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Revision as of 11:06, 8 February 2015

April 4 is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 271 days remain until the end of the year.

On the Roman calendar, this was known as the day before the nones of April (Template:Lang-la). Famous people born on this day include Robert Downey jr, grumpy cat and Conor Ward

Events

• 503 BC – According to the Fasti Triumphales, Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrated a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines.
• 1147 – First historical record of Moscow.
• 1287 – King Wareru founds Kingdom of Ramannadesa, and proclaims independence from Pagan Empire.
• 1581 – Francis Drake is knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world.
• 1660 – Declaration of Breda by King Charles II of England.
• 1721 – Sir Robert Walpole takes office as the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom under King George I.
• 1768 – In London, Philip Astley stages the first modern circus.
• 1796 – Georges Cuvier delivers his first paleontological lecture at École Centrale du Pantheon of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle on living and fossil remains of elephants and related species, founding the science of Paleontology.
• 1812 – U.S. President James Madison enacts a ninety-day embargo on trade with the United Kingdom.
• 1814 – Napoleon abdicates for the first time and names his son Napoleon II as Emperor of the French.
• 1818 – The United States Congress adopts the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (then 20).
• 1841 – William Henry Harrison dies of pneumonia becoming the first President of the United States to die in office and with the shortest term served.
• 1850 – The Great Fire of Cottenham: a large part of the Cambridgeshire village (England) is burnt to the ground in suspicious circumstances.
• 1850 – Los Angeles, California, is incorporated as a city.
• 1859 – Bryant's Minstrels debut "Dixie" in New York City in the finale of a blackface minstrel show.
• 1865 – American Civil War: A day after Union forces capture Richmond, Virginia, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visits the Confederate capital.
• 1866 – Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Dmitry Karakozov in the city of Saint Petersburg.
• 1873 – The Kennel Club is founded, the oldest and first official registry of purebred dogs in the world.
• 1887 – Argonia, Kansas elects Susanna M. Salter as the first female mayor in the United States.
• 1905 – In India, an earthquake hits the Kangra Valley, killing 20,000, and destroying most buildings in Kangra, Mcleodganj and Dharamshala.
• 1913 – First Balkan War: Greek aviator Emmanouil Argyropoulos becomes the first pilot to die in the Hellenic Air Force when his plane crashes.
• 1930 – The Communist Party of Panama is founded.
• 1933 – U.S. Navy airship, USS Akron, is wrecked off the New Jersey coast due to severe weather.
• 1939 – Faisal II becomes King of Iraq.
• 1944 – World War II: First bombardment of oil refineries in Bucharest by Anglo-American forces kills 3000 civilians.
• 1945 – World War II: American troops liberate Ohrdruf forced labor camp in Germany.
• 1945 – World War II: American troops capture Kassel.
• 1945 – World War II: Soviet troops liberate from German occupation and/or occupy Hungary. (national Hungarian holiday until 1990)
• 1949 – Twelve nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• 1958 – The CND peace symbol is displayed in public for the first time in London.
• 1960 – France agrees to grant independence to the Mali Federation, a union of Senegal and French Sudan.
• 1964 – The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.
• 1965 – The first model of the new Saab Viggen fighter aircraft is unveiled.
• 1967 – Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" speech in New York City's Riverside Church.
• 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
• 1968 – Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 6.
• 1968 – AEK Athens BC becomes the first Greek team to win the European Basketball Cup.
• 1969 – Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart.
• 1973 – The World Trade Center in New York is officially dedicated.
• 1973 – A Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, dubbed the Hanoi Taxi, makes the last flight of Operation Homecoming.
• 1975 – Microsoft is founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico
• 1975 – Vietnam War: Operation Baby Lift – A United States Air Force Lockheed C-5A Galaxy transporting orphans, crashes near Saigon, South Vietnam shortly after takeoff; 172 die.
• 1976 – Prince Norodom Sihanouk resigns as leader of Cambodia and is placed under house arrest.
• 1979 – Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan is executed.
