This day in history

[April 02, 2013]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, April 2, the 92nd day of 2013. There are 273 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On April 2, 1863, during the Civil War, the Richmond Bread Riot erupted in the Confederate capital as a mob made up mostly of women, outraged over food shortages and rising prices, attacked and looted stores.

On this date:

In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon and his expedition landed in present-day Florida. (Some historians say the landing actually occurred the next day, on April 3.)

In 1792, Congress passed the Coinage Act, which authorized establishment of the U.S. Mint.

In 1800, Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, in Vienna.

In 1860, the first Italian Parliament met at Turin.

In 1912, the just-completed RMS Titanic left Belfast to begin its sea trials eight days before the start of its ill-fated maiden voyage.

In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, "The world must be made safe for democracy." (Congress declared war four days later.)

In 1932, aviator Charles A. Lindbergh and John F. Condon went to a cemetery in The Bronx, N.Y., where Condon turned over $50,000 to a man in exchange for Lindbergh's kidnapped son. (The child, who was not returned, was found dead the following month.)

In 1942, Glenn Miller and his orchestra recorded "American Patrol" at the RCA Victor studios in Hollywood.

In 1956, the soap operas "As the World Turns" and "The Edge of Night" premiered on CBS-TV.

In 1968, the science-fiction film "2001: A Space Odyssey," produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, had its world premiere in Washington D.C.

In 1974, French President Georges Pompidou died in Paris.

In 1982, several thousand troops from Argentina seized the disputed Falkland Islands, located in the south Atlantic, from Britain. (Britain seized the islands back the following June.)

Ten years ago: During the Iraq War, American forces fought their way to within sight of the Baghdad skyline. A bomb blast near a wharf in the southern Philippine city of Davao killed 16.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush suffered a diplomatic setback when NATO allies rebuffed his pleas to put former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia on the path toward membership. Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, who'd helped broker peace in Northern Ireland but couldn't survive a scandal over his collection of cash from businessmen, announced he would resign.

One year ago: A gunman killed seven people at Oikos University, a Christian school in Oakland, Calif. (Suspected gunman One (wahn) Goh was found not mentally fit for trial until deemed competent.) President Barack Obama challenged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold his health care overhaul during a Rose Garden news conference. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that jailers may perform invasive strip searches on people arrested even for minor offenses. Five-time All-Star Reggie Miller joined longtime NBA coach Don Nelson and college standout Ralph Sampson as part of a 12-member class to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Kentucky won its eighth men's national NCAA basketball title, holding off Kansas for a 67-59 victory.

Today's birthdays: Actress Rita Gam is 85. Actress Sharon Acker is 78. Singer Leon Russell is 71. Jazz musician Larry Coryell is 70. Actress Linda Hunt is 68. Singer Emmylou Harris is 66. Social critic and author Camille Paglia is 66. Actress Pamela Reed is 64. Rock musician Dave Robinson (The Cars) is 60. Country singer Buddy Jewell is 52. Actor Christopher Meloni is 52. Singer Keren Woodward (Bananarama) is 52. Country singer Billy Dean is 51. Actor Clark Gregg is 51. Actress Jana Marie Hupp is 49. Rock musician Greg Camp is 46. Rock musician Tony Fredianelli (Third Eye Blind) is 44. Actress Roselyn Sanchez is 40. Country singer Jill King is 38. Actor Adam Rodriguez is 38. Actor Jeremy Garrett is 37. Actor Michael Fassbender is 36. Rock musician Jesse Carmichael (Maroon 5) is 34. Actress Bethany Joy Lenz is 32. Singer Lee Dewyze (TV: "American Idol") is 27. Actor Jesse Plemons is 25. Singer Aaron Kelly (TV: "American Idol") is 20.

Thought for today: "We crucify ourselves between two thieves: regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow." -- Fulton Oursler, American journalist and author (1893-1952)

[Associated Press]

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