Today in History

On April 4 in history ..

• 1081 - Alexius I Comnenus occupies Byzantine throne
• 1460 - University of Basle in Swizerland forms
• 1541 - Ignatius of Loyola becomes 1st superior-general of Jesuits
• 1552 - Mauritius van Saksen begins alliance with Karel Anikita Stroganov
• 1558 - Czar Ivan IV gives parts of North-Russia to fur traders
• 1581 - Frances Drake completes circumnavigation of world
• 1581 - Francis Drake becomes knight
• 1588 - Christian IV succeeds Frederik II as king of Denmark
• 1625 - Viceroy Frederik Henry marries Amalia countess von Solms-Braunfels
• 1655 - Battle at Postage Farina, Tunis: English fleet beats Barbarian pirates
• 1660 - Declaration of Breda
• 1660 - English king Charles II ends Decl of Breda (freedom of religion)
• 1686 - English king James II publishes Declaration of Indulgence
• 1687 - King James II orders his declaration of indulgence read in church
• 1716 - Russian & Prussian troops occupy Wismar
• 1737 - Anthony van Heim installed as Dutch pension advisor
• 1818 - Congress decided US flag is 13 red & white stripes & 20 stars
• 1828 - Casparus van Wooden patents chocolate milk powder (Amsterdam)
• 1832 - Charles Darwin aboard HMS Beagle reaches Rio de Janeiro
• 1850 - City of Los Angeles incorporated
• 1859 - Opera "Dinorah" is produced (Paris)
• 1862 - Battle of Yorktown begins
• 1862 - US begins Peninsular Campaign aimed at capturing Richmond
• 1864 - Skirmish at Elkin's Ford (Little Missouri River), Arkansas
• 1865 - Lee's army arrives at Amelia Courthouse
• 1870 - Golden Gate Park forms by City Order #800
• 1887 - Susanna Medora Salter elected 1st US woman mayor (Argonia, KS)
• 1896 - Announcement of Gold in Yukon
• 1899 - South Africa all out 35 vs England (Trott 4-19, Haigh 6-11)
• 1900 - Assassination attempt on prince of Wales/king Edward VII
• 1900 - British garrison of Reddersberg surrenders to Boer general De Wet
• 1902 - Cecil Rhodes scholarship fund forms with $10 million
• 1905 - Earthquake in Kangra India, kills 20,000
• 1911 - Hugh Chalmers, automaker, suggests idea of baseball MVP
• 1912 - Army fires on striking mine workers at Lena-gold fields Siberia
• 1912 - Chinese republic proclaimed in Tibet
• 1914 - "Perils of Pauline" shown for 1st time in LA
• 1916 - US Senate agrees (82-6) to participate in WW I
• 1918 - Battle of Somme, ends
• 1918 - Food riot in Amsterdam
• 1920 - Arabs attack Jews in Jerusalem
• 1921 - Stanley Cup: Ottawa Senators (NHL) beat Vancouver Millionaires (PCHA), 3 games to 2
• 1922 - WAAB (Baton Rouge La) becomes 1st US radio station with "W" calls
• 1926 - Greek dictator Theodorus Pangalos elected president
• 1929 - "New Moon" musical opens in London
• 1929 - 1st AAU Greco-Roman wrestling championships held
• 1930 - Andrew Sandham makes Test Cricket 1st triple century
• 1930 - Les Ames makes the 1st Test Cricket century by a wicketkeeper (149)
• 1932 - George Bernard Shaw's "Too True to be Good," premieres in NYC
• 1932 - Vitamin C 1st isolated, CC King, Univ of Pittsburgh
• 1933 - US Dirigible Akron crashes off coast of NJ, 73 die
• 1937 - 4th Golf Masters Championship: Byron Nelson wins, shooting a 283
• 1938 - 5th Golf Masters Championship: Henry Picard wins, shooting a 285
• 1939 - Faisal II ascends to throne of Iraq
• 1940 - R Rodgers/Lorenz Hart's "Higher & Higher," premieres in NYC
• 1941 - German troops conquer Banghazi
• 1944 - British troops capture Addis Ababa Ethiopia
• 1944 - De Gaulle forms new regime in exile, with communists
• 1945 - Hungary liberated from Nazi occupation (National Day)
• 1945 - US forces liberated the Nazi death camp Ohrdruf in Germany
• 1945 - US tanks/infantry conquer Bielefeld
