April 2nd Major News Events

1977 UK - Red Rum Grand National

1977 : Red Rum the diminutive horse with the heart of a champion wins the English Grand National for a record third time after winning in 1973 and 1974. The Grand National is widely recognized as one of the testing races in the world with the majority of horses falling or refusing to continue. This year was no exception with 9 of the 42 starters completing the 4.5 mile (7.2 kilometre) course at Aintree in Liverpool.

1979 Russia - Anthrax Epidemic

1979 : The world’s first anthrax epidemic begins in Ekaterinburg, Russia by the time it was finished 62 people were dead. The town did contain a biological weapons plant, and in 1992 the cause was confirmed as starting at that plant

1982 Falklands Islands Argentina invades Falklands Islands

1982 : Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands, and quickly overcame the small garrison of British marines at the town of Stanley on East Falkland, this led to the Falklands Crisis ( Both sides never used the word war all throughout the conflict although the popular press in both countries did ), . The final official date of the conflict is given as 14th June just 6 weeks after the Argentinean Invasion with Britain back in full control of the Islands.

1986 Greece - Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727

1986 : Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727 tearing hole in the side of the aircraft which sucks four passengers including an eight-month old baby from the aircraft. The TWA Passenger Jet was flying over Greece, on its way to Athens, when the bomb exploded

1987 U.S.A. - Speed Limit Increased to 65 MPH

1987 : Congress passed laws which allowed each state to increase the speed limit on rural roads from 55mph to 65mph. observed on our country's roads

1989 Cuba - Soviet Leader Visits Cuba To Patch Up Relations

1989 : Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana to meet with Fidel Castro . Much of the problems stemmed from Russia's inability to continue large scale aid to Cuba due to it's economic woes.

1992 U.S.A. - John Gotti

1992 : Mob boss John Gotti often referred to as "The Teflon Don" because of the number of times he was charged but not convicted is finally convicted in New York of racketeering, murder, obstruction of justice, hijacking, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion and loan sharking largely helped through the testimony of an ex high ranking member of the Mafia who had turned informant Salvatore Gravano. John Gotti is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, where he died in 2002.

1998 France - Maurice Papon

1998 : A Former cabinet minister Maurice Papon is sentenced to 10 years in jail after proof is published in the press showing his signature on papers deportation 1,690 Jews of Bordeaux to Drancy internment camp from 1942 to 1944 during World War II.

2002 Palestine - Israel Takes Control Bethlehem

2002 : Following Palestinian gunmen take control of the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus for 39 days. Israeli Military seize control of Bethlehem a Palestinian city in the central West Bank.

2005 Vatican - Pope John Paul II

2005 : Pope John Paul II served as the 264th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from October 16th, 1978, until his death on 2nd April 2005 almost 27 years later.

2006 Iraq - American journalist Jill Caroll released

2006 : Having been held hostage in Iraq for nearly three months, Jill Caroll arrives home in Boston. Carroll works for the Christian Science Monitor that is based there, and was abducted in Baghdad on January 7th. Flown to Boston on a commercial flight from Germany, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq has said no ransom was paid for her release.

2007 Argentina - claims the Falklands as theirs

2007 : Argentina renews its claim over the Falkland Islands on the 25th anniversary of their 1982 invasion. The Argentine Vice-President Daniel Scioli has said that "the Malvinas are Argentine, they always were, they always will be." The Malvinas is the Spanish name for the islands. He has urged Britain to resume talks on the island's sovereignty. The vast majority of the islanders consider themselves British. The island's first settlers were French and English, and these predate the origin of Argentina.

2008 Hungary - President Bush backs Ukraine and Georgia's membership of NATO

2008 : President Bush backs Ukraine and Georgia's bids for NATO membership. He is doing this with regards to European worries on the issue, and staunch opposition from Russia. Speaking before NATO's biggest ever summit, in Bucharest, the President also urged NATO members to send more troops to Afghanistan, and to make the Afghan mission their top priority.

2008 United States - No Fourth Amendment ties to military operations in the United States

2008 : The Pentagon has declassified the 2003 legal memo that approved the use of harsh interrogation techniques for terror suspects. The U.S. Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) memo said President Bush's war-time authority superseded international laws on interrogation, and gave legal justification for aggressive methods (as long as no intended torture was taking place). The memo was subsequently overruled, but its release allowed a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union to take place.

2009 UK - G20 Summit Over Global Financial Problems

2009 : Members of the G20 meet in London over what to do about the ongoing global financial crisis. Most countries had decreased interest rates and supported "To Big To Fail" banks and industries, but concerns over possible trade Tariffs and increasing unemployment still leave economies around the world in jeopardy. The world's leading economies have reached an agreement on how to tackle the global financial crisis with measures worth $1.1 trillion.

2010 United States - Profiling of air passengers

2010 : The United States has announced that it will be profiling its incoming air passengers to work out which of them will need further screening. This system will replace the mandatory screening of travelers from fourteen nations that has taken place since the failed attack in December 2009. Travelers will be selected on to how closely they match intelligence on current terrorist threats. The United States began notifying the air carriers on April 1st, and the new protocols are implemented with immediate effect. A senior administration official has said that the profiling of racial or religious characteristics would be used.

2011 United States - Flight Lands After Hole Opens in Plane

2011 : A Southwest Airlines flight carrying one hundred and eighteen passengers is forced to make an emergency landing after a hole opened up in the roof of the plane mid-flight. The rupture appeared as a result of metal fatigue on the fuselage. The pilot was able to land safely with only one small injury to a flight attendant. The incident caused many other planes to be grounded and inspected for similar problems.

2012 Russia - Plane Crash in Siberia Kills 31

2011 : A Southwest Airlines flight carrying one hundred and eighteen passengers is forced to make an emergency landing after a hole opened up in the roof of the plane mid-flight. The rupture appeared as a result of metal fatigue on the fuselage. The pilot was able to land safely with only one small injury to a flight attendant. The incident caused many other planes to be grounded and inspected for similar problems.

2013 North Korea - to Restart Nuclear Program

2013 : North Korean officials announced plans to restart activities at the Yongbyon nuclear facility. The reactor at Yongbyon had been shut down in 2007 as part of an aid agreement. The move was the latest in a series of escalating moves towards nuclear armament .

2 Apr, 2014 Germany - Merkel Approves First German Minimum Wage

2014 : Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, officially approved the country's first minimum wage of 8.50 euros an hour. The minimum wage was set to be rolled out in 2015. Germany had previously relied on unions and groups to set a standard.