Who are famous people born on April 2?

Famous people born on April 2 include: Brenda Fruhvirtová, Adrián Liso, Diana Shnaider.

What famous people died on April 2?

Notable historical figures who died on April 2 include: Khamtai Siphandone, Jerry Abbott, John Barth.

April 2 in History

Q: What happened on April 2 in history?

On April 2, 2025: Liberation Day tariffs: U.S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide tariffs.

41 events 1107 – 2025

April 2 spans 41 recorded events across recorded history — from 1107 – 2025. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · April 2 — Wikipedia

Liberation Day tariffs: U.S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide

2025 — Liberation Day tariffs: U

S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide tariffs.

Did you know

In 2025, Liberation Day tariffs: U.S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide tariffs. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

United States president Donald Trump announced a broad package of import duties on April 2, 2025—a date he called "Liberation Day". This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

In a White House Rose Garden ceremony, Trump signed Executive Order 14257, Regulating Imports With a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices That Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

This order declared a national emergency over the United States' trade deficit and invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to authorize sweeping tariffs on foreign imports. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

Did you know

In 2025, Liberation Day tariffs: U.S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide tariffs had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

Seljuq sultan Muhammad I Tapar begins the siege of Shahdiz, a fortress of the Nizari Ismailis.

Turco-Persianate empire (1037–1194)

The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a high medieval Turkic, culturally Persianate empire established and ruled by the Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. The empire spanned a total area of 3.9 million square kilometres from Anatolia and the Levant in the west to the Hindu Kush in the east, and from Central Asia in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south, and it spanned the time period 1037–1308, though Seljuk rule beyond the Anatolian peninsula ended in 1194.

1107

Election of Pope Honorius IV following the death of Pope Martin IV.

Head of the Catholic Church from 1285 to 1287

Pope Honorius IV was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 April 1285 to his death on 3 April 1287. His election followed the death of Pope Martin IV and was notable for its speed; he was chosen unanimously on the first ballot. Honorius IV's papacy occurred during a tumultuous period marked by political strife and conflict in Sicily, where he sought to navigate complex relationships with various rulers while maintaining papal authority. During his pontificate he continued to pursue the pro-French political policy of his predecessor. He is the most recent pope to take the pontifical name "Honorius" upon election, after his granduncle Pope Honorius III.

1285

Having spotted land on March 27, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León comes ashore on what is now the U.S.

state of Florida, landing somewhere between the modern city of St. Augustine and the mouth of the St. Johns River.

Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first European expeditions to Puerto Rico in 1508 and Florida in 1513. He was born in Santervás de Campos, Valladolid, Spain, in 1474. Though little is known about his family, he was of noble birth and served in the Spanish military from a young age. He first came to the Americas as a "gentleman volunteer" with Christopher Columbus's second expedition in 1493.

1513

S. Bach's cantata Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden, BWV 6, is first performed in Leipzig on Easter Monday.

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the orchestral Brandenburg Concertos; solo instrumental works such as the Cello Suites and Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin; keyboard works such as the Goldberg Variations and The Well-Tempered Clavier; organ works such as the Schübler Chorales and the Toccata and Fugue in D minor; and choral works such as the St. Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. He is known for his mastery of counterpoint, as heard in The Musical Offering and The Art of Fugue. Felix Mendelssohn precipitated the Bach Revival with a performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829. Ever since, Bach has been acclaimed as one of the greatest composers of classical music.

1725

Commodore William James captures the Maratha fortress of Suvarnadurg on the west coast of India.

Senior officer rank of the Royal Navy

Commodore (Cdre) is a rank of the Royal Navy above captain and below rear admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to brigadier in the British Army and the Royal Marines and to air commodore in the Royal Air Force. Commodore has been a substantive rank in the Royal Navy since only 1997. Until then the term denoted a functional position rather than a formal rank, being the title bestowed on the senior officer of a fleet of at least two naval vessels comprising an independent command.

1755

The Coinage Act is passed by Congress, establishing the United States Mint.

US legislation for a national currency and mint

The Coinage Act of 1792, passed by the United States Congress on April 2, 1792, created the United States dollar as the country's standard unit of money, established the United States Mint, and regulated the coinage of the United States. This act established the silver dollar as the unit of money in the United States, declared it to be lawful tender, and created a decimal system for U.S. currency.