• 1947 - Convention on International Civil Aviation goes into effect
• 1947 - Largest group of sunspots on record
• 1947 - UN's International Civil Aviation Organization forms
• 1948 - 84-year-old Connie Mack challenges 78-year-old Clark Griffith to a race from home to 1st base; it ends in a tie
• 1949 - Israel & Jordan sign armistice agreement
• 1949 - North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) treaty signed (Wash DC)
• 1949 - WKRC TV channel 12 in Cincinnati, OH (ABC) begins broadcasting
• 1950 - Dirk Stikker becomes chairman of OES
• 1951 - Dutch Prince Bernhard visits Juan & Eva Perón in Buenos Aires
• 1953 - KFDA TV channel 10 in Amarillo, TX (CBS) begins broadcasting
• 1954 - Louise Suggs wins LPGA Carrollton Georgia Golf Open
• 1955 - British govt signs military treaty with Iraq
• 1956 - Enid Bagnold's "Chalk Garden," premieres in London
• 1957 - Heitor Villa-Lobos' 10th Symphony, premieres in Paris
• 1958 - 1st march against nuclear weapons (Aldermaston England)
• 1958 - Eugène Ionesco's "Tueur sans Gages" premieres in Darmstadt
• 1959 - Fed of Mali, consisting of Senegal & French Sudan (dissolved 1960)
• 1960 - 32nd Academy Awards - "Ben-Hur," Charlton Heston & Simone Signoret win
• 1960 - Oscar awarded to Neth director Bert Haanstra
• 1960 - Project Ozma begins at Green Bank radio astronomy center
• 1960 - Senegal declares independence from France
• 1964 - "Anyone Can Whistle" opens at Majestic Theater NYC for 9 performances
• 1964 - Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love," single goes #1 & stays #1 for 5 weeks
• 1965 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Baton Rouge Golf Invitational
• 1966 - Pirate Radio Scotland changes name to Radio Ireland
• 1966 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
• 1967 - Amsterdam Marines chase out "nozems" of Central Station
• 1967 - Dutch De Young govt forms
• 1967 - Marines chase "Nozems" out of Amsterdam Central Station
• 1968 - "Education of Hyman Kaplan" opens at Alvin Theater NYC for 28 perfs
• 1968 - Apollo 6 launched atop Saturn V; unmanned
• 1969 - Denton Cooley gets 1st temporary artificial heart
• 1970 - Firestone World Tournament of Champions won by Don Johnson
• 1971 - "Follies" opens at Winter Garden Theater NYC for 524 performances
• 1971 - Marine clay under houses liquefies, 31 die (St-Jean-Vianney Quebec)
• 1972 - 1st electric power plant fueled by garbage begins operating
• 1974 - Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth's home-run record by hitting his 714th
• 1975 - 130, killed as USAF plane evacuating Vietnamese orphans crashes
• 1975 - Steve Miller is arrested for burning his girlfriend's clothes
• 1975 - USAF transport carrying orphans from Saigon crashes killing 155
• 1976 - 5th Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Judy Rankin
• 1976 - Seni Pramoj's Democratic Party wins elections in Thailand
• 1980 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
• 1981 - Henry Cisneros becomes 1st Mexican-American mayor (San Antonio)
• 1982 - 11th Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Championship won by Sally Little
• 1983 - 45th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: NC State beats Houston 54-52
• 1983 - 6th space shuttle mission, Challenger 1 launched
• 1984 - Michael Frayn's "Benefactors" premieres in London
• 1984 - Winston Smith in Orwell's "1984" begins his secret diary
• 1985 - Tulane University cancels its basketball season amidst scandal
• 1986 - Wayne Gretzky sets NHL record with 213th point of season
• 1987 - Dow Jones up 69.89 points, ending at record 2,390.34 pts
