1687 – Ambrose Dixon, Virginia Colony pioneer
1795 – Johann Kaspar Basselet von La Rosée, Bavarian general, dies at 84
1845 – Hendrik Marcus de Kock, Dutch general and politician (Lieutenant Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1826-30), dies at 65
1942 – Johannes Evert Akkeringa, Dutch painter and etcher, dies at 81
1959 – Ernest Willem Mulder, Dutch conductor, composer, and teacher, dies at 60
1973 – Arthur Freed, American Academy Award-winning lyricist and film producer (An American in Paris; Gigi; Singin’ in the Rain), dies from heart attack at 78
1981 – Hans Chemin-Petit, German composer, dies at 78
2013 – Michael France, American screenwriter, dies from complications from diabetes at 51
2020 – John Horton Conway, British mathematician (cellular automaton Game of Life), dies of COVID-19 complications at 82
2020 – Stirling Moss, British auto racer (16 x F1 Grand Prix; World F1 Drivers C’ship runner-up 1955-58; 12 Hours of Sebring 1954) and broadcaster (ABC F1, NASCAR), dies at 90
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 12th April 2026
1869 – North Carolina legislature passes anti-Ku Klux Klan Law
1931 – Spanish voters reject the monarchy
1946 – LPGA Titleholders Championship Women’s Golf, Augusta CC: Louise Suggs wins her first major title by 2 strokes from Eileen Stulb
1955 – Polio vaccine tested by Jonas Salk announced to be ‘safe and effective’ and is given full approval by the US Food and Drug Administration
1957 – Jim Spalding set a 2,088 pin nine-game bowling record
1961 – Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into space and orbit Earth, aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft
1975 – Six Catholic civilians are killed in a Ulster Volunteer Force gun and grenade attack on Strand Bar in Belfast, North Ireland
1980 – Milwaukee beats Boston Red Sox, 18-1 (Cooper and Money hit grand slams)
Today in History for 12th April 2026
Historical Events
1943 – Allies conquer Soussa, North-Africa
1954 – Belgian Van Houtte government resigns
1982 – 3 CBS employees shot to death in NYC parking lot
2002 – Pedro Carmona becomes interim President of Venezuela during the military coup against Hugo Chávez.
2024 – Music festival Coachella kicks off, headlined by Lana Del Ray, Tyler The Creator, Doja Cat and No Doubt
Famous Birthdays
1777 – Henry Clay, American politician known as “the Great Compromiser”, Speaker of the House, Senator and Secretary of State (1825-29), born in Hanover County, Virginia (d. 1852)
1839 – Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian naturalist and explorer (East and Central Asia), born in Kimborovo, Russia (d. 1888) (OS 31 March)
1899 – Chief Thundercloud [Victor Daniels], Cherokee actor (The Lone Ranger; Colt .45), born in Muskogee, Indian Territory (d. 1955)
1912 – Harold Maguire, British air marshal, born in Kilkishen, Ireland (d. 2001)
1953 – Tony James, English rock bassist (Sigue Sigue Sputnik – Love Missile F-111), born in Shepherds Bush, London
Famous Deaths
352 – Julius I, pope (337-52), dies
1788 – Carl Joseph Toeschi, German composer, dies at 56
1898 – Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Roman catholic cardinal, Archbishop of Quebec, dies at 78
1981 – Hans Chemin-Petit, German composer, dies at 78
1996 – Marthe Robert, French essayist and translator who influenced Sigmund Freud, dies at 82
Famous Deaths for 11th April 2026
1648 – Matthäus Appelt, German composer, dies at 53
1712 – Richard Simon, French Oratorian priest, biblical critic and orientalist (Histoire Critique du Vieux Testament / Critical History of the Old Testament), dies at 73
1838 – Piet Uys [Petrus Lafras Uys], Dutch Afrikaner Voortrekker pioneer (the Great Trek from Cape of Good Hope to interior South Africa), killed during the Battle of Italeni against the Zulus at 40
1908 – Henry Bird, English Chess player and author (b. 1829)
1974 – Charles Curtis “Curt” Conway, American actor (Raw Deal; The Twilight Zone), dies of a heart attack at 60
1980 – Charlotte Henry, American actress (Alice in Wonderland; Babes In Toyland; Jungle Menace), dies of cancer at 66
1992 – Robert Houben, Belgian politician (Minister of Public Health, 1958), dies at 86
1996 – Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, French advertising magnate and Founder of Publicis Groupe, dies at 89
2006 – Proof [DeShaun Holton], American rapper (D12), shot to death in billiard game dispute at 32
2025 – Max Romeo [Smith], Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter, dies of heart complications at 80
Historical Events for 11th April 2026
1926 – Flemish Economic Covenant (VEV) forms in Ghent
1941 – Nazi occupiers in Netherlands confiscate Jewish assets
1952 – The Battle of Nanri island takes place.
1955 – Garfield Sobers starts run of 85 uninterrupted Test Cricket appearances for West Indies
1993 – 450 prisoners riot at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio, and continue for ten days, citing grievances about prison conditions and the forced vaccination of Nation of Islam prisoners (for tuberculosis)
1996 – Revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical “The King and I”, starring Lou Diamond Phillips and Donna Murphy, premieres at Neil Simon Theater, NYC; runs for 781 performances
2021 – 74th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) held virtually: “Nomadland” best film, Chloé Zhao best director, Frances McDormand, Anthony Hopkins best acting awards
2024 – Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan sentenced to death for embezzlement, bribery and banking violations worth 304 trillion dong ($12.46 billion), the country’s largest-ever fraud case
Today in History for 11th April 2026
Historical Events
1564 – Liege Prince-Bishop Robert van Bergen resigns
1868 – The Shogunate is abolished in Japan
1972 – Fantasy Records releases “Mardi Gras”, the seventh and final studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival
1999 – Neil Jenkins converts a Scott Gibbs try to give Wales a famous, 32-31 win over England at Wembley Stadium; allows Scotland to win final Five Nations Rugby Championship; reverts to 6 teams in 2000
2019 – Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft, the first privately-funded mission to the moon, crashes on the moon
Famous Birthdays
1838 – Joseph Leopold Röckel, German-British composer, music publisher, and teacher, born in London, England (d. 1908)
1920 – Emilio Colombo, Italian Prime Minister (1970-72), born in Potenza, Basilicata (d. 2013)
1930 – Joseph Burnett-Stuart, British CEO (Robert Fleming Holdings), born in the UK (d. 2010)
1951 – Françoise Hampson, British academic and human rights lawyer, born in Bolton, England (d. 2025)
1955 – Michael Callen, American AIDS activist, singer-songwriter, and author, born in Rising Sun, Indiana (d. 1993)
Famous Deaths
1839 – John Galt, Scottish novelist (Annals of the Parish), dies at 59
1961 – Francis de Bourguignon, Belgian pianist (accompanist to Nellie Melba), and contemporary classical composer, dies at 70
1985 – Enver Hoxha, Albanian post-war communist leader and dictator of Albania (1944-85), dies at 76
1991 – Tom Rosqui, American stage and screen character actor (The Godfather – “Rocco Lampone”), dies of cancer at 62
2016 – Emile Ford, Caribbean-born British singer and engineer (first black male singer to top UK charts), dies at 78
Famous Deaths for 10th April 2026
1008 – Notger, Benedictine monk and 1st Prince-Bishop of Liège (972-1008), dies
1834 – John Macarthur, Australian pastoralist, helped found wool industry in Australia, dies at 66
1932 – André Baillon, Belgian-French author (and sabots), dies at 56
1974 – Patricia Collinge, dies at 81
1997 – Michael Dorris, American novelist (A Yellow Raft in Blue Water; The Broken Cord ). and scholar (Dartmouth), commits suicide at 52
2010 – Maria Kaczyńska, Polish economist and First Lady of Poland, is killed in the crash of a Polish Air Force Tu-154 at 67
2017 – Banner Thomas, American rock bassist (Molly Hatchet), dies of a heart attack at 63
2023 – Al Jaffee, American comic strip cartoonist and illustrator (MAD Magazine), dies at 102
2024 – Ted Toleman, British motor sport executive (founder Toleman Racing F1 team), dies at 86
2025 – Leo Beenhakker, Dutch soccer manager (Ajax, Feyenoord, Real Madrid, Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, Poland), dies at 82
Historical Events for 10th April 2026
1589 – Spanish troops conquer Geertruidenberg after the garrison of English and Dutch troops surrenders
1957 – Jordan’s Arabist government of Suleiman Nabulsi is forced to resign after escalating policy disputes with the royal family
1964 – Demolition begins in Upper Manhattan, New York City on Polo Grounds sports stadium (home to MLB Giants, 1891-1957, Mets, 1962-63, and NFL Jets, 1960-63) to clear way for housing project
1968 – 40th Academy Awards: “In the Heat of the Night”, Rod Steiger and Katharine Hepburn win
1979 – Soyuz 33 launched with a Russian and a Bulgarian
2005 – At 16 years, 271 days James Vaughan scores for Everton in a 4-0 win against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park; becomes youngest goalscorer in EPL history
2016 – 80th US Masters Tournament: England’s Danny Willett wins his first major title, 3 strokes ahead of Lee Westwood and defending champion Jordan Spieth
2024 – South Korea’s liberal opposition party wins landslide majority in the country’s general election – a defeat for President Yoon Suk Yeol, amid claims he was brought down by a spring onion
Today in History for 10th April 2026
Historical Events
1916 – The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) is founded in New York City
1962 – Houston Colt .45s make their MLB debut with an 11-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Colt Stadium; outfielder Román Mejías hits a pair of 3-run homers
1974 – Golda Meir resigns as Israel’s Prime Minister
2005 – At 16 years, 271 days James Vaughan scores for Everton in a 4-0 win against Crystal Palace at Goodison Park; becomes youngest goalscorer in EPL history
2010 – Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board including President Lech Kaczyński
Famous Birthdays
1569 – Emilia van Nassau, daughter of William I of Orange and Anna of Saxony, born in Cologne, Germany (d. 1629)
1704 – Benjamin Heath, English classical scholar, born in Exeter, Devon, England (d. 1766)
1833 – James Edward Rains, American lawyer and Brigadier General (Confederate Army), born in Nashville, Tennessee (d. 1862)
1970 – Enrico Ciccone, Canadian NHL defenseman (Chicago Blackhawks), born in Montreal, Quebec
1987 – Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano and UNICEF ambassador, born in Christchurch, New Zealand
Famous Deaths
1956 – Clarence Beaumont, 1st batter in 1st World Series, dies at 75
1968 – Gustavs Celmins, Latvian politician, dies at 69
1989 – Joan Barry, dies at 85
1992 – Cecil “Cec” Linder, Polish-Canadian actor (Goldfinger, Quatermass and the Pit), dies at 71
2010 – Ryszard Kaczorowski, Polish statesman is killed in the crash of a Polish Air Force Tu-154 at 90
Famous Deaths for 9th April 2026
491 – Zeno, Eastern Roman Emperor (474-75, 476-91), dies at 66
1483 – Edward IV, King of England (1461-70, 71-83), dies of unknown causes at 40
1917 – Edward Thomas, poet, killed in WW I
1948 – Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, Colombian politician (b. 1903)
1978 – Vivian McGrath, Australian tennis player (Australian C’ship 1937), dies at 62
1991 – Maurice Binder, American photographer and film title designer (James Bond Movies), dies at 73
2011 – Jerry Lawson, American electronic engineer, considered the ‘the father of the video game cartridge, dies from complications of diabetes at 70
2013 – Emilio Pericoli, Italian pop singer (“Al di là”, “Quando, quando, quando”), dies at 85
2015 – Pim Lier, Dutch lawyer and illegitimate son of Prince Consort Henry, dies at 96
2025 – David Sassoon, Iraqi-British fashion designer best known for dressing Princess Diana, dies at 92