1792

Ludwig van Beethoven leads the premiere of his First Symphony in Vienna.

German composer (1770–1827)

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. Mentored during the Classical period, he incorporated more complex structure and emotion in his later works. Beethoven's musical style was a key driver of the transition to Romantic music, and the expansion of popular forms such as the symphony and string quartet. His compositions have attracted casual and scholarly interest, and remain among the most performed in the world.

1800

French Revolutionary Wars: In the Battle of Copenhagen a British Royal Navy squadron defeats a hastily assembled, smaller, mostly-volunteer Dano-Norwegian Navy at high cost, forcing Denmark out of the Second League of Armed Neutrality.

1792–1802 wars

The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries. The wars are divided into two periods: the War of the First Coalition (1792–1797) and the War of the Second Coalition (1798–1802). Initially confined to Europe, the fighting gradually assumed a global dimension. After a decade of constant warfare and aggressive diplomacy, France had conquered territories in the Italian peninsula, the Low Countries, and the Rhineland with its very large and powerful military which had been totally mobilized for war against most of Europe with mass conscription of the vast French population. French success in these conflicts ensured military occupation and the spread of revolutionary principles over much of Europe.

1801

American Civil War: The largest in a series of Southern bread riots occurs in Richmond, Virginia.

1861–1865 conflict in the United States

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union to preserve slavery in the United States, which they saw as threatened because of the election of Abraham Lincoln and the growing abolitionist movement in the North. The war lasted a little over four years, ending with Union victory, the dissolution of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery, freeing four million African Americans.

1863

American Civil War: Defeat at the Third Battle of Petersburg forces the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate government to abandon Richmond, Virginia.

Battle of the American Civil War

The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was fought on April 2, 1865, south and southwest Virginia in the area of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersburg Campaign and in the beginning stage of the Appomattox Campaign near the conclusion of the American Civil War. The Union Army under the overall command of General-in-Chief Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, launched an assault on General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's Petersburg, Virginia, trenches and fortifications after the Union victory at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865. As a result of that battle the Confederate right flank and rear were exposed. The remaining supply lines were cut and the Confederate defenders were reduced by over 10,000 men killed, wounded, taken prisoner or in flight.

1865

Canadian Cree warriors attack the village of Frog Lake, killing nine.

Indigenous people of North America

The Cree are a North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations macro-communities. There are numerous Cree peoples and several nations closely related to the Cree, these being the Plains Cree, Woodland Cree, Rocky Cree, Swampy Cree, Moose Cree, and East Cree with the Atikamekw, Innu, and Naskapi being closely related. Also closely related to the Cree are the Oji-Cree and Métis, both nations of mixed heritage, the former with Ojibweg (Chippewa) and the latter with European fur traders. Cree homelands account for a majority of eastern and central Canada, from Eeyou Istchee in the east in what is now Quebec to northern Ontario, much of the Canadian Prairies, and up into British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. Although a majority of Cree live in Canada, there are small communities in the United States, living mostly in Montana where they share Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation with the Ojibwe people.

1885

The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts the country's first national census.

Australian statistics and census agency

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is an agency of the Australian Government that collates and analyses statistical data on economic, demographic, environmental and social issues to support policy research and development.

1911

The ill-fated RMS Titanic begins sea trials.

British passenger liner that sank in 1912

RMS Titanic was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the 2,208 passengers and crew aboard, approximately 1,500 died, making the incident one of the deadliest peacetime sinkings of a single ship. Titanic, operated by White Star Line, carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from the British Isles, Scandinavia, and elsewhere in Europe who were seeking a new life in the United States and Canada. The disaster drew public attention, spurred major changes in maritime safety regulations, and inspired a lasting legacy in popular culture. It was the second time White Star Line had lost a ship on her maiden voyage, the first being RMS Tayleur in 1854.

1912

American entry into World War I: President Wilson asks the U.S.

Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

The United States entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began in Austria-Hungary. Apart from an Anglophile element urging early support for the British and an anti-tsarist element sympathizing with Germany's war against Russia, American public opinion had generally reflected a desire to stay out of the war. Over time, especially after reports of German atrocities in Belgium in 1914 and after the sinking of the RMS Lusitania in a torpedo attack by a submarine of the Imperial German Navy off the southern coast of Ireland in May 1915, Americans increasingly came to see Imperial Germany as the aggressor in Europe.

