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April 2nd
0742 - Born this day, Charlemagne, first Holy Roman Emperor (800-14). 1513 - On this date near present-day St. Augustine, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon came ashore on the Florida coast, and claimed the territory for the Spanish crown. Although other European navigators may have sighted the Florida peninsula before, Ponce de Leon is credited with the first recorded landing and the first detailed exploration of the Florida coast. Although other European navigators may have sighted the Florida peninsula before, Ponce de Leon is credited with the first recorded landing and the first detailed exploration of the Florida coast. According to legend, the Spanish explorer was searching for the Fountain of Youth, a fabled water source that could bring eternal youth. Ponce de Leon subsequently named what he believed to be an island La Florida, likely because his discovery came during the time of the Easter feast, or Pascua Florida. In 1521, he returned to Florida in an effort to establish a Spanish colony on the island. However, his expedition was attacked by hostile Native Americans soon after landing, and the party retreated to Cuba, where Ponce de Leon died from a mortal wound suffered during the battle. Successful Spanish colonisation of the peninsula finally began at St. Augustine in 1565, and in 1819, the territory passed into US control under the terms of the Florida Purchase Treaty between Spain and the United States. 1524 - At the age of 40, Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli (a former Catholic priest) publicly married the widow Anna (ne Reinhard) Meyer. Their marriage lasted until his death at the Battle of Kappel in 1531. 1550 - Jews were expelled from Genoa, Italy. 1725 - Born this day, Giovanni Casanova, in Venice, Italian adventurer, gambler, secret agent and 'world's greatest lover'. 1792 - The US Congress approved the Coinage Act, authorising the first US Mint. Constructed in Philadelphia, the Mint's original coins were made of gold, silver, and copper, $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle and $2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins and silver dollar, half dollar, quarter, dime and half-dime. In addition to the Philadelphia Mint, there are now mints in the cities of Denver, San Francisco and West Point (New York). The US Mint produces between 14-20 billion coins every year. 1796 - Haitian revolt leader Toussaint L'Ouverture took command of French forces at Santo Domingo. 1798 - France's Revolutionary government sent Irishman James Napper Tandy, with the rank of brigadier-general, to Ireland to lead military moves against British rule. 1801 - In the Napoleonic Wars, the Danish fleet was destroyed by the British under Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen. Ordered to withdraw during the battle, Nelson put a telescope to his blind eye and said he could see no such order. 1805 - Born this day, Hans Christian Anderson, Danish author of fairytales. Wrote over of 150 fairy tales. 1819 - The first successful agricultural journal, The American Farmer, began. 1827 - Joseph Dixon began manufacturing lead pencils. 1834 - Born this day, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor. (Statue of Liberty). 1840 - Born this day, Emile Zola, French novelist and activist. (Nana). 1845 - H.L. Fizeau and J. Leon Foucault took the first picture of the Sun. 1860 - The first Italian Parliament met at Turin. 1862 - Born this day, Nicholas Murray Butler, US educationalist, Columbia University president, pacifist, Nobel Peace Prize winner 1931. 1865 - Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Viginia, as General Grant broke General Lee's line at Petersburg. 1865 - Died this day, Ambrose P. Hill, confederate general, died aged 39, killed by a Federal Picket. 1865 - Died this day, Richard Cobden, founder Anti-Corn-Law League, died aged 60. 1866 - President Johnson ended the war in Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Viginia. 1869 - R. Luther discovered asteroid #108 Hecuba. 1871 - The Fourth full British census took place. 1872 - Died this day, Samuel F.B. Morse, developer of the electric telegraph, died in New York at the age of 80. 