April 2 Birthday
On April 2, 1982, Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands, a British territory in the South Atlantic that Argentina calls the Malvinas and has claimed since 1833. The military junta in Argentina, facing domestic unrest and economic collapse, launched the invasion to rally nationalist support. Britain, under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, sent a naval task force 8,000 miles to retake the islands. The war lasted seventy-four days. 649 Argentine and 255 British soldiers died. The British recaptured the islands on June 14. The war toppled the Argentine junta and reelected Thatcher. The 2,800 residents of the Falklands are British citizens, and the islands remain a point of contention — Argentina still claims them. Pope John Paul II died on this day in 2005. Born Karol Wojtyła in Wadowice, Poland, in 1920, he was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981 — Mehmet Ali Ağca shot him in St. Peter's Square. The pope forgave Ağca and visited him in prison. John Paul II was the most traveled pope in history, visiting 129 countries. He is credited with helping end communism in Poland, though the role of his visits has been debated. He was also criticized for his handling of the priest sex abuse scandal. His funeral drew four million people to Rome — the largest gathering in the city's history. The US Mint was established on April 2, 1792, by the Coinage Act of 1792. The act created the dollar as the standard unit of money and established a decimal system — the first nation to adopt one. The first coins were copper half cents and cents, minted in Philadelphia, which was then the capital. The Mint's first director was David Rittenhouse, an astronomer and clockmaker. The original coins bore the image of Liberty, not a president — the Founders considered putting living leaders on coins to be monarchical. That convention lasted until 1909, when Lincoln was placed on the penny. Hans Christian Andersen, born this day in 1805, wrote 156 fairy tales. He was tall, gaunt, and socially awkward, and he never married. He fell in love with both men and women and was rejected by both. His stories — The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes — were not originally children's literature. They were dark, satirical, and philosophical. The Little Mermaid does not marry the prince; she dissolves into sea foam. Andersen died in 1875, and a statue of the Little Mermaid sits in Copenhagen harbor. People born on April 2 fall under the zodiac sign of Aries. The birthstone is Diamond and the birth flower is Daisy. Historical events on April 2 include 1792: US Mint established by Congress, 1982: Argentina invades Falkland Islands, starting Falklands War, 2005: Pope John Paul II dies at age 84. Famous people born on April 2 include Hans Christian Andersen (1805), Émile Zola (1840), Marvin Gaye (1939).