April 6
is the 96th day of the year in the
Gregorian calendar (97th in
leap years). There are 269 days remaining.
*
648 BC - Earliest
solar eclipse recorded by the
Ancient Greeks.
*
402 -
Stilicho stymies the
Visigoths under
Alaric in the
Battle of Pollentia.
*
1320 - The
Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the
Declaration of Arbroath.
*
1327 - The
poet Petrarch first saw his idealized love
Laura (person) in the church of
Saint Clare in
Avignon.
*
1652 -
Dutch sailor
Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp at the
Cape of Good Hope, which will eventually develop into
Cape Town.
*
1667 - earthquake devastated
Dubrovnik, then independent
city-state.
*
1782 -
Rama I succeeds
King Taksin of
Thailand, who was overthrown in a
coup d'état.
*
1808 -
John Jacob Astor incorporates the
American Fur Company.
*
1814 -
Napoleon abdicates. He is then exiled to
Elba.
*
1830 -
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is organized by
Joseph Smith, Jr. at
Fayette, New York.
*
1832 -
Indian Wars:
Black Hawk War begins - The
Sauk warrior
Black Hawk enters into war with the
United States.
*
1841 -
John Tyler is inaugurated as the 10th
President of the United States.
*
1862 -
American Civil War:
Battle of Shiloh begins - In
Tennessee, forces under
Union General Ulysses S. Grant meet
Confederate troops led by
General Albert Sidney Johnston at
Shiloh.
*
1865 -
American Civil War:
Battle of Sayler's Creek -
Confederate General Robert E. Lee's
Army of Northern Virginia fights its last major battle while in retreat from
Richmond, Virginia.
*
1869 -
Celluloid is patented.
*
1893 -
Salt Lake Temple of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints dedicated by
Wilford Woodruff.
*
1895 -
Oscar Wilde is arrested after losing a
libel case against the
John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry.
*
1896 - In
Athens, the opening of the
first modern Olympic Games 1,500 years after being banned by
Roman Emperor Theodosius I.
*
1903 - The
Kishinev pogrom in
Kishinev (
Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of
Jews to later seek refuge in
Israel and
The West.
*
1909 -
Robert Peary allegedly reaches the
North Pole.
*
1911 -
Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj,
Leader of the
Malësori Albanians, raises the Albanian flag in the town of
Tuzi,
Montenegro, for the first time after
Gjergj Kastrioti (
Skenderbeg).
*
1917 -
World War I:
United States declares war on
Germany (see
Wilson's address to Congress).
*
1926 -
Walter Varney Airlines makes first commercial flight from
Pasco, Washington, to
Elko, Nevada.
Varney is the root company of
United Airlines.
*
1930 -
Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt (some say just a pinch, some say just a grain) and declares, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the
British Empire." Thus he starts
Salt Satyagraha.
* 1930 -
Will Rogers starts broadcasting
The Will Rogers Program on
radio.
*
1931 -
Little Orphan Annie debuts on the
Blue Network of
NBC.
*
1936 -
Tupelo-Gainesville Outbreak: Another tornado from the same storm system as the
Tupelo tornado hits
Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203.
*
1938 -
Teflon is discovered.
*
1941 -
World War II:
Operation Castigo begins;
Germany invades
Kingdom of Yugoslavia and
Greece.
*
1965 -
Early Bird, the first communications
satellite to be placed in synchronous orbit, is launched.
*
1968 - In
Richmond, Indiana's downtown district, a
double explosion kills 41 and injures 150.
*
1970 -
Newhall Incident: Four
California Highway Patrol officers die in one of the worst cop killings in the CHP's history.
*
1972 -
Vietnam War:
Easter Offensive - The first day of clear weather in three days allows
American forces to start sustained air strikes and naval bombardments.
*
1973 - Launch of
Pioneer 11 spacecraft.
*
1984 - Members of
Cameroon's
Republican Guard from country's northern region attack various government buildings in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the
government headed by
Paul Biya.
*
1994 - The
Rwandan Genocide begins when the aircraft carrying
Rwandan
president Juvénal Habyarimana and
Burundian
president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down by extremists.
*
1998 -
Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of hitting
India.
* 1998 - The
Dow Jones Industrial Average gains 49.82 to close at 9,033.23 -- its first-ever close above 9,000.
*
2004 -
Rolandas Paksas becomes the first
president of
Lithuania to be peacefully removed from the post by
impeachment.
*
1483 -
Raphael, Italian painter and architect (d.
1520)
*
1613 -
Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and scientist (d.
1683)
*
1651 -
André Dacier, French classical scholar (d.
1722)
*
1664 -
Arvid Horn, Swedish statesman (d.
1742)
*
1671 -
Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (d.
1741)
*
1725 -
Pasquale Paoli, Corsican patriot and military leader (d.
1807)
*
1812 -
Alexander Herzen, Russian writer (d.
1870)
*
1815 -
Robert Volkmann, German composer (d.
1883)
*
1818 -
Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Norwegian poet (d.
1870)
*
1820 -
Nadar, French photographer (d.
1910)
*
1823 -
Joseph Medill, Mayor of Chicago (d.
1899)
*
1826 -
Gustave Moreau, French painter (d.
1898)
*
1849 -
John William Waterhouse, British painter (d.
1917)
*
1878 -
Erich Mühsam, German author (d.
1934)
*
1884 -
Walter Huston, Canadian-born actor (d.
1950)
*
1890 -
Anthony Fokker, Dutch designer of aircraft (d.
1939)
*
1892 -
Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American industrialist (d.
1981)
* 1892 -
Lowell Thomas, American travel writer (d.
1981)
*
1901 -
Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian Catholic (d.
1925)
*
1902 -
Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (d.
1989)
*
1903 -
Mickey Cochrane, baseball player (d.
1962)
* 1903 -
Doc Edgerton, American electrical engineer (d.
1990)
*
1909 -
Hermann Lang, German race car driver (d.
1987)
*
1911 -
Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d.
1979)
*
1920 -
Edmond H. Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine*
1926 -
Sergio Franchi, Italian-born singer and actor (d.
1990)
* 1926 -
Gil Kane, Latvian-born cartoonist (d.
2000)
* 1926 -
Ian Paisley, Northern Irish politician
*
1927 -
Gerry Mulligan, American musician (d.
1996)
*
1928 -
James D. Watson, American geneticist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine*
1929 -
André Previn, German-born composer and conductor
*
1931 -
Ivan Dixon, American actor and director
*
1933 -
Roy Goode, British lawyer
*
1934 -
Anton Geesink, Dutch judoka
*
1937 -
Merle Haggard, American musician
* 1937 -
Billy Dee Williams, American actor
*
1938 -
Paul Daniels, English magician
* 1938 -
Roy Thinnes, American actor
*
1941 -
Phil Austin, American comedian
* 1941 -
Zamfir, Romanian musician
*
1942 -
Barry Levinson, American film producer and director
*
1944 -
Felicity Palmer, English soprano
*
1947 -
John Ratzenberger, American actor
*
1949 -
Horst Ludwig Störmer, German-born physicist,
Nobel Prize laureate
*
1951 -
Bert Blyleven, Dutch
Major League Baseball player
*
1952 -
Udo Dirkschneider, German singer (
Accept and
U.D.O.)
* 1952 -
Marilu Henner, American actress
*
1955 -
Michael Rooker, American actor
*
1964 -
Phil Gayle, English news presenter
*
1965 -
Frank Black, American singer and songwriter (
Pixies)
*
1969 -
Bison Dele, American basketball player (disappeared
2002)
* 1969 -
Ari Meyers, Puerto Rican-born American actress
*
1970 -
Olaf Kölzig, South African hockey player
*
1973 -
Donnie Edwards, American football player
* 1973 -
Rie Miyazawa, Japanese actress and singer
*
1975 -
Zach Braff, American actor
*
1976 -
Candace Cameron, American actress
*
1978 -
Blaine Neal, baseball player
*
1985 -
Garrett Zablocki, American guitarist (
Senses Fail)
*
1199 - King
Richard I of England (killed in battle) (b.
1157)
*
1362 -
James I, Count of La Marche, French soldier (b.
1319)
*
1490 - King
Matthias Corvinus of Hungary*
1520 -
Raphael, Italian painter and architect (b.
1483)
*
1528 -
Albrecht Dürer, German artist (b.
1471)
*
1551 -
Joachim Vadian, Swiss humanist (b.
1484)
*
1571 -
John Hamilton, Scottish prelate and politician
*
1590 -
Francis Walsingham, English spymaster
*
1605 -
John Stow, English historian
*
1655 -
David Blondel, French Protestant clergyman (b.
1591)
*
1686 -
Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, English royalist statesman (b.
1614)
*
1707 -
Willem van de Velde, the younger, Dutch painter (b.
1633)
*
1755 -
Richard Rawlinson, English minister and antiquarian (b.
1690)
*
1825 -
Vladimir Borovikovsky, Russian painter (b.
1757)
*
1829 -
Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician (b.
1802)
*
1838 -
José Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva, Brazilian statesman and geologist (b.
1763)
*
1862 -
Albert Sidney Johnston, American Confederate general (b.
1803)
*
1883 -
Benjamin Raymond, Mayor of Chicago (b.
1801)
*
1906 -
Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author (b.
1849)
*
1935 -
Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet (b.
1869)
*
1961 -
Jules Bordet, Belgian immunologist and microbiologist, recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b.
1870)
*
1963 -
Otto Struve, Russian-born astronomer (b.
1897)
*
1970 -
Sam Sheppard, American accused murderer (b.
1923)
*
1971 -
Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (b.
1882)
*
1974 -
Willem Marinus Dudok, Dutch architect (b.
1884)
*
1992 -
Isaac Asimov, Russian-born author (b.
1920)
*
1994 -
Juvénal Habyarimana,
President of Rwanda (b.
1937)
* 1994 -
Cyprien Ntaryamira,
President of Burundi (b.
1956)
*
1996 -
Greer Garson, Irish actress (b.
1904)
*
1998 -
Wendy O. Williams, American musician (
Plasmatics) (b.
1949)
* 1998 -
Tammy Wynette, American musician (b.
1942)
*
2000 -
Habib Bourguiba,
President of Tunisia (b.
1903)
*
2003 -
David Bloom, American reporter (pulmonary embolism) (b.
1963)
* 2003 -
Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian drummer (b.
1927)
*
2004 -
Larisa Bogoraz, Soviet dissident (b.
1929)
*
2005 -
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (b.
1923)
*
2006 -
Maggie Dixon, Women's college basketball coach (b.
1977)
*
Tartan Day, the anniversary of the signing of the
Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, a day set aside for the celebration of
Scottish influence
*The date of organization of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the start of the
Restoration Movement by
Joseph Smith Junior. Also the date on which this church believes
Jesus Christ was born.
* In Thailand, April 6th marks Chakri Day - a day to commemorate King Rama I, founder of the Chakri dynasty.
in the
Roman Catholic Church*
Saint Balderik*
Saint Marcellinus of Carthage (d.413)
*
St. Sixtus *
Saint Wineboud*
Blessed Notker*
Saint Isolde*The start of the
tax year in the
United Kingdom (arising from the 11 day correction to
March 25 at the adoption of the
Gregorian calendar in
1752).
*
BBC: On This Day*
Today in History: April 6*
Epic Idiot: On This Day-
April 5 -
April 7 -
March 6 -
May 6 --
listing of all days
