April 4

April 4 in recent years

2024 (Thursday)

2023 (Tuesday)

2022 (Monday)

2021 (Sunday)

2020 (Saturday)

2019 (Thursday)

2018 (Wednesday)

2017 (Tuesday)

2016 (Monday)

2015 (Saturday)

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 (Latin: Prid. Non. Apr.).

Events

• 1147 – First historical record of Moscow.
• 1287 – King Wareru founds the Ramanya Kingdom, and proclaims independence from the Pagan Kingdom.
• 1581 – Francis Drake is knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world.
• 1609 – Philip III of Spain issues the decree of the "Expulsion of the Moriscos".
• 1660 – Declaration of Breda by King Charles II of Great Britain.
• 1721 – Sir Robert Walpole takes office as the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• 1768 – In London, Philip Astley stages the first modern circus.
• 1796 – Georges Cuvier delivers the first paleontological lecture.
• 1812 – United States 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 setting the record for the briefest administration.
• 1850 – A large part of the English village of Cottenham burns to the ground in suspicious circumstances.
• 1850 – Los Angeles 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, McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala.
• 1913 – First Balkan War: Greek aviator Emmanouil Argyropoulos becomes the first pilot to die in the Hellenic Air Force when his plane crashes.
• 1925 – The Schutzstaffel (SS) is founded in Germany.
• 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 Hungary from German occupation and occupy the country itself.
• 1949 – Twelve nations sign the North Atlantic Treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• 1956 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 113 is adopted.
• 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 – A.E.K. Athens B.C. 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 – A United States Air Force Lockheed C-5A Galaxy transporting orphans, crashes near Saigon, South Vietnam shortly after takeoff, killing 172 people.
• 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.
• 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 soldier and politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (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 and cartographer (d. 1768)
• 1718 – Benjamin Kennicott, English theologian and scholar (d. 1783)
• 1752 – Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli, Italian composer (d. 1837)
• 1760 – Juan Manuel Olivares, Venezuelan organist and composer (d. 1797)
• 1762 – Stephen Storace, English actor and composer (d. 1796)
• 1772 – Nachman of Breslov (d. 1810)
• 1780 – Edward Hicks, American minister and painter (d. 1849)
• 1785 – Bettina von Arnim, German author, illustrator, and composer (d. 1859)
• 1792 – Thaddeus Stevens, American lawyer and politician (d. 1868)
• 1802 – Dorothea Dix, American nurse and activist (d. 1887)
• 1818 – Thomas Mayne Reid, Irish-American author and poet (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)
• 1829 – Owen Suffolk, Australian bushranger, poet, confidence-man and author
• 1835 – John Hughlings Jackson, English physician and neurologist (d. 1911)
• 1842 – Édouard Lucas, French mathematician and theorist (d. 1891)
• 1843 – William Henry Jackson, American painter and photographer (d. 1942)
• 1846 – Comte de Lautréamont, Uruguayan-French poet and educator (d. 1870)
• 1853 – Remy de Gourmont, French poet, novelist, and critic (d. 1915)
• 1869 – Mary Colter, American architect, designed the Desert View Watchtower (d. 1958)
• 1875 – Pierre Monteux, French-American viola player and conductor (d. 1964)
• 1876 – Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter and poet (d. 1958)
• 1878 – Stylianos Lykoudis, Greek admiral and historian (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 academic (d. 1975)
• 1889 – Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Indian journalist, poet, and playwright (d. 1968)
• 1892 – Italo Mus, Italian painter (d. 1967)
• 1895 – Arthur Murray, American dancer and educator (d. 1991)
• 1896 – Robert E. Sherwood, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 1955)
• 1897 – Pierre Fresnay, French actor and screenwriter (d. 1975)
• 1897 – Dina Manfredini, Italian-American super-centenarian (d. 2012)
• 1898 – Agnes Ayres, American actress (d. 1940)
• 1899 – Hillel Oppenheimer, German-Israeli botanist and academic (d. 1971)
• 1902 – Louise Lévêque de Vilmorin, French journalist and author (d. 1969)
• 1902 – Stanley G. Weinbaum, American author and poet (d. 1935)
• 1905 – Eugène Bozza, French composer and conductor (d. 1991)
• 1905 – Erika Nõva, Estonian architect and engineer (d. 1987)
• 1906 – Bea Benaderet, American television, radio, and voice actress (d. 1968)
• 1906 – John Cameron Swayze, American journalist (d. 1995)
• 1907 – Robert Askin, Australian sergeant and politician, 32nd Premier of New South Wales (d. 1981)
• 1910 – Đặng Văn Ngữ, Vietnamese physician and academic (d. 1967)
• 1911 – Max Dupain, Australian photographer (d. 1992)
• 1913 – Dave Brown, Australian rugby league player (d. 1974)
• 1913 – Rosemary Lane, American actress and singer (d. 1974)
• 1913 – Frances Langford, American actress and singer (d. 2005)
• 1913 – Jules Léger, Canadian lawyer and 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 novelist, 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, Leader of the House of Lords (d. 2007)
• 1920 – Orunamamu, American-Canadian author and educator (d. 2014)
• 1920 – Ignatius IV of Antioch, Greek patriarch (d. 2012)
• 1921 – Elizabeth Wilson, American actress (d. 2015)
• 1922 – Elmer Bernstein, American composer and conductor (d. 2004)
• 1923 – Peter Vaughan, English actor
• 1924 – Bob Christie, American racing driver (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Gil Hodges, American baseball player and manager (d. 1972)
• 1925 – Dettmar Cramer, German footballer and manager (d. 2015)
• 1925 – Gene Reynolds, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1925 – Frank Truitt, American basketball player and coach (d. 2014)
• 1925 – Claude Wagner, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (d. 1979)
• 1925 – Emmett Williams, American poet and author (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 memoirist and poet (d. 2014)
• 1928 – Estelle Harris, American actress and comedian
• 1928 – Jimmy Logan, Scottish actor, director, and producer (d. 2001)
• 1928 – Monty Norman, English singer-songwriter and producer
• 1929 – Humbert Allen Astredo, American actor (d. 2016)
• 1930 – Netty Herawaty, Indonesian actress (d. 1989)
• 1931 – James Dickens, English politician (d. 2013)
• 1931 – Bobby Ray Inman, American admiral and intelligence officer
• 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 lieutenant and 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)
• 1933 – Brian Hewson, English runner
• 1934 – Helen Hanft, American actress (d. 2013)
• 1934 – Kronid Lyubarsky, Russian journalist and activist (d. 1996)
• 1935 – Geoff Braybrooke, English-New Zealand soldier and politician (d. 2013)
• 1935 – Kenneth Mars, American actor and comedian (d. 2011)
• 1935 – Trevor Griffiths, English playwright and educator
• 1938 – A. Bartlett Giamatti, American businessman and academic (d. 1989)
• 1939 – JoAnne Carner, American golfer
• 1939 – Darlene Hooley, American educator and politician
• 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 biographer
• 1942 – Elizabeth Levy, American author
• 1944 – Magda Aelvoet, Belgian politician
• 1944 – Mary Kenny, Irish journalist, author, and playwright
• 1944 – Craig T. Nelson, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1944 – Nelson Prudêncio, Brazilian triple jumper and educator (d. 2012)
• 1944 – Toktamış Ateş, Turkish academician, political commentator, columnist and writer (d. 2013)
• 1945 – Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French-German educator and politician
• 1945 – Caroline McWilliams, American actress (d. 2010)
• 1946 – Colin Coates, Australian speed skater
• 1946 – Dave Hill, English guitarist
• 1946 – Katsuaki Satō, Japanese martial artist and coach
• 1946 – György Spiró, Hungarian author and playwright
• 1946 – Bubba Wyche, American football player and coach
• 1947 – Wiranto, Indonesian general and politician
• 1947 – Ray Fosse, American baseball player and sportscaster
• 1948 – Abdullah Öcalan, Turkish activist
• 1948 – Berry Oakley, American bass player (d. 1972)
• 1948 – Dan Simmons, American author
• 1948 – Derek Thompson, Northern Irish actor
• 1948 – Pick Withers, English drummer
• 1949 – Junior Braithwaite, Jamaican-American singer (d. 1999)
• 1949 – Shing-Tung Yau, Chinese-American mathematician and academic
• 1950 – Christine Lahti, American actress and director
• 1951 – John Hannah, American football player and coach
• 1951 – Hun Sen, Cambodian soldier and 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 and dancer
• 1952 – Karen Magnussen, Canadian figure skater and coach
• 1952 – Gary Moore, Northern Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2011)
• 1952 – Villy Søvndal, Danish educator and politician, Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs
• 1953 – Robert Bertrand, Canadian politician
• 1953 – Henry Fotheringham, South African cricketer
• 1953 – Simcha Jacobovici, Canadian director, producer, journalist, and author
• 1953 – Sammy Wilson, Northern Irish politician, 31st Lord Mayor of Belfast
• 1953 – Chen Yi, Chinese violinist and composer
• 1956 – Evelyn Hart, Canadian ballerina
• 1956 – Tom Herr, American baseball player and manager
• 1956 – David E. Kelley, American screenwriter and producer
• 1957 – Paul Downton, English cricketer
• 1957 – Aki Kaurismäki, Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1957 – Graeme Kelling, Scottish guitarist (d. 2004)
• 1957 – Nobuyoshi Kuwano, Japanese singer and trumpet player
• 1958 – Peter Baltes, German bass player
• 1958 – Cazuza, Brazilian singer-songwriter (d. 1990)
• 1958 – Rodney Eade, Australian footballer and coach
• 1959 – Phil Morris, American actor and screenwriter
• 1960 – Jonathan Agnew, English cricketer and sportscaster
• 1960 – Jane Eaglen, English soprano
• 1960 – Hugo Weaving, Australian-British actor and producer
• 1961 – Hildi Santo-Tomas, American interior decorator
• 1962 – Craig Adams, English bass player and songwriter
• 1962 – Kailasho Devi, Indian social worker and politician
• 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 – Graham Norton, Irish actor and talk show host
• 1964 – Branco, Brazilian footballer and coach
• 1964 – Dr. Chud, American drummer and singer
• 1964 – Anthony Clark, American actor
• 1964 – David Cross, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1964 – Đặng Thân, Vietnamese writer and poet
• 1965 – Vinny Burns, English guitarist and producer
• 1965 – Robert Downey Jr., American actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1966 – Nancy McKeon, American actress
• 1966 – Mike Starr, American bass player (d. 2011)
• 1966 – Christos Tsekos, Greek basketball player
• 1967 – Edith Masai, Kenyan-German runner
• 1967 – George Mavrotas, Greek water polo player and politician
• 1968 – Jesús Rollán, Spanish water polo player (d. 2006)
• 1969 – Piotr Anderszewski, Polish pianist and composer
• 1969 – Karren Brady, English journalist and businesswoman
• 1970 – Georgios Amanatidis, Greek footballer and manager
• 1970 – Greg Garcia, American director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1970 – Barry Pepper, Canadian actor and producer
• 1970 – Yelena Yelesina, Russian high jumper
• 1971 – Yanic Perreault, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
• 1971 – Josh Todd, American singer-songwriter and actor
• 1971 – Malik Yusef, American actor, producer, and poet
• 1971 – John Zandig, American wrestler and promoter
• 1972 – Jim Dymock, Australian rugby league player and coach
• 1972 – Jill Scott, American singer-songwriter and actress
• 1972 – Magnus Sveningsson, Swedish bass player
• 1973 – Chris Banks, American football player (d. 2014)
• 1973 – David Blaine, American magician and producer
• 1973 – Loris Capirossi, Italian motorcycle racer
• 1973 – Peter Hoekstra, Dutch footballer and coach
• 1973 – Chris McCormack, Australian triathlete and coach
• 1973 – Kelly Price, American singer-songwriter
• 1975 – Delphine Arnault, French businesswoman
• 1975 – Thobias Fredriksson, Swedish skier
• 1975 – Joyce Giraud, Puerto Rican-American model, television actress and producer, Miss Puerto Rico 1994
• 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 – Nathan Blacklock, Australian rugby player
• 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 and sportscaster
• 1977 – Adam Dutkiewicz, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1977 – Stephen Mulhern, English magician and television host
• 1977 – Omarr Smith, American football player and coach
• 1978 – Lemar, English singer-songwriter and producer
• 1978 – Jason Ellison, American baseball player and scout
• 1978 – Alan Mahon, Irish footballer
• 1979 – Heath Ledger, Australian actor (d. 2008)
• 1979 – Roberto Luongo, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1979 – Natasha Lyonne, American actress
• 1979 – Andy McKee, American guitarist
• 1980 – Johnny Borrell, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 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
• 1981 – Eduardo Luís Carloto, Brazilian footballer
• 1981 – Casey Daigle, American baseball player
• 1981 – Anna Pyatykh, Russian triple jumper
• 1981 – Ned Vizzini, American author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
• 1982 – Justin Cook, American voice actor and producer
• 1982 – Magnus Lindgren, Swedish chef (d. 2012)
• 1983 – Evgeny Artyukhin, Russian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Ben Gordon, American basketball player
• 1983 – Doug Lynch, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1983 – Natalie Pike, Scottish-English model and actress
• 1983 – Amanda Righetti, American actress
• 1984 – Sean May, American 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
• 1986 – Cameron Barker, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1986 – Aiden McGeady, Scottish-born Irish footballer
• 1986 – Alexander Tettey, Norwegian footballer
• 1987 – Sami Khedira, German footballer
• 1987 – McDonald Mariga, Kenyan footballer
• 1987 – Cameron Maybin, American baseball player
• 1987 – Marcos Vellidis, Greek footballer
• 1988 – Frank Fielding, English footballer
• 1989 – Vurnon Anita, Dutch footballer
• 1989 – Steven Finn, English cricketer
• 1989 – Chris Herd, Australian footballer
• 1991 – Jack Cooley, American basketball player
• 1991 – Yui Koike, Japanese model and actress
• 1991 – Jamie Lynn Spears, American actress and singer
• 1991 – Marlon Stöckinger, Filipino race car driver
• 1992 – Lucy May Barker, English actress and singer
• 1992 – Christina Metaxa, Cypriot singer-songwriter
• 1993 – Samir Carruthers, English footballer
• 1993 – Cerys Hale, Welsh rugby player
• 1993 – Frank Kaminsky, American basketball player
• 1994 – Shunsuke Nishikawa, Japanese actor
• 1994 – Risako Sugaya, Japanese singer and actress
• 1996 – Austin Mahone, American singer-songwriter and actor

Deaths

• 397 – Ambrose, Roman archbishop and saint (b. 338)
• 636 – Isidore of Seville, Spanish archbishop and saint (b. 560)
• 814 – Plato of Sakkoudion, Byzantine monk and saint (b. 735)
• 896 – Pope Formosus (b. 816)
• 968 – Abu Firas al-Hamdani, Arab general and poet (b. 932)
• 1284 – Alfonso X of Castile (b. 1221)
• 1292 – Pope Nicholas IV (b. 1227)
• 1406 – Robert III of Scotland (b.1337)
• 1536 – Frederick I, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach (b. 1460)
• 1588 – Frederick II of Denmark (b. 1534)
• 1596 – Philip II, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (b. 1533)
• 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 and academic (b. 1583)
• 1661 – Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, Scottish field marshal (b. 1580)
• 1701 – Joseph Haines, English actor, singer, and dancer
• 1743 – Daniel Neal, English historian and author (b. 1678)
• 1761 – Théodore Gardelle, Swiss painter (b. 1722)
• 1766 – John Taylor, English librarian and scholar (b. 1704)
• 1774 – Oliver Goldsmith, Irish novelist, playwright and poet (b. 1728)
• 1792 – James Sykes, American lawyer and politician (b. 1725)
• 1807 – Jérôme Lalande, French astronomer and academic (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 lawyer and 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 geographer and explorer (b. 1837)
• 1878 – Richard M. Brewer, American criminal (b. 1850)
• 1879 – Heinrich Wilhelm Dove, German physicist and meteorologist (b. 1803)
• 1883 – Peter Cooper, American businessman and philanthropist, founded Cooper Union (b. 1791)
• 1890 – Pierre-Joseph-Olivier Chauveau, Canadian lawyer and politician, 1st Premier of Quebec (b. 1820)
• 1890 – Edmond Hébert, French geologist and academic (b. 1812)
• 1912 – Charles Brantley Aycock, American lawyer and 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 and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1853)
• 1933 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author and educator (b. 1842)
• 1941 – Emine Nazikedâ Kadınefendi, the first wife and chief consort of Sultan Mehmed VI (b. 1866)
• 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 – Harald Riipalu, Estonian military commander (b. 1912)
• 1961 – Simion Stoilow, Romanian mathematician and academic (b. 1873)
• 1967 – Al Lewis, American songwriter (b. 1901)
• 1967 – Héctor Scarone, Uruguayan footballer and manager (b. 1898)
• 1968 – Martin Luther King Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1929)
• 1972 – Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., American pastor and politician (b. 1908)
• 1972 – Stefan Wolpe, German-American composer and academic (b. 1902)
• 1976 – Harry Nyquist, Swedish engineer and theorist (b. 1889)
• 1977 – Andrey Dikiy, Ukrainian-American journalist, historian, and politician (b. 1893)
• 1979 – Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani lawyer and 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 (b. 1899)
• 1983 – Bernard Vukas, Croatian football player, played for 1953 FIFA's "Rest of the World" team against England at Wembley (b. 1927)
• 1984 – Oleg Antonov, Russian-Ukrainian engineer and businessman, founded Antonov (b. 1906)
• 1985 – Kate Roberts, Welsh author and activist (b. 1891)
• 1987 – C. L. Moore, American author and academic (b. 1911)
• 1987 – Chögyam Trungpa, Tibetan guru, poet, and scholar (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 playwright and novelist (b. 1911)
• 1991 – H. John Heinz III, American soldier and 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 (b. 1915)
• 1996 – Barney Ewell, American runner and long jumper (b. 1918)
• 1996 – Boone Guyton, American lieutenant and pilot (b. 1913)
• 1997 – Leo Picard, German-Israeli geologist and academic (b. 1900)
• 1997 – Alparslan Türkeş, Turkish colonel and politician, 39th Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1917)
• 1999 – Lucille Lortel, American actress, artistic director and producer (b. 1900)
• 1999 – Early Wynn, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1920)
• 2001 – Liisi Oterma, Finnish astronomer (b. 1915)
• 2001 – Ed Roth, American illustrator and engineer (b. 1932)
• 2001 – Maury Van Vliet, American-Canadian academic (b. 1913)
• 2003 – Anthony Caruso, American actor (b. 1916)
• 2004 – Briek Schotte, Belgian cyclist and coach (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, English computer scientist and academic (b. 1935)
• 2008 – Francis Tucker, South African race car driver (b. 1923)
• 2009 – Maxine Cooper, American actress, activist and photographer (b. 1924)
• 2011 – Scott Columbus, American drummer (b. 1956)
• 2011 – Juliano Mer-Khamis, Israeli actor, director, and activist (b. 1958)
• 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 academic and 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 – 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 and trainer (b. 1931)
• 2014 – Wayne Henderson, American trombonist and producer (b. 1939)
• 2014 – Kumba Ialá, Bissau-Guinean soldier and politician, President of Guinea-Bissau (b. 1953)
• 2014 – Margo MacDonald Scottish journalist and politician (b. 1943)
• 2014 – Curtis Bill Pepper, American journalist and author (b. 1917)
• 2014 – Muhammad Qutb, Egyptian author and academic (b. 1919)
• 2015 – Jamaluddin Jarjis, Malaysian engineer and politician (b. 1951)
• 2015 – Elmer Lach, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1918)
• 2015 – Donald N. Levine, American sociologist and academic (b. 1931)
• 2015 – Klaus Rifbjerg, Danish author and poet (b. 1931)

Holidays and observances

• Children's Day (Hong Kong, Taiwan)
• Christian feast day:
  • Benedict the Moor
  • Gaetano Catanoso
  • Isidore of Seville
  • Martin Luther King Jr. (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Reginald Heber (Anglican Church of Canada)
  • Tigernach of Clones
  • Zosimas of Palestine (Eastern Church)
  • April 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Senegal from France (1960).
• International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action
• Peace Day (Angola)

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Today in Canadian History