Historical Events
- Apr 1 "Ha!" comedy Channel on cable TV begins transmitting
- Apr 1 9th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Stanford beats Auburn, 88-81; Cardinal point guard Jennifer Azzi MOP
- Apr 1 It becomes illegal in Salem Oregon to be within 2 feet of nude dancers
Golf Major
Apr 1 Nabisco Dinah Shore Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Betsy King wIns the 2nd of her 3 Dinah Shore events, 2 strokes ahead of Shirley Furlong and Kathy Postlewait
Golf Tournament
Apr 1 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, GC at Desert Mountain: Jack Nicklaus wins his first start on the Senior PGA Tour by 4 strokes from Gary Player
WrestleMania
Apr 1 WrestleMania VI, Skydome, Toronto, ON (67,678): Ultimate Warrior beats Hulk Hogan for WWF Heavyweight and Intercontinental titles
Music History
Apr 4 Singer Gloria Estefan released from hospital after her tour bus accident
NBA Record
Apr 5 John Stockton reaches 1000-assist mark for NBA record 3 yrs in a row
- Apr 5 NY Rangers beat NY Islanders 2-1 in 1st game of preliminary
Film & TV History
Apr 5 Paul Newman wins a court victory over Julius Gold, to keep giving all profits from Newman foods to charity
- Apr 7 144th Grand National: Marcus Armytage aboard 16/1 bet Mr Frisk wins in race record 8m 47.8s; 2 equine fatalities during the race
- Apr 7 BPAA US Open by Ron Palombi Jr
Farm Aid Concert
Apr 7 Farm Aid IV concert at Hoosier Dome (Indianapolis, Indiana) features Bonnie Raitt, John Mellencamp, John Hiatt, Carl Perkins, Arlo Guthrie, Garth Brooks, Bruce Hornsby, Elton John, Lou Reed, Taj Mahal, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Willie Nelson, Iggy Pop, and others [1]
- Apr 7 Fire kills 110 on a ferry in Norway, in an unrelated event, 30 die in a ferry flip over in Burma
- Apr 7 John Poindexter (US National Security Advisor) found guilty of five counts of lying to Congress and obstruction regarding the Iran-Contra scandal
- Apr 7 Michael Milken pleads innocent to security law violations
- Apr 7 NY Rangers beat NY Islanders 5-2, Rangers lead 2-0 in preliminary
- Apr 8 "Aspects of Love" opens at Broadhurst Theater NYC for 377 performances
Twin Peaks
Apr 8 "Twin Peaks" created by David Lynch and starring Kyle MacLachlan premieres on ABC-TV
US Masters Golf
Apr 8 54th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Nick Faldo of England goes back-to-back with a par on the 2nd sudden-death playoff hole with Raymond Floyd
- Apr 8 King Birendra of Nepal lifts 30-year ban on political parties
- Apr 8 New Democracy wins the national election in Greece.
- Apr 8 Norwegian ferry Scandinavian Star catches fire; 159 people die
- Apr 9 "Capital News" starring Lloyd Bridges premieres on ABC-TV
Contract of Interest
Apr 9 Don Mattingly signs a $19.7 million 5-year contract extension with New York Yankees
- Apr 9 NY Islanders beat NY Rangers 4-3 in double overtime-Rangers lead 2-1
- Apr 9 World's largest bunny hop at Radio City Music Hall, New York City; record eclipsed in 2007
- Apr 10 CUNY/Lehman College, Bronx, opens a branch campus in Hiroshma, Japan
Cricket History
Apr 10 Curtly Ambrose takes 8-45 in cricket vs England at Bridgetown
- Apr 11 Customs officers in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom, say they have seized what they believe to be the barrel of a massive gun on a ship bound for Iraq.
- Apr 11 MLB California Angels Mark Langston & Mike Witt, no-hit Seattle, 1-0
- Apr 11 NY Lotto pays $35 million to two winner (#s are 6-14-24-32-34-51)
- Apr 11 NY Rangers beat NY Islanders 6-1, Rangers lead 3-1 in preliminary playoffs
- Apr 12 1st meeting of East German democratically elected parliament, acknowledges responsibility for the Holocaust and asks for forgiveness
TV Show Appearance
Apr 12 Anime TV series "Moomin", based on Moomin children's books by Tove Jansson 1st appears on Tokyo TV
- Apr 12 Greyhound Bus hires new drivers to replace strikers
- Apr 12 H. J. Heinz, Chicken of the Sea and Bumble Bee Seafood say they wouldn't buy tuna caught in nets that trap dolphins
Music History
Apr 12 James Brown moves to a work-release center after serving 15 months of 6 year sentence for weapon and drug related convictions
- Apr 13 4th largest NBA crowd (45,458) see Orlando play at Minneapolis
- Apr 13 NY Rangers beat NY Islanders 6-5, Rangers win preliminary, 4-1
- Apr 15 Greenidge & Haynes make 298 opening stand (v England), combination best
Senior PGA Championship
Apr 15 Senior PGA Championship, PGA National GC: South African Gary Player wins his third event title by 2 strokes from Chi-Chi Rodríguez
- Apr 15 Sketch comedy TV series "In Living Color" premieres on FOX-TV
Boston Marathon
Apr 16 94th Boston Marathon: Gelindo Bordin is first Italian event winner in race record 2:08:19; Portugal's Rosa Mota wins her 3rd woman's title in 2:25:24
The Piano Lesson
Apr 16 August Wilson's play "The Piano Lesson", starring Charles S. Dutton, opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC for 320 performances
- Apr 16 Maximum NY State unemployment benefits raised to $260 per week
- Apr 16 Supreme Court rejects appeal from retarded man, Dalton Prejean, condemned to death for murdering a Louisiana state trooper in 1977
- Apr 17 Gas explosion on passenger train in Kumrahar India, 80 die
- Apr 18 Bankruptcy court forces Frank Lorenzo to give up Eastern Airlines
- Apr 18 Birmingham Fire issued an original franchise in WLAF
- Apr 18 Supreme Court rules states could make it a crime to possess or look at child pornography, even in one's home
- Apr 19 Contra guerrillas, leftist Sandinistas & incoming government agree to truce n Nicaragua's civil war
Film & TV History
Apr 19 Marla Maples appears on ABC's Prime-Time
- Apr 19 Pistons & 76'ers get into a fight accruing $162,500 fines (NBA record)
- Apr 20 8 2/3 inning perfect game pitched by Brian Holman of Oakland A's is spoiled by a home run hit by Ken Philips
- Apr 21 "Cartoon All Stars to Rescue" shown on all 4 TV networks
- Apr 21 MLB Cincinnati Reds win, running their record to 9-0, best start in club history
- Apr 21 National League umpire is arrested for stealing baseball cards
- Apr 22 "Truly Blessed" opens at Longacre Theater NYC for 33 performances
- Apr 22 Lebanon release US hostage Robert Polhill after 39 months
- Apr 22 NFL Draft: University of Illinois quarterback Jeff George first pick by Indianapolis Colts
- Apr 24 Brian Friel's stage drama "Dancing at Lughnasa" opens at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Ireland; later wins Olivier Award, Tony Award, and Drama Desk Award for Best Play
- Apr 24 Gruinard Island, Scotland, is officially declared free of the anthrax disease after 48 years of quarantine.
- Apr 24 Security law violator Michael Milken pleads guilty to 6 felonies
- Apr 24 STS-31 launches, the 35th mission of the US Space Shuttle program, carrying the Hubble space telescope
- Apr 24 West & East Germany agree to merge currency & economies on July 1st
Academy of Country Music Awards
Apr 25 25th Academy of Country Music Awards: George Strait, Clint Black, and Kathy Mattea win
- Apr 25 Hong Kong actress Carina Lau is abducted by Triad members
- Apr 25 Hubble space telescope is placed into orbit by space shuttle Discovery
- Apr 25 Violeta Chamorro begins a 6-year term as Nicaragua's 1st female president
- Apr 26 "Accomplice" opens at Richard Rodgers Theater NYC for 52 performances
- Apr 26 126 die in a (6.9) earthquake in China
- Apr 26 Danny Wood of New Kids, steps on a stuffed animal & twists his ankle
- Apr 26 NY court of appeals ends 2½ year legal battle over 1988 America's Cup by refusing jurisdiction of case
Baseball Record
Apr 26 Texas Rangers Nolan Ryan ties Bob Feller's record of pitching 12 one-hitters in 1-0 win over Chicago White Sox at Arlington Stadium
- Apr 27 50th annual barbershop quartet singing convention held (Mich)
Sports History
Apr 27 Dodger Orel Hershiser undergoes career-threatening shoulder surgery
- Apr 27 Villanova's women set a 6,000 m relay world record of 17:18:10
- Apr 28 Boston Celtics score most points in a playoff, beat NY Knicks 157-128
- Apr 28 Last issue of Dutch communist daily De Waarheid (The Truth)
- Apr 28 Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban's "A Chorus Line" closes at Shubert Theater, NYC, after record 6,137 performances, and 10 Tony Awards
- Apr 28 Professional Bowlers Association Tournament of Champions: Dave Ferraro beats Tony Westlake, 226–203
- Apr 29 "Change in the Heir" opens at Edison Theater NYC for 16 performances
Sports History
Apr 29 Dan Quisenberry (all-time AL save king, 238) announces his retirement
- Apr 29 US 66th manned space mission STS 31 (Discovery 10) returns from space
- Apr 29 Wrecking cranes began tearing down the Berlin Wall at the Brandenburg Gate
- Apr 30 As Met pitcher David Cone argues a call at 1st base, 2 Braves score
- Apr 30 US hostage Frank Reed freed after 4 years in hands of pro-Iranians
Famous Birthdays
- Apr 2 Miralem Pjanić, Bosnian soccer midfielder (92 caps; Roma, Juventus), born in Tuzia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Apr 2 Yevgeniya Kanayeva OMF, Russian rhythmic gymnast (Olympic gold all-round 2008, 12; World C'ship gold x 17 2007-11), born in Omsk, Russia
- Apr 5 Haruma Miura, Japanese Actor
- Apr 8 Jonghyun [Kim Jong-hyun], South Korean singer-songwriter, radio host, and author (SHINee), born in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea (d. 2017)
Kristen Stewart (34 years old)
Apr 9 American actress (Bella Swan-The Twilight Saga), born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 9 Marston Glenn Hefner, son of Hugh Hefner & Kimberley Conrad, born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 10 Alex Pettyfer, English actor (Stormbreaker), born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England
- Apr 10 Lulinha [Luiz Marcelo Morais dos Reis], Brazilian footballer, born in Mauá, São Paulo, Brazil
- Apr 10 Maren Morris, American country music singer-songwriter (The Middle), born in Arlington, Texas
Emma Watson (34 years old)
Apr 15 English actress (Hermione Granger-Harry Potter Series), born in Paris, France
- Apr 16 Lorraine Nicholson, American actress, born in Los Angeles, California
- Apr 19 Kim Chiu, Filipino Chinese actress (Sana Maulit Muli), born in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines
- Apr 22 Machine Gun Kelly [Colson Baker], American singer-songwriter and actor (Tickets to My Downfall), born in Houston, Texas
Dev Patel (33 years old)
Apr 23 English actor (Slumdog Millionaire, Lion), born in London, England
- Apr 23 Matthew Underwood, American actor (Zoey 101), born in Fort Pierce, Florida
HolaSoyGerman (33 years old)
Apr 25 Chilean YouTube star (second-most subscribed channel), born in Copiapó, Chile
- Apr 25 Meghann Fahy, American actress (The White Lotus), born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts
- Apr 27 Austin Dillon, American auto racer (Daytona 500 2018), born in Welcome, North Carolina
- Apr 30 (McBriare) "Mac" DeMarco, Canadian rock singer-songwriter (Salad Days), born in Duncan, British Columbia
- Apr 30 Jonathan Brownlee, British triathlete (Olympic bronze 2012, silver 16), born in Dewsbury, England
Famous Weddings
Axl Rose
Apr 28 Guns & Roses' singer Axl Rose marries Erin Everly (annulled same year)
Alex Trebek
Apr 30 Game show host Alex Trebek (49) weds real-estate mogul Jean Currivan (27) at the Regency Club in Los Angeles
Famous Divorces
- Apr 1 Guns & Roses' Duff McKagan divorces Mandy Brix, lead singer for Lame Flames
Famous Deaths
- Apr 1 Russell Vis, American Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold freestyle lightweight 1924), dies at 89
- Apr 2 Aldo Fabrizi, actor (Postman Goes to War, Open City), dies at 85
- Apr 3 Katharine Balfour, American actress (Love Story), dies of ALS at 69
- Apr 3 Sarah Vaughan, American jazz and pop singer ("Body and Soul; "Broken Hearted Melody"), often known as "Sassy" and "The Divine One", dies of lung cancer at 66
- Apr 5 Nico Scheepmaker, Dutch columnist and poet, dies at 59
- Apr 6 Nancy Hawkes, (1946 best dressed woman), dies at 73
- Apr 6 Ronald E Evans, American astronaut (Apollo 17), dies of a heart attack at 57
- Apr 8 Doreen Sloane, English actress (Coronation Street), dies of cancer at 56
- Apr 8 Jose De Vega, American actor dies of AIDS at 56
- Apr 8 Ryan White, American hemophiliac AIDS sufferer, dies at 18
- Apr 11 Barbara Miller, British stage and screen actress (Blackadder), dies of a brain tumor at 71
- Apr 11 Harold Ballard, Canadian ice hockey club (Toronto Maple Leafs, 1972-90), and football team (Hamilton Tiger Cats, 1978-88) owner, dies at 86
- Apr 11 Xenophon Zolotas, Greek economist, Prime Minister of Greece, dies at 86
- Apr 13 Luis Trenker, South Tyrolean film producer, director and actor (Berge in Flammen), dies at 97
- Apr 13 Ronald Ibbs, Irish actor (No Hiding Place, The Saint), dies at 74
- Apr 14 Martin Kessel, German writer (Mr. Brecher's Fiasco), dies on 89th birthday
- Apr 14 Thurston Harris, American pop vocalist (The Sharps, Little Bitty Pretty One), dies of a heart attack at 58
- Apr 15 Henry Kendrick, American actor (Raising Arizona), dies at 56
- Apr 15 Ulrich Becher, German writer and playwright, dies at 80
Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990)
Apr 17 American civil rights leader (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), dies of a blood clot at 64
- Apr 18 Gory Guerrero, Mexican-American professional wrestler, dies at 69
- Apr 18 Robert D. Webb, American director and actor (Love Me Tender; The Jackals), dies at 87
- Apr 19 Vladislav Ivanovich Gulyayev, Russian cosmonaut, dies at 52
- Apr 20 Alex McCrindle, Scottish actor (Star Wars, Eye of the Needle), dies at 78
- Apr 20 Horst Sinderman, RDA 1st minister (1973-76), dies
- Apr 20 Philip Werner Amram (1900 – 1990) was an American lawyer, legal scholar, and educator, dies at 90
- Apr 21 Erté [Romain de Tirtoff], Russian-French artist and designer, dies at 97
- Apr 21 Johnny Beazley, American MLB baseball pitcher (1941-42 & 1946-49 (St. Louis Cardinals - winner of two 1942 World Series games; Boston Braves), and WWII veteran, dies of cancer at 71
- Apr 22 Albert Salmi, American stage and screen character actor (Caddyshack; The Brothers Karamazov; Bus Stop), kills terminally ill wife & self at 62
- Apr 22 Bertil Unger, Swedish actor (Devil & Max Devlin), dies at 69
- Apr 23 Palmer Deane, actor (Still of the Night), dies
- Apr 23 Paulette Goddard, American actress (Modern Times, The Great Dictator, Hazard), dies at 79
- Apr 24 Joseph Leberman, entertainer, dies
- Apr 24 Tom Rolfing, actor (He Knows You're Alone, Cliff-Another World), dies
- Apr 25 Dexter Gordon, American jazz tenor saxophonist Go!; The Other Side of 'Round Midnight), and actor ('Round Midnight), dies of kidney failure at 67
- Apr 26 Carlos Pizarro Leongomez, Colombian presidential candidate, assassinated at 38
- Apr 27 Bella Spewack, Hungarian-American playwright (Kiss Me Kate), dies at 91
- Apr 29 Floyd Butler, American soul singer (Friends of Distinction - "Grazin' in the Grass"), dies of a heart attack at 52
