On April 2:
- 1792 - Passage of the Coinage Act established the U.S. Mint.
- 1801 - British forces destroyed the Danish fleet in the Battle of Copenhagen.
- 1930 - Haile Selassie was proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.
- 1992 - Mafia boss John Gotti was convicted of murder and racketeering.
- 2002 - A siege of the Church of the Nativity by Israeli forces ensued.