On This Day in History April 2, 2023

Historical Events 1453  Turkish forces under Sultan Mehmed II begin the siege of Constantinople (İstanbul), which falls May 29 1513  Explorer Juan Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain as the first known European to reach Florida 1792  The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint and authorizing the $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle & 2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins & silver dollar, ½ dollar, quarter, dime & half-dime 1801  Napoleonic Wars: The British led by Horatio Nelson destroy the Danish fleet in the naval Battle of Copenhagen 1917  US President Woodrow Wilson asks Congress to declare war against Germany 1930  Ras Tafari Makonnen becomes Emperor Haile Selassie of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) 1982  Several thousand Argentine troops seize the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands from Great Britain 2020  Record 6.6 million Americans filed claims for unemployment in last week according to the US Department of Labor, 10 million over 2 weeks More Historical Events Famous Birthdays Charlemagne 742 AD - 814 AD Hans Christian Andersen 1805 - 1875 Walter Chrysler 1875 - 1940 Walter Mittelholzer 1894 - 1937 More Famous Birthdays Famous Deaths Georges Pompidou 1911 - 1974 Samuel Morse 1791 - 1872 More Famous Deaths April 2: Flash! Bang! It's the Human Cannonball! An excited crowd looked up in astonishment and wonder when, in 1877, the first human cannonball flew above their heads. Read the Article