Historical Events
- Apr 1 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Queen Juliana in the US
Apr 3 Dutch Queen Juliana speaks to US Congress
US Masters Golf
Apr 6 16th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Sam Snead wins his second green jacket by 4 strokes over Jack Burke Jr
- Apr 8 US President Harry Truman seizes steel mills to avert a strike
- Apr 9 Hugo Ballivian's government is overthrown by the Bolivian National Revolution, starting a period of agrarian reform, universal suffrage and the nationalisation of tin mines
- Apr 11 The Battle of Nanri island takes place.
- Apr 12 Salaheddine Baccouche forms Tunisian government
- Apr 15 Archaeologist Albert Ruz discovers the tomb of Pakal, the greatest ruler of the Maya city of Palenque
- Apr 15 Franklin National Bank issues 1st bank credit card
- Apr 15 Stanley Cup Final, Olympia Stadium, Detroit, MI: Detroit Red Wings beat Montreal Canadiens, 3-0 for a 4-0 series sweep
- Apr 15 The maiden flight of the US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress prototype, designed and built by Boeing
- Apr 15 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Apr 16 "4 Saints in 3 Acts" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 15 performances
- Apr 21 56th Boston Marathon won by Doroteo Flores of Guatemala in 2:31:53
- Apr 21 BOAC begins 1st passenger service with jets (London-Rome route)
- Apr 21 Secretaries' Day (now Administrative Professionals' Day) is first celebrated
- Apr 22 1st atomic explosion on network news, Nob, Nevada
Event of Interest
Apr 22 Eugene Ionesco's "Les Chaises" premieres in NYC
Sports History
Apr 23 Bob Cain of St. Louis Browns and Bob Feller of Cleveland Indians each pitch a one-hitter, as the home team wins 1-0 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Missouri
- Apr 23 Crude oil pipeline from Kirkuk, Iraq to Banias, Syria completed
Sports History
Apr 23 New York Giant Hoyt Wilhelm wins his 1st game in relief & hits his only HR
- Apr 25 6th NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers beat NY Knicks, 4 games to 3
- Apr 25 American Bowling Congress approves use of an automatic pinsetter
- Apr 25 German state of Bathe-Wurttemberg forms
Golf History
Apr 26 Patty Berg scores 64, best competitive round of golf by a woman
- Apr 26 US minesweeper Hobson rams aircraft carrier Wasp, kills 176
- Apr 27 Revival of Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein's operetta "Four Saints in Three Acts" closes at Broadway Theater, NYC, after 15 performances
Event of Interest
Apr 28 Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Commander of NATO
- Apr 28 St Louis Browns lend 2 black minor leaguers to Hankyu Braves of Japan
- Apr 28 WW II Pacific peace treaty takes effect
- Apr 30 Mr Potato Head is 1st toy advertised on television
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 1 Abdel Basset Ali Al-Megrahi, Tripoli Libya, bomber (Pan Am 103), (d. 2012)
- Apr 1 Annette O'Toole, American actress (Cat People, Superman III), born in Houston, Texas
- Apr 1 Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher
- Apr 1 Rob Wasserman, American jazz and rock double bassist, and composer (RatDog; Duets), born in San Mateo, California (d. 2016)
- Apr 1 Tirso Cruz III, Filipino actor and singer, born in Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (72 years old)
Apr 1 Indian-born British-American physicist and molecular biologist who won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research into ribosomes, born in Chidambaram, Madras State, India
- Apr 2 Leon Wilkeson, American rock bassist (Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Sweet Home Alabama"), born in Newport, Rhode Island (d. 2001)
- Apr 2 Thierry Le Luron, French humorist, born in Paris (d. 1986)
- Apr 2 Will Hoy, English auto racer (British Touring Car C'ship 1991), born in Melbourn, England (d. 2002)
- Apr 3 Dave Bronze, British session and touring bass player (Eric Clapton; Tom Jones; Robin Trower), born in Billercay, Essex, England
- Apr 3 Mike Moore, American politician and Attorney General of Mississippi, born in Pascagoula, Mississippi
- Apr 4 Gary Moore, Irish rock guitarist (Skid Row-Oh Pretty Woman), born in Belfast, Northern Ireland (d. 2011)
- Apr 4 Gregg Hansford, Australian motorcycle racer (10 x GP wins) and touring car racer (Bathurst 1993), born in Brisbane, Australia (d. 1995)
- Apr 4 Pat Burns, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame coach (Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins; Stanley Cup 2002-03 New Jersey Devils), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 2010)
- Apr 4 Rosemarie Ackermann, German high jumper (Olympic gold 1976), born in Lohsa, Sachsen, Germany
- Apr 5 Mitch Pileggi, American actor (The X-Files), born in Portland, Oregon
- Apr 5 Sandy Mayer, American tennis player (Wimbledon doubles 1975; French Open doubles 1979), born in Portola Valley, California
- Apr 6 Judith McConnell, actress (Sophia Capwell-Santa Barbara)
Marilu Henner (72 years old)
Apr 6 American stage and screen actress (Taxi - "Elaine"; The Man Who Loved Women; Evening Shade), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Apr 6 Stephen Barber, American musician, arranger, and composer, born in Abilene, Texas
- Apr 6 Udo Dirkshneider, German heavy metal ringer (Accept, 1976-87 - "Balls to the Wall"; U.D.O.), born in Wuppertal, West Germany
- Apr 7 Bruce Gary, American rock drummer (The Knack - "My Sharona"), born in Burbank, California (d. 2006)
- Apr 7 Jane Frederick, US pentathlete (Olympic 7th 1976)
- Apr 8 Adam Woods, British rock drummer (The Fixx - "One Thing Leads To Another"; "Saved By Zero"), born in Manchester, England
- Apr 9 Bruce Robertson, New Zealand rugby union centre (34 Tests, 22 tries; Counties Manukau RFU), born in Hastings, New Zealand (d. 2023)
- Apr 9 Magnar Åm, Norwegian composer, born in Trondheim, Norway
- Apr 9 Tania Tsanaklidou, Greek artist pop singer ("Charlie Chaplin"), and staged and screen actress, born in Drama, Greece
- Apr 10 Mark Goldenberg, American session and touring guitarist (Jackson Browne; Cher), songwriter (The Pointer Sisters; Peter Frampton), and producer, born in Chicago, Illinois
- Apr 10 Per Henriksen, Norwegian soccer central defender (10 caps; Viking FK 180 games), born in Stavanger, Norway (d. 2024)
- Apr 11 Michael Shea, American director and actor (The Fugitive, The Wild Wild West, Mission: Impossible), born in Queens, New York
- Apr 11 Peter Windsor, English motor racing journalist and reporter, born in Reigate, Surrey, England
- Apr 12 Alexis Argüello, Nicaraguan boxer (3-weight world champion), born in Managua, Nicaragua (d. 2009)
- Apr 12 J. D. Nicholas, British guitarist (Heatwave, Commodores), born in Watford, England
- Apr 12 Ralph Wiley, American sports journalist and writer (Sports Illustrated and ESPN's Page 2), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 2004)
- Apr 12 Reuben Gant, American professional football player (Buffalo Bills), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Apr 13 David Drew, British politician (MP for Stroud), born in Gloucestershire, England
- Apr 13 Erick Avari, American-Indian actor, born in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India
- Apr 13 Jonjo O'Neill, Irish racehorse trainer, born in Cork, Ireland
- Apr 13 Ron Dittemore, American space administrator, born in Cooperstown, New York
- Apr 13 Sam Bush, American progressive bluegrass mandolinist (New Grass Revival), born in Bowling Green, Kentucky
- Apr 14 Kenny Aaronson, American session and touring bass guitarist (Joan Jett; Bob Dylan; Rick Derringer), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Apr 14 Mickey O'Sullivan, Irish Gaelic football manager and player, born in Kenmare, Ireland
- Apr 15 Bengt Gingsjö, Swedish swimmer, born in Gothenburg, Västra Götaland
- Apr 15 Donald Harvey, American serial killer, healthcare worker who killed at least 37 patients, born in Hamilton, Ohio (d. 2017)
- Apr 15 Kym Gyngell, Australian comedian, born in Melbourne, Australia
- Apr 15 Sam McMurray, American actor (Tracey Ullman), born in New York City
Bill Belichick (72 years old)
Apr 16 American football coach (Super Bowl 2002, 04, 05, 14, 17, 18; most SB wins; NFL Coach of the Year 2003, 07, 10; New England Patriots), born in Nashville, Tennessee
- Apr 16 Michel Blanc, French actor and director, born in Courbevoie, Hauts-de-Seine, France
- Apr 16 William Richard "Billy" West, American voice actor (Futurama), born in Detroit, Michigan
- Apr 17 Arkan [Željko Ražnatović], Serbian paramilitary leader, born in Brežice, Slovenia (d. 2000)
- Apr 17 Joseph Francis "Joe" Alaskey, American stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist, and impressionist (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck), born in Troy, New York (d. 2016)
- Apr 18 Jim Scholten, American country singer ("Betty's Bein' Bad"), born in Midland, Michigan