• 1981 – The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force mounts an attack on H-3 Airbase and destroys about 50 Iraqi aircraft.
• 1983 – Space Shuttle Challenger makes its maiden voyage into space.
• 1984 – President Ronald Reagan calls for an international ban on chemical weapons.
• 1988 – Governor Evan Mecham of Arizona is convicted in his impeachment trial and removed from office.
• 1991 – Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania and six others are killed when a helicopter collides with their airplane over an elementary school in Merion, Pennsylvania.
• 1991 – The current flag of Hong Kong is adopted for post-colonial Hong Kong during the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress.
• 1994 – Marc Andreessen and Jim Clark found Netscape Communications Corporation under the name "Mosaic Communications Corporation".
• 1996 – Comet Hyakutake is imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous.
• 2002 – The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War.
• 2007 – Fifteen British Royal Navy personnel held in Iran are released by the Iranian President.
• 2013 – More than 70 people are killed in a building collapse in Thane, India.

Births

• 188 – Caracalla, Roman emperor (d. 217)
• 1492 – Ambrosius Blarer, German-Swiss theologian and reformer (d. 1564)
• 1572 – William Strachey, English author (d. 1621)
• 1593 – Edward Nicholas, English politician (d. 1669)
• 1640 – Gaspar Sanz, Spanish guitarist, composer, and priest (d. 1710)
• 1646 – Antoine Galland, French orientalist and archaeologist (d. 1715)
• 1648 – Grinling Gibbons, Dutch-English sculptor (d. 1721)
• 1676 – Giuseppe Maria Orlandini, Italian composer (d. 1760)
• 1688 – Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, French astronomer (d. 1768)
• 1718 – Benjamin Kennicott, English theologian and scholar (d. 1783)
• 1752 – Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli, Italian composer (d. 1837)
• 1760 – Juan Manuel Olivares, Venezuelan composer (d. 1797)
• 1762 – Stephen Storace, English actor and composer (d. 1796)
• 1772 – Nachman of Breslov (d. 1810)
• 1780 – Edward Hicks, American painter and minister (d. 1849)
• 1785 – Bettina von Arnim, German author (d. 1859)
• 1792 – Thaddeus Stevens, American lawyer and politician (d. 1868)
• 1802 – Dorothea Dix, American activist (d. 1887)
• 1818 – Thomas Mayne Reid, Irish-American author (d. 1883)
• 1819 – Maria II of Portugal (d. 1853)
• 1821 – Linus Yale, Jr., American engineer and businessman (d. 1868)
• 1826 – Zénobe Gramme, Belgian engineer, invented the Gramme machine (d. 1901)
• 1835 – John Hughlings Jackson, English neurologist (d. 1911)
• 1842 – Édouard Lucas, French mathematician (d. 1891)
• 1843 – William Henry Jackson, American painter and photographer (d. 1942)
• 1846 – Comte de Lautréamont, Uruguayan-French poet (d. 1870)
• 1853 – Tad Lincoln, American son of Abraham Lincoln (d. 1871)
• 1858 – Remy de Gourmont, French author, poet, and critic (d. 1915)
• 1869 – Mary Colter, American architect, designed the Desert View Watchtower (d. 1958)
• 1875 – Pierre Monteux, French conductor (d. 1964)
• 1876 – Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter (d. 1958)
• 1879 – Gustav Goßler, German rower (d. 1940)
• 1884 – James Alberione, Italian priest, founded the Society of St. Paul (d. 1971)
• 1884 – Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese admiral (d. 1943)
• 1886 – Frank Luther Mott, American historian and journalist (d. 1964)
• 1888 – Tris Speaker, American baseball player and manager (d. 1958)
• 1888 – Zdzisław Żygulski, Sr., Polish historian and educator (d. 1975)
• 1889 – Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Indian journalist, poet, and playwright (d. 1968)
• 1895 – Arthur Murray, American dancer and educator (d. 1991)
• 1896 – Robert E. Sherwood, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 1955)