• 1988 - 50th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Kansas beat Oklahoma 83-79
• 1988 - Eddie Hill becomes 1st to race a ¼ mile in under 5 seconds
• 1988 - Largest crowd (55,438) at a season game at Riverfront (Reds Vs Cards)
• 1988 - Last broadcast of "Crossroads" on British TV
• 1988 - Mets set Opening Day record with 6 HRs
• 1989 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last NBA game in Seattle
• 1989 - NY Yankee Tommy John ties record of playing 26 seasons, his 287th win puts him 19th overall as Yanks beat Twins on opening day 4-2
• 1990 - "Marshall Chronicles" premieres on ABC-TV
• 1990 - Gloria Estefan released from hospital after her accident
• 1990 - Security law violator Ivan Boesky is released from federal custody
• 1991 - "Lucifer's Child" opens at Music Box Theater NYC for 28 performances
• 1992 - Game 1 of Mayor Challenge - NY Yankees beat NY Mets 6-4 at Yank Stad
• 1992 - John Tesh (Entertainment Tonight) marries actress Connie Selleca
• 1992 - Jury deliberations begin in Noriega case
• 1992 - Sali Berisha becomes president/Alexander Meksi premier of Albania
• 1993 - 12th NCAA Women's Basketball Champion: Texas Tech beats OH State 84-82
• 1993 - 5th Seniors Golf Tradition: Tom Shaw
• 1993 - Trish Johnson wins Las Vegas LPGA at Canyon Gate Golf Tournament
• 1993 - Wrestlemania IX at Caesar's Palace Las Vegas, Hulk Hogan pins Yokozuna
• 1994 - 1st game played at Jacobs Field, Indians beat Mariners 4-3 in 11 inn
• 1994 - 56th NCAA Men's Basketball Champion: Ark Razorbacks beats Duke 76-72
• 1994 - Cubs Karl "Tuffy" Rhodes, hit 3 HRs in 1993 hits 3 HRs on opening
• 1994 - Day vs Mets starter Dwight Gooden
• 1994 - KLM Saab 340B crashes at Schiphol, 3 killed
• 1994 - LA Dodger Darryl Strawberry begins substance abuse treatment
• 1994 - Largest Opening Day crowd at Yankee Stadium, 56,706
• 1994 - Netscape Communications founded as Mosaic Communications
• 1994 - Tony Curtis undergoes heart-bypass surgery
• 1996 - "Inherit the Wind" opens at Royale Theater NYC for 45 performances
• 1996 - Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Austin TX on KJFK 98.9 FM
• 1997 - Anaheim Ducks clinch their 1st-ever playoff berth
• 1997 - Braves officially open Turner Field against Cubs
• 1997 - DMSP Titan 2 launched
• 1997 - STS 83 (Columbia 22), launches
• 1998 - NFL Europe (Formerly WLAF), kicks off season

Famous birthdays on April 4 ..

• 0188 - Caracalla, [Marcus Aureiius Antoniius], Roman emperor (211-17)
• 1527 - Abraham Ortelius, [Ortels/Hortels], South Neth geographer
• 1646 - Antoine Galland, French oriëntalist/interpreter
• 1648 - Grinling Gibbons, sculptor/woodcarver
• 1696 - Giovanni Battista Tiepoldo, painter
• 1716 - John Evangelist Schreiber, composer
• 1731 - Francisco Morera, composer
• 1740 - Wolfgang Nicolaus Haueisen, composer
• 1752 - Niccolo Antonio Zingarelli, composer (Andromeda)
• 1755 - Vincenc Masek, composer
• 1758 - John Hoppner, portrait painter
• 1762 - Stephen Storace, composer
• 1785 - Bettina Brentano, composer
• 1785 - Bettina von Arnim, German writer (This Book Belongs to the King)
• 1786 - John Franklin, British explorer (Arctic)
• 1792 - Thaddeus Stevens, US Radical Republican congressional leader (Rep-R)
• 1802 - Dorothea Dix, US, aroused interest in treatment of mental inmates
• 1804 - Joseph Fischhof, composer
• 1809 - Benjamin Pierce, US mathematician/astronomer
• 1814 - John Blair Smith Todd, Brig General (Union volunteers), died in 1872
• 1817 - John Wilson Sprague, Bvt Mjr General (Union volunteers), died in 1893
• 1820 - Charles Devens Jr, Major General, Bvt (Union volunteers), died in 1891
• 1821 - Linus Yale, US, portrait painter/inventor (Yale cylinder lock)
