1234
792 years ago
UK story
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 this day: 1 April
146 things happened on 1 April, from AD 33 to 2026. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
In the UK 18
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
1293
733 years ago
UK story
Robert Winchelsey left England for Rome to be consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury, but a papal vacancy delayed the ceremony.
1867
159 years ago
1871
155 years ago
UK story
The Duke of Buckingham opened the first section of the Brill Tramway, a short railway line to transport goods between his lands and the national rail network.
1879
147 years ago
UK story
The Inland Customs Line, established by the British for the collection of the salt tax in India, was abandoned.
1900
126 years ago
UK story
Prince George becomes absolute monarch of the Cretan State.
1908
118 years ago
UK story
The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army.
1918
108 years ago
UK story
The United Kingdom established the Royal Air Force, near the end of the First World War.
1933
93 years ago
UK story
English cricketer Wally Hammond set a record for the highest individual score in Test cricket of 336 not out during a match against New Zealand.
1937
89 years ago
1941
85 years ago
UK story
A military coup in Iraq overthrows the regime of 'Abd al-Ilah and installs Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister.
1955
71 years ago
UK story
The British Army's Mobile Defence Corps, intended to assist with civil defence after a nuclear attack, was established by royal warrant.
1955
71 years ago
UK story
The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire begins in Cyprus, with the goal of unifying with Greece.
1964
62 years ago
UK story
The British Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry are replaced by a unified Defence Council of the United Kingdom.
1969
57 years ago
UK story
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with V/STOL capabilities, entered service with the Royal Air Force.
1974
52 years ago
UK story
The Local Government Act 1972 of England and Wales comes into effect.
1989
37 years ago
UK story
Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly known as the "poll tax"), is introduced in Scotland.
2006
20 years ago
UK story
Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) of the Government of the United Kingdom is enforced, but later merged into National Crime Agency on 7 October 2013.
Around the world 31
AD 285
1,741 years ago
Roman emperor Diocletian names Maximian his co-emperor ("Augustus").
AD 527
1,499 years ago
Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
1346
680 years ago
Hundred Years' War: John, Duke of Normandy, laid siege to the town of Aiguillon.
1572
454 years ago
In the Eighty Years' War, the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Seventeen Provinces, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic.
1725
301 years ago
J. S. Bach's later Easter Oratorio in its first version is performed at the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig on Easter Sunday.
1789
237 years ago
In New York City, the United States House of Representatives achieves its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker.
1833
193 years ago
Mexican Texans met at San Felipe de Austin to begin the Convention of 1833.
1922
104 years ago
Under the South Seas Mandate, Japan set up a government in Koror, precipitating large-scale Japanese settlement in Palau.
1924
102 years ago
The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed.
1935
91 years ago
India's central banking institution, the Reserve Bank of India, is formed.
1937
89 years ago
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is formed as an independent service.
1939
87 years ago
Spanish 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.
1945
81 years ago
World War II: The Tenth United States Army attacks the Thirty-Second Japanese Army on Okinawa.
1946
80 years ago
The Malayan Union is established. Protests from locals led to the establishment of the Federation of Malaya two years later.
1948
78 years ago
Cold War: Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin.
1948
78 years ago
Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark.
1949
77 years ago
The Government of Canada repeals Japanese-Canadian internment after seven years.
1952
74 years ago
Israel enacted a citizenship law, prior to which the country technically had no citizens.
1954
72 years ago
United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
1960
66 years ago
The TIROS-1 satellite transmits the first television picture from space.
1970
56 years ago
U.S. president Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, requiring that a prominent warning by the surgeon general be placed on cigarette packages.
1970
56 years ago
The American Motors Corporation introduced its Gremlin, promoted as America's first subcompact car.
1973
53 years ago
Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Jim Corbett National Park, India.
1976
50 years ago
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer, Inc. (first logo pictured).
1979
47 years ago
Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.
1986
40 years ago
Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) cadres attack a number of police stations in Kathmandu, seeking to incite a popular rebellion.
1997
29 years ago
Comet Hale–Bopp is seen passing at perihelion.
1999
27 years ago
Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.
2004
22 years ago
Google launches its Email service Gmail.
