Historical Events
- Apr 2 "Mikado" opens at Virginia Theater NYC for 46 performances
- Apr 2 IBM introduces PS/2 & OS/2
Sports History
Apr 3 Bill Elliott sets NASCAR qualify record of 212.809 mph at Talladega
- Apr 3 Duchess of Windsor's jewels auctioned for £31,380,197
- Apr 3 MLB Chicago Cubs trade Dennis Eckersley to Oakland A's for 3 minor league players
- Apr 3 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
Music History
Apr 4 "Always & Forever" second studio album by Randy Travis (Billboard Album of the Year 1988)
- Apr 4 141st Grand National: Jockey Steve Knight wins his second GN aboard 28/1 shot Maori Venture by 5 lengths from The Tsarevich
- Apr 4 Dow Jones up 69.89 points, ending at record 2,390.34 pts
- Apr 5 Fox TV network premieres showing "Married With Children" and "The Tracey Ullman Show"
Golf Major
Apr 5 Nabisco Dinah Shore Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Betsy King wins the first of her 6 major titles in a sudden-death playoff with Patty Sheehan, with a par on the 2nd extra hole
Sports History
Apr 5 Wayne Gretzky wins 7th straight NHL scoring title
Academy of Country Music Awards
Apr 6 22nd Academy of Country Music Awards: Hank Williams Jr, Randy Travis, and Reba McEntire win
- Apr 6 Los Angeles Dodger's GM Al Campanis appears on TV program ABC News: Nightline saying Blacks may not be equipped to be in baseball management, sparking a racial controversy
Sports History
Apr 6 Middleweight World Boxing Championship bout: Sugar Ray Leonard upsets Marvelous Marvin Hagler at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada
- Apr 7 Al Campanis, Dodger executive for more than 40 years, resigns, after making racial remarks on "Nightline"
- Apr 7 National Museum of Female Physicians opens in Washington, D.C.
- Apr 9 For 3rd time, Wayne Gretzky, scores 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in a Stanley Cup game and passes Jean Béliveau as all time playoff scoring champ
- Apr 11 Yankees score 12 runs in 7th inning vs KC Royals
- Apr 11 Zoja Ivanova wins 2nd female World Cup marathon (2:30:39)
US Masters Golf
Apr 12 51st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Larry Mize chips-in from 140 feet for an improbable birdie 3 on the 2nd playoff hole to beat Greg Norman for his only major title
- Apr 12 Ahmed Salah wins 2nd World Cup marathon (2:10:55)
- Apr 12 CBS' premiere of fact-based World War II drama "Escape from Sobibor"
- Apr 12 Texaco files for bankruptcy
- Apr 13 1st 3 San Diego Padres hit HRs off SF starter Roger Mason
- Apr 13 Portugal signs agreement to return Macau to China (in 1999)
- Apr 14 Turkey asks to join European market
- Apr 15 "Barbara Cook: A Concert" opens at Ambassador, NYC; runs for 13 performances
- Apr 15 Alfred Uhry's "Driving Miss Daisy" premieres in NYC
Event of Interest
Apr 16 August Wilson's "Fences" wins 1987 Pulitzer Prize for drama
- Apr 16 British Conservative MP Harvey Proctor appears at Bow Street Magistrates' Court in London charged with gross indecency
- Apr 16 FCC imposes a broader definition of indecency over airwaves
- Apr 16 Howard Stern & Infinity Broadcasting are warned by FCC
NBA Record
Apr 16 Michael Jordan becomes the second NBA player in history to score 3,000 points in a season
- Apr 16 Peter Taylor's "Summons to Memphis" wins Pulitzer Prize for fiction
Sports History
Apr 17 Julius Erving becomes 3rd NBA (and ABA) player to score 30,000 points
- Apr 17 Richard Wilbur appointed as American poet laureate
- Apr 17 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Apr 18 Bettino Craxi resigns as Prime Minister of Italy
- Apr 18 Bob Land wins his 6th straight Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race
- Apr 18 Gregory Robertson does 200-mph free fall to save unconscious skydiver near Coolidge, Arizona
Baseball Record
Apr 18 Mike Schmidt hits 500th home run (vs Robinson-Pirates)
- Apr 18 Pat Knauff, France sets 1-leg downhill ski speed record (115.012 mph)
- Apr 19 Brendon Kuruppu scores 201* on Test Cricket debut (Sri Lanka v NZ)
- Apr 19 Brewers score 5 runs in 9th to win 6-4 & record 12th straight AL win
- Apr 19 Jacqueline Blanc, sets women's downhill ski speed rec (124.902 mph)
- Apr 19 LA Clippers end season with a terrible 12-70 record
- Apr 19 Last wild condor captured on California wildlife reserve
- Apr 19 USSR performs underground nuclear test
Boston Marathon
Apr 20 91st Boston Marathon: Toshihiko Seko of Japan wins 2nd title in 2:11:50; Rosa Mota of Portugal claims women's event in 2:25:21; her first of 3 race victories
- Apr 20 Sri Lankan Civil War: Tamils shoot 122 Sinhalese dead
- Apr 20 US deports Karl Linnas to USSR, charged with Nazi war crimes
- Apr 21 Brewers lose, ending AL season-opening winning streak at 13 games
- Apr 21 Dow Jones Average soared 664.7; 2nd biggest one-day gain in history
- Apr 21 Milwaukee Brewers lose after 13th straight victory to start season
Cricket History
Apr 21 Richard Hadlee makes highest Test Cricket score of 151* (v Sri Lanka)
Film & TV History
Apr 24 Howard Stern holds a free speech rally at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, NYC
- Apr 26 "Barbara Cook: A Concert" closes at Ambassador NYC after 13 performances
Event of Interest
Apr 27 US Justice Department bars Austrian Chancellor Kurt Waldheim from entering US, due to his aid of Nazi Germany during WW II
- Apr 28 American engineer Ben Linder is killed in an ambush by U.S.-funded Contras in northern Nicaragua.
- Apr 28 NBA announces expansion to Charlotte NC & Miami Fla in 1988 & Minneapolis Minn & Orlando Fla in 1989
- Apr 28 NFL Draft: University of Miami quarterback Vinny Testaverde first pick by Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sports History
Apr 29 Chicago Cub Andre Dawson hits for cycle
- Apr 29 Japan's premier Nakasone visits the US
- Apr 30 Lou Lamoriello is named NJ Devils President
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 1 Ding Junhui, Chinese snooker player (Masters 2011; Shanghai Masters 2013, 16; UK C'ships 2005, 09, 19), born in Yixing, Jiangsu, China
- Apr 1 Li Ting, Chinese diver (Olympic gold platform synchro 2004; World C'ships gold 2003, 05), born in Lingui, Guilin, Guangxi, China
- Apr 1 Mackenzie Davis, Canadian actress (Blade Runner 2049), born in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Apr 1 Oliver Turvey, English auto racer (24 Hours of Le Mans – LMP2 2014), born in Penrith, Cumbria, England
- Apr 2 Pablo César Aguilar, Paraguayan soccer defender (28 caps; Sportivo Luqueño, América, Cruz Azul), born in Luque, Paraguay
- Apr 2 Shane Lowry, Irish golfer (US Open 2016 runner-up), born in Clara, County Offaly
- Apr 3 Jay Bruce, American MLB baseball outfielder, since 2008; 3x All-Star (Cincinnati Reds, and 5 other teams) player, born in Beaumont, Texas
- Apr 3 Julie Sokolow, American film director and musician, born in Holmdel, New Jersey
- Apr 3 Rachel Bloom, American actress, writer, and singer-songwriter (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), born in Los Angeles county, California
- Apr 3 Sal Zizzo, American soccer player (Atlanta United), born in San Diego, California
- Apr 4 Cameron Maybin, American baseball player, born in Asheville, North Carolina
- Apr 4 Devon Anderson, English actor (EastEnders), born in Greenwich, London
- Apr 4 Sarah Gadon, Canadian actress (Flashpoint), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Apr 6 Jerrod Carmichael, American comedian and filmmaker (Rothaniel), born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Apr 7 Alexa Demara, American model and actress
- Apr 7 Ismael Cruz Córdova, Puerto Rican actor (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), born in Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico
- Apr 8 Royston Drenthe, Dutch footballer, born in Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Apr 9 Jarrod Mullen, Australian rugby league footballer, born in Singleton, New South Wales, Australia
- Apr 9 Jazmine Sullivan, American R&B singer-songwriter (Pick Up Your Feelings), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Apr 9 Jesse McCartney, American actor and singer, born in Ardsley, New York
- Apr 9 Sarah of Brunei, wife of Crown Prince of Brunei, born in Bandar Seri Begawan, Sultanate of Brunei
- Apr 10 Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano and UNICEF ambassador, born in Christchurch, New Zealand
Joss Stone (37 years old)
Apr 11 English singer-songwriter (The Soul Sessions), born in Dover, Kent
- Apr 11 Michelle Phan, American Vietnamese make-up vlogger and entrepreneur, born in Boston, Massachusetts
- Apr 12 Brendon Urie, American musician (Panic! at the Disco), born in St. George, Utah
- Apr 12 Brooklyn Decker, American fashion model (Sports Illustrated Swimsuit), born in Kettering, Ohio
- Apr 12 Ilana Glazer, American comedian and actress (Broad City), born in New York City
- Apr 13 Brandon Hardesty, American internet entertainer, born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Apr 15 Iyaz [Keidran Jones], British singer, songwriter, and dancer ("Replay"), born in Tortola, British Virgin Islands
- Apr 15 Samira Wiley, American actress (Orange is the New Black), born in Washington D.C.
- Apr 16 Aaron Lennon, English footballer, born in Leeds, United Kingdom
- Apr 16 Neil Haskell, American contemporary dancer (SYTYCD season 3 finalist), born in Clarence Center, New York
- Apr 18 Danny Guthrie, English footballer, born in Shrewsbury, England
- Apr 18 Sandra Lyng Haugen, Norwegian pop singer (Play My Drum), born in Mosjøen, Norway
- Apr 19 Courtland Mead, American actor (Dragonworld), born in Mission Viejo, California
- Apr 19 Joe Hart, English soccer goalkeeper (75 caps; Manchester City 266 games), born in Shrewsbury, England
Maria Sharapova (37 years old)
Apr 19 Russian tennis player (5 Grand Slam singles titles), born in Nyagan, Russia
- Apr 19 Oksana Akinshina, Russian actress (Sisters), born in Saint Petersburg, Russia
- Apr 20 John Patrick Amedori, American actor (The Butterfly Effect), born in Baltimore, Maryland
- Apr 21 Nadif Chowdhury, Bangladeshi cricketer
- Apr 22 David Luiz Moreira Marinho, Brazilian football player (Chelsea, Brazil national team), born in Diadema, Brazil
- Apr 23 Emily Fox, American cupstacking champion, born in Highlands Ranch, Colorado
- Apr 24 Jan Vertonghen, Belgian footballer, born in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
- Apr 24 Kristopher Letang, Canadian hockey player (Pittsburgh Penguins), born in Montreal, Quebec
- Apr 25 Johann Smith, American soccer player, born in Hartford, Connecticut
- Apr 26 Jessica Lee Rose, American-New Zealand actress and famous YouTube star (lonelygirl15), born in Salisbury, Maryland
- Apr 27 Elliott Shriane, Australian short track speed skater, born in Brisbane, Australia
- Apr 27 Emma Taylor-Isherwood, Canadian actress (Mona the Vampire), born in Toronto, Ontario
- Apr 27 William Moseley, British actor (The Chronicles of Narnia - Peter Pevensie), born in Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire, England
- Apr 28 Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Indian actress (Neethaane En Ponvasantham), born in Madras, India
- Apr 29 Alicia Morton, American actress (Annie), born in Gonzales, Louisana
- Apr 30 Nikki Webster, Australian entertainer
- Apr 30 Rohit Sharma, Indian cricket batsman (38 Tests, 7 x 100s, TS 212; 227 ODIs; Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians), born in Nagpur, India
Famous Deaths
Henri Cochet (1901-1987)
Apr 1 French tennis player (French Open 1926, 28, 30, 32; Wimbledon 1927, 29; US Open 1928), dies at 85
Buddy Rich (1917-1987)
Apr 2 American jazz drummer and bandleader (Buddy Rich Band - "Away We Go"), dies at 69
- Apr 3 Hans Gál, Austrian-British composer (Die heilige Ente (The Sacred Duck)), dies at 97
- Apr 3 Tom Sestak, American football player (b. 1936)
- Apr 4 C. L. Moore, American science fiction and fantasy writer (Judgment Night), dies at 76
- Apr 7 Maxine Sullivan [Marietta Williams], American jazz vocalist and performer ("Going Places"), dies following a seizure at 75
- Apr 8 Francis Denebrink, US Admiral(WW I, WW II - commanded the Brooklyn, Korea), dies at 90 [1]
- Apr 11 Erskine Caldwell, American novelist (Tobacco Road, God's Little Acre), dies at 83
- Apr 11 Kent Taylor [Louis Weiss], American actor (Boston Blackie, Rough Riders), dies at 79
- Apr 11 Primo Levi, Italian chemist and writer (Survival in Auschwitz), dies at 67
- Apr 14 Karl Höller, German composer, dies at 79
- Apr 17 Carlton "Carly" Barrett, Jamaican reggae drummer (The Upsetters; Bob Marley & Wailers), murdered at 36
- Apr 17 Cecil Harmsworth King, Irish-British owner of Mirror Group Newspapers, dies at 86
- Apr 17 Cornelius Van Til, Dutch philosopher and Christian apologist, dies at 91
- Apr 17 Dick Shawn [Richard Schulefand], American character actor and comedian (The Producers - "L.S.D."; Maid to Order), suffers a fatal heart attack on stage in San Diego on stage at 57
- Apr 17 Willie Donnell Smith, American fashion designer (WilliWear), dies of pneumonia at 39
- Apr 19 Hugh Brannum, American actor and singer (Captain Kangaroo - "Mr. Green Jeans"; The Fred Waring Show - "Lumpy"), dies of cancer at 77
- Apr 19 Maxwell D. Taylor, American army general, (WWII Commander 101st airborne), Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff 1962-64), dies at 85
- Apr 20 Antony Tudor, English dancer and choreographer (American Ballet Theater), dies at 78
- Apr 21 Edith Green, American politician (Rep-D-Oregon 1955-74), dies at 77
- Apr 22 Irving Ashby, American jazz and session guitarist (Lionel Hampton - "Flying Home"; Nat King Cole Trio; Oscar Peterson Trio), dies at 66
- Apr 26 John Ernest Silkin, British politician, dies at 64
- Apr 28 Åke Olof Sebastian Uddén, Swedish violist, composer and educator (Royal College Of Music, 1934-70), dies at 84
- Apr 28 Ben Linder, American engineer, murdered by Contras in Nicaragua at 27
- Apr 30 Hugh Dempster, actor (Anna Karenina, Candles at Nine), dies
