetown defeats Houston 84-75 to win the NCAA Tournament; Georgetown head coach John Thompson becomes the first African American head coach to lead his team to any NCAA Division I championship.
1985 - The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the 45-second shot clock for men's basketball, to begin use in the 1986 season.
1986 - The NCAA Rules Committee adopts the 3-point shot, to begin with the 1986-87 season, and sets it at 19-feet, 9 inches.
1989 - Tennessee defeats Auburn 76-60 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
1990 - UNLV defeats Duke 103-73 to win the NCAA Tournament; it was the largest margin of victory in a championship game in tournament history.
1995 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 70-64 to win their first NCAA Women's Tournament and completed the first perfect season since Texas in 1986.
1996 - The Vancouver Grizzlies snap an NBA record 23-game losing streak with a 105-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
2000 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 71-52 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2001 - Duke defeats Arizona 82-72 to win their third NCAA Tournament.
2001 - Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees becomes the American League's all-time strikeouts leader with 3,509, passing Walter Johnson.
2003 - Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers) became the youngest player to hit 300 homeruns. He beat Jimmie Foxx's record by 79 days.
2007 - Florida defeats Ohio State 84-75 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2012 - Kentucky defeated Kansas 67-59 to win the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history.
2017 - South Carolina defeated Mississippi State 67-55 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2018 - Villanova defeats Michigan 79-62 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2019 - Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder becomes the second player in NBA history to have 20+ points, rebounds and assists in a game; he records 20-20-21 in a 119-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
2021 - Major League Baseball rescinded its decision to have Atlanta host the 2021 All-Star Game; the move came in response to a sweeping new voting law in Georgia that critics said would negatively affect communities of color.
1513 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida.
1792 - Congress authorized the first U.S. mint, in Philadelphia.
1865 - Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia because of advancing Union forces.
1870 - Victoria Claflin Woodhull announced her candidacy for president of the United States.
1912 - The recently-completed RMS Titanic left Belfast to begin its sea trials eight days before the start of its ill-fated maiden voyage.
1917 - President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying "The world must be made safe for democracy." (Congress declared war four days later.)
1932 - Charles Lindbergh paid a $50,000 ransom for the return of his kidnapped son.
1982 - Argentina seized the Falkland Islands from Britain.
1986 - Four American passengers, including an 8-month-old girl, her mother and her grandmother, were killed when a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a TWA jetliner en route from Rome to Athens, Greece.
1992 - Mob boss John Gotti was convicted in New York of murder and racketeering; he was later sentenced to life, and died while in prison.
2002 - Israel seized control of Bethlehem; Palestinian gunmen forced their way into the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, beginning a 39-day standoff.
2005 - Pope John Paul II died at age 84.
2007 - The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
2009 - A 19-count federal racketeering indictment was returned against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who denied doing anything illegal.
2011 - Highly radioactive water leaked into the sea from a crack at Japan's stricken nuclear power plant.
2012 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that jailers may perform invasive strip searches on people arrested even for minor offenses.
2021 - In his first call to the president of Ukraine, President Joe Biden underscored U.S. support for that country, amid reports of Russian troop movements on Ukraine’s eastern border.
Birthdays
23 - Sophie Reynolds (actrses)
29 - Aaron Kelly (singer)
34 - Jesse Plemons (actor)
35 - Briga Heelan (actress)
36 - Drew Van Acker (actor)
36 - Chris Janson (singer)
41 - Bethany Joy Lenz (actress)
44 - Jaime Ray Newman (actress)
45 - Michael Fassbender (actor)
47 - Adam Rodriguez (actor)
47 - Pedro Pascal (actor)
47 - Jill King (singer)
49 - Roselyn Sanchez (actress)
58 - Jana Marie Hupp (actress)
60 - Clark Gregg (actor)
60 - Billy Dean (singer)
61 - Christopher Meloni (actor)
73 - Pamela Reed (actress)
75 - Sam Anderson (actor)
75 - Emmylou Harris (singer)
77 - Linda Hunt (actress)
82 - Penelope Keith (actress)
87 - Sharon Acker (actress)
=================================
Today in Sports History - April 2
1980 - In his first full season in the NHL, Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers becomes the youngest in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season (19 years, 2 months).
1980 - Guy Lafleur of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in six consecutive seasons.
1983 - Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders becomes the first player in NHL history to score 60 goals in three consecutive seasons.
1984 - Georgetown defeats Houston 84-75 to win the NCAA Tournament; Georgetown head coach John Thompson becomes the first African American head coach to lead his team to any NCAA Division I championship.
1985 - The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the 45-second shot clock for men's basketball, to begin use in the 1986 season.
1986 - The NCAA Rules Committee adopts the 3-point shot, to begin with the 1986-87 season, and sets it at 19-feet, 9 inches.
1989 - Tennessee defeats Auburn 76-60 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
1990 - UNLV defeats Duke 103-73 to win the NCAA Tournament; it was the largest margin of victory in a championship game in tournament history.
1995 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 70-64 to win their first NCAA Women's Tournament and completed the first perfect season since Texas in 1986.
1996 - The Vancouver Grizzlies snap an NBA record 23-game losing streak with a 105-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
2000 - Connecticut defeats Tennessee 71-52 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2001 - Duke defeats Arizona 82-72 to win their third NCAA Tournament.
2001 - Roger Clemens of the New York Yankees becomes the American League's all-time strikeouts leader with 3,509, passing Walter Johnson.
2003 - Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers) became the youngest player to hit 300 homeruns. He beat Jimmie Foxx's record by 79 days.
2007 - Florida defeats Ohio State 84-75 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2012 - Kentucky defeated Kansas 67-59 to win the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history.
2017 - South Carolina defeated Mississippi State 67-55 to win the NCAA Women's Tournament.
2018 - Villanova defeats Michigan 79-62 to win the NCAA Tournament.
2019 - Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder becomes the second player in NBA history to have 20+ points, rebounds and assists in a game; he records 20-20-21 in a 119-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
2021 - Major League Baseball rescinded its decision to have Atlanta host the 2021 All-Star Game; the move came in response to a sweeping new voting law in Georgia that critics said would negatively affect communities of color.
