Major Historical Events on April 2 - Discover What Happened This Day in History

Explore significant past events on April 2 Learn more about this date in history. 1513-Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the coast of Florida. 1792 – The US dollar was introduced. 1800 – Ludwig van Beethoven’s First Symphony premiered. Read below for more about historical events that occurred on this day April 2.

What Happened on this day – April 2

Find More Details for What happened on April 2. Read below for more about historical events that occurred on this day April 2.

1513-Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed on the coast of Florida.
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.
1792 – The US dollar was introduced.
1800 – Ludwig van Beethoven’s First Symphony premiered.
1865-In the face of advancing Union forces, Confederate troops evacuated Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.
1891-German sculptor and painter Max Ernst, who was a leading advocate of irrationality in art, was born.
1912 – The unfortunate mission of the RMS Titanic begins.
1914-British actor Alec Guinness, who was known for the variety and excellence of his stage and screen characterizations, was born
1917-U.S. President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war against Germany
1964-Launch of the Soviet-built spherical spacecraft Jond-1.
1968-Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey had its world premiere in Washington, D.C.
1970-Meghalaya is an autonomous state under Assam in India
1978-The soap opera Dallas debuted as a five-part miniseries on American television; hugely popular, it became a running series and revolutionized prime-time dramas.
1979- Airborne arthrax virus infection by accident in Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union, kills more than six.
1982-Argentine troops seized the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), precipitating the Falkland Islands War with Britain.
1992-American organized-crime boss John Gotti was convicted on 13 criminal counts including the murder of Paul Castellano and others, racketeering, and obstruction of justice and was sentenced to life in prison
1992- Massacre of 62 civilians by the Sabiya army in Bijljina, Basnia.
2002 – Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
2015 – Terrorist attack on Garissa University College in Kenya kills 17 people.
2015-Portuguese filmmaker Manoel de Oliveira died at age 106.