What Happened in April 1957

Historical Events

Endgame

Apr 3 Samuel Beckett's play "Endgame" premieres in London as a French language production

Playwright, Novelist and Poet Samuel Beckett

Apr 3 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
Apr 4 Heitor Villa-Lobos' 10th Symphony premieres French Radio National Orchestra, conducted by the composer, in Paris
Apr 6 Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis buys the Hellenic National Airlines (TAE) and founds Olympic Airlines.
Apr 6 NYC ends trolley car service
Apr 6 USSR performs nuclear test (atmospheric tests)

US Masters Golf

Apr 7 21st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Doug Ford wins his only Masters, 3 strokes ahead of 3-time champion Sam Snead

Apr 7 Last of NY's electric trolleys completes its final run

Music History

Apr 9 Howard Hanson's "Song of Democracy" premieres in Washington, D.C.

12 Angry Men

Apr 10 "12 Angry Men", directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb, is released

Film Director and Screenwriter Sidney Lumet

Apr 10 John Osborne's "Entertainer" premieres in London
Apr 10 Jordanian government of Naboelsi resigns
Apr 10 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
Apr 11 Britain agrees to Singaporean self-rule

Neruda Arrested

Apr 11 Chilean poet Pablo Neruda arrested in Buenos Aires (later released)

Apr 11 Ryan X-13 Vertijet becomes 1st jet to take-off & land vertically
Apr 12 Jim Spalding set a 2,088 pin nine-game bowling record
Apr 12 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test
Apr 13 11th NBA Championship: Bost Celtics beat St Louis Hawks, 4 games to 3
Apr 13 11th Tony Awards: "Long Day's Journey into Night" (play) & "My Fair Lady" (musical) win
Apr 13 Musical "Shinbone Alley", starring Eartha Kitt, opens at Broadway Theater NYC; runs for 49 performances
Apr 13 Saturday postal delivery in US is temporarily halted due to lack of funds
Apr 14 Leah Neuberger wins her 8th women's singles ping pong championship
Apr 15 61st Boston Marathon won by John J Kelley in 2:20:05; course length changed
Apr 15 KTVI TV channel 2 in Saint Louis, MO (ABC) begins broadcasting
Apr 15 Saturday mail delivery restored in the US after Congress gives the Post Office $41 million
Apr 16 Stanley Cup Final, Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec: Dickie Moore has a goal and 2 assists as Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins, 5-1 for a 4-1 series victory
Apr 16 USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test at Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan

Catholic Encyclical

Apr 21 Pope Pius XII publishes encyclical Fidei Donum

Apr 22 All NL baseball teams integrate, John Irwin Kennedy becomes the 1st Black player for the Philadelphia Phillies
Apr 24 Chicago Cub pitchers walk NL record 9 Reds in 5th inning
Apr 25 1st experimental sodium nuclear reactor operated
Apr 25 Ibrahim Hashim forms Jordanian government
Apr 25 WUHY TV channel 35 in Philadelphia, PA (PBS) begins broadcasting
Apr 26 Jamestown, Virginia 350th Anniversary Festival opens
Apr 28 4th National Film Awards (India): "Kabuliwala" wins the Golden Lotus

Sports History

Apr 28 LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Montgomery CC: Patty Berg wins her 6th WO by 1 stroke from Wiffi Smith

Apr 28 WSOC TV channel 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina (ABC) begins broadcasting
Apr 29 1st military nuclear power plant dedicated at Fort Belvoir, Virginia

Events in 1957

Famous Birthdays

David Gower (67 years old)

Apr 1 English cricket batsman and captain (117 Tests; 8,231 runs @ 44.25; 18 x 100; 114 ODIs), born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England

Apr 1 Donnie Hammond, American golfer (2 PGA Tour titles), born in Frederick, Maryland
Apr 1 Peter Deutsch, American politician (US Representative (D)-Florida, 1993-2005), born in The Bronx, New York
Apr 2 Hank Steinbrenner, American businessman and MLB team owner (New York Yankees 2010-20), born in Culver, Indiana (d. 2020)
Apr 4 Aki Kaurismäki, Finnish film director (The Other Side of Hope), born in Orimattila, Finland
Apr 4 Ali El Haggar, Egyptian singer and actor, born in Imbabah, Giza
Apr 4 Graeme Kelling, Scottish pop guitarist (Deacon Blue), born in Paisley, Scotland (d. 2004)

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán (67 years old)

Apr 4 Mexican drug lord and escape artist, born in La Tuna, Sinaloa, Mexico (or April 4th, 1957)

