Historical Events
- Apr 1 Iran proclaimed an Islamic Republic following fall of Shah
- Apr 1 Warner Cable launches Nickelodeon, a basic cable channel featuring programming focused on children and teenagers
Meeting of Interest
Apr 2 Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in Cairo, Egypt
Sports History
Apr 6 Baltimore manager Earl Weaver wins his 1,000th game as a skipper, a 5-3 Orioles victory over the Chicago White Sox
- Apr 7 Henri La Mothe dives 28' into 12 3/8" of water
Sports History
Apr 7 Houston Astro Ken Forsch no-hits Atlanta Braves, 6-0, becoming with his brother Bob Forsch the only MLB siblings to accomplish the feat
Sports History
Apr 7 NHL New York Islanders Mike Bossy scores 4 goals on his first 4 shots in 9-2 win over visiting Philadelphia Flyers
- Apr 8 205th & final episode of "All in the Family"; followed by "Archie Bunker's Place" for 4 seasons
Carmelina
Apr 8 Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner's musical "Carmelina", based on the 1968 film "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell", opens at St James Theater, NYC; runs for 17 performances
- Apr 8 People's Republic of China joins International Olympic Committee
Academy Awards
Apr 9 51st Academy Awards: "The Deer Hunter", Jon Voight & Jane Fonda win
- Apr 10 J. R. Richard of the Houston Astros pitches a complete game but sets a MLB record by throwing 6 wild pitches in 2-1 win over the LA Dodgers at the Astrodome
- Apr 10 Red River Valley Tornado Outbreak: A tornado lands in Wichita Falls, Texas killing 42 people.
- Apr 10 Soyuz 33 launched with a Russian & a Bulgarian
Mad Max
Apr 12 Australian film "Mad Max" starring Mel Gibson, directed by George Miller is released
US Masters Golf
Apr 15 43rd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Fuzzy Zoeller wins his only Masters with a birdie on the 2nd hole of a playoff with Ed Sneed and Tom Watson
- Apr 15 A disastrous earthquake (of M 7.1) on Montenegro coast.
Boston Marathon
Apr 16 83rd Boston Marathon: American double; Bill Rodgers wins 2nd straight event and 3rd overall title in 2:09:27; Joan Benoit women's champion in 2:35:15
- Apr 16 Failed Palestinian attack on Zaventem Airport, Belgium
- Apr 16 Sam Shepard receives Pulitzer Prize for "Buried Child"
- Apr 17 Brian Clark's stage drama "Whose Life is it Anyway?" starring Tom Conti and Phillip Bosco, and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, opens at the Trafalgar Theatre, NYC; runs for 223 performances, winning Conti a Tony Award
- Apr 17 Four Royal Ulster Constabulary officers are killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army van bomb in Bessbrook, County Armagh; the bomb is believed to be the largest PIRA bomb used up to that point
- Apr 18 "Real People" premieres on NBC TV
- Apr 18 Major Haddad declares South-Lebanon independent
- Apr 19 FCC raids & shuts down pirate radio station WFAT (Brooklyn New York)
Jimmy Carter Attacked by a Rabbit
Apr 20 US President Jimmy Carter is attacked by a swamp rabbit which swam up to his fishing boat in Plains, Georgia
- Apr 21 Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner's musical "Carmelina", based on the 1968 film "Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell", closes at St James Theater, NYC, after 17 performances
Rolling Stones Benefit Concerts
Apr 22 The Rolling Stones play two benefit concerts for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, in Oshawa, Ontario; performance part of guitarist Keith Richards’ heroin conviction sentence
Music History
Apr 24 US State of Georgia designates Ray Charles' rendition of "Georgia On My Mind" (written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell) as official state song
- Apr 25 Peace treaty between Israel & Egypt goes into effect
Love Comes to Everyone
Apr 27 George Harrison releases single "Love Comes to Everyone"
- Apr 30 Mary Therese Friel, (New York), crowned 28th Miss USA
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 1 Ivano Balić, Croatian handballer (198 caps; Olympic gold 2004; World C'ship gold 2003), born in Split, Croatia
- Apr 1 Ruth Beitia, Spanish athlete (Olympic gold women's high jump 2016), born in Santander, Spain
- Apr 2 Jesse Carmichael, American musician and songwriter (Maroon 5), born in Boulder, Colorado
- Apr 4 Andy McKee, American fingerstyle guitarist, born in Topeka, Kansas
Heath Ledger (1979-2008)
