April 4

Events

503 BC – 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 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)

1436 – Amalia of Saxony, Duchess of Bavaria-Landshut (d. 1501)

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)

1851 – James Campbell, 1st Baron Glenavy, Irish lawyer and politician (d. 1931)

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)

1914 – David W. Goodall, Australian ecologist and botanist

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 (d. 2016)

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

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 – 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 – 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)

911 – Liu Yin (Southern Han), Tang Dynasty leader

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)

1483 – Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex (b. c. 1405)

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)

2016 – Chus Lampreave, Spanish actress (b. 1930)

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)