1872 - G.B. Brayton, of Boston, Massachusetts, received a patent for the gas-powered street car. 1873 - Toilets were put in sleeping cars on trains for the first time. 1875 - Born this day, Walter P. Chrysler, founder of Chrysler Automobile Company. 1876 - The Philadelphia A's and the Boston Red Caps played the first NL game, in Philadelphia. 1877 - The first Easter egg roll was held on the White House lawn. 1877 - The first human cannonball act was performed at London's Amphitheatre, featuring acrobatic lady Zazal. 1877 - Born this day, American evangelist Mordecai Ham. It was under Ham's preaching in the late 1930s that Billy Graham was led into a living faith. 1889 - Charles Hall patented aluminum. (aluminium). 1891 - Born this day, Max Ernst, French expressionistic surrealist painter and sculptor. 1894 - Born this day, Walter Mittelholzer, in St. Gallen, Swiss aviation pioneer. Active as a pilot, photographer, travel writer, and also as one of the first people to fly a plane. Got his private pilot's license in 1917, and completed his instruction as a military pilot in 1918. Founded an air-photo and passenger flight business, Comte, Mittelholzer, and Company on 5 November 1919. He made the first North-South flight across Africa which took him 77 days, starting in Zurich on 7 December 1926, he flew via Alexandria to land in Cape Town on 21 February 1927. In 1931 he became the technical director of a new airline called Swissair. He died 9 May 1937 in an accident on a transmountain flight over Styria. 1894 - Died this day, English philanthropist William D. Longstaff, aged 72. A friend of Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey, Longstaff left several writings, but is best remembered today for authoring the hymn, Take Time to Be Holy. 1896 - Madison Square Garden in New York City hosted the season premiere of the Barnum and Bailey Circus. The circus featured a Duryea horseless carriage. 1902 - The first motion picture theatre opened in Los Angeles. The Electric Theatre charged a dime to see an hour’s entertainment, including the films, The Capture of the Biddle Brothers and New York in a Blizzard. 1905 - Born this day, Serge Lifar, in Kiev, Russia, dancer and opera director, choreographer (Paris Opera Ballet). 1905 - The Simplon rail tunnel under the Alps linking Switzerland with Italy officially opened. 1905 - Born this day, Kurt Adler, American conductor. 1908 - Born this day, Buddy Ebsen, in Belleville, Illinois, actor (Beverly Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones). 1910 - Karl Harris perfected the process for the artificial synthesis of rubber. 1910 - Born this day, Arnie Herber, NFL Quaterback (Green Bay Packers, NY Giants). 1910 - Born this day, Irene Mayer Selznick, producer (Street Car Named Desire). 1911 - Born this day, Charles 'Honi' Coles, tap dancer (Tap). 1912 - Titanic underwent sea trials under its own power. 1914 - The US Federal Reserve Board announced plans to divide the US into 12 districts. 1914 - Born this day, Sir Alec Guinness, British actor, film credits include Great Expectations (1946), Oliver Twist (1948), Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Ladykillers (1955), The Prisoner (1955), The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957), Tunes Of Glory (1960), and Star Wars (1977). 1915 - Born this day, Antony Dornhorst, professor of medicine. 1916 - Belyavskij discovered asteroid #851 Zeissia, #852 Wladilena and #853 Nansenia. 1917 - Jeannette Pickering Rankin was sworn in as the first woman to serve in the US House of Representatives. 1917 - Born this day, Dabbs Greer, in Fairview, Missouri, actor (Gunsmoke, Little House on Prairie). 1917 - President Woodrow Wilson presented a declaration of war against Germany to Congress. 1917 - Born this day, Lou Monte, in New Jersey, singer (Peppino the Italian Mouse). 1919 - Born this day, Sir Ian Hunter, impresario. 1920 - Born this day, Jack Webb, in Santa Monica, California, actor (Joe Friday-Dragnet, The D.I.). 1923 - Born this day, Sir Hugh Overton, British diplomat. 1924 - Born this day, Sir Denis Rooke, CEO (British Gas). 1925 - Born this day, George MacDonald Fraser, poet, author (Flashman at the Charge). 1926 - K. Reinmuth discovered asteroid #2500. 1926 - Born this day, Michael Rizzello, sculptor, coin designer. 1926 - Born this day, Sir Jack Brabham, former racing car driver. 