Events

• 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil.
• 1529 – Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal along a line 297.5 leagues or 17° east of the Moluccas.
• 1809 – The second day of the Battle of Eckmühl sees the Austrian army defeated by the First French Empire army led by Napoleon I of France and driven over the Danube at Regensburg.
• 1836 – Texas Revolution: A day after the Battle of San Jacinto, forces under Texas General Sam Houston capture Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna.
• 1863 – American Civil War: Grierson's Raid begins – troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.
• 1864 – The United States Congress passes the Coinage Act, mandating that the inscription "In God We Trust" be placed on all coins minted as United States currency.
• 1889 – At high noon, thousands rush to claim land in the Land Run of 1889. Within hours the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie are formed with populations of at least 10,000.
• 1898 – Spanish-American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports and the captures a Spanish merchant ship.
• 1912 – Pravda, the "voice" of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, begins publication in Saint Petersburg.
• 1915 – The use of poison gas in World War I escalates when chlorine gas is released as a chemical weapon in the Second Battle of Ypres.
• 1930 – The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States sign the London Naval Treaty regulating submarine warfare and limiting shipbuilding.
• 1944 – World War II: Operation Persecution is initiated – Allied forces land in the Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura) area of New Guinea.
• 1945 – World War II: Prisoners at the Jasenovac concentration camp revolt. 520 are killed and 80 escape.
• 1945 – World War II: Fuehrerbunker: After learning that Soviet forces have taken Eberswalde without a fight, Adolf Hitler admits defeat in his underground bunker and states that suicide is his only recourse.
• 1954 – Red Scare: The Army-McCarthy Hearings begin.
• 1964 – The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair opens for its first season.
• 1969 – British yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston completes the first solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world.
• 1970 – The first Earth Day is celebrated.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: Increased American bombing in Vietnam prompts anti-war protests in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco.
• 1979 – The Albert Einstein Memorial is unveiled at The National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC.
• 1983 – The German magazine Der Stern claims that the "Hitler Diaries" had been found in wreckage in East Germany; the diaries are subsequently revealed to be forgeries.
• 1991 – The Social Democratic Party of Albania is founded.
• 1992 – In an explosion in Guadalajara, Mexico, 206 people are killed, nearly 500 injured and 15,000 left homeless.
• 1993 – The Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. is dedicated.
• 1993 – Version 1.0 of the Mosaic web browser is released.
• 1997 – Haouch Khemisti massacre in Algeria – 93 villagers killed.
• 1997 – The Japanese embassy hostage crisis ends in Lima, Peru.
• 1998 – Disney's Animal Kingdom opens at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States.
• 2000 – In a pre-dawn raid, federal agents seize six-year-old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami, Florida.
• 2000 – The Big Number Change takes place in the United Kingdom.
• 2000 – Second Battle of Elephant Pass, Tamil Tigers capture a strategic Sri Lankan Army base and hold it for 8 years.
• 2004 – Two fuel trains collide in Ryongchon, North Korea, killing up to 150 people.
• 2006 – 243 people are injured in pro-democracy protest in Nepal after Nepali security forces open fire on protesters against King Gyanendra.
• 2006 – Four Canadian soldiers are killed 75 kilometers north of Kandahar, Afghanistan by a roadside bomb planted by Taliban militants, the worst single day combat loss for the Canadian army since the Korean War.
• 2008 – The United States Air Force retires the remaining F-117 Nighthawk aircraft in service.

