SUNDAY IN HISTORY

Today is Sunday, April 2, the 92nd day of 2017. There are 273 days left in the year.

Highlight in History:

On April 2, 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.)

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 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va., because of advancing Union forces.

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.)

In 1986, four American passengers, including an 8-month-old girl, her mother and grandmother, were killed when a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a TWA jetliner en route from Rome to Athens, Greece.

In 2005, Pope John Paul II died in his Vatican apartment at age 84.

Ten years ago: In its first case on climate change, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, ruled 5-4 that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

Five years ago: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that jailers may perform invasive strip searches on people arrested even for minor offenses.

One year ago: Mormon leaders meeting in Salt Lake City called on church members to practice tolerance despite political differences, providing guidance at a conference amid a presidential campaign marked by harsh rhetoric and bickering.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Sharon Acker is 82. Singer Emmylou Harris is 70. Actor Sam Anderson is 70. Social critic and author Camille Paglia is 70. Country singer Billy Dean is 55. Actor Clark Gregg is 55. Actor Michael Fassbender is 40. Actress Jaime Ray Newman is 39. Actress Bethany Joy Lenz is 36. Country singer Chris Janson is 31. Actor Drew Van Acker is 31. Singer Aaron Kelly (TV: “American Idol”) is 24.

Thought for Today:“We crucify ourselves between two thieves: regret fory esterday and fear of tomorrow.” — Fulton Oursler, American journalist and author (1893-1952).