• 1897 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor (d. 1975)
• 1897 – Dina Manfredini, Italian-American super-centenarian (d. 2012)
• 1898 – Agnes Ayres, American actress (d. 1940)
• 1899 – Hillel Oppenheimer, German-Israeli botanist (d. 1971)
• 1902 – Louise Lévêque de Vilmorin, French journalist and author (d. 1969)
• 1902 – Stanley G. Weinbaum, American author (d. 1935)
• 1905 – Eugène Bozza, French composer and conductor (d. 1991)
• 1905 – Erika Nõva, Estonian architect (d. 1987)
• 1906 – Bea Benaderet, American actress (d. 1968)
• 1906 – John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (d. 1995)
• 1907 – Robert Askin, Australian politician, 32nd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1981)
• 1910 – Dang Van Ngu, Vietnamese physician (d. 1967)
• 1911 – Max Dupain, Australian photographer (d. 1992)
• 1913 – Rosemary Lane, American actress and singer (d. 1974)
• 1913 – Frances Langford, American actress and singer (d. 2005)
• 1913 – Jules Léger, Canadian politician, 21st Governor General of Canada (d. 1980)
• 1913 – Muddy Waters, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1983)
• 1914 – Richard Coogan, American actor (d. 2014)
• 1914 – Marguerite Duras, French author, screenwriter, and director (d. 1996)
• 1915 – Louis Archambault, Canadian sculptor (d. 2003)
• 1916 – Nikola Ljubičić, Serbian general and politician, 10th President of Serbia (d. 2005)
• 1916 – Mickey Owen, American baseball player and coach (d. 2005)
• 1916 – David White, American actor (d. 1990)
• 1918 – George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe, English soldier and politician (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Orunamamu, American-Canadian author and educator (d. 2014)
• 1920 – Ignatius IV of Antioch (d. 2012)
• 1920 – Éric Rohmer, French director and screenwriter (d. 2010)
• 1921 – Elizabeth Wilson, American actress
• 1922 – Elmer Bernstein, American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
• 1923 – Peter Vaughan, English actor
• 1924 – Gil Hodges, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
• 1925 – Gene Reynolds, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1925 – Frank Truitt, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
• 1925 – Claude Wagner, Canadian judge and politician (d. 1979)
• 1925 – Emmett Williams, American poet (d. 2007)
• 1926 – Mildred Fay Jefferson, American physician and activist (d. 2010)
• 1926 – Ronnie Masterson, Irish actress (d. 2014)
• 1927 – Joe Orlando, Italian-American author and illustrator (d. 1998)
• 1928 – Maya Angelou, American author, poet, and actress (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Estelle Harris, American actress
• 1928 – Jimmy Logan, Scottish actor, director, and producer (d. 2001)
• 1928 – Monty Norman, English singer-songwriter and producer
• 1931 – James Dickens, English politician (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Bobby Ray Inman, American admiral
• 1931 – Catherine Tizard, New Zealand politician, 16th Governor-General of New Zealand
• 1932 – Clive Davis, American record producer, founded Arista Records and J Records
• 1932 – Richard Lugar, American politician, 44th Mayor of Indianapolis
• 1932 – Anthony Perkins, American actor (d. 1992)
• 1932 – Johanna Reiss, Dutch-American author
• 1932 – Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian director and producer (d. 1986)
• 1933 – Bill France, Jr., American businessman (d. 2007)
• 1934 – Helen Hanft, American actress (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Kronid Lyubarsky, Russian journalist and activist (d. 1996)
• 1935 – Geoff Braybrooke, English-New Zealand politician (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Kenneth Mars, American actor (d. 2011)
• 1935 – Trevor Griffiths, English playwright
