April 1

April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 274 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 286 – Emperor Diocletian elevates his general Maximian to co-emperor with the rank of Augustus and gives him control over the Western regions of the Roman Empire.
• 325 – Crown Prince Jin Chengdi, age 4, succeeds his father Jin Mingdi as emperor of the Eastern Jin dynasty.
• 457 – Majorian is acclaimed emperor by the Roman army.
• 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
• 528 – The daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei was made the "Emperor" as a male heir of the late emperor by Empress Dowager Hu, deposed and replaced by Yuan Zhao the next day; she was the first female monarch in the History of China, but not widely recognised.
• 1293 – Robert Winchelsey leaves England for Rome, to be consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury.
• 1318 – Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured by the Scottish from England.
• 1340 – Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark.
• 1545 – Potosí is founded after the discovery of major silver deposits in the area.
• 1572 – In the Eighty Years' War, the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Spaniards, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic.
• 1625 – A combined Spanish and Portuguese fleet of 52 ships commences the recapture of Bahia from the Dutch during the Dutch–Portuguese War.
• 1789 – In New York City, the United States House of Representatives holds its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker.
• 1826 – Samuel Morey received a patent for a compressionless "Gas or Vapor Engine."
• 1833 – The Convention of 1833, a political gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas to help draft a series of petitions to the Mexican government, begins in San Felipe de Austin
• 1854 – Charles Dickens' novel Hard Times begins serialisation in his magazine Household Words.
• 1865 – American Civil War: Battle of Five Forks. Union Army led by Philip Sheridan decisively defeated Confederate States Army led by George Pickett, leading to Breakthrough at Petersburg and Appomattox Campaign.
• 1867 – Singapore becomes a British crown colony.
• 1871 – The first stage of the Brill Tramway opens.
• 1873 – The White Star steamer RMS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in the worst marine disaster of the 19th century.
• 1887 – Mumbai Fire Brigade is established.
• 1889 – The University of Northern Colorado was established, as the Colorado State Normal School.
• 1891 – The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
• 1893 – The rank of Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy is established.
• 1908 – The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army.
• 1918 – The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
• 1919 – The Staatliches Bauhaus school is founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar.
• 1922 – Six Irish Catholic civilians are shot and beaten to death by a gang of policemen in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
• 1924 – Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years in jail for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch". However, he spends only nine months in jail, during which he writes Mein Kampf.
• 1924 – The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed.
• 1933 – The recently elected Nazis under Julius Streicher organize a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses in Germany, ushering in a series of anti-Semitic acts.
• 1935 – India's central banking institution, The Reserve Bank of India is formed.
• 1936 – Odisha formerly known as Kalinga or Utkal becomes a state in India.
• 1937 – Aden becomes a British crown colony.
• 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Jaén, Spain is bombed by Nazi forces.
• 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Generalísimo Francisco Franco of the Spanish State announces the end of the Spanish Civil War, when the last of the Republican forces surrender.
• 1941 – Fântâna Albă massacre: Between 200 and 2,000 Romanian civilians are killed by Soviet Border Troops.
• 1941 – The Blockade Runner Badge for the German navy is instituted.
• 1941 – A military coup in Iraq overthrows the regime of 'Abd al-Ilah and installs Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister.
• 1944 – Navigation errors lead to an accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen.
• 1945 – World War II: Operation Iceberg: United States troops land on Okinawa in the last major campaign of the war.
• 1946 – Aleutian Islands earthquake: An 8.6 magnitude earthquake near the Aleutian Islands creates a tsunami that strikes the Hawaiian Islands killing 159, mostly in Hilo.
• 1946 – Formation of the Malayan Union.
• 1947 – Paul becomes king of Greece, on the death of his childless elder brother, George II.
• 1947 – The only mutiny in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy begins.
• 1948 – Cold War: Berlin Airlift: Military forces, under direction of the Soviet-controlled government in East Germany, set up a land blockade of West Berlin.
• 1948 – Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark.
• 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Chinese Communist Party holds unsuccessful peace talks with the Nationalist Party in Beijing, after three years of fighting.
• 1949 – The Government of Canada repeals Japanese Canadian internment after seven years.
• 1949 – The 26 counties of the Irish Free State become Ireland.
• 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.
• 1955 – The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire begins in Cyprus, with the goal of obtaining the desired unification ("enosis") with Greece.
• 1957 – The BBC broadcasts the spaghetti-tree hoax on its current affairs programme Panorama.
• 1959 – Iakovos is enthroned as Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America.
• 1960 – The TIROS-1 satellite transmits the first television picture from space.
