This Day in History
April 4

Copyright © 2006-2024 Ken Polsson
internet e-mail: ken@kpolsson.com
URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing a single day's events)

What happened in history on this day: April 4?

On April 4 in ...

  • 188 - Birth of Caracalla [Marcus Aureiius Antoniius], Roman emperor (211-217).
  • 397 - Ambrosius, Governor of Liguria/bishop of Milan (374-97)/saint, dies.
  • 896 - Formosus dies, ending his reign as Catholic Pope (891-896).
  • 1081 - Alexius I Comnenus occupies Byzantine throne.
  • 1229 - Hugo van Pierrepont bishop of Liege, dies.
  • 1284 - Alfonso X "El Sabio" King of Castilië/León (1252-84), dies at age 62.
  • 1292 - Nicholas IV [Girolamo Masci] Pope (1288-92), dies.
  • 1393 - Floris van Wevelinkhoven bishop of Utrecht, dies.
  • 1406 - Robert III King of Scotland (1390-1406), dies.
  • 1417 - John van Touraine first husband of Jacoba of Bavaria, dies.
  • 1460 - University of Basle in Swizerland forms.
  • 1527 - Birth of Abraham Ortelius [Ortels/Hortels] South Netherlands geographer.
  • 1541 - Ignatius of Loyola becomes first superior-General of the Jesuits.
  • 1552 - Mauritius van Saksen begins alliance with Karel Anikita Stroganov.
  • 1558 - Czar Ivan IV gives parts of North-Russia to fur traders.
  • 1581 - Francis Drake completes circumnavigation of the world and is knighted.
  • 1585 - Caspar de Robles Spanish viceroy of Frisia, dies at about age 57.
  • 1588 - Christian IV succeeds Frederik II as king of Denmark.
  • 1588 - Frederik II King of Denmark/Norway (1559-88), dies at age 53.
  • 1604 - Thomas Churchyard poet/pamphleteer, dies.
  • 1611 - Denmark issues a declaration of war on Sweden.
  • 1617 - John Napier Scottish mathematician/inventor (logarithms), dies.
  • 1625 - Viceroy Frederik Henry marries Amalia countess von Solms-Braunfels.
  • 1646 - Birth of Antoine Galland French oriëntalist/interpreter.
  • 1648 - Birth of Grinling Gibbons sculptor/woodcarver.
  • 1655 - Battle at Postage Farina, Tunis English fleet beats Barbarian pirates.
  • 1660 - English King Charles II ends Declaration of Breda (freedom of religion).
  • 1662 - Leonhart Kern, German sculptor, dies at about age 73.
  • 1664 - Adam Willaerts Dutch seascape painter, dies.
  • 1687 - English King James II orders his Declaration of Indulgence read in church.
  • 1696 - Birth of Giovanni Battista Tiepoldo painter.
  • 1714 - Karel duke of Berry/French heir to the throne, dies.
  • 1716 - Russian and Prussian troops occupy Wismar.
  • 1734 - Johann C van Erckel old Catholic theologist, dies at about age 79.
  • 1737 - Anthony van Heim installed as Dutch pension advisor.
  • 1752 - Birth of Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli composer (Andromeda).
  • 1774 - Oliver Goldsmith Irish poet (She Stoops to Conquer), dies at age 17.
  • 1785 - Birth of Bettina von Arnim; German writer (This Book Belongs to the King).
  • 1786 - Birth of John Franklin; British explorer (Arctic).
  • 1792 - Birth of Thaddeus Stevens; US Radical Republican congressional leader (Representative-Republican).
  • 1802 - Birth of Dorothea Dix in the US; aroused interest in treatment of mental inmates.
  • 1814 - Birth of John Blair Smith Todd; Brigadier General (Union volunteers) (dies in 1872).
  • 1817 - Birth of John Wilson Sprague; US Brevet Major General (Union volunteers) (dies 1893).
  • 1818 - US Congress decides US flag is 13 red and white stripes and 20 stars.
  • 1820 - Birth of Charles Devens Junior; US Brevet Major General (Union volunteers) (dies 1891).
  • 1821 - Birth of Linus Yale; US portrait painter/inventor (Yale cylinder lock).
  • 1823 - Birth of Karl Wilhelm Siemens; inventor (laid undersea cables).
  • 1823 - Birth of Robert Byington Mitchell; US Brigadier General (Union volunteers).
  • 1826 - Birth of Zénobe Théophile; Gramme inventor (electric motor).
  • 1828 - Birth of Margaret Oliphant in Scotland; novelist/biographer (Beleaguered City).
  • 1828 - Casparus van Wooden patents chocolate milk powder (Amsterdam).
  • 1831 - Birth of Edward Cary Walthall; Brigadier General (Confederate Army) (dies 1898).
  • 1832 - Birth of Jose Echegaray y Elizaguirre; playwright/scientist (Teatro Escogido).
  • 1841 - Death of William Henry Harrison in District of Columbia, USA, of pneumonia at age 68; 9th US President, first US president to die in office.
  • 1843 - Birth of Hans Richter Györ (Raab/Gyoer) in Hungary; conductor (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra).
  • 1844 - Charles Bulfinch, first US professional architect (Massachusetts State House), dies at age 80.
  • 1850 - City of Los Angeles is incorporated.
  • 1858 - Birth of Rémy de Gourmont; French critic/writer (Physique de L'amour).
  • 1860 - Finland adopts the markka as currency, divided into 100 pennia.
  • 1862 - Harmen S Sytstra, Dutch poet/editor (Iduna), dies at age 45.
  • 1862 - US begins Peninsular Campaign aimed at capturing Richmond, Virginia.
  • 1866 - Birth of George P Baker; US playwright (47 Workshop).
  • 1870 - Birth of George A Smith in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; 8th president of Mormon church.
  • 1875 - Birth of Pierre Monteux in Paris, France; conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra 1919-24).
  • 1875 - Birth of Samuel S Hinds in Brooklyn, New York, USA; actor (The Bribe, The Egg and I, The Great Alaskan Mystery).
  • 1876 - Birth of Maurice de Vlaminck in Paris, France; Fauvist painter (Village in the Snow).
  • 1881 - Birth of Charles Funk in Ohio, USA; Encylopediest (Funk and Wagnalls).
  • 1883 - Death of Peter Cooper, US presidential candidate for Greenback Party in 1876.
  • 1884 - Birth of Isoroku Yamamoto; Admiral/supreme commander of Japanese fleet.
  • 1888 - Birth of Tris Speaker; baseball great, hit more doubles than Pete Rose.
  • 1892 - Birth of Cyril Smith in Peterhead, Scotland; actor (Adventures of Sir Lancelot).
  • 1892 - Birth of Esther Howard in Montana, USA; actress (Born to Kill, Murder My Sweet, A Fool's Advice).
  • 1895 - Birth of Arthur Murray in New York City, New York, USA; dancer (Arthur Murray Dance Party).
  • 1895 - Birth of Charlie Hallows; cricket batsman (Lancs played for England 1921-28).
  • 1896 - Announcement of discovery of gold in the Yukon.
  • 1896 - Birth of Robert Sherwood; dramatist (Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Idiot's Delight).
  • 1896 - Birth of Tristan Tzara AKA Samuel Rosenfeld; French poet (Approximate Man).
  • 1897 - Birth of Pierre Fresnay in Paris, France; actor (Grand Illusion).
  • 1899 - Birth of William Brann; cricket player (South African batsman versus England 1922-23).
  • 1900 - British garrison of Reddersberg surrenders to Boer General De Wet.
  • 1900 - Attempted assassination of English Prince of Wales in Brussels, fails.
  • 1901 - Birth of Carmel Myers in San Francisco, California, USA; actress (Carmel Myers Show).
  • 1902 - Birth of Louise L de Vilmorin; French poetess/author (Lutin Sauvage).
  • 1902 - Cecil Rhodes scholarship fund is established with US$10 million.
  • 1905 - Constantin Meunier, Belgian painter/sculptor, dies at age 73.
  • 1905 - Earthquake in Kangra, India, kills 370,000.
  • 1906 - Birth of Bea Benaderet in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Kate - Petticoat Junction).
  • 1906 - Birth of John Cameron Swayze in Wichita, Kansas, USA; newscaster (Timex spokesman, Hindenberg disaster).
  • 1907 - Birth of Nathan M Pusey in Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA; educator (1963 National Association for Social Sciences Medal).
  • 1908 - Birth of Ernestine Gilbreth Carey; author (Cheaper by the Dozen).
  • 1912 - Army fires on striking mine workers at Lena gold fields in Siberia.
  • 1912 - Chinese republic proclaimed in Tibet.
  • 1913 - Birth of Frances Langford in Lakeland, Florida, USA; singer ("Armed Forces Hour", "Star Time").
