What happened today in history
What happened on April 1
On April 1 history recorded 57 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 91 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 57events
- 160births
- 91deaths
- 17observances
Highlights
Highlights
Richard Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, was defeated by knights loyal to King Henry III of England at the Battle of the Curragh in County Kildare, Ireland.
Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, was the son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and brother of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, whom he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke and Lord Marshal of England upon his brother's death on 6 April 1231.
Robert Winchelsey left England for Rome to be consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury, but a papal vacancy delayed the ceremony.
Robert Winchelsey was an English Catholic theologian and Archbishop of Canterbury. He studied at the universities of Paris and Oxford, and later taught at both. Influenced by Thomas Aquinas, he was a scholastic theologian.
A band of warriors led by Niels Ebbesen killed Count Gerhard III, ending Holstein rule in Denmark.
Niels Ebbesen was a Danish squire and national hero, known for assassinating Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg in 1340. From 1332 to 1340, Count Gerhard was the lord of both Jutland and Funen. His death meant the end of Holstein rule in Denmark.
April 1
On this day
III century
- 285
285Roman emperor Diocletian names Maximian his co-emperor ("Augustus").
VI century
XI century
XVI century
XVIII century
XIX century
- 1833
1833The Convention of 1833, a political gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas to help draft a series of petitions to the Mexican government, begins in San Felipe de Austin. - 1865
1865American Civil War: Union troops led by Philip Sheridan decisively defeat Confederate troops led by George Pickett, cutting the Army of Northern Virginia's last supply line during the Siege of Petersburg. - 1867
1867Singapore becomes a British crown colony. - 1873
1873The White Star steamer SS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century. - 1900
1900Prince George becomes absolute monarch of the Cretan State.
XX century
- 1908
1908The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army. - 1918
1918The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. - 1922
1922In newly formed Northern Ireland, six Catholics are murdered in the Arnon Street killings, one week after six others were killed in the McMahon killings. - 1924
1924Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years fortress confinement for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch" but spends only nine months in jail. - 1924
1924The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed. - 1933
1933The recently elected Nazis under Julius Streicher organize a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses in Germany, ushering in a series of anti-Semitic acts. - 1935
1935India's central banking institution, the Reserve Bank of India, is formed. - 1937
1937Aden becomes a British crown colony. - 1937
1937The Royal New Zealand Air Force is formed as an independent service. - 1939
1939Spanish Civil War: Generalísimo Francisco Franco of the Spanish State announces the end of the Spanish Civil War, when the last of the Republican forces surrender. - 1941
1941Fântâna Albă massacre: Between two hundred and two thousand Romanian civilians are killed by Soviet Border Troops. - 1941
1941A military coup in Iraq overthrows the regime of 'Abd al-Ilah and installs Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister. - 1944
1944World War II: Navigation errors lead to an accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen. - 1945
1945World War II: The Tenth United States Army attacks the Thirty-Second Japanese Army on Okinawa. - 1946
1946The 8.6 Mw Aleutian Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). A destructive tsunami reaches the Hawaiian Islands resulting in dozens of deaths, mostly in Hilo, Hawaii. - 1946
1946The Malayan Union is established. Protests from locals led to the establishment of the Federation of Malaya two years later. - 1947
1947The only mutiny in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy begins. - 1948
1948Cold War: Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin. - 1948
1948Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark. - 1949
1949The Government of Canada repeals Japanese-Canadian internment after seven years. - 1954
1954United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. - 1955
1955The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire begins in Cyprus, with the goal of unifying with Greece. - 1960
1960The TIROS-1 satellite transmits the first television picture from space. - 1964
1964The British Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry are replaced by a unified Defence Council of the United Kingdom. - 1969
1969The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing capabilities, enters service with the Royal Air Force. - 1970
1970President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law. - 1970
1970A Royal Air Maroc Sud Aviation Caravelle crashes near Berrechid, Morocco, killing 61. - 1971
1971Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army massacre more than a thousand people in Keraniganj Upazila, Bangladesh. - 1973
1973Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Jim Corbett National Park, India. - 1974
1974The Local Government Act 1972 of England and Wales comes into effect. - 1976
1976Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple Computer, Inc. - 1979
1979Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah. - 1984
1984Singer Marvin Gaye is shot to death by his father in his home in Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, California. - 1986
1986Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) cadres attack a number of police stations in Kathmandu, seeking to incite a popular rebellion. - 1989
1989Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly known as the "poll tax"), is introduced in Scotland. - 1993
1993NASCAR champion Alan Kulwicki is killed in a plane crash near the Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, Tennessee. - 1997
1997Comet Hale–Bopp is seen passing at perihelion. - 1999
1999Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.
XXI century
- 2001
2001An EP-3E United States Navy surveillance aircraft collides with a Chinese People's Liberation Army Shenyang J-8 fighter jet. The Chinese pilot ejected but is subsequently lost. The Navy crew makes an emergency landing in Hainan, China and is detained. - 2001
2001Former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on war crimes charges. - 2001
2001Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, the first contemporary country to allow it. - 2004
2004Google launches its Email service Gmail. - 2006
2006Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) of the Government of the United Kingdom is enforced, but later merged into National Crime Agency on 7 October 2013. - 2011
2011After protests against the burning of the Quran turn violent, a mob attacks a United Nations compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of fourteen people, including seven UN workers. - 2016
2016The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict begins along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact. - 2026
2026The Artemis II lunar flyby mission launches, marking the first crewed flight above low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Best known
Born on April 1
Best known
Died on April 1
Emperor Shenzong of Song
Emperor of China from 1067 to 1085
Hugh of Châteauneuf
Bishop of Grenoble and saint
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Queen of France (1137–52) and England (1154–89); Duchess of Aquitaine
Aimery of Cyprus
King of Jerusalem (1198–1205) and Cyprus
Abaqa Khan
Mongol ruler of the Ilkhanate from 1265 to 1282
Nuno Álvares Pereira
Portuguese general
Holidays and observances
- Christian feast day: Cellach of Armagh
- Christian feast day: Hugh of Grenoble
- Christian feast day: Frederick Denison Maurice (Church of England)
- Christian feast day: Mary of Egypt
- Christian feast day: Melito of Sardis
- Christian feast day: Tewdrig
- Christian feast day: Theodora
- Christian feast day: Walric, abbot of Leuconay
- Christian feast day: April 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- April Fools' Day
- Odisha Day (Odisha, India)
- Arbor Day (Tanzania)
- Civil Service Day (Thailand)
- Cyprus National Day (Cyprus)
Frequently asked questions
What happened on April 1?
57 documented historical events happened on April 1, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: Richard Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, was defeated by knights loyal to King Henry III of England at the Battle of the Curragh in County Kildare, Ireland. On the same day, in another year: Robert Winchelsey left England for Rome to be consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury, but a papal vacancy delayed the ceremony. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on April 1?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on April 1, including Harry Carney, Augusta Braxton Baker, O. W. Fischer. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on April 1?
91 people with a Wikipedia article died on April 1, including Emperor Shenzong of Song, Hugh of Châteauneuf, Eleanor of Aquitaine. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on April 1?
17 observances are celebrated on April 1 around the world: Christian feast day: Cellach of Armagh, Christian feast day: Hugh of Grenoble, Christian feast day: Frederick Denison Maurice (Church of England), Christian feast day: Mary of Egypt, Christian feast day: Melito of Sardis, Christian feast day: Tewdrig. The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
Keep exploring
Free app
Every day’s history, in your pocket
Almanaccolo greets you each morning with the almanac of the day, sunrise and sunset times and your saved events.
- Today’s almanac, every morning
- Save the events that strike you
- Sunrise, sunset and weather for your city
- Free, no account required

Source: Wikipedia · Calendar