1927 - Born this day, Billy Pierce, pitcher (Chicago White Sox) seven time all star. 1928 - Born this day, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago. 1928 - Born this day, Serge Gainsbourg, singer, 1969 UK No.1 single with Jane Birkin Je T'aime...Moi Non, the only French language chart-topper. Died 2 March 1991 of a heart attack. 1928 - Born this day, Rita Gam, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, actress (Distortions, Mohawk). 1929 - Born this day, Catherine Gaskin, romantic novelist (Fiona, Corporation Wife). 1930 - The first New York-Bermuda airplane flight landed in Bermuda. 1931 - Virne 'Jackie' Mitchell became the first woman to play for an all-male pro baseball team. In an exhibition game against the New York Yankees in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she strikes out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and was still only a teenager. 1932 - Charles Lindbergh paid a $50,000 ransom for his kidnapped son. 1934 - Born this day, Brian Glover, actor (McGuffin). 1934 - Born this day, Christopher France, British permanent secretary (Dept of Health). 1934 - Born this day, Sir Peter Middleton, British permanent secretary (Treasury). 1935 - Born this day, Sharon Acker, in Toronto, Canada, actress (Della Street-Perry Mason 1973). 1935 - Mary Hirsch became the first woman licensed as a horse trainer. 1935 - Sir Watson-Watt was granted a patent for RADAR. 1937 - Y. Vaisala discovered asteroid #1549 Mikko. 1939 - Born this day, Marvin Gaye, US soul singer in Washington DC, USA. The son of an apostolic minister. Marvin sang with The Marquees. He also played drums on early Stevie Wonder records during the 60's. In 1968, Marvin Gaye scored his first US Number 1 single I Heard It Through The Grapevine. It stayed at the top for five weeks. It was Marvin's 15th solo chart hit. The 1973 album Let's Get It On is a soul classic. On 1 May 1973, Washington DC, proclaimed a 'Marvin Gaye day'. Marvin filed for bankruptcy during 1978 with debts of $7m. His singing partner Tammi Terrell died in 1970 aged 24, having undergone eight brain operations in 18 months. In 1984, Marvin was shot dead by his father during a violent argument at his parents home in Los Angeles. His father was later charged and was sentenced to five years for voluntary manslaughter. In 1990, Marvin Gaye's name was added to Hollywood Boulevard's 'Walkway Of Fame' in Los Angeles. 1940 - Born this day, Peter Haining writer, editor (Anatomy of Witchcraft). 1940 - The evacuation operation at Dunkirk began. 1940 - Born this day, Penelope Keith, actress, (To the Manor Born, The Good Life, Norman Conquests, Priest of Love). 1941 - Born this day, Leon Russell, singer, songwriter, multi-instumentalist, played on Phil Spector hits. Worked with Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Glenn Campbell. Wrote Delta Lady, a hit for Joe Cocker. Played on The Byrds' Mr Tambourine Man. 1942 - Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded American Patrol for Victor Records. The jitterbug tune became one of Miller’s most requested hits. 1942 - Born this day, Graham Bright, private secretary to British Prime Minister. 1943 - Born this day, Larry Coryell, in Galveston, Texas, jazz musician, guitarist (11th House). 1943 - Born this day, Glen Dale, guitar, vocals, The Fortunes, 1965 UK No.2 and US No.7 single You've Got Your Troubles. 1944 - The Soviet Union announced that its troops had crossed the Prut River and entered Romania, one of Germany's allied countries. 1945 - Born this day, Don Sutton, baseball pitcher (LA Dodgers). 1945 - Born this day, Lord Skelmersdale, British minister (C). 1945 - Born this day, Linda Hunt, in Morristown, New Jersey, actress (Bostonians, Eleni, Silverado). 1946 - The Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst was founded. 1946 - Born this day, Sue Townsend, author. 1946 - Born this day, Kurt Winter, Guess Who, 1970 US No.1 and UK No.19 single American Woman. Died 15 December 1997. 1947 - The United Nations (UN) Security Council voted to appoint the US as trustee for former Japanese-held Pacific Islands. 1947 - Born this day, Emmylou Harris, in Birmingham, Alabama, country singer, two albums with Gram Parsons, 1976 UK No.30 single Here There And Everywhere, US No.37 single Mr Sandman. Six times Grammy award winner. 1947 - The Big Story was first heard on NBC radio. It stayed on the air for eight years. 1948 - Born this day, Joan D. Vinge, American writer (Dune). 