Historical Events
- Apr 1 "Hold On, I'm Comin'" single released by Sam & Dave
- Apr 1 1st world festival of black art (Dakar Senegal)
Event of Interest
Apr 1 Loyalist led by Ian Paisley, a Protestant fundamentalist preacher, founded the Ulster Constitution Defence Committee to challenge the civil rights movement; it set up a paramilitary-style wing called the Ulster Protestant Volunteers
Sports History
Apr 3 Tom Seaver signs with the Mets for a reported $50,000 bonus
- Apr 4 Pirate Radio Scotland changes name to Radio Ireland
- Apr 4 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Apr 5 WTVX TV channel 34 in Ft Pierce-Vero Beach, FL (IND) 1st broadcast
- Apr 6 Mihir Sen swims Palk Strait between Sri Lanka & India
- Apr 7 US recovers a lost hydrogen bomb from the Mediterranean sea floor (whoops)
- Apr 8 OAO 1, 1st orbiting astronomical observatory, launched
- Apr 8 Time publishes its "Is God Dead" issue - its first issue without an image
- Apr 9 Anaheim Stadium for California Angels opens
US Masters Golf
Apr 11 30th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jack Nicklaus becomes first back-to-back champion winning an 18-hole Monday playoff with Tommy Jacobs and Gay Brewer
- Apr 11 Emmett Ashford becomes first African American major league baseball umpire in Washington Senators’ game against the Cleveland Indians at D.C. Stadium
Strangers in the Night
Apr 11 Frank Sinatra records "Strangers in the Night" single for his album of the same name. Later reaches #1 Billboard charts
- Apr 12 1st B-52 bombing on North Vietnam
- Apr 12 Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium opens; Pirates beat Braves 3-2
- Apr 12 Rocker Jan Berry crashes his Corvette into a parked truck, an accident which leaves him with long-lasting health issues
- Apr 13 Pan Am places $525,000,000 order for 25 Boeing 747s
- Apr 15 KHET TV channel 11 in Honolulu, HI (PBS) begins broadcasting
Aftermath
Apr 15 The Rolling Stones release "Aftermath", their fourth studio album in UK (6th in US)
NBA Record
Apr 18 Bill Russell becomes first African American coach in NBA history (Boston Celtics)
Event of Interest
Apr 21 Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie visits Kingston, Jamaica
- Apr 22 Atlanta Braves win their 1st game, beating NY Mets 8-4
- Apr 22 The Troggs second single "Wild Thing" released; tops the charts in July
- Apr 22 USSR performs underground nuclear test
- Apr 24 Atlanta Braves win NL-record 18 straight home games (17 in Milwaukee)
- Apr 25 Drunk driver kills 10 children in Asse, Belgium
- Apr 25 Rare daylight meteor observed from New Jersey, US to Quebec, Canada in the early evening
- Apr 26 An earthquake of magnitude 7.5 destroys Tashkent, Uzbekistan
- Apr 26 International Olympic Committee votes to award German city of Munich the right to host the 1972 Summer Olympic Games
Red Auerbach Retires
Apr 26 Red Auerbach retires as Boston Celtic's coach
Music Concert
Apr 27 Dmitri Shostakovich completes his 2nd Cello Concert
- Apr 28 20th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics beat LA Lakers, 4 games to 3
Academy Awards
Apr 28 38th Academy Awards: "The Sound of Music", Julie Christie & Lee Marvin win
- Apr 28 Cleveland ties record with 10th straight win since Opening Day
Music Premiere
Apr 28 David Diamond's 5th Symphony premieres with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein; the work was dedicated to the conductor
- Apr 28 OCAM, Common Afro-Mauritian Organization forms
- Apr 30 Anton LaVey founds the Church of Satan in San Francisco, California
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 1 Chris Evans, English disc jockey and television presenter, born in Warrington, England
- Apr 1 Mehmet Özdilek, Turkish soccer midfielder (31 caps; Beşiktaş) and manager (BB Erzurumspor), born in Samsun, Turkey
- Apr 2 Alexei Kovalev, Russian ice hockey right wing (NHL All-Star Game 2001, 03, 09 [MVP]; Stanley Cup 1994, New York Rangers; Olympic gold 1998), born in Minsk, Belarus
- Apr 2 Bill Romanowski, American NFL linebacker (Super Bowl 1988, 89 SF 49ers; 97, 98 Denver Broncos; Pro Bowl 1996, 98), born in Rockville, Connecticut
- Apr 2 Garnett Silk [Garnet Smith], Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter (Hey Mama Africa; Greenline), born in Manchester, Jamaica (d. 1994)
- Apr 2 Stephen Bachop, New Zealand rugby union fly-half (5 Tests; Canterbury, Otago, Wellington, London Irish RFC), born in Christchurch, New Zealand
