April 6
April 6 is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 269 days remain until the end of the year.
Events
- 648 BC - Earliest solar eclipse recorded by the Ancient Greeks.
- 402 - Stilicho stymies the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.
- 1320 - The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
- 1327 - The poet Petrarch first sees his idealized love, Laura, in the church of Saint Clare in Avignon.
- 1652 - Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp at the Cape of Good Hope, which eventually becomes Cape Town.
- 1667 - An earthquake devastates Dubrovnik, then independent city-state.
- 1782 - Rama I succeeds King Taksin of Thailand, who was overthrown in a coup d'état.
- 1793 - During the French Revolution , the Committee of Public Safety becomes the executive organ of the republic, and the period known as the Reign of Terror begins
- 1808 - John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company.
- 1814 - Napoleon abdicates. He is then exiled to Elba.
- 1830 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. and others at Fayette, New York.
- 1832 - Indian Wars: Black Hawk War begins - The Sauk warrior Black Hawk enters into war with the United States.
- 1841 - John Tyler is inaugurated as the 10th President of the United States.
- 1860 - Joseph Smith III, creates the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by reorganizing the previous church organized by his father, Joseph Smith, Jr.
- 1862 - American Civil War: Battle of Shiloh begins - In Tennessee, forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant meet Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh.
- 1865 - American Civil War: Battle of Sayler's Creek - Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia fights its last major battle while in retreat from Richmond, Virginia.
- 1866 - The Grand Army of the Republic , an American patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War , is founded. It lasts until 1956.
- 1869 - Celluloid is patented.
- 1893 - Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated by Wilford Woodruff.
- 1895 - Oscar Wilde is arrested after losing a libel case against the John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry.
- 1896 - In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games 1,500 years after being banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I.
- 1903 - The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Israel and the Western world.
- 1909 - Robert Peary allegedly reaches the North Pole.
- 1911 - Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj, Leader of the Malësori Albanians, raises the Albanian flag in the town of Tuzi, Montenegro, for the first time after Gjergj Kastrioti (Skenderbeg).
- 1917 - World War I: United States declares war on Germany (see Wilson's address to Congress).
- 1923 - The first Prefects Board in Southeast Asia is formed in Victoria Institution, Malaysia.
- 1924 - The first successful flight (with stops) completely around the world begins
- 1926 - Walter Varney Airlines makes first commercial flight (Varney is the root company of United Airlines).
- 1930 - Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt and declares, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." Thus he starts Salt Satyagraha.
- 1930 - Will Rogers starts broadcasting The Will Rogers Program on radio.
- 1931 - Little Orphan Annie debuts on the Blue Network of NBC.
- 1936 - Tupelo-Gainesville Outbreak: Another tornado from the same storm system as the Tupelo tornado hits Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203.
- 1938 - Teflon is discovered.
- 1941 - World War II: Operation Castigo begins; Germany invades Kingdom of Yugoslavia and Greece.
- 1947 - The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievements.
- 1957 - Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis buys the Hellenic National Airlines (TAE) and founds Olympic Airlines.
- 1965 - Launch of Early Bird, the first communications satellite to be placed in synchronous orbit.
- 1968 - In Richmond, Indiana's downtown district, a double explosion kills 41 and injures 150.
- 1970 - Newhall Incident: Four California Highway Patrol officers are killed.
- 1972 - Vietnam War: Easter Offensive - American forces begin sustained air strikes and naval bombardments.
- 1973 - Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft.
- 1974 - ABBA win the Eurovision Song Contest, launching their international career.
- 1980 - The NHL's. Gordie Howe plays in his final game at the age of 51.
- 1984 - Members of Cameroon's Republican Guard attack government buildings in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the government headed by Paul Biya.
- 1987 - Los Angeles Dodgers executive Al Campanis said on ABC's "Nightline" that blacks "may not have some of the necessities" to hold managerial jobs in major league baseball.
- 1987 - Sugar Ray Leonard defeats Marvelous Marvin Hagler via split decision to win the world middleweight championship.
- 1992 - A general strike is declared by communist groups in Nepal
- 1994 - The Rwandan Genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down by extremists.
- 1996 - Panathinaikos becomes the first Greek team to win the basketball European Championships (now Euroleague) in Paris, beating FC Barcelona by 67-66.
- 1998 - Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of hitting India.