• 1823 - Karl Wilhelm Siemens, inventor (laid undersea cables)
• 1823 - Robert Byington Mitchell, Brig General (Union volunteers)
• 1826 - Zénobe Théophile Gramme, inventor (electric motor)
• 1828 - Margaret Oliphant, Scotland, novelist/biographer (Beleaguered City)
• 1831 - Edward Cary Walthall, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1898
• 1832 - Jose Echegaray y Elizaguirre, playwright/scientist (Teatro Escogido)
• 1836 - Jerome Hopkins, composer
• 1843 - Hans Richter, composer
• 1858 - Rémy de Gourmont, French critic/writer (Physique de L'amour)
• 1866 - George P Baker, US playwright (47 Workshop)
• 1870 - George A Smith, Salt Lake City Utah, 8th pres of Mormon church
• 1872 - Nikolai Amani, composer
• 1872 - Pauline de Haan-Manifarges, Dutch singer
• 1875 - Jozef Szulc, composer
• 1875 - Pierre Monteux, Paris France, conductor (Boston Symph Orch 1919-24)
• 1875 - Samuel S Hinds, Brooklyn NY
• 1876 - Maurice de Vlaminck, Paris, Fauvist painter (Village in the Snow)
• 1879 - Gabriel Groulez, composer
• 1881 - Charles Funk, Ohio, Encylopediest (Funk & Wagnalls)
• 1882 - Mary Howe, composer
• 1884 - Isoroku Yamamoto, admiral/supreme commander of Japanese fleet
• 1888 - Tris Speaker, baseball great, hit more doubles than Pete Rose
• 1892 - Cyril Smith, Peterhead Scotland, actor (Adv of Sir Lancelot)
• 1892 - Esther Howard, MT
• 1895 - Arthur Murray, NYC, dancer (Arthur Murray Dance Party)
• 1895 - Charlie Hallows, cricket batsman (Lancs played for England 1921-28)
• 1896 - Robert Sherwood, dramatist (Abe Lincoln in Illinois, Idiot's Delight)
• 1896 - Tristan Tzara, [Samuel Rosenfeld] French poet (Approximate Man)
• 1897 - Pierre Fresnay, Paris France, actor (Grand Illusion)
• 1899 - William Brann, cricketer (South African batsman v England 1922-23)
• 1901 - Carmel Myers, SF Calif, actress (Carmel Myers Show)
• 1902 - Louise L de Vilmorin, French poetess/author (Lutin Sauvage)
• 1905 - Eugene Bozza, composer
• 1906 - Bea Benaderet, NYC, actress (Kate-Petticoat Junction)
• 1906 - John Cameron Swayze, Wichita Ks, newscaster (Timex, Hindenberg) [NS]
• 1907 - Nathan M Pusey, Iowa, educator (Natl Ass for Social Sciences-1963)
• 1908 - Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, author (Cheaper by the Dozen)
• 1910 - Agnes Patrick, campaigner
• 1910 - [Marcelle] Georgette Hagedoorn, actress/chansonnière
• 1913 - Frances Langford, Lakeland Fla, singer (Armed Forces Hour, Star Time)
• 1913 - Jerome Weidman, US writer (Tenderloin)
• 1913 - Rosemary Lane, Indianola IA, actress (4 Mothers, Harvest Melody)
• 1914 - Gustave Camus, Belgian painter
• 1914 - John Beith, British diplomat
• 1914 - Marguerite Duras, France, novelist/playwright (Sea Wall)
• 1915 - Jan Drda, Czech writer (Nema Barikada, Mestecko Na Dlani)
• 1915 - Lars G Ahlin, Swedish writer (Death of Me)
• 1915 - Muddy Waters, [McKinley Morganfield], guitarist (Hoochie Coochie Man)
• 1916 - David White, actor (Larry Tate-Bewitched)
• 1916 - Herbert Eugene Caen, columnist
• 1917 - Joseph Ortiz, French-Algerian extremist (barricade uprising)
• 1918 - Earl Jellicoe, chancellor (U of Southhampton)
• 1918 - Margaret Dupont, tennis champion
• 1919 - Antony Tudor, England, choreographer (Metropolitan Opera 1957)
• 1920 - Eric Rohmer, Nancy France, actor (6 in Paris, Collector, Perceval)
• 1921 - Willem J "Wim" the Villiers, S Afr minister of Administration
• 1922 - Elmer Bernstein, NYC, movie music composer (Robot Monster)
• 1923 - Manon H E Alving, Dutch actress (Short American)
• 1923 - Nancy Francy, director (Claire's Knee)
• 1924 - Christopher Prater, screen printer