• 1960 – Dr. Martens released its first boots, the model 1460.
• 1967 – The United States Department of Transportation begins operation.
• 1969 – The Hawker Siddeley Harrier enters service with the Royal Air Force.
• 1970 – President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, requiring the Surgeon General's warnings on tobacco products and banning cigarette advertising on television and radio in the United States, starting on January 1, 1971.
• 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army massacre over 1,000 people in Keraniganj Upazila, Bangladesh.
• 1973 – Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Jim Corbett National Park, India.
• 1974 – The metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England come into being.
• 1976 – Apple Inc. is formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.
• 1976 – Conrail takes over operations from six bankrupt railroads in the Northeastern U.S..
• 1976 – The Jovian–Plutonian gravitational effect, soon revealed as an April Fools' Day hoax, is first reported by British astronomer Patrick Moore.
• 1978 – The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, becomes the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
• 1979 – Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.
• 1986 – Sector Kanda: Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) cadres attacks a number of police stations in Kathmandu, seeking to incite a popular rebellion.
• 1989 – Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly known as the "poll tax"), is introduced in Scotland.
• 1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp is seen passing at perihelion.
• 1999 – Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.
• 2001 – An EP-3E United States Navy surveillance aircraft collides with a Chinese People's Liberation Army Shenyang J-8 fighter jet. The Navy crew makes an emergency landing in Hainan, China and is detained.
• 2001 – Former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on war crimes charges.
• 2001 – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, the first contemporary country to allow it.
• 2004 – Google announces Gmail to the public.
• 2004 – Korea Train Express was opened to traffic from Seoul to –Dongdaegu.
• 2006 – The Serious Organised Crime Agency, dubbed the "British FBI", is created in the United Kingdom.
• 2009 – Croatia and Albania join NATO.
• 2011 – After protests against the burning of the Quran turn violent, a mob attacks a United Nations compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of thirteen people, including eight foreign workers.

Births

• 1220 – Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (d. 1272)
• 1543 – François de Bonne, Duke of Lesdiguières (d. 1626)
• 1578 – William Harvey, English physician and academic (d. 1657)
• 1610 – Charles de Saint-Évremond, French soldier and critic (d. 1703)
• 1629 – Jean-Henri d'Anglebert, French organist and composer (d. 1691)
• 1640 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician and academic (d. 1697)
• 1647 – John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, English poet and courtier (d. 1680)
• 1697 – Antoine François Prévost, French author (d. 1763)
• 1721 – Pieter Hellendaal, Dutch-English organist, violinist, and composer (d. 1799)
• 1741 – George Dance the Younger, English architect and surveyor (d. 1825)
• 1753 – Joseph de Maistre, French philosopher, lawyer, and diplomat (d. 1821)
• 1755 – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French lawyer and politician (d. 1826)
• 1765 – Luigi Schiavonetti, Italian engraver and etcher (d. 1810)
• 1776 – Sophie Germain, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (d. 1831)
• 1815 – Otto von Bismarck, German lawyer and politician, 1st Chancellor of the German Empire (d. 1898)
• 1815 – Edward Clark, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Texas (d. 1880)
• 1823 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Kentucky (d. 1891)
• 1824 – Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Canadian bishop (d. 1901)
• 1834 – James Fisk, American businessman (d. 1872)
• 1852 – Edwin Austin Abbey, American painter and illustrator (d. 1911)
• 1856 – Acacio Gabriel Viegas, Indian physician (d. 1933)
• 1865 – Richard Adolf Zsigmondy, Austrian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1929)
• 1866 – William Blomfield, New Zealand cartoonist and politician (d. 1938)
• 1866 – Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1924)
• 1866 – Ève Lavallière, French actress (d. 1929)
