On This Day - April 2nd

Featured Event:

Death of Pope John Paul II (2005) ✝️

Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978, Pope John Paul II, who was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first from a Slavic country, died in Vatican City this day in 2005.

Other Events:

1513: Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed on the coast of Florida. ⛵

1968: Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey had its world premiere in Washington, D.C. 📽️

1982: Argentine troops seized the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), precipitating the Falkland Islands War with Britain. 🪖

1992: American organized-crime boss John Gotti was convicted on 13 criminal counts 🚨

Holidays:

International Children's Book Day 🌍

Thai Heritage Conservation Day 🇹🇭

World Autism Awareness Day 🌍

Malvinas Day 🇦🇷

Featured Birthdays:

747: Charlemagne 🇩🇪 (Emperor)

1914: Alec Guiness 🇬🇧 (Actor)

1939: Marvin Gaye 🇺🇸 (Singer)

1975: Pedro Pascal 🇨🇱 (Actor)

Featured Deaths:

1974: Georges Pompidou 🇫🇷 (President)

1987: Buddy Rich 🇺🇸 (Musician)

2005: St. John Paul II 🇵🇱 (Pope)