April 1

Events

286 – Emperor Diocletian elevates his general Maximian to co-emperor with the rank of Augustus and gives him control over the Western regions of the Roman Empire.

325 – Crown Prince Jin Chengdi, age 4, succeeds his father Jin Mingdi as emperor of the Eastern Jin dynasty.

457 – Majorian is acclaimed emperor by the Roman army.

527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.

528 – The daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei was made the "Emperor" as a male heir of the late emperor by Empress Dowager Hu, deposed and replaced by Yuan Zhao the next day; she was the first female monarch in the History of China, but not widely recognised.

1293 – Robert Winchelsey leaves England for Rome, to be consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury.

1318 – Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured by the Scottish from England.

1340 – Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark.

1545 – Potosí is founded after the discovery of major silver deposits in the area.

1572 – In the Eighty Years' War, the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Spaniards, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic.

1625 – A combined Spanish and Portuguese fleet of 52 ships commences the recapture of Bahia from the Dutch during the Dutch–Portuguese War.

1789 – In New York City, the United States House of Representatives holds its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker.

1826 – Samuel Morey received a patent for a compressionless "Gas or Vapor Engine."

1833 – The Convention of 1833, a political gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas to help draft a series of petitions to the Mexican government, begins in San Felipe de Austin

1854 – Charles Dickens' novel Hard Times begins serialisation in his magazine Household Words.

1865 – American Civil War: Battle of Five Forks. Union Army led by Philip Sheridan decisively defeated Confederate States Army led by George Pickett, leading to Breakthrough at Petersburg and Appomattox Campaign.

1867 – Singapore becomes a British crown colony.

1871 – The first stage of the Brill Tramway opens.

1873 – The White Star steamer RMS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century.

1887 – Mumbai Fire Brigade is established.

1889 – The University of Northern Colorado was established, as the Colorado State Normal School.

1891 – The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.

1893 – The rank of Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy is established.

1895 – The Indian Army is established.

1908 – The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army.

1918 – The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.

1924 – Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years imprisonment for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch" but spends only nine months in jail; during this time he writes Mein Kampf.

1924 – The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed.

1933 – The recently elected Nazis under Julius Streicher organize a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses in Germany, ushering in a series of anti-Semitic acts.

1935 – India's central banking institution, The Reserve Bank of India is formed.

1936 – Odisha formerly known as Kalinga or Utkal becomes a state in India.

1937 – Aden becomes a British crown colony.

1937 – Spanish Civil War: Jaén, Spain is bombed by German fascist forces, supporting Francoist Nationalists.

1937 – Royal New Zealand Air Force is Formed as an independent Air Force.

1939 – Spanish Civil War: Generalísimo Francisco Franco of the Spanish State announces the end of the Spanish Civil War, when the last of the Republican forces surrender.

1941 – Fântâna Albă massacre: Between 200 and 2,000 Romanian civilians are killed by Soviet Border Troops.

1941 – A military coup in Iraq overthrows the regime of 'Abd al-Ilah and installs Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister.

1944 – Navigation errors lead to an accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen.

1945 – World War II: Operation Iceberg: United States troops land on Okinawa in the last major campaign of the war.

1946 – The 8.6 Mw Aleutian Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). A destructive tsunami reaches the Hawaiian Islands resulting in many deaths, mostly in Hilo. Between 165 and 173 were killed.

1946 – Formation of the Malayan Union.

1947 – Paul becomes king of Greece, on the death of his childless elder brother, George II.

1947 – The only mutiny in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy begins.

1948 – Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin.

1948 – Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark.

1948 – United Nations Security Council Resolution 43 and 44 are adopted.

1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Chinese Communist Party holds unsuccessful peace talks with the Nationalist Party in Beijing, after three years of fighting.

1949 – The Government of Canada repeals Japanese-Canadian internment after seven years.

1949 – The 26 counties of the Irish Free State become Ireland.

1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.

1955 – The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire begins in Cyprus, with the goal of obtaining the desired unification ("enosis") with Greece.

1959 – Iakovos is enthroned as Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America.

1960 – The TIROS-1 satellite transmits the first television picture from space.

1970 – President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, requiring the Surgeon General's warnings on tobacco products and banning cigarette advertising on television and radio in the United States, effective 1 January 1971.

1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army massacre over 1,000 people in Keraniganj Upazila, Bangladesh.

1973 – Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Jim Corbett National Park, India.

1974 – The metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England come into being.

1976 – Apple Inc. is formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in Cupertino, California, USA.

1978 – The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, becomes the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

1979 – Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.

1986 – Sector Kanda: Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) cadres attacks a number of police stations in Kathmandu, seeking to incite a popular rebellion.

1989 – Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly known as the "poll tax"), is introduced in Scotland.

1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp is seen passing at perihelion.

1999 – Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.

2001 – An EP-3E United States Navy surveillance aircraft collides with a Chinese People's Liberation Army Shenyang J-8 fighter jet. The Navy crew makes an emergency landing in Hainan, China and is detained.

2001 – Former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on war crimes charges.

2001 – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, the first contemporary country to allow it.

2004 – Google announces Gmail to the public.

2011 – After protests against the burning of the Quran turn violent, a mob attacks a United Nations compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of thirteen people, including eight foreign workers.

Births

1220 – Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (d. 1272)

1282 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1347)

1543 – François de Bonne, Duke of Lesdiguières (d. 1626)

1578 – William Harvey, English physician and academic (d. 1657)

1610 – Charles de Saint-Évremond, French soldier and critic (d. 1703)

1629 – Jean-Henri d'Anglebert, French organist and composer (d. 1691)

1640 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician and academic (d. 1697)

1647 – John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, English poet and courtier (d. 1680)

1697 – Antoine François Prévost, French novelist and translator (d. 1763)

1721 – Pieter Hellendaal, Dutch-English organist, violinist, and composer (d. 1799)

1741 – George Dance the Younger, English architect and surveyor (d. 1825)

1753 – Joseph de Maistre, French philosopher, lawyer, and diplomat (d. 1821)

1755 – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French lawyer and politician (d. 1826)

1765 – Luigi Schiavonetti, Italian engraver and etcher (d. 1810)

1776 – Sophie Germain, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (d. 1831)

1815 – Otto von Bismarck, German lawyer and politician, 1st Chancellor of the German Empire (d. 1898)

1815 – Edward Clark, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Texas (d. 1880)

1823 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Kentucky (d. 1891)

1824 – Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Canadian bishop (d. 1901)

1834 – James Fisk, American businessman (d. 1872)

1852 – Edwin Austin Abbey, American painter and illustrator (d. 1911)

1856 – Acacio Gabriel Viegas, Indian physician (d. 1933)

1865 – Richard Adolf Zsigmondy, Austrian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1929)

1866 – William Blomfield, New Zealand cartoonist and politician (d. 1938)

1866 – Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1924)

1866 – Ève Lavallière, French actress (d. 1929)

1868 – Edmond Rostand, French poet and playwright (d. 1918)

1868 – Walter Mead, English cricketer (d. 1954)

1871 – F. Melius Christiansen, Norwegian-American violinist and conductor (d. 1955)

1873 – Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1943)

1874 – Ernest Barnes, English mathematician and theologian (d. 1953)

1874 – Prince Karl of Bavaria (d. 1927)

1875 – Edgar Wallace, English journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1932)

1878 – C. Ganesha Iyer, Ceylon Tamil philologist (d. 1958)

1879 – Stanislaus Zbyszko, Polish wrestler and strongman (d. 1967)

1880 – Agha Petros, Assyrian general (d. 1932)

1883 – Lon Chaney, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1930)

1883 – Edvard Drabløs, Norwegian actor and director (d. 1976)

1883 – Laurette Taylor, American actress (d. 1946)

1885 – Wallace Beery, American actor (d. 1949)

1889 – K. B. Hedgewar, Indian physician and activist (d. 1940)

1893 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-English actress (d. 1980)

1895 – Alberta Hunter, American singer-songwriter and nurse (d. 1984)

1898 – William James Sidis, American mathematician, anthropologist, and historian (d. 1944)

1899 – Gustavs Celmiņš, Latvian academic and politician (d. 1968)

1901 – Whittaker Chambers, American journalist and spy (d. 1961)

1905 – Gaston Eyskens, Belgian economist and politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1988)

1905 – Paul Hasluck, Australian historian, poet, and politician, 17th Governor-General of Australia (d. 1993)

1906 – Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev, Russian engineer, founded the Yakovlev Design Bureau (d. 1989)

1907 – Shivakumara Swami, Indian religious leader and philanthropist

1908 – Abraham Maslow, American psychologist and academic (d. 1970)

1908 – Harlow Rothert, American shot putter, lawyer, and academic (d. 1997)

1909 – Abner Biberman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1977)

1909 – Eddy Duchin, American pianist and bandleader (d. 1951)

1910 – Harry Carney, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1974)

1910 – Bob Van Osdel, American high jumper and soldier (d. 1987)

1912 – Donald Nyrop, American businessman (d. 2010)

1913 – Memos Makris, Greek sculptor (d. 1993)

1915 – O. W. Fischer, Austrian-Swiss actor and director (d. 2004)

1917 – Sheldon Mayer, American author and illustrator (d. 1991)

1917 – Sydney Newman, Canadian screenwriter and producer, co-created Doctor Who (d. 1997)

1917 – Melville Shavelson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2007)

1919 – Joseph Murray, American surgeon and soldier, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)

1920 – Harry Lewis, American actor and businessman (d. 2013)

1920 – Toshiro Mifune, Japanese actor (d. 1997)

1921 – William Bergsma, American composer and educator (d. 1994)

1921 – Ken Reardon, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2008)

1921 – Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith, American guitarist, fiddler, and composer (d. 2014)

1922 – Duke Jordan, American pianist and composer (d. 2006)

1922 – William Manchester, American historian and author (d. 2004)

1923 – Leora Dana, American actress (d. 1983)

1923 – Bobby Jordan, American actor (d. 1965)

1924 – Brendan Byrne, American lieutenant, judge, and politician, 47th Governor of New Jersey

1925 – Kathy Stobart, English saxophonist (d. 2014)

1926 – Charles Bressler, American tenor and educator (d. 1996)

1926 – Gérard La Forest, Canadian lawyer and judge

1926 – Anne McCaffrey, American-Irish author (d. 2011)

1927 – Walter Bahr, American soccer player, coach, and manager

1927 – Peter Cundall, English-Australian soldier, horticulturist, and author

1927 – Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2006)

1928 – George Grizzard, American actor (d. 2007)

1929 – Barbara Bryne, English actress

1929 – Jonathan Haze, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and production manager

1929 – Milan Kundera, Czech-born novelist, poet, and playwright

1929 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (d. 2010)

1929 – Jane Powell, American actress, singer, and dancer

1929 – Bo Schembechler, American football player and coach (d. 2006)

1930 – Grace Lee Whitney, American actress and singer (d. 2015)

1931 – George Baker, Bulgarian-English actor and screenwriter (d. 2011)

1931 – Rolf Hochhuth, German author and playwright

1932 – Gordon Jump, American actor (d. 2003)

1932 – Debbie Reynolds, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2016)

1933 – Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Algerian-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate

1933 – Dan Flavin, American sculptor and educator (d. 1996)

1933 – Robert Shavlakadze, Georgian high jumper

1934 – Jim Ed Brown, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)

1934 – Rod Kanehl, American baseball player and manager (d. 2004)

1934 – Marie Patterson, English trade union leader

1934 – Vladimir Posner, French-American journalist and radio host

1935 – Larry McDonald, American physician and politician (d. 1983)

1936 – Peter Collinson, English-American director and producer (d. 1980)

1936 – Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, Swiss politician, 80th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1998)

1936 – Tarun Gogoi, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Assam

1936 – Abdul Qadeer Khan, Indian-Pakistani physicist, chemist, and engineer

1939 – Ali MacGraw, American actress

1939 – Phil Niekro, American baseball player and manager

1940 – Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)

1941 – Gideon Gadot, Israeli journalist and politician (d. 2012)

1941 – Guy Trottier, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (d. 2014)

1941 – Ajit Wadekar, Indian cricketer, coach, and manager

1942 – Brian Binley, English businessman and politician

1942 – Samuel R. Delany, American author and critic

1942 – Roderick Floud, English historian and academic

1942 – Richard D. Wolff, American economist and academic

1943 – Carol White, English actress (d. 1991)

1943 – Dafydd Wigley, Welsh academic and politician

1944 – Rusty Staub, American baseball player and coach

1945 – John Barbata, American drummer

1946 – Nikitas Kaklamanis, Greek academic and politician, Greek Minister of Health and Social Security

1946 – Ronnie Lane, English bass player, songwriter, and producer (d. 1997)

1946 – Eva Polttila, Finnish journalist

1946 – Arrigo Sacchi, Italian footballer, coach, and manager

1947 – Alain Connes, French mathematician and academic

1947 – Philippe Kirsch, Canadian lawyer and judge

1947 – Francine Prose, American novelist, short story writer, and critic

1947 – Robin Scott, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1947 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2009)

1948 – Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican singer and musician

1948 – Paul Myners, Baron Myners, English journalist and politician

1948 – J. J. Williams, Welsh rugby player and sprinter

1949 – Gérard Mestrallet, French businessman

1949 – Sammy Nelson, Northern Irish footballer and coach

1949 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and author (d. 2011)

1950 – Samuel Alito, American lawyer and jurist

1950 – Loris Kessel, Swiss race car driver (d. 2010)

1950 – Daniel Paillé, Canadian academic and politician

1951 – John Abizaid, American general

1951 – Kay Davies, English geneticist, anatomist, and academic

1951 – Frederic Schwartz, American architect, co-designed Empty Sky (d. 2014)

1952 – Annette O'Toole, American actress

1952 – Rey Robinson, American sprinter and coach

1952 – Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher and academic

1953 – Barry Sonnenfeld, American cinematographer, director, and producer

1953 – Alberto Zaccheroni, Italian footballer and manager

1954 – Üllar Kerde, Estonian basketball player and coach

1954 – Jeff Porcaro, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 1992)

1954 – Knut Værnes, Norwegian guitarist

1954 – Arnold Sidebottom, English footballer and cricketer

1955 – Sal Brinton, English politician

1955 – Don Hasselbeck, American football player and sportscaster

1955 – İlhan İrem, Turkish singer-songwriter

1955 – Humayun Akhtar Khan, Pakistani politician, 5th Commerce Minister of Pakistan

1955 – Terry Nichols, American criminal

1956 – Jeffrey Beecroft, American production designer and art director

1957 – Andreas Deja, Polish-American animator

1957 – David Gower, English cricketer and sportscaster

1957 – Stephen O'Brien, English lawyer and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

1958 – D. Boon, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1985)

1958 – Stephen O'Rahilly, Irish-British physician and academic

1959 – Helmuth Duckadam, Romanian footballer

1959 – Margita Stefanović, Serbian keyboard player (d. 2002)

1960 – J. Christopher Stevens, American lawyer and diplomat, 10th United States Ambassador to Libya (d. 2012)

1961 – Susan Boyle, Scottish singer

1961 – Mark White, English singer-songwriter and guitarist

1962 – Mark Shulman, American author

1962 – Chris Grayling, English journalist and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain

1962 – Samboy Lim, Filipino basketball player and manager

1962 – Phillip Schofield, English television host

1963 – Teodoro de Villa Diaz, Filipino guitarist and songwriter (d. 1988)

1963 – Aprille Ericsson-Jackson American aerospace engineer

1964 – Erik Breukink, Dutch cyclist and manager

1964 – Kevin Duckworth, American basketball player (d. 2008)

1964 – John Morris, English cricketer

1964 – José Rodrigues dos Santos, Portuguese journalist, author, and educator

1964 – Scott Stevens, Canadian ice hockey player and coach

1965 – Jane Adams, American film, television, and stage actress

1965 – Mark Jackson, American basketball player and coach

1965 – Robert Steadman, English composer and conductor

1966 – Chris Evans, English radio and television host

1966 – Sharon Hodgson, English accountant and politician

1966 – Mehmet Özdilek, Turkish footballer and manager

1967 – Nicola Roxon, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Attorney-General for Australia

1968 – Mike Baird, Australian politician, 44th Premier of New South Wales

1968 – Andreas Schnaas, German actor and director

1968 – Alexander Stubb, Finnish academic and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Finland

1969 – Lev Lobodin, Ukrainian-Russian decathlete

1969 – Dean Windass, English footballer and manager

1970 – Sung-Hi Lee, South Korean-American model and actress

1970 – Brad Meltzer, American author, screenwriter, and producer

1970 – Mark Wheeler, American football player

1971 – Sonia Bisset, Cuban javelin thrower

1971 – Karen Dunbar, Scottish actress and screenwriter

1971 – Lachy Hulme, Australian actor and screenwriter

1971 – Shinji Nakano, Japanese race car driver

1971 – Danielle Smith, Canadian journalist and politician

1972 – Darren McCarty, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

1972 – Jesse Tobias, American guitarist and songwriter

1973 – Christian Finnegan, American comedian and actor

1973 – Stephen Fleming, New Zealand cricketer and coach

1973 – Rachel Maddow, American journalist and author

1974 – John Glen, English politician

1974 – Hugo Ibarra, Argentinian footballer and manager

1974 – Sandra Völker, German swimmer

1975 – George Bastl, Swiss tennis player

1975 – John Butler, American-Australian singer-songwriter and producer

1975 – Magdalena Maleeva, Bulgarian tennis player

1976 – Hazem El Masri, Lebanese-Australian rugby league player and educator

1976 – David Gilliland, American race car driver

1976 – Gábor Király, Hungarian footballer

1976 – David Oyelowo, English actor

1976 – Clarence Seedorf, Dutch-Brazilian footballer and manager

1976 – Yuka Yoshida, Japanese tennis player

1977 – Vitor Belfort, Brazilian-American boxer and mixed martial artist

1977 – Haimar Zubeldia, Spanish cyclist

1978 – Antonio de Nigris, Mexican footballer (d. 2009)

1978 – Jean-Pierre Dumont, Canadian ice hockey player

1978 – Mirka Federer, Slovak-Swiss tennis player

1978 – Anamaria Marinca, Romanian-English actress

1978 – Etan Thomas, American basketball player

1980 – Dennis Kruppke, German footballer

1980 – Randy Orton, American wrestler

1981 – Antonis Fotsis, Greek basketball player

1981 – Bjørn Einar Romøren, Norwegian ski jumper

1982 – Taran Killam, American actor, voice artist, comedian, and writer

1982 – Andreas Thorkildsen, Norwegian javelin thrower

1983 – John Axford, Canadian baseball player

1983 – Tamati Ellison, New Zealand rugby player

1983 – Lance Hohaia, New Zealand rugby player

1983 – Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, Icelandic footballer

1983 – Sean Taylor, American football player (d. 2007)

1984 – Gilberto Macena, Brazilian footballer

1985 – Daniel Murphy, American baseball player

1985 – Beth Tweddle, English gymnast

1987 – Gianluca Musacci, Italian footballer

1987 – Li Ting, Chinese diver

1987 – Oliver Turvey, English race car driver

1988 – Brook Lopez, American basketball player

1988 – Robin Lopez, American basketball player

1988 – Courtney McCool, American gymnast

1989 – Jan Blokhuijsen, Dutch speed skater

1989 – David N'Gog, French footballer

1989 – Christian Vietoris, German race car driver

1990 – Julia Fischer, German discus thrower

1990 – Joe Partington, English-Welsh footballer

1991 – Graham Candy, New Zealand singer-songwriter and actor

1992 – Deng Linlin, Chinese gymnast

1994 – Ella Eyre, English singer-songwriter

1997 – Álex Palou, Spanish racing driver

1997 – Asa Butterfield, English actor

Deaths

996 – Pope John XV

1085 – Emperor Shenzong of Song (b. 1048)

1132 – Hugh of Châteauneuf, French bishop and saint (b. 1053)

1204 – Eleanor of Aquitaine (b. 1122)

1205 – Amalric II of Jerusalem (b. 1145)

1282 –Abaqa Khan, khan of the Mongol Ilkhanate

1431 – Nuno Álvares Pereira, Portuguese general and religious figure

1441 – Blanche I of Navarre, Queen of Navarre

1455 – Zbigniew Oleśnicki, Polish cardinal and statesman (b. 1389)

1528 – Francisco de Peñalosa, Spanish composer (b. 1470)

1580 – Alonso Mudarra, Spanish guitarist and composer (b. 1510)

1621 – Cristofano Allori, Italian painter and educator (b. 1577)

1682 – Franz Egon of Fürstenberg, Bavarian bishop (b. 1625)

1787 – Floyer Sydenham, English scholar and academic (b. 1710)

1839 – Benjamin Pierce, American soldier and politician, 11th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1757)

1865 – Giuditta Pasta, Italian soprano (b. 1797)

1872 – Frederick Denison Maurice, English theologian and academic (b. 1805)

1878 – John C.W. Daly, English-Canadian soldier and politician (b. 1796)

1890 – David Wilber, American politician (b. 1820)

1890 – Alexander Mozhaysky, Russian soldier, pilot, and engineer (b. 1825)

1914 – Rube Waddell, American baseball player (b. 1876)

1914 – Charles Wells, English founder of Charles Wells Ltd (b. 1842)

1917 – Scott Joplin, American pianist and composer (b. 1868)

1920 – Walter Simon, German banker and philanthropist (b. 1857)

1922 – Charles I of Austria (b. 1887)

1922 – Hermann Rorschach, Swiss psychologist and author (b. 1884)

1924 – Jacob Bolotin, American physician (b. 1888)

1924 – Lloyd Hildebrand, English cyclist (b. 1870)

1924 – Stan Rowley, Australian sprinter (b. 1876)

1925 – Lars Jørgen Madsen, Danish target shooter (b. 1871)

1946 – Noah Beery, Sr., American actor (b. 1882)

1947 – George II of Greece (b. 1890)

1950 – Charles R. Drew, American physician and surgeon (b. 1904)

1950 – Recep Peker, Turkish soldier and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1889)

1962 – Jussi Kekkonen, Finnish captain and businessman (b. 1910)

1965 – Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman (b. 1870)

1966 – Brian O'Nolan, Irish author (b. 1911)

1967 – Đặng Văn Ngữ, Vietnamese physician (b. 1910)

1968 – Lev Landau, Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)

1976 – Max Ernst, German painter and sculptor (b. 1891)

1981 – Eua Sunthornsanan, Thai singer-songwriter and bandleader (b. 1910)

1984 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (b. 1939)

1984 – Elizabeth Goudge, English author (b. 1900)

1985 – Douglass Wallop, American author and playwright (b. 1920)

1986 – Erik Bruhn, Danish actor, director, and choreographer (b. 1928)

1987 – Henri Cochet, French tennis player (b. 1901)

1991 – Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1894)

1991 – Jaime Guzmán, Chilean lawyer and politician (b. 1946)

1992 – Michael Havers, Baron Havers, English lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1923)

1992 – Nigel Preston, English drummer (b. 1959)

1993 – Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (b. 1954)

1994 – Robert Doisneau, French photographer (b. 1912)

1995 – H. Adams Carter, American mountaineer, journalist, and educator (b. 1914)

1995 – Lucie Rie, Austrian-English potter (b. 1902)

1996 – Jean Le Moyne, Canadian journalist and politician (b. 1913)

1996 – John McSherry, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1944)

1997 – Norman Carr, English environmentalist and author (b. 1912)

1997 – Makar Honcharenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1912)

1998 – Rozz Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1963)

1999 – Jesse Stone, American pianist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1901)

2000 – Alexander Mackenzie Stuart, Baron Mackenzie-Stuart, Scottish lawyer and judge (b. 1924)

2001 – Jo-Jo Moore, American baseball player (b. 1908)

2001 – Ayhan Şahenk, Turkish businessman, founded Doğuş Holding (b. 1929)

2001 – Trịnh Công Sơn, Vietnamese guitarist and composer (b. 1939)

2002 – Simo Häyhä, Finnish soldier and sniper (b. 1905)

2002 – Aptullah Kuran, Turkish scholar and academic (b. 1927)

2003 – Leslie Cheung, Chinese-Hong Kong singer (b. 1956)

2004 – Paul Atkinson, English guitarist and producer (b. 1946)

2004 – Aaron Bank, American colonel, founded the US Army Special Forces (b. 1902)

2004 – Ioannis Kyrastas, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1952)

2004 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (b. 1945)

2005 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance (b 1925)

2005 – Alexander Brott, Canadian violinist, composer, and conductor (b. 1915)

2005 – Jack Keller, American songwriter and producer (b. 1936)

2005 – Robert Coldwell Wood, American political scientist and academic (b. 1923)

2006 – In Tam, Cambodian general and politician, 26th Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1916)

2008 – Jake Warren, Canadian soldier and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States (b. 1921)

2010 – John Forsythe, American actor (b. 1918)

2010 – Tzannis Tzannetakis, Greek soldier and politician, 175th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1927)

2012 – Lionel Bowen, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1922)

2012 – Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian-American soccer player and radio host (b. 1947)

2012 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican banker, academic, and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (b. 1934)

2012 – Jamaa Fanaka, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1942)

2012 – N. K. P. Salve, Indian accountant and politician (b. 1921)

2013 – Moses Blah, Liberian general and politician, 23rd President of Liberia (b. 1947)

2013 – David Burge, American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1930)

2013 – Kildare Dobbs, Canadian author (b. 1923)

2013 – William H. Ginsburg, American lawyer (b. 1943)

2013 – Karen Muir, South African swimmer and physician (b. 1952)

2013 – Jack Pardee, American football player and coach (b. 1936)

2013 – Greg Willard, American basketball player and referee (b. 1958)

2014 – King Fleming, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1922)

2014 – Rudolph Hargrave, American lawyer and judge (b. 1925)

2014 – Jacques Le Goff, French historian and author (b. 1924)

2014 – Andrew Joseph McDonald, American bishop (b. 1923)

2014 – Bill Mitchell, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach (b. 1930)

2014 – Rolf Rendtorff, German theologian and academic (b. 1925)

2015 – John Paul Hammerschmidt, American soldier and politician (b. 1922)

2015 – Eddie LeBaron, American football player, manager, and sportscaster (b. 1930)

2015 – Nicolae Rainea, Romanian footballer and referee (b. 1933)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Cellach of Armagh

Hugh of Grenoble

Frederick Denison Maurice (Episcopal Church (USA))

Melito of Sardis

Nuno Álvares Pereira

Tewdrig

Theodora

Walric, abbot of Leuconay

April 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Earliest day on which Sizdah Be-dar can fall, while April 2 is the latest; celebrated on the 13th day after vernal equinox. (Iran)

Iranian Islamic Republic Day (Iran) falls on this day if the Vernal Equinox falls on March 21.

Veneralia was held on April 1 during Ancient Rome, however this date does not lock into the modern Gregorian calendar.

April Fools' Day

Arbor Day (Tanzania)

Civil Service Day (Thailand)

Cyprus National Day (Cyprus)

Edible Book Day

Fossil Fools Day

Kha b-Nisan, the Assyrian New Year (Assyrian people)

National Civil Service Day (Thailand)