Historical Events
- Apr 1 132nd Grand National: Bob Davies aboard 14/1 chance Lucius wins by half a length from Sebastian V
Television Finale
Apr 1 Last episode of "The Bob Newhart Show" sitcom (the Chicago one) airs on CBS-TV
Sports History
Apr 1 New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy becomes first NHL rookie to score 50 goals in a season after scoring #50 and #51 in the closing moments in a 3-2 win over Washington
- Apr 1 Philippine College of Commerce becomes the Polytechnic University of the Philippines by presidential decree
Sports History
Apr 2 Czech tennis star Martina Navratilova wins her first WTA Tour Championship; beats Evonne Goolagong Cawley of Australia 7-6, 6-4 at Oakland Coliseum Arena
- Apr 2 Georges de Mestral's patent for "velvet type fabric" expires, puts "Velcro" in the open market
- Apr 2 Jamaican batsman Basil Williams scores 100 on debut for the West Indies in Australia's 3 wicket 3rd Test victory in Georgetown, Guyana
Dallas
Apr 2 TV show "Dallas" starring Larry Hagman and Barbara Bel Geddes premieres on CBS as a 5 week mini-series; ratings success leads to a 13 year run
Academy Awards
Apr 3 50th Academy Awards: "Annie Hall", Richard Dreyfuss & Diane Keaton win
- Apr 3 European market & China signs trade agreement
Radio History
Apr 3 Larry King moves his radio show from Miami, Florida to Washington, D.C.
Sports History
Apr 7 US Court of Appeals upholds Commissioner Bowie Kuhn's voiding of attempted player sales by A's owner Charlie Finley in June 1976
Event of Interest
Apr 7 US President Jimmy Carter defers production of neutron bomb
US Masters Golf
Apr 9 42nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: 42-year-old Gary Player shoots a record-tying final round 64 (−8) to win by 1 stroke from Rod Funseth, Tom Watson and Hubert Green
- Apr 9 Brewers sweep Orioles 11-3, 16-3, & 13-5 (each with a grand slam)
Sports History
Apr 9 In separate NBA games Denver's David Thompson scores 73 points & San Antonio's George Gervin scores 63 points (33 in 1 quarter)
- Apr 10 Formation of Major Indoor Soccer League announced
Academy of Country Music Awards
Apr 12 13th Academy of Country Music Awards: Kenny Rogers and Crystal Gayle win
- Apr 12 Gyorgy Ligeti's opera "Le Grand Macabre" premieres in Stockholm
- Apr 13 Jackson slugs a 3-run HR in the 1st inning, & the field is showered
- Apr 14 David Hare's play "Plenty" premieres in London
- Apr 14 Korean Air Lines Boeing 707, fired on by Soviets, crashes in Russia
- Apr 14 Thousands of Georgians demonstrate in the capital Tbilisi against Soviet attempts to change the constitutional status of the Georgian language
- Apr 14 WRR-AM in Dallas Texas changes call letters to KAAM
- Apr 15 43 die as 2 express trains collide head-on south of Bologna, Italy
- Apr 15 Great Britain performs nuclear test
- Apr 16 "History of the American Film" closes at ANTA NYC after 21 performances
Sports History
Apr 16 Cardinals' Bob Forsch no-hits Philadelphia Phillies, 5-0, in St. Louis
- Apr 16 NBC's premiere of miniseries "Holocaust"
- Apr 17 63,500,000 shares traded on NY stock exchange (record)
Boston Marathon
Apr 17 82nd Boston Marathon: US double; Bill Rodgers wins his 2nd men's title in 2:10:13; Gayle Barron women's champion in 2:44:52
Event of Interest
Apr 17 Pulitzer prize awarded to Carl Sagan for "Dragons of Eden"
Event of Interest
Apr 22 Firestone World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by Earl Anthony
Sports History
Apr 23 MLB Cincinnati Reds second baseman Joe Morgan ends record streak of 91 consecutive errorless games
- Apr 23 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
Baseball Record
