What Happened On
Dallas
April 2, 1978
The long-running primetime soap opera Dallas debuts on CBS. The show was famous for its season-ending cliffhangers, including the "Who Shot J.R.?" mystery. It was originally intended as a five-part miniseries, however, due to its popularity, it was turned into a regular series and lasted until 1991.
The Edge of Night
April 2, 1956
The TV soap opera The Edge of Night debuts on CBS. It moved to ABC in 1975 and ran until 1984.
As the World Turns
April 2, 1956
The TV soap opera As the World Turns debuts on CBS. It ran until 2010.
Civil War - Declared Over (except Texas)
April 2, 1866
U.S. President Andrew Johnson declares the war ended, except in Texas. Texas was not included because it had not yet formed a new state government to replace its Confederate-based government. This would happen later in the year.
Although General Robert E. Lee had surrendered the previous April marking the end of the war, other Confederate forces still remained active. The final Confederate surrender was by the CSS Shenandoah on November 6, 1865, bringing all hostilities of the four-year war to a close.
First African-American to Win a Major Motorsport Event
April 2, 2005
James "Bubba" Stewart, Jr. wins the 250cc THQ AMA Supercross Series race.
John Gotti
April 2, 1992
The boss of the nation's largest crime family is convicted of murder and racketeering. He is sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Photo Credit: Elektrik Fanne
Photo Credit: Elektrik Fanne
Radar
April 2, 1935
Sir Robert Watson-Watt is granted a patent for the radar. He is considered the inventor of the radar, although others had also done research on it. RADAR is an acronym for "RAdio Detection And Ranging."
First Airline Steward
April 2, 1922
First Airline Steward Jack Sanderson begins work for Daimler Airways.
World War I
April 2, 1917
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany. It would do so four days later.
A civilian cargo ship, the SS Aztec, had been torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine the day before causing the first U.S. serviceman casualty of the war. USN Boatswain's Mate 1st Class John E. Eopolucci was killed in the sinking. Eopolucci had volunteered to serve as part of a Naval Armed Guard team to protect the vessel as it traveled through submarine infested waters.
First Full-Time U.S. Movie Theater
April 2, 1902
Tally's "Electric Theatre" opens in Los Angeles, California. It only lasted six months.
Ponce de Leon
April 2, 1513
Juan Ponce de Leon sets anchor near present-day St. Augustine, making him the first European known to have visited what is now the United States. He named the land Florida and claimed it for the King of Spain.
Birthdays
Webb (left) as Joe Friday in Dragnet 67
Webb (left) as Joe Friday in Dragnet 67
Jack Webb (John Randolph Webb)
Born April 2, 1920 d. 1982
American actor. Creator of the Dragnet franchise, in which he played Sgt. Joe Friday (He carries a badge). He originally created Dragnet for radio (1949-57) and then moved it to television (1951-59). The Dragnet franchise was revived again as Dragnet 67 (1967-70). Webb was also responsible for the TV series Adam-12, and wrote 174 episodes.
Contrary to popular belief, Sgt. Joe Friday never said, "Just the facts, ma'am" in Dragnet. The actual line was, "All we want are the facts, ma'am."
Webb also starred as a drill instructor in The D.I., which he also directed and produced. It co-starred his future wife, former Miss USA Jackie Loughery.
Buddy Ebsen (Christian Ebsen, Jr.)
Born April 2, 1908 d. 2003
American actor. TV: The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-71, Jed Clampett) and Barnaby Jones (1973-80, title role). He was originally cast as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz (1939), but had to quit because he was allergic to the silver makeup.
Father of Modern Bodybuilding
Eugen Sandow (Friedrich Wilhelm Müller)
Born April 2, 1867 d. 1925
German strongman. "Father of Modern Bodybuilding." He organized the first bodybuilding contest (1901). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) was one of the judges.
Known first as a strongman performer, Sandow began being recognized for his physique and began adding posing into his act. This is considered to be the earliest form of bodybuilding as we know it today.
Casanova (Giacomo Girolamo Casanova)
Born April 2, 1725 d. 1798
Italian lover, adventurer. Considered history's greatest romantic, his name is synonymous with "womanizer". His autobiography, Story of My Life, is regarded as one of the most authentic sources of the customs of European social life during the 18th century.
Imperial Coronation of Charlemagne, by Friedrich Kaulbach, 1861
Imperial Coronation of Charlemagne, by Friedrich Kaulbach, 1861
Charlemagne (Charles the Great)
Born April 2, 742 d. 814
Frankish King, Roman Emperor. King of the Franks (768), King of the Lombards (774), and Holy Roman Emperor (800). In 789, he introduced the royal foot as a unit of length.
Rodney King
Born April 2, 1965 d. 2012
Los Angeles police punching bag. In 1991, he was videotaped being beaten by police officers after a high speed auto chase. The acquittal of four officers charged in the incident led to the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
He married one of the jurors from his civil suit against the city of Los Angeles, in which he won $3.8 million dollars.
King drowned in his swimming pool. Toxicology reports showed a combination of alcohol, cocaine, and marijuana in his system, which along with a heart condition may have triggered a cardiac arrhythmia, leaving him unable to save himself.
