TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Monday, April 2, the 92nd day of 2018. There are 273 days left in the year.
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 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 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 1956, the soap operas “As the World Turns” and “The Edge of Night” premiered on CBS-TV.
■ 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.
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: Jason Aldean was named entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards held in Las Vegas.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress Sharon Acker is 83. Actress Dame Penelope Keith is 78. Actress Linda Hunt is 73. Singer Emmylou Harris is 71. Actor Sam Anderson is 71. Social critic and author Camille Paglia is
71. Actress Pamela Reed is 69. Actor Christopher Meloni is 57. Country singer Billy Dean is
56. Actress Jana Marie Hupp is
54. Rock musician Greg Camp is 51. Country singer Jill King is 43. Actor Pedro Pascal is
43. Actor Jeremy Garrett is
42. Actor Michael Fassbender is 41. Actress Jaime Ray Newman is 40. Country singer Chris Janson is 32. Actor Jesse Plemons is 30.
Thought for Today: “Failure has a thousand explanations. Success doesn’t need one.”— Sir Alec Guinness, British actor (born this date in 1914, died 2000).