A Day in the Past

On this day: 2 April

118 things happened on 2 April, from AD 181 to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

Printable worksheet Take the quiz

In the UK 4

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Around the world 19

1986 40 years ago

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.

Laws & government Find out more: George Wallace (Wikipedia)
1991 35 years ago

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.

Find out more: Rita Johnston (Wikipedia)

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “Argentine special forces invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking the Falklands”?

    1. 1982
    2. 1871
    3. 1940
    Show the answer

    A: 1982. 1982 — that’s 44 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Creatures of Impulse, by W. S. Gilbert, premiered at the Court Theatre in London”?

    1. 1871
    2. 1653
    3. 1940
    Show the answer

    A: 1871. 1871 — that’s 155 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. Argentine special forces invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking the Falklands
    2. French Revolutionary Wars: In the Battle of Copenhagen a British Royal Navy
    3. Creatures of Impulse, by W. S. Gilbert, premiered at the Court Theatre in London
    Show the answer

    B: French Revolutionary Wars: In the Battle of Copenhagen a British Royal Navy. 1982: Argentine special forces invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking the Falklands · 1801: French Revolutionary Wars: In the Battle of Copenhagen a British Royal Navy · 1871: Creatures of Impulse, by W. S. Gilbert, premiered at the Court Theatre in London Find it on the page

  4. “French Revolutionary Wars: In the Battle of Copenhagen a British Royal Navy” happened in 1801. How many years ago was that?

    1. 225 years
    2. 235 years
    3. 215 years
    Show the answer

    A: 225 years. 2026 − 1801 = 225. Find it on the page

Born on this day 37

Famous people whose birthday is 2 April.

Remembering 17

Well-known people who died on 2 April.

Special days 17

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 2 April somewhere in the world.

For older readers 24 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.

Where these facts come from

Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “April 2” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.