Historical Events
- Apr 1 Anti-nuclear demonstrators link arms in 14-mile human chain in England
- Apr 1 Iraq increases missile attacks on Iran
Sports History
Apr 2 New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy scores in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins to become the first player in NHL history to score 60 goals in 3 consecutive seasons
- Apr 3 2nd NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: USC beats Louisiana Tech, 69-67; Trojans' forward Cheryl Miller tournament MOP
Golf Major
Apr 3 Nabisco Dinah Shore Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: In strong winds, Amy Alcott wins by 2 strokes ahead of Kathy Whitworth and Beth Daniel; first year tournament regarded as a major title
- Apr 4 45th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: North Carolina State beats Houston, 54-52; Wolfpack win with buzzer-beating dunk by Lorenzo Charles off a desperation 30 foot shot from Dereck Whittenburg
- Apr 4 6th NASA Space Shuttle Mission: Challenger 1 launches
- Apr 5 France throws out 47 Soviet diplomats
Sports History
Apr 5 NY Met Tom Seaver's sets record 14th NL Opening Day assignment
- Apr 7 Oldest human skeleton, aged 80,000 years, discovered in Egypt
- Apr 7 STS-6 specialist Story Musgrave & Don Peterson perform the 1st STS spacewalk
- Apr 7 WIBC Championship Tournament in Las Vegas, attracts 75,480 women bowlers for 83-day event
Statue of Liberty
Apr 8 In front of a live audience of 20 tourists, David Copperfield makes the Statue of Liberty disappear
- Apr 9 137th Grand National: Ben de Haan wins aboard 13/1 bet Corbiere; Jenny Pittman first female GN winning trainer
- Apr 9 6th NASA Space Shuttle Mission: Challenger 1 returns to Earth
- Apr 9 David Bowie's single "Let's Dance" becomes his 1st song to hit No. 1 in both the US and the UK
Sports History
Apr 10 Baltimore's Eddie Murray hits his 1,000 career hit
- Apr 10 Jordan king Hussein ceases negotiations with PLO
- Apr 11 3rd Golden Raspberry Awards: "Inchon!" wins
US Masters Golf
Apr 11 47th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Seve Ballesteros of Spain wins his 2nd Masters and 3rd major title, 4 strokes ahead of Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite; Monday finish because of torrential rain
Academy Awards
Apr 11 55th Academy Awards: "Gandhi", Ben Kingsley & Meryl Streep win
- Apr 11 In the first 'supergrass' trial in Northern Ireland, fourteen Ulster Volunteer Force members are jailed for a total of two hundred years
- Apr 11 NASA launches RCA-F
Election of Interest
Apr 12 Harold Washington elected Chicago's 1st black mayor
- Apr 12 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Apr 13 Undefeated middleweight boxer Tony Ayala gets 35 years on sex assault
- Apr 13 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
Music History
Apr 14 EMI America Records releases David Bowie's 15th studio album, "Let's Dance"; co-produced by Bowie and Nile Rodgers, it becomes his biggest commercial success with sales of nearly 11 million units, topping the charts in 9 countries, and introduces guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan to a larger audience
- Apr 14 NY Islanders tie own record with 2 shorthanded playoff goals (vs NY Rangers)
Event of Interest
Apr 14 US President Ronald Reagan signs $165 billion Social Security rescue
- Apr 15 Tokyo Disneyland opens
Baseball Record
Apr 16 Steve Garvey sets NL record by playing in 1,118 consecutive games
- Apr 17 1st National Coin Week begins
- Apr 17 Grete Waltz runs female world record marathon (2:25:29)
- Apr 17 In Warsaw, police route 1,000 Solidarity supporters
- Apr 17 India entered space age launching SLV-3 rocket
Baseball Record
Apr 17 Nolan Ryan strikes out his 3,500th batter
- Apr 17 NY Islanders tie NHL record with 3 shorthanded playoff goals vs NY Rangers
- Apr 18 87th Boston Marathon: American double; Greg Meyer men's champion in 2:09:00; Joan Benoit takes women's race in 2:22:43; her 2nd event title
- Apr 18 A lone suicide bomber kills 63, at US Embassy in Lebanon
- Apr 18 KMO-AM in Tacoma Wash changes call letters to KAMT (now KKMO)
Event of Interest
Apr 18 Pulitzer Prize awarded to Alice Walker for the novel "The Color Purple"
- Apr 19 France performs nuclear test
- Apr 20 President Reagan signs a $165B bail out for Social Security
- Apr 20 Soyuz T-8 launched; mission aborted when capsule fails to dock (lands 2 days later)
- Apr 21 1 pound coin introduced in United Kingdom
- Apr 22 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Apr 22 Soyuz T-8 returns to Earth
- Apr 22 Start of 1st Sri Lanka-Australia Test Cricket match (at Kandy)
- Apr 22 Stern mag announces major historical find-discovery of 60 volume personal diaries written by Adolf Hitler (turned out to be a hoax)
- Apr 23 28th Eurovision Song Contest: Corinne Hermes for Luxembourg wins singing "Si la vie est cadeau" in Munich
- Apr 23 David Hookes scores his only Test Cricket century, 143* v Sri Lanka
- Apr 24 "Show Boat" opens at Uris Theater NYC for 73 performances
- Apr 24 Austrian socialist party loses parliamentary election
- Apr 25 "Nightline" expands from ½ hour to a full hour
- Apr 25 France performs nuclear test at Mururoa atoll
- Apr 25 NASA space probe Pioneer 10 travels beyond Pluto's orbit
Election of Interest
Apr 25 Portugal's Mário Soares' Partido Socialista wins parliamentary election
Soviet History
Apr 25 Yuri Andropov invites US schoolgirl Samantha Smith to the Soviet Union
- Apr 26 Dow Jones Industrial Avg breaks 1,200 for 1st time
NFL Draft
Apr 26 NFL Draft: Stanford quarterback John Elway first pick by Baltimore Colts
- Apr 26 San Antonio spurs beat Denver Nuggets, 152-133 in NBA playoff game
- Apr 27 Nolan Ryan becomes strikeout king (3,509), passing Walter Johnson
- Apr 28 Argentine government declares all 15-30,000 missing persons dead
- Apr 28 NASA launches Geos-F
- Apr 29 Harold Washington sworn in as Chicago's 1st African American mayor
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 1 Matt Lanter, American actor (Disaster Movie; 90210; Timeless), born in Massillon, Ohio
- Apr 1 Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, Icelandic soccer midfielder (36 caps; Zulte Waregem, Fylkir), born in Reykjavík, Iceland
- Apr 1 Sean Taylor, American football free safety (Pro Bowl 2006, 07; All Pro 2007; Washington Redskins), born in Miami, Florida (d. 2007)
- Apr 2 Felix Borja, Ecuadorian soccer forward (22 caps; El Nacional), born in San Lorenzo, Ecuador
- Apr 2 Yung Joc [Jasiel Robinson], American rapper ("It's Goin' Down"), born in Atlanta, Georgia
- Apr 3 Errol Barnett, English-born American reporter (CBS News), born in Milton Keynes, England
- Apr 4 Angelle Tymon, American journalist and TV game show host (PlayMania Block), born in Lutcher, Louisiana
- Apr 4 Ben Gordon, British-American basketball player, born in London
- Apr 4 Doug Lynch, Canadian ice hockey player, born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Apr 4 Fabian Geiser, Swiss footballer (Le Mont), born in Langenthal, Switzerland
- Apr 6 Diora Baird, American actress
- Apr 6 Jade Seah, Singaporean model, host and actress
- Apr 6 James Wade, English darts player (World Matchplay C'ship 2007; World GP 2007, 10), born in Aldershot, England
- Apr 8 Adrian Bellani [Gerardo Celasco], American actor (Passions), born in Miami, Florida
- Apr 8 Allu Arjun, Indian Telugu film actor (Parugu), born in Madras, India
- Apr 10 Ryan Merriman, American actor (The Ring Two), born in Choctaw, Oklahoma
- Apr 11 Nicky Pastorelli, Dutch auto racer (Euro Formula 3000 champion 2004), born in The Hague, Netherlands
- Apr 13 Hunter Pence, American baseball player, born in Fort Worth, Texas
- Apr 13 Schalk Burger, South African rugby union flanker (86 caps; Western Province, Stormers, Saracens RFC), born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Apr 14 James McFadden, Scottish footballer, born in Springburn, Glasgow
- Apr 14 Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Georgian basketball player, born in Tbilisi, Georgia
- Apr 14 William Obeng, American football offensive lineman, born in Accra, Ghana
