April in history
3,928 events, birthdays and special days across every day of April. Each day shows its top three stories — open a day to see them all.
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Week 1
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Thu
1
Apr
- UK: 1918 The United Kingdom established the Royal Air Force, near the end of the First…
- UK: 1989 Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly…
- UK: 1969 The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with…
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Fri
2
Apr
- UK: 1982 Argentine special forces invaded the Falkland Islands, sparking the Falklands…
- UK: 1871 Creatures of Impulse, by W. S. Gilbert, premiered at the Court Theatre in London
- UK: 1801 French Revolutionary Wars: In the Battle of Copenhagen a British Royal Navy…
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Sat
3
Apr
- UK: 1721 Robert Walpole took office as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the…
- UK: 1043 Edward the Confessor, usually considered to be the last king of the House of…
- UK: 1559 Henry II of France and Philip II of Spain signed the second treaty of…
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Sun
4
Apr
- UK: 1581 Queen Elizabeth I knighted Francis Drake for completing a circumnavigation of…
- UK: 1964 The Beatles occupy the top five positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart
- UK: 1873 The Kennel Club, the world's oldest kennel club, was founded in the United…
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Thu
1
Apr
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Week 2
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Mon
5
Apr
- UK: 1955 Aware that he was slowing down both physically and mentally in his old age…
- UK: 1614 Pocahontas, a Native American woman, married English colonist John Rolfe…
- UK: 1710 The Statute of Anne, the first legislation in Great Britain providing for…
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Tue
6
Apr
- UK: 1776 American Revolutionary War: Ships of the Continental Navy unsuccessfully…
- UK: 1809 Napoleonic Wars: British forces captured the French frigate Niémen in the Bay…
- UK: 1812 Peninsular War: After a three-week siege, the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the…
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Wed
7
Apr
- UK: 1770 Born: William Wordsworth
- UK: 1141 Empress Matilda becomes the first female ruler of England, adopting the title…
- UK: 1824 The Mechanics' Institution is established in Manchester, England at the…
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Thu
8
Apr
- UK: 1904 France and the United Kingdom signed the Entente Cordiale, agreeing to a…
- UK: 1886 William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the…
- UK: 1941 Born: Vivienne Westwood
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Fri
9
Apr
- UK: 2005 Charles, Prince of Wales, married Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at…
- UK: 1969 The first British-built Concorde 002 makes its maiden flight from Filton to…
- UK: 1784 The Treaty of Paris, ratified by the United States Congress on January 14…
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Sat
10
Apr
- UK: 1970 In the midst of business disagreements with his bandmates, Paul McCartney…
- UK: 1858 Big Ben, the bell in the Palace of Westminster's clock tower in London, was cast
- UK: 1814 Allied forces under the Duke of Wellington attack Toulouse held by Marshall…
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Sun
11
Apr
- UK: 1809 Napoleonic Wars: A hastily assembled Royal Navy fleet launched an assault…
- UK: 1689 William III and Mary II were crowned joint sovereigns of England in a ceremony…
- UK: 1921 Emir Abdullah established the first centralised government in the recently…
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Mon
5
Apr
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Week 3
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Mon
12
Apr
- UK: 1776 American Revolution: The North Carolina Provincial Congress passed the Halifax…
- UK: AD 627 King Edwin of Northumbria was baptised by Bishop Paulinus of York
- UK: 1831 The Broughton Suspension Bridge near Manchester, England, collapsed reportedly…
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Tue
13
Apr
- UK: 1777 American Revolutionary War: British and Hessian forces conducted a surprise…
- UK: 1829 The Roman Catholic Relief Act received royal assent, removing the most…
- UK: 1906 Born: Samuel Beckett
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Wed
14
Apr
- UK: 1828 Lexicographer Noah Webster copyrighted the first edition of his dictionary of…
- UK: 1983 Let's Dance, English musician David Bowie's best-selling album, was released
- UK: 1940 World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway, preceding a larger force…
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Thu
15
Apr
- UK: 1802 English poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy encountered a "long…
