1. On April 2, 1792, President George Washington signed the Postal Service Act which established the U.S. Post Office Department, making it the longest continually operating federal agency in United States history.

2. The National Cherry Blossom Festival officially began on April 2, 1935. The festival celebrates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees to the United States from Japan in 1912 and attracts thousands of visitors to the District of Columbia each year.

3. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts opened on April 2, 1971, with a formal gala attended by President and Mrs. Richard Nixon. The center is now recognized as one of the premier performing arts venues in the world.

4. The Washington Capitals secured their first-ever playoff victory on April 2, 1983, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 in double overtime. The Capitals would go on to win their first-ever playoff series that year.

5. On April 2, 2015, Washington, D.C. became the second jurisdiction in the United States to legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. The Death with Dignity Act allows for qualified patients to obtain life-ending medication from a physician.