What Happened in April 1947

Historical Events

Shin Takarajima

Apr 1 "Shin Takarajima" (New Treasure Island) by Osamu Tezuka published, first manga cartoon in tankōbon form

Father of Manga and Cartoonist Osamu Tezuka

Apr 1 1st Jewish immigrants to Israel disembark at Port of Eilat
Apr 2 Carlo Terron's "Il diamente del profeta" premieres in Rome
Apr 3 Sidney Lippman, Sylvia Dee, and Max Schulman's musical comedy "Barefoot Boy with Cheek", based on Schulman's novel of the same name, opens at Martin Beck Theatre, NYC; runs for 108 performances
Apr 4 Largest group of sunspots on record
Apr 4 United Nation's Convention on International Civil Aviation forms the International Civil Aviation Organization

11th US Masters

Apr 6 11th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Jimmy Demaret wins his 2nd Masters by 2 strokes over Byron Nelson and amateur Frank Stranahan

1st Tony Awards

Apr 6 1st Tony Awards: Arthur Miller, David Wayne & Patricia Neal win for theatrical achievements

Apr 8 Largest recorded sunspot ever observed at 40 times the diameter of Earth
Apr 9 Atomic Energy Commission confirmed

Leo Durocher Suspended

Apr 9 Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler suspends Brooklyn Dodger Leo Durocher for 1 year for "association with known gamblers"

Baseball Player and Manager Leo Durocher

Apr 9 Tornadoes striking West Texas & Oklahoma kill 169, injuring 1,300

Jackie Robinson's MLB Contract

Apr 10 Jackie Robinson becomes first black player of the 20th century to sign a MLB contract; Brooklyn GM, Branch Rickey announces Dodgers had bought Robinson’s contract from Montreal Royals

Baseball Player and Sports Executive Branch Rickey

Apr 10 King Frederik IX of Denmark crowned
Apr 15 Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in US major league baseball (Dodgers)
Apr 15 Operations begin at Radio Netherlands World radio
Apr 16 -17] Explosions & fire on French ship Grandcamp
Apr 16 Fire aboard French-flagged cargo ship SS Grandchamp, docked at Port of Texas City, Texas and loaded with 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate causes massive explosion and spreads to nearby ships and oil facilities; deadliest industrial accident in US history kills 581, including all but one member of the city's fire departments
Apr 16 Lens to provide zoom effects demonstrated (NYC)
Apr 17 Jackie Robinson bunts for his 1st major league hit

New Orleans

Apr 18 "New Orleans", an American musical romance film premieres; Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, in her only feature film, play supporting roles

Apr 19 AAU record for a 25-foot rope climb is set in 4.7 seconds

Maurice Richard Named MVP

Apr 19 After scoring 45 goals during the regular season, Montreal Canadiens' Maurice Richard is named MVP

Apr 19 England beats France, 6-3 at Twickenham to be level on points with Wales for a share of the Five Nations Rugby Championship; first appearance of France in tournament since 1931
Apr 19 Stanley Cup Final, Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario: Toronto Maple Leafs edge Montreal Canadiens, 2-1 for a 4-2 series win; first all-Canadian final since 1935
Apr 19 Suh Yun Buck wins world record marathon (2:25:39)
Apr 20 Frederik IX becomes King of Denmark
Apr 21 51st Boston Marathon won by Yun Bok Soh of Korea in 2:25:39; world best time
Apr 22 1st Basketball Association of America Finals: Philadelphia Warriors beat Chicago Stags, 83-80 to take inaugural series, 4 games to 2

Thesz vs Watson

Apr 25 Lou Thesz beats Whipper Watson in St Louis, to win National Wrestling Association world heavyweight title

Apr 25 Trial against WW II mayor of Amsterdam Edward Voete begins
Apr 26 Vivian Ellis and A. P. Herbert' musical "Bless the Bride" opena at the Adelphia Theatre in London; runs for 886 performances

Babe Ruth Day

Apr 27 Babe Ruth Day celebrated at Yankee Stadium and throughout the US

Voyage of the Kon-Tiki

Apr 28 Thor Heyerdahl and the crew of the "Kon-Tiki" sail from Peru to Polynesia

Ethnographer, Archaeologist and Explorer Thor Heyerdahl

Apr 30 Boulder Dam renamed in honor of Herbert Hoover

Events in 1947

Famous Birthdays

Birthdays 1 - 100 of 103

Apr 1 Alain Connes, French mathematician
Apr 1 Norm Van Lier, American basketball point guard (NBA All-Star 1974, 76, 77; Chicago Bulls) and broadcaster (Comcast SportsNet), born in East Liverpool, Ohio (d. 2009)
Apr 1 Robin Scott, English singer (M), born in London
Apr 2 Camille Paglia, American author and social critic, born in Endicott, New York

Emmylou Harris (77 years old)

Apr 2 American country singer ("Together Again"; "Blue Kentucky Girl"), born in Birmingham, Alabama

Apr 3 Anders Eliasson, Swedish contemporary classical composer, born in Borlänge, Sweden (d. 2013)
Apr 3 Theo Pahlplatz, Dutch soccer striker, midfielder (13 caps; FC Twente 468 games), born in Oldenzaal, Netherlands (d. 2023)
Apr 4 James Hazeldine, British stage and screen actor (London's Burning), born in Salford, Lancashire, England (d. 2002)
Apr 4 Ray Fosse, American MLB baseball catcher, 1967-79 (All-Star, Gold Glove Award - 1970, 1971 Cleveland Indians; World Series Oakland A's 1973, 74; and 2 other teams) and broadcaster (Oakland A's, NBC), born in Marion, Illinois (d. 2021)
Apr 4 Salvatore Sciarrino, Italian composer (Quaderno di strada, 2003; La porta della legge, 2006–08), born in Palermo, Italy
Apr 4 Wiranto, Indonesian army general (Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces), and politician, born in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (77 years old)

Apr 5 President of the Philippines (2001-2010), born in San Juan

Apr 6 Jan-Kees Wiebenga, Dutch politician (VVD), born in Haarlem, Netherlands
Apr 6 John Ratzenberger, American actor (Cheers -"Cliff Clavin"; Toy Story; Gandhi), born in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Apr 6 Rosemary Ann Butler, American session singer (Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Warren Zevon, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Jackson Browne), born in California
Apr 6 Tony Connor, British drummer (Hot Chocolate - "You Sexy Thing"), born in Romford, England
Apr 7 Charles '"Skip" Pitts, American soul & blues guitarist (Shaft), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2012)
Apr 7 Eliseo Soriano, Filipino televangelist, born in Pasay, Philippines
Apr 7 Florian Schneider, German musician (Kraftwerk), born in Düsseldorf, Germany (d. 2020)
Apr 7 Patricia Bennett, American singer (Chiffons - "He's So Fine"), born in The Bronx, New York City
Apr 8 Cindy Pickett, American actress (Guiding Light, St Elsewhere), born in Norman, Oklahoma
Apr 8 Hsiao-hsien Hou, Taiwanese director (Cheerful Wind, City of Sadness, The Puppetmaster), born in Mei County, China
Apr 8 Larry Norman, American musician and pioneer of Christian rock music ("Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?"), born in Corpus Christi, Texas (d. 2008)
Apr 8 Robert Kiyosaki, American investor (Rich Dad Company), born in Hilo, Hawaii

Steve Howe (77 years old)

Apr 8 English progressive rock guitarist (Yes - "Roundabout"; Asia - "Heat Of The Moment"), born in London, England

Apr 8 Tom DeLay, American politician (Rep-R-Texas, 1985-2006), born in Laredo, Texas
Apr 10 Bunny Wailer [Neville O'Riley Livingston], Jamaican vocalist and percussionist (The Wailers with Bob Marley), born in Kingston, Jamaica (d. 2021)
Apr 11 Lev Bulat, Russian physicist, born in Chernovtsy, Ukraine
Apr 11 Meshach Taylor, American actor, born in Altadena, CA, (d. 2014)
Apr 11 Michael Hindley, British politician, Member of the European Parliament, born in Blackburn, England
Apr 11 Michael Wright, British academic, Vice-Chancellor of Aston University
Apr 11 Peter Riegert, American actor (Animal House, Crossing Delancey), born in New York City
Apr 11 Uli Edel, German film director (Last Exit to Brooklyn), born in Neuenburg am Rhein, South Baden, Germany
Apr 12 Antonin Kratochvil, Czech-American photojournalist (VII Photo Agency), born in Litoměřice, Czechoslovakia
Apr 12 Dan Lauria, American actor (Jack Arnold-Wonder Years), born in Brooklyn, New York

David Letterman (77 years old)

Apr 12 American comedian and late night TV host (Late Night; Late Show), born in Indianapolis, Indiana

Apr 12 Tom Clancy, American author (Rainbow Six, The Hunt for Red October), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2013)
Apr 13 František Cipro, Czech soccer forward (SK Slavia Prague 232 games) and manager (SK Slavia Prague, SK Dynamo České Budějovice), born in Jihlava, Czech Republic (d. 2023)
Apr 13 Mike Chapman, Australian-American pop songwriter and record producer (with Andy Chinn: Sweet - "The Ballroom Blitz"; Suzi Quatro; Toni Basel - "Mickey"; Tina Turner - "You Better Be Good To Me"), born in Nambour, Australia
Apr 13 Rae Armantrout, American poet ("Versed" - Pulitzer Prize for Poetry 2010), born in Vallejo, California [1]
Apr 13 Thanos Mikroutsikos, Greek composer, pianist, and politician (Minister of Culture,1993-96), born in Patras, Greece (d. 2019)
Apr 14 Bob Massie, Australian cricket swing bowler (6 Tests; 16 wickets on debut v England 1972), born in Perth, Australia
Apr 15 Bojoura [Raina van Melzen], Dutch folk-rock singer ("If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium"; "Frank Mills"), and wife of drummer Hans Cleuver, born in The Hague, The Netherlands
Apr 15 Cristina Husmark Pehrsson, Swedish politician, born in Uddevalla, Sweden
Apr 15 Diane "DeDe" Lind, American glamour model and Playboy playmate (Aug, 1967), born in Los Angeles, California
Apr 15 George Marino, American Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer who worked with Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, born in Bronx, New York (d. 2012)
Apr 15 Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, American TV producer (Designing Women, Murphy Brown), born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Apr 15 Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme, British keyboardist and vocalist (Barclay James Harvest), born in Chadderton, Lancashire (d. 2010)
Apr 16 Gerry Rafferty, Scottish guitarist and vocalist (Stealers Wheel - "Stuck In The Middle With You"; solo -"Baker Street"), born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland (d. 2011)
Apr 16 Johnny Grier, American football official (1981-2004; first African-American referee in NFL history 1988), born in Charlotte, North Carolina (d. 2022)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (77 years old)

Apr 16 American Basketball Hall of Fame center (6 x NBA champion; NBA Finals MVP 1971, 85; 6 × NBA MVP; 19 × NBA All-Star), born in New York City

Apr 16 Lee Kerslake, British drummer (Uriah Heep; Ozzy Osbourne), born in Winton, Bournemouth, Dorset, England (d. 2020)
Apr 17 Linda Martin, Irish singer and TV presenter, born in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Apr 17 Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player, born in Rumoi, Hokkaidō, Japan
Apr 18 Dorothy Lyman, American actress (All my Children, Naomi-Mama's Family), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Apr 18 Herbert Mullin, American serial killer (killed thirteen people in California in the early 1970s), born in Salinas, California

James Woods (77 years old)

Apr 18 American actor (Salvador, Against All Odds), born in Vernal, Utah

Apr 18 Kathy Acker, American experimental novelist (Blood and Guts in High School), born in New York City (d. 1997)
Apr 18 Lori Martin, American actress (Velvet-National Velvet), born in Glendale, California
Apr 18 Walt Richmond, American rock keyboardist (The Tractors; J.J. Cale; Bob Seger; Eric Clapton), born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Apr 19 (Rodolfo) "Fito" Olivares, Mexican-American Tejano saxophonist and songwriter ("Juana La Cubana; "El Colesterol."), born in Tamaulipas, Mexico (d. 2023)
Apr 19 Frits Castricum, Dutch journalist and politician (PvdA), born in Boxtel, Netherlands (d. 2011)
Apr 19 Mark Volman, American rock and roll musician and songwriter (The Turtles - "Elenore" ,"Happy Together"; Flo & Eddie), born in Los Angeles, California
Apr 19 Murray Perahia, American Grammy Award-winning concert pianist (Avery Fischer Prize, 1975), born in New York City
Apr 20 Andrew Tobias, American journalist and author (The Best Little Boy in the World), born in New York City
Apr 20 Björn Skifs, Swedish singer (Blue Swede), born in Vansbro, Dalarna, Sweden
Apr 20 Bob Etsy, American songwriter, producer, and arranger, born in Springfield, Massachusetts (d. 2019)
Apr 20 David Leland, English BAFTA, Emmy, and Grammy Award-winning stage and screen director, playwright, and screenwriter (Wish You Were Here; The Borgias; Band of Brothers; Concert for George), born in Cambridge, England (d. 2023) [1]
Apr 20 Ken Scott, British record producer and engineer (The Beatles, Elton John, Pink Floyd), born in London, England
Apr 21 Alan Warner, rocker (Foundations)

Iggy Pop (77 years old)

Apr 21 American singer and lyricist known as "The Godfather of Punk" (The Stooges - "I Wanna Be Your Dog"; solo - "Lust For Life"), born in Muskegon, Michigan

Apr 21 John Weider, British rock guitarist, violinist, bassist (The Animals; Family; Stud), and new age musician, born in Shepherd's Bush, England
Apr 22 Barry Guy, English composer and double bass player, born in London
Apr 23 Alan Broadbent, New Zealand jazz pianist (Developing Story), born in Auckland, New Zealand
Apr 23 Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Irish political activist, born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Apr 23 Glenn Cornick, English rock bassist (Jethro Tull, 1967-70; Wild Turkey), born in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, (d. 2014)
Apr 23 Saskia [Trudy van den Berg], Dutch singer (S & Serge; Spinning Wheel), born in Grootebroek, North Holland
Apr 24 Ann Kelly, American popsinger (The Hues Corporation - "Rock The Boat"), born in Fairfield, Alabama
Apr 24 Josep Borrell, 22nd President of the European Parliament (2004-07), born in La Pobla de Segur, Lérida, Spain
Apr 24 Roger D. Kornberg, American biochemist (Nobel 2006), born in St. Louis, Missouri
Apr 25 Bill Fontana, American composer, born in Cleveland, Ohio
Apr 25 Jeffrey DeMunn, American actor (Blaze, Frances, Windy City), born in Buffalo, New York

Johan Cruyff (1947-2016)

Apr 25 Dutch soccer player and coach (Ajax/Barcelona), born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Apr 26 Donna De Varona, American swimmer (Olympic-2 gold-64), born in Greenwich, Connecticut
Apr 26 Gervase Jackson-Stops, British architectural adviser to the National Trust (d. 1995)
Apr 26 Warren Clarke, English actor (Clockwork Orange), born in Oldham, Lancashire, (d. 2014)
Apr 27 Ann Peebles, American soul singer-songwriter ("I Can't Stand the Rain"), born in St. Louis, Missouri
Apr 27 George Kenneth Butterfield, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina, born in Wilson, North Carolina
Apr 27 Herbie Murrell, American soul singer (Stylistics - "You Are My Everything"), born in Lane, South Carolina
Apr 27 Keith Magnuson, Canadian ice hockey defenseman (NHL All Star 1971, 72; Chicago Black Hawks), born in Wadena, Saskatchewan (d. 2003)
Apr 27 Pete Ham, Welsh rock singer-songwriter, and guitarist (Badfinger - "Without You"; "No Matter What"; Day After Day"), born in Swansea, Wales (d. 1975)
Apr 28 Steve Khan [Cahn], American jazz guitarist (Christmas Waltz), born in Los Angeles, California
Apr 29 Jim Ryun, American 1500m runner/broke 4 minute mile (Olympic silver 1968)
Apr 29 John J. Cascella, American rock keyboard and accordion player (John Mellencamp), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1992)
Apr 29 Johnny Miller, American golfer (US Open 1973, British Open 1976), born in San Francisco, California
Apr 29 Olavo de Carvalho, Brazilian polemicist and right wing conspiracy theorist, born in Campinas, Brazil
Apr 29 Sam Francis, American far-right conservative columnist and editor (The Washington Times, 1991-95), born in Chattanooga, Tennessee (d. 2005)
Apr 29 Tommy James, American singer-songwriter (cri-im-son & clo-o-ver o-o-ver & o-o-ver), born in Dayton, Ohio
Apr 30 Abdul Wadud [Ronald DeVaughn], American jazz, avant-garde, and classical cellist (Camille; By Myself), born in Cleveland, Ohio (d. 2022)
Apr 30 Denny Carmassi, American session and touring drummer (Montrose/Sammy Hagar, 1972-79; Heart, 1982-93; Whitesnake), born in San Francisco, California

Born in 1947

Famous Deaths

Apr 1 George II, King of Greece (192-24 and 1935-47), dies of arteriosclerosis at 56
Apr 2 Joe Hardstaff Sr., English cricket batsman (5 Tests; 3 x 50; Nottinghamshire CCC) and umpire (21 Tests), dies at 64
Apr 4 William O'Donnell, Irish politician (Teachta Dála, 1943-47), dies at 71
Apr 6 Herbert Backe, German Nazi politician (Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture), dies at 50
Apr 6 Václav Kaprál, Czech composer, pianist, and pedagogue, dies at 58

Henry Ford (1863-1947)

Apr 7 American industrialist and auto maker (Ford Model T), dies at 83

Apr 9 Konrad Friedrich Noetel, German composer, dies at 43
Apr 10 Charles Bally, Swiss linguist (Le langage et la vie), dies at 82
Apr 11 Louise Peete, American convicted serial killer, dies at 66
Apr 12 Christian Frederik Leipoldt, South African poet, writer (Die Moormansgat) and physician, dies at 66
Apr 16 Rudolf Höss, German commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, dies at 45
Apr 18 Benny Leonard, American boxer (world lightweight title 1917-25), dies from a heart attack at 51

Jozef Tiso (1887-1947)

Apr 18 Slovak politician (President of the First Slovak Republic), executed for treason for collaborating with Nazi Germany at 59

Apr 19 Charles Bidwill, American Pro Football HOF team owner (Chicago Cardinals 1933-46), dies of pneumonia at 51
Apr 20 Christian X, King of Denmark (1912-47), dies at 76
Apr 24 Willa Cather, American Pulitzer-Prize winning author (One of Ours; My Ántonia), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage while battling cancer at 73
Apr 29 Irving Fisher, 'America's greatest economist' (Fisher’s Theory of Interest, Monetarism), dies at 80 [1]
Apr 30 Almroth Wright, English bacteriologist (developed one of 1st vaccines for typhoid), dies at 85

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