• 1868 – Edmond Rostand, French poet and playwright (d. 1918)
• 1868 – Walter Mead, English cricketer (d. 1954)
• 1871 – F. Melius Christiansen, Norwegian-American violinist and conductor (d. 1955)
• 1873 – Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1943)
• 1874 – Ernest Barnes, English mathematician and theologian (d. 1953)
• 1874 – Prince Karl of Bavaria (d. 1927)
• 1875 – Edgar Wallace, English journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1932)
• 1879 – Stanislaus Zbyszko, Polish wrestler and strongman (d. 1967)
• 1880 – Agha Petros, Assyrian general (d. 1932)
• 1881 – Henri Laurent, French fencer (d. 1954)
• 1882 – Paul Anspach, Belgian fencer (d. 1991)
• 1883 – Lon Chaney, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1930)
• 1883 – Edvard Drabløs, Norwegian actor and director (d. 1976)
• 1883 – Laurette Taylor, American actress (d. 1946)
• 1885 – Wallace Beery, American actor, singer, and director (d. 1949)
• 1885 – Clementine Churchill, Baroness Spencer-Churchill, English wife of Winston Churchill (d. 1977)
• 1887 – H. S. Lloyd, English dog breeder (d. 1963)
• 1889 – K. B. Hedgewar, Indian physician and activist (d. 1940)
• 1893 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-English actress and singer (d. 1980)
• 1895 – Alberta Hunter, American singer-songwriter and nurse (d. 1984)
• 1895 – Paul Richter, Austrian actor (d. 1961)
• 1897 – Nita Naldi, American actress (d. 1961)
• 1898 – William James Sidis, American mathematician, anthropologist, and historian (d. 1944)
• 1899 – Gustavs Celmiņš, Latvian academic and politician (d. 1968)
• 1901 – Whittaker Chambers, American journalist and spy (d. 1961)
• 1902 – Maria Polydouri, Greek poet (d. 1930)
• 1904 – Sid Field, English actor (d. 1950)
• 1904 – Émile Turlant, French centenarian (d. 2013)
• 1905 – Gaston Eyskens, Belgian economist and politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1988)
• 1906 – Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev, Russian engineer, founded the Yakovlev Design Bureau (d. 1989)
• 1908 – Abraham Maslow, American psychologist and academic (d. 1970)
• 1908 – Harlow Rothert, American shot putter, lawyer, and academic (d. 1997)
• 1909 – Abner Biberman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
• 1909 – Eddy Duchin, American pianist and bandleader (d. 1951)
• 1910 – Harry Carney, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1974)
• 1910 – Bob Van Osdel, American high jumper and soldier (d. 1987)
• 1911 – Fauja Singh, Indian-English runner
• 1912 – Donald Nyrop, American businessman (d. 2010)
• 1913 – Memos Makris, Greek sculptor (d. 1993)
• 1914 – Lor Tok, Thai actor (d. 2002)
• 1915 – O. W. Fischer, Austrian-Swiss actor and director (d. 2004)
• 1917 – Leon Janney, American actor (d. 1980)
• 1917 – Dinu Lipatti, Romanian pianist and composer (d. 1950)
• 1917 – Sheldon Mayer, American author and illustrator (d. 1991)
• 1917 – Sydney Newman, Canadian screenwriter and producer, co-created Doctor Who (d. 1997)
• 1917 – Melville Shavelson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Joseph Murray, American surgeon and soldier, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Harry Lewis, American actor and businessman (d. 2013)
• 1920 – Toshiro Mifune, Chinese-Japanese actor and producer (d. 1997)
• 1921 – William Bergsma, American composer and educator (d. 1994)
• 1921 – Ken Reardon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2008)
• 1921 – Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, American guitarist, fiddler, and composer (d. 2014)
• 1922 – Duke Jordan, American pianist and composer (d. 2006)
• 1922 – William Manchester, American historian and author (d. 2004)
• 1923 – Don Butterfield, American tuba player (d. 2006)
• 1923 – Leora Dana, American actress (d. 1983)
• 1923 – Bobby Jordan, American actor (d. 1965)
• 1924 – Čkalja, Serbian actor and singer (d. 2003)
• 1924 – Brendan Byrne, American lieutenant, judge, and politician, 47th Governor of New Jersey
• 1925 – Kathy Stobart, English saxophonist (d. 2014)
• 1926 – Charles Bressler, American tenor and educator (d. 1996)
• 1926 – Gérard La Forest, Canadian lawyer and judge
• 1926 – John Scott Martin, English actor (d. 2009)
• 1926 – Anne McCaffrey, American-Irish author (d. 2011)
• 1927 – Walter Bahr, American soccer player, coach, and manager
• 1927 – Peter Cundall, English-Australian soldier, horticulturist, and author
• 1927 – Amos Milburn, American singer and pianist (d. 1980)
• 1927 – Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2006)
