April This Day in History, Historic Events
What Historic April Events Occurred on Your Birthday?
Our “This Day in History for April” section contains historical April events categorized by month and day. See what happened on your birthday, or any day of the year. Find out what happened on this day in April.
Major Historical April Events
April 1 Historical Events
Oliver Pollack invents the dollar sign $. (1778)
Dexter Mason Ferry and partners found Gardener, Ferry & Church Seed Company, now called Ferry-Morse, the oldest seed company in America.(1856)
Daytime soap opera General Hospital first airs on ABC. (1963)
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple computer from the garage of Job’s parents’ home in Cupertino, CA. (1976)
Google introduces Gmail. (2004)
April 2 Historic Events
Explorer Juan Ponce DeLeon, claims Florida for Spain. (1513)
Congress passes the Coinage Act and the U.S. Mint is born. (1792)
William Magear “Boss” Tweed, a corrupt NYC politician, U.S. Senator, and NY State Senator. (1823)
The first Easter Egg Roll is held on the White House Lawn. (1877)
The television drama series “Dallas” premieres. (1978)
April 3 Historical Events
The Pony Express begins delivering the mail. (1860)
American outlaw Jesse James is killed by Robert Ford in his home in St. Joseph. (1882)
The movie “Planet of the Apes” premieres at theaters across America. (1968)
April 4 Historical Events
Susanna Medora Salter is the first woman elected mayor in the nation in Argonia, Kansas. (1887)
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated. (1968)
The original twelve countries sign the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into existence. (1949)
In New York City, the World Trade Tower opens. At 110 stories, it is the tallest building in the world at the time. (1973)
Bill Gates and Paul Allen create Microsoft. (1975)
April 5 Historical Events
Saint Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary Bishop. (456)
General Douglas MacArthur died in Washington, D.C. at the age of 84. (1964)
April 6 Historical Events
The first modern Olympic games open in Athens, Greece. (1896)
Explorers Matthew A. Henson and Robert E. Perry are the first to reach the North Pole. (1909)
Twinkies hit the market. The first Twinkies were banana-filled. (1930)
Roy J. Plunkett invents Teflon. (1938)
April 7 Historical Events
The United Nations creates the World Health Organization (WHO) (1948)
The musical South Pacific, by Rodgers and Hammerstein, opens on Broadway. (1949)
The Internet’s symbolic birthday. (1969)
April 8 Historical Events
Researchers discover the ancient Greek Statue Vincent di Milo on the Aegean Island of Milos. (1820)
Bottlers put milk in glass bottles for the first time. (1879)
Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th home run to surpass Babe Ruth’s 714 home run record. (1974)
April 9 Historical Events
Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, ending the Civil War. (1865)
Bob Hope’s first appearance on television. (1950)
French explorer LaSalle reaches the Mississippi River. (1691)
The U.S. Senate passes a law making Winston Churchill the first honorary U.S. citizen. (1963)
April 10 Historical Events
Walter Hunt of New York City patents the safety pin. He later sells the patent for $400. See Safety Pin Day. (1849)
Do you love animals? The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals established. (1866)
The “unsinkable” RMS Titanic departs on its maiden (and final) voyage from Southampton, England. (1912)
Golfers create the PGA and hold the first professional golf tournamentd. (1916)
Paul McCartney officially announces that the Beatles have split up. (1970)
April Showers Bring May Flowers
April 11 Historical Events
The U.S. Submarine Force was officially established (1900)
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968. (1968)
Apple’s Steve Wozniak creates the Apple 1 computer. (1976)
Archeologists discover fossilized dinosaur eggs with embryos in China. (2003)
April 12 Historical Events
The Civil War begins when Confederate troops opened fire on the Union garrison at Fort Sumter, SC. 40,000 shells were fired before the Union troops surrendered. No one was killed. (1862)
By an Act of Congress, Puerto Rico becomes a U.S., territory. (1900)
Mount Washington Observatory records the highest surface wind ever measured, anywhere on earth— 231 miles per hour! See Big Wind Day. (1934)
Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person in space. (1961)
April 13 Historical Events
After 34 hours of bombardment, Fort Sumter surrenders to the Confederates during the Civil War. (1861)
Tiger Woods wins the Masters Golf Tournament, becoming the first African American and youngest person to win this premier golf event. (1997)
April 14 Historical Events
Noah Webster produced the first American Dictionary. (1828)
President Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. He died the next day. (1865)
Author John Steinbeck publishes hid novel “The Grapes of Wrath”. (1939)
April 15 Historical Events
The Titanic hits an iceberg in the Northern Atlantic Ocean as sinks. (1912)
The first franchised McDonald’s restaurant opens in Des Plaines, IL. (1955)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the use of Botox. (2002)
A major fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, topples spire, destroys the roof, and more. (20190
April 16 Historical Events
