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Today April 5th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
456 – St. Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop.
1242 – During a battle on the ice of Lake Peipus, Russian forces, led by Alexander Nevsky, rebuff an invasion attempt by the Teutonic Knights.
1566 – Two-hundred Dutch noblemen, led by Hendrik van Brederode, force themselves into the presence of Margaret of Parma and present the Petition of Compromise, denouncing the Spanish Inquisition in the Netherlands. The Inquisition is suspended and a delegation is sent to Spain to petition Philip II.
1609 – Daimyo (Lord) of the Satsuma Domain in southern Kyushu, Japan, completes his successful invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa.
1614 – In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe.
1621 – The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth, Massachusetts on a return trip to Great Britain.
1792 – U.S. President George Washington exercises his authority to veto a bill, the first time this power is used in the United States.
1804 – High Possil Meteorite: The first recorded meteorite in Scotland falls in Possil.
1818 – In the Battle of Maipú, Chile s independence movement – led by Bernardo O Higgins and José de San Martín – win a decisive victory over Spain, leaving 2,000 Spaniards and 1,000 Chilean patriots dead.
1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Yorktown begins.
1874 – Birkenhead Park, the first civic public park, is opened in Birkenhead.
1879 – Chile declares war on Bolivia and Peru, starting the War of the Pacific.
1897 – The Greco-Turkish War, also called Thirty Days War, is declared between Greece and the Ottoman Empire.
1904 – The first international rugby league match is played between England and an Other Nationalities team (Welsh & Scottish players) in Central Park, Wigan, England.
1923 – Firestone Tire and Rubber Company begins production of balloon-tires.
1930 – In an act of civil disobedience, Mohandas Gandhi breaks British law after marching to the sea and making salt.
1932 – Alcohol prohibition in Finland ends. Alcohol sales begin in Alko liquor stores.
1932 – Dominion of Newfoundland: 10,000 rioters seize the Colonial Building leading to the end of self-government.
1936 – Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado kills 233 in Tupelo, Mississippi.
1942 – World War II: The Japanese Navy attacks Colombo in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Royal Navy Cruisers HMS Cornwall and HMS Dorsetshire are sunk southwest of the island.
1944 – World War II: 270 inhabitants of the Greek town of Kleisoura are executed by the Germans.
1945 – Cold War: Yugoslav leader Josip Tito Broz signs an agreement with the USSR to allow temporary entry of Soviet troops into Yugoslav territory.
1946 – Soviet troops leave the island of Bornholm, Denmark after an 11 month occupation.
1949 – Fireside Theater debuts on television.
1949 – A fire in a hospital in Effingham, Illinois, kills 77 people and leads to nationwide fire code improvements.
1951 – Ethel and Julius Rosenberg are sentenced to death for performing espionage for the Soviet Union.
1955 – Winston Churchill resigns as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom amid indications of failing health.
1956 – Fidel Castro declares himself at war with the President of Cuba.
1956 – In Sri Lanka, the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna win the general elections in a landslide and S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike is sworn in as the Prime Minister.
1957 – In India, Communists win the first elections in united Kerala and E.M.S. Namboodiripad is sworn in as the first chief minister.
1958 – Ripple Rock, an underwater threat to navigation in the Seymour Narrows in Canada is destroyed in one of the largest non-nuclear controlled explosions of the time.
1969 – Vietnam War: Massive antiwar demonstrations occur in many U.S. cities.
1971 – In Sri Lanka, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna launches insurrection against the United Front government of Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
1974 – Hank Aaron ties Babe Ruth with his 714th home run.
1976 – In the People s Republic of China, the April Fifth Movement leads to the Tiananmen incident.
1986 – Three people are killed in the bombing of the La Belle Discotheque in West Berlin, Germany.
1991 – An ASA EMB 120 crashes in Brunswick, Georgia, killing all 23 aboard.
1992 – Several hundred-thousand abortion rights demonstrators march in Washington, D.C.