Apr 4 Australian-American Actor (Brokeback Mountain, The Dark Knight), born in Perth, Western Australia
Natasha Lyonne (45 years old)
Apr 4 American actress (Orange is the New Black), born in New York City
- Apr 4 Roberto Luongo, Canadian ice hockey goaltender, born in Montreal, Quebec
- Apr 5 Timo Hildebrand, German footballer
- Apr 6 Frederick MGDL Windsor, son of English prince Michael
- Apr 7 Adrián Beltré, Dominican baseball player
- Apr 8 Alexi Laiho, Finnish guitarist and singer (Children of Bodom, Sinergy, Kylähullut), born in Espoo, Finland (d. 2021)
- Apr 8 David Petruschin, American drag queen (Raven) and make-up artist, born in Victorville, California
- Apr 8 Jeremy Guthrie, American MLB baseball pitcher, 2004-17 (Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, and 3 other teams), born in Roseburg, Oregon
- Apr 9 Albert Hammond, Jr., American guitarist (The Strokes), born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 9 Clare Bronfman, American heiress (Seagrams), equestrian, and convicted felon (NXIVM human trafficking), born in New York City
- Apr 9 Keith Nobbs, American actor (Phone Booth), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Apr 9 Keshia Knight Pulliam, American actress (The Cosby Show - "Rudy"; Tyler Perry's House of Payne - "Miranda"), born in Newark, New Jersey
- Apr 10 Peter Kopteff, Finnish footballer, born in Helsinki, Finland
- Apr 10 Rachel Corrie, American political activist, born in Olympia, Washington (d. 2003)
- Apr 10 Shemekia Copeland, American blues singer (Turn the Heat Up!), born in Harlem, New York
- Apr 10 Sophie Ellis-Bextor, English singer ("Murder on the Dance Floor"), born in London
- Apr 10 Tsuyoshi Domoto, Japanese actor and singer (KinKi Kids), born in Nara, Japan
- Apr 11 Chris Gaylor, American drummer (The All-American Rejects), born in Edmond, Oklahoma
- Apr 11 Josh Server, American actor (All That), born in Highland Park, Illinois
- Apr 11 Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Canadian human rights activist, Miss World Canada, born in Tehran, Iran
- Apr 11 Sebastien Grainger, Canadian musician (Death From Above), born in Mississauga, Canada
Claire Danes (45 years old)
Apr 12 American actress (Angela-My So Called Life, Romeo & Juliet), born in New York City
- Apr 12 Elena Grosheva, Russian gymnast (Olympic 1996), born in Yaroslavl, Russia
- Apr 12 Jennifer Morrison, American actress (Once Upon a Time, House), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Apr 12 Jordan De Jong, American baseball player, born in Orange City, Iowa
- Apr 12 Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer, born in Belgrade, Serbia
- Apr 12 Paul Nicholls, English actor (EastEnders), born in Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
- Apr 13 Baron Davis, American basketball point guard (NBA All-Star 2002, 04; NBA steals leader 2004, 07; Charlotte Hornets; NO Hornets, GS Warriors, LA Clippers), born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 13 Meghann Shaughnessy, American tennis player, born in Richmond, Virginia
- Apr 13 Tony Lundon, Irish pop singer (Liberty X - "Thinking It Over"), TV presenter (Toast), and filmmaker, born in Galway, Ireland
- Apr 14 Noé Pamarot, French footballer, born in Fontenay-sous-Bois, France
- Apr 14 Randal McCloy, Survivor of the Sago Mine Disaster
- Apr 14 Rebecca DiPietro, American model, born in Rehoboth, Massachusetts
- Apr 16 Christijan Albers, Dutch Formula One driver, born in Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Apr 16 Sean Costello, American blues guitarist and singer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2008)
- Apr 16 Sixto Peralta, Argentine footballer, born in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina
- Apr 17 Siddharth Narayan, Indian film actor, born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Apr 17 Tram-Anh Tran, American actress (Ghostwriters'), born in New York City
- Apr 18 Anthony Davidson, British Formula One driver, born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England
- Apr 18 Kourtney Kardashian, American reality television star, born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 18 Matthew Upson, English footballer (England national team World Cup 2010), born in Eye, England
- Apr 18 Michael Bradley, American basketball player, born in Worcester, Massachusetts
- Apr 18 Nuria Fergó, Spanish singer (La vida son sólo dos días), born in Nerja, Spain