The U.S. Postal Service issues the first books of postage stamps. (1900)
The battle of Berlin begins as Russian forces begin to attack the Nazi capital. (1945)
Walter Cronkite begins as anchor of CBS Evening News. (1962)
April 17 Historical Events
Geoffrey Chaucer tells “The Canterbury Tales” for the first time at the court of English King Richard II. (1397)
The Ford Mustang is formally introduced to the marketplace. The base price: $2,368. (1964)
April 18 Historical Events
Paul Revere makes his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Ma., shouting “the Red Coats are coming” as the American Revolutionary War begins. (1775)
Fighting ended for the American Revolution, exactly 8 years to the day when it first started. (1783)
The Great San Francisco earthquake hits, killing almost 4,000 people and destroying over 75% of the city. (1906)
A group of jugglers creates the International Juggler’s Association (IJA). (1947) See World Juggler’s Day
The longest game in professional baseball history: Pawtucket Red Sox tie the Rochester Red Wings 2-2 in 32 innings. The game was finished on June 23, Pawtucket won 3-2 in 33 innings. (1981)
April 19 Historical Events
The Battle of Lexington and Concord. British troops fire “the shot heard ’round the world” and the Revolutionary War begins. (1775)
President Herbert Hoover suggests a five-day work week. (1932)
After a 51-day siege in Waco, Texas, the Branch Davidian compound goes up in flames, killing the cult members. (1993)
Timothy McVeigh bombs the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, and injuring hundreds more. (1995)
April 20 Historical Events
The first known performance of Shakespeare’s tragedy “Macbeth” is performed at Globe Theatre in London, England. (1611)
The final episode of the television series “Soap” airs (1981)
Two teenage boys go on a shooting rampage in Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. One teacher and 12 students are killed. (1999)
Historic April Events - Administrative Professionals Day
April 21 Historical Events
The city of Rome, Italy was founded. (753 B.C.)
First Lady Lucy Hayes begins the tradition of holding an egg rolling contest on the White House lawn. (1878)
The Spanish-American War begins. (1898)
German WWI Air Ace Baron Manfred von Richtofen, “The Red Baron”, is shot down and killed over Vaux sur Somme, France. (1918)
Secretaries Day, now called “Administrative Professionals Day“, is first celebrated. (1952)
Elvis Presley’s first hit record, “Heartbreak Hotel”, reaches #1 on the charts. (1956)
April 22 Historical Events
The first human eye transplant is performed. (1969)
The First Earth Day celebration is held, founded by Gaylord Nelson. (1970)
Barbara Walters becomes the first female U.S. nightly news anchor (for ABC). (1976)
April 23 Historical Events
Robert E. Lee is named the Commander of the Virginia Confederate forces. (1861)
Hammerin’ Hank Aaron hits the first of his 755 home runs. (1954)
April 24 Historical Events
Greek forces enter Troy by using a Trojan Horse. (1184 B.C.)
Eastman Kodak Company is founded by George Eastman. (1888)
Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Murdock are the first to travel across the U.S. in a car. They drove their Packard from LA to NYC in 32 days 5 hours and 25 minutes. (1908)
April 25 Historical Events
Ground is broken for the Suez Canal. (1859)
New York becomes the first state to require automobile license plates. The fee: $1.00. (1901)
Delegates from 45 countries meet in San Francisco to organize the United Nations. (1945)
The American Bowling Congress approves the use of automated pinsetters. (1952)
April 26 Historical Events
Copernicus makes his first observations of Saturn. (1514)
The world’s worst nuclear power plant accident occurs in Chernobyl, Russia when reactor #4 explodes. (1986)
April 27 Historical Events
The cornerstone is laid for the new Palace of Westminster. (1840)
Senior citizens take note, the first Social Security checks were distributed. (1937)
April 28 Historical Events
Mutiny on the HMS Bounty, the most famous naval mutiny in world history. (1789)
Muhammad Ali refuses to be inducted into the army and is stripped of his world heavyweight title. (1967)
Iran opposes the sale of “Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie. (1989)
April 29 Historical Events
Elias Howe applies for a patent for the “Continuous Clothing Closure”, later called the Zipper. See National Zipper Day. (1851)
The first edition of Peter Roget’s Thesaurus is published. (1852)
U.S. forces begin withdrawal of its citizens from South Vietnam. (1975)
The world record longest sausage is made in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It is 28.77 miles long! (1995)
April 30 Historical Events
George Washington is inaugurated as the first president of the United States. (1789)
The Louisiana Purchase is completed in Paris, France. The price tag: $15M, about 4 cents per acre. (1803)
Warner Brother’s “Bugs Bunny” debuts. (1936)
The ice cream cone makes its debut at the St. Louis World’s Fair. (1904)
Adolph Hitler commits suicide along with his new wife Eva Braun in his bunker in Berlin. (1945)
Mr. Potato Head is marketed for the first time. (1952)
The Vietnam War ends with the fall of Saigon (later renamed Ho Chi Minh City). (1975)
Additional Resources
Famous Birthdays Who else was born on your Birthday? Find out now!
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