Photo Credit: Nick Ut/AP
Photo Credit: Nick Ut/AP
Kim Phúc
Born April 2, 1963
Vietnamese-Canadian war victim. She is the nine-year-old victim of a napalm attack depicted in Nick Ut's 1972 Pulitzer-winning photo. She was running after having been badly burned and tore her clothes off during a South Vietnamese Air Force napalm attack near Trang Bang. Trang Bang had been occupied by North Vietnamese forces.
Ron Palillo
Born April 2, 1949 d. 2012
American actor. TV: Welcome Back Kotter (1975-79, Arnold Dingfilder Horshack, "Oooh! Oooh!").
Emmylou Harris
Born April 2, 1947
American Grammy-winning singer. Music: Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1979) and Love Hurts (1983).
Dr. Demento (Barret 'Barry' Eugene Hansen)
Born April 2, 1941
American radio personality, specializing in off-beat music.
Marvin Gaye (Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr.)
Born April 2, 1939 d. 1984
American Grammy-winning Motown singer. He was shot and killed by his father on the day before his birthday. Music: How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You (1965), I Heard It Through The Grapevine (1969, #1), Let's Get It On (1973, #1), and (Sexual) Healing (1982, Grammy).
Whirlaway
Born April 2, 1938 d. 1953
American racehorse, 1941 Triple Crown Winner.
Sharon Acker
Born April 2, 1935 d. 2023
Canadian actress. TV: The New Perry Mason (1973-74, Della Street).
Sir Alec Guinness
Born April 2, 1914 d. 2000
English Oscar-winning actor. Film: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957, Oscar), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and Star Wars (1977, Obi-Wan Kenobi).
Herbert Mills
Born April 2, 1912 d. 1989
American singer, with the Mills Brothers, the most popular vocal group of all time.
Charles "Honi" Coles
Born April 2, 1911 d. 1992
American Tony-winning tap dancer. Broadway: Hello Dolly. Film: Dirty Dancing and Cotton Club. He was inducted into the Tap Dance Hall of Fame (2003).
Max Ernst
Born April 2, 1891 d. 1976
German-born Surrealist artist, and leader of the Cologne Dadaists.
Walter Chrysler and the Chrysler Building
Walter Chrysler and the Chrysler Building
Walter Percy Chrysler
Born April 2, 1875 d. 1940
American auto executive. Founder of the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, which along with General Motors Corporation and the Ford Motor Company became part of what was colloquially called "the Big 3" American automobile companies.
The original Chrysler Six automobile included a carburetor air filter, high compression engine, full pressure lubrication, and an oil filter, features absent from most autos at the time. The advanced engineering and testing that went into Chrysler cars helped drive the company into second place in U.S. sales by 1936.
Hans Christian Andersen
Born April 2, 1805 d. 1875
Danish poet, novelist. Writings: The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Red Shoes, and The Emperor's New Clothes.
Francesco Maria Grimaldi
Born April 2, 1618 d. 1663
Italian mathematician, physicist. He discovered that the distance covered by a falling object was proportional to the square of the time of the fall and coined the word 'diffraction.'
Deaths
First Professional Football Player
William Walter "Pudge" Heffelfinger
Died April 2, 1954 b. 1867
American athlete. He became the first professional football player in 1892, when he was paid a $500 bonus (about $13,500 in today's money) after scoring the winning touchdown for the Allegheny Athletic Association against the Pittsburgh Athletic Club (4-0). A touchdown counted for 4 points at the time.
The 6 feet 3 inch, 210-pound Heffelfinger was a three-time All-American and played for Yale College in 1888-91. In his freshman year, the Yale team was undefeated, untied, and unscored upon. Heffelfinger also lettered in rowing, baseball, and track, and won the university heavyweight boxing championship.
Samuel F.B. Morse (Samuel Finley Breese Morse)
Died April 2, 1872 b. 1791
American inventor of the telegraph and Morse code.
Robert H. Schuller
Died April 2, 2015 b. 1926
American televangelist. Founder of the Crystal Cathedral and host of TV's Hour of Power (1970-2010).
John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla)
Died April 2, 2005 b. 1920
264th Pope (1978-2005), the first Polish Pope. He reigned as pope of the Roman Catholic Church for almost 27 years, making him the second-longest reigning pontiff.
Betty Furness
Died April 2, 1994 b. 1916
American actress, pioneer in TV consumer reporting. TV: Today.
Buddy Rich (Bernard Rich)
Died April 2, 1987 b. 1917
American jazz drummer. He was the second-highest-paid child performer of the 1930s and although he never had a formal lesson and claims to never practice, he is considered the greatest drummer that ever lived.
C.S. Forester (Cecil Louis Troughton Smith)
Died April 2, 1966 b. 1899
English novelist. Creator of Horatio Hornblower, depicting a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic wars. He also wrote The African Queen (1935; filmed in 1951 starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn).
Theodore William Richards
Died April 2, 1928 b. 1868
American Nobel-winning Chemist, known for his research in atomic weights.