Historical Events
- Apr 1 Google introduces Gmail: the launch is met with skepticism on account of the launch date
- Apr 2 Islamist terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks attempt to bomb the Spanish high-speed train AVE near Madrid. Their attack is thwarted.
- Apr 3 157th Grand National: Graham Lee wins aboard Amberleigh House; trainer Ginger McCain's equal record 4th GN victory
- Apr 3 Islamic terrorists involved in the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks are trapped by the police in their apartment and kill themselves
- Apr 5 66th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Georgia Tech, 82-73; Huskies' forward Emeka Okafor named tournament Most Outstanding Player
Sports History
Apr 6 23rd NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 70-61; UConn's Diana Taurasi is named Most Outstanding Player for the 2nd straight year
9/11 Attack on NY's World Trade Towers
Apr 8 U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice testifies before the 9/11 Commission
US Masters Golf
Apr 11 68th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson claims his first major title with a birdie on the final hole to win by 1 stroke over Ernie Els of South Africa
Cricket History
Apr 12 West Indian cricket batsman Brian Lara smashes highest individual score in a Test innings with 400 not out (773 mins; 582 balls; 43x4, 4x6) in drawn 4th Test against England at Antigua
Baseball Record
Apr 13 Barry Bonds hits his 661st career home run, passing his godfather Willie Mays on the MLB all-time list
- Apr 16 The super liner Queen Mary 2 embarks on her first Transatlantic crossing, linking the golden age of ocean travel to the modern age of ocean travel.
- Apr 18 50th British Academy Television Awards: "Little Britain" Best Comedy, "Buried" Best Drama
- Apr 18 Jason Koumas scores a last minute goal in a 1-0 win against Sunderland
- Apr 19 108th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Timothy Cherigat takes men's title in 2:10:37; Catherine Ndereba wins her 3rd women's event in 2:24:27
- Apr 20 In Iraq, 12 mortars are fired on Abu Ghraib Prison by insurgents, killing 22 detainees and wounding 92.
CMT Music Awards
Apr 21 3rd CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards: Toby Keith, Shania Twain & Kenny Chesney win
Music Concert
Apr 21 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, Billy Joel, Bette Midler, and Little Jimmy Scott
- Apr 22 Two fuel trains collide in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing up to 150 people.
Sports History
Apr 24 NFL Draft: Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning first pick by San Diego Chargers
- Apr 24 United States lifts economic sanctions imposed on Libya 18 years ago, as reward for cooperation in eliminating weapons of mass destruction
Shrek the Sheep
Apr 28 Shrek the sheep from Tarras, Central Otago, New Zealand, is finally shorn live on TV after 6 years avoidance; the fleece weighed 27 kg (60 lb)
Battle of Interest
Apr 29 Dick Cheney and George W. Bush testify before the 9/11 Commission in a closed, unrecorded hearing in the Oval Office
- Apr 29 Oldsmobile builds its final car ending 107 years of production
Mean Girls
Apr 30 "Mean Girls", teen comedy film released starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams and written by Tina Fey
- Apr 30 U.S. media release graphic photos of American soldiers abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison
Famous Weddings
Ali Landry & Mario Lopez
Apr 24 Model-actress Ali Landry (30) weds TV personality Mario Lopez (30) at the exclusive Las Alamandas resort outside Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Apr 24 Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau (35), 2nd son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands weds Mabel Wisse Smit (35) without formal permission of parliament; until his death in 2013
- Apr 29 "Gentlemen's Agreement" Oscar Best Supporting Actress Celeste Holm (87) weds opera singer Frank Basile (41) in Manhattan
Famous Divorces
Robert Downey Jr