1992 – Alberto Fujimori, president of Peru, dissolves the Peruvian congress by military force.
1992 – The Siege of Sarajevo begins when Serb paramilitaries murder peace protesters Suada Dilberovic and Olga Sucic on the Vrbanja Bridge.
1998 – In Japan, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge linking Shikoku with Honshu and costing about $3.8 billion USD, opens to traffic, becoming the largest suspension bridge in the world.
1999 – Two Libyans suspected of bringing down Pan Am flight 103 in 1988 are handed over for eventual trial in the Netherlands.
Births
1288 – Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (d. 1336)
1472 – Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1510)
1523 – Blaise de Vigenère, French cryptographer (d. 1596)
1588 – Thomas Hobbes, English philosopher (d. 1679)
1604 – Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine (d. 1675)
1622 – Vincenzo Viviani, Italian mathematician (d. 1703)
1649 – Elihu Yale, American benefactor of Yale University (d. 1721)
1692 – Adrienne Lecouvreur, French actress (d. 1730)
1719 – Axel von Fersen the Elder, Swedish statesman and soldier; father of Axel von Fersen the Younger (d. 1794)
1732 – Jean-Honoré Fragonard, French artist (d. 1806)
1752 – Sébastien Érard, French musical instruments maker (d. 1831)
1784 – Louis Spohr, German violinist (d. 1859)
1816 – Samuel Freeman Miller, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1890)
1827 – Joseph Lister, English surgeon (d. 1912)
1832 – Jules Ferry, French statesman (d. 1893)
1837 – Algernon Charles Swinburne, English poet (d. 1909)
1856 – Booker T. Washington, American educator (d. 1915)
1869 – Sergei Chaplygin, Russian physicist and engineer (d. 1942)
1869 – Albert Roussel, French composer (d. 1937)
1871 – Mirko Seljan, Croatian explorer
1872 – Samuel Cate Prescott, American food scientist and microbiologist (d. 1962)
1875 – Mistinguett, French vaudeville performer (d. 1956)
1893 – Clas Thunberg, Finnish speed skater (d. 1973)
1900 – Spencer Tracy, American actor (d. 1967)
1901 – Melvyn Douglas, American actor (d. 1981)
1906 – Lord Buckley, American monologist (d. 1960)
1908 – Bette Davis, American actress (d. 1989)
1908 – Herbert von Karajan, Austrian conductor (d. 1989)
1908 – Jagjivan Ram, Indian politician (d. 1986)
1909 – Albert R. Broccoli, American film producer (d. 1996)
1912 – John Le Mesurier, British actor (d. 1983)
1916 – Gregory Peck, American actor (d. 2003)
1917 – Robert Bloch, American author (d. 1994)
1920 – Arthur Hailey, American writer (d. 2004)
1920 – Rafique Zakaria, Indian author (d. 2005)
1922 – Tom Finney, English footballer
1922 – Christopher Hewett, British actor (d. 2001)
1922 – Gale Storm, American singer
1923 – Michael V. Gazzo, American actor (d. 1995)
1923 – Nguyen Van Thieu, President of South Vietnam (d. 2001)
1926 – Roger Corman, American film director
1928 – Tony Williams, American singer (The Platters) (d. 1992)
1929 – Hugo Claus, Belgian writer (d. 2008)
1929 – Ivar Giaever, Norwegian physicist, Nobel laureate
1929 – Nigel Hawthorne, British actor (d. 2001)
1929 – Joe Meek, English record producer
1932 – Billy Bland, American singer and songwriter
1933 – Larry Felser, American sports columnist
1933 – Frank Gorshin, American actor (d. 2005)
1934 – Roman Herzog, German politician
1934 – Stanley Turrentine, American jazz saxophonist (d. 2000)
1935 – Peter Grant, British music manager (d. 1995)
1936 – John Kelly, Irish republican politician (d. 2007)
1937 – Colin Powell, U.S. Secretary of State
1937 – Allan R. Thieme, American inventor