• 1928 – George Grizzard, American actor (d. 2007)
• 1929 – Barbara Bryne, English-American actress
• 1929 – Jonathan Haze, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and production manager
• 1929 – Milan Kundera, Czech-French author, poet, and playwright
• 1929 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (d. 2010)
• 1929 – Jane Powell, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1929 – Bo Schembechler, American football player and coach (d. 2006)
• 1930 – F. Joseph Gossman, American bishop (d. 2013)
• 1930 – Eugene Weingand, German-American actor (d. 1986)
• 1930 – Grace Lee Whitney, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
• 1931 – George Baker, Bulgarian-English actor and screenwriter (d. 2011)
• 1931 – Ita Ever, Estonian actress
• 1931 – Rolf Hochhuth, German author and playwright
• 1932 – Gordon Jump, American actor (d. 2003)
• 1932 – Debbie Reynolds, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1933 – Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Algerian-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
• 1933 – Dan Flavin, American sculptor and educator (d. 1996)
• 1933 – Robert Shavlakadze, Georgian high jumper
• 1934 – Jim Ed Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Browns) (d. 2015)
• 1934 – Don Hastings, American actor, singer, and screenwriter
• 1934 – Rod Kanehl, American baseball player and manager (d. 2004)
• 1934 – Marie Patterson, English union leader
• 1934 – Vladimir Posner, French-American journalist and radio host
• 1935 – Larry McDonald, American physician and politician (d. 1983)
• 1936 – Peter Collinson, English-American director and producer (d. 1980)
• 1936 – Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, Swiss politician, 80th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1998)
• 1936 – Tarun Gogoi, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Assam
• 1936 – Abdul Qadeer Khan, Indian-Pakistani physicist, chemist, and engineer
• 1936 – Don Steele, American radio host (d. 1997)
• 1937 – Jordan Charney, American actor
• 1937 – Yılmaz Güney, Turkish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1984)
• 1938 – John Quade, American actor (d. 2009)
• 1939 – Rudolph Isley, American singer-songwriter (The Isley Brothers)
• 1939 – Ali MacGraw, American actress
• 1939 – Phil Niekro, American baseball player and manager
• 1940 – Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
• 1941 – Gideon Gadot, Israeli journalist and politician (d. 2012)
• 1941 – Guy Trottier, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)
• 1941 – Ajit Wadekar, Indian cricketer, coach, and manager
• 1942 – Brian Binley, English businessman and politician
• 1942 – Samuel R. Delany, American author and critic
• 1942 – Savaş Dinçel, Turkish actor (d. 2007)
• 1942 – Roderick Floud, English historian and academic
• 1942 – Philip Margo, American singer, drummer, and producer (The Tokens)
• 1942 – Annie Nightingale, English radio host
• 1942 – Richard D. Wolff, American economist and academic
• 1943 – Carol White, English actress (d. 1991)
• 1943 – Dafydd Wigley, Welsh academic and politician
• 1944 – Rusty Staub, American baseball player and coach
• 1945 – John Barbata, American drummer (The Turtles, Jefferson Airplane, and The Sentinals)
• 1946 – Nikitas Kaklamanis, Greek academic and politician, Greek Minister of Health and Social Security
• 1946 – Ronnie Lane, English bass player, songwriter, and producer (Faces and Small Faces) (d. 1997)
• 1946 – Eva Polttila, Finnish journalist
• 1946 – Arrigo Sacchi, Italian footballer, coach, and manager
• 1947 – Alain Connes, French mathematician and academic
• 1947 – Neşe Karaböcek, Turkish singer and actress
• 1947 – Philippe Kirsch, Canadian lawyer and judge
• 1947 – Francine Prose, American author, critic, and academic
• 1947 – Robin Scott, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (M)
• 1947 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2009)
• 1948 – Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican singer and actor
• 1948 – Paul Myners, Baron Myners, English journalist and politician
• 1948 – J.J. Williams, Welsh rugby player and sprinter
• 1949 – Gérard Mestrallet, French businessman
• 1949 – Sammy Nelson, Northern Irish footballer and coach
• 1949 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and author (d. 2011)
• 1950 – Samuel Alito, American lawyer and jurist
• 1950 – Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (d. 2010)
• 1950 – Daniel Paillé, Canadian academic and politician
• 1951 – John Abizaid, American general