1949 - Born this day, Pamela Reed, in Tacoma, Washington, actress (Grand, Kindergarten Cop). 1949 - Born this day, Paul Gambaccini, UK Disc Jockey, co-author, (Guiness Book of British Hit Singles). 1949 - Born this day, Pamela Reed, US actress. 1951 - General Dwight Eisenhower assumed command of all allied armies in Western Mediterranean area and Europe. 1951 - Died this day, Simon Barere, pianist, died while perfoming at Carnegie Hall. 1952 - Died this day, Bernard Lyot, inventor (chronograph). 1952 - Born this day, Leon Wilkeson, bass, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 1975 US No.19 and 1982 UK No.21 single Freebird. Died 27 July 2001. 1953 - Born this day, David Robinson, The Cars, 1978 UK No.3 and US No.35 single My Best Friend's Girl, and 1984 US No.3 and 1985 UK No.4 single Drive. 1953 - Born this day, Debralee Scott, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, actress (Cathy-Mary Hartman, Angie). 1954 - Born this day, Ron Palillo, Connecticut, actor (Arnold Horshack-Welcome Back Kotter). 1954 - Carl ‘Bobo’ Olson defeated Kid Gavilan to retain the world middleweight boxing title. 1954 - Plans to build Disneyland were first announced. 1954 - Britain's first TV soap opera, The Grove Family, was transmitted. It was named after the Lime Grove Studios. 1955 - Born this day, Dana Carvey, comedian (Church Lady-SNL). 1955 - British apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in Letters to an American Lady - 'Fear is horrid, but there's no reason to be ashamed of it. Our Lord was afraid (dreadfully so) in Gethsemane. I always cling to that as a very comforting fact'. 1955 - Pancho Gonzales retained his tennis title by winning a tournament playing under table tennis rules. 1956 - Born this day, Gregory Abbott, 1986 UK No.6 single Shake You Down. 1956 - Two very successful daytime dramas premiered. The Edge of Night and As the World Turns were seen for the first time on CBS-TV. 1958 - The National Advisory Council on Aeronautics was renamed NASA. 1958 - Wind speed reached 450 kph in a tornado in Wichita Falls, Texas (record). 1959 - Born this day, Brian Goodell, US 400m/1500m freestyle swimmer (Olympic gold 1976). 1960 - France signed an agreement with Madagascar which proclaimed the country an independent state within the French community. 1960 - Born this day, Linford Christie, athlete, athletics coach, former Olympic champion sprinter. 1961 - Born this day, Chris Meloni, US actor. 1961 - Forty biblical scrolls were found in a cave in Judaea. 1962 - Push-button 'Panda' road crossings were introduced. 1962 - Born this day, Billy Dean, country singer. 1963 - Born this day, Keren Woodward, Bananarama, 1984 UK No.3 single Robert De Niro's Waiting, plus over 20 other UK top 40 singles, 1986 US No.1 single Venus. 1963 - Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King began the first non-violent campaign in Birmingham, Alabama when he led a massive protest of segregation. 1963 - Best Foot Forward opened in New York City. Liza Minelli was the lead actress of this off-Broadway revival of the show which enjoyed a run of 224 performances. 1963 - Born this day, Dermot Reeve, British cricketer, now a cricket commentator. 1963 - Explorer 17 attained Earth orbit (254/914 km). 1963 - The USSR launched Luna 4, it missed the Moon by 8,500km. 1964 - The Beach Boys recorded I Get Around. 1964 - The USSR launched Zond 1 to Venus, no data was returned. 1964 - The Beatles had their 4th UK No.1 single with Can't Buy Me Love, with advanced sales of over 2.1 million this holds the record for the greatest advanced orders in the UK. 1965 - The Who made their first radio appearance on the BBC's Joe Loss Pop Show. 1965 - Freddie and the Dreamers recorded Do The Freddie. 1965 - The first edition of Ready Steady Goes Live! was shown on UK TV. 1966 - The Soviet Union's Luna 10 became the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon. 1966 - South Vietnamese troops joined in demonstrations at Hue and Da Nang for an end to military rule. 1966 - Died this day, C. S. Forrester, novelist, whose works include Hornblower books. 1966 - Born this day, Teddy Sheringham, footballer, played with Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. With United he won three Premiership titles, two FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League. Described as nimble and powerful, a smart player who is always a few steps ahead of the opposition. 