Births

• 1451 – Isabella I of Castile (d. 1504)
• 1610 – Pope Alexander VIII (d. 1691)
• 1658 – Giuseppe Torelli, Italian composer (d. 1709)
• 1690 – John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, English statesman (d. 1763)
• 1692 – James Stirling, Scottish mathematician (d. 1770)
• 1707 – Henry Fielding, English author (d. 1754)
• 1711 – Eleazar Wheelock, American founder of Dartmouth College (d. 1779)
• 1724 – Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (d. 1804)
• 1744 – James Sullivan, 7th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1808)
• 1766 – Madame de Staël, French author (d. 1817)
• 1812 – Solomon Caesar Malan, British orientalist (d. 1894)
• 1816 – Charles Denis Bourbaki, French general (d. 1897)
• 1832 – Julius Sterling Morton, Arbor Day founder (d. 1902)
• 1840 – Odilon Redon, French painter (d. 1916)
• 1844 – Lewis Thornton Powell, would-be assassin of Secretary of State William H. Seward (d. 1865)
• 1852 – Guillaume IV, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (d. 1912)
• 1854 – Henri La Fontaine, Belgian lawyer, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1943)
• 1860 – Ada Rehan, American stage actress (d. 1916)
• 1868 – Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria (d. 1924)
• 1870 – Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary (d. 1924)
• 1872 – Princess Margaret of Prussia, queen of Finland (d. 1954)
• 1873 – Ellen Glasgow, American author (d. 1945)
• 1876 – Robert Bárány, Austrian physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1936)
• 1876 – Georg Lurich, Estonian wrestler (d. 1920)
• 1881 – Alexander Kerensky, Russian politician (d. 1970)
• 1884 – Otto Rank, Austrian psychologist (d. 1939)
• 1886 – Izidor Cankar, Slovenian art historian, essayist and diplomat (d. 1958)
• 1889 – Richard Glücks, German SS officer and concentration camp administrator (d. 1945)
• 1891 – Harold Jeffreys, English astronomer (d. 1989)
• 1891 – Nicola Sacco, American anarchist (d. 1927)
• 1891 – Vittorio Jano, Italian engineer (d. 1965)
• 1892 – Vernon Johns, American civil rights activist (d. 1965)
• 1904 – Robert Oppenheimer, American physicist (d. 1967)
• 1905 – Robert Choquette, French Canadian novelist, poet and diplomat (d. 1991)
• 1906 – Eddie Albert, American actor (d. 2005)
• 1906 – Prince Gustaf Adolf, Duke of Västerbotten, second in line to the Swedish throne (d. 1946)
• 1907 – Ivan Efremov, Russian paleontologist and author (d. 1972)
• 1909 – Rita Levi-Montalcini, Italian neurologist, Nobel laureate
• 1909 – Indro Montanelli, Italian journalist and historian (d. 2001)
• 1910 – Norman Steenrod, American mathematician (d. 1971)
• 1912 – Kathleen Ferrier, British singer (d. 1953)
• 1914 – Jan de Hartog, Dutch writer (d. 2002)
• 1914 – Michael Wittmann, German soldier and tank ace (d. 1944)
• 1916 – Yehudi Menuhin, American-born violinist (d. 1999)
• 1918 – Mickey Vernon, American baseball player (d. 2008)
• 1919 – Donald J. Cram, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 2001)
• 1919 – Carl Lindner, Jr., American businessman and philanthropist
• 1922 – Charles Mingus, American musician (d. 1979)
• 1922 – Wolf V. Vishniac, American microbiologist (d. 1973)
• 1923 – Avis Bunnage, English actress (d. 1990)
• 1923 – Bettie Page, American model (d. 2008)
• 1923 – Aaron Spelling, American television producer (d. 2006)
• 1925 – George Cole, English actor
• 1926 – Charlotte Rae, American actress
• 1926 – James Stirling, British architect (d. 1992)
• 1927 – Laurel Aitken, Jamaican singer (d. 2005)
• 1929 – Michael Atiyah, British-Lebanese mathematician
• 1935 – Paul Chambers, American jazz bassist (d. 1969)
• 1936 – Glen Campbell, American musician
• 1936 – Pierre Hétu, French Canadian conductor and pianist (d. 1998)
• 1937 – Jack Nicholson, American actor
• 1937 – Jack Nitzsche, American composer (d. 2000)
• 1938 – Adam Raphael, English journalist and author
• 1939 – Mel Carter, American singer
• 1939 – Jason Miller, American playwright (d. 2001)
• 1939 – Theodor Waigel, German politician and finance minister
