1581
445 years ago
UK story
Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake for completing a circumnavigation of the world.
On this day: 4 April
145 things happened on 4 April, from 503 BC to 2025. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
In the UK 5
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
1660
366 years ago
UK story
Declaration of Breda by King Charles II of Great Britain promises, among other things, a general pardon to all royalists and opponents of the monarchy for crimes committed during the English Civil War and the Interregnum.
1873
153 years ago
UK story
The Kennel Club, the world's oldest kennel club, was founded in the United Kingdom after Sewallis Shirley became frustrated by trying to organise dog shows without a consistent set of rules.
1958
68 years ago
UK story
The CND peace symbol is displayed in public for the first time in London.
1964
62 years ago
UK story
The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.
Around the world 37
503 BC
2,528 years ago
Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrated a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines.
AD 190
1,836 years ago
Dong Zhuo has his troops evacuate the capital Luoyang and burn it to the ground.
AD 611
1,415 years ago
Maya king Uneh Chan of Calakmul sacks rival city-state Palenque in southern Mexico.
AD 619
1,407 years ago
The Bijapur-Mumbai inscription is issued by Pulakeshin II, describing the Battle of Narmada.: 207
AD 801
1,225 years ago
King Louis the Pious captures Barcelona from the Moors after a siege of several months.
1081
945 years ago
The Komnenos dynasty came to full power with the coronation of Alexios I Komnenos (pictured) as Byzantine emperor.
1268
758 years ago
The Byzantine Empire and the Republic of Venice signed a five-year peace treaty.
1796
230 years ago
Georges Cuvier delivers the first paleontological lecture.
1814
212 years ago
Napoleon abdicated as Emperor of the French and named his son Napoleon II to replace him.
1818
208 years ago
The United States Congress, affirming the Second Continental Congress, adopts the flag of the United States with 13 red and white stripes and one star for each state (20 at that time).
1860
166 years ago
The declaration on the introduction of the Finnish markka as an official currency is read in different parts of the Grand Duchy of Finland.
1865
161 years ago
American Civil War: A day after Union forces capture Richmond, Virginia, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln visits the Confederate capital.
1887
139 years ago
Argonia, Kansas elects Susanna M. Salter as the first female mayor in the United States.
1933
93 years ago
U.S. Navy airship USS Akron is wrecked off the New Jersey coast due to severe weather.
1945
81 years ago
World War II: Soviet Red Army troops liberate Hungary from German occupation.
1945
81 years ago
World War II: United States Army troops liberate Ohrdruf forced labor camp in Germany.
1945
81 years ago
World War II: United States Army troops capture Kassel.
1946
80 years ago
Greek judge and archeologist Panagiotis Poulitsas is appointed Prime Minister of Greece in the midst of the Greek Civil War.
1949
77 years ago
Twelve nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty, establishing NATO, an international military alliance whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party.
1960
66 years ago
France agrees to grant independence to the Mali Federation, a union of Senegal and French Sudan.
1963
63 years ago
Bye Bye Birdie, a musical romantic comedy film directed by George Sidney, was released.
1967
59 years ago
Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" speech in New York City's Riverside Church.
1968
58 years ago
Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 6.
1969
57 years ago
Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart.
1973
53 years ago
A year after the completion of the second of the complex's twin towers, the World Trade Center in New York City was officially dedicated.
1973
53 years ago
The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City are officially dedicated.
1975
51 years ago
Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800.
1981
45 years ago
Iran–Iraq War: The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force mounts an attack on H-3 Airbase and destroys about 50 Iraqi aircraft.
1983
43 years ago
Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Challenger makes its maiden voyage into space on STS-6.
1988
38 years ago
Evan Mecham, Governor of Arizona, was removed from office after being convicted in his impeachment trial.
1990
36 years ago
The current flag of Hong Kong (pictured) was adopted for post-colonial use during the Third Session of the Seventh National People's Congress.
1996
30 years ago
Comet Hyakutake is imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous.
1997
29 years ago
Space Shuttle program: Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on STS-83. However, the mission is later cut short due to a fuel cell problem.
2002
24 years ago
The MPLA government of Angola and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War.
2009
17 years ago
France announces its return to full participation of its military forces within NATO.
2023
3 years ago
Finland becomes a member of NATO after Turkey accepts its membership request.
2025
1 year ago
The impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea in response to his declaration of martial law is unanimously upheld by the country's Constitutional Court, ending his presidency.
Quick quiz
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
-
In which year did this happen: “Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake for completing a circumnavigation of”?