Apr 4 Kelso, American racehorse, born in Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky (d. 1983)
Apr 4 Nobuyoshi Kuwano, Japanese musician (Rats & Star), born in Ōta, Tokyo
Apr 4 Paul Downton, English cricketer (England wicket-keeper in 80's), born in Farnborough, London
Apr 6 Maurizio Damilano, Italian race walker (Olympic gold 20k 1980; World C'ship gold 20k 1987, 91), born in Scarnafigi, Italy
Apr 6 Paolo Nespoli, Italian astronaut
Apr 7 Kim Kap-su, South Korean actor
Apr 7 Simon Climie, English singer-songwriter and producer (Climie Fisher - "Love Changes Everything"), born in London
Apr 8 Fred Smerlas, American football player, born in Waltham, Massachusetts
Apr 9 Ednita Nazario, Puerto Rican Latin pop and rock singer, born in Ponce, Puerto Rico
Apr 9 Martin Margiela, Belgian fashion designer, born in Genk, Belgium

Seve Ballesteros (1957-2011)

Apr 9 Spanish golfer (British Open 1979, 84, 88, US Masters 1980, 83), born in Pedreña, Spain

Apr 10 Aliko Dangote, Nigerian Chairman and CEO of the Dangote Group (Africa's richest person 2024), born in Kano, Kano State
Apr 10 John M. Ford, American sci-fi author and poet, born in East Chicago, Indiana (d. 2006)
Apr 10 Steve Gustafson, American bass guitarist (10,000 Maniacs - "Trouble Me"; "These Are Days"), born in Seville, Spain
Apr 11 Everton Mattis, West Indian cricket batsman (4 Tests, 1 x 50; Jamaica), born in Kingston, Jamaica
Apr 11 John Castellanos, American actor (The Young and The Restless - "John Silva"), born in Mesa, California

Vince Gill (67 years old)

Apr 12 American multiple Grammy and Country Music Award-winning singer ("When I Call Your Name"), and guitarist (Eagles, 2017-present), born in Norman, Oklahoma

Apr 13 Amy Goodman, American activist and radio host (Democracy Now), born in Bay Shore, Long Island, New York
Apr 13 Dallas Moir, Maltese-Scottish cricketer, born in Imtarfa, Malta
Apr 13 Gary Kroeger, American comedian (SNL, 1982-85) and actor, born in Cedar Falls, Iowa
Apr 13 Saundra Santiago, American actress (Miami Vice - "Gina"), born in The Bronx, New York
Apr 13 Wayne Lewis, American keyboardist (Atlantic Starr), born in White Plains, New York
Apr 14 Bobbi Brown, American make-up artist (Bobbi Brown Cosmetics), born in Chicago, Illinois
Apr 14 Henrik Stiesdal, Danish inventor and engineer (1st off shore wind farm), born in Hørsholm, Denmark
Apr 14 Lothaire Bluteau, Canadian actor (Jésus de Montréal), born in Montreal, Quebec
Apr 14 Mikhail Pletnev, Russian pianist, conductor and composer, born in Arkhangelsk, USSR
Apr 14 Richard Jeni, American comedian, born in Brooklyn, New York City (d. 2007)
Apr 15 Evelyn Ashford, American athlete (4 x Olympic sprint gold 1984, 88, 92), born in Shreveport, Louisiana
Apr 15 Jiří Gemrot, Czech contemporary classical composer (Dances and Reflections; Maxims), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic)
Apr 16 Heiko Salzwedel, German cycling coach (est. Australian Institute of Sport Road Cycling/MTB program; German, Danish, British Cycling), born in Schmalkalden, Germany (d. 2021)
Apr 17 Byron Cherry, American actor (Coy-Dukes of Hazzard), born in Atlanta, Georgia
Apr 17 Dwane Casey, American basketball coach (Detroit Pistons 2018-19; Toronto, Minnesota; NBA All-Star Game 2018), born in Indianapolis, Indiana
Apr 17 Nick Hornby, English writer (High Fidelity), born in Redhill, Surrey
Apr 19 Belinda Lipscomb, American vocalist (Midnight Star - "No Parking On The Dance Floor"; "Operator"), born in Louisville, Kentucky
Apr 19 Ge You, Chinese Actor (best actor Cannes 1994 "To Live"), born in Beijing, China

Mukesh Ambani (67 years old)

Apr 19 Indian businessman and chairman of Reliance Industries, born in Aden, Yemen

Apr 19 Tony Martin [Harford], British heavy metal vocalist (Black Sabbath, 1987-91 and 1993-7), born in Birmingham, England
Apr 20 Geraint Wyn Davies, Welsh-Canadian actor (Nick Knight-Forever Knight, Bury Me in Niagara, High Hopes), born in Swansea, Wales
Apr 20 Graeme Fowler, English cricket batsman (21 Tests, 3 x 100, 8 x 50, HS 201; 26 ODIs; Lancashire CCC, Durham CCC), born in Accrington, England
Apr 20 Richenel [Hubertus Richenel Baars], Dutch singer and performer ("Turn My Page"), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Apr 21 Edward Leslie, American professional wrestler
Apr 21 Jesse Orosco, pitcher (NY Mets, Orioles, Dodgers), born in Santa Barbara, California
Apr 22 Alan Campbell, Homestead Fla, actor (E Z-3's a Crowd)
Apr 22 Donald Tusk, Polish politician, Prime Minister of Poland (2007-14, 2023-), President of the European Council (2014-19), born in Gdańsk, Poland
Apr 22 Ethel White, WBL guard (NY Stars)
Apr 23 Jan Hooks, American comedienne and actress (SNL, 1986-94; Designing Women, 1991-93; 3rd Rock from the Sun, 1996-2000), born in Decatur, Georgia (d. 2014)
Apr 23 Kenji Kawai, Japanese film score composer, born in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan
Apr 23 Olsen Filipaina, New Zealand rugby league five eighth (28 Tests; Auckland RL, Balmain RLFC, Eastern Suburbs RLFC, North Sydney DRLFC), born in Kaikohe, New Zealand (d. 2022)
Apr 24 Boris Williams, French-English drummer (The Cure - "Friday I'm In Love"), born in Versailles, France
Apr 24 David J [Haskins], British alternative rock bassist, lyricist (Bauhaus; Love And Rockets), and playwright (Silver for Gold), born in Northampton, England
Apr 25 Eric Bristow MBE ['The Crafty Cockney'], English darts player (BDO World Champion 1980-81, 84-86), born in Hackney, England (d. 2018)
Apr 26 Rosa Briceño, Venezuelan conductor, and educator, born in Caracas, Venezuela (d. 2018)
Apr 27 Michel Barrette, Canadian actor and stand-up comedian, born in Chicoutimi, Quebec
Apr 28 Leopold Eyharts, French cosmonaut (Soyuz TM-26, TM-28/27)
Apr 28 Wilma Landkroon, Dutch child pop singer ("Tulips From Amsterdam"), born in Enschede, Netherlands

Daniel Day-Lewis (66 years old)

Apr 29 English actor (Last of the Mohicans, Gangs of New York), born in London, England

Apr 29 Fiame Naomi Mata'afa, Samoan politician and chieftainess, 1st female Prime Minister of Samoa (2021-), born in Apia, Western Samoa
Apr 29 Mark Kendall, American rock guitarist Great White), born in Loma Linda, California
Apr 29 Richie Robertson, British new wave rock bassist and vocalist (Fabulous Poodles - "Mirror Star"), born in England
Apr 29 Timothy Treadwell, American bear enthusiast (d. 2003)
Apr 30 Aviva Chomsky, American historian, teacher, activist and daughter of Noam Chomsky, born in Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 30 Duane G Carey, American major USAF/astronaut, born in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Born in 1957

Famous Deaths

Apr 3 Edward "Ned" Sparks, Canadian actor (42nd Street, Imitation of Life), dies from intestinal obstruction at 73
Apr 4 E. Herbert Norman, Canadian diplomat (b. 1909)
Apr 8 Frank Chester, English cricketer and distinguished 1-armed Test umpire, dies at 62
Apr 15 Pedro Infante, Mexican actor and ranchero singer, dies as co-pilot in a plane crash at 39
Apr 19 Charles Earle Funk, American lexicographer (Funk & Wagnalls), dies at 76
Apr 19 Johan Willem Albarda, 1st Dutch socialist minister (1939-45), dies at 79
Apr 22 Roy Campbell, South African poet (Garcia Lorca), dies at 54
Apr 23 William Orlamond, Danish actor (Flesh and the Devil, The Wind), dies at 89
Apr 24 Andries Cornelis Dirk de Graeff, Dutch politician (Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1926-31), dies at 84
Apr 26 Gichin Funakoshi, Japanese martial artist, Father of Japanese Shotokan Karatedo, dies at 88
Apr 28 Heinz Bär, German fighter pilot, dies at 43
Apr 29 Olallo Morales, Spanish-Swedish pianist, composer, conductor, and educator, dies at 82
Apr 30 Ludwig Schiedermair, German musicologist (Beethoven), dies at 80

On This Day