1272 – Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1209)
1416 – Ferdinand I the Righteous, King of Aragon and Sicily, dies at 52
1507 – Francis of Paola, Italian founder of the Order of the Minims (b. 1416)
1914 – Paul von Heyse, German writer (Nobel Prize for Literature 1910), dies at 84
1953 – Jean Epstein, French director (Vive la Vie), dies at 56
1974 – Douglass Dumbrille, Canadian actor (Mr Deed Goes to Town), dies at 84
1994 – Richard Davies, actor (Pvt Buckaroo), dies of a heart attack at 79
1995 – Leo LeBlanc, American country musician and pianist who was legally blind, dies of cancer at 55
2001 – Jennifer Syme, American actress (b. 1972)
2020 – Carl Tacy, American college basketball coach (Wake Forest University 1972-85; 222-149 record), dies at 87
Author: gil7
Historical Events for 2nd April 2026
1767 – King Charles III of Spain gives orders to expel the Jesuits from the Spanish Empire
1866 – US President Andrew Johnson ends civil war in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia
1912 – Sun Yet Sen forms Guomindang Party in China
1930 – Ras Tafari Makonnen is proclaimed Emperor Haile Selassie of Abyssinia (Ethiopia)
1939 – 6th US Masters Tournament: Ralph Guldahl wins his only Masters title with a tournament record 279 (−9), 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Sam Snead
1983 – New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy scores in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins to become the first player in NHL history to score 60 goals in 3 consecutive seasons
2012 – 74th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Kentucky defeats Kansas, 67-59; Wildcats guard Doron Lamb, 22 points
2019 – 70 villages evacuated in Khuzesta province, Iran, after at least 45 killed in flooding after unprecedented rainfall
Today in History for 2nd April 2026
Historical Events
1767 – King Charles III of Spain gives orders to expel the Jesuits from the Spanish Empire
1804 – Forty merchantmen are wrecked when a convoy led by HMS Apollo runs aground off the coast of Portugal
1872 – US engineer George Brayton patents an internal combustion engine (Brayton Cycle)
1902 – Dmitry Sipyagin, Minister of Interior of the Russian Empire, is assassinated by a terrorist in the Marie Palace, St Petersburg
1977 – Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” album goes to No. 1 and stays atop the charts for 31 weeks
Famous Birthdays
1798 – August Heinrich Hoffmann, German writer, born in Fallersleben, Electorate of Brunswick -Lüneburg (d. 1874)
1840 – Émile Zola, French novelist and critic (J’accuse – I Accuse), born in Paris, France (d. 1902)
1927 – Carmen Basilio, American boxer (World Welterweight title 1955-56; Middleweight title 1957-58), born in Canastota, New York (d. 2012)
1940 – Mike Hailwood, British motorcycle road racer (World C’ships: 250cc – 1961, 1966, 1967; 350cc – 1966, 1967; 500cc –1962-65; 76 Grand Prix wins), born in Great Milton, England (d. 1981)
1993 – Keshorn Walcott ORTT, Trinidadian athlete (Olympic gold javelin 2012, bronze 2016), born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Famous Deaths
1803 – Hieronymus van Alphen, Dutch poet of children’s poems (Proeve van kleine gedigen voor Kinder), dies at 56
1944 – Mikuláš Moyzes, Slovak composer (The Orphans), dies at 71
2002 – Henry Slesar, American writer and playwright (The Edge of Night), dies at 74
2013 – Milo O’Shea, Irish character actor (Barbarella, Staircase and Mass Appeal, Romeo and Juliet), dies at 86
2014 – Urs Widmer, Swiss writer, dies at 75
Famous Deaths for 1st April 2026
1904 – Guy Wetmore Carryl, American humorist and poet (Fables for the Frivolous, When the Great Gray Ships Come In), dies at 31
1936 – Mikhail Vladimirovich Ivanov-Boretsky, composer, dies at 61
1951 – Clement D’Hooghe, Belgian composer, dies at 51
1968 – Lev Landau, Russian physicist (1962 Nobel Prize for Physics for superfluidity theory), dies from injuries from an earlier car accident at 60