• 1951 – Kay Davies, English geneticist, anatomist, and academic
• 1951 – Frederic Schwartz, American architect, co-designed Empty Sky (d. 2014)
• 1952 – Annette O'Toole, American actress, singer, and dancer
• 1952 – Rey Robinson, American sprinter and coach
• 1952 – Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher and academic
• 1953 – Barry Sonnenfeld, American director and producer
• 1953 – Alberto Zaccheroni, Italian footballer and manager
• 1954 – Üllar Kerde, Estonian basketball player and coach
• 1954 – Jeff Porcaro, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (Toto and Clover) (d. 1992)
• 1954 – Knut Værnes, Norwegian guitarist
• 1954 – Arnold Sidebottom, English footballer and cricketer
• 1954 – Dave Ulliott, English poker player (d. 2015)
• 1955 – Don Hasselbeck, American football player and sportscaster
• 1955 – İlhan İrem, Turkish singer-songwriter
• 1955 – Humayun Akhtar Khan, Pakistani politician, 5th Commerce Minister of Pakistan
• 1955 – Terry Nichols, American criminal
• 1956 – Jeffrey Beecroft, American production designer and art director
• 1957 – Andreas Deja, Polish-American animator
• 1957 – David Gower, English cricketer and sportscaster
• 1957 – Denise Nickerson, American actress and singer
• 1957 – Stephen O'Brien, Tanzanian-English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
• 1958 – D. Boon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Minutemen and The Reactionaries) (d. 1985)
• 1958 – Stephen O'Rahilly, Irish-British physician and academic
• 1959 – Helmuth Duckadam, Romanian footballer
• 1959 – Ivan G'Vera, Czech-American actor
• 1959 – Margita Stefanović, Serbian keyboard player (Ekatarina Velika) (d. 2002)
• 1960 – Shanna McCullough, American porn actress and producer
• 1960 – Michael Praed, English actor
• 1960 – Jennifer Runyon, American actress
• 1960 – J. Christopher Stevens, American lawyer and diplomat, 10th United States Ambassador to Libya (d. 2012)
• 1961 – Susan Boyle, Scottish singer and actress
• 1961 – Mark White, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (ABC)
• 1962 – Mark Shulman, American author
• 1962 – Chris Grayling, English journalist and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
• 1962 – Samboy Lim, Filipino basketball player and manager
• 1962 – Phillip Schofield, English television host
• 1963 – Teodoro de Villa Diaz, Filipino guitarist and songwriter (The Dawn) (d. 1988)
• 1964 – Erik Breukink, Dutch cyclist and manager
• 1964 – Kevin Duckworth, American basketball player (d. 2008)
• 1964 – John Morris, English cricketer
• 1964 – José Rodrigues dos Santos, Portuguese journalist, author, and educator
• 1964 – Scott Stevens, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1965 – Tomas Alfredson, Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1965 – Mark Jackson, American basketball player and coach
• 1965 – Robert Steadman, English composer and conductor
• 1965 – Simona Ventura, Italian television host
• 1966 – Chris Evans, English radio and television host
• 1966 – Sharon Hodgson, English accountant and politician
• 1966 – Craig Kelly, American snowboarder (d. 2003)
• 1966 – Mehmet Özdilek, Turkish footballer and manager
• 1967 – Nicola Roxon, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Attorney-General of Australia
• 1968 – Julia Boutros, Lebanese singer
• 1968 – Traci Lind, American actress
• 1968 – Andreas Schnaas, German actor and director
• 1968 – Alexander Stubb, Finnish academic and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Finland
• 1969 – Lev Lobodin, Ukrainian-Russian decathlete
• 1969 – Fadl Shaker, Lebanese singer
• 1969 – Dean Windass, English footballer and manager
• 1970 – Sung-Hi Lee, South Korean-American model and actress
• 1970 – Brad Meltzer, American author, screenwriter, and producer
• 1970 – Mark Wheeler, American football player
• 1971 – Sonia Bisset, Cuban javelin thrower
• 1971 – Method Man, American rapper, producer, and actor (Wu-Tang Clan)
• 1971 – Jessica Collins, American actress
• 1971 – Karen Dunbar, Scottish actress and screenwriter
• 1971 – Lachy Hulme, Australian actor and screenwriter
• 1971 – Shinji Nakano, Japanese race car driver
• 1971 – Danielle Smith, Canadian journalist and politician
• 1972 – Darren McCarty, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1972 – Jesse Tobias, American guitarist and songwriter (Red Hot Chili Peppers and Splendid)
• 1973 – Christian Finnegan, American comedian and actor
• 1973 – Stephen Fleming, New Zealand cricketer and coach