1966 - A charity concert took place at The Hollywood Bowl featuring, Jan & Dean, Sonny & Cher, The Mamas And The Papas, The Turtles, Otis Redding, Donovan and Bob Lind. 1967 - Born this day, Greg Camp, Smash Mouth, 1997 UK No.19 single Walkin' On The Sun. 1967 - Steve Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group to form Traffic. 1967 - The Beatles finished recording their Sgt. Pepper album. 1967 - 154 Austrian Rolling Stones fans were arrested when a riot broke out at a 14,000 seated Town Hall gig, a smoke bomb was thrown on the stage. 1967 - Actress Lynn Redgrave married English actor and director John Clark. 1968 - The Beatles formed Python Music Ltd. 1968 - Chad created the Union of Central African States. 1968 - Jimi Hendrix appeared at the Paul Suave Arena, Montreal, Canada. 1968 - The Virgin Mary appeared on the top of the roof of the Coptic church in Zaitoun, a suburb of Cairo. Further visions continued into 1971, witnessed by more than a million people. 1969 - Frank Sinatra's My Way entered the charts. It was to be the start of the longest chart run in history, lasting 122 weeks. 1969 - The Milwaukee Bucks, of the National Basketball Association, signed Lew Alcindor for a reported $1,400,000 five-year contract. Alcindor soon changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabar and his team to the Los Angeles Lakers. 1970 - Meghalaya became an autonomous state within India's Assam state. 1970 - Qatar gained independence from Britain. 1970 - Two men began an ascent of the south face of Annapurna I, the highest final stage in a wall climb in the world. 1971 - Janis Joplin was at No.1 on the US album charts with Pearl. 1971 - Sci-fi soap opera Dark Shadows concluded after an almost 5 year run. 1972 - Actor, Burt Reynolds appeared naked in Cosmopolitan magazine. This issue became an instant collector’s item and an additional 700,000 copies had to be printed. 1972 - Died this day, Gil Hodges, New York Mets manager, aged 47. 1972 - The 44th Academy Awards were presented. 1972 - Prime Minister Begin visited Cairo. 1974 - Arganat Comm published a report concerning the Yom Kippur War. 1974 - Millions of television viewers watching the live Academy Award ceremony saw a naked man streak across the stage, as host David Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor prior to the Best Picture category. Robert Opal, a 33-year-old advertising executive, was seized by security guards as he dashed off the stage. No charges were pressed, and it was rumoured that Opal's streaking was set-up, as the live telecast had the bottom portion of the screen blacked out. Opal's private parts never were seen over the airwaves, which would have been impossible to prevent had someone at the network not known in advance of the stunt. Opal made headlines again five years later when he was found murdered in his sex paraphernalia shop in San Francisco. 1974 - Died this day, Georges Pompidou, French president, in Paris. 1974 - Died this day, Douglass Dumbrille, actor (Mr Deed Goes to Town), died aged 84. 1975 - Born this day, Deedee Magno, rock musician (Party-Rodeo, That's Why). 1975 - The Bay City Rollers were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with Bye Bye Baby. 1976 - Born this day, Jeremy Garrett, US actor. 1976 - Died this day, Ray Teal, actor (Sheriff Roy Coffee-Bonanza), died aged 74. 1976 - N. Chernykh discovered asteroids #2190 Coubertin and #2593 Buryatia. 1977 - Abba made No.1 on the US singles chart with Dancing Queen, giving them their only American No.1 single. 1977 - Frank Sinatra scored his first ever UK No.1 album with Portrait Of Sinatra, his 46th album release. 1977 - Fleetwood Mac's Rumours album, went to No.1 on the US charts and stayed No.1 for 31 weeks. 1977 - Mont Canadiens set an NHL record of 34 straight home games without a lose. 1977 - Abba had their fifth UK No.1 single with Knowing Me Knowing You. 1977 - Red Rum galloped away with his third Grand National victory on this day. He was the first horse to win the world's greatest steeple chase more than twice. For five years the 12-year-old bay gelding has sailed over the fearsome Aintree fences, with two previous wins and two second places. This day he made history when carrying Tommy Stack home 25 lengths clear of the field. 1977 - Stevie Wonder’s tribute to Duke Ellington, Sir Duke, was released. 