1974 – Alfred Ernest Whitehead, English-Canadian composer, dies at 86
1976 – Freddie Lennon, father of John Lennon (Beatles), dies at 63
2004 – Carrie Snodgress, American actress (Diary of Mad Housewife), dies at 58
2011 – Lou Gorman, American baseball executive (general manager Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox), dies at 82
2013 – Nicolae Martinescu, Romanian Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold 100kg 1972), dies at 73
2025 – Star VII, Alaskan reindeer and a mascot of Anchorage, Alaska, euthanized after probably being poisoned at 8
Historical Events for 1st April 2026
792 – Maya city of Piedras Negras celebrates military triumph over nearby settlement of Pomona (as depicted in Stela 12 Piedras Negras)
1778 – New Orleans businessman Oliver Pollock creates the “$” symbol
1866 – US Congress rejects presidential veto giving all equal rights in US
1867 – Singapore, Penang and Malacca become British crown colonies
1888 – Students from Rotterdam, Netherlands establish a cricket club called Rotterdamsche Cricket and Football Club Sparta which evolves into Sparta Rotterdam
1910 – Romanian geographer Dumitru Dan completes a 62,137-mile (100,000-kilometer) walk
2000 – American boxer Chris Byrd wins WBO Heavyweight title after Ukrainian champion Vitali Klitschko retires with a shoulder injury at the end of the 9th round in Berlin, Germany
2012 – 32nd Golden Raspberry Awards: Jack and Jill wins
Today in History for 1st April 2026
Historical Events
1064 – The body of the first bishop of Tournai, Saint Eleutherius of Tournai, is translated (moved)
1924 – The Royal Canadian Air Force officially forms
1973 – Despite a final round, 5-3 loss to Montreal, Boston Bruins center Phil Esposito wins his third consecutive NHL scoring title with 130 points from 55 goals and 75 assists in the 78-game season
1995 – Carlson Wagonlit Travel Agency begins charging a $15 service fee
1999 – Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown wins his 900th pro game with an 88-84 win over Miami Heat; Brown record: 671-547 NBA, 229-107 ABA, combined 900-654
Famous Birthdays
1858 – Arnold Aletrino, Dutch physician, criminologist, and author (From Life), born in Amsterdam (d. 1916)
1947 – Norm Van Lier, American basketball point guard (NBA All-Star 1974, 76, 77; Chicago Bulls) and broadcaster (Comcast SportsNet), born in East Liverpool, Ohio (d. 2009)
1952 – Bernard Stiegler, French philosopher and founder of the Institute of Research and Innovation (2006), born in Villebon-sur-Yvette, France (d. 2020)
1974 – Richard Christy, American heavy metal drummer (Charred Walls of the Damned), and radio personality (The Howard Stern Show), born in Fort Scott, Kansas, U.S.
1987 – Ding Junhui, Chinese snooker player (Masters 2011; Shanghai Masters 2013, 16; UK C’ships 2005, 09, 19), born in Yixing, Jiangsu, China
Famous Deaths
1799 – Narciso Casanovas, composer, dies at 52
1901 – François-Marie Raoult, French physicist and chemist (Law of Raoult), dies at 70
1987 – Henri Cochet, French tennis player (French Open 1926, 28, 30, 32; Wimbledon 1927, 29; US Open 1928), dies at 85
1990 – Russell Vis, American Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold freestyle lightweight 1924), dies at 89
2020 – Adam Schlesinger, American rock musician (Fountains Of Wayne) and songwriter (That Thing You Do), dies of COVID-19 complications at 52
Famous Deaths for 31st March 2026
1631 – John Donne, Metaphysical poet, dies (birth date unknown)
1917 – Emil Adolf von Behring, German physician, won the first Nobel Prize for Physics (1901) for his serum to cure diphtheria, dies at 63
1934 – Franz Ehrle, German Jesuit and Vatican librarian (modernised the Vatican Library), dies at 88
1945 – Maurice Rose, American army officer (WWI; WWII), highest-ranking American killed by enemy fire in Europe, dies at 45
1957 – Gene Lockhart, American actor (Going My Way), dies at 65
1968 – Grover Lowdermilk, American MLB baseball pitcher (St. Louis Browns, Detroit Tigers, and 4 other teams), dies at 83