• 1924 - Eva Marie Saint, Newark NJ, actress (Sandpiper, Loving, Exodus)
• 1924 - Gil Hodges, baseball player/manager (Bkln Dodgers, NY Mets)
• 1924 - Peter Vaughan, actor (Haunted Honeymoon, Die Die My Darling)
• 1925 - Elizabeth Wilson, Grand Rapids Mich, actor (Doc, East Side/West Side)
• 1925 - Erna Spoorenberg, Dutch singer
• 1926 - Cloris Leachman, Des Moines Iowa, actress (Phyllis, High Anxiety)
• 1927 - Bob Stump, (Rep-R-AZ, 1977- )
• 1928 - Bill Ryan, Bkln NY, newscaster (Smithsonian)
• 1928 - Jimmy Logan, British comedian (Mad Death)
• 1928 - Maya Angelou, [Marguerite Johnson], St Louis, poet/actress (Nyo-Roots)
• 1928 - Monty Norman, composer/writer
• 1929 - William F Clinger Jr, (Rep-R-PA, 1979- )
• 1930 - David Sexton, soccer manager
• 1931 - Denis Frank Owen, Natural historian
• 1931 - Harold L Volkmer, (Rep-D-MO, 1977- )
• 1932 - Andrei Tarkovski, Russian director (Solaris, Stalker)
• 1932 - Anthony Perkins, NYC, actor (Psycho, Fear Strikes Out, Pretty Poison)
• 1932 - Bapu Nadkarni, cricketer (economical Indian slow left-armer 1956-68)
• 1932 - Richard G Lugar, (Sen-R-IN, 1977- )
• 1933 - Fritz Bolkestein, Dutch CEO (Shell)/Minister of Defense (VVD)
• 1933 - Robin Phillips, English multi-millionaire manufacturer (hand-dryer)
• 1933 - Seoirse Bodley, composer
• 1934 - Dorothy Lousie Grenfell Williams, broadcaster
• 1935 - Easton Dudley Ashton St John McMorris, cricketer (WI batsman of 60's)
• 1935 - François-Bernard Mache, composer
• 1935 - Lord Ichayra, secretary-general (British Banking Assn)
• 1935 - Trevor Griffiths, playwright (Absolute Beginners)
• 1936 - Margo J Sylvia, rocker (Tune Weavers)
• 1937 - Ian St James, novelist (Balfour Conspiracy, Vengeance, Money Stones)
• 1937 - J Hans van den Doel, economist/Dutch MP (PvdA)
• 1938 - A Bartlett Giamatti, Boston, pres of Yale/baseball commish (1989)
• 1938 - Michael Parks, Corona Calif, actor (Then Came Bronson)
• 1938 - Peter Attenborough, British headmaster (Charterhouse)
• 1939 - Hugh Masekela, Wilbank South Africa, trumpeter (I Am Not Afraid)
• 1939 - JoAnne Carner, Kirkland WA, LPGA golfer (1976 US Women's Open)
• 1940 - Bijan, Iran, mens apparel designer (Beverly Hills, NYC, London)
• 1940 - Robby Mueller, cinematographer (Breaking the Waves, Dead Man, Korczak)
• 1940 - Vladimir Timofeyevich Isakov, Russia, cosmonaut
• 1941 - Major Lance, US boxer/dancer/singer (Hey Little Girl)
• 1942 - Kitty Kelley, author (Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra)
• 1942 - Kris Jensen, rocker
• 1943 - Ian Robertson, British museum director (National Army Museum)
• 1944 - David Melville, professor/director (Middlesex Polytechnic)
• 1944 - Lawrence A Hough, US, rower (Pairs w/o cox-1968 olympic silver)
• 1945 - Bryan Andrews, cricketer (NZ medium-pacer, toured Australia 1973-74)
• 1945 - Caroline McWilliams, Seattle Wash, actress (Sally-Soap, Marcy-Benson)
• 1945 - Walter Charles, East Strousberg PA, actor (Fletch Lives, Weeds)
• 1946 - Craig T Nelson, Spokane Wash, actor (Poltergeist, Hayden Fox-Coach)
• 1947 - Salvatore Sciarrino, composer
• 1948 - Berry Oakley, Chicago Ill, rocker (Allman Brothers-Ramblin' Man)
• 1948 - Gail Davies, Broken Bow Ok, country singer (Blue Heartache)
• 1948 - Pick Withers, rocker (Dire Straits)
• 1949 - Larry Lingle, rocker
• 1950 - Christine Lahti, Detroit, actress (Harvey Korman Show, Swing Shift)
• 1951 - Steve Gatlin, Olney Tx, country singer (Gatlin Bros-Broken Lady)
• 1952 - Dave Hill, England, rock guitarist (Slade-Coz I Love You)
• 1952 - Gary Moore, Irish rock guitarist (Skid Row-Oh Pretty Woman)
• 1952 - Peter Haycock, rock guitarist (All Along the Watchtower)
• 1952 - Rosemarie Ackermann, German DR, high jumper (Olympic-gold-1976)
