Today’s highlight in history
On April 2, 1968, “2001: A Space Odyssey,” the groundbreaking science-fiction film epic produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, had its world premiere in Washington, D.C.
On this date
In 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va., because of advancing Union forces.
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 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 1956, the soap operas “As the World Turns” and “The Edge of Night” premiered on CBS TV.
In 1982, several thousand troops from Argentina seized the Falkland Islands, located in the south Atlantic, from Britain. (Britain seized the islands back the following June.)
In 1992, mob boss John Gotti was convicted in New York of murder and racketeering; he was later sentenced to life, and died in prison.
In 2005, Pope John Paul II died in his Vatican apartment at age 84.
Ten 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.
Five years ago: North Korea said it would restart its long-shuttered plutonium reactor and increase production of nuclear weapons material in what outsiders saw as its latest attempt to extract U.S. concessions by raising fears of war.
One year ago: A’ja Wilson scored 23 points to help South Carolina win its first women’s NCAA championship, 67-55, over Mississippi State.