It is the first day of the second quarter of the year, and the midway point of the first half of the year.
April 1 in History
- 33 – According to one historian’s account, Jesus Christ’s Last Supper is held.
- 286 – Emperor Diocletian elevates his general Maximian to co-emperor with the rank of Augustus and gives him control over the Western regions of the Roman Empire.
- 325 – Crown Prince Jin Chengdi, age four, succeeds his father Jin Mingdi as emperor of the Eastern Jin dynasty.
- 457 – Majorian is acclaimed emperor by the Roman army after defeating 900 Alemanni near Lake Maggiore (Italy).
- 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
- 528 – The daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei was made the “Emperor” as a male heir of the late emperor by Empress Dowager Hu. Deposed and replaced by Yuan Zhao the next day, she was the first female monarch in the History of China, but is not widely recognised.
- 988 – Robert II of France is married to Rozala of Italy. The marriage is arranged by his father, King Hugh Capet.
- 1234 – Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, is defeated by knights loyal to King Henry III of England in the Battle of the Curragh in Ireland.
- 1293 – Robert Winchelsey leaves England for Rome, to be consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury.
- 1318 – Berwick-upon-Tweed is captured by Scotland from England.
- 1340 – Niels Ebbesen kills Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg in his bedroom, ending the 1332-1340 interregnum in Denmark.
- 1545 – Potosí, Bolivia, is founded after the discovery of huge silver deposits in the area.
- 1572 – 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.
- 1625 – A combined Spanish and Portuguese fleet of 52 ships commences the recapture of Bahia from the Dutch during the Dutch–Portuguese War.
- 1789 – In New York City, the United States House of Representatives achieves its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker.
- 1826 – Samuel Morey received a patent for a compressionless “Gas or Vapor Engine”.
- 1833 – The Convention of 1833, a political gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas to help draft a series of petitions to the Mexican government, begins in San Felipe de Austin.
- 1854 – Charles Dickens’ novel Hard Times begins serialisation in his magazine Household Words.
- 1865 – American Civil War: Union troops led by Philip Sheridan decisively defeat Confederate troops led by George Pickett, cutting the Army of Northern Virginia’s last supply line.
- 1867 – Singapore becomes a British crown colony.
- 1871 – The 3rd Duke of Buckingham opened the Brill Tramway, a short railway line to transport goods between his lands and the national rail network.
- 1873 – The White Star steamer RMS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century.
- 1889 – The University of Northern Colorado was established, as the Colorado State Normal School.
- 1891 – The Wrigley Company is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
- 1893 – The rank of Chief Petty Officer in the United States Navy is established.
- 1908 – The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army.
- 1918 – The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
- 1924 – Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years imprisonment for his participation in the “Beer Hall Putsch” but spends only nine months in jail.
- 1924 – The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed.
- 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.
- 1933 – English cricketer Wally Hammond set a record for the highest individual Test innings of 336 not out, during a Test match against New Zealand.
- 1935 – India’s central banking institution, The Reserve Bank of India, is formed.
- 1937 – Aden becomes a British crown colony.
- 1937 – The Royal New Zealand Air Force is formed as an independent service.
- 1937 – Spanish Civil War: Jaén, Spain is bombed by German fascist forces, supporting Francoist Nationalists.
- 1939 – 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.
- 1941 – Fântâna Albă massacre: Between 200 and 2,000 Romanian civilians are killed by Soviet Border Troops.
- 1941 – A military coup in Iraq overthrows the regime of ‘Abd al-Ilah and installs Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister.
- 1944 – Navigation errors lead to an accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen.
- 1945 – World War II: The Tenth United States Army attacks the Thirty-Second Japanese Army on Okinawa.
- 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.
- 1947 – The only mutiny in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy begins.
- 1948 – Cold War: Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin.
- 1948 – Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark.
- 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Chinese Communist Party holds unsuccessful peace talks with the Nationalist Party in Beijing, after three years of fighting.
