What Happened in April 1928

Historical Events

Apr 1 Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist army crosses the Yangtze River
Apr 7 44-year old NY Rangers GM Lester Patrick replaces his injured goaltender in a Stanley Cup game and beats Montreal Maroons, 2-1 in OT; Rangers go on to win series, 3-2

Lazarus Laughed

Apr 9 Eugene O'Neill's play "Lazarus Laughed" premieres in Pasadena, with a masked chorus of over 100

Diamond Lil

Apr 9 Mae West's NYC debut in a daring new play "Diamond Lil"

Apr 9 Top-Oss soccer team forms in Oss
Apr 9 Turkey passes separation of church & state
Apr 13 1st trans atlantic flight Europe-US (Fitzmaurice-von Hunefeld-Köhl)
Apr 14 Maddus Airlines starts 1st regular passenger flights between SF & LA
Apr 14 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: In only their 2nd season in the NHL, New York Rangers beat Montreal Maroons, 2-1 for a 3-2 series win
Apr 15 Alioto's on Fisherman's Wharf (San Francisco) forms
Apr 16 32nd Boston Marathon won by Clarence DeMar in 2:37:07.8; back-to-back wins for his 6th race title
Apr 19 Japanese troops occupies Sjantung-schiereiland
Apr 19 New York Yankees are out of 1st place for 1st time since May 1926
Apr 19 The 125th and final fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary is published

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Apr 21 "The Passion of Joan of Arc", directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, starring Renée Jeanne Falconetti and Eugène Silvain, is released in Denmark

French Soldier and National Heroine Joan of Arc

Apr 24 Fathometer, which measures underwater depth, patented
Apr 25 Buddy, a German Shepherd, becomes 1st guide dog for a US citizen Morris Frank

Madame Tussauds Reopens

Apr 26 Madame Tussaud's waxwork exhibition reopens in London after a fire

Sculptor and Wax Museum Founder Madame Tussaud

Apr 28 RCA and GE install three test television sets in homes in Schenectady, New York, allowing trials of inventor E.F.W. Alexanderson's first home television receiver; a poor and unsteady 1.5 square inch picture was received from radio transmitter
Apr 30 Cherkess Autonomous Region forms in RSFSR (until 1957)

Events in 1928

Famous Birthdays

Apr 1 Dimitri Frenkel Frank, Dutch writer and director (Hadimassa), born in Munich, Germany (d. 1988)
Apr 1 George Grizzard, American Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor (Wrong is Right, Bachelor Party, Attica), born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina (d. 2007)
Apr 1 Herbert Klein, American journalist and press secretary for Richard Nixon, born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2009)
Apr 2 Joseph Bernardin, American Cardinal of the Catholic Church, born in Columbia, South Carolina (d. 1996)
Apr 2 Rita Gam, American actress (Distortions, Hannibal), born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (d. 2016)
Apr 2 Serge Gainsbourg [Lucien Ginsburg], French singer-songwriter, record producer ("Je t'aime... moi non plus"; "Requiem pour un twister"), and actor, born in Paris (d. 1991) [1]
Apr 3 Don Gibson, American country musician and songwriter ("Sweet Dreams"; "I Can't Stop Loving You"), born in Shelby, North Carolina (d. 2003)

Earl Lloyd (1928-2015)

Apr 3 1st African American basketball player in the NBA, born in Alexandria, Virginia

Apr 3 Jennifer Paterson, English chef and TV personality (Two Fat Ladies), born in Kensington, London (d. 1999)
Apr 3 Kevin Hagen, American actor (Little House on the Prairie), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2005)
Apr 4 Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros, Cuban jazz trumpeter (Orchestra Harlow; Eddie Palmieri), born in Santa Clara, Cuba (d. 2016)
Apr 4 Bill Ryan, American newscaster (Smithsonian), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1997)
Apr 4 Estelle Harris, American actress and comedian (Estelle Costanza - Seinfeld; Toy Story), born in Manhattan, New York (d. 2022)
Apr 4 Jimmy Logan, British comedian (Mad Death), born in Dennistoun, Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2001)

Maya Angelou (1928-2014)

Apr 4 American author ("I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"), poet and actress (Nyo-Roots), born in St Louis, Missouri

