April 2

742 – Charlemagne is born, either in Herstal, in modern Belgium, or the nearby town of Aachen in modern Germany.

1513 – Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León sights land in what is now the state of Florida.

1792 – The Coinage Act is passed by Congress, establishing the United States Mint, the U.S. Dollar as the standard unit of money, pegging it to the value of the then current Spanish silver Peso – commonly called ‘Pieces of Eight’ from its value of 8 reales – and creating a decimal monetary system.

1865 – The defeat of Confederate forces at the 3rd Battle of Petersburg forces the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate government to abandon Richmond, Virginia.

1900 – Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.

1902 – The “Electric Theatre”, the first full time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles.

1912 – The White Star Line Olympic class ocean liner RMS Titanic, begins sea trials.

1917 – President Wilson asks for a special joint session of Congress to  declare war on the German Empire.

1930 – After the death of Empress Zewditu, Ras Tafari Makonnen is proclaimed Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.

1956 – As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS. The ‘soap operas’ become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30 minute format.

1973 – Mead Data Central corporation launches the  computerized legal research service, LexisNexis.

1980 – President Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act into law.

1982 – Argentinian forces mount an amphibious invasion on East Falkland Island at Port Stanley with most of the defending British Royal Marine and Navy forces eventually surrendering and evacuated by the end of the day.

1992 – In New York Federal Court, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.

2006 – Over 60 tornadoes break out across several central states,  Tennessee being the hardest hit with 29 people killed.

2012 – A former student opens fire with a handgun at the Korean Christian Oikos University in California, murdering 7 people and wounding 3 more before fleeing and later surrendering to police.

2014 – A soldier opens fire at several places on Fort Hood Texas, murdering 3 people and wounding 16 others before committing suicide.

2021 – A Capitol Police officer is killed and another injured when an American islamist terrorist rams his car into a barricade outside the U.S. Capitol building, then exits the vehicle and attempts to attack other officers with a knife before being shot down, later dying at a hospital