• 1973 – Joe Francis, American businessman, founded Girls Gone Wild
• 1973 – Rachel Maddow, American journalist and author
• 1973 – Kris Marshall, English actor
• 1973 – Daryn Tufts, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1973 – Kym Wilson, Australian television host and actress
• 1974 – Beatriz Batarda, English-Portuguese actress
• 1974 – Richard Christy, American drummer and actor (Death, Iced Earth, and Charred Walls of the Damned)
• 1974 – Colby Donaldson, American television host and actor
• 1974 – John Glen, English politician
• 1974 – Hugo Ibarra, Argentinian footballer and manager
• 1974 – Sandra Völker, German swimmer
• 1975 – George Bastl, Swiss tennis player
• 1975 – John Butler, American-Australian singer-songwriter and producer (The John Butler Trio)
• 1975 – Pascal Witmeur, Belgian racing driver
• 1976 – David Gilliland, American race car driver
• 1976 – Gábor Király, Hungarian footballer
• 1976 – David Oyelowo, English actor and producer
• 1976 – Asım Pars, Bosnian-Turkish basketball player
• 1976 – Nicole Sanderson, Australian beach volleyball player
• 1976 – Clarence Seedorf, Dutch-Brazilian footballer and manager
• 1976 – Yuka Yoshida, Japanese tennis player
• 1977 – Vitor Belfort, Brazilian-American boxer and mixed martial artist
• 1977 – Jon Gosselin, American television personality
• 1977 – Haimar Zubeldia, Spanish cyclist
• 1978 – Antonio de Nigris, Mexican footballer (d. 2009)
• 1978 – Jean-Pierre Dumont, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1978 – Mirka Federer, Slovak-Swiss tennis player
• 1978 – Anamaria Marinca, Romanian-English actress
• 1978 – Etan Thomas, American basketball player
• 1979 – Ivano Balić, Croatian handball player
• 1979 – Ruth Beitia, Spanish high jumper
• 1980 – Dennis Kruppke, German footballer
• 1980 – Randy Orton, American wrestler and actor
• 1980 – Bijou Phillips, American actress and singer
• 1980 – Yūko Takeuchi, Japanese actress
• 1981 – Aslı Bayram, German model and actress, Miss Germany 2005
• 1981 – Aimee Chan, Canadian-Hong Kong model and actress, Miss Hong Kong 2006
• 1981 – Antonis Fotsis, Greek basketball player
• 1981 – Bjørn Einar Romøren, Norwegian ski jumper
• 1981 – Hannah Spearritt, English actress and singer (S Club 7)
• 1982 – Sam Huntington, American actor
• 1982 – Taran Killam, American actor and screenwriter
• 1982 – Andreas Thorkildsen, Norwegian javelin thrower
• 1983 – John Axford, Canadian baseball player
• 1983 – Tamati Ellison, New Zealand rugby player
• 1983 – Lance Hohaia, New Zealand rugby player
• 1983 – Jussi Jokinen, Finnish-American ice hockey player
• 1983 – Matt Lanter, American actor and model
• 1983 – Sergey Lazarev, Russian singer, actor, and dancer (Smash!!)
• 1983 – Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, Icelandic footballer
• 1983 – Sean Taylor, American football player (d. 2007)
• 1984 – Gilberto Macena, Brazilian footballer
• 1985 – Daniel Murphy, American baseball player
• 1985 – Beth Tweddle, English gymnast
• 1985 – Josh Zuckerman, American actor
• 1986 – Kid Ink, American rapper
• 1986 – Shunichi Miyamoto, Japanese voice actor and singer
• 1986 – Viktor Sanikidze, Georgian basketball player
• 1986 – Hillary Scott, American singer-songwriter (Lady Antebellum)
• 1986 – Ireen Wüst, Dutch speed skater
• 1987 – Kayla Collins, American model
• 1987 – Jenna Presley, American porn actress
• 1987 – Ding Junhui, Chinese snooker player
• 1987 – Gianluca Musacci, Italian footballer
• 1987 – Li Ting, Chinese diver
• 1987 – Oliver Turvey, English race car driver
• 1988 – Alexander Bychkov, Russian serial killer
• 1988 – Brook Lopez, American basketball player
• 1988 – Robin Lopez, American basketball player
• 1988 – Courtney McCool, American gymnast
• 1988 – Alessandra Perilli, Sammarinese target shooter
• 1989 – Jan Blokhuijsen, Dutch speed skater
• 1989 – David N'Gog, French footballer
• 1989 – Yumi Sugimoto, Japanese model, actress, and singer
• 1989 – Christian Vietoris, German race car driver
• 1990 – Julia Fischer, German discus thrower
• 1990 – Joe Partington, English-Welsh footballer
• 1991 – Graham Candy, New Zealand singer-songwriter and actor
• 1991 – Antonio Pontarelli, American singer-songwriter and violinist
• 1992 – Deng Linlin, Chinese gymnast
• 1992 – Sui Lu, Chinese gymnast
• 1993 – Blair Fowler, American blogger
• 1993 – Keito Okamoto, Japanese singer (Hey! Say! JUMP)
• 1993 – Nico Schulz, German footballer
• 1993 – Linnea Regnander, Swedish model
• 1994 – Ella Eyre, English singer-songwriter
• 1997 – Asa Butterfield, English actor
• 1997 – Álex Palou, Spanish racing driver

Deaths

• 1085 – Emperor Shenzong of Song (b. 1048)
• 1132 – Hugh of Châteauneuf, French bishop and saint (b. 1053)
• 1204 – Eleanor of Aquitaine (b. 1122)
• 1205 – Amalric II of Jerusalem (b. 1145)
• 1528 – Francisco de Peñalosa, Spanish composer (b. 1470)
• 1580 – Alonso Mudarra, Spanish guitarist and composer (b. 1510)
• 1621 – Cristofano Allori, Italian painter and educator (b. 1577)
• 1682 – Franz Egon of Fürstenberg, Bavarian bishop (b. 1625)
• 1787 – Floyer Sydenham, English scholar and academic (b. 1710)
• 1839 – Benjamin Pierce, American soldier and politician, 11th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1757)
• 1865 – Giuditta Pasta, Italian soprano (b. 1797)
• 1872 – William Frederick Horry, English murderer (b. 1843)
• 1872 – Frederick Denison Maurice, English theologian and academic (b. 1805)
• 1878 – John Corry Wilson Daly, English-Canadian soldier and politician (b. 1796)
• 1890 – David Wilber, American politician (b. 1820)
• 1890 – Alexander Mozhaysky, Russian soldier, pilot, and engineer (b. 1825)
• 1897 – Jandamarra, Australian activist (b. 1873)
• 1914 – Rube Waddell, American baseball player (b. 1876)
• 1914 – Charles Wells, English founder of Charles Wells Ltd (b. 1842)
• 1915 – Theodor Altermann, Estonian actor and director (b. 1885)
• 1917 – Scott Joplin, American pianist and composer (b. 1868)
• 1920 – Walter Simon, German banker and philanthropist (b. 1857)
• 1922 – Charles I of Austria (b. 1887)
• 1922 – Hermann Rorschach, Swiss psychologist and author (b. 1884)
• 1924 – Jacob Bolotin, American physician (b. 1888)
• 1924 – Lloyd Hildebrand, English cyclist (b. 1870)
• 1924 – Stan Rowley, Australian sprinter (b. 1876)
• 1925 – Lars Jørgen Madsen, Danish target shooter (b. 1871)
• 1930 – Cosima Wagner, Hungarian wife of Richard Wagner (b. 1837)
• 1946 – Noah Beery, Sr., American actor and singer (b. 1882)
• 1947 – George II of Greece (b. 1890)
• 1950 – Charles R. Drew, American physician and surgeon (b. 1904)
• 1950 – Recep Peker, Turkish soldier and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1889)
• 1962 – Jussi Kekkonen, Finnish captain and businessman (b. 1910)
• 1965 – Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman (b. 1870)
• 1966 – Brian O'Nolan, Irish author and playwright (b. 1911)
• 1967 – Đặng Văn Ngữ, Vietnamese physician (b. 1910)
• 1968 – Lev Landau, Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
• 1976 – Max Ernst, German painter and sculptor (b. 1891)
• 1979 – Bruno Coquatrix, French talent manager (b. 1910)
• 1979 – Barbara Luddy, American actress and singer (b. 1908)
• 1981 – Eua Sunthornsanan, Thai singer-songwriter and bandleader (b. 1910)
• 1984 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (The Moonglows) (b. 1939)
• 1984 – Elizabeth Goudge, English author (b. 1900)
• 1985 – Douglass Wallop, American author and playwright (b. 1920)
• 1986 – Erik Bruhn, Danish actor, director, and choreographer (b. 1928)
• 1988 – Jim Jordan, American actor (b. 1896)
• 1991 – Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1894)
• 1991 – Jaime Guzmán, Chilean lawyer and politician (b. 1946)
• 1992 – Michael Havers, Baron Havers, English lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1923)
• 1992 – Nigel Preston, English drummer (The Cult) (b. 1959)
• 1993 – Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (b. 1954)
• 1994 – Robert Doisneau, French photographer (b. 1912)
• 1995 – H. Adams Carter, American mountaineer, journalist, and educator (b. 1914)
• 1995 – Lucie Rie, Austrian-English potter (b. 1902)
• 1996 – Jean Le Moyne, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1913)
• 1996 – John McSherry, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1944)
• 1997 – Norman Carr, English environmentalist and author (b. 1912)
• 1997 – Makar Honcharenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1912)
• 1998 – Gene Evans, American actor (b. 1922)
• 1998 – Rozz Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Christian Death, Shadow Project, and Premature Ejaculation) (b. 1963)
• 1999 – Jesse Stone, American pianist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1901)
• 2000 – Alexander Mackenzie Stuart, Baron Mackenzie-Stuart, Scottish lawyer and judge (b. 1924)
• 2001 – Olivia Barclay, English astrologer and author (b. 1919)
• 2001 – Jo-Jo Moore, American baseball player (b. 1908)
• 2001 – Ayhan Şahenk, Turkish businessman, founded Doğuş Holding (b. 1929)
• 2001 – Trịnh Công Sơn, Vietnamese guitarist and composer (b. 1939)
• 2002 – Simo Häyhä, Finnish soldier and sniper (b. 1905)
• 2002 – Aptullah Kuran, Turkish scholar and academic (b. 1927)
• 2002 – Gavin Pfuhl, South African cricketer and sportscaster (b. 1947)
• 2003 – Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (b. 1956)
• 2004 – Paul Atkinson, English guitarist and producer (The Zombies) (b. 1946)
• 2004 – Aaron Bank, American colonel, founded the US Army Special Forces (b. 1902)
• 2004 – Ioannis Kyrastas, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1952)
• 2004 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (b. 1945)
• 2004 – Nilo Soruco, Bolivian-Venezuelan singer-songwriter (b. 1927)
• 2005 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance (b 1925)
• 2005 – Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1915)
• 2005 – Harald Juhnke, German actor and singer (b. 1929)
• 2005 – Jack Keller, American songwriter and producer (b. 1936)
• 2005 – Robert Coldwell Wood, American political scientist and academic (b. 1923)
• 2006 – In Tam, Cambodian general and politician, 26th Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1916)
• 2007 – Herb Carneal, American sportscaster (b. 1923)
• 2008 – Jake Warren, Canadian soldier and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States (b. 1921)
• 2009 – Lou Perryman, American actor (b. 1941)
• 2010 – John Forsythe, American actor and producer (b. 1918)
• 2010 – Tzannis Tzannetakis, Greek soldier and politician, 175th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1927)
• 2012 – Ekrem Bora, Turkish actor (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Lionel Bowen, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1922)
• 2012 – Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian-American soccer player and radio host (b. 1947)
• 2012 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican banker, academic, and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (b. 1934)
• 2012 – Leila Denmark, American pediatrician (b. 1898)
• 2012 – Jamaa Fanaka, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
• 2012 – N. K. P. Salve, Indian accountant and politician (b. 1921)
• 2013 – Pavel 183, Russian painter (b. 1983)
• 2013 – Badr bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian commander (b. 1932)
• 2013 – Asal Badiee, Iranian actress (b. 1977)
• 2013 – Moses Blah, Liberian general and politician, 23rd President of Liberia (b. 1947)
• 2013 – David Burge, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Kildare Dobbs, Canadian author (b. 1923)
• 2013 – William H. Ginsburg, American lawyer (b. 1943)
• 2013 – Karen Muir, South African swimmer and physician (b. 1952)
• 2013 – Jack Pardee, American football player and coach (b. 1936)
• 2013 – Greg Willard, American basketball player and referee (b. 1958)
• 2014 – King Fleming, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1922)
• 2014 – Rudolph Hargrave, American lawyer and judge (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Jacques Le Goff, French historian and author (b. 1924)
• 2014 – Andrew Joseph McDonald, American bishop (b. 1923)
• 2014 – Bill Mitchell, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1930)
• 2014 – Rolf Rendtorff, German theologian and academic (b. 1925)
• 2015 – John Paul Hammerschmidt, American soldier and politician (b. 1922)
• 2015 – Eddie LeBaron, American football player, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1930)
• 2015 – Cynthia Lennon, English author (b. 1939)
• 2015 – Misao Okawa, Japanese super-centenarian (b. 1898)
• 2015 – Nicolae Rainea, Romanian footballer and referee (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances

• April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day
• Christian feast day:
  • Cellach of Armagh
  • Hugh of Grenoble
  • Frederick Denison Maurice (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Melito of Sardis
  • Nuno Álvares Pereira
  • Tewdrig
  • Theodora
  • Walric, abbot of Leuconay
  • April 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Civil Service Day (Thailand)
• Earliest day on which Sizdah Be-dar can fall, while April 2 is the latest; celebrated on the 13th day after vernal equinox. (Iran)
• Edible Book Day
• Fossil Fools Day
• Kha b-Nisan, the Assyrian New Year (Assyrians)
• Islamic Republic Day (Iran)
• Odisha Day (Odisha, India)
• The Capture of Brielle, marked a turning point in the uprising of the Low Countries against Spain in the Eighty Years' War. (Brielle)
• Veneralia, in honor of Venus. (Roman Empire)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada