April 1

Pre-1600

• 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
• 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.
• 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.

1601–1900

• 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.
• 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.
• 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 during the Siege of Petersburg.
• 1867 – Singapore becomes a British crown colony.
• 1873 – The White Star steamer SS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century.
• 1900 – Prince George becomes absolute monarch of the Cretan State.

1901–present

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 two hundred and two thousand 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 – World War II: 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 M_w  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.
• 1946 – The Malayan Union is established. Protests from locals led to the establishment of the Federation of Malaya two years later.
• 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 Springs, 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.
• 1964 – The British Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry are replaced by a unified Defence Council of the United Kingdom.
• 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.
• 1970 – A Royal Air Maroc Sud Aviation Caravelle crashes near Berrechid, Morocco, killing 61.
• 1971 – Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army massacre more than a thousand 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 – Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple Computer, Inc.
• 1979 – Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah.
• 1984 – Singer Marvin Gaye is shot to death by his father in his home in Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, California.
• 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 – NASCAR racer Alan Kulwicki is killed in a plane crash near the Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, Tennessee.
• 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 Chinese pilot ejected but is subsequently lost. 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 launches its Email service Gmail.
• 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 fourteen people, including seven UN workers.
• 2016 – The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict begins along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact.

Pre-1600

• 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)

1601–1900

• 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)
• 1858 – Columba Marmion, Irish Benedictine abbot (d. 1923)
• 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–present

• 1901 – Whittaker Chambers, American journalist and spy (d. 1961)
• 1902 – Maria Polydouri, Greek poet (d. 1930)
• 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-French novelist, poet, and playwright (d. 2023)
• 1929 – Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (d. 2010)
• 1929 – Jane Powell, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2021)
• 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, 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)
• 1933 – Bengt Holbek, Danish folklorist (d. 1992)
• 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 (d. 2020)
• 1936 – Abdul Qadeer Khan, Indian-Pakistani physicist, chemist, and engineer (d. 2021)
• 1937 – Jordan Charney, American actor
• 1939 – Ali MacGraw, American model and actress
• 1939 – Phil Niekro, American baseball player and manager (d. 2020)
• 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
• 1943 – Titina Silá, Bissau-Guinean revolutionary (d. 1973)
• 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
• 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, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• 1950 – Loris Kessel, Swiss racing driver (d. 2010)
• 1950 – Daniel Paillé, Canadian academic and politician
• 1951 – John Abizaid, American general
• 1952 – Annette O'Toole, American actress
• 1952 – Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher and academic (d. 2020)
• 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
• 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 (d. 2023)
• 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 and 13th President 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 – Gábor Király, Hungarian footballer
• 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 – Nikolaos Kourtidis, Greek weightlifter
• 1986 – Hillary Scott, American country singer-songwriter
• 1987 – Vitorino Antunes, Portuguese footballer
• 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
• 1991 – Duván Zapata, Colombian footballer
• 1992 – Deng Linlin, Chinese gymnast
• 1995 – Jofra Archer, Barbadian-English cricketer
• 1995 – Logan Paul, American YouTuber, actor and wrestler
• 1997 – Asa Butterfield, English actor
• 1997 – Álex Palou, Spanish racing driver
• 1998 – Mitchell Robinson, American basketball player
• 1999 – Gabe Davis, American football player
• 2000 – Rhian Brewster, English footballer

Pre-1600

• 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)

1601–1900

• 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 – Antonios Kriezis, Greek Navy officer and Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1796)
• 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)

1901–present

• 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)
• 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)
• 1963 – Agnes Mowinckel, Norwegian actress (b. 1875)
• 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)
• 1971 – Kathleen Lonsdale, Irish crystallographer and prison reformer (b. 1903)
• 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)
• 1986 – Edwin Boston, English clergyman, author, and railway preservationist
• 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)
• 2024 – Lou Conter, American naval commander (b. 1921)
• 2024 – Vontae Davis, American football player (b. 1988)
• 2024 – Joe Flaherty, American actor, writer, and comedian (b. 1941)
• 2024 – Sami Michael, Iraqi-born Israeli writer and human rights activist (b. 1926)
• 2024 – Ed Piskor, American comic book artist (b. 1982)
• 2024 – Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Iranian senior military officer (b. 1960)

• Christian feast day:
  • Cellach of Armagh
  • Hugh of Grenoble
  • Frederick Denison Maurice (Church of England)
  • Mary of Egypt
  • Melito of Sardis
  • Tewdrig
  • Theodora
  • Walric, abbot of Leuconay
  • April 1 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• 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)

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• Historical Events on April 1