So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

April 2nd
- Christian Feast Day

- International Children's Book Day

- Latest day on which Sizdah be dar may fall. (Iran)

- Malvinas Day (Argentina)

- Thai Heritage Conservation Day (Thailand)

- World Autism Awareness Day (International)


April 2nd
- 2006 - Over 60 tornadoes break out; hardest hit is in Tennessee with 29 people killed.

- 2004 - Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid. Their attack is thwarted.

- 2002 - Israeli forces surround the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into which armed Palestinians had retreated. A siege ensues.

- 1992 - In New York, Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of murder and racketeering and is later sentenced to life in prison.

- 1991 - Rita Johnston becomes the first female Premier of a Canadian province when she succeeds William Vander Zalm (who had resigned) as Premier of British Columbia.

- 1989 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana, Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro in an attempt to mend strained relations.

- 1984 - Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma is launched aboard Soyuz T-11, and becomes the first Indian in space.

- 1982 - Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.

- 1980 - President Jimmy Carter signs the Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act in an effort to help the U.S. economy rebound.

- 1975 - Vietnam War: Thousands of civilian refugees flee from the Quang Ngai Province in front of advancing North Vietnamese troops.

- 1975 - Construction of the CN Tower is completed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It reaches 553.33 metres (1,815.4 ft) in height, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure.

- 1973 - Launch of the LexisNexis computerized legal research service.

- 1973 - The Liberal Movement breaks away from the Liberal and Country League in South Australia.

- 1972 - Actor Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States for the first time since being labeled a communist during the Red Scare in the early 1950s.

- 1972 - Vietnam War: The Easter Offensive begins – North Vietnamese soldiers of the 304th Division take the northern half of Quang Tri Province.

- 1962 - The first official Panda crossing is opened outside Waterloo station, London.

- 1956 - As the World Turns and The Edge of Night premiere on CBS-TV. The two soaps become the first daytime dramas to debut in the 30-minute format.

- 1945 - Diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Brazil are established.

- 1930 - Haile Selassie is proclaimed emperor of Ethiopia.

- 1917 - World War I: President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

- 1902 - Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated in the Marie Palace, St Petersburg.

- 1902 - "Electric Theatre", the first full-time movie theater in the United States, opens in Los Angeles, California.

- 1900 - The Congress passes the Foraker Act, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule.

- 1865 - American Civil War: The Siege of Petersburg is broken – Union troops capture the trenches around Petersburg, Virginia, forcing Confederate General Robert E. Lee to retreat.

- 1865 - American Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet flee the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia.

- 1863 - Richmond Bread Riot: Food shortages incite hundreds of angry women to riot in Richmond, Virginia and demand that the Confederate government release emergency supplies.

- 1810 - Napoleon Bonaparte marries Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria.

- 1801 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Copenhagen – The British destroy the Danish fleet.

- 1792 - The Coinage Act is passed establishing the United States Mint.

- 1755 - Commodore William James captures the pirate fortress of Suvarnadurg on west coast of India.

- 1513 - Juan Ponce de Leon sets foot on Florida, becoming the first European known to do so.


April 2nd
- 2010 - 1986 – Lee DeWyze, Singer, American Idol winner in

- 1993 - Aaron Kelly, American singer

- 1990 - Amy Castle, American actress

- 1990 - Felipe Chalegre, Brazilian footballer

- 1990 - Miralem Pjani?, Bosnian footballer

- 1986 - Ibrahim Afellay, Dutch footballer

- 1985 - Stéphane Lambiel, Swiss figure skater

- 1984 - Nóra Barta, Hungarian diver

- 1984 - Meryl Cassie, New Zealand actress

- 1984 - Ashley Peldon, American actress

- 1983 - Felix Borja, Ecuadorian footballer

- 1983 - Paul Capdeville, Chilean tennis player

- 1983 - Yung Joc, American rapper

- 1982 - Marco Amelia, Italian footballer

- 1982 - Jeremy Bloom, American skier and football player

- 1982 - Bianca Chatfield, Australian netballer

- 1982 - Jack Evans, American professional wrestler

- 1982 - Leyla Milani, Canadian actress and model

- 1981 - Michael Clarke, Australian cricketer

- 1981 - Bethany Joy Lenz-Galeotti, American actress

- 1980 - Ricky Hendrick, NASCAR driver and owner (d. 2004)