- Apr 15 Alice Braga, Brazilian actress
- Apr 15 Dudu Cearense, Brazilian footballer
- Apr 15 Ilya Kovalchuk, Russian ice hockey player
- Apr 15 Margo Price, American country singer-songwriter ("That's How Rumors Get Started"), born in Aledo, Illinois
- Apr 16 Cat Osterman, American softball pitcher, born in Houston, Texas
- Apr 16 George Patis, Greek badminton player, born in Greece
- Apr 16 Marié Digby, American singer-songwriter, born in LOs Angeles, California
- Apr 17 Roberto Jiménez, Peruvian football player, born in Piura, Peru
- Apr 17 Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player, born in Chelyabinsk, Russia
- Apr 18 Daniele Rustioni, Italian conductor (Orchestra della Toscana, 2011-20; Ulster Orchestra, 2019-24), born in Milan, Italy
- Apr 18 Fodil Hadjadj, Algerian football player, born in Algiers, Algeria
- Apr 18 Miguel Cabrera, Venezuelan baseball player, born in Maracay, Venezuela
- Apr 18 Natassa Bofiliou, Greek singer-songwriter (I Kardia Ponaei Otan Psilonei), born in Athens, Greece
- Apr 19 Alberto Callaspo, Venezuelan baseball player (Kansas City Royals), born in Maracay, Venezuela
- Apr 19 Curtis Thigpen, American baseball player, born in Dallas, Texas
- Apr 19 Joe Mauer, American baseball player (Minnesota Twins), born in St. Paul, Minnesota
- Apr 19 Zach Duke, American baseball player (Cincinnati Reds), born in Clifton, Texas
Miranda Kerr (41 years old)
Apr 20 Australian supermodel who was the 1st Victoria's Secret model from Australia, born in Sydney, Australia
- Apr 20 Tan France, English fashion designer and TV personality (Queer Eye), born in Doncaster, England
- Apr 20 Terrence J, American actor and television host (106 & Park), born in Queens, New York
Gugu Mbatha-Raw (40 years old)
Apr 21 British actress (Belle, Loki), born in Oxford, England
Alexis Ohanian (40 years old)
Apr 24 American internet entrepreneur and co-founder of Reddit, born in Brooklyn, New York
- Apr 24 Princess Iman bint Al Hussein of Jordan, daughter of King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan, born in Amman, Jordan
- Apr 25 DeAngelo Williams, American National Football League runningback, born in Wynne, Arkansas
- Apr 25 J.P. Howell, American baseball player (Tampa Bay Devil Rays), born in Modesto, California
- Apr 26 Jessica Lynch, American prisoner of war (served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S. and allied forces), born in Palestine, Wirt County, West Virginia
- Apr 26 José María López, Argentine racing driver (2014–2016 World Touring Car Champion), born in Río Tercero, Argentina
- Apr 27 Ari Graynor, American actress (The Sopranos), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Apr 28 Roger Johnson, English footballer (Cardiff City) and coach, born in Ashford, England
David Lee (40 years old)
Apr 29 American basketball forward, center (NBA All-Star 2010, 13; NBA C'ship 2015 Golden State Warriors; married to Caroline Wozniacki), born in St Louis, Missouri
- Apr 29 Jay Cutler, American football player
- Apr 29 Megan Boone, American film and television actress (The Blacklist), born in Petoskey, Michigan
- Apr 29 Sam Jones III, American actor (Smallville), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Apr 29 Yuriko Shiratori, Japanese gravure idol and actress
- Apr 30 Tatjana Hüfner, German luger
- Apr 30 Troy Williamson, American football player
- Apr 30 Yamini, Tamil singer, born in India
Famous Deaths
- Apr 1 Ken Kersey, Canadian jazz pianist, and composer ("Boogie Woogie Cocktail"), dies at 66
- Apr 1 Marc Vaubourgoin, French composer, conductor, and musicologist, dies at 76
- Apr 3 Danny Rapp, American pop singer (Danny & The Juniors - "At The Hop"), takes his own life at 41
- Apr 4 Bernard Vukas, Croatian soccer forward (59 caps, Yugoslavia; Hajduk Split; Olympic silver 1948, 52), dies at 55
Gloria Swanson (1899-1983)
Apr 4 American actress (Airport 1975, Sunset Boulevard) and producer, dies of a heart ailment at 84
- Apr 4 Jacqueline Logan, American actress and silent film leading lady (WAMPAS Baby Star), dies at 78