  • 1913 - Birth of Jerome Weidman; US writer (Tenderloin).
  • 1913 - Birth of Rosemary Lane in Indianola, Iowa, USA; actress (Four Mothers, Harvest Melody).
  • 1914 - Birth of Marguerite Duras in France; novelist/playwright (The Sea Wall).
  • 1914 - Birth of Richard Coogan in Short Hills, New Jersey, USA; actor (Captain Video).
  • 1915 - Birth of Jan Drda in Czechoslovakia; writer (Nema Barikada, Mestecko Na Dlani).
  • 1915 - Birth of Lars G Ahlin; Swedish writer (Death of Me).
  • 1915 - Birth of McKinley Morganfield AKA Muddy Waters; guitarist ("Hoochie Coochie Man") (dies 1983).
  • 1916 - Birth of David White; actor (Larry Tate - Bewitched).
  • 1916 - US Senate agrees (82-6) to participate in European war.
  • 1917 - Birth of Joseph Ortiz; French-Algerian extremist (barricade uprising).
  • 1918 - Battle of Somme ends.
  • 1918 - Birth of Earl Jellicoe; chancellor (University of Southhampton).
  • 1918 - Food riot in Amsterdam.
  • 1919 - Birth of Antony Tudor in England; choreographer (Metropolitan Opera 1957).
  • 1919 - William Crookes, English chemist/physicist (Crookes-pipe), dies at age 86.
  • 1920 - Arabs attack Jews in Jerusalem.
  • 1920 - Birth of Eric Rohmer in Nancy, France; director (Claire's Knee), actor (Six in Paris, Collector, Perceval).
  • 1921 - Birth of Willem J "Wim" the Villiers; South Africa minister of Administration.
  • 1921 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Senators (NHL) beat Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), three games to 2.
  • 1922 - Birth of Elmer Bernstein in New York City, New York, USA; movie music composer (Robot Monster).
  • 1923 - Birth of Manon H E Alving; Dutch actress (Short American).
  • 1923 - L Martov [Joulij O Tsederbaum], Russian revolutionary, dies at age 49.
  • 1924 - Birth of Gil Hodges; baseball player/manager (Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Mets).
  • 1924 - Birth of Peter Vaughan; actor (Haunted Honeymoon, Die Die My Darling).
  • 1925 - Birth of Elizabeth Wilson in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA; actor (Doc, East Side/West Side).
  • 1926 - Greek dictator Theodorus Pangalos is elected president.
  • 1927 - Birth of Bob Stump; American politician (Representative-Republican-Arizona, 1977-).
  • 1928 - Birth of Bill Ryan in Brooklyn, New York, USA; newscaster (Smithsonian).
  • 1928 - Birth of Jimmy Logan; British comedian (Mad Death).
  • 1928 - Birth of Maya Angelou [Marguerite Johnson] in Saint Louis, Missouri; poet (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings), actress (Nyo - Roots).
  • 1929 - First Amateur Athletic Union Greco-Roman wrestling championships held.
  • 1929 - Birth of William F Clinger Junior; American politician (Representative-Republican-Pennsylvania, 1979-).
  • 1929 - Karl Friedrich Benz, automobile engineer (Mercedes), dies at age 84.
  • 1930 - Andrew Sandham makes Test Cricket first triple century.
  • 1930 - Les Ames makes the first Test Cricket century by a wicketkeeper (149).
  • 1930 - Queen Viktoria of Sweden dies, in Rome, Italy.
  • 1931 - Andre Michelin, CEO (Michelin Tires), dies.
  • 1931 - Birth of Harold L Volkmer; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Missouri, 1977-).
  • 1932 - Birth of Andrei Tarkovski; Russian director (Solaris, Stalker).
  • 1932 - Birth of Anthony Perkins in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Psycho, Fear Strikes Out, Pretty Poison).
  • 1932 - Birth of Bapu Nadkarni; cricket player (economical Indian slow left-armer 1956-68).
  • 1932 - Birth of Richard G Lugar; American politician (Senator-Republican-Indiana, 1977-).
  • 1932 - Ottokar T Czernin von und zu Chudenitz, Austrian minister, dies at age 59.
  • 1932 - Vitamin C first isolated, by C C King, at University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
  • 1932 - Wilhelm Ostwald, physical chemist (Nobel Prize 1909), dies.
  • 1933 - Birth of Fritz Bolkestein; Dutch CEO (Shell)/Minister of Defense (VVD).
  • 1933 - Birth of Robin Phillips; English multi-millionaire manufacturer (hand-dryer).
  • 1933 - US dirigible Akron crashes off coast of New Jersey, 73 die.
  • 1935 - Birth of Easton Dudley Ashton Saint John McMorris in Saint Andrew, Kingston, Jamaica; cricket player (West Indies batsman of 1960s).
  • 1935 - Birth of Lord Ichayra; Secretary-General (British Banking Association).
  • 1935 - Birth of Trevor Griffiths; playwright (Absolute Beginners).
  • 1936 - Birth of Margo J Sylvia; rocker (Tune Weavers).
  • 1937 - 4th Golf Masters Championship: Byron Nelson wins, shooting a 283.
  • 1937 - Birth of Ian Saint James; novelist (Balfour Conspiracy, Vengeance, Money Stones).
  • 1937 - Birth of J Hans van den Doel; economist/Dutch Member of Parliament (PvdA).
  • 1938 - 5th Golf Masters Championship: Henry Picard wins, shooting a 285.
  • 1938 - Birth of A Bartlett Giamatti in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; president of Yale/baseball commissioner (1989).
  • 1938 - Birth of Peter Attenborough; British headmaster (Charterhouse).
  • 1938 - Cyril Christiani, cricket wicket keep (West Indies 1935), dies of malaria at age 24.
  • 1939 - Faisal II ascends to throne of Iraq at age 4, with regent his uncle Abd al-llah.
  • 1939 - Birth of Hugh Masekela in Wilbank, South Africa; trumpeter ("I Am Not Afraid").
  • 1939 - Birth of Joanne Carner in Kirkland, Washington, USA; LPGA golfer (US Open 1970, 1976).
  • 1940 - Birth of Bijan Iran; mens apparel designer (Beverly Hills, New York, London).
  • 1940 - Birth of Robby Mueller; cinematographer (Breaking the Waves, Dead Man, Korczak).
  • 1941 - General Olof Thörnell, commander of Swedish forces, issues a report to government, stating that Sweden should prepare to participate in a war against the Soviet Union, for the sake of Finland, Sweden's future position, and prestige in northern Europe.
  • 1941 - Birth of Major Lance; US boxer/dancer/singer ("Hey Little Girl").
  • 1941 - German troops conquer Banghazi.
  • 1942 - Birth of Kitty Kelley; author (Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra).
  • 1943 - Birth of Ian Robertson; British museum director (National Army Museum).
  • 1943 - Oskar Schlemmer, German painter/sculptor, dies at age 54.
  • 1944 - Birth of David Melville; professor/director (Middlesex Polytechnic).
  • 1944 - Birth of Lawrence A Hough; American rower (Pairs without cox-1968 Olympics-silver).
  • 1944 - British troops capture Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • 1944 - Charles De Gaulle forms new French regime in exile, with communists.
  • 1944 - John Peale Bishop, American poet (Undertaker's Garland), dies at age 51.
  • 1945 - Birth of Bryan Andrews; cricket player (New Zealand medium-pacer, toured Australia 1973-74).
  • 1945 - Birth of Caroline McWilliams in Seattle, Washington, USA; actress (Sally - Soap, Marcy - Benson).
  • 1945 - Birth of Catherine Spaak; actress (Hotel, Weekend at Dunkirk, Circle of Love).
  • 1945 - Birth of Walter Charles in East Strousberg, Pennsylvania, USA; actor (Fletch Lives, Weeds).
  • 1945 - Hungary is liberated from German occupation.
  • 1945 - US forces liberated the German death camp Ohrdruf in Germany.
  • 1945 - US tanks/infantry conquer Bielefeld.
  • 1946 - Birth of Craig T Nelson in Spokane, Washington, USA; actor (Chief Jack Mannion - The District, Hayden Fox - Coach, Poltergeist).
  • 1947 - United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization established.
  • 1948 - 84-year-old Connie Mack challenges 78-year-old Clark Griffith to a race from home to first base; it ends in a tie.
  • 1948 - Birth of Berry Oakley in Chicago, Illinois, USA; rocker (Allman Brothers - "Ramblin' Man").
  • 1948 - Birth of Gail Davies in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, USA; country singer ("Blue Heartache").
  • 1948 - Birth of Luke Halpin in Astoria, New York, USA; actor (Sandy Ricks - Flipper).
  • 1948 - Birth of Pick Withers; rocker (Dire Straits).
  • 1949 - Israel and Jordan sign armistice agreement.