1938 – Colin Bland, South African Cricket player
1939 – Ronald White, American singer and songwriter (d. 1995)
1939 – Crispian St. Peters, British singer
1941 – Michael Moriarty, American actor
1941 – Dave Swarbrick, British folk musician
1942 – Peter Greenaway, Welsh film director
1943 – Max Gail, American actor
1944 – Pedro Rossello, Puerto Rican politician
1945 – Tommy Smith, English footballer
1946 – Jane Asher, British actress
1947 – Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines
1948 – Les Binks, British musician, former drummer for Judas Priest
1948 – Dave Holland, British musician (Judas Priest)
1949 – John Berg (actor), American actor (d. 2007)
1949 – Judith Resnik, American astronaut (d. 1986)
1950 – Agnetha Fältskog, Swedish singer (ABBA)
1950 – Miki Manojlovic, Serbian actor
1951 – Dean Kamen, American inventor
1952 – Mitch Pileggi, American actor
1954 – Stan Ridgway, American musician (Wall of Voodoo)
1955 – Akira Toriyama, Japanese manga artist
1955 – Janice Long, English broadcaster
1955 – Charlotte de Turckheim, French actress
1956 – Diamond Dallas Page, American professional wrestler
1958 – Johan Kriek, South African born tennis player
1961 – Lisa Zane, American actress
1961 – Jim LeRoy, Airshow Pilot
1962 – Lana Clarkson, American actress (d. 2003)
1964 – Steve Beaton, English darts player
1964 – Christopher Kid Reid, American rapper (Kid n Play)
1964 – Princess Erika, French singer
1965 – Cris Carpenter, American baseball player
1966 – Mike McCready, American musician (Pearl Jam)
1967 – Gary Gait, Canadian lacrosse player
1968 – Paula Cole, American musician
1970 – Thea Gill, Canadian actress
1970 – Miho Hatori, Japanese singer and songwriter (Cibo Matto)
1971 – Dong Abay, Filipino musician, singer-songwriter
1972 – Krista Allen, American actress
1972 – Tom Coronel, Dutch racing driver
1972 – Pat Green, American singer and songwriter
1972 – Paul Okon, Australian soccer player
1973 – Tony Banks, American football player
1973 – Élodie Bouchez, French actress
1973 – Pharrell, American music producer (The Neptunes)
1974 – Sahaj Ticotin, American musician/producer (Ra)
1974 – Uhm Tae Woong, South Korean actor
1975 – John Hartson, Welsh footballer
1976 – Kim Collins, Nevisian sprinter
1976 – Ryan Drese, American baseball player
1976 – Ross Gload, American baseball player
1976 – Simone Inzaghi, Italian footballer
1976 – Fernando Morientes, Spanish footballer
1978 – Franziska van Almsick, German swimmer
1978 – Stephen Jackson, American basketball player
1979 – Timo Hildebrand, German footballer
1980 – Matt Bonner, American basketball player
1980 – Lee Jae Won, South Korean actor, singer, and rapper
1981 – Jorge de la Rosa, Mexican baseball player
1981 – Michael A. Monsoor, American soldier (d. 2006)
1982 – Thomas Hitzlsperger, German footballer
1982 – Matt Pickens, American soccer player
1982 – Alexandre Prémat, French racing driver
1984 – Shin Min-a, South Korean model and actress
1990 – Haruma Miura, Japanese Actor
Deaths
582 – Eutychius, Patriarch of Constantinople (b. c. 512)
1168 – Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (b. 1104)
1419 – Vincent Ferrer, Spanish missionary and saint (b. 1350)
1605 – Adam Loftus, English Protestant archbishop in Ireland (b. c. 1513)
1617 – Alonso Lobo, Spanish composer (b. 1555)
1673 – François Caron, French explorer (b. 1600)
1676 – John Winthrop, the Younger, American politician (b. 1606)
1693 – Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, French writer (b. 1627)
