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These are some of many widely recognized historic events that occurred during the month of April, listed by year. Dates provided for earlier time events may be approximate.
753 BCE, April - According to tradition, Rome is founded by Romulus.
509 BCE, April - The Roman Republic is established after the overthrow of the Roman monarchy.
490 BCE, April - The Battle of Marathon occurs between the Greeks and the Persians, resulting in a Greek victory.
480 BCE, April - The Battle of Thermopylae takes place where King Leonidas and the Spartans valiantly resist the Persian invasion.
399 BCE, April - Socrates, the Greek philosopher, is sentenced to death in Athens.
356 BCE, April - Alexander the Great, Macedonian king and conqueror, is born in Pella.
331 BCE, April - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia at the Battle of Gaugamela.
323 BCE, April - Alexander the Great dies in Babylon, leaving his empire to his generals.
218 BCE, April - Hannibal of Carthage crosses the Alps with his army during the Second Punic War.
44 BCE, April - Julius Caesar is assassinated by a group of Roman senators, including Brutus and Cassius.
33 BCE, April - The Battle of Actium takes place, marking the end of the Roman Republic and the rise of Augustus Caesar.
30 BCE, April - Cleopatra VII dies, marking the end of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt.
4 BCE, April - Herod the Great, King of Judea, dies in Jericho.
30 CE, April 14 - According to tradition, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ takes place on Good Friday.
73 CE, April - The Jewish fort of Masada falls to the Romans after a lengthy siege.
248 CE, April - The Roman Emperor Philip the Arab celebrates the 1,000th anniversary of Rome, known as the Saeculum Novum.
476 CE, April 4 - Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman Emperor in the West, is deposed by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer.
711 CE, April 30 - The Islamic conquest of Spain begins with the landing of the Muslim General Tariq ibn-Ziyad armed forces at Gibraltar. By the end of the campaign most of the Iberian Peninsula (except for small areas in the north-west such as Asturias and the Basque territory were brought under Islamic rule. More
793 CE, April 8 - The Viking Age begins with the raid on Lindisfarne monastery in England.
800 CE, April 25 - Charlemagne is crowned Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo III in Rome.
870 CE, April 23 - The Viking invasion of England under the leadership of Ivar the Boneless results in the capture of Dumbarton.
878 CE, April 12 - The Battle of Cynwit takes place between the Wessex Saxons and the Vikings.
891 CE, April 20 - The Irish Viking fleet is defeated by the Franks at the Battle of Leuven in present-day Belgium.
909 CE, April - The city of Toledo in Spain falls to the forces of the Emir Abd-ar-Rahman III, establishing Umayyad control.
919 CE, April - The Saxon king Henry the Fowler is elected King of the Germans.
924 CE, April - King Edward the Elder of England dies, succeeded by his son Athelstan.
933 CE, April - Battle of Riade: Henry I of Germany defeats a Hungarian invasion.
944 CE, April - Edmund I succeeds his brother Athelstan as King of England.
955 CE, April 12 - The Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I defeats the Magyars, ending their raids in Europe.
972 CE, April - Edgar the Peaceful is crowned King of England.
987 CE, April 3 - Hugh Capet is crowned King of France, initiating the Capetian dynasty.
995 CE, April 23 - The Norwegian King Olaf Tryggvason is defeated in the Battle of Svolder.
999, April 2 - Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, wins the Battle of Glenmama, consolidating his power.
1002, April 23 - St. Brice's Day massacre in England: King Æthelred the Unready orders the killing of Danish settlers.
1009, April 17 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.
1014, April 23 - The Battle of Clontarf in Ireland sees the death of Brian Boru and his victory over the Vikings.
1016, April 23 - Edmund Ironside succeeds his father Æthelred the Unready as king of England.
1024, April 26 - Henry III, also known as Henry the Black, becomes King of Germany.
1034, April 19 - Mieszko II Lambert is crowned King of Poland.
1035, April 17 - William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, becomes the Duke at the age of 8 after the death of his father, Robert I.
1044, April 12 - The influential Chinese poet Su Shi is born.
1046, April 3 - Nizam al-Mulk, Persian scholar and vizier of the Seljuk Empire, is born.
1048, April 26 - Pope Damasus II is consecrated as the 151st pope.
1050, April 15 - Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet Omar Khayyam is born.
1054, April 13 - Pope Leo IX issues a papal bull excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael I Cerularius, sparking the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western Christian Churches.
1055, April 25 - Pope Victor II succeeds Leo IX as the 153rd pope.
1057, April 16 - Pope Stephen IX (X) becomes the 154th pope.
1060, April 23 - Pope Nicholas II succeeds Pope Stephen IX as the 155th pope.
1066, April 6 - Halley's Comet makes its closest known approach to Earth, a significant event before the Battle of Hastings.
1068, April 14 - Seljuk Turks capture Baghdad, leading to the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate.
1071, April 27 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Empire, leading to Turkish dominance in Anatolia.