- 1980 - Cristian Lizzori, Italian footballer

- 1980 - Carlos Salcido, Mexican footballer

- 1980 - Adam Fleming, English reporter

- 1979 - Jesse Carmichael, American musician (Maroon 5)

- 1978 - John Gall, American baseball player

- 1977 - Jelena Abbou, Serbian fitness model

- 1977 - Michael Fassbender, actor

- 1977 - Aiden Turner, British actor

- 1976 - Andreas Anastasopoulos, Greek shot putter

- 1976 - Rory Sabbatini, South African golfer

- 1975 - Randy Livingston, American basketball player

- 1975 - Adam Rodriguez, American actor

- 1975 - Katrin Rutschow-Stomporowski, German rower

- 1974 - Håkan Hellström, Swedish musician

- 1973 - Roselyn Sánchez, Puerto Rican singer, model and actress

- 1973 - Tine Wittler, German TV presenter and writer

- 1972 - Chico Slimani, Moroccoan-British singer

- 1971 - Elton, German comedian

- 1971 - Todd Woodbridge, Australian tennis player

- 1971 - ZEEBRA, Japanese hip hop artist

- 1969 - Ajay Devgan, Indian actor

- 1967 - Greg Camp, American musician (Smash Mouth)

- 1967 - Helen Chamberlain, British television presenter

- 1966 - Bill Romanowski, American football player

- 1966 - Teddy Sheringham, English footballer

- 1966 - Garnet Silk, Jamaican singer (d. 1994)

- 1965 - Rodney King, American victim of police brutality

- 1964 - Pete Incaviglia, American baseball player

- 1963 - Karl Beattie, English television director and producer

- 1963 - Mike Gascoyne, British engineer

- 1962 - Pierre Carles, French documentarist

- 1962 - Clark Gregg, American actor

- 1962 - Mark Shulman, American children's author

- 1961 - Keren Woodward, English singer (Bananarama)

- 1961 - Christopher Meloni, American actor

- 1960 - Linford Christie, English athlete

- 1960 - Brad Jones, Australian racing driver

- 1959 - Juha Kankkunen, Finnish race car driver

- 1959 - Yves Lavandier, French film director

- 1959 - Badou Zaki, Morrocan footballer and manager

- 1958 - Stefano Bettarello, Italian rugby player

- 1958 - Larry Drew, American basketball player

- 1957 - Giuliana De Sio, Italian actress

- 1955 - Michael Stone, British terrorist

- 1954 - Susumu Hirasawa, Japanese electropop musician

- 1953 - Jim Allister, Northern Irish politician

- 1953 - Debralee Scott, American actress (d. 2005)

- 1952 - Pat Drummond, Australian singer-songwriter

- 1952 - Thierry Le Luron, French humorist (d. 1986)

- 1952 - Leon Wilkeson, American rock bassist (Lynyrd Skynyrd) (d. 2001)

- 1951 - Ayako Okamoto, Japanese golfer

- 1951 - Moriteru Ueshiba, Japanese martial artist

- 1949 - Paul Gambaccini, British television presenter

- 1949 - Ron Palillo, American actor

- 1949 - Pamela Reed, American actress

- 1949 - David Robinson, American musician

- 1948 - Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer

- 1948 - Joan D. Vinge, American author

- 1947 - Emmylou Harris, American singer

- 1947 - Camille Paglia, American feminist writer

- 1946 - Kurt Winter, Canadian guitarist (The Guess Who) (d. 1997)

- 1945 - Linda Hunt, American actress

- 1945 - Reggie Smith, American baseball player

- 1945 - Don Sutton, American baseball player

- 1945 - Anne Waldman, American poet

- 1943 - Caterina Bueno, Italian singer (d. 2007)

- 1942 - Leon Russell, American blues-rock pianist/guitarist

- 1942 - Hiroyuki Sakai, Japanese chef

- 1942 - Roshan Seth, Indian actor

- 1941 - Dr. Demento, American radio personality

- 1940 - Penelope Keith, English actress

- 1939 - Marvin Gaye, American singer (d. 1984)

