APRIL 2 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for April 2

Henry L. Benning (1814-1875) - Brigadier General for the Confederate Army.

Erastus Brigham Bigelow (1814-1879) - Inventor of the weaving machine.

Thomas Howard Ruger (1833-1907) - Major General for the Union Army.

Walter Chrysler (1875-1940) - Founded of Chrysler.

Buddy Ebsen (1908-2003) - Actor famously remembered for his role as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies.

Jack Webb (1920-1982) - Actor who played role as Joe Friday in Dragnet.

Carl Kasell (1934-2018) - Journalist and former game show host weekly news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Marvin Gaye (1939-1984) - Singer who was dubbed the "Prince of Soul."

Ron Palillo (1954-2012) - Actor who played the comedic character Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back Kotter.

Christopher Meloni (1961-Still Living) - Law & Order: Special Victims Unit detective Elliot Stabler.

Memorable Events for April 2

1513 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León becomes the first known European to reach Florida.

1819 - The American Farmer is published for the first time.

1827 - Joseph Dixon begins manufacturing lead pencils.

1866 - President Johnson ends the civil war.

1872 - Engineer George Brayton patents an internal combustion engine.

1902 - The first full-time movie theater opens in LA.

1917 - Jeannette Rankin (MT) begins her term as the first female member of U.S. House of Representatives.

1917 - President Wilson asks the Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

1931 - A 17-year old girl named Jackie Mitchell strikes out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition baseball game.