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What happened in history on this day: April 1?
On April 1 in ...
- 374 - Halley's Comet approaches within 0.0884 astronomical units (AUs) of Earth.
- 527 - Flavius Anicius Justinianus becomes compassionate emperor of Byzantium.
- 1064 - Body of bishop Eleutherius of Blandain moved to Doornik.
- 1204 - Eleanor of Aquitaine wife of Louis VII and Henry II, dies at age 81.
- 1205 - Amalrik II King of Cyprus/Jerusalem, dies.
- 1283 - Birth of Ludwig IV of Baveria Roman Catholic Bavarian emperor (1314-47).
- 1504 - English guilds/corp goes under state control.
- 1548 - Sigismund I the Elder, King of Poland, dies at age 81.
- 1572 - Bloys van Treslong conquers Brielle.
- 1574 - Origin of All Fool's Day as King Charles IX of France changes calendar to start January 1.
- 1578 - Birth of William Harvey in England; physician (discovered blood circulation).
- 1581 - Portugese Cortes subjects himself on Philip II.
- 1582 - Birth of Gaspar de Crayer Flemish painter.
- 1582 - Birth of Thomas Simpson composer.
- 1611 - Gillis van Valkenborch Flemish painter, buried at about age 72.
- 1663 - Gemert fines unwed motherhood (50 guilder penalty).
- 1680 - William Dockwra begins the Penny Post postal service in London, England. Prepayment of one penny for up to one pound weight, for use in and around London, using a triangular marking indicating postage paid.
- 1697 - Birth of Abbé Prévost French novelist/journalist (Manon Lescaut).
- 1700 - English pranksters begin popularizing the annual tradition of April Fools' Day by playing practical jokes on each other.
- 1721 - Birth of Pieter Hellendaal Dutch violinist/organist/composer (Glees).
- 1724 - Henry Pelham becomes English minister of War.
- 1724 - Jonathan Swift publishes Drapier's letters.
- 1748 - Ruins of Pompeii found.
- 1755 - Birth of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin French politician/author (Physiologie du Goût).
- 1777 - Death of John Morton in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania; served 18 multi-year terms in Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly, elected to First Continental Congress and Second Continental Congress, cast tie-breaking vote for independence, signed Declaration of Independence.
- 1778 - Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, creates "$" symbol.
- 1793 - Birth of Edouard Corbière; French captain, writer (Le negrier).
- 1793 - Volcano Unsen on Japan erupts killing about 53,000.
- 1814 - Death of Jozef de Ferrarisat age 87; French/Austrian General/cartographer.
- 1815 - Birth of Otto Von Bismarck in Germany; architect of German Empire, chancellor (1866-90).
- 1823 - Birth of Simon Bolivar Buckner; Lieutenant General (Confederate Army) (dies 1914).
- 1826 - Samuel Morey patents internal combustion engine.
- 1847 - Birth of Jules-Nicolas Crevaux; French explorer (South America).
- 1851 - Denmark issues its first postage stamps, denominated 2, 4 skillings.
- 1852 - Birth of Edward Austin Abbey; US painter (Quest of the Holy Grail).
- 1853 - Cincinnati, Ohio becomes first US city to pay firefighters a regular salary.
- 1858 - Birth of Arnold Aletrino; Dutch physician-criminologist/author (From Life).
- 1858 - Birth of Gaetano Mosca; Italian sociologist (Circulation of Elite).
- 1862 - Shenandoah Valley campaign, CSA General Thomas Jackson's Battle of Woodstock, Virginia.
- 1863 - First wartime conscription law in US goes into effect.
- 1865 - Birth of Richard Zsigmondy in Germany; chemist (Nobel Prize-1925).
- 1865 - Battle of Five Forks, Virginia, signalling end of Confederate General Robert Lee's army.
- 1866 - Birth of Ferruccio D M B Busoni in Italy; pianist/composer/conductor (Arlecchino).
- 1867 - International Exhibition opens in Paris, France.
- 1867 - Singapore, Penang, and Malakka form the British crown colony of Straits Settlements.
- 1868 - Birth of Edmond Rostand in France; poet/playwright (Cyrano de Bergerac).
- 1868 - The Dominion of Canada issues its first postage stamps, seven denominations depicting Queen Victoria, and replacing the stamps of Nova Scotia.
- 1869 - Anthony G O Ridder van Rappard, Minister of Reformed Worship, dies at age 69.
- 1869 - Birth of Peter A Egge; Norwegian writer (De Droom).
- 1870 - Patrick Gass, Sergeant of Lewis and Clark Expedition, dies at age 98.
- 1873 - Birth of Sergei Vasilievitch Rachmaninov in Novgorod Provine, Russia; composer (Prelude in C# Minor).
- 1873 - British White Star passenger steamship Atlantic sinks in a storm off Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; 585 die.
- 1875 - Birth of Edgar Wallace in England; novelist/playwright/journalist (The Terror).
- 1878 - Birth of Carl Sternheim; German playwright (Hyperion/Tabula Rasa).
- 1879 - The Universal Postal Union comes into effect.
- 1881 - Anti-Jewish riots in Jerusalem.
- 1881 - Kingdom post office in Netherlands opens.
- 1883 - Birth of Lon Chaney in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; actor (High Noon, Phantom of Opera).
- 1884 - Birth of Laurette Taylor AKA Helen LM Cooney; US actress (Broadway).
- 1885 - Birth of Clementine Ogilvy Spencer-Churchill (Hozier); British baroness.
- 1886 - Birth of Wallace Beery in Kansas City, Missouri, USA; actor (Alias a Gentleman, Dinner at 8, Ah Wilderness).
- 1889 - First dishwashing machine marketed (Chicago, Illinois).
- 1891 - London, England to Paris, France telephone connection opens.
- 1893 - Birth of Cicely Courtneidge in Sydney, Australia; actress (Double Exposure).
- 1895 - Birth of Alberta Hunter; blues singer/composer (Downhearted Blues).
- 1897 - Birth of Willem H van de Pol; Dutch theologist (Christian Dilemma).
- 1898 - Birth of Nita Naldi [Anita Donna Dooley] in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Blood and Sand).
- 1898 - Birth of Pola Gojawiczynska; Polish writer (Stolica).
- 1901 - François M Raoult; French physicist/chemist (Law of Raoult), dies at age 70.
- 1902 - Birth of L P Jai; cricket player (one Test India versus England 1934, scored 19 and 0).
- 1905 - Birth of "Mother" Clara Hale; US social worker (founded Hale House).
- 1905 - Birth of Gaston Eyskens; Prime Minister of Belgium (1949, 1958-61, 1968-72).
- 1905 - Birth of Winfried P I Zillig; German opera composer/conductor (Fantasia Irica).
- 1905 - British East African Protectorate becomes colony of Kenya.
- 1906 - Birth of Ned Glass in Poland; actor (Sol - Julia, Uncle Moe - Bridget Loves Bernie).
- 1906 - Birth of Sigve Lie in Norway; yachtsman (Olympics-gold-1948, 1952).
- 1906 - Birth of Sjoerd van der Schaaf in Gorredijk, Netherlands; Frisian journalist /writer (Abbingawâld).
- 1908 - Birth of Abraham H Maslow; US psychologist (humanistic psychology).
- 1909 - Birth of Abner Biberman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; director/actor (Imhook - Kodiak).
- 1910 - Dumitru Dan (Romania) completes a 62,137 mile (100,000 km) walk.
- 1911 - Birth of Ferdinand J Kranenburg; Dutch Secretary of Defense (Socialist Democrat).
- 1912 - Greek athlete Konstantinos Tsiklitiras breaks the world record in standing long jump with a 3.47m jump.
- 1915 - Birth of Art Lund in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; singer (Ken Murray Show).
- 1915 - Birth of Willy Dixon; blues artist ("Mellow Down Easy").
- 1916 - First US national women's swimming championships held.
- 1916 - Gabrielle Petit, Belgian resistance fighter, is executed.
- 1917 - Birth of Johnny Andrews in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; singer/host (Songs at Twilight).
- 1917 - Birth of Leon Janney in Ogden, Utah, USA; actor (Hawk).
- 1917 - Scott Joplin, ragtime composer (The Sting), dies at age 48.
- 1918 - England's Royal Flying Corps replaced by Royal Air Force.
- 1920 - Birth of Toshiro Mifune Tsing-tao in China; writer/actor (Shogun).
- 1920 - Church disestablished in Wales.
- 1920 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Senators (NHL) beat Seattle Metropolitans (PCHA), 3 games to 2.
- 1921 - Birth of William L Bergsma in Oakland, California, USA; composer (Fortunate Island).
- 1922 - Birth of William Manchester in Attleboro, Massachusetts, USA; historian (Death of a President).
- 1922 - Death of Emperor Karl at age 34 of pneumonia on Madeira island; Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
- 1923 - Birth of Bobby Jordan in Harrison, New York, USA; actor (Bowery Champs, Kid Dynamite, Flying Wild).
- 1923 - First sound short films shown in New York's Rivoli Theatre.
- 1923 - San Marino elects two fascist regent-captains, beginning the rule of the Fascist Party.
- 1924 - British crown takes over Northern Rhodesia from British South Africa Co.
- 1924 - Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years labor but General Ludendorff is acquitted.
- 1924 - Imperial Airways is formed in Britain.
- 1925 - First transmission of Danish state radio.
- 1925 - Birth of Sala Burton; American politician (Representative-Democrat-California, 1983-).
- 1926 - Birth of Anne [Inez] McCaffrey; American sci-fi author (Crystal Singer, Dragonflight, Dragondrums).
- 1926 - Birth of Lyndon Brook; actor (Invasion, Reach for the Sky).
- 1927 - First automatic record changer introduced by His Master's Voice.
- 1928 - Birth of Dimitri Frenkel Frank; Dutch writer/director (Hadimassa).
- 1928 - Birth of George Grizzard in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, USA; actor (Wrong is Right, Bachelor Party, Attica).
- 1928 - Birth of Jane Powell in Portland, Oregon, USA; singer/actress (7 Brides for 7 Brothers).
- 1928 - Chiang Kai-shek's army crosses Yang-tse River.
- 1929 - Austrian government of Ignaz Seipel falls.
- 1929 - Birth of Milan Kundera in Czechoslovakia; poet/writer (Unbearable Lightness of Being, L'art du Roman, Joke).
- 1929 - Louie Marx introduces Yo-Yo.
- 1929 - Morehouse College, Spelman College and Atlanta University affiliate to form Atlanta University Center.
- 1930 - Birth of Grace Lee Whitney in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; actress (Yeoman Rand - Star Trek).
- 1930 - Cosima Liszt, wife of Austrian composer Richard Wagner, dies at age 92.
- 1930 - Zawditu, first reigning female monarch of Ethiopia, dies.
- 1931 - Birth of George Baker in Bulgaria; actor (Goodbye Mr Chips, Curse of the Fly).
- 1931 - Birth of Rolf Hochhuth; German playwright (Deputy).
- 1932 - Birth of Alex[ander Colleridge Vanderpuiye Baka] Tetteh-Lartey; broadcaster, lawyer and actor (Caught, Laughter of God).
- 1932 - Birth of Debbie Reynolds in El Paso, Texas, USA; actress (Singin' in the Rain).
- 1932 - Birth of Gordon Jump in Dayton, Ohio, USA; actor (Arthur Carlson - WKRP, Growing Pains).
- 1932 - In Canada, the RCMP absorbs provincial police of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Alberta.
- 1933 - Birth of Dan Flavin; US minimalist sculptor.
- 1933 - Frederick Lord Chelmsford, viceroy of British-India (1916-21), dies at age 64.
- 1933 - Walter Hammond scores 336 versus New Zealand at Auckland, 47 fours 10 sixes.
- 1933 - Heinrich Himmler becomes Police Commander of Germany.
- 1933 - Germany begins persecution of Jews, boycotting Jewish businesses.
- 1934 - Birth of Don Hastings in Brooklyn, New Yorkm USA; actor (Captain Video, Bob - As the World Turns).
- 1934 - Birth of Jim Ed Brown in Sparkman, Arkansas, USA; country singer ("Nashville on the Road").
- 1934 - Bonnie and Clyde kill two police officers.
- 1935 - First radio tube made of metal announced, Schenectady, New York.
- 1935 - Birth of Hans H Boswinkel; actor/director (Surprise Attack, Tutorials in Love).
- 1935 - Birth of John Murray; cricket player (England 1961-67, first wk called Murray to play Tests).
- 1936 - Orissa constitutes a province of British India.
- 1937 - Burma splits from India as self-governing unit of British Commonwealth.
- 1937 - Aden becomes British crown colony, and issues its first postage stamps.
- 1938 - Birth of Ali MacGraw in Pound Ridge, New York, USA; actress (Love Story, Goodbye Columbus).
- 1938 - Baseball Hall of Fame opens in Cooperstown, New York, USA.
- 1938 - Joe Louis knocks out Harry Thomas in five rounds for heavyweight boxing title.
- 1939 - German battleship Tirpitz launched at Wilhelmshaven.
- 1939 - Birth of Phil Niekro; knuckleball pitcher (New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves).
- 1939 - Birth of Rudolph Isley in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; rocker (Isley Brothers - "Shout").
- 1939 - US recognizes Franco government in Spain at end of Spanish civil war.
- 1939 - Pope Pius XII congratulates Generalissimo Franco's victory in Spain.
- 1939 - Canada begins regular transcontinental air passenger service.
- 1940 - Birth of Wangari Maathai in Kenya; scholar, environmental activist, professor (University of Nairobi), founder (Green Belt Movement), Nobel Peace Prize recipient (2004).
- 1941 - Birth of Ajit Wadekar; cricket player (stalwart Indian batsman and captain).
- 1941 - Hippolyte Delehaye, Flemish historian, dies at age 81.
- 1941 - US Navy takes over Treasure Island (San Francisco Bay).
- 1941 - Pro-German Rashid Ali al-Ghailani grabs power in Iraq.
- 1942 - Allied air raid on harbor city Kupang, Timor.
- 1942 - Birth of Alan Blakley; rocker (Brian Poole and The Tremeloes).
- 1942 - Birth of Danny Brooks; rocker (Dovells).
- 1942 - Birth of Phil Margo in Brooklyn, New York, USA; rock vocalist (The Tokens - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight").
- 1942 - Birth of Samuel R[ay] Delany Junior; American sci-fi author (Towers of Toron, Dhalgren, Neveryona).
- 1942 - México changes from three time zones to two.
- 1944 - Birth of Carol White in England; actress (Daddy's Gone a Hunting).
- 1944 - Japanese troops conquer Jessami, East-India.
- 1945 - First edition of Indonesia Merdeka publishes.
- 1945 - Birth of Heather Young in Bremerton, Washington, USA; actress (Betty - Land of Giants).
- 1945 - Canadian troops free Doetinchem, Enschede, Borculo and Eibergen.
- 1945 - American 1st and 9th Armies complete an encirclement of the Ruhr area of Germany, isolating 325,000 German soldiers of Army Group B.
- 1945 - 50,000 American 10th Army troops land on Okinawa, Japan.
- 1946 - 400,000 US mine workers strike.
- 1946 - Birth of Arthur Conley; American soul singer (Sweet Soul Music).
- 1946 - Birth of John Barbata; drummer (The Turtles - "Happy Together", "Eleanor").
- 1946 - Birth of Ronnie "Plonk" Lane in London, England; rock bassist (Small Faces - "Hey Girl").
- 1946 - Birth of William Frederick Fisher in Dallas, Texas, USA; MD/astronaut (STS 51-I).
- 1946 - Noah Beery, actor (Beau Geste, Cimarron Kid, Mammy), dies at age 62.
- 1946 - Tsunamis generated by an earthquake in Aleutian Trench strike Hilo, Hawaii.
- 1946 - Van Acker forms Belgian government (without CVP).
- 1946 - US notifies Cuba it will withdraw from military bases in Cuba.
- 1946 - Singapore becomes a separate British colony on the dissolution of the Straits Settlements colony.
- 1947 - First Jewish immigrants to Israel disembark at Port of Eilat.
- 1947 - George II, king of Greece, dies at age 56.
- 1948 - Birth of Simon Crowe; rock drummer (Boomtown Rats - "Maxinguaye").
- 1948 - H H H Johnson bowls West Indies to win versus England 10-96 match on debut.
- 1949 - Birth of Gill Scott-Heron; American writer/poet/singer (Whities on the Moon).
- 1950 - Birth of Ed[uardus] Nijpels; Dutch minister of Environment (VVD).
- 1950 - Birth of Leonard van Spirit; Dutch/British fruit/food magnate.
- 1950 - Charles R Drew, surgeon/developer of blood bank concept, dies at age 45.
- 1952 - Big Bang theory proposed in Physical Review by Alpher, Bethe and Gamow.
- 1952 - Birth of Abdel Basset Ali Al-Megrahi in Tripoli, Libya; bomber (Pan Am 103).
- 1952 - Birth of Annette O'Toole in Houston, Texas, USA; actress (Cat People, Superman III).
- 1952 - Birth of Billy Currie; rock keyboardist/violinist (Ultravox - "We Came to Dance").
- 1952 - Birth of Rey Robinson; American 100-metre sprinter (Olympics-1972).
- 1952 - Ferenc Molnár, Hungarian playwright (Farkas, Tester), dies at age 76.
- 1952 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1953 - Birth of Aftab Baloch; cricket player (Pakistan in two Tests, scored 428 for Sind 74).
- 1953 - Birth of Barry Sonnenfeld; director (When Harry Met Sally, Big, Misery).
- 1953 - J van Bale appointed Governor of New Guinea.
- 1953 - Walcott Worrell and Weekes all make centuries in innings versus India.
- 1954 - First Dutch motorway, Amsterdam-Utrecht, opens.
- 1954 - First army helicopter battalion is formed, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA.
- 1954 - Birth of Jeff Porcaro in Los Angeles, California, USA; drummer/percussionist (Toto - "Roxanne", "Africa").
- 1954 - Earthquake/tsunami ravages Aleutians, 200 killed.
- 1955 - Revised Criminal Code of Canada goes into effect.
- 1955 - Armed military action taken against bureaucratic strike in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- 1955 - Birth of Danny Joe Pohl in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, USA; PGA golfer (1986 Colonial).
- 1955 - Birth of Stan Ridway; rocker (Wall Of Voodoo).
- 1955 - EOKA-bomb attacks against British government buildings in Cyprus.
- 1955 - Silvio d'Amico, Italian theater critic (Il Teatro Italian), dies at age 68.
- 1955 - NBC-TV airs the final episode of One Man's Family.
- 1956 - CBS airs the last Omnibus TV show.
- 1956 - 10th Tony Awards: Diary of Anne Frank and Damn Yankees win.
- 1956 - Violent clashes in Algeria, at least 380 killed.
- 1957 - Birth of David Gower; cricket player (elegant England left-handed batsman 1978-92).
- 1957 - Birth of Donald William Hammond in Frederick, Maryland, USA; PGA golfer (1986 Bob Hope).