1917

The Autonomous Government of Khorasan, a military government encompassing the modern state of Iran, is established.

Military government in Iran from April-November 1921

The Autonomous Government of Khorasan was a short-lived military state set up in Iran. It was formally established on the April 2, 1921, and collapsed a few months later, on October 6, 1921. Their capital was Mashhad.

1921

After the mysterious death of Empress Zewditu, Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.

Empress of Ethiopia from 1916 to 1930

Zewditu was Empress of Ethiopia from 1916 until her death in 1930. She officially adopted the regnal name "Zewditu" at the beginning of her reign, which was triggered by the dethroning of Lij Iyasu in 1916. Her coronation was held on February 11, 1917, in the Cathedral of St. George in Addis Ababa—a capital founded by her father. Forty years old and childless when crowned, she is the first and only empress regnant of the Ethiopian Empire. Described as the first modern female head of a nation in Africa, she was the last female Ethiopian head of state until the 2018 election of Sahle-Work Zewde as president. Her reign, which she is said to have closely patterned after the legacy of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, is noted for the reforms of her Regent and heir apparent Ras Tafari Makonnen – changes which she was at best ambivalent and often stridently opposed to, due to her staunch conservatism and strong religiosity.

1930

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165 crashes into the Polica mountain near Zawoja, Poland, killing 53.

1969 aviation accident

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165 was an Antonov An-24 aircraft, registration SP-LTF, operating a scheduled passenger flight from Warsaw to Krakow Balice airport. It crashed into a mountain on 2 April 1969 at 16:08 local time (UTC+1) during a snowstorm. All 53 people on board were killed.

1969

Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from Quảng Ngãi Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.

1955–1975 war in Southeast Asia

The Vietnam War was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and their allies. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union and China, while South Vietnam was supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations. The conflict was the second of the Indochina wars and a proxy war of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and US. The Vietnam War was one of the postcolonial wars of national liberation, a theater in the Cold War, and a civil war, with civil warfare a defining feature from the outset. Direct US military involvement escalated from 1965 until US forces were withdrawn in 1973. The fighting spilled into the Laotian and Cambodian civil wars, which ended with all three countries becoming communist in 1975.

1975

Prince Norodom Sihanouk resigns as leader of Cambodia and is placed under house arrest.

King of Cambodia (1941–1955; 1993–2004)

Norodom Sihanouk was King, Chief of State and Prime Minister of Cambodia. He is known as Samdech Euv. During his lifetime, Cambodia was under various regimes, from French colonial rule, a Japanese puppet state (1945), an independent kingdom (1953–1970), a military republic (1970–1975), the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979), a Vietnamese-backed communist regime (1979–1989), a transitional communist regime (1989–1993) to eventually another kingdom.

1976

A Soviet bio-warfare laboratory at Sverdlovsk accidentally releases airborne anthrax spores, killing 66 plus an unknown amount of livestock.

1979 anthrax outbreak in the Soviet Union

On 2 April 1979, spores of Bacillus anthracis were accidentally released from a Soviet Armed Forces research facility in the city of Sverdlovsk in the Soviet Union. The ensuing outbreak of the disease resulted in the deaths of at least 68 people, although the exact number of victims remains unknown. The cause of the outbreak was denied for years by the Soviet authorities, which blamed the deaths on consumption of tainted meat from the area, and subcutaneous exposure due to butchers handling the tainted meat. The accident was the first major indication in the Western world that the Soviet Union had embarked upon an offensive programme aimed at the development and large-scale production of biological weapons.

1979

United States President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act.

President of the United States from 1977 to 1981

James Earl Carter Jr. was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, Carter served from 1971 to 1975 as the 76th governor of Georgia and from 1963 to 1967 in the Georgia State Senate. He lived longer than any other president in US history, reaching age 100.

1980

Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.

1982 undeclared Argentina–United Kingdom war

The Falklands War was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial dependency, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The conflict began on 2 April 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, followed by the invasion of South Georgia the next day. On 5 April the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine surrender on 14 June, returning the islands to British control. In total, 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel and three Falkland Islanders were killed during the hostilities.

1982

Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist, best known for the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door", announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.

U.S. state

Alabama is a state in the Southeastern and Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th largest by area, and the 24th-most populous of the 50 U.S. states.

1986

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba, to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.

