1. On April 2, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee urged Confederate President Jefferson Davis to negotiate peace with Union General Ulysses S. Grant, signaling the end of the American Civil War.

2. On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany, thrusting the United States into World War I.

3. On April 2, 1936, the Virginia General Assembly approved legislation to establish the Virginia State Police, which would serve as the state's primary law enforcement agency.

4. On April 2, 1954, Virginia Governor Thomas B. Stanley signed a bill that allowed for the integration of public schools, making Virginia one of the first Southern states to begin the process of desegregation.

5. On April 2, 2011, Virginia Tech held its inaugural Relay for Life event, raising over $406,000 for cancer research in its first year. The event has since become an annual tradition at Virginia Tech and has raised millions of dollars for cancer research.