- 1957 - Birth of Peter Deutsch; American politician (Representative-Democrat-Florida).
- 1957 - Gheorge Tatarescu, premier Romania (1933-37, 1939-40), dies.
- 1957 - Trial begins in Budapest, Hungary against participants' October uprising.
- 1958 - Birth of Anton Innauer in Austria; 70-metre ski jumper (Olympics-gold-1980).
- 1958 - Marshal Boelganin becomes director of Russian Staatsbank.
- 1960 - France performs nuclear test at Reggane Proving Grounds, Algeria.
- 1960 - Piet[er O] Bakker, Dutch journalist/writer (Ciske), dies at age 62.
- 1960 - RCA TIROS (TV and Infra-Red Observation 'weather' Satellite) I launched.
- 1960 - U Nu elected premier of Burma.
- 1961 - Birth of Jennifer Runyon; actress (Cindy - A Very Brady Christmas, Gwendolyn - Charles in Charge).
- 1961 - Birth of Jim Jeffcoat; NFL defensive end (Buffalo Bills).
- 1961 - Birth of Mark White; rock guitarist (ABC - "All of My Heart").
- 1962 - Birth of Phillip Schofield; TV personality/designer (Nightfire).
- 1962 - Birth of Rich Amaral in Visalia, California, USA; outfielder (Seattle Mariners).
- 1963 - New York City's newspapers resume publishing after a 114-day strike.
- 1963 - New York Mets purchase Duke Snider from the Los Angeles Dodgers for US$40,000.
- 1963 - ABC-TV begins airing daily TV serial General Hospital.
- 1963 - NBC-TV debuts 30-minute The Doctors TV show.
- 1964 - Birth of John Morris; cricket player (England right-hand batsman versus India 1990).
- 1964 - Birth of Kevin Duckworth; NBA center (Milwaukee Bucks).
- 1964 - Birth of Scott Stevens in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada; NHL defenseman (New Jersey Devils, Team Canada).
- 1965 - Birth of John "Jumbo" Elliot; NFL tackle (New York Giants, New York Jets).
- 1965 - Birth of Mark Jackson; NBA guard (Indiana Pacers).
- 1965 - Birth of Peter O'Toole; Irish pop bassist (Hothouse Flowers - "People", "Home", "Don't Go").
- 1965 - Henry D G Crerar, Canadian General (World War I, Normandy), dies at age 76.
- 1965 - South Africa worker's union leader Henry Fazzie sentenced to ten years.
- 1965 - Syncom 3, first geosynchronous communications satellite, passes from civilian to military control.
- 1966 - First world festival of black art (Dakar, Senegal).
- 1966 - Birth of Dave Vankoughnett; Canadian Football League corner (Winnipeg Blue Bombers).
- 1966 - Birth of Odie Harris; NFL safety/defensive back (Houston Oilers).
- 1966 - China premier Tsjoe en-Lai starts "Cultural revolution".
- 1966 - Karl B Adam, German theologist (Jesus Christ), dies at age 89.
- 1967 - First British ombudsman sir Edward Compton begins work.
- 1968 - Birth of Joel Smeenge; NFL defensive end (Jacksonville Jaguars).
- 1968 - Lev D Landau, Russian physicist (Nobel Prize 1962), dies at age 59.
- 1969 - Birth of Andrew Vlahov; Australian basketball forward (Olympics-1988, 1992, 1996).
- 1969 - Birth of Arnaud Boetsch in Meulam, France; tennis star (1985 European Junior).
- 1969 - Birth of Frank Castillo in El Paso, Texas, USA; pitcher (Chicago Cubs).
- 1969 - Birth of John Forest; soccer player (Go Ahead Eagles).
- 1969 - Birth of Kevin Dean in Madison, Wisconsin, USA; NHL defenseman (New Jersey Devils).
- 1969 - Birth of Traci Lin-Tavi in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Ryan's Hope, F/X, Fright Night 2).
- 1969 - Helena Rubinstein, American cosmetic manufacturer, dies at about age 89.
- 1969 - Royal Canadian Mint formally forms as a Crown Corporation.
- 1969 - The Hawker Siddeley Harrier jet enters service with the British Royal Air Force.
- 1969 - Seattle Pilots trade minor league outfielder Lou Piniella to Kansas City Royals.
- 1969 - CBS airs the final episode of The Andy Griffith Show.
- 1970 - Birth of Mark Wheeler; NFL defensive tackle (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots).
- 1970 - Birth of Wes Barnett in Saint Joseph, Missouri, USA; 238lb (108kg) weightlifter (Olympics-6th-1992, 1996).
- 1970 - Birth of Wyatt Jones in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; kayak (alternate-Olympics-1996).
- 1970 - Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club, headed by Bud Selig, purchases the Seattle Pilots for US$10,800,000.
- 1970 - US President Richard Nixon signs bill limiting cigarette advertisements on beginning January 1, 1971.
- 1971 - Birth of Ernest Jones; NFL defensive end (Saints, Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32).
- 1971 - Birth of Jessica Collins [Capogna]; actress (Dinah Lee Mayberry - Loving).
- 1971 - United Kingdom lifts all restrictions on gold ownership.
- 1971 - In Manila, Philippines, a fire that started in a newspaper warehouse burns out of control for over seven hours, burning 15 blocks of the city, leaving 70,000 homeless. Damage estimated at US$330,000.
- 1972 - 30,000 attend Mar Y Sol rock concert, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico.
- 1972 - Birth of Kenny Gales; NFL/WLAF cornerback (Chicago Bears, Barcelona Dragons).
- 1972 - Birth of Mike McCoy; WLAF quarterback (Amsterdam Admirals).
- 1972 - Major league baseball players stage first collective strike.
- 1973 - Arthur Wood, cricket wicket-keeper (England 1938-39), dies.
- 1973 - Betsy Cullen wins LPGA Alamo Ladies Golf Classic.
- 1973 - Birth of Ferdy Vierklau; soccer player (FC Utrecht).
- 1973 - Birth of Stephen Fleming; cricket player (New Zealand left-handed Test batsman 1994-).
- 1973 - Japan allows its citizens to own gold.
- 1973 - John Lennon and Yoko form a new country with no laws or boundaries, called Nutopia, its national anthem is silence (April Fool's Joke).
- 1974 - Ayatollah Khomeini calls for an Islamic Republic in Iran.
- 1974 - The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 breaks down off Bermuda; The entire passenger load is transferred to Flagship Cruises' liner Sea Venture.
- 1975 - Birth of Kristine Quance; 100 metre breaststroke/200 metre medley (Olympics-1996).
- 1975 - Birth of Magdalena Maleeva in Sofia, Bulgaria; tennis star (1995 Chicago Moscow).
- 1975 - Cambodia President Lon Nol flees for Red Khmer.
- 1975 - Eugeen Yoors, Flemish draftsman/glass painter, dies at age 95.
- 1976 - Birth of Clarence Seedorf; Surinam/Dutch soccer player (Ajax, Real Madrid).
- 1976 - Max Ernst, German/French surrealist painter/sculptor, dies at age 85.
- 1976 - Respected astronomer Patrick Moore first reports the "Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect" (later found to be a hoax).
- 1976 - Steven Jobs and Stephen Wozniak incorporate the Apple Computer Company, on April Fool's Day.
- 1977 - Attempt for Muslim state in Chad fails.
- 1977 - NFL decides to experiment with a 7th official in some preseason games.
- 1978 - New Zealand National Airways Corporation merges with Air New Zealand.
- 1978 - Dick Smith of Dick Smith Foods tows a fake iceberg to Sydney Harbour.
- 1978 - The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, is converted to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
- 1978 - CBS airs the final episode of The Bob Newhart Show.
- 1979 - Iran's government becomes an Islamic Republic by a 98 percent vote, overthrowing the Shah officially.
- 1979 - The Pinwheel Network changes its name to Nickelodeon and begins airing on various Warner Cable systems beginning in Buffalo, New York, expanding its audience reach.
- 1979 - Joanne Carner wins LPGA Women's Kemper Golf Open.
- 1979 - Tanzanian troops and Ugandan exiles storm Kampala and oust Idi Amin.
- 1979 - Marinus Peijnenburg, Dutch politician, dies at age 51.
- 1980 - The Mariel boatlift from Cuba to Florida begins.
- 1980 - Baseball Players' Association votes to cancel 92 remaining exhibition games.
- 1980 - Birth of Bryan Buffinton in Ridgewood, New Jersey; actor (Bill Lewis Junior - Guiding Light).
- 1980 - Failed assassination attempt on Iraqi vice-premier Tariq Aziz.
- 1980 - France performs nuclear test.
- 1980 - Wayne Gretzky breaks Bobby Orr's NHL record with 103rd assist.
- 1980 - Birth of Randy Orton; American professional wrestler.
- 1980 - Birth of Yuko Takeuchi; Japanese actress.
- 1980 - New York City's Transport Works Union Local 100 goes on strike, which continues for 11 days.
- 1981 - The USSR adopts daylight savings time.
- 1981 - D[ennis] F[eltham] Jones, sci-fi author (Colossus), dies at age 65.
- 1982 - Birth of Sam Huntington; American actor (Jungle 2 Jungle).
- 1982 - US formally transfers Canal Zone to Panamá.
- 1982 - Anguilla (dependent territory of United Kingdom) adopts constitution.
- 1983 - Anti-nuke demonstrators link arms in 14-mile human chain in England.
- 1983 - New York Islanders' Mike Bossy becomes first to score 60 goals in three consecutive seasons.
- 1984 - Eight men record longest distance (13 miles) rowed in 24 hours.