1995 – Carl Story, American bluegrass musician (Rambling Mountaineers), dies at 78
1996 – Dante Giacosa, Italian engineer and automobile designer (Fiat), dies at 91
1997 – Friedrich Hund, German physicist who worked on atoms and molecules (Hund’s Law), dies at 101
2023 – John Brockington, American football running back (First-team All-Pro 1971, 73; Pro Bowl 1971, 72, 73; Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs), dies at 74
Historical Events for 31st March 2026
1084 – Anti-pope Clement crowns German King Hendrik IV as Holy Roman Emperor
1862 – Civil War action at Island #10 on Mississippi River
1909 – National Baseball Commission rules players who jump contracts to be suspended for 5 years; players joining outlaw organizations suspended for 3 years
1951 – US tanks exceed 38° of latitude in Korea
1966 – 25,000 anti war demonstrators march in NYC
1978 – Wings release “London Town” album
1982 – Arkas tanker at Montz La, spills 1.47 million gallons of oil
1985 – El Salvador’s President José Napoleón Duarte’ Christian Democratic Party wins election
Today in History for 31st March 2026
Historical Events
1969 – George Harrison and Pattie Boyd are fined £250 each for possession of illegal drugs
1970 – Federal bankruptcy court allows Seattle Pilots to be sold to Milwaukee
1997 – “Daytime to Remember” a series showing old soaps premieres on ABC-TV
2004 – In Fallujah, Iraq, 4 American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed and their bodies mutilated after being ambushed
2020 – British pensioner Robert Weighton becomes the world’s oldest man at 112 years
Famous Birthdays
1891 – Victor Varconi, Hungarian actor (Divine Lady; King of Kings; Big City), born in Kisvárda, Austria-Hungary (d. 1976)
1893 – Clemens Krauss, Austrian conductor (Vienna State Opera; Berlin State Opera), born in Vienna, Austria (d. 1954)
1945 – Edwin Catmull. American computer scientist and film animator (co-founder of Pixar; President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2006-18), born in Parkersburg, West Virginia
1947 – John Poulos, American drummer (The Buckinghams – “Kind Of A Drag”), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1980)
1982 – Tal Ben Haim, Israeli soccer defender (Israel 96 caps), born in Rishon LeZion, Israel
Famous Deaths
1703 – Johann Christoph Bach, German harpsichordist and composer, dies at 60
1997 – Laxmishankar Pathak, Indian-born British food retailer (Pataks foods), dies at 62
2003 – George Conner, American College and Pro Football Hall of Fame tackle / linebacker (Pro Bowl 1950–53; First-team All-Pro 1950–53, 55; Chicago Bears), dies at 78
2009 – Jarl Alfredius, Swedish news anchor (b. 1943)
2024 – Barbara Rush, American stage and screen actress (Peyton Place – “Marsha”; It Came From Outer Space; Flamingo Road), dies at 97
Famous Deaths for 30th March 2026
1202 – Joachim of Fiore, Italian Catholic mystic and Christian theologian who founded the Abbey of San Giovanni di Fiore and wrote prophecies of the three ages of human history, dies at about 66 or 67
1949 – Dattaram Hindlekar, Indian cricket wicketkeeper (4 Tests, 3 dismissals; Bombay), dies at 40
1966 – Erwin Piscator, German theater and film director (Nathan the Wise; Revolt of the Fishermen), dies at 72
1967 – Jean Toomer, American poet and novelist (Cane, Blue Meridian), dies at 72
1972 – Peter Whitney, American actor (Rough Riders), dies at 55
1979 – José María Velasco Ibarra, Ecuadorian politician, who served as president 5 times (1934-72), dies at 86
1984 – Peter Yarrall, strongest Englishman (weighed 826 lb (374.7 kg), dies
1984 – Hollis Frampton, American photographer and experimental filmmaker (Zorns Lemma, Critical Mass), dies of cancer at 48
1998 – Ramsay Ames [Phillips], American actress, model and dancer (The Mummy’s Ghost; Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves), dies of lung cancer at 79
2004 – Hubert Gregg, British broadcaster (b. 1914)