1695 – George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax, English writer (b. 1633)
1697 – King Charles XI of Sweden (b. 1655)
1717 – Jean Jouvenet, French painter (b. 1647)
1735 – William Derham, English minister and writer (b. 1657)
1735 – Samuel Wesley, English poet (b. 1662)
1765 – Edward Young, English poet (b. 1683)
1794 – Georges Danton, French Revolutionary leader (b. 1759)
1794 – Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (b. 1760)
1900 – Joseph Louis François Bertrand, French mathematician (b. 1822)
1923 – George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, English financier (b. 1866)
1928 – Roy Kilner, English cricketer (b. 1890)
1941 – Sir Nigel Gresley, Steam locomotive engineer (b. 1876)
1943 – Aleš Hrdlicka, Czech anthropologist (b. 1869)
1945 – Karl Otto Koch, German SS-officer (b. 1897)
1945 – Huldreich Georg Früh (b. 1903)
1946 – Vincent Youmans, American songwriter (b. 1898)
1952 – Charles Collett, GWR chief mechanical engineer (b. 1871)
1964 – General Douglas MacArthur, American general (b. 1880)
1967 – Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (b. 1890)
1967 – Mischa Elman, Ukrainian violinist (b. 1891)
1969 – Ain-Ervin Mere, Estonian Nazi (b. 1903)
1969 – Shelby Storck, American television producer (b. 1917)
1970 – Alfred Henry Sturtevant, American geneticist (b. 1891)
1972 – Brian Donlevy, American actor (b. 1901)
1972 – Isabel Jewell, American actress (b. 1907)
1973 – John Coleman, Australian rules footballer (b. 1928)
1974 – A. Y. Jackson, Canadian painter (b. 1882)
1975 – Chiang Kai-shek, 1st President of the Republic of China (b. 1887)
1976 – Howard Hughes, American aviator (b. 1905)
1976 – Wilder Penfield, Canadian surgeon (b. 1891)
1979 – Eugène Gabritschevsky, Russian biologist and artist (b. 1893)
1981 – Bob Hite, American singer (Canned Heat) (b. 1945)
1982 – Abe Fortas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (b. 1910)
1983 – Danny Rapp, American musician (Danny & the Juniors) (b. 1941)
1989 – María Cristina Gómez, Salvadoran Teacher (b. 1938)
1991 – John Tower, American politician (b. 1925)
1991 – Sonny Carter, American astronaut (b. 1947)
1992 – Molly Picon, American actress (b. 1898)
1992 – Sam Walton, American retailer (b. 1918)
1994 – Kurt Cobain, musician (b. 1967)
1997 – Allen Ginsberg, American poet (b. 1926)
1998 – Cozy Powell, British musician (b. 1947)
1999 – Paul David, French-Canadian cardiologist (b. 1919)
2000 – Lee Petty, American race car driver (b. 1914)
2001 – Brother Theodore, German comedian (b. 1906)
2002 – Layne Staley, American musician (Alice in Chains) (b. 1967)
2004 – Heiner Zieschang, German mathematician (b. 1936)
2004 – Slawomir Rawicz, Polish soldier (b. 1915)
2005 – Saul Bellow, Canadian born writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1915)
2005 – Dale Messick, American comic strip artist (b. 1906)
2005 – Debralee Scott, American actress (b. 1953)
2005 – John Sichel, British film and television director (b. 1937)
2006 – Gene Pitney, American singer (b. 1941)
2007 – Mark St. John, American musician (Kiss)(b. 1956)
2007 – Darryl Stingley, American football player (b. 1951)
2007 – Maria Gripe, Swedish writer (b. 1923)
2007 – Leela Majumdar, Bengali writer (b. 1908)
2007 – Poornachandra Tejaswi, Kannada writer (b. 1938)
2008 – Charlton Heston, American Actor (b. 1923)
Holidays and observances
Mauritius: Ougadie.
Qingming Festival in the Chinese calendar
Arbor Day and Hansik in South Korea
Saint Vincent Ferrer
Saint Irene (d. 304)
Saint Ruadhan (d. 584)
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