This Day in History - April 2 2026

0:00Welcome to this day in history. It's April 2nd, and after deliberating for 13 hours over multiple days, a jury in New York found mobster John Gotti guilty on 13 counts, including murder and racketeering on this day in 1992. Nick named the Teflon Don for his ability to avoid conviction. Gotti was sentenced to life in prison and was sent to the US Penitentiary in Marion, Illinois, where he was held in near solitary confinement. He died of throat cancer at a medical center in June 2002. Surprising fact, during the 1980s, Gotti's lawyer won acquittals for him three times. A jury member in one of those trials was later convicted of accepting a bribe to acquit the mob boss. Also on this day, in 1917, Jeanette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress took office. In 1968, 2001, a space odyssey premiered.

1:02And in 2005, Pope John Paul II passed away. That's all for today. Come back tomorrow to learn a little bit more about the world around you, be kind to yourself and others, and enjoy the rest of your day.