  • 1949 - North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pact signed in Washington DC by US, Britain, France and Canada.
  • 1950 - Birth of Christine Lahti in Detroit, Michigan, USA; actress (Dr Kathryn Austin - Chicago Hope, The Harvey Korman Show, Swing Shift).
  • 1951 - Birth of Steve Gatlin in Olney, Texas, USA; country singer (Gatlin Brothers - "Broken Lady").
  • 1952 - Birth of Dave Hill in England; rock guitarist (Slade - "Coz I Love You").
  • 1952 - Birth of Gary Moore; Irish rock guitarist ("Still Got the Blues", Thin Lizzy, Skid Row).
  • 1952 - Birth of Peter Haycock; rock guitarist ("All Along the Watchtower").
  • 1952 - Birth of Rosemarie Ackermann in the German Democratic Republic; high jumper (Olympics-gold-1976).
  • 1953 - Carol II, King of Romania (1930-40), dies at age 59.
  • 1954 - Birth of Julie Carmen in Mount Vernon, New York, USA; actress (Gloria, Last Plane Out).
  • 1954 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA Carrollton Georgia Golf Open.
  • 1955 - British government signs military treaty with Iraq.
  • 1956 - Birth of Evelyn Hart; prima ballerina (Royal Winnipeg Ballet).
  • 1956 - Birth of Lamen Khalifa Fhimah in Suk Giuma, Libya; bomber (Pan Am Flight 103).
  • 1956 - Fritz Künkel, German physician/charachterologist, dies at age 66.
  • 1957 - Birth of Graeme Kelling; British pop guitarist (Deacon Blue - "Real Gone Kid").
  • 1957 - Birth of Paul Downton; cricket player (England wicket-keeper in 1980s).
  • 1958 - First march against nuclear weapons (Aldermaston, England).
  • 1958 - Birth of Derek Kallicharran; cricket all-rounder (Guyana, USA 1994 ICC Trophy).
  • 1958 - Birth of John Wesley Jones in Lawton, Oklahoma, USA; 4X100 metre relayer (Olympics-gold-1976).
  • 1958 - Hendrik Heyman, Belgian minister of Nijverheid/mayor, dies at age 78.
  • 1959 - Federation of Mali, consisting of Senegal and French Sudan, is founded (dissolved 1960).
  • 1959 - Stanley Snooke, cricket player (brother of S J, duck in South African Test), dies.
  • 1960 - 32nd Academy Awards - Ben-Hur, Charlton Heston, and Simone Signoret win.
  • 1960 - Birth of Bev Smith in Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada; basketball forward (Olympics-1996).
  • 1960 - Birth of Jon[athan] Agnew; British broadcaster/cricketer (England pace bowler late 1980s).
  • 1960 - Project Ozma begins at Green Bank radio astronomy center.
  • 1960 - Senegal declares independence from France.
  • 1961 - Birth of Matt Cole in Stratford, Ontario, Canada; Canadian Tour golfer (1990 Space Coast).
  • 1962 - Birth of Ava Fabian in Brewster, New York, USA; actress (Cafe Nostra).
  • 1962 - Birth of Sherrin Smyers in Newcastle, Australia; LPGA golfer (1995 Youngstown-11th).
  • 1962 - Birth of Tina Tombs in Montréal, Québec, Canada; LPGA golfer (1990 Jamie Farr Toledo).
  • 1963 - Birth of Anthony Clark; comedian (Boyd Pritchett-Boston Common).
  • 1963 - Birth of Dale Hawerchuk in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; NHL center (Philadelphia Flyers).
  • 1963 - Birth of David Gavurin; English pop guitarist/composer (Sundays, Blind).
  • 1963 - Birth of Jack Del Rio; NFL linebacker (Minnesota Vikings).
  • 1963 - Endzion Barelli dies two days after winning a boxing match at age 18.
  • 1963 - Jason Robards Sr, actor (Acapulco), dies at age 70.
  • 1963 - The Bank Leu-Adolph Hess sale sets a public auction coin price record, as a Roman gold 10-aureus coin sells for US$38,660.
  • 1964 - The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" single goes #1 and stays #1 for five weeks.
  • 1964 - Birth of Gregory Thomas Kraft in Detroit, Michigan, USA; PGA golfer (1993 Walt Disney-second).
  • 1964 - Birth of Robbie Rist in California, USA; actor (Oliver - The Brady Bunch).
  • 1965 - Birth of Zwart Francis [Charles Thompson]; US singer/songwriter (Pixies).