Apr 4 Monty Norman [Noserovitch], British big band singer, songwriter (False Hearted Lover), and film composer (James Bond Theme), born in Stepney, England (d. 2022)
Apr 5 David Farquhar Andress, New Zealand composer (Ring Around the Moon; A Unicorn for Christmas), born in Cambridge, New Zealand (d. 2007)
Apr 5 Michael Bryant, British actor (Sakharov; Girly), born in London, England (d. 2002)
Apr 5 Peter Moore, British academic (Professor of Statistics at London Business School) (d. 2010)
Apr 5 Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters, 1953-59 - "Only You"; "The Great Pretender"), born in Elizabeth, New Jersey (d. 1992)
Apr 6 Bob Efford, British jazz and session baritone saxophonist and reed player, born in London (d. 2019)

James Watson (96 years old)

Apr 6 American molecular biologist who co-discovered DNA's structure, with Francis Crick (Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, 1962), geneticist and zoologist, born in Chicago, Illinois [1] [2]

Apr 6 Will Gaines, American-British tap dancer, born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2014)
Apr 7 Alan J Pakula, American filmmaker (All the President's Men; Sophie;s Choice; Klute), born in the Bronx, New York City (d. 1998) [1]

James Garner (1928-2014)

Apr 7 American actor (Rockford Files, Bret Maverick), born in Norman Oklahoma

Apr 7 James White, Northern Irish sci-fi author (Star Surgeon, Star Healer), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland (d. 1999)
Apr 8 Eric Porter, British stage and BAFTA Award-winning screen actor (The Royal Shakespeare Company; The Forsyte Saga; Antony & Cleopatra, The Thirty Nine Steps), born in London, England (d. 1995)

Fred Ebb (1928-2004)

Apr 8 American musical theater lyricist, with John Kander (Cabaret; Chicago; New York, New York; Funny Lady), born in New York City

Apr 8 Leah Rabin (nee Schloßberg), wife of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, born in Königsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia) (d. 2000)
Apr 8 Mary Zeldenrust-Noordanus, Dutch CEO (NVSH - Dutch Association for Sexual Reform), born in The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1984)
Apr 9 Brian Cubbon, British senior civil servant, born in Lancashire, England (d. 2015)
Apr 9 Floyd Spence, American attorney and politician (Rep-R-SC, 1971-2001), born in Columbia, South Carolina (d. 2001)
Apr 9 Monty Sunshine, British jazz clarinetist and bandleader (Petite Fleur), born in Stepney, London (d. 2010)

Paul Arizin (1928-2006)

Apr 9 American College/Basketball HOF small forward (NBA C'ship 1956; 10 x NBA All Star; NBA scoring champion 1952, 57; Philadelphia Warriors), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Apr 9 Tom Lehrer, American musician ("The Elements"), satirist (That Was The Week That Was), and mathematician, born in New York City
Apr 10 Marilyn Maye, American cabaret and standards singer, born in Wichita, Kansas [1]
Apr 10 Rosco Gordon, American R&B pianist, singer, and songwriter ("Booted"; "No More Doggin'"), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2002)

Ethel Kennedy (96 years old)

Apr 11 American human-rights campaigner (wife of Bobby Kennedy), born in Chicago, Illinois

