What Happened on April 2?

April 2 is International Children's Book Day — honoring storyteller Hans Christian Andersen — on the same date Congress created the U.S. Mint, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982, and Jeannette Rankin became the first woman sworn into the U.S. Congress.

• 1792 — Congress passes the Coinage Act and establishes the United States Mint

  On April 2, 1792, President George Washington signed the Coinage Act — creating the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia and America's first official money system based on dollars and cents. Read the full story →

• 1917 — Jeannette Rankin becomes the first woman sworn into the U.S. Congress

  Montana representative Jeannette Rankin took her oath in the U.S. House on April 2, 1917 — the first woman ever seated in Congress, four years before women nationwide won the right to vote. Read the full story →

• 1917 — President Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany

  Addressing a joint session on April 2, 1917, Woodrow Wilson called for the United States to enter World War I — declaring the world must be 'made safe for democracy.' Read the full story →

• 1967 — International Board on Books for Young People launches International Children's Book Day

  Since 1967, April 2 has been International Children's Book Day — chosen because fairy-tale master Hans Christian Andersen was born on this date in 1805. Read the full story →

• 1982 — Argentina invades the Falkland Islands, starting the Falklands War

  Argentine forces landed on the Falkland Islands — a British territory in the South Atlantic — on April 2, 1982, triggering a ten-week war with the United Kingdom. Read the full story →

Famous birthdays

Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) · Émile Zola (1840–1902) · Marvin Gaye (1939–1984) · Jeff Bezos (1964)

Days & observances

International Children's Book Day · National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day · National Reconciliation Day · World Autism Awareness Day