Historical eventApril 21986

Alabama

Alabama governor George Wallace, a former segregationist, best known for the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door", announces that he will not seek a fifth four-year term and will retire from public life upon the end of his term in January 1987.

40th anniversary in 2026

Everything on April 2Original source

In context

When
Wednesday, April 2 198640 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1980s
Anniversary
40th in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1986.

What happened

Alabama is a state in the Southeastern and Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the 30th largest by area, and the 24th-most populous of the 50 U.S. states.

April 2 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1986Alabama
  2. 2012UTair Flight 120
  3. 20122012 Oikos University shooting
  4. 20142014 Fort Hood shootings
  5. 2015Garissa University College attack
  6. 2015Hatton Garden safe deposit burglary
  7. 2020COVID-19 pandemic
  8. 2021United States Capitol Police
  9. 20212021 Hualien train derailment
  10. 20242024 Viertola school shooting
  11. 2025Liberation Day tariffs

Also in 1986

  • September 131986 Kalamata earthquakeA magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes Kalamata, Greece with a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), killing at least 20 and ca…
  • September 5Pan Am Flight 73Pan Am Flight 73 from Mumbai, India with 358 people on board is hijacked at Karachi International Airport.
  • November 17Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1628The flight crew of Japan Airlines Flight 1628 are involved in a UFO sighting incident while flying over Alaska.
  • October 20Aeroflot Flight 6502Aeroflot Flight 6502 crashed on approach to Kurumoch Airport in Samara, Russia (then Kuybyshev in the Soviet Union), killing 70 people on…
  • May 25Hands Across AmericaThe Hands Across America event takes place.
  • June 14Mindbender (Galaxyland)The Mindbender derails, killing three riders and severely injuring one at the Fantasyland (known today as Galaxyland) indoor amusement pa…
  • November 5USS RentzUSS Rentz, USS Reeves and USS Oldendorf visit Qingdao, China; the first US naval visit to China since 1949.
  • July 9New Zealand ParliamentThe New Zealand Parliament passes the Homosexual Law Reform Act legalising homosexuality in New Zealand.

Everything we record for 1986 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Alabama”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/alabama-1986-april-2, accessed October 24, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Alabama happen?

April 2 1986 — 40 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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