1792: The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint and authorizing the $10 Eagle, $5 half-eagle & 2.50 quarter-eagle gold coins & silver dollar, ½ dollar, quarter, dime & half-dime. About two-thirds of global trade today is based on the U.S. Dollar.
1800: Ludwig van Beethoven’s First Symphony is premiered
The German composer conducted the orchestra himself. The premiere received exceptionally positive reviews.
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1863: The Richmond Bread riot. Faced with severe wartime food shortages, hundreds of women rioted in the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, demanding that the government release emergency supplies. Property was damaged and shops and stores were looted.
1877: The first Human Cannonball Act was performed at London’s Amphitheatre when acrobat Lady Zazal, attached by elastic springs, was fired into a safety net.
1930: Haile Selassie. After the death of Empress Zewditu, Haile Selassie was made the emperor of Ethiopia.
1968: Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey receives its world premiere. Upon release, the epic about human evolution, technology, and extraterrestrial life polarized audiences and critics alike. Today, it is considered a classic in its genre.
1972: At 6am on April 2nd, 1972, Nigeria switched to right-hand driving, breaking away from left-hand driving that had been introduced by British colonials in the late 19th century. So next time you wonder how we ended up on the right side of the road, it was more from integrating with our neighbours who drive on the right than any other reason.
1979: Sixty-six people died in Sverdlovsk, USSR, when a bio-warfare lab accidentally released airborne anthrax.
1982: Argentina occupies the Falkland Islands. The invasion escalated a long-standing conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the archipelago in the South Atlantic. It triggered the Falklands War, which was won by the U.K.
2002: Israeli forces besiege the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The Israel Defense Force had occupied Bethlehem to capture wanted Palestinians. The 39-day siege ensued after some militants fled into the church, which is believed to stand on the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth.
2005: Pope John Paul II, history’s most well-traveled pope and the first non-Italian to hold the position since the 16th century, dies at his home in the Vatican. Six days later, two million people packed Vatican City for his funeral, said to be one of the biggest in history.
2007: A smoking ban came into force in Wales, making it illegal for anyone to smoke in an enclosed public place and within the workplace.
2015: Attack on Garissa University College Kenya. There was an attack on the Garissa University College in Kenya on April 2, 2015. 148 people were killed and 79 were wounded.
Births on This Day, April 2
1981: Kapil Sharma, 43 years
The critically acclaimed and extremely popular Indian comedian Kapil Sharma was born on this day. His program Comedy Nights with Kapil is loved by many. The Great Indian Kapil Show and The Kapil Sharma Show and has received five Indian Television Academy Awards.
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