April 4
is the 94th day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar (95th in
leap years). There are 271 days remaining.
*
1581 -
Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by
Elizabeth I.
*
1660 -
Declaration of Breda by King
Charles II of England.
*
1721 - Sir
Robert Walpole enters office as the first
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom under
King George I.
*
1812 - U.S. President
James Madison enacted a ninety-day
embargo on trade with the
United Kingdom.
*
1814 -
Napoleon abdicates for the first time.
*
1818 - The
United States Congress adopts the
flag of the United States as having 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (20 stars) with additional stars to be added whenever a new state is added to the Union.
*
1841 - President
William Henry Harrison dies of
pneumonia becoming the first
President of the United States to die in office and at one month, the elected president with the shortest term served.
*
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 in the city of Kiev. A design for a city gate to commemorate his escape was the inspiration for
Mussorgsky's The Great Gate of Kiev from
Pictures at an Exhibition.
*
1887 -
Argonia, Kansas elects
Susanna M. Salter as the first female mayor in the
United States.
*
1905 - In
India, an
earthquake near
Kangra kills 370,000.
*
1918 -
World War I:
Second Battle of the Somme ends.
*
1939 -
Faisal II becomes King of
Iraq.
*
1945 -
World War II: American troops liberate
Ohrdruf death camp in
Germany.
* 1945 - World War II: Soviet Army liberates
Hungary.
*
1949 - Twelve nations sign The
North Atlantic Treaty creating the
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
*
1964 -
The Beatles occupy all of the top five positions on the Billboard singles chart in the United States.
*
1968 -
Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated in
Memphis, Tennessee.
* 1968 -
Apollo program:
NASA launches
Apollo 6.
*
1969 - Dr.
Denton Cooley implants the first temporary
artificial heart.
*
1973 - The
World Trade Center in
New York is officially dedicated.
*
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 C-5A Galaxy crashes near
Saigon,
South Vietnam shortly after takeoff, transporting orphans. 172 people are killed.
*
1976 - Prince
Norodom Sihanouk resigns as leader of
Cambodia and is placed under house arrest.
*
1979 - President
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of
Pakistan is executed.
*
1983 - Space Shuttle
Challenger makes its maiden voyage into space (
STS-6).
*
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 plane over
Merion, Pennsylvania.
*
1994 -
Netscape Communications Corporation is founded (under the name "Mosaic Communications Corporation") by
Marc Andreessen and
Jim Clark.
*
186 -
Caracalla, Roman emperor (d.
217)
*
1492 -
Ambrosius Blarer, German reformer (d.
1564)
*
1593 -
Edward Nicholas, English statesman (d.
1669)
*
1646 -
Antoine Galland, French archaeologist (d.
1715)
*
1648 -
Grinling Gibbons Dutch-born woodcarver (d.
1721)
*
1688 -
Joseph-Nicolas Delisle, French astronomer (d.
1768)
*
1718 -
Benjamin Kennicott, English churchman and Hebrew scholar (d.
1783)
*
1772 -
Nachman of Breslov, founder of
Breslov Hasidut (d.
1810)
*
1785 -
Bettina von Arnim, German writer (d.
1859)
*
1802 -
Dorothea Dix, American social activist (d.
1887)
*
1819 - Queen
Maria II of Portugal (d.
1853)
*
1826 -
Zénobe Gramme, Belgian engineer (d.
1901)
*
1846 -
Comte de Lautréamont, French writer (d.
1870)
*
1875 -
Pierre Monteux, French conductor (d.
1964)
*
1876 -
Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter (d.
1958)
*
1882 -
Kurt von Schleicher,
Chancellor of Germany (d.
1934)
*
1884 -
Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese naval commander (d.
1943)
*
1888 -
Tris Speaker, American baseball player (d.
1958)
*
1895 -
Arthur Murray, American dance teacher (d.
1991)
*
1896 -
Robert E. Sherwood, American playwright (d.
1955)
*
1898 -
Agnes Ayres, American actress (d.
1940)
*
1902 -
Louise Leveque de Vilmorin, French actress (d.
1969)
*
1906 -
Bea Benaderet, American actress (d.
1968)
* 1906 -
John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (d.
1995)
*
1911 -
Max Dupain,
Australian photographer (d. 1992)
*
1913 -
Frances Langford, American actress (d.
2005)
*
1914 -
Marguerite Duras, French writer (d.
1996)
*
1915 -
Muddy Waters, American musician (d.
1983)
*
1920 -
Éric Rohmer, French film director
*
1922 -
Elmer Bernstein, American composer (d.
2004)
*
1924 -
Gil Hodges, American baseball player (d.
1972)
*
1928 -
Maya Angelou, American writer
*
1931 -
Bobby Ray Inman, American admiral and intelligence director
*
1932 -
Anthony Perkins, American actor (d.
1992)
* 1932 -
Andrei Tarkovsky, Russian film director (d.
1986)
* 1932 -
Richard Lugar, American politician
* 1932 -
Estelle Harris, American actress
*
1934 -
Clive Davis, American record producer
*
1938 -
A. Bartlett Giamatti, American university president (d.
1989)
*
1939 -
Hugh Masekela, South African musician
*
1940 -
Sharon Sheeley, American songwriter
*
1942 -
Kitty Kelley, American writer
*
1944 -
Magda Aelvoet, Belgian politician
* 1944 -
Craig T. Nelson, American actor
*
1945 -
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French political activist
*
1946 -
Dave Hill, English guitarist (
Slade)
* 1946 -
Katsuaki Sato,
Japanese
martial artist
*
1947 -
Luke Halpin, American actor
* 1947 -
Wiranto, Indonesian general
*
1948 -
Dan Simmons, American writer
* 1948 -
Abdullah Öcalan, Kurdish leader
* 1948 -
Derek Thompson, Northern Irish actor
*
1950 -
Christine Lahti, American actress
*
1951 -
Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia
*
1952 -
Rosemarie Ackermann, German athlete
* 1952 -
Gary Moore, Irish guitarist (
Thin Lizzy)
*
1953 -
Robert Bertrand, Canadian politician
*
1956 -
David E. Kelley, American writer and television producer
* 1956 -
Tom Herr, former Major League Baseball player
*
1957 -
Aki Kaurismäki, Finnish film director
* 1957 -
Nobuyoshi Kuwano, Japanese musician (
Rats & Star)
* 1957 -
Kelso, American racehorse (d.
1983)
* 1957 -
Graeme Kelling, Scottish musician (
Deacon Blue) (d.
2004)
*
1958 -
Mary-Margaret Humes, American actress
*
1960 -
Jane Eaglin, English soprano
* 1960 -
Hugo Weaving, Australian actor
*
1963 -
Jack Del Rio, American football player and coach
* 1963 -
Graham Norton, Irish talk show host
* 1963 -
Dale Hawerchuk, Canadian ice hockey player
*
1964 -
David Cross, American actor and comedian
* 1964 -
Robbie Rist, American actor
*
1965 -
Robert Downey Jr., American actor
*
1966 -
Nancy McKeon, American actor
*
1968 -
Jennifer Lynch, American director
*
1970 -
Barry Pepper, Canadian actor
*
1973 -
David Blaine, American illusionist
*
1974 -
Dave Mirra, American athlete
*
1975 -
Scott Rolen, American baseball player
* 1975 -
Delphine Arnault, French billionaire businesswoman
*
1976 -
Emerson, Brazilian footballer
*
1978 -
Alan Mahon, Irish footballer
*
1979 -
Heath Ledger, Australian actor
* 1979 -
Natasha Lyonne, American actress
*
1980 -
Björn Wirdheim, Swedish race car driver
* 1980 -
Johnny Borrell,
Razorlight singer
*
1991 -
Jamie Lynn Spears, American child actress
*
1992 -
Alexa Nikolas, American child actress
*
397 -
St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
*
636 - Saint
Isidore of Seville,
Church Father and the proposed patron of Internet
*
896 -
Pope Formosus (b.
816)
*
1284 - King
Alfonso X of Castile (b.
1221)
*
1292 -
Pope Nicholas IV (b.
1227)
*
1305 -
Jeanne of Navarre, wife of
Philip IV of France*
1536 -
Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b.
1460)
*
1588 - King
Frederick II of Denmark (b.
1534)
*
1609 -
Charles de L'Ecluse, Flemish botanist (b.
1526)
*
1617 -
John Napier, Scottish mathematician (b.
1550)
*
1643 -
Simon Episcopius, Dutch theologian (b.
1583)
*
1661 -
Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, Scottish soldier
*
1701 -
Joseph Haines, entertainer and author
*
1743 -
Daniel Neal, English historian (b.
1678)
*
1761 -
Theodore Gardelle, Swiss painter and enameler (b.
1722)
*
1766 -
John Taylor, English classical scholar (b.
1704)
*
1774 -
Oliver Goldsmith, English writer (b.
1728)
*
1792 -
James Sykes, American politician (b.
1725)
*
1807 -
Joseph Jérôme Lefrançais de Lalande, French astronomer (b.
1732)
*
1817 -
André Masséna, French marshal (b.
1758)
*
1841 -
William Henry Harrison, 9th
President of the United States (b.
1773)
*
1842 -
Jean Moufot, French philosopher and mathematician (b.
1784)
*
1846 -
Solomon Sibley, Senator from Michigan Territory (b.
1769)
*
1861 -
John McLean, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b.
1785)
*
1870 -
Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist and physicist (b.
1802)
*
1874 -
Charles Ernest Beulé, French archaeologist and politician (b.
1826)
*
1879 -
Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, German physicist (b.
1803)
*
1884 -
Marie Bashkirtseff, Russian artist and diarist (b.
1860)
*
1890 -
Edmond Hébert, French geologist (b.
1812)
*
1919 - Sir
William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (b.
1832)
*
1923 -
John Venn, British mathematician (b.
1834)
*
1932 -
Wilhelm Ostwald, German chemist,
Nobel Prize laureate (b.
1853)
*
1951 -
Al Christie, Canadian film director and producer (b.
1881)
* 1951 -
George Albert Smith, president of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b.
1870)
*
1953 - King
Carol II of Romania (b.
1893)
*
1967 -
Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan footballer (b.
1898)
*
1968 - Rev.
Martin Luther King Jr., American civil rights activist, recipient of the
Nobel Peace Prize (assassinated) (b.
1929)
*
1972 -
Adam Clayton Powell Jr., American politician (b.
1908)
* 1972 -
Stefan Wolpe, German-born composer (b.
1902)
*
1976 -
Harry Nyquist, important contributor to
information theory (b.
1889)
*
1979 -
Ali Bhutto, President and
Prime Minister of Pakistan (b.
1928)
* 1979 -
Edgar Buchanan, American actor (b.
1903)
*
1983 -
Gloria Swanson, American actress (b.
1897)
*
1984 -
Oleg Antonov, Russian airplane engineer (b.
1906)
*
1987 -
C.L. Moore, American writer (b.
1911)
*
1991 -
Max Frisch, Swiss writer (b.
1911)
* 1991 -
H. John Heinz III, U.S. Senator (plane crash) (b.
1938)
* 1991 -
Forrest Towns, American hurdler (b.
1914)
* 1991 -
Edmund Adamkiewicz, German footballer (b.
1920)
*
1992 -
Arthur Russell, American cellist (b.
1951)
*
1995 -
Priscilla Lane, American singer, actress (b.
1915)
* 1995 -
Kenny Everett, British radio DJ and television entertainer (b.
1944)
*
1996 -
Barney Ewell, American athlete (b.
1918)
* 1996 -
Larry LaPrise, American songwriter (b.
1913)
*
1999 -
Early Wynn, baseball player (b.
1920)
* 1999 -
Faith Domergue American actor (b.
1924)
*
2000 -
Tommaso Buscetta, Sicilian
mafioso and
pentito (b.
1928)
*
2001 -
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, American custom car designer (b.
1932)
*
2002 -
Harry L. O'Connor, Czech-born film stuntman
*
2003 -
Resortes, Mexican comedian (b.
1916)
*
2004 -
Casey Sheehan, American soldier, son of
Cindy Sheehan (b.
1979)
* 2004 -
Alberic Schotte, Belgian cyclist (b.
1919)
*
2005 -
Edward Bronfman, Canadian businessman (b.
1924)
* International Day for
Landmine Awareness and Assistance
*
Lesotho - Heroes' Day
*
Taiwan and
Hong Kong -
Children's DayLiturgical Feast days
*
Saint Isidore of Seville, patron saint of the internauts
*
Saint Hildebert of Ghent (died 752)
*
Blessed Alice (d. 1105)
*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This Day*
On This Day in Canada*
Epic Idiot: On This Day*
Mine Action (land mines)-
April 3 -
April 5 -
March 4 -
May 4 --
listing of all days
