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April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining.

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1 Events

• 1513 - Juan Ponce de Leon sets foot on Florida becoming the first known European to do so.
• 1755 - Commodore William James captures pirate fortress of Severndroog on west coast of India.
• 1792 - The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.
• 1800 - Manhattan Well Mystery : In New York City, the trial of Levi Weeks ends with an acquittal. Weeks was defended by Alexander HamiltonAlexander Hamilton ( January 11, 1755 or 1757 1 July 12, 1804) was an American statesman, journalist, and lawyer. He is credited as being America's greatest constitutional lawyer. As the principal author of the Federalist Papers, he successfully defended and Aaron BurrAlternate meaning: Rev. Aaron Burr, Sr. Aaron Burr, Jr. February 6, 1756 September 14, 1836) was an American politician and adventurer. He was a major formative member of the Democratic-Republican party in New York and a strong supporter of Governor Georg.
• 1801Events January 1 Legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland completed under the Act of Union 1800, bringing about the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. January 1 Giuseppe Piazzi discovers the first (and largest) asteroid Ceres. January 20 J - Napoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars lasted from 1804 until 1815. They were a continuation of the conflicts sparked by the French Revolution and covered the duration of the First French Empire. The First and Second Coalitions For a more detailed account see the French Rev: Battle of Copenhagen - The British destroy the Danish fleet.
• 1863Events January-March January 1 Abraham Lincoln delivers the Emancipation Proclamation during the second year of the American Civil War. January 1 The first claim under the Homestead Act is made for a farm in Nebraska January 8 Ground is broken in Sacramen - Richmond Bread Riots : FoodFood is any substance normally eaten or drunk by living organisms. The term food also includes liquid drinks. Food is the main source of energy and of nutrition for animals, and is usually of animal or plant origin. The study of food is called food scienc shortages incite hundreds of angry women to riot in Richmond, Virginia and demand the Confederate government to release emergency supplies.
• 1865 - American Civil War: Siege of Petersburg 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.
• 1902 - "Electric Theatre", the first 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.
• 1941 - The radio program Life of Riley aired for the first time.
• 1956 - General Motors board member Alfred P. Sloan steps down after 19 years as chairman with Albert Bradley as his successor.
• 1956 - As the World Turns and The Edge of Night first aired on the CBS network in the United States, as the first half-hour serial dramas.
• 1964 - The Saab board started Project Gudmund to develop a new and larger car, later released as Saab 99.
• 1972 - Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist in the early 1950s during the Red Scare.
• 1972 - Vietnam War: Easter Offensive begins - North Vietnamese soldiers of the 304th Division take the northern half of Quang Tri Province .
• 1975 - Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from the Quang Ngai Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.
• 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: Argentina invades the British-owned Falkland Islands starting the war.
• 1982 - John Chancellor helms the news desk at the NBC Nightly News for the final time, after eleven-and-a-half years.
• 1989 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.
• 1992 - In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.
• 1992 - Pierre Bérégovoy becomes Prime Minister of France
• 1993 - Doom alpha version 0.4 is finished.
• 2002 - Israeli forces surrounded the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem which has around 200 Palestinians inside. A siege ensues.
• 2004 - Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt a thwarted bombing of the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid.