Historical Events
- Apr 1 KEMO (now KOFY) TV channel 20 in San Francisco, California (IND) 1st broadcast
2001 A Space Odyssey
Apr 2 "2001 A Space Odyssey" directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, premieres at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C.
- Apr 2 Beatles form Python Music Ltd
- Apr 2 Chad creates Union of Central African States
Event of Interest
Apr 2 Senator Eugene McCarthy wins Democratic primary in Wisconsin
- Apr 3 N Vietnam agrees to meet US reps to set up preliminary peace talks
Planet of the Apes
Apr 3 Science fiction film "Planet of the Apes", starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell, opens nationally in the United States
- Apr 4 Apollo 6 launched atop Saturn V; unmanned
- Apr 4 Paul Nassau and Oscar Brand's musical "Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*AP*L*A*N", starring Tom Bosley, opens at the Alvin Theater, NYC; runs for 28 performances
Martin Luther King Assassination Riots
Apr 4 Riots break out in over 100 cities in the United States following the assassination of African-American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Shot Dead
Apr 4 US civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated by James Earl Ray at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee
- Apr 5 Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego opens
- Apr 6 13th Eurovision Song Contest: Massiel for Spain wins singing "La, la, la" in London
- Apr 6 94.5% of East German voters approve new socialist constitution
- Apr 6 Gas and gunpowder explosions at sporting goods store, downtown Richmond, Indiana, kills 41 and injures more than 150
- Apr 6 HemisFair 1968 opens in San Antonio, Texas
Event of Interest
Apr 7 Gangsters Henry Hill and Tommy DeSimone commit the Air France robbery, stealing $420,000 from cargo terminal at New York City's JFK International Airport
US History
Apr 7 Riots continue in over 100 US cities following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
- Apr 8 40th Academy Awards postponed to Apr 10th due to death of Martin Luther King
- Apr 8 Czechoslovakia Oldřich Černík government forms
- Apr 8 Major League Baseball decides to postpone Opening Day because of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr
- Apr 8 New socialist constitution of East Germany takes effect
- Apr 8 WKPI TV channel 22 in Pikeville, Kentucky (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Apr 9 German DR adopts constitution
- Apr 9 Martin Luther King Jr., buried in Atlanta
- Apr 9 Minn's Wayne Connelly is 1st to score on a Stanley Cup penalty shot
- Apr 9 Ralph Aberbathy elected to head So Christian Leadership Conference
Academy Awards
Apr 10 40th Academy Awards: "In the Heat of the Night", Rod Steiger & Katherine Hepburn win
- Apr 10 Ferry Wahine sinks in Wellington harbour, New Zealand on route from Lyttelton (51 killed)
George M!
Apr 10 Musical "George M!", based on the life of Broadway star George M. Cohan, opens at Palace Theater NYC for 435 performances
- Apr 10 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Apr 11 Polish Marshal Spychalski succeeds Ochab as president
- Apr 11 Political activist Rudi Dutschke (28) seriously wounded by an East German neo-Nazi's assassination attempt in West Berlin, West Germany
Event of Interest
Apr 11 US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1968 Civil Rights Act
- Apr 11 WHED TV channel 15 in Hanover, NH (PBS) begins broadcasting
- Apr 14 32nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Bob Goalby shoots a final round 66 (-6) to win his only major title, 1 stroke ahead of Roberto De Vicenzo who has his card famously marked incorrectly
- Apr 14 First NBA game at New York's iconic Madison Square Garden; NY Knicks beat San Diego Rockets, 114-102
- Apr 15 72nd Boston Marathon: Amby Burfoot wins in 2:22:17; Bobbi Gibb 1st woman for 3rd straight year in 3:30:00 (unsanctioned)
Sports History
Apr 15 Houston Astros beat NY Mets, 1-0, in 24 innings at the Astrodome; starting pitchers Tom Seaver and Don Wilson pitch 10 and 9 innings respectively in game that lasts over 6 hours
- Apr 17 A's 1st game in Oakland-Alameda Stadium, lose 4-1 to Baltimore Orioles
Fade Out-Fade In
Apr 17 Betty Comden & Adolph Green and Jule Styne's musical "Fade Out-Fade In", featuring Carol Burnett, Dick Shawn, and Tina Louise, closes at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC after 271 performances
- Apr 18 178,000 employees of US Bell Telephone System go on strike
- Apr 18 1st ABA basketball championship began
- Apr 18 Dutch Department of Amnesty International forms
- Apr 18 London Bridge is sold to US oil company (to be erected in Arizona)
- Apr 18 Mart Crowley's "Boys in the Band" premieres in NYC
- Apr 18 Peter Luke's "Hadrian VII" premieres in London
- Apr 18 San Francisco's Old Hall of Justice demolished
- Apr 18 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Apr 19 Belgian construction workers strike
- Apr 19 NL owners approve expansion for 2 new teams
Enoch Powel's "Rivers of Blood"
Apr 20 British politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech
- Apr 20 British rock band billed as "Roundabout" debuts in Kastrup, Denmark; after a brief tour of Scandinavia, they change their name to "Deep Purple"
PM Pierre Trudeau
Apr 20 Pierre Trudeau sworn in as Canada's 15th Prime Minister
- Apr 20 South African Airways Boeing 707 crashes at Windhoek, 122 killed
- Apr 21 22nd Tony Awards: "Rosencranz and Guildenstern Are Dead" (play) & "Hallelujah, Baby!" (musical) win
- Apr 23 1st decimal coins issued in Britain (5 & 10 new pence, replacing shilling and two-shilling pieces)
- Apr 23 Ernest Gold and Anne Croswell's musical "I'm Solomon", starring Dick Shawn, opens at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC; runs for 7 performances
- Apr 23 United Methodist Church forms
- Apr 24 ABC Masters Bowling Tournament won by Pete Tountas
- Apr 24 Leftist students take over Columbia University, NYC
- Apr 24 Mauritius becomes a member state of the United Nations.
- Apr 24 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Apr 26 Students seize administration building at Ohio State
- Apr 26 US underground nuclear test, "Boxcar," 1 megaton device
- Apr 27 Baltimore Orioles pitcher Tom Phoebus no-hits Boston, 6-0
- Apr 27 Congress of Political Party Radicals (PPR) forms in Netherlands
- Apr 27 Ernest Gold and Anne Croswell's musical "I'm Solomon", starring Dick Shawn, closes at Mark Hellinger Theater, NYC, after 7 performances
- Apr 27 Paul Nassau and Oscar Brand's musical "Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*AP*L*A*N", starring Tom Bosley, closes at the Alvin Theater, NYC, after 28 performances
- Apr 27 The Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) hold a rally to protest the banning of a Republican Easter parade
- Apr 29 Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni and James Rado's hippie musical "Hair" opens at Biltmore Theater, NYC; runs for 1750 performances
- Apr 30 3 Oriole pitchers walk 14 NY Yankees in a 9 inning game
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 1 Andreas Schnaas, German horror film director
- Apr 1 Julia Boutros, Lebanese singer, born in Beirut, Lebanon
- Apr 3 Bernd Karbacher, German tennis player, born in Munich, Germany
- Apr 3 Charlotte Coleman, British actress (Four Weddings and a Funeral), born in London (d. 2001)
- Apr 3 Jamie Hewlett, English illustrator (Tank Girl; Gorillaz), born in Horsham, Sussex, England
- Apr 3 Mike Lansing, American MLB baseball infielder, 1993-2001 (Montreal Expos, Coloradao Rockies, Boston Red Sox), born in Rawlins, Wyoming
- Apr 3 Sebastian Bach [Bierk], Canadian heavy metal singer (Skid Row - "I Remember You"; "Psycho Love"), born in Freeport, Bahamas
- Apr 4 Jennifer Lynch, American film director, screenwriter and author of The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Apr 5 Paula Cole, American pop singer ("I Don't Want To Wait"), born in Rockport, Massachussetts
- Apr 5 Tasia Valenza, American actress (All My Children), born in New York City
- Apr 6 Vanessa Lann, American composer (Dancing to an Orange Drummer), born in Brooklyn, New York
- Apr 7 Duncan Armstrong, Australian swimmer (Olympic gold 200m freestyle 1988), born in Rockhampton, Queensland
Patricia Arquette (56 years old)
Apr 8 American actress (Boyhood, True Romance), born in New York City
- Apr 8 Patricia Girard-Léno, French athlete (100m hurdles)
- Apr 9 Janne Ojanen, Finnish hockey forward (Team Finland), born in Tampere, Finland
- Apr 10 Orlando Jones, American actor and comedian (MADtv, 7 Up spokesman), born in Toulminville, Alabama
- Apr 11 Sergei Lukyanenko, Russian sci-fi author (Labyrinth of Reflections), born in Karatau, Kazakhstan
- Apr 12 Adam Graves, Canadian left wing hockey player (NY Rangers), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Apr 12 Alicia Coppola, American actress (Lorna Devon-Another World), born in Huntington, New York
- Apr 12 Neal Fort, American football tackle (Montreal Alouettes), born in Warner Robins, Georgia
- Apr 13 Margrethe Vestager, Danish politician and European Commissioner for Competition, born in Glostrup, Zealand
- Apr 13 Tami Lyn Jameson, American team handball goalie (Olympics 1992, 96), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Apr 13 Ted Washington, American NFL nose tackle (Buffalo Bills), born in Tampa, Florida
- Apr 14 Andrew Trim, Australian canoeist (World C'ship gold K-2 500m 1997; Olympic silver K-2 500m 2000, bronze 1996), born in Sydney, Australia
- Apr 14 Anthony Michael Hall, American actor (SNL, Breakfast Club), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Apr 14 Jesse Levis, American catcher (Milwaukee Brewers), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Apr 15 Billy Brewer, American baseball pitcher, 1993-99 (NY Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and 2 other teams), born in Fort Worth, Texas
- Apr 15 Ed O'Brien, British musician and songwriter (Radiohead - OK Computer), born in Oxford, England
- Apr 15 Stacey Williams, American fashion model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 1996), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Apr 16 Grace Kim, South Korean-American tennis star, born in South Korea
- Apr 17 Adam McKay, American director (The Big Short, Vice), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Apr 17 Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven, eldest son of Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Pieter van Vollenhoven, born in Utrecht, Netherlands
- Apr 17 Richie Woodhall, British professional boxer, born in Telford, Shropshire, England
- Apr 17 Roger Twose, New Zealand cricketer and batsman (Warwickshire; New Zealand), born in Torquay, England
- Apr 18 David Hewlett, Canadian actor (Stargate Universe), born in Redhill, Surrey, England
- Apr 18 Mary Birdsong, American actress (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me), born in Florida
- Apr 19 Arshad Warsi, Indian film actor (Lage Raho Munna Bhai), born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
- Apr 19 Ashley Judd, American actress (Kuffs, Sisters), born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 19 Brent Mayne, American baseball catcher (NY Mets), born in Loma Linda, California
- Apr 19 Mswati III [Makhosetive], King of Eswatini (1986- ), born in Manzini, Swaziland
- Apr 19 Pascal Kleiman, French DJ, producer and musician, born in Toulouse, France
- Apr 19 Roger Reinson, CFL linebacker (Calgary Stampeders), born in Melville, Saskatchewan
- Apr 19 Thomas Nock, Swiss actor (Tartort, Gemini-Twin Stars), born in Zurich, Switzerland
- Apr 21 Peter van Foxes, soccer player (Ajax)
- Apr 22 (Vernell) "Bimbo" Coles, American NBA basketball guard, 1990-2004 (Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors, and 3 other teams; Olympic bronze, 1988), born in Covington, Virginia
- Apr 22 Carlos Costa, Spanish tennis star, born in Barcelona, Spain
- Apr 22 Jo Angel, cricketer (big WA right-arm fast bowler, Australia 1993-)
- Apr 22 Zarley Zalapski, Canadian NHL defenseman, 1987-2000 (Pittsburgh Penguins; Calgary Flames, and 3 other teams), born in Edmonton, Alberta (d. 2017)
- Apr 23 Aisha bint Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan, twin of Princess Zein and sister of King Abdullah II, born in Amman, Jordan
- Apr 23 Stan Frazier, American drummer, record producer, and singer-songwriter (Sugar Ray, 1986-2012 - "Every Morning"), born in Newport Beach, California
Timothy McVeigh (1968-2001)
Apr 23 American Oklahoma City bomber and terrorist, born in Lockport, New York
- Apr 23 Zein bint Al Hussein, Princess of Jordan, twin of Princess Aisha and sister of King Abdullah II, born in Amman, Jordan
- Apr 24 Aaron Comess, American drummer (Spin Doctors - "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong"), born in Phoenix, Arizona
- Apr 24 Aidan Gillen [Aidan Murphy], Irish actor (Queer as Folk, Game of Thrones), born in Dublin, Ireland
- Apr 24 Hashim Thaçi, Kosovan politician, 1st Prime Minister of Kosovo (2008-14) and 4th President of Kosovo (2016-20), born in Srbica, Yugoslavia
- Apr 24 Stacy Haiduk, American actress (Superboy - "Lana Lang"), born in Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Apr 24 Todd Jones, American baseball pitcher (MLB All Star & AL saves leader 2000; Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers), born in Marietta, Georgia
- Apr 27 Cristian Mungiu, Romanian filmmaker (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), born in Iași, Romania
- Apr 28 Andy Flower, Zimbabwean cricketer (Zimbabwe keeper & victorious Test captain)
- Apr 28 Damion Lyons, Canadian CFL cornerback (BC Lions)
- Apr 28 Howard Donald, British pop musician (Take That - "Back For Good"), born in Droylsden, Lancashire, England
- Apr 28 Jeff Grosso, American skateboarder (host Youtube’s 'Vans Loveletters to Skateboarding'), born in Glendale, California (d. 2020)
- Apr 28 Mark Carrier, American NFL safety (Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions), born in Lake Charles, Louisiana
- Apr 29 Browning Nagle, American NFL quarterback (NY Jets, Atlanta Falcons), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Apr 29 Carnie Wilson, American pop singer (Wilson Phillips - "Hold On"), born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 30 Babette Van Veen, Dutch actress (Linda-GTST, Blueberry Hill), born in Utrecht, Netherlands
- Apr 30 Richard Pilon, Canadian NHL defenseman (NY Islanders), born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Famous Weddings
Tony Curtis
Apr 20 American actor Tony Curtis (42) weds (his 3rd time) American Leslie Allen; divorce in 1982
- Apr 20 The Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein (24) weds fellow reporter Carol Honsa
Alan Sugar
Apr 28 Business magnate Alan Sugar (21) weds hairdresser Ann Simons in Great Portland Street Synagogue, London
Famous Deaths
- Apr 1 Lev Landau, Russian physicist (1962 Nobel Prize for Physics for superfluidity theory), dies from injuries from an earlier car accident at 60
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968)
Apr 4 American clergyman and leader of the Civil Rights Movement (Nobel 1964), assassinated at the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee at 39
Jim Clark (1936-1968)
Apr 7 Scottish auto racer (Indianapolis 500 1965, World F1 Champion 1963, 65; 25 x F1 GP wins), dies in race accident at Hockenheim, Germany at 32
- Apr 10 Gustavs Celmins, Latvian politician (b. 1899)
- Apr 12 Heinrich Nordhoff, German automobile engineer and Volkswagen director (b. 1899)
- Apr 15 Borys Lyatoshynsky, Ukrainian composer, conductor, and teacher, known as the father of modern Ukrainian music, dies at 73
- Apr 16 Edna Ferber, American author and playwright (American Beauty, Cimarron), dies at 82
- Apr 16 Fay Bainter, actress (Jezebel, Our Town, State Fair), dies at 76
- Apr 17 Margaret Seddon, American stage and screen actress (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town), dies at 95
- Apr 19 Tommy Bridges, American baseball pitcher (Detroit Tigers), dies at 61
- Apr 20 Mabel Stark, American tiger trainer "crazy Mabel", found dead after her suicide at 79
- Apr 20 Marion Weeks, American silent film actress, and Ziegfield Follies singer and dancer, dies of stroke at 81
- Apr 21 Norman Demuth, British composer and musicologist specializing in French works, dies at 69
- Apr 22 Stephen H. Sholes, American record producer (Elvis) and label executive (RCA Victor, 1929-68), dies of a heart attack at 57
- Apr 24 Norman McKaye, actor (Untamed Fury, Frogman), dies at 62
- Apr 24 Tommy Noonan, American actor, screenwriter and producer (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Promises Promises), dies of a brain tumor at 46
- Apr 25 Walter Tewksbury, American track and field athlete (Olympics, 1920 - 2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), and dentist, dies at 92 [1]