Apr 26 Model-actress Deborah Falconer (38) divorces actor Robert Downey Jr (39) due to irreconcilable differences after 12 years of marriage
Halle Berry
Apr 27 Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry files for divorce from her second husband, R&B singer Eric Benet, six months after the couple separated
Famous Deaths
- Apr 1 Aaron Bank, American OSS officer and founder of the US Army Special Forces (b. 1902)
- Apr 1 Carrie Snodgress, American actress (Diary of Mad Housewife), dies at 58
- Apr 1 Ioannis Kyrastas, Greek soccer midfielder (46 caps; Olympiacos; Panathinaikos) and manager (Panathinaikos), dies from septicaemia at 51
- Apr 1 Nilo Soruco, Bolivian singer-songwriter ("Ya la pagarán"; "Caraqueña"), dies at 76
- Apr 1 Paul Atkinson, British rock guitarist and record company executive (The Zombies - "She's Not There"; "Time Of The Season"), dies of liver and kidney disease at 58
- Apr 2 John Argyris, Greek aeronautical engineer (b. 1913)
- Apr 4 Alberic Schotte, Belgian cyclist (World C'ship gold road race 1948, 50), dies at 84
- Apr 4 Casey Sheehan, American soldier, son of Cindy Sheehan (b. 1979)
- Apr 5 Heiner Zieschang, German mathematician (b. 1936)
- Apr 5 Sławomir Rawicz, Polish soldier (b. 1915)
- Apr 6 Larisa Bogoraz, Soviet dissident (b. 1929)
- Apr 6 Lou Berberet, American MLB baseball catcher. 1954-60 (New York Yankees, Washington Senators, and 2 other teams), dies at 74
- Apr 6 Niki Sullivan, American guitarist (The Crickets), dies of a heart attack at 66
- Apr 7 Victor Argo, American actor, dies at 69
- Apr 8 Bruce Edwards, American golf caddie (mainly for 5 x British Open champion Tom Watson), dies of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 49
- Apr 8 Douglas Hall, British colonial administrator (last British Governor of Somaliland Protectorate 1959-60), dies at 95
- Apr 8 Enda Colleran, Gaelic footballer (b. 1941)
- Apr 8 Frank Chamberlain, English cricketer and CEO (Test & County Cricket Board), dies at 78
- Apr 10 Donna Michele, American actress (Beach Blanket Bingo) and Playboy playmate (Dec, 1963), dies at 58
- Apr 13 Caron Keating, British television presenter, dies at 41
- Apr 14 Micheline Charest, French Canadian television producer (b. 1953)
- Apr 15 Ray Condo, Canadian musician, dies at 53
- Apr 17 Edmond Pidoux, Swiss writer (L'histoire de Jonas), dies at 95
- Apr 17 Soundarya, Indian actress (b. 1971)
- Apr 17 [Andrew] Bruce Boa, Canadian actor (The Empire Strikes Back), dies of cancer at 73
- Apr 18 Frances Rafferty, American WWII pin-up girl, dancer and actress (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood), dies at 81
- Apr 18 Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Fijian tribal chief, first Prime Minister of Fiji (1970-92) President of Fiji (1994-2000), dies at 83
- Apr 19 John Maynard Smith, English biologist (b. 1920)
- Apr 19 Norris McWhirter, Scottish co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records (b. 1925)
- Apr 21 Lorraine "Tui" St. George Tucker, American recorder player and composer (Catawba), dies at 79
- Apr 21 Mary McGrory, American journalist and columnist, dies at 85
- Apr 22 Jason L. Dunham, American Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and Medal of Honor recipient, dies at 22
- Apr 22 Pat Tillman, American football player and U.S. Army Ranger, killed in action at 27
Estée Lauder (1906-2004)
Apr 24 American entrepreneur (Estée Lauder cosmetics), dies of cardiopulmonary arrest at 97
- Apr 24 Willie Watson, English cricket batsman (23 Tests, 2 x 100s) and soccer midfielder (4 caps; Sunderland), dies at 84
- Apr 24 Winson Hudson, American civil rights activist (rural Mississippi), dies at 87
- Apr 25 Albert Paulsen, Ecuadorian-American actor (One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Doctors' Hospital), dies at 78
- Apr 25 Thom Gunn, British poet (The Wound), dies at 74
- Apr 26 Claude "Fiddler" Williams, American jazz violinist and guitarist (Twelve Clouds of Joy; Count Basie), dies at 96
- Apr 26 Hubert Selby Jr., American author (Last Exit to Brooklyn), dies at 75
- Apr 29 Sid Smith, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1925)