Country in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), also known as the Soviet Union, was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It was the world's third-most populous country, largest by area, and bordered twelve countries. A diverse multinational state, it was organized as a federal union of national republics, the largest and most populous being the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. In practice, its government and economy were highly centralized. As a one-party state governed by the Communist Party, it was the flagship communist state. Its capital and largest city was Moscow.

1989

Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province when she succeeds William Vander Zalm (who had resigned) as Premier of British Columbia.

Premier of British Columbia in 1991

Rita Margaret Johnston is a Canadian politician in British Columbia. Johnston became the first female premier in Canadian history when she succeeded Bill Vander Zalm in 1991 to become the 29th premier of British Columbia, serving for seven months. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1983 to 1991, and served in the Vander Zalm ministry as part of the British Columbia Social Credit Party (Socred) caucus, including as deputy premier from 1990 to 1991.

1991

In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.

U.S. state

New York, also called New York State, is a state located in the northeastern United States. Bordering Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connecticut to its east, Canada to its north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to its south, it extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. New York is the fourth-most populous state in the United States, with over 20 million residents, and the 27th-largest state by area, with a total area of 54,556 square miles (141,300 km2).

1992

Forty-two civilians are massacred in the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Killing of civilians by Serb paramilitary groups in Bijeljina during Bosnian Civil War

The Bijeljina massacre involved the killing of civilians by Serb paramilitary groups in Bijeljina on 1–2 April 1992 in the run-up to the Bosnian War. The majority of those killed were Bosnian Muslims. Members of other ethnicities were also killed, as well as Serbs deemed disloyal by the local authorities. The killings were committed by a local paramilitary group known as Mirko's Chetniks and by the Serb Volunteer Guard, a Serbia-based paramilitary group led by Željko "Arkan" Ražnatović. The SDG were under the command of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), which was controlled by Serbian President Slobodan Milošević.

1992

Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, into which armed Palestinians had retreated.

Country in West Asia

Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. It is bordered by Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. Israel occupies the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories, as well as the Syrian Golan Heights. Israel's western coast lies on the Mediterranean Sea, its southern tip reaches the Red Sea, and to the east is Earth's lowest point near the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is the government seat and proclaimed capital, while Tel Aviv is Israel's largest urban area and economic centre.

2002

Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid; the attack is thwarted.

Politico-religious ideology

Islamism is a range of religious and political ideological movements that believe that Islam should influence political systems. Its proponents believe Islam is innately political, and that Islam as a political system is superior to communism, liberal democracy, capitalism, and other alternatives in achieving a just, successful society. The advocates of Islamism, also known as al-Islamiyyun, are usually affiliated with Islamic institutions or social mobilization movements, emphasizing the implementation of sharia, pan-Islamic political unity, and the creation of Islamic states.

2004

Over 60 tornadoes break out in the United States; Tennessee is hardest hit with 29 people killed.

Violently rotating column of air

A tornado, also known as a twister, is a rapidly rotating column of air that extends vertically from the surface of the Earth to the base of a cumulonimbus or cumulus cloud. Tornadoes are often visible in the form of a condensation funnel originating from the cloud base, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust close to the ground. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 180 kilometers per hour, are about 80 meters across, and travel several kilometers before dissipating. The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 480 kilometers per hour (300 mph), can be more than 3 kilometers (2 mi) in diameter, and can stay on the ground for more than 100 km (62 mi).

2006

India wins the Cricket World Cup for the second time in history under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

Indian men's cricket team

The India men's national cricket team represents India in international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is a full member nation of the International Cricket Council with Test, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status. India are the current holders of the T20 World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy, and the Asia Cup.

2011

A mass shooting at Oikos University in California leaves seven people dead and three injured.

Mass shooting in California, U.S.

On April 2, 2012, a mass shooting occurred inside Oikos University, a Korean Christian college in Oakland, California, United States. Seven people were killed, and three others were injured. One L. Goh, a former student at the school, was taken into custody and identified as the suspect in the shooting. It is the deadliest mass killing in the city's history.

2012

UTair Flight 120 crashes after takeoff from Roshchino International Airport in Tyumen, Russia, killing 33 and injuring 10.

2012 aviation accident in Russia

UTair Flight 120 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Tyumen to Surgut, Russia. On 2 April 2012, the ATR-72 turboprop aircraft operating the flight crashed shortly after take-off from Roschino International Airport, killing 33 of the 43 people on board. Investigation carried out by the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) revealed that the aircraft had not been de-iced prior to its take-off, even though it had been parked for hours in snowy condition. The crew of the flight were aware that ice and snow had accumulated on the aircraft, but decided not to de-ice it.

2012

A spree shooting occurs at the Fort Hood army base in Texas, with four dead, including the gunman, and 16 others injured.

Mass shooting in Texas, U.S.

On April 2, 2014, a spree shooting occurred at several locations on the Fort Hood military base near Killeen, Texas. Four people, including the gunman, were killed while 14 additional people were injured; 12 by gunshot wounds. The shooter, 34-year-old Army Specialist Ivan Lopez-Lopez, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

2014

Gunmen attack Garissa University College in Kenya, killing at least 148 people and wounding 79 others.

2015 Al-Shabaab shooting in Kenya

On 2 April 2015, gunmen stormed the Garissa University College in Garissa, Kenya, killing 148 people, and injuring at least 79. The militant groups Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab, which the gunmen claimed to belong to, took responsibility for the attack. The gunmen took over 700 students hostage, freeing Muslims and killing those who identified as Christians. The siege ended the same day, when all four of the attackers were killed. Five men were later arrested in connection with the attack, and a bounty was placed for the arrest of a suspected organizer.

2015

Four men steal items worth up to £200 million from an underground safe deposit facility in London's Hatton Garden area in what has been called the "largest burglary in English legal history."

2015 underground vault theft in London

In April 2015, an underground safe deposit facility in Hatton Garden, London, owned by Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd., was burgled. According to official sources, the total stolen had an estimated value of up to £14 million, of which only £4.3 million has been recovered. The burglars entered through a lift shaft over the Easter bank holiday weekend and used a Hilti DD350 industrial power drill to bore through the 50 cm (20 in) thick vault walls.

2015

COVID-19 pandemic: The total number of confirmed cases reach one million.

Pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2

The global COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. It spread to other parts of Asia and then worldwide in early 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020 and assessed it as having become a pandemic on 11 March. The WHO declared that the public health emergency caused by COVID-19 had ended in May 2023.

2020

At least 49 people are killed in a train derailment in Taiwan after a truck accidentally rolls onto the track.

Railway accident in Taiwan

On 2 April 2021, at 09:28 NST (01:28 UTC), a Taroko Express train operated by the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) derailed at the north entrance of Qingshui Tunnel in Heren Section, Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan, killing 49 people and injuring at least two others, making it the deadliest railway accident in Taiwan in terms of confirmed deaths.

2021

A Capitol Police officer is killed and another injured when an attacker rams his car into a barricade outside the United States Capitol.

Police agency protecting the U.S. Congress

The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States with nationwide jurisdiction charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories. It answers to the Capitol Police Board and is the only law enforcement agency appointed by the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States.

2021

Viertola school shooting: A 12-year-old pupil is killed and two others injured by a shooter of the same age in Vantaa, Finland.

2024 crime in Finland

On 2 April 2024, a shooting occurred at the Viertola school, Jokiranta site in Vantaa, Finland. The gunman, a 12-year-old fired a revolver at three students, all aged 12. One victim was killed while two were seriously injured.

2024

Born on April 2

20 people 1988 – 2007

Brenda Fruhvirtová

Czech tennis player

Brenda Fruhvirtová is a Czech professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 87, achieved on 29 July 2024. She reached a career-high ITF junior ranking of world No. 4, achieved on 13…

2007

Adrián Liso

Spanish footballer

Adrián Liso Lahoz is a Spanish footballer who plays as a left winger for La Liga club Getafe, on loan from Zaragoza.

2005

Diana Shnaider

Russian tennis player

Diana Maximovna Shnaider is a Russian professional tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of world No. 11 achieved on 5 May 2025 and a best doubles ranking of No. 8, reached on 16 June 2025.

2004

Emma Myers

American actress

Emma Elizabeth Myers is an American actress. She is best known for her breakthrough role as Enid Sinclair in the Netflix series Wednesday (2022–present). She has since appeared in the television series A Good Girl's…

2002

Rodrigo Riquelme

Spanish footballer

Rodrigo Riquelme Reche, also known as Roro, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Betis and the Spain national team.