- Apr 2 Teddy Sheringham, English soccer striker (51 caps; Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Millwall), born in London, England
- Apr 3 Bo Orlando, American football player, NFL safety (San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals), born in Berwick, Pennsylvania
- Apr 3 John de Vries, Australian racing driver (Indy Racing League and Australian Formula Holden), born in New South Wales, Australia
- Apr 3 Miina Tominaga, Japanese seiyu (voice actress), born in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima, Japan
- Apr 3 Shelley Michelle, American actress (Golden Eye), born in Hollywood, California
- Apr 4 Mike Starr [Michael], musician (Alice in Chains bassist), born in Honolulu, Hawaii (d. 2011)
- Apr 4 Myriam Schropp, German tennis star, born in Mannheim, West Germany
- Apr 4 Nancy McKeon, American actress (Jo Polniazek-Facts of Life), born in Westbury, New York
- Apr 5 Brent Hughes, American NHL left wing (Buffalo Sabres), born in New Westminster, California
- Apr 5 Michael "Mike" McCready, American musician and lead guitarist (Pearl Jam), born in Pensacola, Florida
- Apr 5 Scott Dill, American NFL tackle and guard (Tampa Bay Bucs, Minnesota Vikings), born in Birmingham, Alabama
- Apr 6 Young Man Kang, South Korean film director
- Apr 7 Gary Wilkinson, English snooker player
- Apr 7 Teri Ann Linn, American actress (Kristen-Bold & Beautiful), born in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Apr 8 Bobby Ologun, Nigerian television personality
- Apr 8 Mark Blundell, British auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans 1992), born in London, England
- Apr 8 Mazinho, Brazilian footballer (1994 FIFA World Cup) and manager, born in Santa Rita, Brazil
Robin Wright (58 years old)
Apr 8 American actress (Princess Bride, House of Cards), born in Dallas, Texas
Cynthia Nixon (58 years old)
Apr 9 American actress (Sex and the City), born in New York City
- Apr 9 Oliver Barnett, American NFL defensive end (SF 49ers), born in Louisville, Kentucky
- Apr 10 Neil Smith, American football defensive end (KC Chiefs, Den Broncos-Super Bowl 32), born in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Apr 11 Dustin Patrick Runnels, American professional wrestler (Goldust), born in Austin, Texas
- Apr 11 Lisa Stansfield, English pop singer ("Around the World"), born in Manchester, England
- Apr 11 Mason Reese, American actor (Underwood Deviled Ham), born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 11 Steve Bullock, American politician (Governor of Montana 2013-), born in Missoula, Montana
- Apr 11 Tomas Leandersson, Swedish ten-pin bowler (FIQ World C'ships 1999; World Tenpin Team Cup 1994; World Games 1993), born in Degerfors, Sweden (d. 2021)
- Apr 12 Lorenzo White, American football running back (Cleveland Browns), born in Hollywood, Florida
- Apr 13 Ali Boumnijel, Tunisian soccer goalkeeper (51 caps; Gueugnon, Club Africain), born in Menzel Jemil, Tunisia
- Apr 13 Marc Ford, American guitarist (The Black Crowes - "Hard To Handle"), born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 14 André Boisclair, Canadian politician (Parti Québécois), born in Montreal, Quebec
David Justice (58 years old)
Apr 14 American baseball player (Atlanta Braves), born in Cincinnati, Ohio
Greg Maddux (58 years old)
Apr 14 American Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher (4 x NL Cy Young Award; World Series 1995; 8 x MLB All Star; 18 x Gold Glove; Atlanta Braves), born in San Angelo, Texas
- Apr 14 Greg Myers, American MLB baseball catcher (Minnesota Twins), born in Riverside, California
- Apr 15 Andrei Olhovskiy, Russian tennis player, born in Moscow, Russia
- Apr 15 Chai Ling, Chinese dissident (All Girls Allowed) and one of the student leaders of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, born in Rizhao, Shandong, China
- Apr 15 Cressida Cowell, English children's writer (How to Train Your Dragon, Emily Brown), born in London, England
- Apr 15 Graeme Clark, Scottish bassist (Wet Wet Wet - "Angel Eyes"; "Love is All Around"), born in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland
- Apr 15 Samantha Karen Fox, British pop singer ("Touch Me"), born in London, England
- Apr 17 Vikram [Kennedy John Victor], Indian actor (I), born in Madras, Tamil Nadu
- Apr 18 Trine Hattestad, Norwegian javelin thrower (Olympic gold 2000), born in Lørenskog, Norway
- Apr 18 Valeri Kamensky, Russian NHL left wing (Avalanche, Olympic silver 1998), born in Voskresensk, Russia
- Apr 19 El Samurai [Osamu Matsuda], Japanese professional wrestler (WAR/NJPW), born in Hanamaki, Iwate, Japan