1073, April 22 - Pope Alexander II dies after a papacy that advanced many reforms in the Catholic Church.
1076, April 18 - The Synod of Worms condemns Pope Gregory VII and excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor.
1077, April 7 - Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, submits to Pope Gregory VII at Canossa, seeking absolution.
1080, April 25 - Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV for a second time.
1081, April 4 - Alexios I Komnenos becomes Byzantine emperor after the death of Nikephoros III Botaneiates.
1085, April 25 - Alfonso VI of Castile and León captures Toledo, Spain, from the Moors.
1087, April 9 - William the Conqueror, King of England, dies in Rouen, France.
1091, April 29 - The Battle of Levounion: The Byzantine Empire defeats the Pechenegs.
1093, April 24 - Malcolm III of Scotland, husband of Saint Margaret of Scotland, dies in battle against the English.
1095, April 8 - Pope Urban II presides over the Council of Piacenza, calling for the First Crusade.
1100, April 1 - Bishop Anselm of Bec becomes Archbishop of Canterbury.
1101, April 6 - Magnus III Barefoot, King of Norway, dies in an expedition to Ireland.
1105, April 1 - Maghribi geographer and cartographer al-Idrisi is born in what is now modern-day Morocco.
1111, April 13 - Pope Paschal II crowns Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.
1113, April 26 - The Pisan fleet sacks the North African city of Mahdia.
1119, April 21 - Battle of Bremule: Henry I of England defeats Louis VI of France.
1124, April 2 - David I becomes King of Scotland.
1125, April 5 - Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, dies.
1126, April 6 - Wars of the Investitures: The Concordat of Worms is signed, ending the investiture controversy between the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire.
1139, April 6 - The Second Council of the Lateran, presided over by Pope Innocent II, begins.
1141, April 14 - The Battle of Lincoln sees King Stephen of England captured by forces loyal to Empress Matilda.
1147, April 24 - The Second Crusade is formally announced by Pope Eugene III in Vézelay, France.
1152, April 18 - Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Henry Plantagenet, who later becomes King Henry II of England.
1154, April 6 - Saint Maimonides, Jewish philosopher, theologian, and physician, is born in Córdoba.
1155, April 7 - Frederick I Barbarossa is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Adrian IV.
1156, April 11 - Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland at the age of 12 after the death of his grandfather David I.
1164, April 23 - Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, escapes from Northampton and flees to France.
1169, April 23 - Saladin becomes the emir of Egypt.
1170, April 20 - Construction begins on the Campanile (Leaning Tower of Pisa).
1176, April 14 - The Battle of Myriokephalon: The Byzantine Empire suffers a decisive defeat by the Seljuk Turks.
1185, April 25 - The Treaty of Łęczyca is signed, ending a war between Casimir II the Just of Poland and Mieszko III the Old.
1189, April 6 - Richard the Lionheart officially ascends to the throne of England.
1191, April 20 - Siege of Acre: Crusaders under King Richard I capture Acre from the Muslims after a prolonged siege.
1194, April 2 - Richard the Lionheart is released from captivity in Germany after paying a ransom.
1199, April 6 - King Richard I of England dies from an infection following the removal of an arrow during a siege in France.
1200, April 27 - King John of England marries Isabella of Angoulême.
1202, April 10 - Fourth Crusade: The siege of Zara (now Zadar, Croatia) begins.
1204, April 12 - Fourth Crusade: Constantinople falls to the Crusaders, leading to the sack of the city.
1208, April 15 - Pope Innocent III excommunicates Count Raymond VI of Toulouse due to his failure to suppress the Cathar heresy.
1214, April 27 - King Alexander II of Scotland is born.
1215, April 15 - King John of England submits to the demands of the barons, sealing the Magna Carta at Runnymede.
1217, April 24 - The Second Battle of Lincoln takes place during the First Barons' War in England.
1220, April 25 - Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, grants the Golden Bull of Sicily, establishing constitutional reforms in Sicily.
1229, April 30 - Ferdinand III of Castile captures Córdoba, ending Muslim rule in the region.
1232, April 9 - The University of Padua is chartered in Italy.
1233, April 13 - Pope Gregory IX issues the papal bull "Excommunicamus" against Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor.
1241, April 9 - Batu Khan's Mongol horde inflicts a devastating defeat on the Polish and German forces at the Battle of Liegnitz.
1248, April 30 - The construction of Cologne Cathedral in Germany begins.
1250, April 13 - King Louis IX of France is ransomed after being captured by the Egyptians during the Seventh Crusade.
1258, April 27 - The Mongols, led by Hulagu Khan, capture and sack Baghdad, effectively ending the Abbasid Caliphate.
1260, April 4 - The Battle of Homs takes place between the Mamluks and the Mongols, leading to a decisive Mamluk victory.
1264, April 29 - The Battle of Lewes occurs during the Second Barons' War in England, resulting in the capture of King Henry III.
