April 2, 1866
U.S. President Andrew Johnson declares the Civil War over, except in Texas. Texas was not included because it had not yet formed a new state government to replace its Confederate-based government. This would happen later in the year.
April 3, 1968
Ted Kaczynski is captured by the FBI. He was later convicted of killing three people and wounding 29 others by sending mail bombs over a period of almost eighteen years. Kaczynski was the target of the Federal Bureau of Investigation‘s (FBI’s) longest and costliest investigation. The FBI used the acronym “UNABOM” (UNiversity and Airline BOMber) to refer to his case, resulting in the media calling him the “Unabomber”. After some of his writings were published in the media, his brother recognized the writing style and beliefs and tipped off the FBI.
April 4, 1968
The civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee by escaped convict James Earl Ray. The previous day, he had given his famous “I have been to the mountain top” speech, which expressed his acceptance of impeding death.