- Apr 19 Paul Reiffel, Australian cricket fast bowler (35 Tests, 105 wickets, 6 x 50; 92 ODIs, 96 wickets; Victoria) and Test umpire, born in Melbourne, Australia
- Apr 19 Véronique Gens, French operatic soprano, born in Orléans, France
- Apr 20 David Chalmers, Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist, born in Sydney, Australia
- Apr 21 Judy Diduck, ice hockey defenseman (Canada, Olympics 1998)
- Apr 22 Mariana Levy, Mexican actress (d. 2005)
- Apr 23 Jim Stynes [James], Hall of Fame Australian rules footballer (only foreigner to win Brownlow medal), born in Dublin, Ireland (d. 2012)
- Apr 23 Wayne Drinkwalter, CFL defensive tackle (BC Lions), born in Thunder Bay, Ontario
- Apr 24 Alessandro Costacurta, Italian footballer, born in Jerago con Orago, Italy
- Apr 24 Margashayam Venkataramana, Indian cricketer (Indian off-spinner 1989), born in Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
- Apr 24 Pascale Paradis-Mangon, French tennis star, born in Troyes, France
- Apr 24 Pierre Brassard, French Canadian humorist and actor, born in Val-d'Or, Canada
- Apr 24 Theo Adams, American football tackle (Frankfurt Galaxy), born in San Francisco, California
- Apr 25 Darren Holmes, American baseball pitcher (Colorado Rockies), born in Asheville, North Carolina
- Apr 25 Isabelle Pasco, French actress (Ave Maria) and model (Elle, Vogue), born in Perpignan, Pyrénées-Orientales, France
- Apr 26 Andrea Temesvári, Hungarian tennis star (1985 US Clay Courts), born in Budapest, Hungary
- Apr 26 Yoshihiro Togashi, Japanese Manga artist who created YuYu Hakusho, born in Shinjō, Yamagata, Japan
- Apr 27 Peter McIntyre, Australian cricketer (Australian leg-spinner 1995), born in Gisborne, Australia
John Daly (57 years old)
Apr 28 American golfer (PGA C'ship 1991, British Open 1995), born in Carmichael, California
Too Short (57 years old)
Apr 28 American rapper, born in South Central Los Angeles, California
- Apr 29 John Vander Wal, American NLB outfielder (Colorado Rockies), born in Grand Rapids Michigan
- Apr 29 Phil Tufnell, English cricketer (England slow lefty & slower fieldsman), born in London, England
- Apr 30 Aundray Bruce, defensive end (Oakland Raiders)
- Apr 30 David Meggett, NFL running back (NY Giants, NE Patriots)
Famous Weddings
Sophia Loren
Apr 9 Italian actress Sophia Loren (31) remarries Italian film producer Carlo Ponti (65) in Paris, France
Michael Palin
Apr 16 Actor and comedian Michael Palin (22) weds Helen Gibbins
Famous Deaths
- Apr 1 Flann O'Brien [Brian O'Nolan], Irish novelist (At Swim-Two-Birds; The Third Policeman), playwright, and satirist, dies of a heart attack at 54
- Apr 1 Karl Adam, German theologist (Jesus Christ), dies at 89
- Apr 2 C. S. Forester, English historical novelist (Horatio Hornblower), dies at 66
- Apr 3 Battista Farina, Italian automobile designer and founder of Pininfarina company, dies at 72
- Apr 3 Russel Crouse, American playwright (Life with Father) and journalist, dies at 73
- Apr 5 Slats Gill, Basketball Hall of Fame coach (36 seasons Oregon State 1928-64), dies of stroke at 64
- Apr 5 Svend Fleuron, Danish writer, dies at 91
- Apr 6 Julia Faye, actress (10 Commandments. Samson & Delilah), dies at 73
- Apr 8 George Creten, Belgian sculptor and painter, dies at 79
- Apr 9 Sutan Sjahrir, Indonesian politician and revolutionary leader (1st prime Minister of Indonesia 1945-47), dies in exile at 57
- Apr 10 Christian J Modeste, Dutch king of gypsies, dies at 71
- Apr 10 Evelyn Waugh, British writer (Black Mischief), dies at 62
- Apr 12 Sumokil, president of Republic South Moluccas, executed
- Apr 13 Abdul Salam Arif, Iraqi politician and President of Iraq (1963-66), killed in a plane crash at 45
- Apr 13 Georges Duhamel, French author (Vie et aventures de Salavin, 5 vol.), dies at 81
- Apr 15 Joseph Crehan, American actor (The Roaring Twenties, Meeting at Midnight), dies of stroke at 82
- Apr 16 Nandalal Bose, Indian pioneering modern artist (illustrated Constitution of India), dies at 83
- Apr 25 Maurice Roelants, Flemish novelist and poet (Komen en gaan, Prayer for a Good End), dies at 70
- Apr 28 Ralph Bunker, American actor (Ghost Goes West), dies of a stroke at 77
- Apr 29 Eugene O'Brien, American actor (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm), dies at 85
- Apr 30 Richard Fariña, American folk singer-songwriter ("Birmingham Sunday"), and novelist ("Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me"), dies in a motorcycle crash on his 29th birthday
