April 2, 2012

220 years ago
1792

Born on this date
Francisco de Paula Santander. 4th President of the Republic of New Granada, 1832-1837. Brigadier General Santander made his name in the revolutionary army during the independence war of the United Provinces of New Grenada in the 1810s and was acting President of Gran Colombia from 1819-1826 before being exiled after being blamed for an assassination attempt on actual President Simón Bolívar. He returned from exile in 1832 to assume the presidency of New Grenada, an office he held for one term. Brigadier General Santander died on May 6, 1840 at the age of 48.

Economics and finance
The United States Congress passed the Coinage Act, authorizing the first U.S. Mint, in Philadelphia.

140 years ago
1872

Died on this date
Samuel Morse, 80. U.S. artist and inventor. Mr. Morse was a portrait painter before he became famous for inventing the most widely-used version of the telegraph, and co-inventing the Morse code method of telegraphy. He died 25 days before his 81st birthday.

100 years ago
1912

Transportation
The British White Star ocean liner RMS Titanic sailed from Harland and Wolff’s shipyard in Belfast, Ireland to Southampton, England.

80 years ago
1932

Crime
Aviator Charles Lindbergh paid a $50,000 ransom for the return of his infant son, Charles Lindbergh, Jr., kidnapped from his home on March 1, 1932.

70 years ago
1942

At the movies
My Favorite Blonde, starring Bob Hope and Madeleine Carroll, opened in theatres.



War
British Royal Air Force planes bombed the Matford truck plant in Poisey and docks and shipping in Le Havre, France. Allied forces in Bataan successfully counter-attacked, restoring their defense lines and halting the Japanese advance.

Politics and government
Juan Antonio Rios was inaugurated in Santiago as President of Chile for a four-year term.

The working committee of the All-India Congress Party rejected the British plan for Indian independence from British rule.

Crime
One white soldier and two Negroes were shot to death, and five Negroes were wounded, in a fight over the use of a telephone near Fort Dix, New Jersey.

60 years ago
1952

On television tonight
The Unexpected, hosted by Herbert Marshall, on NBC
Tonight's episode: The Slide Rule Blonde, starring Marjorie Reynolds, Craig Stevens, Nestor Paiva, and Johnny Downs

50 years ago
1962

On television tonight
Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff, on NBC
Tonight's episode: Man of Mystery, starring Mary Tyler Moore, Jon Van Dreelen, William Windom, and Walter Burke



40 years ago
1972

Died on this date
Franz Halder, 87. German military officer. General Halder was the architect of the 1939 Nazi blitzkrieg that enabled the Germans to enjoy early success in World War II. He was interned in a concentration camp for taking part in the attempted assassination of German dictator Adolf Hitler in July 1944.

Gil Hodges, 47. U.S. baseball player and manager. Mr. Hodges played first base for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers in 1943 and from 1947-1961, and the New York Mets in 1962-1963. In 2,071 games he batted .273 with 370 home runs and 1,274 runs batted in. He batted in more than 100 runs in each of seven consecutive seasons from 1949-1955, and tied a major league record with 4 home runs in one game on August 31, 1950. Early in the 1963 season Mr. Hodges was traded to the Washington Senators, where he promptly retired as a player and became the team’s manager. The Senators slowly improved their record with each succeeding season through 1967, after which Mr. Hodges returned to New York to manage the Mets. The team finished 9th in the 10-team National League in 1968, but surprised the baseball world by winning the World Series in 1969. Winning records followed in the next two years, with more of the same expected for 1972. The major league players went on strike during spring training on March 31, and Mr. Hodges was returning to his motel room in West Palm Beach, Florida from a round of golf with several friends when he dropped dead of a heart attack two days before his 48th birthday.

Hockey
NHL
Toronto 4 @ Boston 6
Buffalo 3 @ Philadelphia 2

The Bruins’ win over the Maple Leafs at Boston Garden was the regular Sunday night broadcast on CBC radio. Ron Jones and Terry O’Reilly each played his first NHL game for the Bruins, and Mr. O’Reilly scored a goal. Gerry Meehan scored with 4 seconds remaining in the game—and the season—to give the Sabres their win over the Flyers at the Spectrum, eliminating the Flyers from the playoffs. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh finished tied for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division, but the Penguins had the better record in games between the teams.

30 years ago
1982

War
Argentina’s governing junta announced that army, navy, and air force units had captured the Falkland Islands. Several thousand Argentine troops easily overpowered the token defense force of 84 British marines. Also captured were the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, part of the British archipelago.

Politics and government
Roberto d’Aubisson, leader of the Nationalist Republican Alliance in El Salvador, announced that he was planning to merge his party with the centrist Christian Democratic Party. He said, however, that he was opposed to retaining Jose Napoleon Duarte of the Christian Democrats as El Salvador’s president.

Economics and finance
The United States Labor Department reported that the unemployment rate had risen to 9% in March. Nearly 9.9 million people were out of work, the highest figure since World War II. The unemployment rate for Negroes was a record 18%, and the rate for adult males, 7.9%, tied a record.

25 years ago
1987

Died on this date
Buddy Rich, 69. U.S. musician. Mr. Rich was known as the world’s greatest drummer.

20 years ago
1992

Politics and government
France’s first female Premier, Edith Cresson, resigned after 11 months in office. Her popularity had declined in the wake of financial scandals and a high unemployment rate, and her Socialist Party had done poorly in regional elections. President Francois Mitterand named Finance Minister Pierre Beregovoy to succeed Ms. Cresson.

Protest
Libyan demonstrators in Tripoli attacked the embassies of countries that had approved United Nations sanctions against Libya. The sanctions, aimed at forcing Libya to hand over two men suspected of terrorist bombings of two airliners in the late 1980s, were to take effect on April 15.

Crime
John Gotti, described by police and prosecutors as leader of the Gambino crime family, was convicted in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn of crimes that included murder, extortion, and obstruction of justice. A co-defendant, Frank Locascio, was convicted of racketeering and murder. Mr Gotti had been acquitted of other charges in three other trials, but former associate Salvatore Gravano testified to Mr. Gotti’s involvement in 10 murders, including the 1985 killing of Paul Castellano, reputed boss of the Gambino family at the time. Mr. Gravano, who admitted to involvement in 19 murders, was assured of no more than 20 years in prison as a result of his co-operation with the prosecution.

10 years ago
2002

War
Israeli forces pursued Palestinian gunmen into Manger Square in Bethlehem, where the Palestinians sought refuge in the Church of the Nativity.