Kate Hudson (45 years old)
Apr 19 American actress (Almost Famous, You, Me and Dupree), born in Los Angeles, California
James McAvoy (45 years old)
Apr 21 Scottish actor (X-Men: First Class), born in Glasgow, Scotland
Daniel Johns (45 years old)
Apr 22 Australian musician (Silverchair - "Freak"), born in Newcastle, New South Wales
- Apr 22 Zoltan Gera, Hungarian footballer
- Apr 23 Barry Fratelli [Wallace], Scottish rock bassist (The Fratellis - Costello Music; Here We Stand), born in Glasgow, Scotland
- Apr 23 Jaime King, American model and actress (Bulletproof Monk), born in Omaha, Nebraska
- Apr 23 Lauri Ylönen, Finnish singer and songwriter (The Rasmus), born in Helsinki, Finland
- Apr 23 Yana Gupta, Czech actress and author (How To Love Your Body And Get The Body You Love), born in Brno, Czechoslovakia
- Apr 24 Laurentia Tan, Singaporean Paralympic equestrienne, born in Singapore
- Apr 26 Ariane Moffatt, Canadian singer (Aquanaute - "La barricade"; "Dans un océan"), born in Saint-Romuald, Quebec
- Apr 26 Janne Wirman, Finnish progressive metal keyboardist (Children of Bodom), born in Espoo, Finland
- Apr 26 Sean Fox, American actor (3 Ninjas Kick Back, Calendar Girl)
- Apr 27 Natasha Chokljat, Australian netball player, born in Tasmania, Australia
- Apr 27 Will Boyd, American rock bassist (Evanescence), born in Little Rock, Arkansas
- Apr 28 Bahram Radan, Iranian actor (The Passion of Love), born in Tehran, Iran
- Apr 29 Jo O'Meara, British pop singer and songwriter (S Club - "Bring It All Back"), born in Romford, England
- Apr 29 Lee Dong-Gook, Korean footballer, born in Pohang, South Korea
- Apr 29 Matt Tong, British rock drummer (Bloc Party; Algiers), born in Bournemouth, England
- Apr 29 Ryan Sharp, Scottish racing driver, born in Newtonhill, Scotland
- Apr 30 Gerardo Torrado, Mexican footballer
Famous Weddings
Rod Stewart
Apr 6 British singer Rod Stewart (34) weds American model and actress Alana Collins(33); divorce in 1984
Rosanne Cash
Apr 7 American country singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash (23) weds American singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell (28); divorce in 1992
John Candy
Apr 28 Actor and comedian John Candy (28) weds Rosemary Margaret Hobor at St. Basil's Church in Toronto, Canada
Famous Deaths
- Apr 1 Bruno Coquatrix, French songwriter, music impresario (Olympia Hall, Paris), and politician, dies at 68
- Apr 2 Carroll Rosenbloom, American businessman and NFL team owner Baltimore Colts, LA Rams, dies of a heart attack at 72
- Apr 2 Ivan Barrow, Jamaican cricket wicketkeeper (11 Tests; first West Indian Test century-maker in England), dies at 68
- Apr 4 Edgar Buchanan, American actor (Petticoat Junction), dies at 76
- Apr 4 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani president, hanged in Pakistan at 51
- Apr 5 Eugène Gabritschevsky, Russian biologist and artist (b. 1893)
- Apr 6 M Marie Wadlow, American softball pitcher (Hall of Fame 1957), dies at 61
- Apr 6 Milton Ager, American composer, dies at 85
- Apr 7 Bruno Apitz, German writer, dies at 78
- Apr 9 Staats Cotsworth, American actor (Hamlet, Peyton Place), dies at 71
- Apr 10 Henriette P "Hetty" Beck, Dutch actress (Dodendans), dies at 91
- Apr 10 Nino Rota [Giovanni Rota Rinaldi], Italian classical and film score composer (Il cappello di paglia di Firenze; The Godfather (I & II; 16 Fellini films), dies from a coronary thrombosis at 67
- Apr 12 Pernell Charity, American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, dies at 58
- Apr 19 Rogers Morton, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland), dies at 64
- Apr 20 Peter Donald, British-born American actor and radio host dubbed "one of radio's great dialecticians" (Masquerade Party), dies at 60
- Apr 23 Blair Peach, New Zealand-born anti-fascist (b. 1946)
- Apr 23 Doug Rauch, American rock and jazz-fusion bassist (Santana, 1972-74), dies of a heroin overdose at 28
- Apr 24 John Carroll [Julian LaFaye], American actor (Flying Tigers, Go West), dies from leukemia at 72
- Apr 27 Alfred Kantorowicz, German-Jewish historian and journalist (Spanish Diary), dies at 79
- Apr 28 Feliks Roderyk Łabuński, Polish composer, dies at 86
- Apr 29 Hardie Gramatky, American author and animator (Little Toot), dies at 72
- Apr 29 Julia Perry, American classical composer (Soul Symphony; Cask of Amontillado; Homunuclus C.F.), dies at 55