1978 - J. R. Ewing and the clan arrived at Southfork for the first time, when Dallas was seen on CBS-TV, as a five-week mini-series. Larry Hagman, formerly of I Dream of Jeannie fame, starred as J. R. (John Ross) Ewing. The show originally was broadcast on Sunday night, then moved to Saturday and later, Friday nights. The show became an enormously popular hit and was the talk of many people around the water cooler each Monday morning. 1978 - Velcro became available for the first time. 1978 - Episcopal Canon Mary Simpson of New York spoke from the pulpit of Westminster Abbey in London. She was the first ordained woman to preach there in the 913 years since 1065, when the Abbey was first consecrated. 1979 - Died this day, Carroll D. Rosenbloom, Los Angeles Rams president, died aged 72. 1979 - Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin visited Cairo, Egypt. 1980 - Wayne Gretzky became the first teenager to score 50 goals in a season. 1981 - CBS records launched the 'Nice Price' series of back catalogue albums in the UK. The first batch priced at £2.99 included early albums by Bob Bylan, Santana, Billy Joel, Abba, Janis Joplin and Simon & Garfunkel. 1981 - A. Gilmore and P. Kilmartin discovered asteroid #3400. 1982 - Argentinian forces invaded and occupied the British Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, overwhelming the single company of Royal Marines guarding Port Stanley. An emergency session of parliament was called, the first Saturday sitting since the Suez crisis in 1956. Defence secretary John Nott said a task force of ships was being assembled. 1982 - Barry Levinson's Diner debuted in US movie theatres. The film boasted a young cast consisting of Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Timothy Daly, Ellen Barkin, and Paul Reiser. This film marked Levinson's directorial debut and it was the first film of both Barkin and Reiser. The film, set at Christmas time in 1959, explored five young men's refusal to leave boyhood, and how the diner provided them refuge from growing up. The film was later nominated for an Oscar for Levinson's screenplay, and was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Picture - Musical/Comedy. 1982 - TV show Dallas premiered. 1983 - Pink Floyd scored their third UK No.1 album with The Final Cut. 1984 - John Thompson became the first black coach to lead his team to the NCAA college basketball championship. Georgetown’s Hoyas defeated Houston 84-75 in Seattle for the win. Thompson’s team in 1982 had finished second to North Carolina for the championship. 1984 - Georgetown beat Houston for the NCAA basketball title. 1984 - Soyuz T-11 was launched. 1985 - The NCAA Rules Committee adopted the 45-second shot clock for men’s basketball beginning in the 1986 season. It was an effort to thwart the end of game stalls that kept opposing teams from scoring in close contests. 1985 - A day after its release, the album, We are the World was certified gold with sales in excess of 500,000 copies. 1986 - A bomb exploded aboard a TWA jetliner en route from Rome to Athens. (another source say - bomb at TWA counter Athens Airport, Greece). 1986 - George Corley Wallace (Gov-D-Alabama) announced his retirement plans. 1986 - NCAA adopted the 3-point basketball rule. 1986 - P. Jensen discovered asteroid #3459 Bodil. 1987 - U2 kicked off their 29 date North American Joshua Tree tour at Arizona State Activity Center. 1987 - Drivers were back in the fast lane as states began to raise the speed limit on interstate highways in limited areas to 65 miles per hour. Today, states have the authority to regulate speed limits. 1987 - Died this day, Buddy Rich, musician, drummer, orchestra leader (Away We Go), aged 69 due to complications caused by a brain tumour. Worked with Frank Sinatra, had his own US TV show. 1987 - Dwight Gooden, premier pitcher for the New York Mets, entered a drug rehabilitation center on this date, and remained there for 3 weeks. 1988 - Simply Majestic set a horseracing 1-1/8 mile record of 1 minute 45 seconds. 1989 - Wrestlemania V-Hulk Hogan beat Randy "Macho Man" Savage. 1989 - The Yanks beat the Mets 4-0, sweeping the 1989 mayor's trophy series in 2 games. 1989 - Haiti's military leader, General Prosper Avril, survived a coup attempt apparently sparked off by his US-backed efforts to clamp down on drug trafficking. 