1271, April 24 - Kings Rudolf I of Germany and Otakar II of Bohemia sign a peace treaty.
1275, April 6 - Traditional founding date of the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
1277, April 18 - Pope Nicholas III is elected as the 188th pope.
1282, April 30 - The Sicilian Vespers: A rebellion breaks out in Sicily against the rule of the Angevin King Charles I of Naples.
1284, April 18 - The Statute of Rhuddlan establishes English rule in Wales under King Edward I.
1287, April 14 - St. Louis IX of France is canonized as a saint by Pope Boniface VIII.
1291, April 5 - The death of Mongol ruler Kublai Khan is kept secret until February 5, 1294, to prevent unrest in the empire.
1296, April 27 - Battle of Dunbar: King Edward I of England defeats the Scots under John Balliol during the First War of Scottish Independence.
1297, April 12 - Scots under William Wallace ambush and defeat the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
1299, April 27 - Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire, is born.
1300, April 5 - King Albert I of Germany is assassinated by his nephew John Parricida.
1302, April 8 - The Battle of the Golden Spurs occurs in Flanders, resulting in a victory for the Flemish militia against the French army.
1305, April 20 - Pope Clement V succeeds Pope Benedict XI, becoming the 195th pope.
1314, April 6 - Pope Clement V suppresses the Order of the Knights Templar with a papal bull.
1315, April 25 - The Battle of Montecatini takes place between the forces of Florence and Siena, ending in a Florentine victory.
1316, April 5 - Louis X becomes King of France after the death of his father, Philip IV.
1320, April 6 - The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath, asserting their right to self-determination.
1327, April 25 - The Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton recognizes Scottish independence from England.
1336, April 16 - Francesco Petrarca, commonly known as Petrarch, is crowned poet laureate in Rome, marking the revival of the Roman tradition.
1337, April 24 - The Hundred Years' War begins between England and France after King Edward III of England claims the French throne.
1348, April 26 - The Order of the Garter, the most prestigious chivalric order in England, is founded by King Edward III.
1355, April 8 - Saint John of Capistrano, a Franciscan friar and Catholic saint, is born in Italy.
1364, April 8 - John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III of England, becomes the Duke of Lancaster.
1367, April 19 - King Charles IV of France issues the Ordonnance Cabochienne, which aims to restrict the powers of the French monarchy.
1370, April 3 - Building of the Bastille fortress in Paris begins under the reign of King Charles V of France.
1374, April 16 - Cola di Rienzo, an Italian populist and later self-proclaimed "Tribune of the People," is killed by a Roman mob.
1380, April 8 - Battle of the Vikhra River: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania defeats the Golden Horde, gaining territorial expansion.
1381, April 30 - The Peasants' Revolt in England begins as rebels march on London, demanding an end to serfdom and unfair taxation.
1385, April 6 - John, Master of Aviz, is declared King John I of Portugal after defeating the Castilian forces in the Battle of Aljubarrota.
1386, April 1 - Treaty of Windsor is signed, establishing an alliance between England and Portugal, which remains the world's oldest diplomatic alliance.
1397, April 17 - Geoffrey Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II.
1399, April 30 - Henry IV of England is proclaimed King of England following the deposition of Richard II.
1400, April 14 - Rebellion in Wales led by Owain Glyndŵr against English rule begins with a surprise attack on the English-held town of Ruthin.
1402, April 10 - Battle of Bryn Glas: Forces loyal to Owain Glyndŵr of Wales defeat the English at Pumlumon in Powys.
1406, April 24 - James I of Scotland is captured by English pirates in the North Sea and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
1407, April 28 - Louis, Duke of Orléans, is assassinated on the orders of his cousin John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy, sparking a civil war in France.
1415, April 29 - Frederick II, Elector of Saxony, is born.
1429, April 27 - Joan of Arc arrives at the siege of Orléans, boosting French morale and ultimately contributing to lifting the siege.
1431, April 23 - The trial and execution of Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France.
1434, April 4 - The foundation stone for Cologne Cathedral in Germany is laid.
1440, April 18 - Christopher of Bavaria is appointed King of Denmark.
1443, April 11 - The Battle of Střešovice takes place during the Hussite Wars in Bohemia.
1444, April 10 - The Battle of Anghiari occurs between the Milanese and the Florentine troops.
1452, April 15 - Leonardo da Vinci, Italian polymath and painter of the Mona Lisa, is born in Vinci, Italy.
1453, April 6 - Mehmed II begins his siege of Constantinople, eventually leading to the fall of the Byzantine Empire.
1460, April 25 - The University of Basel is founded in Switzerland.
1461, April 12 - The Battle of Towton takes place during the Wars of the Roses in England, resulting in a decisive Yorkist victory.
1465, April 7 - Fra Mauro, Venetian cartographer, completes his world map.
1471, April 14 - King Edward IV of England defeats the Lancastrian forces at the Battle of Barnet during the Wars of the Roses.