• 1954 - Julie Carmen, Mount Vernon NY, actress (Gloria, Last Plane Out)
• 1955 - Mick Mars, rocker
• 1956 - Evelyn Hart, prima ballerina (Royal Winnipeg Ballet)
• 1956 - Lamen Khalifa Fhimah, Suk Giuma Libya, bomber (Pan Am Flight 103)
• 1957 - Graeme Kelling, British pop guitarist (Deacon Blue-Real Gone Kid)
• 1957 - Paul Downton, cricketer (England wicket-keeper in 80's)
• 1958 - Derek Kallicharran, cricket all-rounder (Guyana, USA 1994 ICC Trophy)
• 1958 - Hrvoje Horvatic, video artist
• 1958 - John Wesley Jones, Lawton Ok, 4X100m relayer (Olympic-gold-1976)
• 1958 - Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, painter
• 1960 - Bev Smith, Armstrong BC, basketball forward (Olympics-96)
• 1960 - Jon Agnew, cricketer (England pace bowler late 80's)
• 1960 - Jonathan Agnew, British broadcaster/test bowler
• 1961 - Matt Cole, Stratford Ont, Canadian Tour golfer (1990 Space Coast)
• 1962 - Ava Fabian, Brewster NY, playmate (Aug, 1986)/actress (Cafe Nostra)
• 1962 - Sherrin Smyers, Newcastle Aust, LPGA golfer (1995 Youngstown-11th)
• 1962 - Tina Tombs, Montreal Quebec, LPGA golfer (1990 Jamie Farr Toledo)
• 1963 - Anthony Clark, comedian (Boyd Pritchett-Boston Common)
• 1963 - Dale Hawerchuk, Toronto, NHL center (Phila Flyers)
• 1963 - David Gavurin, English pop guitarist/composer (Sundays, Blind)
• 1963 - Jack Del Rio, NFL linebacker (Minn Vikings)
• 1964 - Gregory Thomas Kraft, Detroit MI, PGA golfer (1993 Walt Disney-2nd)
• 1964 - Paul Parker, soccer player
• 1964 - Robbie Rist, Calif, actor (Oliver-Brady Bunch)
• 1965 - Black Francis, [Charles Thompson], US singer/songwriter (Pixies)
• 1965 - Robert Downey Jr, NYC, comedian (SNL, Less than Zero, Back to School)
• 1965 - Tony Burse, CFL fullback (Edmonton Eskimos)
• 1965 - Zwart Francis, [Charles Thompson], US singer/songwriter (Pixies)
• 1966 - Michal Clingman, Indio Calif, WPVA volleyballer (Nationals-9th-1994)
• 1966 - Myriam Schropp, West Germany, tennis star
• 1966 - Nancy McKeon, Westbury NY, actress (Jo Polniazek-Facts of Life)
• 1966 - Stanislav Medrik, Nitra CZE, hockey defenseman (Team Slovakia)
• 1967 - Juliana "Juli" Furtado, NYC, cyclist (Olympics-10th-96)
• 1968 - Andre Bowden, WLAF LB (Frankfurt Galaxy)
• 1969 - Anthony Tucker, NBA forward (NY Knicks)
• 1969 - Carlos Reyes, Miami FL, pitcher (Oakland A's)
• 1969 - Dennis de Nooijer, Dutch soccer player (Sparta)
• 1969 - Gerard de Nooijer, Dutch soccer player (Sparta)
• 1970 - Barry van Galen, Dutch soccer player (Roda JC)
• 1970 - Jason Stoltenberg, Australia, tennis star
• 1971 - Allan Houston, NBA guard (NY Knicks, Detroit Pistons)
• 1971 - Felipe Lira, Miranda Venezeula, pitcher (Detroit Tigers)
• 1971 - Jaime Fernandez, Australian rower (Olympics-96)
• 1971 - Yanic Perreault, Sherbrooke, NHL center (LA Kings)
• 1972 - Chad Eaton, defensive tackle (New England Patriots)
• 1972 - Jim Werland, Ventura Calif, canoe (alt-Olympics-96)
• 1972 - Matt Wagner, Cedar falls IA, pitcher (Seattle Mariners)
• 1973 - Damon Allen, Winston-Salem NC, figure skater (1997 Midwestern champ)
• 1973 - Peter Hoekstra, Dutch soccer player (PSV, Ajax)
• 1973 - Ryan Coughlin, CFL offensive linebacker (Montreal Alouettes)
• 1973 - Tiffany Woosley, WNBA guard (Houston Comets)
• 1974 - O J Santiago, tight end (Atlanta Falcons)
• 1975 - Kisha Ford, WNBA guard/forward (NY Liberty)
• 1976 - Alicia Silverstone, SF, actress (Clueless)
• 1978 - Irene Skliva, Athens Greece, Miss World (1996)
• 1979 - Charles Butler, Salt Lake City Utah, dance skater (& Joseph-1997 Natl)
• 1979 - Rebecca Stoyel, South Australia, gymnast (Olympics-96)

Famous deaths on April 4 ..