1990 - Eric Clapton was fined £300 with £10 Costs by Walton-on-Thames Magistrates court, after being booked for speeding at 105 mph, Clapton was also banned from driving for 3 months. 1990 - President Saddam Hussein threatened to incinerate half of Israel with advanced chemical weapons if it joined a conspiracy against Iraq. 1991 - Price hikes of up to 200 percent on basic goods and public transport went into effect throughout the Soviet Union, sparking widespread popular anger. 1991 - Died this day, French singer Serge Gainsbourg, famous for his duet with Jane Birkin on Je T'aime Moi Non Plus. A July 1969 No.2 in the UK. Re-issued in October 1969 making No.1 and again in 1974 when it made No.31. 1991 - L.L. Cool J. gave a pair of sneakers to every student and teacher at The Thompson Middle School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, to celebrate them winning the 'foot locker cool School video' contest. 1992 - Mafia boss John Gotti, nicknamed Teflon Don after emerging unscathed from previous trials, was convicted of murder and racketeering. (death of Paul Castallanos). 1992 - Country singer Wynonna Judd made her first appearance as a single act. 1992 - Hamlet opened at the Criterion Center on Broadway. 1992 - Space Shuttle STS-45 (Atlantis 11) landed. 1993 - Roberta Flack guested on the ABC-TV soap opera, Loving. 1994 - A congress of Russia's extreme nationalist Liberal Democratic Party named Vladimir Zhirinovsky as the party's candidate for future presidential elections. 1994 - Ace Of Base went to No.1 on the US album chart with The Sign. 1995 - Members of the extremist group Hamas accidentally set off a bomb that tore through their hideout in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the deaths of six people. 1996 - Russia and Belarus signed a treaty that created a tight-knit political and economic alliance within the Commonwealth of Independent States. 1996 - Lech Walesa, the former Solidarity union leader who became Poland's first post-war democratic president, resumed his old job as an electrician at the Gdansk shipyard. 1997 - Joni Mitchell was reunited with Kilauren Gibb, the daughter she gave up for adoption 32 years earlier. 1997 - An intense winter storm slammed into the Maritime Provinces in Canada. Freezing rain knocked out power to more than 4,000 homes on Prince Edward Island. 1998 - Rob Pilatus, one half of pop duo Milli Vanilli was found dead in a Frankfurt Hotel room after taking a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol. 1998 - Prime Minister of Japan Ryutaro Hashimo arrived in London, to discuss how to solve Asian financial troubles. Bad economic news in Japan helped send many of the region's markets lower. A closely watched survey of Japanese business sentiment, the Tankan report, reflected some of the most disappointing trends in more than two decades. 1999 - The US Labour Department reported that America's unemployment rate fell to a 29-year low of 4.2%. 1999 - The Black Crowes played a concert in Knoxville, Tennessee. Joshua Harmon, a teenager sitting in the second row, sued the band a year later for $385,000 claiming significant hearing loss. 2000 - Westlife went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with Fool Again. It made the Irish group the first in chart history to debut at No.1 with their first five releases. 2000 - The father of heart transplant girl Sally Slater, said words could not express his gratitude to the family who gave his daughter a chance of life. 2001 - Tony Blair delayed the 3 May local elections until 7 June, because of the Foot and Mouth epidemic. 2001 - Mariah Carey signed the then richest recording deal in history. The 31 year old singer signed a deal with Virgin for three albums worth £60m. 2002 - Comedian Jeremy Hardy told how a group of Britons acted as human shields when Israeli tanks invaded Bethlehem. 2003 - Died this day, Edwin Starr, US soul singer, aged 61, of a heart attack. Had the 1970 US No.1 and UK No.3 single War. 2003 - The Government warned people not to travel to Hong Kong or the Guandong province of China because of fears over mystery bug Sars. |
Trivia
Trivia - petty details or considerations, matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities.
Trivial - of very little importance or value; insignificant: "Don't bother me with trivial matters." Trivially - unimportant, nugatory, slight, immaterial, inconsequential, frivolous, trifling.