Apr 24 Angels Nolan Ryan strikes out 15 Mariners, 20th time he has 15 in game
- Apr 25 ABC premiere of crime drama "Vega$"
- Apr 25 Phillie Phanatic makes 1st appearance
- Apr 25 Supreme Court rules pension plans can't require women to pay more
- Apr 26 France sends troops to Chad
- Apr 26 NASA launches space vehicle S-201
- Apr 27 Afghanistan revolution (National Day), pro-Russian military coup
- Apr 27 Cooling tower collapses at a coal-fired power plant at Willow Island, West Virginia, kills 51
- Apr 30 "Elvis: The Legend Lives!", a one-man show starring Rick Saucedo, closes at Palace Theatre, NYC, after 101 performances [1]
Film & TV History
Apr 30 British film "The Stud" starring Joan Collins, based on the book by her sister Jackie Collins premieres in UK
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 1 Antonio de Nigris, Mexican soccer striker (16 caps; Monterrey, Villarreal), born in Monterrey, Mexico (d. 2009)
- Apr 1 Jean-Pierre Dumont, Canadian ice hockey right wing (World C'ship gold 2004; Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators), born in Montreal, Quebec
- Apr 1 Miroslava Vavrinec, Swiss tennis player (married to Roger Federer), born in Bojnice, Slovakia
- Apr 3 John Smit, South African rugby player, born in Polokwane, South Africa
- Apr 3 Matthew Goode, English actor (The Lookout), born in Exeter, Devon, England
- Apr 3 Tommy Haas, German tennis player, born in Hamburg, Germany
- Apr 4 Alan Mahon, Irish footballer (Tranmere Rovers), born in Dublin, Ireland
- Apr 4 Aska Yang, Taiwanese singer (Dove), born in Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Apr 4 Irene Skliva, Greek model (Miss World 1996), born in Athens, Greece
- Apr 4 Jason Ellison, American MLB baseball player, 2003-08 (San Francisco Giants and 3 other teams), born in Quincy, California
- Apr 4 Lemar Obika, English singer and songwriter, born in Tottenham, London
- Apr 4 Sam Moran, Australian entertainer (The Wiggles), born in Sydney, Australia
- Apr 5 Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer
- Apr 5 Stephen Jackson, American basketball player
- Apr 6 Armen Nalbandian, Armenian-American jazz pianist, composer, and activist, born in Manchester, England
- Apr 6 Blaine Neal, American baseball player
- Apr 6 Lauren Ridloff, American actress (The Walking Dead; Eternals), born in Chicago, Illinois
- Apr 6 Martin Mendez, Uruguayan-Swedish progressive-metal bassist (Opeth), born in Montevideo, Uruguay
- Apr 6 Myleene Klass, British pop-opera singer, born in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England
- Apr 6 Robert Glasper, American jazz, neo-soul, and R&B pianist, songwriter, arranger, and producer, born in Houston, Texas
- Apr 6 Tim Hasselbeck, American football player
- Apr 7 Duncan James, British pop singer (Blue -"If You Come Back"), and actor (Hollyoaks), born in Dorset, England
- Apr 7 Siobhan Drake-Brockman, Australian tennis player (1994 Port Pirie), born in Bunbury, Australia
- Apr 7 Vladimir Voltchkov, Belarusian tennis player
- Apr 8 Ana de la Reguera, Mexican actress (Goliath), born in Veracruz, Mexico
- Apr 8 Bernt Haas, Swiss footballer, born in Vienna, Austria
- Apr 9 Jorge Andrade, Portuguese soccer defender and manager (51 caps; Deportivo La Coruña), born in Lisbon, Portugal
- Apr 9 Rachel Stevens, English singer (S Club 7), born in Southgate, London
- Apr 9 Vesna Pisarović, Croatian singer, born in Brčko, Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Apr 11 Brett Claywell, American actor (One Tree Hill), born in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Apr 11 Tom Thacker, Canadian musician (Gob), born in Langley, British Columbia, Canada
- Apr 11 Victor Sikora, Dutch soccer midfielder (6 caps; Go Ahead Eagles, Vitesse, Ajax), born in Deventer, Netherlands
- Apr 12 Eddie Robinson, actor (Neil Atwater-Swan's Crossing)
- Apr 12 Guy Berryman, Scottish bassist (Coldplay), born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland
- Apr 12 Riley Smith, American actor, born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Apr 13 Carles Puyol, Spanish footballer, born in La Pobla de Segur, Spain
- Apr 13 Chris Sligh, American singer and Idol finalist, born in Madison, Tennessee
- Apr 13 Kyle Howard, American actor, born in Loveland, Colorado
- Apr 14 Paul O'Brien, South African-Australian actor, born in South Africa
- Apr 15 Austin Aries [Daniel Solwold, Jr], American professional wrestler, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Apr 15 Chris Stapleton, American CMA and Grammy Award-winning country and bluegrass singer-songwriter ("Broken Halos"; "You Should Probably Leave"; The SteelDrivers, 2008-10), born in Lexington, Kentucky
- Apr 15 Luis Fonsi [Luis López-Cepero], Puerto Rican singer-songwriter ("Despacito"), born in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Apr 15 Milton Bradley, American baseball player, born in Harbor City, California
- Apr 15 Philippe Powell, Franco-Brazilian jazz and world music pianist, composer and arranger, born in Paris, France
- Apr 15 Tim Corcoran, American baseball player
- Apr 16 Lara Dutta, Indian actress, born in Uttar Pradesh, India
- Apr 16 Matthew Lloyd, Australian rules footballer, born in Melbourne, Australia
- Apr 17 Bilal Abdul-samad, American rocker (Boys), born in Carson, California
- Apr 17 Jason White, Scottish rugby player, born in Edinburgh, Scotland
- Apr 19 Amanda Sage, American visionary artist, born in Denver, Colorado
- Apr 19 Gabriel Heinze, Argentinian soccer defender (72 caps; Valladolid, PSG, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Marseille) and manager (Vélez Sarsfield, Atlanta United, Newell's Old Boys), born in Crespo, Argentina
- Apr 19 James Franco, American actor (The Disaster Artist), born in Palo Alto, California
- Apr 20 Mirei Kuroda, Japanese gravure idol, born in Saitama Prefecture, Japan
- Apr 21 Avi Phillips, Ontario, actor (Maniac Mansion)
- Apr 21 Branden Steineckert, American drummer (Rancid; The Used), born in Pocatello, Idaho
- Apr 21 Jacob Burns, Australian footballer
- Apr 21 Jukka Nevalainen, Finnish heavy metal drummer (Nightwish, 1997-2014), born in Kitee, Finland
- Apr 22 Esteban Tuero, Argentinian race car driver
- Apr 22 Ezekiel Jacskon [Stephens], Guyanese-American professional wrestler (2007-15), born in Linden, Guyana
- Apr 22 Jason Stollsteimer, American indie-rock singer-songwriter (The Von Bondies), born in Southfield, Michigan
- Apr 22 Paul Malakwen Kosgei, Kenyan long-distance and marathon runner, born in Marakwet, Kenya
- Apr 23 Gezahegne Abera, Ethiopian distance runner (Olympic gold marathon 2000, World C'ship gold 2001), born in Etya, Ethiopia
- Apr 24 Kim Hyun-ju, South Korean actress, born in Goyang, South Korea
- Apr 24 Stella Damasus Aboderin, Nigerian actress (Two Brides and a Baby), born in Benin City, Edo, Nigeria
- Apr 25 Letícia Birkheuer, Brazilian model and actress, born in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Apr 25 Matt Walker, British Paralympic swimmer, born in Stockport, England
- Apr 26 (Myron) Avant, American R&B singer ("Separated"; "Read Your Mind"), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- Apr 26 Joe Crede, American baseball player, born in Jefferson City, Missouri
- Apr 26 Peter Madsen, Danish retired footballer, born in Roskilde, Madsen
- Apr 26 Stana Katic, Canadian-American actress (Kate Beckett-Castle), born in Hamilton, Ontario
- Apr 27 Adamantia Kontogiorgi, Greek actress (Erotas), born in Paris
- Apr 28 Drew Scott, Canadian TV personality (Property Brothers), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Apr 28 Jonathan Scott, Canadian TV personality (Property Brothers), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Apr 28 Lauren Laverne [Gofton], British disc jockey, television presenter and punk-pop singer [Kenickie], born in Sunderland, England
- Apr 28 Nate Richert, American actor (Harvey-Sabrina), born in Saint Paul, Minnesota
- Apr 29 Bob Bryan, American professional tennis player (23 x Grand Slam Doubles titles; Olympic gold 2012; 4 x ATP Tour Finals; Davis Cup 2007), born in Oxnard, California
- Apr 29 Mike Bryan, American professional tennis player (22 x Grand Slam Doubles titles; 5 x ATP Tour Finals; Olympic gold 2012; Davis Cup 2007), born in Oxnard, California
- Apr 29 Tony Armas, Jr., Venezuelan baseball player
- Apr 30 Sandra Hüller, German actress (Anatomy of a Fall), born in Suhl, East Germany
Famous Weddings
Aretha Franklin
Apr 11 American "Queen of Soul" singer Aretha Franklin (36) weds second husband, American "Cooley High" actor Glynn Turman (31) at her father's church in Detroit, Michigan; divorce in 1984
Danielle Steel
Apr 15 American romance novelist Danielle Steel (30) weds (her third time) William George Toth; divorce in 1981
Famous Divorces
Danielle Steel
Apr 14 Novelist Danielle Steel (30) divorces Danny Zugelder after almost 3 years of marriage
Famous Deaths
- Apr 3 Ray Noble, English bandleader, comedian and actor (The Very Thought of You), dies at 74
- Apr 4 Gino Contilli, Italian composer, dies at 70
- Apr 5 Carlo Tagliabue, Italian operatic baritone, (La Scala, 1930-55), dies at 80
- Apr 6 Nicolas Nabokov, Russian composer (Holy Devil), dies at 74
- Apr 7 Ernest Kanitz, Austrian-American composer, dies at 83
- Apr 8 Ford C Frick, American Baseball HOF executive (NL President 1934-51; MLB Commissioner 1951-65), dies at 83
- Apr 9 Clough Williams-Ellis, British architect known chiefly as the creator of the Italianate village of Portmeirion in North Wales, dies at 94
- Apr 9 Vivian McGrath, Australian tennis player (Australian C'ship 1937), dies at 62
- Apr 13 Albert Termote, Flemish-Dutch sculptor of equestrian bronzes (Charles the Great), dies at 91
- Apr 13 Jack Chambers, Canadian artist, dies at 47
- Apr 13 Paul McGrath, American actor (Witness, No Time for Love), dies at 74
- Apr 14 Frank Raymond [F.R.] Leavis, British literary critic (Culture & Environment), dies at 82
- Apr 14 Joe Gordon, American Baseball HOF 2nd baseman (World Series 1938, 39, 41, 43 NY Yankees; 1948 Cleveland Indians; AL MVP 1942; 9 x MLB All Star), dies of a heart attack at 63
- Apr 16 Lucius du Bignon Clay, American WWII general and military governor of West Germany, dies at 80
- Apr 19 Emile de Strijker, Belgian philosopher, dies at 70
- Apr 21 Sandy Denny, English singer-songwriter (Fairport Convention - "If You Gotta Go"), dies of traumatic mid-brain hemorrhage and blunt force trauma to her head after a series of falls at 31
- Apr 22 Will Geer [William Aughe Ghere], American actor (Salt of the Earth, The Waltons), dies at 76
- Apr 25 Lee Kim Lai, Singaporean police officer (b. 1960)
- Apr 27 John Doeg, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1930), dies at 69
- Apr 27 Mohammed Daoud Khan, Afghan politician, murdered at 68
- Apr 28 Mohammed Daoud Khan, 1st President of Afghanistan (1973-78) & Prime Minister of Afghanistan (1953-63), dies at 68