• 0397 - Ambrosius, gov of Liguria/bishop of Milan (374-97)/saint, dies
• 0896 - Formosus, Pope (891-96), dies
• 1229 - Hugo van Pierrepont, bishop of Liege, dies
• 1284 - Alfonso X, "El Sabio" King of Castilië/León (1252-84), dies at 62
• 1292 - Nicholas IV, [Girolamo Masci], Pope (1288-92), dies
• 1393 - Floris van Wevelinkhoven, bishop of Utrecht, dies
• 1406 - Robert III, King of Scotland (1390-1406), dies
• 1417 - John van Touraine, 1st husband of Jacoba of Bavaria, dies
• 1585 - Caspar de Robles, Spanish viceroy of Frisia, dies at about 57
• 1588 - Frederik II, King of Denmark/Norway (1559-88), dies at 53
• 1604 - Thomas Churchyard, poet/pamphleteer, dies
• 1617 - John Napier, Scottish mathematician/inventor (logarithms), dies
• 1643 - Simon Episcopius, [Bisschop], Dutch theologist, dies at 60
• 1662 - Davis Mell, composer, dies at 57
• 1662 - Leonhart Kern, German sculptor , dies at about 73
• 1664 - Adam Willaerts, Dutch seascape painter, dies
• 1714 - Karel, duke of Berry/French heir to the throne, dies
• 1734 - Johann C van Erckel, old Catholic theologist, dies at about 79
• 1774 - Oliver Goldsmith, Irish poet (She Stoops to Conquer), dies at 17
• 1784 - Mary Mead, wife of English journalist John Wilkes, dies
• 1806 - Friedrich Gottlob Fleischer, composer, dies at 84
• 1807 - Joseph Jérôme Le Francais de Lalande, French astronomer, dies
• 1817 - André Masséna Duc de Rivoli, soldier, dies
• 1817 - Prince d'Essing, dies
• 1841 - William Henry Harrison, becomes 1st pres to die in office, at 68
• 1844 - Charles Bulfinch, 1st US pro architect (Mass State House), dies at 80
• 1862 - Harmen S Sytstra, Dutch poet/editor (Iduna), dies at 45
• 1889 - Thomas T H Jorissen, historian, dies at 56
• 1893 - Alphonse LPP de Candolle, Swiss botanist, dies at 86
• 1900 - Edward VII, King, assassinated
• 1905 - Constantin Meunier, Belgian painter/sculptor, dies at 73
• 1908 - Josef Sucher, composer, dies at 64
• 1919 - William Crookes, English chemist/physicist (Crookes-pipe), dies at 86
• 1923 - L Martov, [Joulij O Tsederbaum], Russ revolutionary, dies at 49
• 1929 - Karl Friedrich Benz, automobile engineer (Mercedes), dies at 84
• 1930 - Vladimir Majakovski, Russian poet, dies
• 1931 - Andre Michelin, CEO (Michelin Tires), dies
• 1931 - George Whitefield Chadwick, composer, dies at 76
• 1932 - Ottokar T Czernin von und zu Chudenitz, Austrian minister, dies at 59
• 1932 - Wilhelm Ostwald, physical chemist (Nobel 1909), dies
• 1934 - Braulio Dueno Colon, composer, dies at 80
• 1937 - Frantisek X Salda, Czech writer/critic, dies at 69
• 1938 - Cyril Christiani, cricket wicket keep (WI 1935), dies of malaria at 24
• 1939 - Ghazi I, King of Iraq (19??-39), dies in car accident
• 1941 - Max Frisch, writer, dies at 29
• 1943 - Oskar Schlemmer, German painter/sculptor, dies at 54
• 1943 - Raoul Laparra, composer, dies at 66
