This Day in History
02 Apr 1453
Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople (stanbul) which falls May 29
02 Apr 1550
Jewish physician Joseph Hacohen expelled from city of Genoa all Jews soon after
02 Apr 1559
England & France sign 1st Treaty of Le Cateau-Cambrsis
02 Apr 1590
States-General appoints earl Mauritius viceroy of Utrecht
More History
Ponce de Leon discovers Florida
Near present-day St. Augustine Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon comes ashore on the Florida coast and claims the territory for the Spanish crown.Although o...
Argentina invades Falklands
On April 2 1982 Argentina invades the Falklands Islands a British colony since 1892 and British possession since 1833. Argentine amphibious forces rapidly ov...
Pope John Paul II Dies
On this day in 2005 John Paul II historys most well-traveled pope and the first non-Italian to hold the position since the 16th century dies at his h...
The Desert Fox recaptures Libya
On this day in 1941 German Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel the Desert Fox resumes his advance into Cyrenaica modern-day Libya signaling the b...
South Vietnamese evacuation begins at Qui Nhon
As North Vietnamese tanks and infantry continue to push the remnants of South Vietnams 22nd Division and waves of civilian refugees from the Quang Ngai ...
North Vietnamese troops capture part of Quang Tri
Soldiers of Hanois 304th Division supported by Soviet-made tanks and heavy artillery take the northern half of the Quang Tri province. This left only ...
Racehorse, Red Rum, wins record third Grand National
On this day in 1977 racehorse Red Rum wins a historic third Grand National championship at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool England after taking home victory ...
Wilson asks for declaration of war
On this day in 1917 President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to send U.S. troops into battle against Germany in World War I. In his address to Congress that day...
First woman judge dies in Wyoming
Esther Morris the first woman judge in American history dies in Cheyenne Wyoming.Although widely celebrated as a hero of the early suffragist movement Esthe...
The Sting sweeps the Oscars and ragtime composer Scott Joplin gets his due
The name Scott Joplin is now nearly synonymous with ragtimethe loose syncopated musical style that swept the nation in the late-19th century and laid t...
Hans Christian Andersen is born
Hans Christian Andersen one of the worlds greatest storytellers is born in Odense near Copenhagen.During Andersens boyhood his father d...
Charlie Chaplin prepares for return to United States after two decades
On this day in 1972 the great silent film actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin prepares for his first voyage to the United States since 1952 when he was denied...
Anthrax poisoning kills 62 in Russia
The worlds first anthrax epidemic begins in Ekaterinburg Russia (now Sverdlosk) on this day in 1979. By the time it ended six weeks later 62 people ...
Mob boss John Gotti convicted of murder
A jury in New York finds mobster John Gotti nicknamed the Teflon Don for his ability to elude conviction guilty on 13 counts including murder and racketeerin...
Richmond riots over food shortages
Responding to acute food shortages hundreds of angry women riot in Richmond Virginia demanding that the government release emergency supplies. For several ho...
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