2016
10 years ago
The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict begins along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact.
2026
this year
The Artemis II lunar flyby mission launches, marking the first crewed flight above low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Quick quiz
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
-
In which year did this happen: “The United Kingdom established the Royal Air Force, near the end of the First”?
- 1234
- 1964
- 1918
Show the answer
C: 1918. 1918 — that’s 108 years ago. Find it on the page
-
In which year did this happen: “Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly”?
- 1969
- 1871
- 1989
Show the answer
C: 1989. 1989 — that’s 37 years ago. Find it on the page
-
Which of these happened first?
- The United Kingdom established the Royal Air Force, near the end of the First
- The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with
- Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly
Show the answer
A: The United Kingdom established the Royal Air Force, near the end of the First. 1918: The United Kingdom established the Royal Air Force, near the end of the First · 1969: The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with · 1989: Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly Find it on the page
-
“The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with” happened in 1969. How many years ago was that?
- 47 years
- 67 years
- 57 years
Show the answer
C: 57 years. 2026 − 1969 = 57. Find it on the page
Born on this day 40
Famous people whose birthday is 1 April.
- 1815 Otto von Bismarck — German lawyer and politician, 1st Chancellor of the German Empire (died 1898) Read more about Otto von Bismarck on Wikipedia
- 1578 William Harvey — English physician and academic (died 1657) UK Read more about William Harvey on Wikipedia
- 1940 Wangari Maathai — Kenyan environmentalist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2011) Read more about Wangari Maathai on Wikipedia
- 1920 Toshiro Mifune — Japanese actor (died 1997) Read more about Toshiro Mifune on Wikipedia
- 1961 Susan Boyle — Scottish singer UK Read more about Susan Boyle on Wikipedia
- 1929 Milan Kundera — Czech-French novelist, poet, and playwright (died 2023) Read more about Milan Kundera on Wikipedia
- 1875 Edgar Wallace — English journalist, author, and playwright (died 1932) UK Read more about Edgar Wallace on Wikipedia
- 1908 Abraham Maslow — American psychologist and academic (died 1970) Read more about Abraham Maslow on Wikipedia
- 1927 Ferenc Puskás — Hungarian footballer and manager (died 2006) Read more about Ferenc Puskás on Wikipedia
- 1997 Asa Butterfield — English actor UK Read more about Asa Butterfield on Wikipedia
- 1873 Sergei Rachmaninoff — Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1943) Read more about Sergei Rachmaninoff on Wikipedia
- 1976 David Oyelowo — English actor UK Read more about David Oyelowo on Wikipedia
- 1932 Debbie Reynolds — American actress, singer, and dancer (died 2016) Read more about Debbie Reynolds on Wikipedia
- 1885 Clementine Churchill — English wife of Winston Churchill (died 1977) UK Read more about Clementine Churchill on Wikipedia
- 1647 John Wilmot — 2nd Earl of Rochester, English poet and courtier (died 1680) UK Read more about John Wilmot on Wikipedia
- 1968 Alexander Stubb — Finnish academic and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Finland and 13th President of Finland Read more about Alexander Stubb on Wikipedia
- 1753 Joseph de Maistre — French philosopher, lawyer, and diplomat (died 1821) Read more about Joseph de Maistre on Wikipedia
- 1933 Claude Cohen-Tannoudji — Algerian-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Read more about Claude Cohen-Tannoudji on Wikipedia
- 1776 Sophie Germain — French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (died 1831) Read more about Sophie Germain on Wikipedia
- 1865 Richard Adolf Zsigmondy — Austrian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1929) Read more about Richard Adolf Zsigmondy on Wikipedia
- 2000 Rhian Brewster — English footballer UK Read more about Rhian Brewster on Wikipedia