• 1938 – A. Bartlett Giamatti, American academic (d. 1989)
• 1939 – JoAnne Carner, American golfer
• 1939 – Major Lance, American singer (d. 1994)
• 1939 – Hugh Masekela, South African singer-songwriter and trumpet player
• 1939 – Ernie Terrell, American boxer and singer (d. 2014)
• 1940 – Richard Attwood, English race car driver
• 1940 – Sharon Sheeley, American singer-songwriter (d. 2002)
• 1942 – Jim Fregosi, American baseball player and manager (d. 2014)
• 1942 – Kitty Kelley, American journalist and author
• 1942 – Elizabeth Levy, American author
• 1944 – Magda Aelvoet, Belgian politician
• 1944 – Mary Kenny, Irish journalist, author, and playwright
• 1944 – Craig T. Nelson, American actor
• 1945 – Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French-German politician
• 1945 – Caroline McWilliams, American actress (d. 2010)
• 1945 – Konrad von Finckenstein, German-Canadian businessman
• 1946 – Colin Coates, Australian speed skater
• 1946 – Dave Hill, English guitarist (Slade)
• 1946 – Katsuaki Satō, Japanese martial artist
• 1946 – György Spiró, Hungarian author and playwright
• 1946 – Bubba Wyche, American football player
• 1947 – Wiranto, Indonesian general
• 1947 – Ray Fosse, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1947 – Luke Halpin, American actor
• 1948 – Michael Blassie, American lieutenant (d. 1972)
• 1948 – Abdullah Öcalan, Turkish activist
• 1948 – Berry Oakley, American bass player (The Allman Brothers Band) (d. 1972)
• 1948 – Werner Roth, Serbian-American soccer player and actor
• 1948 – Dan Simmons, American author
• 1948 – Derek Thompson, Irish actor
• 1948 – Pick Withers, English drummer (Dire Straits and Magna Carta)
• 1949 – Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican-American singer (Bob Marley and the Wailers) (d. 1999)
• 1949 – Shing-Tung Yau, Chinese-American mathematician
• 1950 – Christine Lahti, American actress and director
• 1951 – James Cuno, American historian and curator
• 1951 – John Hannah, American football player and coach
• 1951 – Hun Sen, Cambodian politician, 33rd Prime Minister of Cambodia
• 1952 – Rosemarie Ackermann, German high jumper
• 1952 – Pat Burns, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (d. 2010)
• 1952 – Gregg Hansford, Australian motorcycle racer (d. 1995)
• 1952 – Cherie Lunghi, English actress
• 1952 – Karen Magnussen, Canadian figure skater
• 1952 – Gary Moore, Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Thin Lizzy, Skid Row, and Colosseum II) (d. 2011)
• 1952 – Villy Søvndal, Danish politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Denmark
• 1953 – Robert Bertrand, Canadian politician
• 1953 – Henry Fotheringham, South African cricketer
• 1953 – Simcha Jacobovici, Canadian director, producer, journalist, and author
• 1953 – Sammy Wilson, Irish politician, 31st Lord Mayor of Belfast
• 1953 – Chen Yi, Chinese violinist and composer
• 1954 – Julie Carmen, American actress, dancer, and psychotherapist
• 1955 – Casey Biggs, American actor
• 1956 – Evelyn Hart, Canadian ballerina
• 1956 – Tom Herr, American baseball player and manager
• 1956 – David E. Kelley, American screenwriter and producer
• 1957 – Kelso, American race horse (d. 1983)
• 1957 – Aki Kaurismäki, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1957 – Graeme Kelling, Scottish guitarist (Deacon Blue) (d. 2004)
• 1957 – Nobuyoshi Kuwano, Japanese singer and trumpet player (Rats & Star)
• 1958 – Cazuza, Brazilian singer-songwriter (Barão Vermelho) (d. 1990)
• 1958 – Mary-Margaret Humes, American actress
• 1958 – Peter Baltes, German bass player (Accept)
• 1959 – Phil Morris, American actor
• 1960 – Jane Eaglen, English soprano
• 1960 – Scott Miller, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Game Theory and The Loud Family) (d. 2013)
• 1960 – Hugo Weaving, Nigerian-Australian actor
• 1961 – Tom Byron, American porn actor and director
• 1961 – Hildi Santo-Tomas, American interior decorator
• 1962 – Craig Adams, English bass player and songwriter (The Sisters of Mercy, The Mission, The Alarm, Spear of Destiny, and Theatre of Hate)
• 1962 – Kailasho Devi, Indian social worker and politician
• 1962 – Ava Fabian, American model and actress
• 1962 – Marco Giovannetti, Italian cyclist
• 1962 – Anita Renfroe, American comedian
• 1963 – A. Michael Baldwin, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1963 – Jack Del Rio, American football player and coach
• 1963 – Dale Hawerchuk, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1963 – Jane McDonald, English singer and actress
• 1963 – Graham Norton, Irish actor and talk show host
• 1964 – Branco, Brazilian footballer and coach
• 1964 – Dr. Chud, American drummer and singer (Misfits, Graves, Kryst the Conqueror, and Dr. Chud's X-Ward)
• 1964 – Anthony Clark, American actor
• 1964 – David Cross, American comedian and actor
• 1964 – Laurie Hibberd, Canadian journalist
• 1964 – Riduan Isamuddin, Indonesian terrorist
• 1964 – Robbie Rist, American actor and singer
• 1965 – Vinny Burns, English guitarist and producer (Dare, Ten, and Ultravox)
• 1965 – Robert Downey, Jr., American actor, singer, producer, and screenwriter
• 1965 – Sean Wilson, English actor
• 1966 – Nancy McKeon, American actor
• 1966 – Mike Starr, American bass player (Alice in Chains, Sun Red Sun, and Days of the New) (d. 2011)
• 1966 – Christos Tsekos Greek basketball player
• 1967 – George Mavrotas, Greek water polo player
• 1968 – Jesús Rollán, Spanish water polo player (d. 2006)
• 1969 – Karren Brady, English journalist and author
• 1970 – Georgios Amanatidis, Greek footballer
• 1970 – Greg Garcia, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Anthony Green, English actor
• 1970 – Barry Pepper, Canadian actor
• 1971 – Yanic Perreault, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1971 – Tatia Rosenthal, Israeli-American animator and director
• 1971 – Josh Todd, American singer-songwriter and actor (Buckcherry)
• 1971 – Malik Yusef, American actor, producer, and poet
• 1971 – John Zandig, American wrestler and promoter
• 1972 – Lisa Ray, Canadian model and actress
• 1972 – Jill Scott, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1972 – Xenia Seeberg, German actress
• 1972 – Magnus Sveningsson, Swedish bass player (The Cardigans)
• 1973 – Chris Banks, American football player (d. 2014)
• 1973 – David Blaine, American magician
• 1973 – Loris Capirossi, Italian motorcycle racer
• 1973 – Peter Hoekstra, Dutch footballer
• 1973 – Chris McCormack, Australian triathlete
• 1974 – Dave Mirra, American BMX rider
• 1975 – Delphine Arnault, French businesswoman
• 1975 – Thobias Fredriksson, Swedish skier
• 1975 – Joyce Giraud, Puerto Rican model and actress
• 1975 – Roy Padrick, American journalist and actor
• 1975 – Pamela Ribon, American actress, screenwriter, and author
• 1975 – Miranda Lee Richards, American singer-songwriter
• 1975 – Scott Rolen, American baseball player
• 1975 – Kevin Weekes, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
• 1976 – Sébastien Enjolras, French race car driver (d. 1997)
• 1976 – Emerson Ferreira da Rosa, Brazilian footballer
• 1976 – James Roday, American actor, director, and screenwriter
• 1977 – Stephan Bonnar, American mixed martial artist
• 1977 – Keith Bulluck, American football player
• 1977 – Adam Dutkiewicz, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer (Killswitch Engage, Aftershock, and Times of Grace)
• 1977 – Stephen Mulhern, English magician and television host
• 1977 – Omarr Smith, American football player
• 1978 – Lemar, English singer-songwriter and producer
• 1978 – Jason Ellison, American baseball player
• 1978 – Alan Mahon, Irish footballer
• 1978 – Sam Moran, Australian singer, guitarist, and actor (The Wiggles)
• 1978 – Irene Skliva, Greek model, Miss World 1996
• 1978 – Aska Yang, Taiwanese singer
• 1979 – Heath Ledger, Australian actor and director (d. 2008)
• 1979 – Roberto Luongo, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Natasha Lyonne, American actress
• 1979 – Andy McKee, American guitarist
• 1979 – Jessica Napier, New Zealand-Australian actress
• 1980 – Johnny Borrell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Razorlight and The Libertines)
• 1980 – Trevor Moore, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1980 – Eric Steinbach, American football player
• 1980 – Björn Wirdheim, Swedish race car driver
• 1981 – Currensy, American rapper (504 Boyz)
• 1981 – Eduardo Luís Carloto, Brazilian footballer
• 1981 – Casey Daigle, American baseball player
• 1981 – Ned Vizzini American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1982 – Justin Cook, American voice actor
• 1982 – Magnus Lindgren, Swedish chef (d. 2012)
• 1982 – Kett Turton, American-Canadian actor
• 1983 – Evgeny Artyukhin, Russian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Davide Lufrano Chaves, Italian-English guitarist (Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos) (d. 2013)
• 1983 – Fabian Geiser, Swiss footballer
• 1983 – Ben Gordon, American basketball player
• 1983 – Doug Lynch, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Natalie Pike, Scottish-English model
• 1983 – Amanda Righetti, American actress and producer
• 1983 – Angelle Tymon, American journalist and game show host
• 1984 – Sean May, American professional basketball player
• 1984 – Arkady Vyatchanin, Russian swimmer
• 1985 – Rudy Fernández, Spanish basketball player
• 1985 – Ricardo Vilar, Brazilian footballer
• 1986 – Eunhyuk, South Korean singer-songwriter and dancer (Super Junior, Younique Unit, and Donghae & Eunhyuk)
• 1986 – Cameron Barker, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1986 – Aiden McGeady, Irish footballer
• 1986 – Alexander Tettey, Norwegian footballer
• 1987 – Devon Anderson, English actor
• 1987 – Sarah Gadon, Canadian actress
• 1987 – Sami Khedira, German footballer
• 1987 – McDonald Mariga, Kenyan footballer
• 1987 – Cameron Maybin, American baseball player
• 1987 – Lauri Pedaja, Estonian actor
• 1987 – Markos Vellidis, Greek footballer
• 1988 – Frank Fielding, English footballer
• 1989 – Vurnon Anita, Dutch footballer
• 1989 – Steven Finn, English cricketer
• 1989 – Chris Herd, Australian footballer
• 1989 – Spencer Scott, American model
• 1991 – Jamie Lynn Spears, American actress and singer
• 1992 – Lucy May Barker, English actress and singer
• 1992 – Christina Metaxa, Cypriot singer-songwriter
• 1992 – Alexa Nikolas, American actress
• 1993 – Samir Carruthers, Irish footballer
• 1994 – Risako Sugaya, Japanese singer and actress (Berryz Kobo, Guardians 4, and v-u-den)
• 1996 – Austin Mahone, American singer-songwriter
• 1999 – Miki Nishino, Japanese singer, dancer, and actress (AKB48)
• 2012 – Grumpy Cat, American cat

Deaths

• 397 – Ambrose, German-Italian archbishop and saint (b. 338)
• 636 – Isidore of Seville, Spanish archbishop and saint (b. 560)
• 814 – Plato of Sakkoudion, Byzantine monk (b. 735)
• 896 – Pope Formosus (b. 816)
• 1284 – Alfonso X of Castile (b. 1221)
• 1292 – Pope Nicholas IV (b. 1227)
• 1536 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b. 1460)
• 1588 – Frederick II of Denmark (b. 1534)
• 1609 – Carolus Clusius, Flemish botanist, mycologist, and academic (b. 1526)
• 1617 – John Napier, Scottish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (b. 1550)
• 1643 – Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian (b. 1583)
• 1661 – Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, Scottish-Swedish field marshal (b. 1580)
• 1701 – Joseph Haines, English actor, singer, and dancer
• 1743 – Daniel Neal, English historian (b. 1678)
• 1761 – Theodore Gardelle, Swiss painter (b. 1722)
• 1766 – John Taylor, English scholar (b. 1704)
• 1774 – Oliver Goldsmith, Irish-English author, poet, and playwright (b. 1728)
• 1792 – James Sykes, American lawyer and politician (b. 1725)
• 1807 – Jérôme Lalande, French astronomer (b. 1732)
• 1817 – André Masséna, French general (b. 1758)
• 1841 – William Henry Harrison, American general and politician, 9th President of the United States (b. 1773)
• 1846 – Solomon Sibley, American politician, 1st Mayor of Detroit (b. 1769)
• 1861 – John McLean, American jurist and politician, 6th United States Postmaster General (b. 1785)
• 1863 – Ludwig Emil Grimm, German painter and engraver (b. 1790)
• 1864 – Joseph Pitty Couthouy, American commander and paleontologist (b. 1808)
• 1870 – Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (b. 1802)
• 1874 – Charles Ernest Beulé, French archaeologist and politician (b. 1826)
• 1875 – Karl Mauch, German explorer (b. 1837)
• 1878 – Richard M. Brewer, American criminal (b. 1850)
• 1879 – Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, German physicist (b. 1803)
• 1883 – Peter Cooper, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Cooper Union (b. 1791)
• 1890 – Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, Canadian politician, 1st Premier of Quebec (b. 1820)
• 1890 – Edmond Hébert, French geologist (b. 1812)
• 1912 – Charles Brantley Aycock, American politician, 50th Governor of North Carolina (b. 1859)
• 1912 – Isaac K. Funk, American minister, lexicographer, and publisher, co-founded Funk & Wagnalls (b. 1839)
• 1919 – William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (b. 1832)
• 1919 – Francisco Marto, Portuguese saint (b. 1908)
• 1923 – John Venn, English mathematician and philosopher, created the Venn diagram (b. 1834)
• 1929 – Karl Benz, German engineer and businessman, founded Mercedes-Benz (b. 1844)
• 1931 – André Michelin, French businessman, co-founded the Michelin Tyre Company (b. 1853)
• 1932 – Wilhelm Ostwald, Latvian-German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1853)
• 1933 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author (b. 1842)
• 1940 – Gustav Goßler, German rower (b. 1879)
• 1951 – George Albert Smith, American religious leader, 8th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1870)
• 1953 – Carol II of Romania (b. 1893)
• 1957 – E. Herbert Norman, Canadian historian and diplomat (b. 1909)
• 1958 – Johnny Stompanato, American soldier and bodyguard (b. 1925)
• 1961 – Simion Stoilow, Romanian mathematician (b. 1873)
• 1962 – James Hanratty, English murderer (b. 1936)
• 1967 – Al Lewis, American songwriter (b. 1901)
• 1967 – Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1898)
• 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1929)
• 1970 – Byron Foulger, American actor (b. 1899)
• 1972 – Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., American pastor and politician (b. 1908)
• 1972 – Stefan Wolpe, German composer (b. 1902)
• 1976 – Harry Nyquist, Swedish engineer (b. 1889)
• 1977 – Andrey Dikiy, Ukrainian-American journalist, historian, and politician (b. 1893)
• 1979 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani politician, 4th President of Pakistan (b. 1928)
• 1979 – Edgar Buchanan, American actor (b. 1903)
• 1980 – Red Sovine, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1917)
• 1983 – Gloria Swanson, American actress, singer, and producer (b. 1899)
• 1984 – Oleg Antonov, Russian-Ukrainian engineer and businessman, founded Antonov (b. 1906)
• 1985 – Kate Roberts, Welsh author (b. 1891)
• 1987 – C. L. Moore, American author (b. 1911)
• 1987 – Chögyam Trungpa, Tibetan guru (b. 1939)
• 1987 – Sachchidananda Vatsyayan, Indian journalist and author (b. 1911)
• 1988 – Zlatko Grgić, Croatian-Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