- Apr 19 Andy Shernoff, American punk rock bassist, songwriter, and record producer (The Dictators), born in Queens, New York City
- Apr 20 Božidar Maljković, Serbian basketball coach (EuroLeague C'ship 1989, 90 Jugoplastika; 1993 Limoges CSP; 1996 Panathinaikos BC; FIBA Intercontinental Cup 1996; President OC of Serbia), born in Otočac, Croatia
- Apr 20 Tamara Sergeyevna Zakharova, Russian cosmonaut, born in Moscow, Russia
- Apr 22 François Berléand, French actor
- Apr 23 Lionel Johnston, American actor (Sons & Daughters), born in Augusta, Georgia
- Apr 23 Narada Michael Walden, American rock, R&B, and jazz fusion musician and producer ("I Don't Want Nobody Else (To Dance with You)"; Divine Emotions"), born in Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Apr 23 Terry Moor, American tennis star, born in Hartford, Connecticut
- Apr 24 Jean Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer (Hermès), born in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France
- Apr 24 Pat Zachry, American baseball pitcher (World Series & NL Rookie of the Year 1976 Cincinnati Reds; MLB All Star 1978 NY Mets), born in Richmond, Texas (d. 2024)
- Apr 25 Cory Daye, American dance music vocalist, born in The Bronx, New York
Haider al-Abadi (72 years old)
Apr 25 Iraqi politician, Prime Minister of Iraq (2014-present), born in Baghdad, Iraq
- Apr 25 Ketil Bjørnstad, Norwegian pianist, born in Oslo, Norway
- Apr 25 Vladislav Tretiak, Russian hockey player (Olympic gold 1972, 76), born in Dmitrovsky District, Russia
- Apr 26 Popo Molefe, South African politician and secretary-general (South Africa UDF), born in Sophiatown, Gauteng, South Africa
- Apr 27 Ari Vatanen, Finnish rally driver, born in Tuupovaara, Finland
George Gervin (71 years old)
Apr 27 American basketball player, born in Detroit, Michigan
- Apr 27 Larry Elder, American political commentator, born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 28 Chuck Leavell, American session and touring keyboardist (The Allman Brothers Band; Rolling Stones; Sea Level), and forest conservationist (The Tree Man), born in Birmingham, Alabama [1]
- Apr 28 Gerald Barry, Irish classical composer (The Eternal Recurrence), born in Clarecastle, County Clare, Ireland
- Apr 28 Mary McDonnell, American actress (Sneakers, Independence Day), born in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania
- Apr 29 Bob McClure, American baseball player and coach (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Oakland, California
- Apr 29 David Icke, English writer and conspiracy theorist, born in Leicester, England
- Apr 29 Deborah Van Valkenburgh, American actress (Too Close for Comfort), born in Schnectady, New York
- Apr 29 Nora Dunn, American comedienne and actress (SNL; Miami Blues; Working Girl), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Apr 30 Jacques Audiard, French film director (Dheepan - 2015 Palme d'Or), born in Paris France
- Apr 30 Tom Pesek, PC programmer (creator of HAL 9000 program)
Famous Weddings
Norodom Sihanouk
Apr 12 Cambodia king Norodom Sihanouk (29) weds Paule Monique Izzi
Jackie Coogan
Apr 15 American actor Jackie Coogan (37) weds American dancer Dorothea "Dodie" Lamphere (38) [exact day unconfirmed]
Famous Divorces
Clark Gable
Apr 21 American actor Clark Gable (50) and socialite Sylvia Ashley (47) divorce
Famous Deaths
- Apr 1 Ferenc Molnar, Hungarian American playwright (A Pal Utrai Fiuk) and novelist (The Paul Street Boys), dies at 74
- Apr 2 Bernard Lyot, French astronomer (Coronagraph, Lyot-filter), dies at 55
- Apr 3 Miina Sillanpää, Finnish first female minister and a key figure in the workers' movement, dies at 85
- Apr 5 Charles Collett, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway (1922-41), dies at 80
- Apr 5 Henri Vandeputte, Belgian writer (L'Autre Vie), dies at 75
- Apr 11 Wadih Sabra, Lebanese composer (Kulluna lil Watan), dies at 76
- Apr 13 [Rosalie] Julia Cuypers, Flemish actress (Adelaarsjong), dies at 79
- Apr 21 Leslie Banks, English actor (Henry V, 21 Days, Eye Witness), dies at 61
- Apr 21 Stafford Cripps, British Labour politician, dies at 62
- Apr 23 Elisabeth Schumann, German soprano, dies at 63
- Apr 23 Julius Freed [Fried], American namesake and co-founder of Orange Julius fast food chain, dies at 64
- Apr 23 Minus van Looi [Benjamin van der Voort], Flemish writer, dies at 60
- Apr 27 Guido Castelnuovo, Italian mathematician, dies at 86
- Apr 30 Charles Radoux-Rogier, Belgian composer, dies at 74