- 1978 Anamaria Marinca — Romanian-English actress UK Read more about Anamaria Marinca on Wikipedia
- 1868 Edmond Rostand — French poet and playwright (died 1918) Read more about Edmond Rostand on Wikipedia
- 1976 Clarence Seedorf — Dutch-Brazilian footballer and manager Read more about Clarence Seedorf on Wikipedia
- 1985 Beth Tweddle — English gymnast UK Read more about Beth Tweddle on Wikipedia
- 1946 Ronnie Lane — English bass player, songwriter, and producer (died 1997) UK Read more about Ronnie Lane on Wikipedia
- 1949 Sammy Nelson — Northern Irish footballer and coach UK Read more about Sammy Nelson on Wikipedia
- 1931 George Baker — Bulgarian-English actor and screenwriter (died 2011) UK Read more about George Baker on Wikipedia
- 1987 Oliver Turvey — English racing driver UK Read more about Oliver Turvey on Wikipedia
- 1697 Antoine François Prévost — French novelist and translator (died 1763) Read more about Antoine François Prévost on Wikipedia
- 1282 Louis IV — Holy Roman Emperor (died 1347) Read more about Louis IV on Wikipedia
- 1973 Rachel Maddow — American journalist and author Read more about Rachel Maddow on Wikipedia
- 1893 Cicely Courtneidge — Australian-English actress (died 1980) UK Read more about Cicely Courtneidge on Wikipedia
- 1969 Dean Windass — English footballer and manager UK Read more about Dean Windass on Wikipedia
- 1866 Ferruccio Busoni — Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1924) Read more about Ferruccio Busoni on Wikipedia
- 1874 Ernest Barnes — English mathematician and theologian (died 1953) UK Read more about Ernest Barnes on Wikipedia
- 1936 Peter Collinson — English-American director and producer (died 1980) UK Read more about Peter Collinson on Wikipedia
- 1883 Laurette Taylor — Irish-American actress (died 1946) UK Read more about Laurette Taylor on Wikipedia
- 1939 Ali MacGraw — American model and actress Read more about Ali MacGraw on Wikipedia
- 1995 Logan Paul — American YouTuber, actor and wrestler Read more about Logan Paul on Wikipedia
Remembering 18
Well-known people who died on 1 April.
- 1922 Charles I — emperor of Austria (born 1887) UK Read more about Charles I on Wikipedia
- 1204 Eleanor of Aquitaine — Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen Consort of France and England (born 1122) UK Read more about Eleanor of Aquitaine on Wikipedia
- 1947 George II — king of Greece (born 1890) UK Read more about George II on Wikipedia
- 1968 Lev Landau — Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1908) Read more about Lev Landau on Wikipedia
- 2025 Val Kilmer — American actor (born 1959) Read more about Val Kilmer on Wikipedia
- AD 33 Jesus of Nazareth — (Gregorian Calendar Date) Read more about Jesus of Nazareth on Wikipedia
- 1984 Marvin Gaye — American singer-songwriter (born 1939) Read more about Marvin Gaye on Wikipedia
- 1971 Kathleen Lonsdale — Irish crystallographer and prison reformer (born 1903) UK Read more about Kathleen Lonsdale on Wikipedia
- 2017 Yevgeny Yevtushenko — Soviet and Russian poet and writer (born 1932) Read more about Yevgeny Yevtushenko on Wikipedia
- AD 996 John XV — pope of the Catholic Church Read more about John XV on Wikipedia
- 1976 Max Ernst — German painter and sculptor (born 1891) Read more about Max Ernst on Wikipedia
- 1984 Elizabeth Goudge — English author (born 1900) UK Read more about Elizabeth Goudge on Wikipedia
- 1917 Scott Joplin — American pianist and composer (born 1868) Read more about Scott Joplin on Wikipedia
- 1995 Lucie Rie — Austrian-English potter (born 1902) UK Read more about Lucie Rie on Wikipedia
- 1872 Frederick Denison Maurice — English theologian and academic (born 1805) UK Read more about Frederick Denison Maurice on Wikipedia
- 1924 Lloyd Hildebrand — English cyclist (born 1870) UK Read more about Lloyd Hildebrand on Wikipedia
- 1548 Sigismund I — king of Poland (born 1467) Read more about Sigismund I on Wikipedia
- 2014 Jacques Le Goff — French historian and author (born 1924) Read more about Jacques Le Goff on Wikipedia
Special days 17
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 1 April somewhere in the world.
- April Fools' Day Read more about April Fools' Day on Wikipedia
- Arbor Day (Tanzania) Read more about Arbor Day on Wikipedia
- Civil Service Day (Thailand) Read more about Public holidays in Thailand on Wikipedia
- Odisha Day (Odisha, India) Read more about Odisha Day on Wikipedia
- Kha b-Nisan, the Assyrian New Year (Assyrian people) Read more about Kha b-Nisan on Wikipedia
- Cyprus National Day (Cyprus) Read more about Public holidays in Cyprus on Wikipedia
- Edible Book Day Read more about Edible Book Festival on Wikipedia
- Fossil Fools Day Read more about Fossil Fools Day on Wikipedia
- Christian saints’ and feast days: Frederick Denison Maurice (Church of England), Tewdrig, Mary of Egypt, Melito of Sardis, Hugh of Grenoble, Walric, abbot of Leuconay, Cellach of Armagh, Theodora, April 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
For older readers 22 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
- 1922 In newly formed Northern Ireland, six Catholics are murdered in the Arnon Street killings, one week after six others were killed in the McMahon killings. Read more about Northern Ireland on Wikipedia
- 1963 On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the tenth novel of Ian Fleming's James Bond series, was released in the United Kingdom. Read more about On Her Majesty's Secret Service (novel) on Wikipedia
- 1990 The longest prison riot in British penal history began at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, lasting 25 days. Read more about Strangeways Prison riot on Wikipedia
- 1873 The White Star steamer SS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century. Read more about White Star Line on Wikipedia
- 1865 American Civil War: The Union Army under Major General Philip Sheridan (pictured) inflicted more than 2,900 casualties on the Confederates at the Battle of Five Forks. Read more about American Civil War on Wikipedia
- 1924 Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years fortress confinement for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch" but spends only nine months in jail. Read more about Adolf Hitler on Wikipedia
- 1933 The 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. Read more about Nazism on Wikipedia
- 2001 Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands was legalized, making it the first country to do so. Read more about Same-sex marriage in the Netherlands on Wikipedia
- 1340 A band of warriors led by Niels Ebbesen killed Count Gerhard III, ending Holstein rule in Denmark. Read more about Niels Ebbesen on Wikipedia
- 1974 A man ignited tires in the crater of Mount Edgecumbe, prompting a false eruption scare later revealed as an April Fools' hoax. Read more about Mount Edgecumbe (Alaska) on Wikipedia
- 1941 Soviet border guards opened fire on civilians attempting to cross the border from the Soviet Union to Romania near Fântâna Albă, killing between 44 and 3,000 people. Read more about Fântâna Albă massacre on Wikipedia
- 2001 An American Lockheed EP-3 and a Chinese Shenyang J-8 collided in mid-air off Hainan, resulting in an international dispute between the two countries. Read more about Lockheed EP-3 on Wikipedia
- 2001 Former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on war crimes charges. Read more about Slobodan Milošević on Wikipedia
- 1984 Singer Marvin Gaye is shot to death by his father in his home in Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, California. Read more about Marvin Gaye on Wikipedia
- 1081 Alexios I Komnenos overthrows the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, and, after his troops spend three days extensively looting Constantinople, is formally crowned on April 4. Read more about Alexios I Komnenos on Wikipedia
- 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army massacre more than a thousand people in Keraniganj Upazila, Bangladesh. Read more about Bangladesh Liberation War on Wikipedia
- 1946 The 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. Read more about Modified Mercalli intensity scale on Wikipedia
- 1993 NASCAR champion Alan Kulwicki is killed in a plane crash near the Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, Tennessee. Read more about NASCAR on Wikipedia
- 1970 A Royal Air Maroc Sud Aviation Caravelle crashes near Berrechid, Morocco, killing 61. Read more about Royal Air Maroc on Wikipedia
- 1944 World War II: Navigation errors lead to an accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen. Read more about Aerial incidents in Switzerland in World War II on Wikipedia
- 2011 After 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. Read more about Dove World Outreach Center Quran-burning controversy on Wikipedia
- 1947 The only mutiny in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy begins. Read more about 1947 Royal New Zealand Navy mutinies on Wikipedia
Where these facts come from
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “April 1” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.