- 1949 – The Government of Canada repeals Japanese-Canadian internment after seven years.
- 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.
- 1955 – The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire begins in Cyprus, with the goal of unifying with Greece.
- 1960 – The TIROS-1 satellite transmits the first television picture from space.
- 1969 – The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing capabilities, enters service with the Royal Air Force.
- 1970 – President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, requiring the Surgeon General’s warnings on tobacco products and banning cigarette advertising on television and radio in the United States, effective 1 January 1971.
- 1970 – The first of over 670,000 AMC Gremlins are released into North America to compete with foreign imported cars.
- 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army massacre over 1,000 people in Keraniganj Upazila, Bangladesh.
- 1973 – Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Jim Corbett National Park, India.
- 1974 – The Local Government Act 1972 of England and Wales comes into effect.
- 1976 – Apple Inc. is formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in Cupertino, California, USA.
- 1978 – The Philippine College of Commerce, through a presidential decree, becomes the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
- 1979 – Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.
- 1979 – Nickelodeon was launched in United States.
- 1986 – Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) cadres attack a number of police stations in Kathmandu, seeking to incite a popular rebellion.
- 1989 – Margaret Thatcher’s new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly known as the “poll tax”), is introduced in Scotland.
- 1993 – Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is founded in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- 1996 – The government of Nova Scotia amalgamated the City of Halifax and the over 200 communities around the area to create the Halifax Regional Municipality.
- 1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp is seen passing at perihelion.
- 1999 – Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.
- 2001 – An EP-3E United States Navy surveillance aircraft collides with a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Shenyang J-8 fighter jet. The Navy crew makes an emergency landing in Hainan, China and is detained.
- 2001 – Former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on war crimes charges.
- 2001 – Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, the first contemporary country to allow it.
- 2004 – Google announces Gmail to the public.
- 2006 – 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.
- 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 thirteen people, including eight foreign workers.
- 2016 – Nagorno-Karabakh clashes: The Four Day War or April War begins along the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact on April 1.
Births on April 1
- 1220 – Emperor Go-Saga of Japan (d. 1272)
- 1282 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1347)
- 1328 – Blanche of France, Duchess of Orléans (d. 1382)
- 1543 – François de Bonne, Duke of Lesdiguières (d. 1626)
- 1578 – William Harvey, English physician and academic (d. 1657)
- 1610 – Charles de Saint-Évremond, French soldier and critic (d. 1703)
- 1629 – Jean-Henri d’Anglebert, French organist and composer (d. 1691)
- 1640 – Georg Mohr, Danish mathematician and academic (d. 1697)
- 1647 – John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, English poet and courtier (d. 1680)
- 1697 – Antoine François Prévost, French novelist and translator (d. 1763)
- 1721 – Pieter Hellendaal, Dutch-English organist, violinist, and composer (d. 1799)
- 1741 – George Dance the Younger, English architect and surveyor (d. 1825)
