Today in History: Saturday, April 02, 2016

AP Highlight in History: On April 2, 2005, Pope John Paul II, who helped topple communism in Europe and left a deeply conservative stamp on the Roman Catholic Church that he led for 26 years, died in his Vatican apartment at age 84. AP Photo/Plinio Lepri
On this date in: 1513 Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed in Florida. 1805 Author Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark. 1860 The first Italian Parliament met at Turin. 1865 Confederate President Jefferson Davis and most of his Cabinet fled the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va. 1917 President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war against Germany, saying, "The world must be made safe for democracy." AP Photo 1968 The science-fiction film "2001: A Space Odyssey" had its world premiere in Washington, D.C. 1982 Argentina seized the disputed Falkland Islands from Britain. 1992 Mob boss John Gotti was convicted in New York of murder and racketeering. 2002 Israel seized control of Bethlehem; Palestinian gunmen forced their way into the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, beginning a 39-day standoff. 2007 The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. 2009 A 19-count federal racketeering indictment was returned against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who denied doing anything illegal. 2011 Highly radioactive water leaked into the sea from a crack at Japan's stricken nuclear power plant.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actor Michael Fassbender turns 39 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini Name Profession Age Leon Russell Singer 74 Don Sutton Baseball Hall of Famer 71 Chris Meloni Actor ("Law and Order: Special Victims Unit") 55 Clark Gregg Actor ("Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.") 54 Bill Romanowski Football player 50 Roselyn Sanchez Actress ("Without a Trace") 43 Lee Dewyze Singer ("American Idol") 30 Jesse Plemons Actor ("Friday Night Lights") 28 Country singer Emmylou Harris turns 69 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini