Historical Events
- Apr 2 The first official Panda crossing is opened outside Waterloo station, London.
Sports History
Apr 3 American jockey Eddie Arcaro retires after 31 years (24,092 races)
- Apr 3 Lt General Marshall S Carter, USA, becomes deputy director of CIA
- Apr 5 Herb Gardner's "Thousand Clowns" premieres in NYC
- Apr 5 Mgr J Daems appointed bishop of Antwerp
Armstrong's X-15 Rocket
Apr 5 NASA's Neil Armstrong pilots the X-15 to a height of 54,600 meters
- Apr 5 St Bernard Tunnel finished-Swiss/Italians workers shake hands
- Apr 7 Indian cricketer Polly Umrigar slams 172 not out vs West Indies at Port-of-Spain in 248 minutes
Event of Interest
Apr 7 Yugoslav ex-president Milovan Djilas returns to jail
- Apr 8 Accords of Evian (Algeria) accepted by referendum in France
US Masters Golf
Apr 9 26th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Arnold Palmer wins the 3rd of his 4 Masters titles in an 18 hole Monday playoff with Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald; tournament's first 3-way playoff
Academy Awards
Apr 9 34th Academy Awards: "West Side Story" (Best Picture, Director, and 8 more), Sophia Loren (Two Women) & Maximilian Schell (Judgement At Nuremberg) win
Event of Interest
Apr 9 US President JohnF. Kennedy throws out 1st ball at Washington's new DC Stadium
- Apr 10 52,564 fans attend first MLB game at LA's Dodger Stadium at Chavez Ravine, a 6-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds
- Apr 10 Houston Colt .45s make their MLB debut with an 11-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Colt Stadium; outfielder Román Mejías hits a pair of 3-run homers
- Apr 11 New York Mets make a losing debut
- Apr 12 San Mateo County withdraws from BART (San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit) district
Baseball Record
Apr 13 Stan Musial scores his 1,869th run, a new NL record
- Apr 13 US steel industry forced to give up price increases
- Apr 14 Demonstration for sovereign status of New Guinea in Amsterdam
- Apr 14 France retains the Five Nations Rugby Championship with an 11-0 win over Ireland at Stade Colombes, Paris
Election of Interest
Apr 14 Georges Pompidou becomes Prime Minister of France after the resignation of Michel Debré
Film & TV History
Apr 16 Walter Cronkite begins anchoring CBS Evening News
- Apr 18 16th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 3
Event of Interest
Apr 19 NASA civilian pilot Joseph A. Walker takes X-15 to 46,900m
- Apr 20 NASA civilian pilot Neil Armstrong takes X-15 to 63,250 m
- Apr 20 New Orleans Citizens Co gives free 1-way ride to blacks to move North
- Apr 20 OAS-leader ex-general Salan arrested in Algiers
- Apr 21 9th National Film Awards (India): "Bhagini Nivedita" wins the Golden Lotus
- Apr 21 Century 21 Exposition opens in Seattle, Washington
- Apr 22 NY Mets tiea NL record by losing 9 straight to start season
- Apr 22 Pirates tie then record of 10 straight wins to start season
- Apr 22 Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Dick Duff scores the winner as Toronto Maple Leafs beat Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1 for a 4-2 series victory
- Apr 23 NY Mets win their 1st game ever, after going 0-9, beat Pirates 9-1
- Apr 23 Ranger 4, 1st US satellite to reach Moon launched from Cape Canaveral
- Apr 24 1st Lockheed A-12 is taxi tested
Baseball Record
Apr 24 LA Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax's 2nd career 18-strikeout, in a 10-2 win over Cubs in Chicago
- Apr 24 Massachusetts Institute of Technology sends TV signal by satellite for 1st time: California to Massachusetts
- Apr 25 Cleve sends Harry Chiti to Mets for a player to be named later, on June 15 the Mets send Chiti back to Cleveland
- Apr 25 Lion & Tiger Veldt at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is dedicated (Cleveland, Ohio)
- Apr 25 US Ranger spacecraft crash lands on Moon
- Apr 25 US resumes above ground nuclear testing, at Christmas Island
- Apr 26 1st Lockheed A-12 flies
- Apr 26 Ariel 1 Launch (1st UK Satellite)
- Apr 26 Ranger 4 crash lands on (backside of) Moon
- Apr 26 US and UK launch Ariel; 1st international payload
- Apr 27 Arnold Wesker's "Chips with Everything" premieres in London
- Apr 27 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Christmas Island
- Apr 29 16th Tony Awards: "A Man For All Seasons" (play) & "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (musical) win