- Apr 5 Cliff Carlisle, American country and blues musician, singer, songwriter, and yodeler ("Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad"), dies at 79
- Apr 6 Ana Maria, Salvador guerilla leader, murdered
- Apr 7 Gavin Gordon, television actor (Romance, Lone Cowboy), dies at 82
- Apr 10 Issam Sartawi, PLO ambassador to Portugal, murdered
- Apr 11 Dolores Del Rio, actress (Cheyenne Autumn), dies at 78
- Apr 12 Carl Morton, American baseball pitcher (NL Rookie of the Year 1970; Montreal Expos, Atlanta Braves), dies of a heart attack at 39
- Apr 13 Christmas Humphreys, English lawyer and prominent British Buddhist (Awakening of Zen), dies at 82
- Apr 13 Gerry Hitchens, English footballer, dies at 48
- Apr 13 Mercè Rodoreda, Catalan novelist (La plaça del diamant), dies at 74
- Apr 13 Theodore Stephanides, Greek doctor and naturalist, dies at 87
- Apr 14 Elisabeth Lutyens, English composer, dies at 76
- Apr 14 Nina Dumbadze, Russian discus thrower (Olympic bronze 1952), dies at 64
Pete Farndon (1952-1983)
Apr 14 English rock bassist (The Pretenders - "Brass In Pocket"), drowns in his bathtub after a drug overdose at 30
- Apr 14 Willem Frederik Bon, Dutch composer (Les Prédictions) and pedagogue, dies at 42
- Apr 15 Corrie ten Boom, Dutch author (The Hiding Place) & Holocaust survivor, dies at 91
- Apr 15 Gyula Illyés, Hungarian author and poet (Az Ismertlen Illyes), dies at 80
- Apr 15 Rodolfo Hoyos Jr., Mexican-American actor (The Brave One; Viva Valdez -"Luis"), dies from a stroke at 67
- Apr 17 Dutch Leonard, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star 1940, 43, 44, 45, 51; Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Senators, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs), dies of congestive heart failure at 74
- Apr 17 Felix Pappalardi, American rock music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bassist (Mountain - "Mississippi Queen"), shot and killed by his wife, Gail, at 43
- Apr 18 Alan Melville, South African cricket batsman (11 Tests, 4 x 100, HS 189; Natal, Oxford University CC, Sussex CCC, Transvaal), dies at 72
- Apr 19 Jerzy Andrzejewski, Polish writer (Ashes and Diamonds), dies at 73
- Apr 19 Lorene Scott, actress (Faraway Hill), dies at 74
- Apr 21 Walter Slezak, Austrian-American stage and screen actor (Bedtime for Bonzo; Lifeboat; The Inspector General), commits suicide at 80
- Apr 22 Earl "Fatha" Hines, American jazz pianist and bandleader (Deep Forest), dies at 79
- Apr 22 Gunta Stölzl, German textile artist (teacher at the Bauhaus School), dies at 86
- Apr 23 Clarence "Buster" Crabbe, American swimmer (Olympic gold 1932) and actor (Tarzan the Fearless, Flash Gordon), dies of a heart attack at 75
- Apr 23 Selena Royale, American actress (Date With Judy, Robot Monster), dies at 78
- Apr 24 Rolf Stommelen, German auto racer (24 Hours of Daytona 1968, 78, 80, 82; 61 x F1 GP), dies in a racing accident at 39
- Apr 26 Bronislaw Kaper, Polish-American Academy Award-winning film composer (Green Dolphin Street; Lili; The Brothers Karamazov), dies at 81
- Apr 26 Vaughn Taylor, American actor (Jailhouse Rock, Johnny Jupiter), dies at 72
- Apr 28 Charlie LaVere [Johnson], American jazz pianist, arranger, bandleader (Chicago Loopers), and composer (Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue), dies at 72
- Apr 28 Ron James, Australian cricketer (NSW's Sheffield Shield captain 1949-50), dies at 62
George Balanchine (1904-1983)
Apr 30 Russian-American ballet composer and choreographer who founded the New York City Ballet, dies from Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease at 79
- Apr 30 Jerry Hatsuo Fujikawa, actor (Uncle Matsu-Mr T & Tina), dies at 71
- Apr 30 Joel H. Hildebrand, American chemist and educator (research led to new treatments for divers with the 'bends' through the use of helium and oxygen breathing mixtures), dies at 101
Muddy Waters (1913-1983)
Apr 30 American blues singer and guitarist ("Mannish Boy"; "Got My Mojo Working"), dies of heart failure, while fighting cancer, at 70