- 2004 - Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from the post by impeachment.
- 2005 - Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani becomes the Iraqi president; Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari is named premier the next day.
- 2007 - M/S Sea Diamond cruiser, ex-M/S Birka Princess sinks near the port of Santorini,Greece; two missing
Births
- 1483 - Raphael, Italian painter and architect (d. 1520)
- 1613 - Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and scientist (d. 1683)
- 1630 - Shivaji, founder of the Maratha Empire (d. 1680)
- 1651 - André Dacier, French classical scholar (d. 1722)
- 1664 - Arvid Horn, Swedish statesman (d. 1742)
- 1671 - Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (d. 1741)
- 1725 - Pasquale Paoli, Corsican patriot and military leader (d. 1807)
- 1812 - Alexander Herzen, Russian writer (d. 1870)
- 1815 - Robert Volkmann, German composer (d. 1883)
- 1818 - Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Norwegian poet (d. 1870)
- 1820 - Nadar, French photographer (d. 1910)
- 1823 - Joseph Medill, Mayor of Chicago (d. 1899)
- 1826 - Gustave Moreau, French painter (d. 1898)
- 1841 - Karl Binding, German jurist (d. 1920)
- 1849 - John William Waterhouse, British painter (d. 1917)
- 1851 - Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer (d. 1932)
- 1878 - Erich Mühsam, German author (d. 1934)
- 1884 - Walter Huston, Canadian-born actor (d. 1950)
- 1890 - Anthony Fokker, Dutch designer of aircraft (d. 1939)
- 1892 - Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American industrialist (d. 1981)
- 1892 - Lowell Thomas, American travel writer (d. 1981)
- 1901 - Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian Catholic (d. 1925)
- 1902 - Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (d. 1989)
- 1903 - Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player (d. 1962)
- 1903 - Harold Edgerton, American electrical engineer (d. 1990)
- 1909 - Hermann Lang, German race car driver (d. 1987)
- 1911 - Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1979)
- 1918 - Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian president (d. 1982)
- 1920 - Edmond H. Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist, Nobel laureate
- 1926 - Sergio Franchi, Italian-born singer and actor (d. 1990)
- 1926 - Gil Kane, Latvian-born cartoonist (d. 2000)
- 1926 - Ian Paisley, Northern Irish politician
- 1927 - Gerry Mulligan, American musician (d. 1996)
- 1928 - James D. Watson, American geneticist, Nobel laureate
- 1929 - André Previn, German-born composer and conductor
- 1931 - Ivan Dixon, American actor and director
- 1933 - Roy Goode, British lawyer
- 1934 - Anton Geesink, Dutch judoka
- 1937 - Merle Haggard, American musician
- 1937 - Billy Dee Williams, American actor
- 1938 - Paul Daniels, English magician
- 1938 - Roy Thinnes, American actor
- 1939 - André Ouellet, French Canadian politician
- 1940 - Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Mexican actor
- 1941 - Phil Austin, American comedian
- 1941 - Don Prudhomme, American drag racer
- 1941 - Zamfir, Romanian musician
- 1942 - Barry Levinson, American film producer/director
- 1944 - Felicity Palmer, English soprano
- 1947 - John Ratzenberger, American actor
- 1949 - Horst Ludwig Störmer, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1951 - Bert Blyleven, Dutch-born baseball player
- 1952 - Udo Dirkschneider, German singer (Accept and U.D.O.)
- 1952 - Marilu Henner, American actress
- 1952 - Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1992)
- 1955 - Keith Hunter Jesperson, Canadian-born serial killer
- 1955 - Michael Rooker, American actor
- 1956 - Dilip Vengsarkar, Indian cricketer and administrator
- 1964 - Phil Gayle, English news presenter
- 1965 - Frank Black, American singer/songwriter (Pixies)
- 1969 - Bison Dele, American basketball player (disappeared 2002)
- 1969 - Ari Meyers, Puerto Rican-born American actress
- 1969 - Paul Rudd, American actor
- 1970 - Huang Xiaomin, Chinese swimmer
- 1970 - Olaf Kölzig, South African-born ice hockey player
- 1971 - Lou Merloni, American baseball player
- 1973 - Donnie Edwards, American football player
- 1973 - Rie Miyazawa, Japanese actress/singer
- 1973 - Prashanth, Indian actor
- 1973 - Sun Wen, Chinese footballer
- 1974 - Adithya, Indian actor
- 1975 - Zach Braff, American actor
- 1976 - Candace Cameron, American actress
- 1976 - Georg Hólm, Icelandic musician
- 1978 - Myleene Klass, British singer (Hear'Say)
- 1978 - Blaine Neal, American baseball player
- 1982 - Ilan Hall, Israeli-American chef
- 1983 - Diora Baird, American actress
- 1983 - Jade Seah, Singapore mediacorp artiste, miss singapore 1st runner-up
- 1985 - Garrett Zablocki, (Senses Fail)
- 1987 - Levi Porter, English footballer
- 1987 - Hilary Rhoda, American supermodel
- 1988 - Fabrice Muamba, Anglo-Congolese footballer
Deaths
- 1147 - Frederick II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1090)
- 1199 - King Richard I of England (b. 1157)
- 1199 - Pierre Basile, French soldier
- 1362 - James I, Count of La Marche, French soldier (b. 1319)
- 1490 - King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary
- 1520 - Raphael, Italian painter and architect (b. 1483)
- 1528 - Albrecht Dürer, German artist (b. 1471)
- 1551 - Joachim Vadian, Swiss humanist (b. 1484)
- 1571 - John Hamilton, Scottish prelate and politician
- 1590 - Francis Walsingham, English spymaster
- 1605 - John Stow, English historian
- 1655 - David Blondel, French Protestant clergyman (b. 1591)
- 1686 - Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, English royalist statesman (b. 1614)
- 1707 - Willem van de Velde, the younger, Dutch painter (b. 1633)
- 1755 - Richard Rawlinson, English minister and antiquarian (b. 1690)
- 1825 - Vladimir Borovikovsky, Russian painter (b. 1757)
- 1829 - Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician (b. 1802)
- 1838 - José Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva, Brazilian statesman and geologist (b. 1763)
- 1862 - Albert Sidney Johnston, American Confederate general (b. 1803)
- 1883 - Benjamin Wright Raymond, American politician (b. 1801)
- 1906 - Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author (b. 1849)
- 1933 - Elizabeth Bacon Custer, wife of George Armstrong Custer (b. 1842)
- 1935 - Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet (b. 1869)
- 1953 - Idris Davies, Welsh poet (b. 1905)
- 1961 - Jules Bordet, Belgian immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1870)
- 1963 - Otto Struve, Russian-born astronomer (b. 1897)
- 1970 - Sam Sheppard, American accused murderer (b. 1923)
- 1971 - Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (b. 1882)
- 1974 - Willem Marinus Dudok, Dutch architect (b. 1884)
- 1976 - Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (b. 1903)
- 1992 - Isaac Asimov, Russian-born author (b. 1920)
- 1994 - Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan politician (b. 1937)
- 1994 - Cyprien Ntaryamira, Burundian politician (b. 1956)
- 1996 - Greer Garson, Irish actress (b. 1904)
- 1998 - Wendy O. Williams, American singer (Plasmatics) (b. 1949)
- 1998 - Tammy Wynette, American singer (b. 1942)
- 1999 - Red Norvo, American jazz vibraphonist (b. 1908)
- 2000 - Habib Bourguiba, Tunisian politician (b. 1903)
- 2003 - David Bloom, American reporter (b. 1963)
- 2003 - Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian drummer (b. 1927)
- 2003 - Gerald Emmett Cardinal Carter, Canadian religious figure (b. 1912)
- 2004 - Larisa Bogoraz, Soviet dissident (b. 1929)
- 2004 - Niki Sullivan, American guitarist (The Crickets) (b. 1937)
- 2005 - Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (b. 1923)
- 2006 - Maggie Dixon, American college basketball coach (b. 1977)
Holidays and observances
- Tartan Day, the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, a day set aside for the celebration of Scottish influence
- The date of organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Joseph Smith, Jr.. Also the date on which The Church teaches that Jesus was born.
- Chakri Day in Thailand, commemorating the reign of the Chakri Dynasty.
Liturgical Feast days
in the Roman Catholic Church
- Saint Balderik
- Saint Marcellinus of Carthage (d. 413)
- St. Sixtus
- Saint Wineboud
- Blessed Notker
- Saint Isolde
- Feast day of Saint Brychan, King of Brycheiniog, South Wales