What Happened in April 1964

Historical Events

  • Apr 1 10°F lowest temperature ever recorded in Cleveland in April

Music History

Apr 1 John Lennon is reunited with his father Freddie after 17 years

  • Apr 1 Military coup in Brazil by General Castello Branco ousts President João Goulart
  • Apr 1 Robert Lowell's "Benito Cereno" premieres in NYC
  • Apr 2 USSR launches Zond 1 to Venus; no data returned
  • Apr 3 Beatles hold top 6 spots on Sydney Australia record charts
  • Apr 3 US & Panama agree to resume diplomatic relations
  • Apr 4 Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" single goes #1 & stays #1 for 5 weeks
  • Apr 4 Deposed President João Goulart leaves Brazil under threat of arrest, moves into life of exile in Uruguay, and later Argentina

Anyone Can Whistle

Apr 4 Stephen Sondheim's musical "Anyone Can Whistle" opens at Majestic Theater, NYC; runs for 9 performances

  • Apr 5 1st driverless trains run on London Underground
  • Apr 6 Egypt & Belgium restore diplomatic relations

High Spirits

Apr 7 Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray's musical "High Spirits", based on Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit", opens at Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 375 performances

  • Apr 7 IBM announces the System/360 mainframe computer
  • Apr 8 Unmanned Gemini 1 launched
  • Apr 10 Demolition begins in Upper Manhattan, New York City on Polo Grounds sports stadium (home to MLB Giants, 1891-1957, Mets, 1962-63, and NFL Jets, 1960-63) to clear way for housing project
  • Apr 10 Iranian motor launch catches fire & sinks killing 113 (Persian Gulf)
  • Apr 11 Stephen Sondheim's musical "Anyone Can Whistle" closes at Majestic Theater, NYC, after 9 performances

US Masters Golf

Apr 12 28th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Arnold Palmer wins by 6 shots from Dave Marr and Jack Nicklaus to become the first 4-time winner of the Masters; his 7th and final major victory

Academy Awards

Apr 13 36th Academy Awards: "Tom Jones" (Best Film), Patricia Neal (Hud) and Sidney Poitier (Lilies Of The Field) win; Poitier first Black actor in a leading role to win a competitive Oscar

  • Apr 13 Ian Smith becomes Prime Minister of Rhodesia
  • Apr 13 New Zealander Colin Bosher shears a record 565 sheep in 1 work day

Sports History

Apr 14 LA Dodgers' future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax throws his 9th complete game without allowing a walk in 4-0 Opening Day win over St. Louis Cardinals

  • Apr 15 Chesapeake Bay Bridge opens (world's longest)
  • Apr 16 9 men sentenced 25-30 years for Britain's 1963 "Great Train Robbery"
  • Apr 17 1st game at Shea Stadium, NY Mets lose to Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3
  • Apr 17 Albert Hague and Marty Brill's musical "Cafe Crown", starring Theodore Bikel, opens at Martin Beck Theater, NYC; runs for 3 performances
  • Apr 17 Ford Mustang formally introduced ($2,368 base)
  • Apr 17 Jerrie Mock becomes 1st woman to fly solo around the world
  • Apr 18 Albert Hague and Marty Brill's musical "Cafe Crown", starring Theodore Bikel, closes at Martin Beck Theater, NYC, after 3 performances
  • Apr 18 Artisans strike in Belgium ends
  • Apr 18 LA Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax strikes out the side on 9 pitches, for major league best third time in his career

Foxy

Apr 18 Robert Emmett Dolan and Johnny Mercer's musical "Foxy", starring Bert Lahr, closes at Ziegfeld Theater. NYC. after 72 performances and a Tony Award win for Lahr

  • Apr 19 Rightist coup in Laos, Suvanna Phuma remains premier
  • Apr 20 68th Boston Marathon won for second straight year by Aurele Vandendriessche of Belgium in 2:19:59
  • Apr 20 86% of black students boycott Cleveland schools
  • Apr 21 Pirates & Cubs combine for 9 HRs, Pirates win 8-5
  • Apr 22 World's Fair at Flushing Meadow, Corona Park, NY opens
  • Apr 23 Houston Colt 45s Ken Johnson becomes 1st major league pitcher to lose a 9 inning no-hitter, Reds win 1-0

Blues for Mister Charlie

Apr 23 James Baldwin's stage drama "Blues for Mister Charlie", directed by Burgess Meredith, opens at the ANTA Playhouse, NYC; runs for 148 performances

  • Apr 23 New York State Theater opens
  • Apr 24 Gene Roddenberry registers his Star Trek series with the Writers Guild of America
  • Apr 24 Mexico becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty

Television Finale

Apr 25 "New Phil Silvers Show" last airs on CBS-TV

  • Apr 25 11th National Film Awards (India): "Shehar Aur Sapna" wins the Golden Lotus
  • Apr 25 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON: 3-peat for the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 4-0 Game 7 win over Detroit Red Wings for a 4-3 series victory
  • Apr 26 18th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat SF Warriors, 4 games to 1

LPGA Titleholders Championship

Apr 26 LPGA Titleholders Championship Women's Golf, Augusta CC: Marilynn Smith retains title; beats Mickey Wright by 1 stroke

  • Apr 26 Tanganyika & Zanzibar form The United Republic of Tanganyika & Zanzibar
  • Apr 27 John Lennon's book of poetry and sketches "In His Own Write" is published in US
  • Apr 28 Japan joins the OECD
  • Apr 29 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
1964 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Apr 1 Erik Breukink, Dutch road cyclist (Tour de France 1990 3rd) and manager (Rabobank), born in Rheden, Netherlands
  • Apr 1 John Morris, English cricket batsman (3 Tests, 8 x ODIs; Derbyshire CCC, Durham CCC, Nottinghamshire CCC), born in Crewe, England
  • Apr 1 Kevin Duckworth, American basketball center (NBA All-Star 1989, 91; Portland Trail Blazers), born in Harvey, Illinois (d. 2008)
  • Apr 1 Scott Stevens, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman (13 x NHL All Star; Stanley Cup 1995, 2000, 03; Con Smythe Trophy 2000; NJ Devils), born in Kitchener, Ontario
  • Apr 3 Ajay Sharma, Indian cricket all-rounder (1 Test; 31 ODIs), born in Delhi, India
  • Apr 3 Bjarne Riis, Danish cyclist, born in Herning, Denmark
  • Apr 3 Nigel Farage, British politician and leader of the UKIP who campaigned for Brexit, born in Downe, Kent
  • Apr 4 Branco [Cláudio Ibrahim Vaz Leal], Brazilian footballer and coach, born in Bagé, Brazil
  • Apr 4 Paul Parker, English soccer player, born in West Ham, Essex
  • Apr 4 Robbie Rist, American actor (Oliver-Brady Bunch) and musician, born in Los Angeles, California
  • Apr 5 Christopher "Kid" Reid, American rapper (Kid 'n Play - "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody"), actor and comedian, born in The Bronx, New York City
  • Apr 5 Robert "Bob" Kaehler, American rower (Olympic 5th 1992, 96), born in Burlingame California
  • Apr 6 Amy Jo Ellis, American country-folk singer-songwriter ("Welcome The Day"), born in Modjeska Canyon, California
  • Apr 6 Johnny Dee [DiTeodoro], American heavy metal drummer (Britny Fox - "Boys in Heat"; "King Kobra"), born in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
  • Apr 6 Phil Gayle, British news presenter (DW News, The Big Breakfast), born in Birmingham, England
  • Apr 6 Tim Walz, American politician (Rep-DFL-Minnesota 2007-19), Governor of Minnesota (2019-), born in West Point, Nebraska
  • Apr 7 Joe Durant, American golfer (4 PGA Tour titles), born in Pensacola, Florida

Russell Crowe (59 years old)

Apr 7 Australian-New Zealand actor (A Beautiful Mind, Gladiator), born in Wellington, New Zealand

  • Apr 8 Biz Markie [Marcel Hall], American rapper, DJ and record producer ("Just A Friend"), born in New York City (d. 2021)
  • Apr 8 John McGinlay, Scottish footballer (Bolton Wanderers), born in Inverness, Scotland
  • Apr 8 Lisa Guerrero, American sports broadcaster, journalist and model, born in Chicago, Illinois
  • Apr 9 Charles Jenkins Jr., American athlete (Olympic gold 4x400m relay 1992), born in New York City
  • Apr 9 Doug Ducey, American businessman and politician, Governor of Arizona (2015-), born in Toledo, Ohio
  • Apr 9 Rob Awalt, American football player, born in Landstuhl, Germany
  • Apr 9 Soyo Oka, Japanese musician, born in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo, Japan
  • Apr 10 Felicia Collins, American guitarist (David Letterman), born in Albany, New York
  • Apr 10 Manon Bollegraf, Dutch tennis star (semi 1996 Aust doubles), born in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
  • Apr 10 Reni [Alan John Wren], English pop drummer (Stone Roses - "Fools Gold"), born in Manchester, England
  • Apr 11 Bret Saberhagen, American baseball pitcher (World Series MVP 1985 Kansas City Royals; Cy Young Award 1985, 89; 3 x MLB All Star), born in Chicago Heights, Illinois
  • Apr 11 Johann Sebastian Paetsch, American cellist and musician, born in Colorado Springs
  • Apr 11 Steve Azar, American country singer and songwriter ("I Don't Have to Be Me ('til Monday)"), born in Greenville, Mississippi
  • Apr 12 Amy Ray, American folk-rock singer and songwriter (Indigo Girls - "Closer To Fine"), born in Decatur, Georgia
  • Apr 13 Andy Goram, Scottish soccer goalkeeper (43 caps; Oldham Athletic, Hibernian, Rangers, Motherwell), born in Bury, England (d. 2022)
  • Apr 13 Bill D'Angelo, American heavy metal guitarist (Femme Fatale), born in Albuquerque, New Mexico (d. 2005)
  • Apr 13 Caroline Rhea, Canadian comedian and actress, born in Westmount, Quebec

Davis Love III (59 years old)

Apr 13 American golfer (PGA C'ship 1997; 21 PGA Tour titles), born in Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Apr 13 Doug Strange, American baseball infielder (Seattle Mariners), born in Greenville, South Carolina
  • Apr 13 José Rijo, Dominican baseball pitcher (NY Yankees, Cincinnati Reds), born in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic
  • Apr 13 Page Hannah, American actress (Fame - "Kate Riley"), born in Chicago, Illinois
  • Apr 14 Allen James, American 50K walker (Olympics 24th-92, 96), born in Sacramento, California
  • Apr 14 Gina McKee, English actress (Our Friends in the North), born in Peterlee, England
  • Apr 14 Greg Battle, Canadian CFL linebacker (Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
  • Apr 14 Jim Grabb, American professional tennis player, 1986-97 (Grand Slam wins: French Open Doubles, 1989; US Open Doubles, 1992), born in Tucson, Arizona
  • Apr 14 Rebecca Richards-Kortum, American bioengineer (MacArthur prize for medical technologies for poor communities), born in Grand Island, Nebraska [1]
  • Apr 15 Lydie Denier, French model and actress (General Hospital), born in Saint-Nazaire, France
  • Apr 15 Nadeem Abbasi, Pakistani cricketer (three Tests for Pakistan v India 1989), born in Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan
  • Apr 16 Dave Pirner, American rocker (Soul Asylum), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Apr 16 David Kohan, American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and television producer (Will & Grace), born in New York City
  • Apr 16 Esbjörn Svensson, Swedish jazz pianist (Seven Days Of Falling), born in Skultuna, Sweden (d. 2008)
  • Apr 16 Robert Kelker-Kelly, American actor (Days of Our Lives -"Bo"), born in Wichita, Kansas
  • Apr 17 Ken Daneyko, Canadian-American NHL defenseman (NJ Devils), born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada
  • Apr 17 Lela Rochon, American actress (Robin Stokes-Waiting to Exhale), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Apr 17 Maynard James Keenan, American singer (Tool; A Perfect Circle), born in Ravenna, Ohio
  • Apr 17 Raye Hollitt, American bodybuilder (American Gladiators), born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
  • Apr 18 Bez [Mark Berry], English percussionist and dancer (Happy Mondays), born in Bolton, Lancashire
  • Apr 18 Niall Ferguson, British historian (Empire: How Britain Made the Modern World, Civilisation: the West and the Rest), born in Glasgow, Scotland
  • Apr 18 Rithy Panh, Cambodian film director (Rice People), born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
  • Apr 19 Harris Barton, American football offensive tackle (Super Bowl 1988, 89, 94; All-Pro 1992, 93; Pro Bowl 1993; SF 49ers), born in Sandy Springs, Georgia
  • Apr 19 Scott Kamienicki, American baseball pitcher (NY Yankees), born in Mount Clemens, Michigan
  • Apr 20 Andy Serkis, English actor (Gollum in Lord of the Rings), born in London, England
  • Apr 20 Crispin Glover, American actor (Back to the Future, River's Edge), born in New York
  • Apr 20 George Pehlivanian, French-American symphonic and opera conductor, born in Beirut, Lebanon
  • Apr 20 John Carney, American football placekicker (Super Bowl XLIV NO Saints; First-team All-Pro & NFL scoring leader 1994; Pro Bowl 1994, 2008; SD Chargers), born in Hartford, Connecticut
  • Apr 21 Ludmila Engquist, Swedish athlete (Olympic gold 100m hurdles 1996; World C'ship gold 1991 [rep. USSR], 97), born in Tambov Oblast, Russia
  • Apr 22 Chris Makepeace, actor (Vamp, My Bodyguard, Meatballs, Oasis), born in Toronto, Ontario
  • Apr 23 Dan Frischman, American actor (Arvid Engen-Head of the Class), born in Whippany, New Jersey
  • Apr 23 Gen [Simon Matthews], British pop drummer (Jesus Jones - "Right Here, Right Now"), born in Wiltshire, England
  • Apr 23 Gianandrea Noseda, Italian conductor (National Symphony (D.C.), 2017-27; Zurich Opera, 2021-28; BBC Philharmonic, 2002-11), born in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy
  • Apr 24 Cedric the Entertainer, American comedian and actor, born in Jefferson City, Missouri
  • Apr 24 Djimon Hounsou, Beninese actor (Blood Diamond), born in Cotonou, Dahomey
  • Apr 25 Andy Bell, English rocker (Erasure - "Oh L'Amour"), born in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, England

