1949⚡ Event
NATO is founded
Twelve countries sign the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C., creating the NATO military alliance.
politicswarmilitary
April 1 – April 7 in History
DayFacts Week 14 · 7 days
This recurring calendar span contains 106 historical entries in the DayFacts collection. The sections below preview entries from these 7 days; use the date links to open each date collection.
Selected Anniversaries
Explore the Date Pages
Historical Events (April 1 – April 7)(20)
1970⚡ Event
Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act signed
U.S. President Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, mandating surgeon general warnings on cigarette packaging.
lawpoliticsmedicine
1970⚡ Event
AMC Gremlin introduced
The American Motors Corporation introduced the Gremlin, marketed as America's first subcompact car.
technologyeconomics
1973⚡ Event
World Trade Center Dedicated
The World Trade Center in New York City was officially dedicated. This occurred a year after the completion of its twin towers.
economics
1975⚡ Event
Microsoft is founded
Bill Gates and Paul Allen establish Microsoft, a company that becomes central to the personal computer revolution.
technologyeconomics
1990⚡ Event
Strangeways Prison riot begins
The longest prison riot in British history began at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, lasting for 25 days.
lawdisaster
1992⚡ Event
John Gotti convicted
John Gotti, head of the Gambino crime family, was convicted of racketeering, murder, and other charges. He was a prominent figure in organized crime in New York City.
lawpolitics
1994⚡ Event
FedEx Flight 705 Hijacking Attempt
A FedEx employee tried to hijack Federal Express Flight 705 in a failed suicide attempt.
disasterlaw
1994⚡ Event
Rwandan Genocide Begins
The Rwandan genocide began a few hours after the assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana, with hundreds of thousands killed in the following 100 days.
warpolitics
2000⚡ Event
US v. Microsoft Antitrust Ruling
In United States v. Microsoft Corp., Microsoft was found to have violated antitrust law by bundling Internet Explorer with its Windows operating system.
lawtechnologyeconomics
2000⚡ Event
Fan Violence in Istanbul
Fan violence broke out before a UEFA Cup semifinal in Istanbul, Turkey, resulting in two Leeds United supporters being stabbed to death. Galatasaray supporters were subsequently banned from attending the second leg in England.
sports
2002⚡ Event
Siege of the Church of the Nativity
During the Second Intifada, Palestinian militants took refuge in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity, initiating a month-long siege by Israeli forces.
warpolitics
2002⚡ Event
First Reported Data Breach
In the first reported data breach, 250,000 social security numbers collected by the State of California were stolen from a data center.
technologylaw
2005⚡ Event
Jalal Talabani elected President of Iraq
Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani was elected by the National Assembly as the first non-Arab president of Iraq.
politics
2009⚡ Event
Binghamton Shooting
A gunman opened fire at the American Civic Association in Binghamton, New York, killing thirteen people and wounding four before committing suicide.
disaster
2009⚡ Event
L'Aquila Earthquake
An earthquake measuring 6.3 Mw struck near L'Aquila, Italy, killing 308 people and leaving more than 66,000 homeless.
disaster
2009⚡ Event
North Korea Satellite Launch
North Korea launched the satellite Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2, which passed over Japan. This sparked concerns it was a test of intercontinental ballistic missile technology.
spacewar
2009⚡ Event
Moldovan Election Protests
Mass protests began across Moldova against the results of the parliamentary election.
politics
2012⚡ Event
2012 Oikos University shooting
A gunman shot at people inside Oikos University, a Korean Christian college in Oakland, California, leaving seven people dead and three injured.
disasterlaw
2013⚡ Event
Buenos Aires Flash Floods
Flash floods in the northeastern section of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, resulted in the deaths of at least 100 people.
disaster
Births (April 1 – April 7)(15)
1997🎂 Birth
Birth of Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus, a Brazilian footballer, was born.
sports
1998🎂 Birth
Nathan Broadhead
Nathan Broadhead, a Welsh football player, was born on April 5, 1998.
sports
1998🎂 Birth
Mitchell Robinson
Mitchell Robinson is an American professional basketball player.
sports
2000🎂 Birth
Rodrigo Riquelme
Rodrigo Riquelme is a Spanish professional footballer.
sports
2001🎂 Birth
Birth of Anzor Alem
Anzor Alem, a Congolese actor and singer, was born.
artsentertainmentmusic
2001🎂 Birth
Birth of Jalen Carter
Jalen Carter, an American football player, was born.
sports
2002🎂 Birth
Emma Myers
Emma Myers is an American actress known for her roles in television and film.
entertainment
2002🎂 Birth
Andrea Botez
Andrea Botez, Canadian-American chess player, commentator, Twitch streamer and YouTuber, was born.
sportsentertainment
Deaths (April 1 – April 7)(15)
1968🕊️ Death
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, prompting grief and unrest across the United States.
politicslaw
2019🕊️ Death
Sydney Brenner
Sydney Brenner was a South African biologist and Nobel Prize laureate.
sciencemedicine
2022🕊️ Death
Vladimir Zhirinovsky
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian and Soviet politician, died.
politics
2022🕊️ Death
Jill Knight
British politician Jill Knight died. She was born in 1923.
politics
2023🕊️ Death
Ben Ferencz
Ben Ferencz was an American lawyer who investigated and prosecuted Nazi war crimes.
lawwar
2024🕊️ Death
Lou Conter
Lou Conter was an American naval commander and one of the last survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
warpolitics
2024🕊️ Death
Jerry Abbott
Jerry Abbott was an American country music songwriter and record producer. He was born in 1942.
musicentertainment
2024🕊️ Death
Vontae Davis
Vontae Davis was an American professional football player.
sports
2024🕊️ Death
John Barth
John Barth was an influential American writer known for his postmodern novels. He was born in 1930.
literaturearts
2024🕊️ Death
Death of Lynne Reid Banks
Lynne Reid Banks, a British author, died.
literaturearts
2024🕊️ Death
Jerry Grote
Jerry Grote was an American professional baseball catcher.
sports
2024🕊️ Death
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty was an American actor, writer, and comedian.
entertainment