• 1944 - John Peale Bishop, US poet (Undertaker's Garland), dies at 51
• 1944 - Karel Weis, composer, dies at 82
• 1953 - Carol II, King of Romania (1930-40), dies at 59
• 1953 - Rachilde, [Marguerite Vallette-Eymery], French author, dies at 93
• 1956 - Fritz Künkel, German physician/charachterologist, dies at 66
• 1958 - Hendrik Heyman, Belgian minister of Nijverheid/mayor, dies at 78
• 1959 - Stanley Snooke, cricketer (bro of S J, duck in S African Test), dies
• 1963 - Endzion Barelli, dies 2 days after winning a boxing match at 18
• 1963 - Jason Robards Sr, actor (Acapulco), dies at 70
• 1967 - Mischa Elman, Ukraine/US violinist, dies at 76
• 1968 - Martin Luther King Jr, (Dream continues), assassinated in Memph at 39
• 1970 - Byron Foulger, actor (Capt Nice, Petticoat Junction), dies at 70
• 1972 - Adam Clayton Powell Jr, (Rep-D-NY), dies at 63
• 1972 - John A H J S Bruins Slot, co-founder/editor in chief (illegal), dies
• 1972 - Stefan Wolpe, German composer (Zeus & Elidco), dies at 69
• 1977 - Jeno Zador, composer, dies at 82
• 1978 - Gino Contilli, composer, dies at 70
• 1979 - Edgar Buchanan, actor (Uncle Joe-Petticoat Junction), dies at 77
• 1979 - Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Pakistani president, hanged in Pakistan at 51
• 1981 - Brad Johnson, actor (Annie Oakley), dies at 56
• 1982 - Tsvetan Tsvetanov, composer, dies at 50
• 1983 - Gloria Swanson, actress (Airport 1975), dies of a heart ailment at 84
• 1983 - Jacqueline Logan, silent film leading lady, dies at 78
• 1984 - John Arnold, cricketer (Eng bat v NZ 1931, scored 34 only Test), dies
• 1986 - Frank Mortelmans, Belgian painter, dies at 87
• 1987 - C[atherine] L[ucille] Moore, author (Judgment Night), dies at 76
• 1991 - John Heinz, (Sen-R-Pa), dies in a plane crash, dies at 52
• 1991 - Luc de Rijck, Belgian soccer player (Turnhout), dies
• 1991 - Max Frisch, Swiss architect/writer (Stiller, Biedermann), dies at 79
• 1992 - Karl Tunberg, US scriptwriter (Ben Hur), dies
• 1992 - Samuel Reshevsky, Polish-born chess grandmaster, dies at 80
• 1992 - Sy Kramer, singer/comedy writer dies of cancer at 59
• 1993 - Alfred Mosher Butts, US architect/game maker (Scrabble), dies at 93
• 1993 - Bep [Alberta B] Ogterop, [Rita la Roche], singer, dies
• 1994 - Olga Lowina, Dutch yodeler (Edelweisskapel), dies at 69
• 1994 - Virginia "Ginny" Simms, actress/singer (Kay Kyser Band), dies at 77
• 1995 - Kenny Everett, disc Jockey, dies at 50
• 1995 - Peter Brinson, dance educationalist, dies at 67
• 1995 - Priscilla Lane, actress (Saboteur, Bodyguard), dies at 77
• 1996 - Carl Burton Stokes, politician, dies at 68
• 1996 - David Keylsey, actor/director, dies at 63
• 1996 - David Whitton, campaigner, dies at 44
• 1996 - Frederick Denison Maurice Hocking, pathologist, dies at 97
• 1996 - Joy Newton, dancer, dies at 82
• 1996 - Larry Laprise, songwriter, dies at 83
• 1996 - Seamas NacNeill, piper, dies at 79