• 1991 – Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (b. 1920)
• 1991 – Max Frisch, Swiss author and playwright (b. 1911)
• 1991 – H. John Heinz III, American politician (b. 1938)
• 1991 – Graham Ingels, American illustrator (b. 1915)
• 1992 – Yvette Brind'Amour, Canadian actress and director (b. 1918)
• 1992 – Jack Hamilton, Australian footballer (b. 1928)
• 1992 – Arthur Russell, American singer-songwriter and cellist (b. 1951)
• 1993 – Alfred Mosher Butts, American game designer, invented Scrabble (b. 1899)
• 1993 – Douglas Leopold, Canadian radio and television host (b. 1947)
• 1995 – Kenny Everett, English radio and television host (b. 1944)
• 1995 – Priscilla Lane, American actress and singer (b. 1915)
• 1996 – Barney Ewell, American runner (b. 1918)
• 1996 – Boone Guyton, American lieutenant and pilot (b. 1913)
• 1997 – Leo Picard, Israeli geologist (b. 1900)
• 1999 – Faith Domergue, American actor (b. 1924)
• 1999 – Bob Peck, English actor (b. 1945)
• 1999 – Early Wynn, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1920)
• 2001 – Ed Roth, American illustrator (b. 1932)
• 2001 – Maury Van Vliet, American-Canadian academic (b. 1913)
• 2003 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (b. 1916)
• 2003 – Adalberto Martínez, Mexican actor (b. 1916)
• 2004 – Alberic Schotte, Belgian cyclist (b. 1919)
• 2005 – Edward Bronfman, Canadian businessman and philanthropist (b. 1924)
• 2007 – Bob Clark, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1941)
• 2007 – Karen Spärck Jones, British computer scientist (b. 1935)
• 2008 – Francis Tucker, South African race car driver (b. 1923)
• 2009 – Gonzalo Olave, Chilean actor (b. 1983)
• 2011 – Scott Columbus, American drummer (Manowar) (b. 1956)
• 2011 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, and activist (b. 1958)
• 2012 – Muhammad Afrizal, Indonesian boxer (b. 1983)
• 2012 – A. Dean Byrd, American psychologist and academic (b. 1948)
• 2012 – Anne Karin Elstad, Norwegian author and educator (b. 1938)
• 2012 – Claude Miller, French director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
• 2012 – Dubravko Pavličić, Croatian footballer (b. 1967)
• 2012 – Roberto Rexach Benítez, American-Puerto Rican politician, 10th President of the Senate of Puerto Rico (b. 1929)
• 2013 – Bengt Blomgren, Swedish actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1923)
• 2013 – Roger Ebert, American journalist, critic, and screenwriter (b. 1942)
• 2013 – Carmine Infantino, American illustrator (b. 1925)
• 2013 – Eldred G. Smith, American patriarch (b. 1907)
• 2013 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1928)
• 2013 – Ian Walsh, Australian rugby player and coach (b. 1933)
• 2013 – Noboru Yamaguchi, Japanese author (b. 1972)
• 2014 – İsmet Atlı, Turkish wrestler (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Wayne Henderson, American trombonist and producer (The Crusaders) (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Kumba Ialá, Bissau-Guinean politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1953)
• 2014 – Margo MacDonald Scottish politician (b. 1943)
• 2014 – Curtis Bill Pepper, American journalist and author (b. 1917)
• 2014 – Muhammad Qutb, Egyptian author and academic (b. 1919)

Holidays and observances

• Children's Day (Republic of China and Hong Kong)
• Christian Feast Day:
  • Benedict the Moor
  • Gaetano Catanoso
  • Isidore of Seville
  • Tigernach of Clones
  • Reginald Heber (Anglican Church of Canada)
  • Martin Luther King Jr. (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Zosimas of Palestine (Eastern Church)
  • April 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Senegal from France (1960).
• International Day for Landmine Awareness and Assistance (International)
• Peace Day (Angola)

External links

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

• Days of the year
• April