- 1952
- 1581
- 1923
Show the answer
B: 1581. 1581 — that’s 445 years ago. Find it on the page
-
In which year did this happen: “The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart”?
- 1835
- 1581
- 1964
Show the answer
C: 1964. 1964 — that’s 62 years ago. Find it on the page
-
Which of these happened first?
- The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart
- The Kennel Club, the world's oldest kennel club, was founded in the United
- Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake for completing a circumnavigation of
Show the answer
C: Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake for completing a circumnavigation of. 1964: The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart · 1873: The Kennel Club, the world's oldest kennel club, was founded in the United · 1581: Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake for completing a circumnavigation of Find it on the page
-
“The Kennel Club, the world's oldest kennel club, was founded in the United” happened in 1873. How many years ago was that?
- 163 years
- 153 years
- 143 years
Show the answer
B: 153 years. 2026 − 1873 = 153. Find it on the page
Born on this day 40
Famous people whose birthday is 4 April.
- 1928 Maya Angelou — American memoirist and poet (died 2014) Read more about Maya Angelou on Wikipedia
- AD 188 Caracalla — Roman emperor (died 217) Read more about Caracalla on Wikipedia
- 1965 Robert Downey Jr. — American actor, producer, and screenwriter. Read more about Robert Downey Jr. on Wikipedia
- 1979 Heath Ledger — Australian actor (died 2008) Read more about Heath Ledger on Wikipedia
- 1952 Gary Moore — Northern Irish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2011) UK Read more about Gary Moore on Wikipedia
- 1932 Andrei Tarkovsky — Russian director and producer (died 1986) Read more about Andrei Tarkovsky on Wikipedia
- 1818 Thomas Mayne Reid — Irish-American author and poet (died 1883) UK Read more about Thomas Mayne Reid on Wikipedia
- 1986 Aiden McGeady — Scottish-born Irish footballer UK Read more about Aiden McGeady on Wikipedia
- 2003 Harvey Elliott — English footballer UK Read more about Harvey Elliott on Wikipedia
- 1914 Marguerite Duras — French novelist, screenwriter, and director (died 1996) Read more about Marguerite Duras on Wikipedia
- 1987 Sami Khedira — German footballer Read more about Sami Khedira on Wikipedia
- 1884 Isoroku Yamamoto — Japanese admiral (died 1943) Read more about Isoroku Yamamoto on Wikipedia
- 1923 Peter Vaughan — English actor (died 2016) UK Read more about Peter Vaughan on Wikipedia
- 1983 Ben Gordon — American basketball player UK Read more about Ben Gordon on Wikipedia
- 1948 Abdullah Öcalan — Turkish activist Read more about Abdullah Öcalan on Wikipedia
- 1932 Anthony Perkins — American actor (died 1992) Read more about Anthony Perkins on Wikipedia
- 1835 John Hughlings Jackson — English physician and neurologist (died 1911) UK Read more about John Hughlings Jackson on Wikipedia
- 1960 Hugo Weaving — Nigerian-Australian actor and producer Read more about Hugo Weaving on Wikipedia
- 1940 Richard Attwood — English race car driver UK Read more about Richard Attwood on Wikipedia
- 1964 Paul Parker — England international footballer and TV pundit UK Read more about Paul Parker on Wikipedia
- 1906 Bea Benaderet — Turkish-Irish-American television, radio, and voice actress (died 1968) UK Read more about Bea Benaderet on Wikipedia
- 1988 Frank Fielding — English footballer UK Read more about Frank Fielding on Wikipedia
- 1868 Philippa Fawcett — English mathematician and educator (died 1948) UK Read more about Philippa Fawcett on Wikipedia
- 1913 Muddy Waters — American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1983) Read more about Muddy Waters on Wikipedia
- 1928 Monty Norman — English singer-songwriter and producer (died 2022) UK Read more about Monty Norman on Wikipedia
- 1785 Bettina von Arnim — German author, illustrator, and composer (died 1859) Read more about Bettina von Arnim on Wikipedia
- 1846 Comte de Lautréamont — Uruguayan-French poet and educator (died 1870) Read more about Comte de Lautréamont on Wikipedia
- 1957 Aki Kaurismäki — Finnish director, producer, and screenwriter Read more about Aki Kaurismäki on Wikipedia
- 1946 Dave Hill — English guitarist UK Read more about Dave Hill on Wikipedia
- 1948 Pick Withers — English drummer UK Read more about Pick Withers on Wikipedia
- 1952 Cherie Lunghi — English actress and dancer UK Read more about Cherie Lunghi on Wikipedia
- 1989 Steven Finn — English cricketer UK Read more about Steven Finn on Wikipedia
- 1853 Remy de Gourmont — French poet, novelist, and critic (died 1915) Read more about Remy de Gourmont on Wikipedia
- 1762 Stephen Storace — English actor and composer (died 1796) UK Read more about Stephen Storace on Wikipedia
- 1819 Maria II of Portugal Read more about Maria II of Portugal on Wikipedia
- 1991 Jamie Lynn Spears — American actress and singer Read more about Jamie Lynn Spears on Wikipedia
- 1976 Emerson Ferreira da Rosa — Brazilian footballer Read more about Emerson Ferreira da Rosa on Wikipedia
- 1892 Edith Södergran — Swedish-Finnish poet (died 1923) Read more about Edith Södergran on Wikipedia
- 1876 Maurice de Vlaminck — French painter and poet (died 1958) Read more about Maurice de Vlaminck on Wikipedia
- 1964 David Cross — American actor, producer, and screenwriter Read more about David Cross on Wikipedia
Remembering 21
Well-known people who died on 4 April.
- 1841 William Henry Harrison — American general and politician, 9th President of the United States (born 1773) Read more about William Henry Harrison on Wikipedia
- AD 911 Liu Yin — Chinese warlord and governor (born 874) Read more about Liu Yin on Wikipedia
- 1617 John Napier — Scottish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer (born 1550) UK Read more about John Napier on Wikipedia
- 1929 Karl Benz — German engineer and businessman, founded Mercedes-Benz (born 1844) Read more about Karl Benz on Wikipedia
- 1919 William Crookes — English chemist and physicist (born 1832) UK Read more about William Crookes on Wikipedia
- 2013 Roger Ebert — American journalist, critic, and screenwriter (born 1942) Read more about Roger Ebert on Wikipedia
- AD 397 Ambrose — Roman archbishop and saint (born 338) Read more about Ambrose on Wikipedia
- 1923 John Venn — English mathematician and philosopher, created the Venn diagram (born 1834) UK Read more about John Venn on Wikipedia
- 1979 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto — Pakistani lawyer and politician, 4th President of Pakistan (born 1928) Read more about Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on Wikipedia
- 1406 Robert III — king of Scotland (born 1337) UK Read more about Robert III on Wikipedia
- 1932 Wilhelm Ostwald — Latvian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1853) Read more about Wilhelm Ostwald on Wikipedia
- 1983 Gloria Swanson — American actress (born 1899) Read more about Gloria Swanson on Wikipedia
- 1774 Oliver Goldsmith — Irish novelist, playwright and poet (born 1728) Read more about Oliver Goldsmith on Wikipedia
- 1284 Alfonso X — king of Castile and León (born 1221) Read more about Alfonso X on Wikipedia
- 2007 Karen Spärck Jones — English computer scientist and academic (born 1935) UK Read more about Karen Spärck Jones on Wikipedia
- 1983 Bernard Vukas — Croatian football player, played for 1953 FIFA's "Rest of the World" team against England at Wembley (born 1927) UK Read more about Bernard Vukas on Wikipedia
- 2024 Lynne Reid Banks — British author (born 1929) UK Read more about Lynne Reid Banks on Wikipedia
- 1661 Alexander Leslie — 1st Earl of Leven, Scottish field marshal (born 1580) UK Read more about Alexander Leslie on Wikipedia
- 1985 Kate Roberts — Welsh author and activist (born 1891) UK Read more about Kate Roberts on Wikipedia
- 2014 Margo MacDonald — Scottish journalist and politician (born 1943) UK Read more about Margo MacDonald on Wikipedia
- 1995 Kenny Everett — English radio and television host (born 1944) UK Read more about Kenny Everett on Wikipedia
Special days 13
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 4 April somewhere in the world.
- Children's Day (Hong Kong, Taiwan) Read more about Children's Day on Wikipedia
- One of the possible days for Qingming Festival. Read more about Qingming Festival on Wikipedia
- Peace Day (Angola) Read more about Public holidays in Angola on Wikipedia
- NATO Day Read more about NATO Day on Wikipedia
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Senegal from France (1960). Read more about Public holidays in Senegal on Wikipedia
- Christian saints’ and feast days: Reginald Heber (Anglican Church of Canada), Martin Luther King Jr. (Episcopal Church (USA)), Isidore of Seville, Benedict the Moor, Gaetano Catanoso, Plato of Sakkoudion, Tigernach of Clones, April 4 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics).
For older readers 29 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.
- 1920 The four-day Nebi Musa riots commence. Read more about 1920 Nebi Musa riots on Wikipedia
- 1975 Vietnam War: On a mission to evacuate children from South Vietnam, a U.S. Air Force plane crash-landed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, killing 78 children and 60 others. Read more about Vietnam War on Wikipedia
- 1841 William Henry Harrison became the first U.S. president to die in office, sparking a brief constitutional crisis regarding questions of presidential succession that were unanswered by the U.S. Constitution. Read more about William Henry Harrison on Wikipedia
- 1968 American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (pictured) was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Read more about Civil rights movement on Wikipedia
- 1984 President Ronald Reagan calls for an international ban on chemical weapons. Read more about Ronald Reagan on Wikipedia
- 1973 A C-141, dubbed the Hanoi Taxi, flew the last mission of Operation Homecoming to return American prisoners of war from Vietnam. Read more about Lockheed C-141 Starlifter on Wikipedia
- 1859 Bryant's Minstrels premiered the minstrel song "Dixie" in New York City as part of their blackface show. Read more about Minstrel show on Wikipedia
- 2024 Russo-Ukrainian war: The Battle of Chasiv Yar begins. Read more about Russo-Ukrainian war on Wikipedia
- 2011 Georgian Airways Flight 834 crashed at N'djili Airport in Kinshasa, killing 32 people and leaving one survivor. Read more about Georgian Airways Flight 834 on Wikipedia
- 1905 An earthquake hit the Kangra Valley in India, killing at least 20,000 people and destroying 100,000 buildings. Read more about 1905 Kangra earthquake on Wikipedia
- 2013 A building collapsed on tribal land in Thane in Maharashtra, India, causing 74 deaths. Read more about 2013 Thane building collapse on Wikipedia
- 1866 Alexander II of Russia narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by Dmitry Karakozov in the city of Saint Petersburg. Read more about Alexander II of Russia on Wikipedia
- 1925 The Schutzstaffel (SS) is founded under Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party in Germany. Read more about Schutzstaffel on Wikipedia
- 1979 Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan is executed. Read more about Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on Wikipedia
- 1913 First Balkan War: Greek aviator Emmanouil Argyropoulos becomes the first pilot to die in the Hellenic Air Force when his plane crashes. Read more about First Balkan War on Wikipedia
- 1609 Moriscos are expelled from the Kingdom of Valencia. Read more about Morisco on Wikipedia
- 2020 China holds a national day of mourning for martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease outbreak. Read more about National day of mourning on Wikipedia
- 2017 Syria conducts an air strike on Khan Shaykhun using chemical weapons, killing 89 civilians. Read more about Khan Shaykhun chemical attack on Wikipedia
- 1423 Death of the Venetian Doge Tommaso Mocenigo, under whose rule victories were achieved against the Kingdom of Hungary and against the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Gallipoli (1416). Read more about Tommaso Mocenigo on Wikipedia
- 1977 Southern Airways Flight 242 crashes in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, killing 72. Read more about Southern Airways Flight 242 on Wikipedia
- 1991 Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania and six others are killed when a helicopter collides with their airplane over an elementary school in Merion, Pennsylvania. Read more about John Heinz on Wikipedia
- 2010 A magnitude 7.2 earthquake hits south of the Mexico-USA border, killing at least two and damaging buildings across the two countries. Read more about 2010 Baja California earthquake on Wikipedia
- 1994 Three people are killed when KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 crashes at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Read more about KLM Cityhopper Flight 433 on Wikipedia
- 1987 Garuda Indonesia Flight 032 crashes at Medan Airport, killing 23. Read more about Garuda Indonesia Flight 035 on Wikipedia
- 1944 World War II: First bombardment of oil refineries in Bucharest by Anglo-American forces kills 3,000 civilians. Read more about Bombing of Bucharest in World War II on Wikipedia
- 1894 Foyot bombing by the Russian or French state during the Ère des attentats. Read more about Foyot bombing on Wikipedia
- 1904 Two Ms ~7.1 earthquakes, among the largest in Europe, strike Bulgaria, killing over 200 people and causing destruction. Read more about 1904 Kresna earthquakes on Wikipedia
- 1991 Forty-one people are taken hostage inside a Good Guys! Electronics store in Sacramento, California. Three of the hostage takers and three hostages are killed. Read more about 1991 Sacramento hostage crisis on Wikipedia
- 1968 Died: Martin Luther King Jr., American minister and activist, Nobel Prize laureate (assassinated) (born 1929) Read more about Martin Luther King Jr. 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 4” 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.