- UK: 1191 Henry VI, King of Germany, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor
- UK: 1738 Serse, an opera by Baroque composer George Frideric Handel loosely based on…
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Fri
16
Apr
- UK: 1520 A revolt of citizens in Toledo, Castile, opposed to the rule of the…
- UK: 1889 Born: Charlie Chaplin
- UK: 1746 The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and…
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Sat
17
Apr
- UK: 1809 Napoleonic Wars: After a three-day chase, the French ship D'Hautpoul was…
- UK: 1797 French Revolutionary Wars: British forces commanded by Lieutenant-General…
- UK: 1951 The Peak District was designated the first national park in the United Kingdom
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Sun
18
Apr
- UK: 1775 American Revolutionary War: Colonists Paul Revere and William Dawes, later…
- UK: 1949 The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 came into force, describing Ireland as a…
- UK: 1772 Born: David Ricardo
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Mon
12
Apr
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Week 4
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Mon
19
Apr
- UK: 1775 The American Revolutionary War began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord…
- UK: 1984 "Advance Australia Fair", written by Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds…
- UK: 1770 Captain James Cook, still holding the rank of lieutenant, sights the eastern…
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Tue
20
Apr
- UK: 1968 Enoch Powell, a British Conservative member of Parliament, made a…
- UK: 1653 Oliver Cromwell dissolves England's Rump Parliament
- UK: 1964 Born: Andy Serkis
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Wed
21
Apr
- UK: AD 995 Ælfric of Abingdon was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
- UK: 1926 Born: Elizabeth II
- UK: 1816 Born: Charlotte Brontë
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Thu
22
Apr
- UK: 1885 The first meeting of the Colonial Defence Committee, a standing committee of…
- UK: 1930 The United Kingdom, Japan and the United States sign the London Naval Treaty…
- UK: 1707 Born: Henry Fielding
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Fri
23
Apr
- UK: 1971 The Rolling Stones released Sticky Fingers, the first album on their own…
- UK: 1348 The first knights of the Order of the Garter, an order of chivalry founded by…
- UK: 1661 Charles II was crowned King of England, Scotland and Ireland at Westminster…
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Sat
24
Apr
- UK: 1932 An estimated 400 ramblers committed a wilful mass trespass of Kinder Scout in…
- UK: 1953 Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
- UK: 1990 Gruinard Island in Scotland, the site of biological warfare testing by British…
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Sun
25
Apr
- UK: 1982 British prime minister Margaret Thatcher told journalists in Downing Street to…
- UK: 1955 Following restoration at the British Museum, the Emesa Helmet was placed on…
- UK: 1859 British and French engineers break ground for the Suez Canal
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Mon
19
Apr
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Week 5
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Mon
26
Apr
- UK: 1777 American Revolutionary War: Sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington allegedly rode…
- UK: 1564 Playwright William Shakespeare is baptized in Stratford-upon-Avon…
- UK: 1915 First World War: Britain, France and Russia signed a secret treaty promising…
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Tue
27
Apr
- UK: 1777 American Revolutionary War: British Army regulars defeated Patriot militias in…
- UK: 1667 Blind and impoverished, John Milton sells Paradise Lost to a printer for £10…
- UK: 1650 Wars of the Three Kingdoms: Covenanter forces defeated the Royalists at the…
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Wed
28
Apr
- UK: 1973 The album The Dark Side of the Moon by the British progressive rock band Pink…
- UK: 1923 The FA Cup final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United was held on the…
- UK: 1972 Scottish trade unionist Jimmy Reid condemned the capitalist "rat race" in his…
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Thu
29
Apr
- UK: 2011 Watched by a worldwide television audience of tens of millions, Prince William…
- UK: 1760 Seven Years' War: France began an unsuccessful attempt to retake Quebec City
- UK: 1910 Parliament passed the People's Budget, the first budget in British history…
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Fri
30
Apr
- UK: 1897 British physicist J. J. Thomson and his team announce the discovery of the…
- UK: 1943 Second World War: The Royal Navy submarine HMS Seraph began Operation…
- UK: 1859 Charles Dickens publishes the first edition of his literary magazine, All the…
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Mon
26
Apr
Weekdays are shown as they fall in 2027.