Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/April 2
This is a list of selected April 2 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
Images
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U.S. Mint seal -
John Gotti -
Horatio Nelson -
Juan Ponce de León -
William James' ships capture Suvarnadurg -
Norodom Sihanouk
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Ineligible
| Blurb | Reason |
|---|---|
| 1755 – A naval fleet led by Commodore William James of the East India Company captured the fortress Suvarnadurg from the Marathas. | refimprove section |
| 1792 – By the Coinage Act, the United States Mint was founded and U.S. currency was decimalized. | unreferenced section |
| 1801 – War of the Second Coalition: British forces led by Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated the Dano-Norwegian fleet at the Battle of Copenhagen. | multiple issues |
| 1885 – North-West Rebellion: Led by Wandering Spirit, young Cree warriors attacked the village of Frog Lake, North-West Territories (now in Alberta), where they killed nine settlers. | lots of CN tags |
| 1911 – The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted the country's first national census. | expansion |
| 1945 – Brazil established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, but maintained a neutral relationship during the Cold War that was limited to commercial trade and cooperation agreements of minimal importance. | needs more footnotes |
| 1956 – As the World Turns premiered on American television as the first half-hour soap opera. | refimprove section, original research |
| 1962 – The first official panda crossing opened outside London Waterloo station. | refimprove |
| 1973 – The LEXIS computer-assisted legal research service launched as a continuation of an experiment organized by the Ohio State Bar in 1967. | advertisement |
| 1982 – Argentine special forces invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking the Falklands War. | multiple issues |
| Max Ernst (b. 1891) | multiple issues |
Eligible
- 1863 – About 5,000 people, mostly poor women, rioted in Richmond, Virginia, protesting the exorbitant price of bread.
- 1976 – Norodom Sihanouk resigned as leader of Cambodia and was arrested by the Khmer Rouge.
- 1979 – Spores of anthrax were accidentally released from a military research facility near the city of Sverdlovsk, causing around 100 deaths.
- 1992 – John Gotti, the head of the Gambino crime family, was convicted of racketeering, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, loansharking, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling and tax evasion.
- 1992 – Bosnian War: At least 48 civilians were killed in the town of Bijeljina.
- 2006 – Over 60 tornadoes touched down in the central United States, killing 27 people and causing about $1.1 billion in damage.
- 2012 – A gunman shot at people inside Oikos University, a Korean Christian college in Oakland, California, U.S., leaving seven people dead and three injured.
- 2015 – Gunmen attacked Garissa University College in Kenya, killing at least 148 people and wounding 79 others.
- 2015 – Four elderly men burgled items worth up to £200 million from a safe deposit facility in London's Hatton Garden area.
- Born/died: Maria Sibylla Merian (b. 1647) · Prince George of Denmark (b. 1653) · Wilhelmine Reichard (b. 1788) · Sir James Montgomery, 1st Baronet (d. 1803) · Clément Ader (b. 1841) · Ranjitsinhji (d. 1933) · Juanito (d. 1992) · Elizabeth Catlett (d. 2012)
Notes
- 1920 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak appears on March 28 and Super Outbreak (1974) appears on April 3 and 1936 Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak appears on April 5, so 2006 outbreak should not appear in the same year
- Florida Territory appears on March 30, so Ponce de León should not appear in the same year
- Battle of Five Forks appears on April 1, so Third Battle of Petersburg should not appear in the same year
April 2: World Autism Awareness Day; Feast day of Saint Francis of Paola (Catholicism); Rama Navami (Hinduism, 2020); Malvinas Day in Argentina
- 1513 – Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de León sighted land, which he named La Florida, according to a popular legend while searching for the Fountain of Youth.
- 1865 – American Civil War: On the third attempt, Union forces captured Petersburg, Virginia, although Confederate officials and most of their remaining troops were able to escape.
- 1973 – The Liberal Movement, a South Australian political party, was established following a split from the Liberal and Country League.
- 1984 – Aboard Soyuz T-11, Rakesh Sharma (pictured) became the first Indian to be launched into space.
- 2002 – Operation Defensive Shield: Palestinian militants sought refuge from advancing Israeli forces in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, beginning a month-long standoff.
- Muflih al-Turki (d. 872)
- Arthur, Prince of Wales (d. 1502)
- Lise Thibault (b. 1939)