- 1753 – Joseph de Maistre, French philosopher, lawyer, and diplomat (d. 1821)
- 1755 – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French lawyer and politician (d. 1826)
- 1765 – Luigi Schiavonetti, Italian engraver and etcher (d. 1810)
- 1776 – Sophie Germain, French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher (d. 1831)
- 1786 – William Mulready, Irish genre painter (d. 1863)
- 1815 – Otto von Bismarck, German lawyer and politician, 1st Chancellor of the German Empire (d. 1898)
- 1815 – Edward Clark, American lawyer and politician, 8th Governor of Texas (d. 1880)
- 1823 – Simon Bolivar Buckner, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Kentucky (d. 1891)
- 1824 – Louis-Zéphirin Moreau, Canadian bishop (d. 1901)
- 1834 – James Fisk, American businessman (d. 1872)
- 1852 – Edwin Austin Abbey, American painter and illustrator (d. 1911)
- 1865 – Richard Adolf Zsigmondy, Austrian-German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1929)
- 1866 – William Blomfield, New Zealand cartoonist and politician (d. 1938)
- 1866 – Ferruccio Busoni, Italian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1924)
- 1866 – Ève Lavallière, French actress (d. 1929)
- 1868 – Edmond Rostand, French poet and playwright (d. 1918)
- 1868 – Walter Mead, English cricketer (d. 1954)
- 1871 – F. Melius Christiansen, Norwegian-American violinist and conductor (d. 1955)
- 1873 – Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (d. 1943)
- 1874 – Ernest Barnes, English mathematician and theologian (d. 1953)
- 1874 – Prince Karl of Bavaria (d. 1927)
- 1875 – Edgar Wallace, English journalist, author, and playwright (d. 1932)
- 1878 – C. Ganesha Iyer, Ceylon Tamil philologist (d. 1958)
- 1879 – Stanislaus Zbyszko, Polish wrestler and strongman (d. 1967)
- 1881 – Octavian Goga, Romanian Prime Minister (d. 1938)
- 1883 – Lon Chaney, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1930)
- 1883 – Edvard Drabløs, Norwegian actor and director (d. 1976)
- 1883 – Laurette Taylor, Irish-American actress (d. 1946)
- 1885 – Wallace Beery, American actor (d. 1949)
- 1885 – Clementine Churchill, English wife of Winston Churchill (d. 1977)
- 1889 – K. B. Hedgewar, Indian physician and activist (d. 1940)
- 1893 – Cicely Courtneidge, Australian-English actress (d. 1980)
- 1895 – Alberta Hunter, African-American singer-songwriter and nurse (d. 1984)
- 1898 – William James Sidis, Ukrainian-Russian Jewish American mathematician, anthropologist, and historian (d. 1944)
- 1899 – Gustavs Celmiņš, Latvian academic and politician (d. 1968)
- 1900 – Stefanie Clausen, Danish Olympic diver (d. 1981)
- 1901 – Whittaker Chambers, American journalist and spy (d. 1961)
- 1905 – Gaston Eyskens, Belgian economist and politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1988)
- 1905 – Paul Hasluck, Australian historian, poet, and politician, 17th Governor-General of Australia (d. 1993)
- 1906 – Alexander Sergeyevich Yakovlev, Russian engineer, founded the Yakovlev Design Bureau (d. 1989)
- 1907 – Shivakumara Swami, Indian religious leader and philanthropist (d. 2019)
- 1908 – Abraham Maslow, American psychologist and academic (d. 1970)
- 1908 – Harlow Rothert, American shot putter, lawyer, and academic (d. 1997)
- 1909 – Abner Biberman, American actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 1977)
- 1909 – Eddy Duchin, American pianist and bandleader (d. 1951)
- 1910 – Harry Carney, American saxophonist and clarinet player (d. 1974)
- 1910 – Bob Van Osdel, American high jumper and soldier (d. 1987)
- 1911 – Augusta Braxton Baker, African American librarian (d. 1998)
- 1913 – Memos Makris, Greek sculptor (d. 1993)
- 1915 – O. W. Fischer, Austrian-Swiss actor and director (d. 2004)
- 1916 – Sheila May Edmonds, British mathematician (d. 2002)
- 1917 – Sydney Newman, Canadian screenwriter and producer, co-created Doctor Who (d. 1997)
- 1917 – Melville Shavelson, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
- 1919 – Joseph Murray, American surgeon and soldier, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2012)
- 1920 – Toshiro Mifune, Japanese actor (d. 1997)
- 1921 – William Bergsma, American composer and educator (d. 1994)
- 1921 – Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith, American guitarist, fiddler, and composer (d. 2014)
- 1922 – Duke Jordan, American pianist and composer (d. 2006)
- 1922 – William Manchester, American historian and author (d. 2004)
- 1924 – Brendan Byrne, American lieutenant, judge, and politician, 47th Governor of New Jersey (d. 2018)
- 1926 – Anne McCaffrey, American-Irish author (d. 2011)
- 1927 – Walter Bahr, American soccer player, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
- 1927 – Amos Milburn, American R&B singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1980)
- 1927 – Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian footballer and manager (d. 2006)
- 1929 – Jonathan Haze, American actor, producer, screenwriter, and production manager
- 1929 – Milan Kundera, Czech-born novelist, poet, and playwright
- 1929 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (d. 2010)
- 1929 – Jane Powell, American actress, singer, and dancer
- 1930 – Grace Lee Whitney, American actress and singer (d. 2015)
- 1931 – George Baker, Bulgarian-English actor and screenwriter (d. 2011)
- 1931 – Rolf Hochhuth, German author and playwright (d. 2020)
- 1932 – Debbie Reynolds, Scottish-Irish American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2016)
- 1933 – Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Algerian-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1933 – Dan Flavin, American sculptor and educator (d. 1996)
- 1934 – Vladimir Posner, French-American journalist and radio host
- 1935 – Larry McDonald, American physician and politician (d. 1983)
- 1936 – Peter Collinson, English-American director and producer (d. 1980)
- 1936 – Jean-Pascal Delamuraz, Swiss politician, 80th President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1998)
- 1936 – Tarun Gogoi, Indian politician, 14th Chief Minister of Assam
- 1936 – Abdul Qadeer Khan, Indian-Pakistani physicist, chemist, and engineer
- 1937 – Jordan Charney, American actor
- 1939 – Ali MacGraw, American model and actress
- 1939 – Phil Niekro, American baseball player and manager
- 1940 – Wangari Maathai, Kenyan environmentalist and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2011)
- 1941 – Gideon Gadot, Israeli journalist and politician (d. 2012)
- 1941 – Ajit Wadekar, Indian cricketer, coach, and manager (d. 2018)
- 1942 – Samuel R. Delany, American author and critic
- 1942 – Richard D. Wolff, American economist and academic
- 1943 – Dafydd Wigley, Welsh academic and politician
- 1946 – Nikitas Kaklamanis, Greek academic and politician, Greek Minister of Health and Social Security
- 1946 – Ronnie Lane, English bass player, songwriter, and producer (d. 1997)
- 1946 – Arrigo Sacchi, Italian footballer, coach, and manager
- 1947 – Alain Connes, French mathematician and academic
- 1947 – Philippe Kirsch, Canadian lawyer and judge
- 1947 – Francine Prose, American novelist, short story writer, and critic
- 1947 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2009)
- 1948 – Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican singer and musician
- 1948 – Javier Irureta, Spanish footballer and manager
- 1948 – Peter Law, Welsh politician and independent Member of parliament(d. 2006)
- 1949 – Gérard Mestrallet, French businessman
- 1949 – Paul Manafort, American lobbyist, political consultant, and convicted felon
- 1949 – Sammy Nelson, Northern Irish footballer and coach
- 1949 – Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and author (d. 2011)
- 1950 – Samuel Alito, American lawyer and jurist
- 1950 – Loris Kessel, Swiss racing driver (d. 2010)
- 1950 – Daniel Paillé, Canadian academic and politician
- 1951 – John Abizaid, American general
- 1951 – Frederic Schwartz, American architect, co-designed Empty Sky (d. 2014)
- 1952 – Annette O’Toole, American actress
- 1952 – Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher and academic
- 1953 – Barry Sonnenfeld, American cinematographer, director, and producer
- 1953 – Alberto Zaccheroni, Italian footballer and manager
- 1954 – Jeff Porcaro, American drummer, songwriter, and producer (d. 1992)
- 1955 – Don Hasselbeck, American football player and sportscaster
- 1955 – Humayun Akhtar Khan, Pakistani politician, 5th Commerce Minister of Pakistan
- 1955 – Terry Nichols, American criminal
- 1957 – David Gower, English cricketer and sportscaster
- 1957 – Denise Nickerson, American actress (d. 2019)
- 1958 – D. Boon, American singer and musician (d. 1985)
- 1959 – Helmuth Duckadam, Romanian footballer
- 1961 – Susan Boyle, Scottish singer
- 1961 – Sergio Scariolo, Italian professional basketball head coach
- 1961 – Mark White, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1962 – Mark Shulman, American author
- 1962 – Chris Grayling, English journalist and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
- 1962 – Samboy Lim, Filipino basketball player and manager
- 1962 – Phillip Schofield, English television host
- 1963 – Teodoro de Villa Diaz, Filipino guitarist and songwriter (d. 1988)
- 1963 – Aprille Ericsson-Jackson, American aerospace engineer
- 1964 – Erik Breukink, Dutch cyclist and manager
- 1964 – Kevin Duckworth, American basketball player (d. 2008)
- 1964 – John Morris, English cricketer
- 1964 – José Rodrigues dos Santos, Portuguese journalist, author, and educator
- 1965 – Jane Adams, American film, television, and stage actress
- 1965 – Mark Jackson, American basketball player and coach
- 1966 – Chris Evans, English radio and television host
- 1966 – Mehmet Özdilek, Turkish footballer and manager
- 1967 – Nicola Roxon, Australian lawyer and politician, 34th Attorney-General for Australia
- 1968 – Mike Baird, Australian politician, 44th Premier of New South Wales
- 1968 – Andreas Schnaas, German actor and director
- 1968 – Alexander Stubb, Finnish academic and politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Finland
- 1969 – Lev Lobodin, Ukrainian-Russian decathlete
- 1969 – Andrew Vlahov, Australian basketball player
- 1969 – Dean Windass, English footballer and manager
- 1970 – Brad Meltzer, American author, screenwriter, and producer
- 1971 – Sonia Bisset, Cuban javelin thrower
- 1971 – Shinji Nakano, Japanese racing driver
- 1972 – Darren McCarty, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster
- 1972 – Jesse Tobias, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1973 – Christian Finnegan, American comedian and actor
- 1973 – Stephen Fleming, New Zealand cricketer and coach
- 1973 – Rachel Maddow, American journalist and author
- 1974 – Hugo Ibarra, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1975 – John Butler, American-Australian singer-songwriter and producer
- 1975 – Magdalena Maleeva, Bulgarian tennis player
- 1976 – Hazem El Masri, Lebanese-Australian rugby league player and educator
- 1976 – David Gilliland, American race car driver
- 1976 – David Oyelowo, English actor
- 1976 – Clarence Seedorf, Dutch-Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1976 – Yuka Yoshida, Japanese tennis player
- 1977 – Vitor Belfort, Brazilian-American boxer and mixed martial artist
- 1977 – Haimar Zubeldia, Spanish cyclist
- 1978 – Antonio de Nigris, Mexican footballer (d. 2009)
- 1978 – Mirka Federer, Slovak-Swiss tennis player
- 1978 – Anamaria Marinca, Romanian-English actress
- 1978 – Etan Thomas, American basketball player
- 1979 – Ruth Beitia, Spanish high jumper
- 1980 – Dennis Kruppke, German footballer
- 1980 – Randy Orton, American wrestler
- 1980 – Bijou Phillips, American actress and model
- 1981 – Antonis Fotsis, Greek basketball player
- 1981 – Bjørn Einar Romøren, Norwegian ski jumper
- 1982 – Taran Killam, American actor, voice artist, comedian, and writer
- 1982 – Andreas Thorkildsen, Norwegian javelin thrower
- 1983 – Ólafur Ingi Skúlason, Icelandic footballer
- 1983 – Sean Taylor, American football player (d. 2007)
- 1984 – Gilberto Macena, Brazilian footballer
- 1985 – Daniel Murphy, American baseball player
- 1985 – Beth Tweddle, English gymnast
- 1986 – Hillary Scott, American country singer-songwriter
- 1987 – Ding Junhui, Chinese professional snooker player
- 1987 – Gianluca Musacci, Italian footballer
- 1987 – Oliver Turvey, English racing driver
- 1988 – Brook Lopez, American basketball player
- 1988 – Robin Lopez, American basketball player
- 1989 – Jan Blokhuijsen, Dutch speed skater
- 1989 – David N’Gog, French footballer
- 1989 – Christian Vietoris, German racing driver
- 1990 – Julia Fischer, German discus thrower
- 1992 – Deng Linlin, Chinese gymnast
- 1995 – Logan Paul, American Youtuber and actor
- 1997 – Álex Palou, Spanish racing driver
Deaths on April 1
- 996 – John XV, pope of the Catholic Church
- 1085 – Shen Zong, Chinese emperor (b. 1048)
- 1132 – Hugh of Châteauneuf, French bishop (b. 1053)
- 1204 – Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of France and England (b. 1122)
- 1205 – Amalric II, king of Cyprus and Jerusalem
- 1282 – Abaqa Khan, ruler of the Mongol Ilkhanate (b. 1234)
- 1431 – Nuno Álvares Pereira, Portuguese general (b. 1360)
- 1441 – Blanche I, queen of Navarre and Sicily (b. 1387)
- 1455 – Zbigniew Oleśnicki, Polish cardinal and statesman (b. 1389)
- 1528 – Francisco de Peñalosa, Spanish composer (b. 1470)
- 1548 – Sigismund I, king of Poland (b. 1467)
- 1580 – Alonso Mudarra, Spanish guitarist and composer (b. 1510)
- 1601 – Françoise d’Orléans-Longueville, French princess (b. 1549)
- 1621 – Cristofano Allori, Italian painter and educator (b. 1577)
- 1682 – Franz Egon of Fürstenberg, Bavarian bishop (b. 1625)
- 1787 – Floyer Sydenham, English scholar and academic (b. 1710)
- 1839 – Benjamin Pierce, American soldier and politician, 11th Governor of New Hampshire (b. 1757)
- 1865 – Giuditta Pasta, Italian soprano (b. 1797)
- 1872 – Frederick Denison Maurice, English theologian and academic (b. 1805)
- 1878 – John C.W. Daly, English-Canadian soldier and politician (b. 1796)
- 1890 – David Wilber, American politician (b. 1820)
- 1890 – Alexander Mozhaysky, Russian soldier, pilot, and engineer (b. 1825)
- 1914 – Rube Waddell, American baseball player (b. 1876)
- 1914 – Charles Wells, English founder of Charles Wells Ltd (b. 1842)
- 1917 – Scott Joplin, American pianist and composer (b. 1868)
- 1920 – Walter Simon, German banker and philanthropist (b. 1857)
- 1922 – Charles I, emperor of Austria (b. 1887)
- 1922 – Hermann Rorschach, Swiss psychologist and author (b. 1884)
- 1924 – Jacob Bolotin, American physician (b. 1888)
- 1924 – Lloyd Hildebrand, English cyclist (b. 1870)
- 1924 – Stan Rowley, Australian sprinter (b. 1876)
- 1946 – Noah Beery, Sr., American actor (b. 1882)
- 1947 – George II, king of Greece (b. 1890)
- 1950 – Charles R. Drew, American physician and surgeon (b. 1904)
- 1950 – Recep Peker, Turkish soldier and politician, 6th Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1889)
- 1962 – Jussi Kekkonen, Finnish captain and businessman (b. 1910)
- 1965 – Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman (b. 1870)
- 1966 – Brian O’Nolan, Irish author (b. 1911)
- 1968 – Lev Landau, Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1908)
- 1976 – Max Ernst, German painter and sculptor (b. 1891)
- 1981 – Eua Sunthornsanan, Thai singer-songwriter and bandleader (b. 1910)
- 1984 – Marvin Gaye, American singer-songwriter (b. 1939)
- 1984 – Elizabeth Goudge, English author (b. 1900)
- 1986 – Erik Bruhn, Danish actor, director, and choreographer (b. 1928)
- 1987 – Henri Cochet, French tennis player (b. 1901)
- 1991 – Martha Graham, American dancer and choreographer (b. 1894)
- 1991 – Jaime Guzmán, Chilean lawyer and politician (b. 1946)
- 1992 – Michael Havers, Baron Havers, English lawyer and politician, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (b. 1923)
- 1993 – Alan Kulwicki, American race car driver (b. 1954)
- 1994 – Robert Doisneau, French photographer (b. 1912)
- 1995 – H. Adams Carter, American mountaineer, journalist, and educator (b. 1914)
- 1995 – Francisco Moncion, Dominican American ballet dancer, choreographer, charter member of the New York City Ballet (b. 1918)
- 1995 – Lucie Rie, Austrian-English potter (b. 1902)
- 1997 – Makar Honcharenko, Ukrainian footballer and manager (b. 1912)
- 1998 – Rozz Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1963)
- 1999 – Jesse Stone, American pianist, songwriter, and producer (b. 1901)
- 2001 – Trịnh Công Sơn, Vietnamese guitarist and composer (b. 1939)
- 2002 – Simo Häyhä, Finnish soldier and sniper (b. 1905)
- 2003 – Leslie Cheung, Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1956)
- 2004 – Ioannis Kyrastas, Greek footballer and manager (b. 1952)
- 2004 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (b. 1945)
- 2005 – Paul Bomani, Tanzanian politician and diplomat, 1st Tanzanian Minister of Finance (b 1925)
- 2005 – Robert Coldwell Wood, American political scientist and academic (b. 1923)
- 2006 – In Tam, Cambodian general and politician, 26th Prime Minister of Cambodia (b. 1916)
- 2010 – John Forsythe, American actor (b. 1918)
- 2010 – Tzannis Tzannetakis, Greek soldier and politician, 175th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1927)
- 2012 – Lionel Bowen, Australian soldier, lawyer, and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1922)
- 2012 – Giorgio Chinaglia, Italian-American soccer player and radio host (b. 1947)
- 2012 – Miguel de la Madrid, Mexican banker, academic, and politician, 52nd President of Mexico (b. 1934)
- 2013 – Moses Blah, Liberian general and politician, 23rd President of Liberia (b. 1947)
- 2013 – Karen Muir, South African swimmer and physician (b. 1952)
- 2014 – King Fleming, American pianist and bandleader (b. 1922)
- 2014 – Jacques Le Goff, French historian and author (b. 1924)
- 2014 – Rolf Rendtorff, German theologian and academic (b. 1925)
- 2015 – Nicolae Rainea, Romanian footballer and referee (b. 1933)
- 2017 – Lonnie Brooks, American blues singer and guitarist (b. 1933)
- 2017 – Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Soviet and Russian poet and writer (b. 1932)
- 2018 – Steven Bochco, American television writer and producer (b. 1943)
- 2019 – Vonda N. McIntyre, American science fiction author (b. 1948)
Holidays and observances on April 1
- Christian feast day:
- Cellach of Armagh
- Hugh of Grenoble
- Frederick Denison Maurice (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Mary of Egypt
- Melito of Sardis
- Nuno Álvares Pereira
- Tewdrig
- Theodora
- Walric, abbot of Leuconay
- April 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Earliest day on which Sizdah Be-dar can fall, while April 2 is the latest; celebrated on the 13th day after vernal equinox. (Iran)
- Iranian Islamic Republic Day (Iran) falls on this day if the Vernal Equinox falls on March 21.
- Veneralia was held on April 1 during Ancient Rome, however this date does not lock into the modern Gregorian calendar.
- April Fools’ Day
- Odisha Day (Odisha, India)
- Arbor Day (Tanzania)
- Civil Service Day (Thailand)
- Cyprus National Day (Cyprus)
- Edible Book Day
- Fossil Fools Day
- Kha b-Nisan, the Assyrian New Year (Assyrian people)
- National Civil Service Day (Thailand)
