What Happened in April?

Bill Haley and His Comets record "Rock Around The Clock" on April 12, 1954. 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.

Large field trials for the Jonas Salk-developed polio vaccine began on April 26, 1954, at Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean, Virginia. The trials involved 1.8 million children, who became known as the "Polio Pioneers." Almost a year later on April 12. 1955, the trial was deemed safe and effective, leading to a drastic reduction of polio cases in the US in a few years.

Winston Churchill officially resigned as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on April 5, 1955, at age 80 due to failing health. He tendered his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, ending his second term (1951–1955) and his illustrious political career. He was succeeded by Sir Anthony Eden.

Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald's franchise on April 15, 1955, in Des Plaines, Illinois, launching the corporation that became the world's largest fast-food chain. It was the first franchise for Kroc's company, McDonald's Systems, Inc and it featured a red and white tiled building with the Golden Arches. The first day sales were $366.12. Expand +

American actress Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco, on April 19, 1956.The two day event was called "The wedding of the Century"  The ceremony took place at St. Nicholas and it was viewed by 30 million people. 

A U.S. Federal Court, finds Poet Ezra Pound permanently unfit to stand trial on April 18, 1958 and orders his immediate release from the St. Elizabeth Hospital for the criminally insane, where the pro-fascist Pound, had been interned for 13 years following a 1945 treason indictment. After his release, Pounds returned to Italy. He died in 1972. More

NASA, publicly introduces  for the first time, the seven America’s Mercury astronauts to the world on April 9, 1959. They had all been selected from among America’s military branches.  Expand +

Fidel Castro starts his eleven-day visit to the United States, on April 15, 1959, four months after his guerilla army took charge of Cuba. The trip, labeled a "Good will trip", was part of Castro’s publicity victory lap after toppling the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. touring the city with all the swagger of a rock star.  Expand +

More than 100,000 students in South Korea marched in Seoul on April 19, 1960, during major South Korean pro-democracy movements ("April 19 Revolution"), in protest over election fraud committed by President Syngman Rhee. The protests forced dictator Syngman Rhee to resign and led to the inauguration of the Second Republic.

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into space and orbit the Earth on April 12, 1961. More

The Bay of Pigs (Bahía de Cochinos), organized by the CIA, begins on April 17, 1961, on the southwestern coast of Cuba. Expand +

Sierra Leone achieves its independence from Britain after years as a British colony and protectorate. It is a member of the British Commonwealth.

Walter Cronkite became anchor of the CBS Evening News on April 16, 1962. Cronkite held that position until his retirement on March 6, 1981. During his two decades of service, he became known as “the most trusted man in America.” 

Josip Broz (Tito), is named President of Yugoslavia for life on April 7, 1963. 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.

The Thresher (SSN-593), the first of a class of U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarines, sinks on April 10. 1963, approximately 220 miles east of Massachusetts while performing deep dive exercises and carrying a crew of 129 men, in the worst submarine accident in history. The Thresher had been originally launched on July 9, 1960. More

Dr Martin L. King Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy were arrested in Birmingham, Alabama, on April 12, 1963, for leading an anti-segregation protest march in defiance of a recent injunction from a State judge banning all anti-segregation protests.  Expand +

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. composes his famous "Open Letter from Birmingham Jail" on April 16, 1963, advocating for civil rights. More

The Ford Mustang officially debuted at the New York World's Fair on April 17, 1964, becoming an instant attraction. More than 22,000 mustangs were sold on the first day and over 400,000 sold in the first year.

President Lyndon B. Johnson sends more than 22,000 U.S. troops to the Dominican Republic, on April 28, 1965, purportedly to prevent the establishment of a Communist government in the Central American Nation. The U.S, military intervention, was followed by protests in Latin America.  Expand +

Spanish authorities announced, on April 7, 1966, the recovery of a hydrogen bomb that had accidentally fallen into the Mediterranean and disappeared. The bomb was the last one to be found, out of four, that came down after a U.S. B-52 collided with a refueling tanker on January 17, 1966, over southern Spain, killing seven airmen. More