1478, April 26 - Pazzi conspiracy: A failed attempt to overthrow the Medici family in Florence results in the assassination of Giuliano de' Medici.
1483, April 9 - Edward V becomes King of England upon the death of his father, Edward IV.
1484, April 13 - Pope Sixtus IV consecrates the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
1487, April 6 - John Argyropoulos, a Greek philosopher and scholar, becomes the first to introduce Aristotelian studies in Italy.
1492, April 17 - Christopher Columbus receives funding for his expedition from Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain.
1495, April 25 - The Treaty of Tordesillas is signed, dividing the newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal.
1498, April 25 - Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut, India, opening the sea route from Europe to the East by circumnavigating Africa.
1500, April 22 - Pedro Álvares Cabral's 13 ship fleet lands in Brazil, leading to the Portuguese claim on the territory.
1502, April 22 - Christopher Columbus begins his fourth and final voyage to the New World.
1509, April 21 - Henry VIII becomes King of England after the death of his father, Henry VII.
1513, April 2 - Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León claims Florida for Spain after landing on Florida's east coast near present-day St. Augustine. He named the land, with lavish landscape and beautiful beaches, "La Florida" or "place of flowers" Ponce de Leon had traveled from Puerto Rico where he established the first European settlement, Caparra, near what is now San Juan. More
1515, April 11 - Francis I of France achieves a victory over the Swiss at the Battle of Marignano.
1520, April 16 - The Revolt of the Comuneros begins in Spain against King Charles V's rule.
1521, April 22 - Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrives in the Philippines.
1526, April 30 - Battle of Panipat: Babur's Mughal forces defeat Ibrahim Lodi, establishing Mughal rule in India.
1536, April 23 - Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, is arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
1545, April 15 - The Siege of Buda begins as Ottoman forces lay siege to the Hungarian city.
1555, April 24 - The Peace of Augsburg is signed, ending the religious conflict between the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the Schmalkaldic League.
1564, April 23 - William Shakespeare, English playwright, and poet is born in Stratford-upon-Avon.
1570, April 25 - Pope Pius V issues the papal bull "Regnans in Excelsis," excommunicating Queen Elizabeth I of England.
1578, April 14 - Battle of Gelves: Spanish forces defeat a fleet of English privateers off the coast of Portugal.
1581, April 26 - Sir Francis Drake completes his circumnavigation of the globe aboard the Golden Hind.
1586, April 10 - The Banquet of Chestnuts takes place at the Vatican, notorious for its scandalous behavior.
1598, April 13 - King Henry IV of France issues the Edict of Nantes, granting religious liberties to the Huguenots.
1600, April 5 - Scottish preacher John Craig is appointed the first minister of Edinburgh.
1603, April 24 - King James VI of Scotland is crowned as King James I of England, uniting the crowns of England and Scotland.
1607, April 26 - English colonists establish the first permanent English settlement in America at Jamestown, Virginia.
1609, April 4 - Explorer Henry Hudson sets sail from Amsterdam on his voyage to North America.
1610, April 13 - Henry IV of France is assassinated by François Ravaillac in Paris.
1611, April 23 - The first King James Bible is published in London.
1614, April 10 - Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, marries English colonist John Rolfe in Virginia.
1616, April 23 - William Shakespeare dies in Stratford-upon-Avon on his birthday.
1621, April 5 - The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts, returning to England.
1622, April 18 - A Powhatan Indian attack on Jamestown in Virginia results in the deaths of hundreds of English settlers.
1629, April 4 - King Charles I of England dissolves Parliament, beginning the period known as the Eleven Years' Tyranny.
1633, April 12 - Galileo Galilei is forced to recant his view that the Earth orbits the Sun by the Roman Catholic Church.
1640, April 13 - King Charles I of England disbands the Short Parliament.
1644, April 24 - The Ming dynasty Chinese general, Li Zicheng, breaches the walls of Beijing.
1652, April 20 - Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a settlement at Cape Town, South Africa.
1653, April 20 - Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament in England, leading to the rule of the Protectorate.
1660, April 25 - The Convention Parliament meets in England, beginning the Restoration of the monarchy under Charles II.
1667, April 27 - John Milton sells the copyright of "Paradise Lost" for £10.
1671, April 22 - Pirate Captain Henry Morgan captures Panama City from the Spanish.
1682, April 9 - René-Robert Cavelier claims the Mississippi River basin for France, naming it Louisiana.
1689, April 11 - William III and Mary II are crowned joint sovereigns of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
1692, April 30 - The Salem witch trials begin in Massachusetts.
1695, April 5 - The Treaty of Karlowitz ends the Austro-Ottoman War.
1700, April 5 - English pirate William Kidd is captured in Boston and sent to England for trial.
1701, April 16 - The privateer-turned-pirate Captain Kidd is captured in Boston and sent to England to stand trial.