- 1984 - Death of Marvin Gaye shot to death by his father Marvin Gaye Sr in Los Angeles, California at age 44; singer ("Sexual Healing") (born 1939).
- 1984 - 14th Easter Seal Telethon raises US$24,600,000.
- 1984 - Third NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Southern California beats Tennessee 72-61.
- 1985 - Two Japanese government-owned corporations, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation, and Japan Tobacco and Salt Public Corporation, are privatized and changed their names to Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, and Japan Tobacco.
- 1985 - 47th NCAA Men's Basketball Champion: Villanova beats Georgetown 84-75.
- 1986 - Delhi beats Haryana by innings and 141 to win Ranji Trophy.
- 1986 - US submarine Nathaniel Green runs aground in the Irish Sea.
- 1986 - World oil prices dip below US$10 a barrel.
- 1988 - Death of Jim Jordan at age 91 from a blood clot to the brain; radio actor (Fibber McGee and Molly).
- 1988 - Marius W Holtrop, economist/president (Netherlands Bank), dies at age 85.
- 1989 - First New York Mets - New York Yankees game in New York City since 1983, New York Yankees win 4-3.
- 1989 - Former Yale University and National League president Bart Giamatti becomes seventh commissioner of Major League Baseball.
- 1989 - Henk Gortzak, Dutch Member of Parliament (CPN/PSP), dies at age 57.
- 1989 - Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Poll tax, is introduced in Scotland.
- 1989 - In Canada, four people share a Canadian record CDN$15.5 million Lotto 6/49 jackpot.
- 1990 - The Comedy Channel on cable TV begins transmitting in the US.
- 1990 - 19th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Betsy King.
- 1990 - 9th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Stanford beats Auburn 88-81.
- 1990 - CBS fires sportscaster Brent Mussburger.
- 1990 - Second Seniors Golf Tradition: Jack Nicklaus wins.
- 1990 - Wrestlemania VI (67,678 in Toronto); Ultimate Warrior beats Hulk Hogan for championship.
- 1990 - The largest prison riot in Britain's history begins at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, continuing for three weeks and three days.
- 1991 - 53rd NCAA Mens Basketball Champion: Duke Bluedevils beats Kansas 72-65.
- 1991 - Dwight Goodin signs US$5.15 million three year contract with New York Mets.
- 1991 - Iran releases British hostage Roger Cooper after five years.
- 1991 - Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (Appalachian Spring), dies at age 96 (born 1894).
- 1991 - Paulo Muwanga, chief of Uganda (1980), dies.
- 1991 - US Supreme Court rules jurors can't be barred from serving due to race.
- 1991 - US minimum wage goes from $3.80 to $4.25 per hour.
- 1991 - The president of the Berlin Treuhandanstalt (the organization responsible for the privatization of East German property), Detlev Karsten Rohwedder is murdered by terrorists.
- 1991 - In Iowa, USA, riverboat gambling is legalized, as the Diamond Lady is launched. Maiden voyage of Casino Belle from Dubuque, Iowa on the Mississippi River, with 9000 square feet of casino space, including 500 slot machines.
- 1992 - Nintendo releases The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past video game for the Super NES in the US.
- 1992 - Battleship USS Missouri (on which Japan surrendered) decommissioned.
- 1992 - Juanito, soccer star (Madrid Real 1977-87), dies at age 37 in car crash.
- 1992 - NFL decides to stay with 17-week schedule instead of expanded 18 games.
- 1992 - NHL players begin first strike in 75-year history.
- 1992 - Western Australia beats New South Wales by 44 runs to win the Sheffield Shield Final.
- 1992 - World's seven wealthiest nations agree on $24 billion aid for former USSR.
- 1993 - Alan Kulwicki, American stock car racer, dies in plane crash at age 38 (born 1954).
- 1993 - Ihsan Mohamed Salem [Yunis Awad], Palestinian Al-Fatah leader, killed.
- 1993 - Juan of Borbon y Battemberg, father of king Juan Carlos I, dies.
- 1993 - Wayne Mack, sportscaster/actor (Storyville), dies of cancer at age 68.
- 1993 - Lou Gerstner replaces John Akers as chairman and CEO of IBM.
- 1994 - Bob Feller Statue on Indians Plaza, dedicated.
- 1994 - Léon Degrelle, Belgium General, dies (born 1906).
- 1994 - Robert Doisneau, French photographer (The Kiss), dies at age 81.
- 1995 - The Blizzard Beach water park opens at Walt Disney World.
- 1995 - Cheryl Waltz, author/film producer, dies at age 50.
- 1995 - Johnny Nichols, football player, dies at age 63.
- 1995 - New York Islanders retire Bobby Nystrom's uniform #23.
- 1995 - Sampson DeBrier, actor (Inauguration of Pleasure Dome), dies at age 86.
- 1996 - 58th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kentucky beats Syracuse 76-67.
- 1996 - Alfredo Nobre Coast, Prime Minister of Portugal (1978), dies.