Hank Azaria (59 years old)

Apr 25 American actor (The Birdcage) and voice behind many characters in The Simpsons (Moe, Apu, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Carl Carlson), born in New York City

  • Apr 25 Jamie Siddons, Australian cricketer (Victorian & SA batsman ODI for Aust 1988), born in Robinvale, Victoria, Australia
  • Apr 25 Wisit Sasanatieng, Thai film director (Tears of the Black Tiger), born in Bangkok, Thailand
  • Apr 26 Tod Bass, American actor (Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In), born in Los Angeles, California
  • Apr 27 Paul Osbaldiston, CFL kicker (Hamilton Tiger Cats), born in Oldham, England
  • Apr 28 Barry Larkin, American Baseball HOF shortstop (12 × MLB All-Star; World Series 1990; NL MVP 1995; 3 × Gold Glove Award; Cincinnati Reds), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Apr 28 Helen Taylor [Windsor], English daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, born in Iver
  • Apr 28 L'Wren Scott [Laura Bambrough], American fashion designer and partner of Mick Jagger, born in Salt Lake City, Utah (d. 2014)
  • Apr 28 Mark Hager, Australian field hockey forward/capt (Olympic 4th 1988, 96)
  • Apr 28 Noriyuki Iwadare, Japanese video game music composer, born in Matsumoto City, Nagano, Japan
  • Apr 29 Federico Castelluccio, Italian-American actor (The Sopranos), born in Naples, Italy
  • Apr 30 Barrington Levy, Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer ("Englishman"), born in Clarendon, Jamaica
  • Apr 30 Ian Healy, Australian cricket wicket-keeper (119 Tests, 366 catches, 29 stumpings), born in Brisbane, Queensland
  • Apr 30 Jeff Reboulet, infielder (Minnesota Twins), born in Dayton, Ohio

Tony Fernandes (59 years old)

Apr 30 Malaysian businessman (AirAsia), born in Kuala Lumpur


Born in 1964

Famous Weddings

John Wayne Gacy

Apr 9 Serial killer John Wayne Gacy (22) weds co-worker Marlynn Myers

  • Apr 29 Princess Irene marries Spanish prince Carel Hugo de Bourbon Parma

Famous Deaths

  • Apr 1 Božidar Kunc, Croatian concert pianist and composer, dies of a heart attack backstage after a performance with the Detroit Symphony at 60

Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)

Apr 5 American US Army General in World War II (Pacific Theater; Philippines) and Korea, dies at 84

  • Apr 9 Hesketh Pearson, English biographer and playwright (Writ for Libel), dies at 77
  • Apr 12 Evert Willem Beth, Dutch mathematician and philosopher (Significs Group), dies at 56
  • Apr 14 Earle Hodgins, American fast-talking film and television character actor (Guestward Ho!), dies at 70
  • Apr 14 Herb McGirr, New Zealand cricket all-rounder (played in NZ's 1st Test series; 2 Tests, 1 x 50; Wellington), dies at 72

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

Apr 14 American marine biologist, conservationist and author (Silent Spring), dies of a heart attack at 56

  • Apr 14 Tatyana Afanasyeva, Russian-Dutch mathematician and physicist (fields of statistical mechanics and statistical thermodynamics), dies at 87
  • Apr 18 Albe Vidaković, Croatian composer, dies at 49
  • Apr 18 Ben Hecht, American novelist, screenwriter and playwright (The Front Page), dies at 71
  • Apr 19 Cyril Merry, Trinidadian cricketer (WI batsman in 2 Tests 1933), dies at 53
  • Apr 20 Eddie Dyer, American baseball player, dies at 64

Karl Polanyi (1886-1964)

Apr 23 Austro-Hungarian economic anthropologist (The Great Transformation), dies at 77

  • Apr 24 Gerhard Domagk, German bacteriologist (Nobel Prize 1939 in Physiology or Medicine - first commercially available antibiotic and marketed under the brand name Prontosil), dies at 68
  • Apr 26 Edwin John Pratt, Canadian poet (Towards the Last Spike), dies at 81
  • Apr 26 Pieter van der Lijn, Dutch geologist (Boulder Book), dies at 93
  • Apr 27 Georg Britting, German poet, dies at 73
  • Apr 28 Rolf de Maré, Swedish art collector & museum director, dies at 75
  • Apr 29 Albert Saverys, Flemish painter, dies at 77