2000

Josip Stanišić

Croatian footballer

Josip Stanišić is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich. Born in Germany, he plays for the Croatia national team. Stanišić has featured most often as a right-back but also…

2000

Dillon Bassett

American race car driver

Dillon W. Bassett is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro for his team, Bassett Racing. He and his family team…

1997

Abdelhak Nouri

Dutch footballer

Abdelhak "Appie" Nouri is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He operated primarily as an attacking midfielder, but could also be deployed as a winger.

1997

Austin Riley

American baseball player

Michael Austin Riley is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). The Braves selected him in the first round, 41st overall, of the 2015 MLB draft.

1997

Zach Bryan

American singer-songwriter

Zachary Lane Bryan is an American country singer-songwriter from Oologah, Oklahoma. After two self-produced studio albums, DeAnn (2019) and Elisabeth (2020), he signed with Warner Records to release his third album and…

1996

André Onana

Cameroonian footballer

André Onana Onana is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor, on loan from Premier League club Manchester United, and the Cameroon national team.

1996

Zack Steffen

American soccer player

Zackary Thomas Steffen is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids and the United States national team.

1995

Pascal Siakam

Cameroonian basketball player

Pascal Siakam is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A four-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection, he won an NBA championship with…

1994

Keshorn Walcott

Trinidadian javelin thrower

Keshorn "Keshie" Walcott, ORTT is a Trinidadian track and field athlete who competes in the javelin throw. He is the 2012 Olympic champion and the 2025 World champion. He is the first Caribbean male athlete, as well as…

1993

Bruno Zuculini

Argentine footballer

Bruno Zuculini is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Racing Club.

1993

Quavo

American rapper

Quavious Keyate Marshall, better known by his stage name Quavo, is an American rapper and record producer. He was the frontman of the now-defunct hip-hop group Migos. Formed with his nephew Takeoff and their mutual…

1991

Yevgeniya Kanayeva

Russian gymnast

Evgeniya Olegovna Kanaeva OMF is a retired Russian individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the only individual rhythmic gymnast in history to win two Olympic all-around gold medals, winning at the 2008 Summer Olympics,…

1990

Miralem Pjanić

Bosnian footballer

Miralem Pjanić is a Bosnian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation, he is considered to be one of the greatest free-kick takers of all time.

1990

Amr El Solia

Egyptian footballer

Amr Mohamed Eid El Solia is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Egyptian Premier League club Ceramica Cleopatra and the Egypt national team. He featured in the 2021 AFCON final match…

1990

Ellen Adarna

Filipino actress, model and public figure

Ellen Meriam Go Adarna-Ramsay is a Filipino former actress, model, and former internet celebrity. Her family owns various hotels, condominiums and Queensland and Madonna, a chain of motels in Cebu, Manila and Davao.…

1988

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20 people 2013 – 2025

Khamtai Siphandone

Laotian politician, 4th President of Laos (born 1924)

General Khamtai Siphandone was a Laotian politician who served as the chairman of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party from 1992 to 2006 and as the fourth president of Laos from 1998 to 2006, when he was replaced by…

2025

Jerry Abbott

American country music songwriter and record producer (born 1942)

Jerry Bob Abbott was an American country music songwriter and record producer. He was the father of heavy metal musicians Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell, both formerly of Pantera and Damageplan.

2024

John Barth

American writer (born 1930)

John Simmons Barth was an American writer best known for his postmodern and metafictional fiction. His most highly regarded and influential works were published in the 1960s, and include The Sot-Weed Factor, a whimsical…

2024

Maryse Condé

Guadeloupean novelist, critic, and playwright (born 1934)

Maryse Condé was a French novelist, critic, and playwright from the French Overseas department and region of Guadeloupe. She was also an academic, whose teaching career took her to West Africa and North America, as well…

2024

Christopher Durang

American playwright (born 1949)

Christopher Ferdinand Durang was an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s, though his career seemed to get a second wind in the late…

2024

Larry Lucchino

American attorney and baseball executive (born 1945)

Lawrence Lucchino was an American lawyer and Major League Baseball executive. He served as president of the Baltimore Orioles, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the San Diego Padres, and president and CEO…

2024

John Sinclair

American poet (born 1941)

John Alexander Sinclair Jr. was an American poet, writer, and political activist from Flint, Michigan. Sinclair's defining style is jazz poetry, and he released most of his works in audio formats. Most of his pieces…

2024

Juan Vicente Pérez

Venezuelan supercentenarian (born 1909)

Juan Vicente Pérez Mora was a Venezuelan supercentenarian who, until his death aged 114 years, 311 days, was the world's oldest verified living man following the death of Spain's Saturnino de la Fuente García on 18…

2024

Estelle Harris

American actress and comedian (born 1928)

Estelle Harris was an American actress and comedian, known for her exaggeratedly shrill voice. She was best known for her role as Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld. Her other roles included the voice of Mrs. Potato Head in…

2022

Simon Bainbridge

British composer (born 1952)

Simon Bainbridge was a British composer. He was also a professor and head of composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and visiting professor at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States.