Apr 12 Brooklyn Supreme, Belgian stallion, heaviest known horse (1450 kg)
Apr 12 Hardy Krüger, German actor (The Flight of the Phoenix), novelist, and travel writer, born in Wedding, Berlin, Germany (d. 2022)
Apr 12 Jean-François Paillard, French conductor, and arranger (Pachelbel's Canon in D), born in Vitry-le-François, France (d. 2013)
Apr 12 Russell L. Rogers, American electrical engineer and astronaut (X-20), born in Lawrence, Kansas (d. 1967)
Apr 12 Uwe Kitzinger, German-British political scientist, educator and administrator (President of Templeton College Oxford), born in Nuremberg, Germany (d. 2023)
Apr 13 Alan Clark, English politician (Minister for Defence Procurement), born in Paddington, London (d. 1999)
Apr 14 Egil Monn-Iversen, Norwegian pianist, composer, and conductor (Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, 1981-96), born in Oslo, Norway (d. 2017)
Apr 14 Gene Corrigan, American lacrosse player, coach and college athletics administrator (President of the NCAA 1995-97), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2020)
Apr 15 Jerry Green, Pro Football Hall of Fame journalist (Associated Press 1956-63; The Detroit News 1963-2004), born in New York City (d. 2023)
Apr 15 Norma Merrick Sklarek, 1st African-American woman architect in NY & California, born in Harlem, New York (d. 2012)
Apr 15 Richard Evans, British diplomat, ambassador to the People's Republic of China (1984-88), born in England (d. 2012)
Apr 16 Dick 'Night Train' Lane, American Pro Football HOF cornerback (7 x Pro Bowl; 7 x First-team All-Pro; LA Rams, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions), born in Austin, Texas (d. 2002)
Apr 16 Walt Dickerson, American jazz vibraphone player, and composer ("To My Queen"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2008) [1]
Apr 17 Cynthia Ozick, American author (Pagan Rabbi & Other Stories), born in New York City
Apr 18 Howard S. Becker, American sociologist, and author (Outsiders), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2023)
Apr 18 Ken Colyer, British New Orleans jazz devotee trumpeter, cornetist, and bandleader, born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England (d. 1988)
Apr 19 Alexis Korner, British blues musician (Blues Inc - "Bootleg Him"), born in Paris, France (d. 1984)
Apr 19 John Horlock, British vice-chancellor (Open College), born in Edmonton, Middlesex (d. 2015)
Apr 19 William Klein, American-French photographer (1957 Prix Nadar), born in New York City (d. 2022)
Apr 20 Gerald S. Hawkins, English-American astronomer (archaeoastronomy), born in Great Yarmouth, England (d. 2003)
Apr 20 Johnny Gavin, Irish soccer winger (7 caps Rep. Ireland; Norwich City 312 games), born in Limerick, Ireland (d. 2007)
Apr 20 Muhammadu Maccido, 19th Sultan of Sokoto (1996-2006) in Nigeria, born in Dange Shuni, Nigeria (d. 2006)
Apr 20 Robert Byrne, American chess player (FIDE Grandmaster), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 2013)
Apr 23 Okke Jager, Dutch theologist, writer and poet, born in Delft, Netherlands (d. 1992)

Shirley Temple (1928-2014)

Apr 23 American actress, famous 1930s child star (Bright Eyes, Heidi) and diplomat, born in Santa Monica, California

Apr 23 Sir William "Bill" Cotton, British television producer and executive (Noel Gay TV), born in London, England (d. 2008)
Apr 24 Gustav Krivinka, Czech composer, born in Doubravice nad Svitavou, Czech Republic (d. 1990)
Apr 24 Johnny Griffin III, American jazz saxophonist (A Blowin' Session), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2008)
Apr 24 Tommy Docherty, Scottish soccer midfielder (25 caps; Preston North End) and manager (Chelsea, QPR, Scotland, Manchester United), born in Glasgow, Scotland (d. 2020)
Apr 28 Eugene M. Shoemaker, American planetary scientist and geologist (Shoemaker-Levy comet), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 1997)
Apr 28 Manuel Muñoz, Chilean soccer striker (26 caps; CSD Colo-Colo), born in Tocopilla, Chile (d. 2022)
Apr 28 Yves Klein, French sculptor and painter, born in Nice, France (d. 1962)
Apr 29 Carl Gardner, American pop-rock vocalist (The Coasters - "Yakety Yak"), born in Tyler, Texas (d. 2011)
Apr 29 Heinz Wolff, German-born British scientist and presenter (BBC series "The Great Egg Race"), born in Berlin, Germany (d. 2017)
Apr 30 Dickie Davies, English TV presenter (ITV's World of Sport), born in Wallasey, England (d. 2023) [1]
Apr 30 Hugh Hood, Canadian author (White Figure, White Ground), born in Toronto, Ontario (d. 2000)
Apr 30 Peter Carsten, German actor and film producer actor (A Study in Terror, Mr Super Invisible), born in Weißenburg in Bayern, Germany (d. 2012)

Born in 1928

Famous Deaths

Apr 2 Theodore W. Richards, American chemist (1st American to win the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for atomic weights 1914, awarded 1915), dies at 60
Apr 5 Jane Ellen Harrison, British anthropologist and linguist, dies at 77
Apr 5 Roy Kilner, cricketer (9 Tests for England 1924-26), dies at 38
Apr 7 Alexander Bogdanov, Russian physician and philosopher, dies at 54
Apr 13 Luis Iruarrizaga Aguirre, Basque priest, organist and composer of religious music, dies at 36
Apr 16 Henry Birks, Canadian businessman and founder of Henri Birks and Sons, dies at 87
Apr 18 Henryk Melcer-Szczawiński, Polish pianist, composer, and conductor, dies of a heart attack at 58
Apr 24 Ferdinand Hummel, German composer, dies at 72
Apr 25 Pyotr Nikolayevich, Baron Wrangel, Russian baron general (White Armies, WW II), dies at 49
Apr 29 Henrich Federer, Swiss writer (I Switch Off The Light), dies at 61