Argentine special forces launched Operation Rosario, invading the British-held Falkland Islands with roughly 600 commandos who overwhelmed a garrison of 57 Royal Marines. The invasion sparked a 10-week war with Britain that ended in a decisive British victory, the fall of Argentina's military junta, and the reassertion of British sovereignty.
A French army under Gaston de Foix defeated a Spanish-Papal force at Ravenna in one of the first European battles decided by massed field artillery, including the unusual tactic of rafting cannon across the Ronco River to enfilade enemy lines. Gaston was killed in the pursuit, and the political gains from the victory evaporated within weeks.
The Continental Navy frigate Alliance engaged and captured the British privateer sloops Mars and Minerva during the American Revolution, demonstrating the growing capability of the young American navy.
A British Royal Navy squadron under Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson defeated the Dano-Norwegian fleet, forcing Denmark out of the Second League of Armed Neutrality. Nelson famously ignored his superior's signal to withdraw by holding his telescope to his blind eye.
Confederate Major General Daniel Harvey Hill began a three-week siege of the Union-held port of Washington, North Carolina, cutting off the garrison to prevent reinforcement of New Bern. The siege tied down Union troops and gunboats on the Pamlico River but ultimately failed when Confederate supply lines collapsed.
Union forces under General Grant broke through Confederate lines at Petersburg, Virginia, after a 292-day siege. Confederate Lt. General A.P. Hill was killed riding toward the front, and Jefferson Davis fled Richmond that night.
President Woodrow Wilson addressed a joint session of Congress requesting a declaration of war against Germany, declaring "The world must be made safe for democracy." Congress declared war four days later, sending the United States into World War I.
Iraqi army officers loyal to Rashid Ali al-Gaylani seized power in Baghdad, toppling the pro-British regency and threatening the oil pipeline and airfields Britain relied on across the Middle East. The coup precipitated a brief but intense campaign that saw RAF Habbaniya besieged and a British relief force fight its way across the desert.
Soviet forces under the 2nd Ukrainian Front crossed into Romanian territory as part of the Dnieper-Carpathian Offensive, driving Axis defenders past the Dniester River and isolating Odessa.
North Vietnamese People's Army forces crossed the Demilitarized Zone in strength, opening the Nguyen Hue Offensive with three coordinated thrusts backed by some 200 T-54 and PT-76 tanks. The conventional armored assault was the largest communist offensive of the war and forced a massive American air response that reshaped the conflict's final years.
Anthrax spores were accidentally released from a Soviet military biological weapons facility in Sverdlovsk, killing at least 68 people. The USSR denied responsibility for over a decade before Yeltsin admitted the truth in 1992.
Argentine special forces overwhelmed 57 Royal Marines defending the Falkland Islands, sparking a 10-week war with Britain.
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King of the Franks, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
One of history's greatest military conquerors who waged nearly three decades of continuous campaigns to unite most of Western Europe, including a 30-year war against the Saxons. His empire became the foundation of modern France and Germany.
Colonel, U.S. Air Force
One of the top American fighter aces of World War II with 28 aerial victories in P-47 Thunderbolts, and 6.5 more victories in the Korean War flying F-86 Sabres, one of only seven pilots to become aces in both wars.
Lieutenant General, Confederate States Army
One of Robert E. Lee's most trusted corps commanders, killed by a Union corporal as he rode toward his collapsing lines during the Fall of Petersburg. Lee reportedly murmured "He is now at rest, and we who are left are the ones to suffer."
11 military events occurred on April 2, spanning multiple centuries. Key events include: Argentina Invades the Falkland Islands (1982), Battle of Copenhagen (1801), Fall of Petersburg (1865), Wilson Asks Congress for Declaration of War (1917), PAVN Launches the Easter Offensive into South Vietnam (1972).
The most significant military event on April 2 is Argentina Invades the Falkland Islands (1982). Argentine special forces launched Operation Rosario, invading the British-held Falkland Islands with roughly 600 commandos who overwhelmed a garrison of 57 Royal Marines. The invasion sparked a 10-week war with Britain that ended in a decisive British victory, the fall of Argentina's military junta, and the reassertion of British sovereignty.
Notable military figures born on April 2 include Charlemagne (742–814), Francis Gabreski (1919–2002).
Events on April 2 span the Cold War, the Colonial & Revolutionary era, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, covering 11 events across 4 centuries of military history.
Events on April 2 involve 4 branches of the U.S. and allied armed forces, reflecting the global scope of military operations throughout history.
Explore military history from the day you were born.
June 6
The Allied invasion of Normandy, the largest amphibious assault in history.
December 7
Japan attacks the U.S. Pacific Fleet, bringing America into World War II.
September 11
The deadliest terrorist attack in history transforms U.S. national security.
August 6
The first atomic bomb is dropped on a city, ushering in the nuclear age.
May 8
Nazi Germany surrenders unconditionally, ending World War II in Europe.
November 11
Armistice Day marks the end of World War I and honors all who served.
June 4
The turning point of the Pacific War as the U.S. Navy destroys four Japanese carriers.
July 4
The Declaration of Independence is adopted, sparking the American Revolution.
The FIM-92 Stinger helped win the Cold War by turning Afghan mujahideen into a credible anti-aircraft threat. By 2023, the United States almost ran out of them, because Raytheon stopped making them for 13 years, and the first 10 months of Ukraine support burned through the remaining stockpile.
These weapons were built to fight a war that everyone prayed would never happen. The Minuteman III has been on alert since 1970. The Typhoon-class carried enough nuclear warheads to destroy a continent. The Davy Crockett could be fired by three soldiers. Most of them have been waiting for 40 years. Here are 10 Cold War weapons built exclusively for World War III.
The MiG-31 was designed to catch the SR-71 Blackbird. It is still the fastest fighter in any air force. The Foxhound's Zaslon phased-array radar, the first ever installed in a fighter, can track 10 targets and engage 4 simultaneously at ranges exceeding 200 miles. Here is why Russia still flies a 1980s interceptor, and why the MiG-31BM carrying a Kinzhal hypersonic missile has changed what the aircraft means to modern warfare.
Nineteen armies on four continents chose the Leopard 2. No other Western tank comes close to this export record, and the reasons go far beyond German engineering.