  • 1965 - Birth of Robert Downey Junior in New York City, New York, USA; comedian/actor (Larry Paul - Ally McBeal, Saturday Night Live, Less than Zero, Back to School).
  • 1965 - Birth of Tony Burse; Canadian Football League fullback (Edmonton Eskimos).
  • 1965 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Baton Rouge Golf Invitational.
  • 1966 - Birth of Michal Clingman in Indio, California, USA; WPVA volleyball player (Nationals-9th-1994).
  • 1966 - Birth of Nancy McKeon in Westbury, New York, USA; actress (Jo Polniazek - Facts of Life).
  • 1966 - Birth of Stanislav Medrik in Nitra, Czechoslovakia; hockey defenseman (Team Slovakia).
  • 1966 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
  • 1967 - Dutch De Young government forms.
  • 1968 - Apollo 6 launched atop Saturn V rocket; unmanned.
  • 1968 - Birth of Andre Bowden; WLAF linebacker (Frankfurt Galaxy).
  • 1968 - Reverend Martin Luther King Junior, civil rights leader, is assassinated by a sniper's bullet in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, at age 39. James Earl Ray is set up as a patsy for a shot fired from a different direction than where he was.
  • 1969 - Birth of Anthony Tucker; NBA forward (New York Knicks).
  • 1969 - Birth of Carlos Reyes in Miami, Florida, USA; pitcher (Oakland Athletics).
  • 1969 - Birth of Dennis de Nooijer; Dutch soccer player/twin brother of Gerard (Sparta).
  • 1969 - Birth of Gerard de Nooijer; Dutch soccer player/twin brother of Dennis (Sparta).
  • 1969 - Dr. Denton Cooley implants first temporary artificial heart.
  • 1970 - Birth of Barry van Galen; Dutch soccer player (Roda JC).
  • 1970 - Byron Foulger, actor (Captain Nice, Petticoat Junction), dies at age 70.
  • 1970 - Firestone World Tournament of Champions won by Don Johnson.
  • 1970 - The NET TV network airs the last The Forsyte Saga TV show in the USA.
  • 1971 - Birth of Allan Houston; NBA guard (New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons).
  • 1971 - Birth of Felipe Lira in Miranda, Venezeula; pitcher (Detroit Tigers).
  • 1971 - Birth of Jaime Fernandez; Australian rower (Olympics-1996).
  • 1971 - Birth of Yanic Perreault in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada; NHL center (Los Angeles Kings).
  • 1971 - Marine clay under houses liquifies, 31 die (St-Jean-Vianney, Québec, Canada).
  • 1971 - CBS airs the final episode of the WWII prison camp sitcom Hogan's Heroes after running six seasons.
  • 1972 - First electric power plant fueled by garbage begins operating.
  • 1972 - Adam Clayton Powell Junior, American politician (Representative-Democrat-New York), dies at age 63.
  • 1972 - Birth of Chad Eaton; defensive tackle (New England Patriots).
  • 1972 - Birth of Jim Werland in Ventura, California, USA; canoe (alternate-Olympics-1996).
  • 1972 - Birth of Matt Wagner in Cedar Falls, Iowa, USA; pitcher (Seattle Mariners).
  • 1972 - Stefan Wolpe, German composer (Zeus and Elidco), dies at age 69.
  • 1973 - Birth of Damon Allen in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; figure skater (1997 Midwestern champion).
  • 1973 - Birth of Peter Hoekstra; Dutch soccer player (PSV, Ajax).
  • 1973 - Birth of Ryan Coughlin; Canadian Football League offensive linebacker (Montreal Alouettes).
  • 1973 - Birth of Tiffany Woosley; WNBA guard (Houston Comets).
  • 1974 - Birth of O J Santiago; tight end (Atlanta Falcons).
  • 1974 - Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting his 714th.
  • 1975 - Birth of Kisha Ford; WNBA guard/forward (New York Liberty).
  • 1975 - US Air Force transport carrying orphans from Saigon, Vietnam crashes killing 155.
  • 1975 - Microsoft is founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen.
  • 1976 - 5th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Judy Rankin.
  • 1976 - Birth of Alicia Silverstone in San Francisco, California; actress (Clueless).
  • 1976 - Seni Pramoj's Democratic Party wins elections in Thailand.
  • 1978 - Birth of Irene Skliva in Athens, Greece; Miss World (1996).
  • 1979 - Birth of Charles Butler in Salt Lake City, Utah; dance skater (and Joseph-1997 National).
  • 1979 - Birth of Rebecca Stoyel in South Australia; gymnast (Olympics-1996).
  • 1979 - Edgar Buchanan, American actor (Uncle Joe - Petticoat Junction), dies at age 77 (born 1903).
  • 1979 - Death of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by hanging at age 51, former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan (born 1928).
  • 1979 - Birth of Heathcliff Andrew Ledger AKA Heath Ledger in Perth, Western Australia; actor (Brokeback Mountain, Monster's Ball) (dies 2008).
  • 1980 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakhstan/Semipalitinsk.
  • 1981 - UK pop group Bucks Fizz wins the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 with the song "Making Your Mind Up".
  • 1981 - Brad Johnson, actor (Annie Oakley), dies at age 56.
  • 1982 - The British Falkland Islands government surrenders, placing the islands in Argentinean control.
  • 1982 - 11th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Sally Little.
  • 1983 - Gloria Swanson, American actress (Airport 1975), dies of a heart ailment at age 84 (born 1897).
  • 1983 - Jacqueline Logan, silent film leading lady, dies at age 78.
  • 1983 - Birth of Doug Lynch; Canadian ice hockey player.
  • 1983 - 45th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina State beats Houston 54-52.
  • 1983 - 14 armed men overpower guards at Security Express in London, England, leaving after 8 hours with over $13 million in 3 vans.
  • 1983 - 6th space shuttle mission, Challenger 1 launched.
  • 1984 - Birth of Sean May, American basketball player.
  • 1984 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan calls for an international ban on chemical weapons.
  • 1984 - John Arnold, cricket player (England bat versus New Zealand 1931, scored 34 only Test), dies.
  • 1985 - Tulane University cancels its basketball season amidst scandal.
  • 1986 - Birth of Eunhyuk; Korean singer (Super Junior).
  • 1986 - Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 213th point of season.
  • 1987 - C[atherine] L[ucille] Moore, American author (Judgment Night), dies at age 76 (born 1911).
  • 1988 - 50th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beats Oklahoma 83-79.
  • 1988 - Eddie Hill becomes first to drag race a quarter mile in under 5 seconds.
  • 1988 - Largest crowd (55,438) at a season game at Riverfront (Cincinnati Reds vs Saint Louis Cardinals).
  • 1988 - Last broadcast of Crossroads on British TV.
  • 1988 - New York Mets set Opening Day record with six homeruns.
  • 1988 - Governor Evan Mecham of Arizona is convicted in his impeachment trial and removed from office.
  • 1989 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last NBA game in Seattle.
  • 1989 - New York Yankees' Tommy John ties record of playing 26 seasons; his 287th win puts him 19th overall as New York Yankees beat Minnesota Twins on opening day 4-2.
  • 1990 - The Marshall Chronicles premieres on ABC-TV.
  • 1991 - H. John Heinz III, American politician (Senator-Republican-Pennsylvania), dies in a plane crash, at age 52 (born 1938). Six others are also killed when a helicopter collides with their plane over Merion, Pennsylvania.
  • 1991 - Luc de Rijck, Belgian soccer player (Turnhout), dies.
  • 1991 - Max Frisch, Swiss architect/writer (Stiller, Biedermann), dies at age 79 (born 1911).
  • 1992 - Game 1 of Mayor Challenge - New York Yankees beat New York Mets 6-4 at Yankee Stadium.
  • 1992 - Karl Tunberg, US scriptwriter (Ben Hur), dies.
  • 1992 - Sali Berisha becomes president/Alexander Meksi premier of Albania.
  • 1993 - 12th NCAA Women's Basketball Champion: Texas Tech beats Ohio State 84-82.
  • 1993 - 5th Seniors Golf Tradition: Tom Shaw.
  • 1993 - Alfred Mosher Butts, US architect/game maker (Scrabble), dies at age 93.
  • 1993 - At Camden Yards, Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. president to throw the first pitch of the baseball season from the pitcher's mound.
  • 1993 - Trish Johnson wins Las Vegas LPGA at Canyon Gate Golf Tournament.
  • 1993 - Wrestlemania IX at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas, Hulk Hogan pins Yokozuna.
  • 1994 - First game played at Jacobs Field; Cleveland Indians beat Seattle Mariners 4-3 in 11 innings.
  • 1994 - 56th NCAA Men's Basketball Champion: Arkansas Razorbacks beats Duke 76-72.
  • 1994 - KLM Saab 340B crashes at Schiphol, three killed.
  • 1994 - Largest opening day crowd at Yankee Stadium, 56,706.
  • 1994 - Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark found Mosaic Communications (later renamed Netscape).
  • 1994 - Olga Lowina, Dutch yodeler (Edelweisskapel), dies at age 69.
  • 1994 - Death of Virginia "Ginny" Simms at age 77; actress, singer (Kay Kyser Band).
  • 1995 - Kenny Everett, British comedian/disc Jockey, dies at age 50 (born 1944).
  • 1995 - Peter Brinson, dance educationalist, dies at age 67.
  • 1995 - Priscilla Lane, actress (Saboteur, Bodyguard), dies at age 77.
  • 1996 - David Whitton, campaigner, dies at age 44.
  • 1996 - Frederick Denison Maurice Hocking, pathologist, dies at age 97.
  • 1996 - Comet Hyakutake is imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous.
  • 1997 - Anaheim Ducks clinch their first-ever playoff berth.
  • 1997 - Atlanta Braves officially open Turner Field against Chicago Cubs.
  • 1998 - NFL Europe (formerly WLAF), kicks off season.
  • 2005 - North Carolina defeats Illinois 75-70 to win the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Edward Jones Dome in Saint Louis, Missouri.
  • 2007 - Iran announces it will release the British sailors and marines that they captured on March 23. The captives arrive back in the UK the next day.
  • 2007 - NATO and Afghan forces retake a key town from the Taliban in Sangin in southern Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
  • 2007 - Death of Bob Clark, American film director (born 1939).
  • 2008 - In Geneva, Switzerland, David Feldman conducts an auction of postage stamps. Some highlights:
    • British Guiana 1851 2-cent Cotton Reel stamp, error of pale blue paper, on cover: 597,500 euros (US$937,000), a record for a British Guiana postage stamp;
    • Schleswig-Holstein Ploen 1850 1-schilling Coat of Arms stamp: 478,000 (US$750,000);
    • Baden 1851 9-kreuzer Numeral stamp, error of blue-green paper, unused, only one known: 1,314,500 euros (US$2 million), a record for a Baden postage stamp;
    • Norway 1855 4-skilling Coat of Arms stamp, block of 39 cancelled: 1,434,000 euros (US$2.2 million), a record for a Norwegian philatelic item.

  • 2009 - In Binghampton, New York, USA, a gunman kills 13 people in the American Civic Association building after taking dozens hostage, then kills himself.
  • 2009 - Ivan Gasparovic wins re-election after the second round of voting in Slovakia's presidential election.
  • 2010 - Death of South African white supremacist leader Eugene Ney Terreblanche, beaten to death by two farm workers at his home in Ventersdorp, South Africa, at age 69; founder of Afrikaner Resistance Movement in 1973.
  • 2010 - A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shakes the Mexico-Californian border area, killing two people and injuring more than 200.
  • 2011 - Morton & Eden in London, England conduct an auction of Islamic coins at Sotheby's in London. Some highlights:
    • Umayyad A.H. 105 (723-724 C.E.) gold dinar, EF: 3,720,000 pounds (US$6,013,157), the second highest price paid for a coin at auction;
    • Umayyad A.H. 92 (710-711 C.E.) gold dinar, EF: 648,000 pounds (US$1,047,453);
    • Umayyad A.H. 90 (708-709 C.E.) silver dirham, Good EF cleaned: 1,080,000 pounds (US$1,745,755);
    • Seljuqs of Rum A.H. 638 (1240-41 C.E.) gold dinar, EF: 240,000 pounds (US$387,946).

  • 2014 - Death of Kumba Ialá, President of Guinea-Bissau (2000-2003) (born 1953).
  • 2017 - Death of Karl Stotz, Austrian footballer and manager (born 1927).
  • 2018 - (to April 15) The 2018 Commonwealth Games are held in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
  • 2019 - The Libyan National Army (LNA) launches a surprise offensive in western Libya, moving units towards the Government of National Accord-held capital Tripoli and capturing Gharyan.
  • 2020 - Death of Rafael Leonardo Callejas Romero, 31st President of Honduras (born 1943).
  • 2021 - More than 270 people are killed in Indonesia and East Timor after Cyclone Seroja strikes East Nusa Tenggara and the island of Timor.
  • 2022 - Stack's Bowers Galleries sells at auction a unique 1839 gold Daniel Morgan at Cowpens medal, Specimen-63 PCGS, for US$960,000.

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