1702, April 25 - Queen Anne's War (War of the Spanish Succession) begins between England and Spain.
1703, April 4 - The Great Storm of 1703, one of the worst storms to strike southern Great Britain, causes widespread damage and thousands of deaths.
1704, April 11 - The Battle of Culloden takes place in Scotland during the Jacobite rising, resulting in a victory for the government forces.
1707, April 25 - The Acts of Union 1707 are signed, merging the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.
1709, April 22 - The Battle of Poltava takes place, leading to a significant victory for Peter the Great of Russia over Charles XII of Sweden.
1710, April 27 - The Statute of Anne, the first fully-fledged copyright law, comes into force in Great Britain.
1713, April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession ends with the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht.
1719, April 14 - Daniel Defoe publishes "Robinson Crusoe."
1722, April 25 - On Easter Sunday, Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen makes the first-recorded European contact with Easter island and names the Island "Easter" He visited for a week and estimated there were 2,000 to 3,000 inhabitants on the island. The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant, monumental stone statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. The island had rich soil and a good climate and mostly under cultivation". Later Fossil-pollen analysis shows that the main trees on the island had gone 72 years earlier in 1650.
1729, April 7 - A fleet from Spain arrives in St. Augustine, Florida, capturing a British merchant ship.
1733, April 27 - The Molasses Act is passed by the British Parliament, imposing duties on molasses, sugar, and rum imported from non-British territories to the North American colonies.
1738, April 9 - John Wesley is converted, sparking the Methodist movement.
1746, April 16 - The Battle of Culloden ends the Jacobite rising of 1745 in Scotland, marking the defeat of Charles Stuart's attempt to reclaim the British throne.
1755, April 8 - Samuel Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language" is published in London.
1759, April 13 - The Battle of Bergen takes place during the Seven Years' War, with the British capturing the Dutch fleet.
1764, April 5 - The Sugar Act is passed by the British Parliament, imposing new duties and stricter enforcement on the American colonies.
1770, April 5 - The Boston Massacre occurs when British soldiers fire into a crowd, killing five civilians, in Boston, Massachusetts.
1775, April 18 - Paul Revere and William Dawes ride from Boston to Lexington warning of British troop movements, marking the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.
1777, April 27 - The Battle of Ridgefield takes place during the American Revolutionary War, with a small American force engaging British troops.
1780, April 19 - The Battle of Martinique takes place during the Anglo-French War.
1783, April 11 - Hostilities cease, and the American Revolutionary War essentially ends with the signing of the Treaty of Paris between Britain and the United States.
1789, April 30 - George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States.
1792, April 20 - France declares war on Austria, marking the start of the French Revolutionary Wars.
1793, April 6 - Committee of Public Safety is formed in France, wielding significant power during the Reign of Terror.
1794, April 7 - The French National Convention adopts the Law of 22 Prairial, accelerating the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.
1795, April 5 - Beethoven debuts as a pianist in Vienna, showcasing his own compositions.
1796, April 9 - Napoleon Bonaparte wins a brilliant victory at the Battle of Montenotte, during his Italian campaign.
1797, April 22 - The Battle of Neuwied takes place during the French Revolutionary Wars, resulting in a French victory over the Austrians.
1798, April 20 - The United Irishmen Rebellion against British rule in Ireland begins with a failed uprising.
1799, April 9 - Napoleon Bonaparte, after returning from Egypt, stages a coup d'état and becomes the de facto ruler of France.
1800, April 24 - The Library of Congress is established in Washington, D.C., with an initial appropriation of $5,000 for books.
1805, April 4 - Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, "Eroica," premieres in Vienna.
1806, April 18 - The UK and Russia sign the Treaty of London, forming an alliance against Napoleon.
1807, April 17 - English poet William Wordsworth first publishes "Poems in Two Volumes."
1814, April 11 - Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba after the signing of the Treaty of Fontainebleau between Napoleon and representatives of Austria, Russia and Prussia. The agreement ended Napoleon's rule as emperor of the French and sent him into exile to the island of Elba, now an Italian island. More
1815, April 3 - Mount Tambora in Indonesia begins erupting, resulting in one of the most powerful eruptions in recorded human history. Increased steaming and smaller eruptions occurred during the next six months to three years. The effects of the eruptions included major climate changes the following year (1816) and a "volcanic winter" which is referred to as "the year without summer" The death toll estimate is that at least 71,000 people perished, of which 11,000 –12,000 were killed directly by the eruption. More
1827, April 22 - The first performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, takes place in Vienna.
1830, April 6 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is officially organized in Fayette, New York. More
1836, April 21 - The Battle of San Jacinto takes place, leading to the Texan victory over Mexico and the capture of General Santa Anna.
1841, April 4 - William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the United States, dies of pneumonia after only 32 days in office, the shortest tenure in U.S. presidential history.
1843, April 6 - Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter-day Saint movement, delivers a sermon in Kirtland, Ohio, introducing the Mormon Church's new doctrine of baptism for the dead.
1853, April 18 - The first train crosses the Indian Peninsula from Bombay to Thane.
1856, April 17 - American engineer and inventor William R. Johnson patents the bicycle.
1860, April 3 - The Pony Express begins service. From St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California . Covering mMore than 1,800 miles in 10 days and delivering a letter faster than ever before. It operated for only 18 months, but the Pony express became synonymous with the Old West. About ten weeks after the Pony Express began operations, Congress authorized a bill to subsidize the building of a transcontinental telegraph line to connect the Missouri River and the Pacific Coast. On October 26, 1861, San Francisco was in direct contact with New York City. On that day the Pony Express was officially terminated. More
1861, April 12 - The Confederate Forces attack Fort Sumter, South Carolina, marking the official beginning of the The American Civil War. The war lasted four years, cost the lives of more than 620,000 Americans, and freed 3.9 million enslaved people from bondage. More
1865, April 9 - General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War. More
1865, April 14 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot at point-blank range on the back of the head as he watched a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington DC. The President was carried across the street to the Petersen House a private home, where he died early the following morning. The assassin, American actor. John Wilkes Booth escaped but was pursued by Union soldiers for twelve days through southern Maryland and Virginia, and died of a gunshot wound on April 26 after refusing to surrender to Federal troops. The murder of President Abraham Lincoln was part of a pre-planned, coordinated attack on the president, Vice President Andrew Johnson and the Secretary of State. More
1865, April 15 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln dies at 7:22 a.m. At 11:00 a.m., Vice President Andrew Johnson took the oath of office as the 17th president. More
1866, April 9 - Ulysses S. Grant, still a Lieutenant General of the U.S. Army, is detained by two officers, on the one-year anniversary of General Lee’s surrender to Grant in Appomattox, Virginia, for fast driving on 14th Street while “exercising his fast gray nag”. Grant offered to pay the fine, but “expressed his doubts of their authority to arrest him and drove off.” Several days later, Grant “acknowledge the service of a warrant for fast driving and appeared before the Justice of the Peace and paid the fine.” More
1866, April 20 - The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City.
1867, April 1 - Singapore becomes a British crown colony.
1871, April 20 - The Civil Rights Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, is enacted in the United States.
1877, April 15 - The first telephone is installed in the White House during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes.
1882, April 20 - German scientist Robert Koch identifies the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis.
1888, April 4 - The first recorded sale of bottled Coca-Cola takes place in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
1891, April 15 - Corbett-Fitzsimmons Fight: James J. Corbett defeats John L. Sullivan in the first heavyweight championship boxing match using boxing gloves.
1896, April 6 - The first modern Olympic Games open in Athens, Greece.
1897, April 1 - The Greco-Turkish War begins when Greece declares war on the Ottoman Empire.
1898, April 25 - The United States declares war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War.
1899, April 17 - The Treaty of Paris ends the Spanish-American War, ceding Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States.
1900, April 4 - The Boxer Rebellion begins in China with the killing of foreign diplomats and civilians in Beijing.
1901, April 3 - The first recorded game of what would become ice hockey in the United States takes place in Baltimore, Maryland.
1902, April 5 - Danish author Hans Christian Andersen dies in Copenhagen.
1906, April 18 - The devastating San Francisco earthquake strikes, causing widespread destruction and fires.
1912, April 15 - The RMS Titanic sinks after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic Ocean.
1915, April 24 - The Armenian Genocide begins in the Ottoman Empire, resulting in the mass killing of Armenians.
1916, April 24 - The Easter Rising begins in Ireland against British rule.
1917, April 6 - The United States enters World War I as the U.S Congress voted to declare war on Germany and to enter what optimistically was called the “Great War. More
1923, April 18 - The Yankee Stadium, one of the most iconic sports venues, opens in the Bronx, New York City.
1924, The first successful flight around the world takes off from Seattle's Sand Point Naval Air Station. Eight U.S. Army Air Service pilots and mechanics in four airplanes left to carry out the first circumnavigation of the globe by air. They completed their mission 175 days later. More
1933, April 7 - Prohibition in the United States ends with the repeal of the 18th Amendment.
1935. April 14 - “The Dust Bowl”, in what came to be known as “Black Sunday,” a mountain of blackness swept across the High Plains and instantly turned a warm, sunny afternoon into a horrible blackness that was darker than the darkest night. High winds kicked up clouds of millions of tons of dirt and dust so dense and dark that some eyewitnesses believed the world was coming to an end. More
1940, April 9 - Germany invades Denmark and Norway during World War II. The German invasion of Denmark and Norway begins. Known as Operation Weseruebung, it heralded a new stage in warfare in which cooperation of air, land, and sea forces was essential for successful offensive operations.
1942, April 9 - The largest surrender of American troops since the American Civil War's Battle of Harpers Ferry takes place as 12,000 Americans soldiers and 66,000 Filipinos surrender to the Japanese at Bataan in the Philippines. Soon afterwards, U.S. and Filipino prisoners of war were forced into the Bataan Death March. More
1945, April 1 - The Battle of Okinawa starts as more than 60,000 soldiers and US Marines of the US Tenth Army stormed ashore at Okinawa. Savage fighting erupted at the island’s southern end as the US forces encountered a network of Japanese inland defenses. The land, sea, and air battle raged for nearly three months. About 12,000 American and 90,000 Japanese combatants died in the fighting, but deaths among Okinawan civilians may have reached 150,000. More
1945, April 12 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies; Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes president.
1946, April 1 - A t.8 magnitude earthquake occurs in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Near the source of the earthquake, at Unimak Island, huge tsunami waves reached more than 100 feet above sea level and destroyed completely the newly built steel-reinforced concrete U.S. Coast Guard's Scotch Cap lighthouse. killing al 5 crew members. The tsunami arrived 4.9 hours later in Hilo, causing $26 million (1946 dollars) in damages and killing 96 people. More
1947, April 15 - Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier in Major League Baseball, making his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1948, April 3 - President Truman signs the Economic Recovery Act of 1948 which became known as the Marshall Plan, named for Secretary of State George Marshall, who had proposed that the United States provide economic assistance to restore the economic infrastructure of postwar Europe which was devastated making the Western European countries vulnerable to Soviet expansionism heightened the sense of crisis. More
1951, April 5 - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg (née Greenglass) are sentenced to death after being convicted of spying and passing secret information about the atomic bomb and other military information to the Soviet Union. They were executed in June, 1953. President Eisenhower declined to grant executive clemency to the Rosenbergs, stating: "The nature of the crime for which they have been found guilty and sentenced far exceeds that of the taking of the life of another citizen; it involves the deliberate betrayal of the entire nation and could very well result in the death of many, many thousands of innocent citizens…" More
1951, April 11 - U.S. president Harry S. Truman relieves General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of his commands after MacArthur made public statements that contradicted the administration's policies. In relieving MacArthur for failing to "respect the authority of the President" by privately communicating with Congress, Truman upheld the president's role as preeminent and emphasized the U.S. policy of civilian control of the military.
1954, April 12 - Bill Haley and His Comets record "Rock Around The Clock" It may not have been the first rock’n’roll record but it is an event often referred to as marking the beginning of the Rock and Roll era. Bill Haley, a square-looking country singer from the suburbs of Philadelphia, nearly 30 years old at the time, was an unlikely hero of the Rock era.
1955, April 5 - Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
1956, April 18 - American actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
1961, April 12 - Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into space and orbit the Earth. More
1963. April 7 - Josip Broz (Tito), is named President of Yugoslavia for life. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was created in 1945 and Tito became Prime Minister. He became the first president of Yugoslavia in 1953 and successfully led Yugoslavia on its his own path, refusing to join the East European Communist bloc and pursuing his own policies including nonalignment, alliances with countries which were not aligned in the East West conflict.
1963, April 10 - The nuclear submarine USS Thresher (SSN-593) sinks in the Atlantic Ocean during deep-diving tests off the coast of New England. The entire crew of 129 was lost. It was the first nuclear submarine to be lost—and the worst disaster in terms of people lost. More
1963, April 16 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pens his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" advocating for civil rights.
1968, April 3 - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his Mountaintop Speech.
1968, April 4 - Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is shot and mortally wounded as he stood on the second-floor balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. He was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. at St. Joseph Hospital. More
1968, April 8 - Los Angeles - Borrego Mountain Earthquake. With a magnitude of 6.5, It was the largest and most damaging quake to have hit southern California since the Kern County earthquake, 16 years earlier. It was felt as far away as Las Vegas, Fresno, and even Yosemite Valley. More
1969, April 4 - Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart in a human.
1969, April 7- This date is often cited as the symbolic birth date of the net because the RFC memoranda contain research, proposals and methodologies applicable to internet technology. There is also support for Jan. 1, 1983, as the birth of the net, which was the date, the National Science Foundation’s university network backbone, a precursor to the World Wide Web, became operational utilizing the TCP/IP communication standard. More
1970, April 13 - The Apollo 13 oxygen tank explodes at almost 56 hours into the mission. - Oxygen tank no. 2 exploded, damaging oxygen tank no. 1 and the interior of the service module, blowing off the bay no. 4 cover. With the oxygen stores depleted, the command module was unusable, the mission had to be aborted, and the crew transferred to the lunar module and powered down the command module. More
1970, April 22 - The first Earth Day is celebrated in the United States to promote environmental awareness.
1971, April 29 - The US space probe Mariner 9 is launched toward Mars, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet.
1973, November 4 - The World Trade Center "Twin Towers" in New York City officially open becoming the world’s tallest building at the time and a dominant feature of the city’s skyline. They were destroyed in a terrorist attack in 2001.
1974, April 8 - Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's home run record in Major League Baseball.
1975, April 30 - The Vietnam War officially ends with the fall of Saigon and the reunification of Vietnam.
1980, April 18 - Zimbabwe gains independence from Britain, ending white minority rule.
1981, April 12 - The space shuttle Columbia lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida and becomes the first reusable manned spacecraft to travel into space. Carrying the two-person crew of John Young and Robert Crippen., Columbia proved the operational concept of a winged, reusable spaceship. The flight lasted 54 hours in space, with 36 orbits before successfully touching down at California’s Edwards Air Force Base on April 14. Columbia went on to have a total of 27 successful flights. On 2/1/2003, on its 28th flight, Columbia and Crew were lost During reentry More
1986, April 26 - The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurs in Ukraine, marking the worst nuclear accident in history.
1988. April 14 - The Geneva Accords to settle the situation relating in Afghanistan, were signed at the Geneva headquarters of the United Nations, between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the United States and the Soviet Union serving as guarantors. The Afghan resistance, or mujahideen, were neither party to the negotiations nor to the Geneva accords and so refused to accept the terms of the agreement. After the signing of the Geneva accords, the 40th Soviet Army conducted a well-planned and executed nine-month withdrawal. The last Soviet soldier crossed the Freedom Bridge on 15 February 1989. More
1989, April 15 - The tragedy at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England, results in the deaths of 96 football fans due to overcrowding.
1992, April 29 - The Los Angeles riots erupt following the acquittal of police officers in the beating of Rodney King.
1994, April 6 - The Rwandan Genocide erupts, leading to the mass slaughter of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus, with neighbors turning on neighbors and family turning on family. Up to 1 million people on some accounts — were brutally slaughtered in just 100 days, leaving the once-beautiful country in ruins as the International community failed to intervine. Against all odds, Rwanda has made remarkable strides in the years since, showing resilience and determination. Despite the lasting scars, Rwanda’s journey of healing, reconciliation, and development stands as an inspiring testament to the unyielding spirit of its people. More
1995, April 19 - The Oklahoma City bombing takes place at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people.
1996, April 3 - The infamous "Unabomber," Theodore Kaczynski, is arrested at his Montana cabin. The FBI had spent nearly two decades hunting him down. More
1998, April 10 - The Belfast Agreement, also known as the Good Friday Agreement, is signed after three decades of conflict known as the Troubles. The agreement set up a power-sharing arrangement and also restored self-government to Northern Ireland. it was approved by voters on May 22, 1998, and came into force on December 2, 1999.The Agreement still survives today.
1999, April 20 - The Columbine High School massacre occurs in Colorado, resulting in the deaths of 15 individuals, including the perpetrators.
2000, April 22 - In a symbolic move, Elián González, a Cuban boy at the center of an international custody dispute, is seized by federal agents in Miami.
2001, April 1 - The Netherlands legalizes same-sex marriage, becoming the first country to do so.
2001, April 10 - The Netherlands passed a bill permitting euthanasia, the first such national law in the world. More
2002, April 8 - The International Criminal Court is established to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression.
2003, April 9 - U.S. forces capture Baghdad, effectively toppling Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.
2004, April 8 - The United States lifts economic sanctions on Libya after the country agrees to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction.
2005, April 2 - Pope John Paul II dies, leading to the election of Pope Benedict XVI.
2006, April 6 - A massive immigration reform protest, known as the "Great American Boycott," takes place across the United States.
2007, April 16 - The Virginia Tech shooting occurs, resulting in the deaths of 32 people in the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history at the time.
2008, April 7 - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia formally apologizes to the Indigenous Australians for the Stolen Generations policies.
2009, April 7 - The G20 summit is held in London to address the global financial crisis.
2010, April 20 - An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico leads to a massive oil spill.
2011, April 29 - Prince William and Catherine Middleton marry at Westminster Abbey in London.
2012, April 6 - The discovery of the Higgs boson particle is announced by scientists at CERN.
2013, April 15 - The Boston Marathon bombing occurs, killing three people and injuring hundreds.
2014, April 14 - The extremist group Boko Haram abducts 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria, leading to international outrage and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
2015, April 25 - Nepal is hit by a devastating earthquake, resulting in widespread destruction and thousands of deaths.
2016, April 22 - The Paris Agreement on climate change is signed by 175 countries at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
2017, April 13 - The United States drops the "Mother of All Bombs" (MOAB), the largest non-nuclear bomb, on ISIS targets in Afghanistan.
2018, April 27 - The leaders of North and South Korea meet for the first time in more than a decade, pledging to work toward peace and denuclearization.
2019, April 15 - The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris suffers a devastating fire, causing significant damage to the iconic landmark.
2020, April 22 - The COVID-19 pandemic prompts the cancellation of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, due to health concerns.
2021, April 20 - Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, is found guilty of murdering George Floyd, sparking global conversations about racial justice and police brutality.
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