- Apr 30 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Mickey Wright wins her 8th major title in a playoff with Ruth Jessen
- Apr 30 NASA civilian pilot Joseph A. Walker takes X-15 to 75,190 m
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 1 Dave Ulliott, English poker player (World Series of Poker bracelet 1997; World Poker Open 2003), born in Kingston upon Hull, England (d. 2015)
- Apr 1 Dimos Dimitriadis, Greek jazz saxophonist, and educator, born in Thessaloniki, Greece
- Apr 1 Phillip Schofield, English TV personality presenter (ITV This Morning, born in Oldham, England
- Apr 1 Sara Lazarus, American jazz singer ("It's All Right With Me"), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- Apr 2 Billy Dean, American country singer ("Young Man"; "Fire in the Dark"), born in Quincy, Florida
- Apr 2 Clark Gregg, American actor and director (Agent Phil Coulson), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Apr 2 Mark Shulman, American children's author (Scrawl), born in Rochester, New York
- Apr 2 Pierre Carles, French documentarist
- Apr 3 Jennifer Rubin, American actress (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors), born in Phoenix, Arizona
- Apr 3 John Thomas Griffith, American rocker (Red Rockers), born in Lubbock, Texas
- Apr 3 Mike Ness, American punk rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Social Distortion), born in Lynn, Massachusetts
- Apr 3 Simon Raymonde, British bassist, songwriter, and record producer (Cocteau Twins), born in Lewisham, London, England
- Apr 5 Lana Clarkson, American actress (d. 2003)
- Apr 5 Natalya Melyokhina, Russian road cyclist who won UCI Road World C'ship gold USSR women's team time 1987, born in Chelyabinsk, Russia (d. 2024)
- Apr 6 Pol Medina Jr., Filipino cartoonist (Pugad Baboy), born in Phillippines
- Apr 7 Alain Robert, French rock & urban climber, born in Digoin, France
- Apr 7 Andy Hampsten, American road cyclist (Giro d'Italia 1988; Tour de France Young rider classification 1986), born in Columbus, Ohio
- Apr 7 Bonny Warner, American luger, born in Mount Baldy, California
- Apr 7 Hugh Edward Ralph O'Connor, Italian-born American actor (In the Heat of the Night), born in Rome, Italy (d. 1995)
- Apr 8 Adam Mole, British guitarist (Pop Will Eat Itself - "Get The Girl! Kill The Baddies!"), born in England
- Apr 8 Izzy Stradlin [Jeff Isabelle], American guitarist (Guns & Roses), born in Lafayette, Indiana
- Apr 9 Freddie Joe Nunn, American NFL defensive end (Indianapolis Colts), born in Noxubee County, Mississippi
- Apr 10 Cathy Turner, American short track skater (Olympic gold 1994), born in Rochester, New York
- Apr 10 Jukka Tammi, Finnish hockey goaltender (Team Finland Olympic bronze 1998), born in Tampere, Finland
- Apr 10 Steve Tasker, American NFL wide receiver, broadcaster (Buffalo Bills, 7-time Pro Bowl), born in Smith Center, Kansas
- Apr 11 Terry Hoage, American College Football HOF wide receiver (NCAA C'ship 1980 Uni of Georgia; New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals), born in Ames, Iowa
- Apr 12 Art Alexakis, American musician (Everclear), born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 12 Takada Nobuhiko, Japanese wrestler, born in Isogo-ku, Yokohama
- Apr 13 Dave Miley, American baseball player and manager, born in Tampa, Florida
- Apr 13 Hillel Slovak, Israeli musician (What Is This?, 1980-85; Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1982-87), born in Haifa, Israel (d. 1988)
- Apr 14 John Bell, American rock singer and guitarist (Widespread Panic - "Hope in a Hopeless World"), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Apr 15 (Ivor) "Nick" Kamen, British pop singer-songwriter (Each Time You Break My Heart; I Promised Myself), and model (Levi's), born in Harlow, Essex, England (d. 2021)
- Apr 15 Nawal El Moutawakel, Moroccan athlete (Olympic gold 400m hurdles 1984), born in Casablanca, Morocco
- Apr 15 Surjit Bindrakhia [Bains], Punjabi Bhangra singer ("Lakk Tunoo Tunoo"; "Dupatta Tera Satrang Da"), born in Bindrakh, Punjab (d. 2003)
- Apr 15 Tom Kane, American voice actor, born in Overland Park, Kansas
- Apr 16 Antony Blinken, American government official, US Secretary of State (2021-), born in Yonkers, New York
- Apr 16 David Pate, American tennis star, born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 16 Ian MacKaye, American rock singer-songwriter, guitarist (Fugazi), and record label owner (Dischord), born in Washington, D.C.
- Apr 16 Jeanne Golay, American cyclist (Olympics-16th-92, 96), born in Coral Gables, Florida
- Apr 17 Nancy Hogshead, American swimmer (Olympic gold 1984), born in Iowa City, Iowa
- Apr 18 Shirlie Holliman, English pop singer (Wham!, Pepsi & Shirlie), born in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, England
- Apr 18 Wilber Marshall, American College Football HOF linebacker (Uni of Florida; Super Bowl 1985 Chicago Bears, 1991 Washington Redskins; 3 x Pro Bowl; 2 x All Pro), born in Titusville, Florida
Al Unser Jr. (62 years old)
Apr 19 American auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1992, 94), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Apr 19 Gerhard Mans, Namibian rugby union utility back (27 Tests; Orange Free State RFU, South West Africa RFU), born in Karasburg, Namibia (d. 2022)
- Apr 21 Les Lancaster, American baseball player
- Apr 21 Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin, Russian major/cosmonaut
- Apr 22 Jeff Minter, English video game programmer
- Apr 22 Rajae Belmlih, Moroccan singer, born in Rabat, Morocco (d. 2007)
- Apr 23 John Hannah, Scottish actor (Four Weddings and a Funeral), born in East Kilbride, Scotland
- Apr 24 Rick Beato, American audio engineer, record producer, musician, songwriter, and educator, born in Rochester, New York
- Apr 24 Stuart Pearce, English soccer defender (78 caps; Nottingham Forest) and manager (England U-21 2007-13; Great Britain Olympic team 2012; Manchester City), born in London, England
Adam Silver (61 years old)
Apr 25 American lawyer and NBA Commissioner, born in Rye, New York
- Apr 26 Colin Anderson, English footballer, born in Newcastle, England
- Apr 26 Debra Wilson, American actress and comedian (Mad TV), born in South Ozone Park, Queens, New York
- Apr 26 Grahame "Skin" Skinner, Scottish rocker (Hipsway), born in Glasgow
- Apr 26 Matteo Messina Denaro, Italian mobster, born in Castelvetrano, Sicily, Italy (d. 2023)
- Apr 26 Michael Damian, American actor (Young & Restless) and singer ("Rock On"), born in San Diego, California
- Apr 27 Ángel Comizzo, Argentine football goalkeeper, born in Reconquista, Argentina
- Apr 27 Edvard Moser, Norwegian psychologist and neuroscientist (2014 Nobel Prize for Physiology for discovery of place cells), born in Ålesund, Norway
- Apr 27 James LeGros, American actor (Point Break, Enemy of the State), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Apr 27 PattiSue Plumer, American 3k runner (Gold-Seattle '90), born in Covina, California
- Apr 28 Evguenni Rochtchin, NHL forward (Team Belarus, Olympics 1998)
- Apr 28 Susanne Klatten, Germany's richest woman (BMW, Altana), born in Bad Homburg, West Germany
- Apr 29 Bruce Driver, Canadian NHL defenseman (NY Rangers), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Apr 29 Robert Druppers, Dutch runner (world record 1 km indoor), born in Utrecht, Netherlands
- Apr 30 Egil Johansen, Norwegian soccer midfielder (12 caps; Vålerenga IF), born in Oslo, Norway (d. 2023)
Famous Divorces
Robert Wagner & Natalie Wood
Apr 27 American actress Natalie Wood (23) divorces American actor Robert Wagner (30) after almost 5 years of marriage; they remarry in 1972
Famous Deaths
- Apr 3 Benny "Kid" Paret, American welterweight boxer, dies after a fight at 24
- Apr 3 Manolis Kalomiris, Greek opera composer, dies at 78
- Apr 4 James Hanratty, executed at Bedford Prison, England, for the murder of Michael Gregsten (b. 1936)
- Apr 9 Juan Belmonte, famed bullfighter, dies at 70
- Apr 10 Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-born director (b. 1886)
- Apr 10 Stuart Sutcliffe, Scottish visual artist and rock bassist (The Beatles, 1960-61), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 21
- Apr 12 Antoine Pevsner, Russian-born French sculptor (Constructivist style), dies at 66
- Apr 12 M. Visvesvaraya, Indian civil engineer and statesman (19th Diwan of the Mysore Kingdom), dies at 100
- Apr 12 Ron Flockhart, Scottish auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1956, 57), dies in plane accident at 38
- Apr 13 Culbert Olson, American lawyer and politician (Gov-D-Cal), dies at 85
- Apr 15 Arsenio Lacson, Filipino journalist and politician (Mayor of Manila, 1952-62), dies of a stroke at 49
- Apr 15 Clara Blandick [Clara Blanchard Dickey], American stage and screen character actress (Tom Sawyer; Huckleberry Finn; Wizard of Oz), commits suicide at 85
- Apr 15 Esther Minciotti, Italian actress, dies at 73
- Apr 17 Louise Fazenda, American vaudeville, and silent and sound screen actress (Mack Sennett comedies), dies of cerebral hemorrhage at 66
- Apr 20 Artúr Harmat, Hungarian composer, dies at 76
- Apr 20 Jesse G. Vincent, American engineer (designed 1st V-12 engine, Packard automobiles) dies at 82
- Apr 21 Frederick Handley Page, designer of 1st big airplane (40 seats), dies
- Apr 22 Solomon Pimsleur, French composer, dies at 61
- Apr 22 Vera Reynolds, American actress (Dragnet Patrol, Lawless Woman), dies at 62
- Apr 27 A. K. Fazlul Huq, Bengali statesman, dies at 88
