What Happened in April 2007

Historical Events

Phelps Smashes 400m Medley Record

Apr 1 American super swimmer Michael Phelps smashes his own world record in the 400m individual medley (4:06.22) to win his record 7th gold medal at the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia

36th Kraft Nabisco Championship

Apr 1 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Morgan Pressel wins by 1 from Brittany Lincicome, Catriona Matthew & Suzann Pettersen; youngest-ever winner of an LPGA major at 18 years, 313 days

  • Apr 2 69th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Florida beats Ohio State, 84-75; Gators' back-to-back titles; forward Corey Brewer named Most Outstanding Player

Laureus Awards

Apr 2 Laureus World Sports Awards, Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain: Sportsman: Roger Federer; Sportswoman: Yelena Isinbayeva; Team: Italy Men's National Football team

  • Apr 3 26th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Tennessee beats Rutgers, 59-46; Volunteers' 7th national title; Candace Parker is named Most Outstanding Player
  • Apr 3 Conventional train world speed record: a French TGV train on the LGV Est high speed line sets new official world speed record - 574.8 km/h (357 mph)

Music History

Apr 3 Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards denies saying he smoked his father's ashes in an interview with NME

  • Apr 4 15 British Royal Navy personnel held in Iran are released by the Iranian President.

US Masters Golf

Apr 8 71st US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Zach Johnson wins his first major title, 2 strokes ahead of Retief Goosen, Rory Sabbatini and Tiger Woods

  • Apr 11 Two bombings in the Algerian capital of Algiers kill 33 people and wounds a further 222
  • Apr 14 160th Grand National: 33–1 shot Silver Birch, ridden by Robbie Power, edges out McKelvey to win by three-quarters of a length

Event of Interest

Apr 14 At least 200,000 demonstrators in Ankara, Turkey protest against the possible candidacy of incumbent Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

  • Apr 16 "Spider-Man 3" directed by Sam Raimi and starring Toby Maguire and Kristen Dunst premieres at the Tokyo Film Festival

Boston Marathon

Apr 16 111th Boston Marathon: Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot of Kenya goes back-to-back for 3rd title in 2:14:13; Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia wins women's race in 2:29:18

41st CMT Music Awards

Apr 16 6th CMT Video Music Awards: Carrie Underwood & Kenny Chesney wins

  • Apr 16 Virginia Tech massacre: The deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. The gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, kills 32 people and injures 23 others before committing suicide.
  • Apr 18 The Supreme Court of the United States upholds the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in a 5-4 decision
  • Apr 20 Johnson Space Center Shooting: A man with a handgun barricades himself in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
  • Apr 24 Iceland announces that Norway will shoulder the defense of Iceland during peacetime

Funeral of Boris Yeltsin

Apr 25 Boris Yeltsin's funeral, the first to be sanctioned by the Russian Orthodox Church for a head of state since the funeral of Tsar Alexander III in 1894

  • Apr 26 Queen's Pier is officially closed by the Hong Kong Government, after a bitter struggle by conservationists, in order to facilitate land reclamation in Hong Kong's Central district
  • Apr 27 Estonian authorities remove the Bronze Soldier, a Soviet Red Army war memorial in Tallinn, amid political controversy with Russia.

Cricket World Cup

Apr 28 Cricket World Cup, Bridgetown, Barbados: Australia defeats Sri Lanka by 53 runs to win their 3rd consecutive World Cup; Glenn McGrath Player of Series

  • Apr 28 ICC Men's Cricket ODI World Cup, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados: Australia 3-peat with 53 run win over Sri Lanka; Player of the Match: Adam Gilchrist (AUS) 149 (104) & 2 catches
  • Apr 28 NFL Draft: LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell first pick by Oakland Raiders
  • Apr 29 2nd Republic protest in support of state secularism held in Istanbul, Turkey

Waldseemüller Map

Apr 30 German Chancellor Angela Merkel officially hands over the Waldseemüller Map (oldest known document to name America) to the US Library of Congress [1]


2007 History

Famous Birthdays

  • Apr 6 Princess Haalah bint Hashim, Princess of Jordan
  • Apr 10 Princess Ariane of the Netherlands, Dutch Princess, daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, born in The Hague, Netherlands
  • Apr 18 Princess Haya Bint Al Hamzah, Princess of Jordan, born in Amman, Jordan
  • Apr 21 Princess Isabella of Denmark, third in line of succession to the Danish throne, born in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Apr 29 Infanta Sofía of Spain, Princess of Spain
Born in 2007

Famous Weddings

  • Apr 7 "Scrubs" actor John C. McGinley (47) weds yoga instructor Nichole Kessler at their home in Malibu

Carl Weathers

Apr 14 American "Rocky" film series actor Carl Weathers (59) weds third wife, American award-winning producer Jennifer Peterson in seaside wedding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; divorce 2009

  • Apr 14 Supermodel Esther Canadas (30) weds MotoGP rider Sete Gibernau (34) in Spain
  • Apr 14 Two and a Half Men actress Melanie Lynskey (29) weds actor Jimmi Simpson (31) in a chapel overlooking a vineyard on Lake Hayes, near Queenstown, New Zealand

Aishwarya Rai

Apr 20 Indian film actor and producer Abhishek Bachchan (31) weds actress Aishwarya Rai (33) at the Bachchan residence in Juhu, Mumbai

  • Apr 21 American pop singer sensation Anastacia (38) weds her bodyguard Wayne Newton (not the singer) at the Quinta Real Huatulco in Huatulco, Mexico; file for divorce in 2010
  • Apr 21 Bolivian model Carla Morón weds architect Pedro Gantier at la Iglesia San Francisco de Santa Cruz
  • Apr 21 NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia marries 2004 Playmate of the Year Carmella DeCesare

Mark Burnett

Apr 28 Reality TV producer Mark Burnett (46) weds former "Touched By An Angel" actress Roma Downey (47) in a private ceremony at their home in Malibu

  • Apr 30 "Timbiriche" pop singer Paulina Rubio (35) weds Spanish public relations executive Nicolas "Colate" Vallejo Najera in Cancun, Quintana Roo

Famous Divorces

Richie Sambora

Apr 11 "Dynasty" actress Heather Locklear (45) divorces American rock star Richie Sambora (47) due to irreconcilable differences after 11 years of marriage

Whitney Houston

Apr 24 Recording artist and the most-awarded female act of all-time Whitney Houston (43) divorces R&B singer-songwriter Bobby Brown (38) due to irreconcilable differences after 14 years of marriage


Famous Deaths

  • Apr 1 Driss Chraïbi, Moroccan author (Le passé simple), dies at 80
  • Apr 1 Hans Filbinger, German politician (CDU), dies at 93
  • Apr 1 Herb Carneal, American sports broadcaster (Minnesota Twins 1962-2006; Ford C. Frick Award 1996), dies of congestive heart failure at 83
  • Apr 3 Eddie Robinson, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Grambling 408 wins), dies of Alzheimer's disease at 88
  • Apr 3 Marion Eames, Welsh novelist, dies at 86
  • Apr 3 Nina Wang, Chinese widow of businessman Teddy Wang (Asia's richest woman), dies at 69
  • Apr 3 Zoltan Pongracz, Hungarian composer (Mariphonia), dies at 95
  • Apr 4 Bob Clark, American film director (b. 1941)
  • Apr 4 Terry Hall, English ventriloquist, dies at 80
  • Apr 5 Darryl Stingley, American NFL football wide receiver, 1973-77 (New England Patriots), dies from heart disease and pneumonia complicated by quadriplegia at 55
  • Apr 5 Leela Majumdar, Bengali writer (b. 1908)
  • Apr 5 Maria Gripe, Swedish writer (Josephine), dies at 83
  • Apr 5 Mark St. John [Norton], American rock guitarist (KISS, April- November, 1984), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 51
  • Apr 5 Poornachandra Tejaswi, Kannada writer (b. 1938)
  • Apr 6 Luigi Comencini, Italian film director (L'imperatore di Capri), dies at 90
  • Apr 7 Barry Nelson, American actor (Airport), dies at 89
  • Apr 7 Johnny Hart, American cartoonist (B.C., Wizard of Id), dies at 76
  • Apr 7 Neville Duke, English WWII flying ace (shot down 27 planes), test pilot (air speed record 1953), dies at 85
  • Apr 8 Carey W. Barber, a member of Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses (b. 1905)
  • Apr 8 Sol LeWitt, American artist (b. 1928)
  • Apr 9 Egon Bondy, Czech philosopher and writer (b. 1930)
  • Apr 10 Dakota Staton, American jazz singer ("Where Flamingos Fly"; "Sex Is A Misdemeanor"), dies at 76
  • Apr 11 Janet McDonald, American novelist (b. 1954)

Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)

Apr 11 American author (Slaughterhouse Five, Sirens of Titan), dies from head trauma at 84

  • Apr 11 Ronald Speirs, American Army officer (CO of Easy Company), dies at 86
  • Apr 11 Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor (McCoy, Saunders-Soap), dies at 81
  • Apr 12 Kevin Crease, Australian TV anchor (b. 1936)
  • Apr 13 Don Selwyn, Māori actorand film director, dies at 71
  • Apr 14 Don Ho, Hawaiian-American pop and Hawaiian music singer ("Tiny Bubbles"; "Ain't No Big Thing!"), dies of heart failure at 76
  • Apr 14 June Callwood, Canadian journalist, author and social activist, dies at 82
  • Apr 15 Brant Parker, American cartoonist (co-creator of "The Wizard of Id"), dies at 86
  • Apr 16 Frank Bateson, New Zealand astronomer (b. 1909)
  • Apr 16 G. V. Loganathan, Indian American professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering (b. 1954)
  • Apr 16 Gaetan Duchesne, Canadian hockey player (b. 1962)
  • Apr 16 Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, American instructor of French (b. 1958)
  • Apr 16 Kevin Granata, American professor of Engineering (b. 1961)
  • Apr 16 Liviu Librescu, American Jewish-Romanian professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, dies saving his students during Virginia Tech massacre at 76
  • Apr 16 Maria Lenk, Brazilian swimmer and first Brazilian woman to compete in the Olympic Games (b. 1915)
  • Apr 16 Seung-Hui Cho, Korean American murderer (b. 1984), see List of victims of the Virginia Tech massacre
  • Apr 17 Kitty Carlisle, American actress and television personality, dies at 96
  • Apr 18 Iccho Itoh, mayor of Nagasaki, dies at 61
  • Apr 19 Helen Walton, wife of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton (b. 1919)
  • Apr 19 Jean-Pierre Cassel, French actor (Trout), dies at 74
  • Apr 20 Andrew Hill, American jazz pianist, composer and educator, dies at 75
  • Apr 20 Michael Fu Tieshan, Chinese bishop (b. 1931).
  • Apr 21 Lobby Loyde [John Lyde], Australian rock guitarist and songwriter (The Purple Heart; Wild Cherries; Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs), dies at 65
  • Apr 21 Parry O'Brien, American athlete (Olympic gold shot put 1952, 1956; silver 1960), dies of a heart attack during a swimming competition at 75
  • Apr 22 (Raymond) "Bill" Hoffenberg, South African-British endocrinologist and college president (Wolfson at Oxford, 1985-93), dies at 84
  • Apr 22 Juanita Millender-McDonald, American congresswoman from southern California, dies at 68

Boris Yeltsin (1931-2007)

Apr 23 Russian politician and 1st President of Russian Federation (1991-99), dies of congestive heart failure at 76

  • Apr 23 David Halberstam, American journalist, historian and author (Pulitzer 1964), dies at 73
  • Apr 23 Paul Erdman, Canadian-born American economist and author, dies at 74
  • Apr 25 Alan Ball, English footballer (b. 1945)
  • Apr 25 Arthur Milton, English footballer (Arsenal, 1951-55) and cricketer (opening batsman, 2 tests - 1958, 1959), dies at 79
  • Apr 25 Bobby "Boris" Pickett, American singer-songwriter ("Monster Mash"), dies from leukemia at 69
  • Apr 25 Les Jackson, English cricket fast bowler (2 Tests, 7 wickets; Derbyshire), dies at 86
  • Apr 25 Libera Carlier, Flemish WWII resistance fighter, sailor, and author (Action Station Go!), dies at 81
  • Apr 26 Jack Valenti, American political advisor & film executive, dies at 85

Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007)

Apr 27 Russian cellist and conductor, dies at 80

  • Apr 28 Bertha Wilson, Canadian lawyer and the 1st woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, dies at 83
  • Apr 28 Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, German physicist and philosopher, dies at 94
  • Apr 28 Robert "Dabbs" Greer, American actor (Gunsmoke, The Green Mile, Little House on Prairie), dies of a kidney and heart ailment at 90
  • Apr 28 Tommy Newsom, American saxophonist & bandleader (The Tonight Show), dies at 78
  • Apr 29 Arve Opsahl, Norwegian actor and stand-up comedian (Mot i brøstet, Olsen-banden), dies of heart failure at 85
  • Apr 29 Dick Motz, New Zealand cricket all-rounder (32 Tests, 100 wickets, BB 6/63; Canterbury CA), dies at 67
  • Apr 29 Ivica Račan, former Prime Minister of Croatia (b. 1944)
  • Apr 29 Josh Hancock, American baseball player, dies at 29
  • Apr 29 Zhang Taofang, Chinese sniper (b. 1931)
  • Apr 30 Gordon Scott [Werschkul], American actor (Tarzan series), dies at 80
  • Apr 30 Grégory Lemarchal, French pop singer, dies of health complications while waiting for a lung transplant at 23
  • Apr 30 Jara Ribnikar, Serbian writer, dies at 94
  • Apr 30 Kevin Mitchell, American football player (b. 1971)
  • Apr 30 Tom Poston, American actor (Newhart - "George Utley"; Mork & Mindy - "Franklin Bickley"; The Bob Newhart Show; The Steve Allen Show), dies from respiratory failure at 85
  • Apr 30 Zoletta "Zola" Taylor, American pop singer (The Platters, 1954-62 - "The Great Pretender"; "Only You"; "Twilight Time"), dies at 69