2021

Alma Delia Fuentes

Mexican actress (born 1937)

Alma Delia Susana Fuentes González was a Mexican actress of film, television, and theatre.

2017

Gallieno Ferri

Italian comic book artist and illustrator (born 1929)

Gallieno Ferri was an Italian comic book artist and illustrator. He was born in Genoa.

2016

Robert Abajyan

Armenian sergeant (born 1996)

Robert Abajyan was an Armenian junior sergeant in the Republic of Artsakh Defense Army. He was posthumously awarded the "Hero of Artsakh" which is the highest honorary title of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh.

2016

Manoel de Oliveira

Portuguese actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1908)

Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about World War I. In…

2015

Robert H. Schuller

American pastor and author (born 1926)

Robert Harold Schuller was an American Christian televangelist, pastor, motivational speaker, and author. Over five decades, Schuller pastored his church in Garden Grove, California starting in 1955. The weekly…

2015

Steve Stevaert

Belgian businessman and politician, Governor of Limburg (born 1954)

Steve Stevaert was a Belgian politician of the Flemish Socialist Party: the SP.A.

2015

Urs Widmer

Swiss author and playwright (born 1938)

Urs Widmer was a Swiss novelist, playwright, an essayist, and a short story writer.

2014

Fred

French author and illustrator (born 1931)

Frédéric Othon Théodore Aristidès, known by his pseudonym Fred, was a French cartoonist in the Franco-Belgian comics tradition. He is best known for his series Philémon.

2013

Jesús Franco

Spanish director, screenwriter, producer, and actor (born 1930)

Jesús Franco Manera, also commonly known as Jess Franco, was a Spanish filmmaker, composer, and actor, known as a highly prolific director of low-budget exploitation and B-movies. He worked in many different genres…

2013

Milo O'Shea

Irish-American actor (born 1926)

Milo Donal O'Shea was an Irish actor. He received nomination for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for his breakthrough role of Leopold Bloom in Ulysses (1967), and was twice nominated for the Tony Award for…

2013

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April 2 in the Blog

Dissolution of the Jesuits — April 2, 1773

1773, Pope Clement XIV dissolves the Jesuit Order in Rome, Italy, shocking Catholic Europe with far-reaching consequences for education, politics, and the Church.

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What happened on April 2 in history?

On April 2, one notable event in history was 2025: Liberation Day tariffs: U.S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide tariffs..

This date currently highlights 41 recorded events on thisDay.info, spanning 1107 – 2025.

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Featured year2025

LocationHistorical Location

Events listed41

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April 2 in History

2025 — Liberation Day tariffs: U

In 2025, Liberation Day tariffs: U.S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide tariffs. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

United States president Donald Trump announced a broad package of import duties on April 2, 2025—a date he called "Liberation Day". This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

In a White House Rose Garden ceremony, Trump signed Executive Order 14257, Regulating Imports With a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices That Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

This order declared a national emergency over the United States' trade deficit and invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to authorize sweeping tariffs on foreign imports. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

In 2025, Liberation Day tariffs: U.S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide tariffs had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

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April 2 in History

2025 — Liberation Day tariffs: U

In 2025, Liberation Day tariffs: U.S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide tariffs. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

United States president Donald Trump announced a broad package of import duties on April 2, 2025—a date he called "Liberation Day". This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

In a White House Rose Garden ceremony, Trump signed Executive Order 14257, Regulating Imports With a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices That Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

This order declared a national emergency over the United States' trade deficit and invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to authorize sweeping tariffs on foreign imports. This shows how the event shaped policy and public communication in the same period.

In 2025, Liberation Day tariffs: U.S. President Donald Trump announces sweeping worldwide tariffs had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

Born on April 2

Died on April 2

April 2 in the Blog

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