- 1939 - Anthony Lake, American political figure

- 1939 - Lise Thibault, Lieutenant-governor of Quebec

- 1938 - John Larsson, 17th General of The Salvation Army

- 1938 - Booker Little, American jazz trumpeter (d. 1961)

- 1938 - Whirlaway, American thoroughbred racehorse, 1941 Triple Crown winner (d. 1953)

- 1937 - Dick Radatz, American baseball player (d. 2005)

- 1934 - Paul Joseph Cohen, American mathematician (d. 2007)

- 1934 - Brian Glover, British actor and wrestler (d. 1997)

- 1934 - Carl Kasell, American newscaster

- 1932 - Edward Egan, Cardinal-Archbishop Emeritus of New York

- 1928 - Joseph Bernardin, American cardinal (d. 1996)

- 1928 - Serge Gainsbourg, French singer (d. 1991)

- 1928 - Prof David Robinson, Irish horticulturist (d. 2004)

- 1927 - Carmen Basilio, American boxer

- 1927 - Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian footballer (d. 2006)

- 1927 - Kenneth Tynan, English critic and writer (d. 1980)

- 1926 - Sir Jack Brabham, Australian race car driver

- 1925 - George MacDonald Fraser, English author (d. 2008)

- 1923 - Clifford Scott Green, American Federal Judge (d. 2007)

- 1923 - Gloria Henry, American actress

- 1923 - G. Spencer-Brown, English mathematician

- 1920 - Jack Webb, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1982)

- 1917 - Dabbs Greer, American actor (d. 2007)

- 1917 - Lou Monte, American singer (d. 1989)

- 1914 - Sir Alec Guinness, English actor (d. 2000)

- 1912 - Herbert Mills, American singer (The Mills Brothers) (d. 1989)

- 1910 - Paul Triquet, Canadian military officer (d. 1980)

- 1908 - Buddy Ebsen, American actor and dancer (d. 2003)

- 1907 - Luke Appling, American baseball player (d. 1991)

- 1903 - Lionel Chevrier, Canadian politician (d. 1987)

- 1902 - Jan Tschichold, German typographer (d. 1974)

- 1900 - Roberto Arlt, Argentine writer (d. 1942)

- 1891 - Max Ernst, German painter (d. 1976)

- 1884 - Sir John Squire, British poet, writer, and historian (d. 1958)

- 1875 - Walter Chrysler, American automobile pioneer (d. 1940)

- 1869 - Hughie Jennings, American baseball player and manager (d. 1928)

- 1867 - Eugen Sandow, German bodybuilder and circus performer (d. 1925)

- 1862 - Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1947)

- 1841 - Clément Ader, French aviation pioneer (d. 1926)

- 1840 - Émile Zola, French novelist and critic (d. 1902)

- 1838 - Léon Gambetta, French statesman (d. 1882)

- 1827 - William Holman Hunt, English painter (d. 1910)

- 1814 - Erastus Brigham Bigelow, American inventor (d. 1879)

- 1805 - Hans Christian Andersen, Danish writer (d. 1875)

- 1798 - August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, German poet (d. 1874)

- 1788 - Francisco Balagtas, Filipino poet (d. 1862)

- 1781 - Bhagwan Swaminarayan, religious leader (d. 1830)

- 1743 - Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States (Old style date) (d. 1826)

- 1725 - Giacomo Casanova, Italian adventurer and writer (d. 1798)

- 1719 - Johann Wilhelm Ludwig Gleim, German poet (d. 1803)

- 1653 - Prince George of Denmark, prince consort of Anne of England (d. 1708)

- 1618 - Francesco Maria Grimaldi, Italian mathematician and physicist (d. 1663)

- 1614 - Jahanara Begum Sahib, daughter of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal (d. 1681)

- 1565 - Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch explorer (d. 1599)

- 1545 - Elisabeth of Valois, third wife of Philip II of Spain (d. 1568)

- 1527 - Abraham Ortelius, Flemish cartographer and geographer (d. 1598)

- 742 - Charlemagne (d. 814)