- 1996 - Edwin H "Buddy" Morris, music publisher, dies at age 89.
- 1996 - John Alwyne Kitching, zoologist, dies at age 87.
- 1996 - John McSheery dies of heart attack while umpiring a game, at age 51.
- 1996 - Mario Viegas, actor (The Jew, Divine Comedy), dies at age 47.
- 1996 - The Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada, is created.
- 1997 - 69-year-old Gordie Howe begins playing AHL game with Syracuse Crunch.
- 1997 - Comet Hale-Bopp Perihelion (0.914 AU).
- 1997 - Jolie Gabor, mother of Zsa Zsa and Eva, dies at age 97.
- 1997 - Nancy Woodhull, news editor (today usa), dies of cancer at age 52.
- 1997 - Cartoonists of popularly syndicated comic strips swap cartoons for the day.
- 1997 - The German steel companies Krupp and Thyssen merge.
- 1998 - World Ice Pairs Figure Skating Championship in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Russians Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze win.
- 1998 - Ukrainian serial killer Anatoly Onoprienko is sentenced to death for 52 murders.
- 1999 - Nunavut, an Inuit homeland, is created from the eastern portion of the Northwest Territories to become Canada's third territory.
- 2000 - Tanker King Fisher hits a reef while approaching the Pertamina port in Cilacapan, at the Southern coast of Central Java, Indonesia, leaking 160 million litres of crude oil, affecting 25km of shoreline.
- 2000 - Japanese prime minister Keizo Obuchi suffers a stroke and falls into a coma.
- 2001 - A Chinese fighter jet bumps into a U.S. EP-3E surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea. The Chinese plane breaks apart and the pilot dies. The damaged American plane with 24 crew is forced to make an emergency landing on a military runway on Hainan island, China.
- 2001 - The first Major League Baseball game is played in Puerto Rico, as the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Texas Rangers 8-1.
- 2001 - Former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia President Slobodan MiloÜevic surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on charges of war crimes.
- 2001 - In the Netherlands, the Act on the Opening up of Marriage goes into effect. The Act allows same-sex couples to legally marry for the first time in the world since the reign of Nero.
- 2001 - Fox airs the 100th episode of TV show King of the Hill.
- 2002 - Maryland defeats Indiana 64-52 to win the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
- 2003 - Air Canada files for bankruptcy protection.
- 2004 - The Faroese Prime Minister's Office announces that from then on the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister's Office will use a new version of the Faroese Coat of Arms. The colours were inspired from the Merkið (flag) and yellow/gold was added. The new Coat of Arms depicts a Ram on a blue shield ready to defend. It can be used by the Government Ministries and by Faroese embassies, but some still use older versions of the Coat of Arms.
- 2005 - Death of Philip J Amelio II of internal infection at age 27; actor (Kevin Life With Lucy, Scott - All My Children).
- 2006 - The Chicago White Sox signs Jose Contreras to a $29 million, three-year contract extension.
- 2008 - Namibia's Namdeb diamond company discovers a shipwreck off the coast of Namibia. Three bronze cannons are dated to 16th century Spain; other objects recovered are thousands of Spanish and Portuguese gold coins, and several tonnes of elephant tusks.
- 2008 - UBS, Switzerland's largest bank and world's biggest wealth manager, announces write-downs on American mortgage-backed securities of US$37 billion, resulting in a first quarter loss of 12 billion Swiss francs. Chairman Marcel Ospel announces his resignation.
- 2008 - Death of Pedro Zaragoza Orts, mayor of Benidorm (1950-67), transformed the town to a tourist resort, at age 85.
- 2009 - Israel's parliament swears in Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister and approves the new coalition cabinet by 69 votes to 45.
- 2009 - Albania and Croatia join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
- 2010 - German carmaker Daimler pleads guilty to corruption in the US and will pay US$185 million. The company paid tens of millions of dollars in bribes to foreign government officials in at least 22 countries between 1998 and 2008.
- 2010 - India launches a new census in which every person aged over 15 will be photographed and fingerprinted to create a biometric national database, which will then be used for national identity cards.
- 2010 - Death of Dr. Edward Roberts, founder of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), "father of the personal computer", inventor of the Altair 8800 computer, at age 68 after a long bout of pneumonia.
- 2012 - Death of Miguel de la Madrid, 52nd President of Mexico (born 1934).
- 2020 - People's Republic of China reports 130 asymptomatic cases of COVID-19, its first reported asymptomatic cases.
- 2020 - Yemen's internationally-recognised government releases more than 470 of its prisoners amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19 in Yemen's overcrowded jails.
- 2020 - Death of Nur Hassan Hussein, 12th Prime Minister of Somalia (born 1937).
- 2022 - Shanghai, People's Republic of China, east side lockdowm lifted. West side lockdown commences.
- 2023 - Death of Klaus Teuber at age 70; board game creator (Settlers of Catan).
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