• 1943 – Louise Glück, American poet and 12th US Poet Laureate
• 1944 – Steve Fossett, American adventurer (d. 2007)
• 1946 – Nicole Garcia, French actress and director
• 1946 – Louise Harel, Canadian politician
• 1946 – John Waters, American film writer
• 1946 – Steven L. Bennett, USAF Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient (d. 1972)
• 1950 – Peter Frampton, English musician
• 1950 – Zygi Wilf, owner of the Minnesota Vikings
• 1951 – Paul Carrack, English musician
• 1951 – Ana María Shua, Argentine poet
• 1952 – François Berléand, French actor
• 1952 – Marilyn Chambers, American pornographic actress (d. 2009)
• 1953 – Juhani Komulainen, Finnish composer
• 1953 – Tom Griswold, American Radio Personality
• 1955 – Johnnie To, Hong Kong film director and producer
• 1957 – Donald Tusk, Polish Prime Minister
• 1958 – Ken Olandt, American actor
• 1959 – Terry Francona, American baseball manager
• 1959 – Catherine Mary Stewart, Canadian actress
• 1959 – Ryan Stiles, Canadian-born actor
• 1960 – Mart Laar, Estonian statesman
• 1960 – Gary Rhodes, English chef
• 1960 – Randall L. Stephenson, American business executive
• 1961 – Dewey Nicks, American photographer and film director
• 1962 – Jeff Minter, English video game programmer
• 1963 – Sean Lock, English comedian
• 1964 – Estelle Asmodelle, actress, model & writer
• 1965 – Lauri Hendler, actress
• 1965 – Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1966 – Fletcher Dragge, American guitarist (Pennywise)
• 1966 – Mariana Levy, Mexican actress (d. 2005)
• 1966 – Jeffrey Dean Morgan, American actor
• 1967 – Sheryl Lee, American actress
• 1967 – Sherri Shepherd, American comedian and actress
• 1967 – Harvey Williams, American football player
• 1968 – Zarley Zalapski, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1969 – Dion Dublin, English footballer
• 1970 – Andrea Giani, Italian volleyball player
• 1970 – Regine Velasquez, Filipino singer and actress
• 1971 – Daisuke Enomoto, Japanese space tourist
• 1971 – Eric Mabius, American actor
• 1971 – Ingo Rademacher, German-Australian actor
• 1972 – Sabine Appelmans, Belgian tennis player
• 1972 – Owen Finegan, Australian rugby union footballer
• 1973 – Adem Poric, Australian footballer
• 1973 – Ofer Talker, Israeli footballer
• 1973 – Christopher Sabat, American voice actor
• 1974 – Diego Costa, Brazilian singer-songwriter
• 1974 – Shavo Odadjian, Armenian/American bassist (System of a Down)
• 1975 – Greg Moore, Canadian race car driver (d. 1999)
• 1975 – Carlos Sastre, Spanish cyclist
• 1976 – Dan Cloutier, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1976 – Paul Henderson, Australian footballer
• 1976 – Michał Żewłakow, Polish footballer
• 1977 – Mark van Bommel, Dutch footballer
• 1977 – Aaron Fink, American guitarist (Breaking Benjamin)
• 1978 – Jason Stollsteimer, American singer (The Von Bondies)
• 1978 – Esteban Tuero, Argentinian race car driver
• 1979 – Zoltán Gera, Hungarian footballer
• 1979 – Daniel Johns, Australian musician (Silverchair)
• 1980 – Nicolas Douchez, French footballer
• 1980 – Courtney Friel, American sports & entertainment reporter
• 1980 – Carlos Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1980 – Kora Karvouni, Greek actress
• 1980 – Aaron Michael Metchik, American actor
• 1980 – Dejuan Blair, Professional Basketball Player
• 1981 – Ken Dorsey, American football player
• 1982 – Tim Hamilton, Czech pornographic actor
• 1982 – Kaká, Brazilian footballer
• 1982 – David Purcey, American baseball player
• 1983 – Matt Jones, American football player
• 1983 – Sam Heads, British entomologist and palaeontologist
• 1983 – Jos Hooiveld, Dutch footballer
• 1983 – Evangelos Mantzios, Greek footballer
• 1984 – Michelle Ryan, English actress
• 1984 – Amelle Berrabah, British singer (Sugababes)
• 1985 – Matt Ballinger, American singer (Dream Street)
• 1986 – Amber Heard, American actress
• 1986 – Marshawn Lynch, American football player
• 1986 – Dusan Sakota, Serbian/Greek basketball player
• 1987 – John Obi Mikel, Nigerian footballer

Deaths

• 296 – Pope Caius
• 455 – Petronius Maximus, Roman Emperor
• 536 – Pope Agapetus I
• 1592 – Bartolomeo Ammanati, Italian architect (b. 1511)
• 1672 – Georg Stiernhielm, Swedish poet (b. 1598)
• 1699 – Hans Erasmus Aßmann, Freiherr von Abschatz, German statesman (b. 1646)
• 1758 – Antoine de Jussieu, French naturalist (b. 1686)
• 1778 – James Hargreaves, English inventor (b. 1720)
• 1806 – Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (stabbed) (b. 1763)
• 1833 – Richard Trevithick, English inventor (b. 1771)
• 1839 – Denis Davydov, Russian general and poet (b. 1784)
• 1854 – Nicolás Bravo, Mexican politician and soldier (b. 1786)
• 1877 – James P. Kirkwood, American civil engineer (b. 1807)
• 1892 – Edouard Lalo, French composer (b. 1823)
• 1893 – Chaim Aronson, inventor and academic (b. 1825)
• 1896 – Thomas Meik, British civil engineer (b. 1812)
• 1908 – Henry Campbell-Bannerman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1836)
• 1925 – André Caplet, French composer (b. 1878)
• 1929 – Henry Lerolle, French painter (b. 1848)
• 1930 – Jeppe Aakjaer, Danish poet (b. 1866)
• 1933 – Henry Royce, British automobile manufacturer (b. 1863)
• 1944 – Nikolaos Roussen, Greek naval officer in World War II (b. 1913)
• 1945 – Käthe Kollwitz, German artist (b. 1867)
• 1945 – Wilhelm Cauer, German mathematician (b. 1900)
• 1946 – Harlan F. Stone, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (b. 1872)
• 1946 – Lionel Atwill, English Actor (b. 1885)
• 1951 – Horace Donisthorpe, British entomologist (b. 1870)
• 1968 – Stephen H. Sholes, American recording executive (b. 1911)
• 1978 – Will Geer, American actor (b. 1902)
• 1980 – Jane Froman, American actress (b. 1907)
• 1980 – Fritz Strassmann, German physicist (b. 1902)
• 1983 – Earl "Fatha" Hines, American jazz pianist (b. 1903)
• 1983 – John Louis Evans, convicted murderer (executed) (b. 1950)
• 1984 – Ansel Adams, American photographer (b. 1902)
• 1985 – Paul H. Emmett, American chemical engineer (b. 1900)
• 1985 – Jacques Ferron, French Canadian physician, author and politician (b. 1921)
• 1986 – Mircea Eliade, Romanian writer (b. 1907)
• 1988 – Irene Rich, American actress (b. 1891)
• 1990 – Albert Salmi, American actor (b. 1928)
• 1994 – Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States (b. 1913)
• 1995 – Maggie Kuhn, American activist (b. 1905)
• 1996 – Erma Bombeck, American humorist (b. 1927)
• 1996 – Harold "Jug" McSpaden, American professional golfer (b. 1908)
• 1998 – Kitch Christie, South African rugby coach (b. 1940)
• 1999 – Apostolos Nikolaidis, Greek singer (b. 1938)
• 1999 – Chan Canasta, magician and mindreader (b. 1920)
• 2002 – Linda Lovelace, American adult actress (b. 1949)
• 2003 – Martha Griffiths, U.S. Congresswoman (b. 1912)
• 2003 – Michael Larrabee, American athlete (b. 1933)
• 2003 – Felice Bryant, American songwriter (b. 1925)
• 2004 – Pat Tillman, American football player and U.S. Army Ranger (killed in action) (b. 1976)
• 2004 – Jason L. Dunham, American Medal of Honor recipient (b. 1981)
• 2005 – Norman Bird, UK character actor (b. 1920)
• 2005 – Robert Farnon, Canadian-born composer and conductor (b. 1917)
• 2005 – Erika Fuchs, German translator (b. 1906)
• 2005 – Philip Morrison, American physicist (b. 1915)
• 2006 – Alida Valli, Italian actress (b. 1921)
• 2007 – Juanita Millender-McDonald, congresswoman from southern California (b. 1938)
• 2008 – Ed Chynoweth, Canadian ice hockey executive (b. 1941)

Holidays and observances

• Earth Day
• Administrative Professionals' Day
• Brazil – Discovery Day
• Abel McAedh
• Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions
• April 22

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada