April 2 – Today In History
We take a look at some of the events that occurred on April 2nd.
Today In …
1513 - Florida was discovered by Ponce de Leon.
1792 - The Untied Stated Mint was established when the Coinage Act was passed.
1877 - The first annual Easter Egg Roll was held at the White House.
1917 - President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. This resulted in the United States’ entrance into World War I.
1982 - The Falkland War began when forces from Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands.
1992 - Mob boss John Gottie was found guilty of murder and racketeering.
1987 - The speed limits on most U.S. interstates was raised to 65 miles per hour.
Sharing A Birthday Today…
Hans Christian Anderson the author of such notable favorites as “The Little Mermaid” was born in 1805.
Giacoma Casanova the legendary rogue Casanova was born in Venice, Italy in 1725.
Charlemagne the ruler of Western Europe was born in 742. Some reports say 747.
Walter Chrysler the man who founded Chrysler automobiles was born in 1875.
Billy Dean the country artist who had hit songs with “Billy the Kid” and “Only the Wind” was born in 1962.
Dr. Demento the renowned radio personality was born in 1941.
Buddy Ebsen the star of TV’s “The Beverly Hillbillies” and “Barnaby Jones” was born in 1908.
Marvin Gaye the legendary singer of “Let’s Get It On” was born in 1939.
Sir Alec Guiness star of “Bridge on the River Kwai”, “Murder by Death” and probably best known for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first “Star Wars” trilogy was born in 1914.
Emmylou Harris the country/folk singer behind the hits “Back in Baby’s Arms”, “That Lovin’ You Feelin’ Again” and “Those Memories of You” was born in 1947.
Linda Hunt who appeared in “Stranger Than Fiction” and “Yours, Mine and Ours” was born in 1945.
Christopher Meloni who portrays Detective Elliot Stabler on TV’s “Law & Order: SVU” was born in 1961.
Ron Palillo best known as Arnold Horshack from TV’s “Welcome Back Kotter” was born in 1949.
Pamela Reed who starred in “Kindergarten Cop” and on the TV show “Jericho” was born in 1949.
Bill Romanowski former NFL football player was born in 1966.
Reggie Smith the former pro baseball player was born in 1945.
Jack Webb star of TV’s “Dragnet” was born in 1920.
Leon Wilkeson former bass player for the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was born in 1952.
Keren Woodward singer for the girl group Bananarama and wife of former Wham! singer Andrew Ridgeley was born in 1961.
We Said Goodbye To…
C.S. Forester who wrote the “Horatio Hornblower” novels as well as “African Queen” passed away in 1966 at the age of 66.
A.P. Hill the Confederate General during the Civil War was killed in action in 1865 at the age of 39.
Samuel F. B. Morse one of the inventors of the Morse Code passed away in 1872 at the age of 80.
Rob Pilatus who will forever be known as one half of the duo Milli Vanilli passed away in 1998 at the age of 32.
Pope John Paul II the former Pope of the Roman Catholic Church passed away in 2005 at the age of 84.
Top Of The Charts On This Day In…
1977 - On The Country Charts – “Lucille” by Kenny Rogers
1983 - On The Country Charts – “When I’m Away From You” by the Bellamy Brothers
1994 - On The Country Charts – “My Love” by Little Texas
Musical Moments In…
1992 - Wynonna Judd first appeared as a solo act in Midland, Texas.
TV Moments In…
1956 - The daytime soap “As the World Turns” debuted on CBS TV.
1956 - Another soap, “The Edge of Night” also debuted on CBS.
1971 - The final episode of “Dark Shadows” aired.
1978 - The hit show “Dallas” starring Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy first aired on CBS.
Don’t forget about the Today In History Newsletter!
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