April 1 facts for kids

April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 274 days remain until the end of the year.

April 1st is a day filled with many interesting events throughout history, from ancient empires to modern times. It's a date that has seen important changes in leadership, major battles, and the birth of new technologies and organizations. While many people know April 1st as April Fools' Day, it's also a day when many significant historical moments have happened around the world.

Historical Events on April 1

Ancient and Medieval Times

• 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I chose his nephew Justinian I to rule alongside him and eventually take over the throne.
• 1081 – Alexios I Komnenos took control from Nikephoros III Botaneiates, who was the Byzantine emperor. After his troops took control of Constantinople, Alexios was officially crowned a few days later.
• 1572 – During the Eighty Years' War, a group called the Watergeuzen captured the city of Brielle. This was a very important step for what would become the Dutch Republic, giving them their first land control.

From the 1600s to the 1900s

• 1789 – In New York City, the United States House of Representatives met for the first time with enough members to make decisions. They chose Frederick Muhlenberg as their very first Speaker.
• 1833 – A meeting called the Convention of 1833 started in San Felipe de Austin. This was a gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas who wanted to create petitions for the Mexican government.
• 1865 – American Civil War: Union soldiers, led by Philip Sheridan, won a major victory against Confederate troops led by George Pickett at the Battle of Five Forks. This battle cut off the last supply line for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the Siege of Petersburg.
• 1867 – Singapore officially became a British crown colony, meaning it was directly ruled by the British government.
• 1873 – The White Star steamer SS Atlantic sank off the coast of Nova Scotia. Sadly, 547 people lost their lives in one of the biggest ship disasters of the 1800s.
• 1900 – Prince George became the sole ruler of the Cretan State.

The 20th and 21st Centuries

• 1908 – The Territorial Force was created in the United Kingdom. This was a volunteer group that would later become the Territorial Army, a reserve part of the British Army.
• 1918 – The Royal Air Force (RAF) was formed in the UK by combining the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
• 1924 – Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for his part in the "Beer Hall Putsch", an attempt to take over the government. However, he only stayed in jail for nine months.
• 1924 – The Royal Canadian Air Force was officially formed.
• 1933 – The Nazis, led by Julius Streicher, organized a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses in Germany. This was the start of many unfair actions against Jewish people.
• 1935 – India's main bank, the Reserve Bank of India, was created.
• 1937 – Aden also became a British crown colony.
• 1937 – The Royal New Zealand Air Force was formed as its own independent military branch.
• 1939 – Spanish Civil War: Generalísimo Francisco Franco announced the end of the Spanish Civil War after the last of the opposing forces surrendered.
• 1941 – A military coup in Iraq overthrew the existing government and put Rashid Ali al-Gaylani in charge as Prime Minister.
• 1944 – World War II: Due to navigation mistakes, American planes accidentally bombed the Swiss city of Schaffhausen.
• 1945 – World War II: The Tenth United States Army began its attack on the Japanese Thirty-Second Army on the island of Okinawa.
• 1946 – A very strong earthquake (8.6 magnitude) hit the Aleutian Islands. This caused a huge tsunami that reached the Hawaiian Islands, leading to many deaths, especially in Hilo, Hawaii.
• 1946 – The Malayan Union was created. However, local protests led to the formation of the Federation of Malaya two years later.
• 1947 – The only mutiny (rebellion by sailors) in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy began.
• 1948 – Cold War: Communist forces tried to force Western powers out of Berlin by blocking access, in response to a new currency being introduced. This event is known as the Berlin Blockade.
• 1948 – The Faroe Islands gained autonomy from Denmark, meaning they could make more of their own decisions.
• 1949 – Chinese Civil War: The Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Party held unsuccessful peace talks in Beijing after three years of fighting.
• 1949 – The Government of Canada ended the Japanese-Canadian internment, which had lasted for seven years.
• 1954 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
• 1955 – The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire started in Cyprus. Their goal was for Cyprus to unite with Greece.
• 1960 – The TIROS-1 satellite sent back the .
• 1964 – The main British defense departments (Admiralty, War Office, and Air Ministry) were combined into one Defence Council of the United Kingdom.
• 1969 – The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first fighter jet that could take off and land vertically or very shortly, began service with the Royal Air Force.
• 1970 – President Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, which limited cigarette advertising.
• 1973 – Project Tiger, a special effort to protect tigers, was launched in the Jim Corbett National Park in India.
• 1976 – Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer, Inc, a company that would change the world of technology.
• 1979 – Iran officially became an Islamic republic after a public vote, ending the rule of the Shah.
• 1984 – Famous singer Marvin Gaye passed away in Los Angeles, California.
• 1989 – Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, known as the "poll tax," was introduced in Scotland.
• 1993 – NASCAR racer Alan Kulwicki died in a plane crash near Blountville, Tennessee.
• 1997 – Comet Hale–Bopp was seen passing closest to the Sun.
• 1999 – Nunavut was created as a new Canadian territory from the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.
• 2001 – A United States Navy surveillance aircraft collided with a Chinese People's Liberation Army fighter jet. The US crew made an emergency landing in Hainan, China, and were detained.
• 2001 – Former President Slobodan Milošević surrendered to police to face war crime charges.
• 2001 – Same-sex marriage became legal in the Netherlands, making it the first modern country to allow it.
• 2004 – Google launched its Email service, Gmail.
• 2016 – The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began along the border area of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Notable Births on April 1

Born Before 1900

• 1220 – Emperor Go-Saga of Japan
• 1282 – Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor
• 1578 – William Harvey, an English physician who discovered how blood circulates in the body.
• 1776 – Sophie Germain, a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher.
• 1815 – Otto von Bismarck, a German lawyer and politician who became the first Chancellor of the German Empire.
• 1834 – James Fisk, an American businessman.
• 1873 – Sergei Rachmaninoff, a famous Russian pianist, composer, and conductor.
• 1883 – Lon Chaney, an American actor known for his roles in silent horror films.
• 1885 – Clementine Churchill, the wife of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
• 1898 – William James Sidis, an American child prodigy known for his exceptional intelligence.

Born After 1900

• 1905 – Paul Hasluck, an Australian historian and politician who became the 17th Governor-General of Australia.
• 1908 – Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist famous for his "hierarchy of needs" theory.
• 1917 – Sydney Newman, a Canadian screenwriter and producer who helped create Doctor Who.
• 1920 – Toshiro Mifune, a celebrated Japanese actor.
• 1926 – Anne McCaffrey, an American-Irish author known for her science fiction and fantasy novels.
• 1927 – Ferenc Puskás, a legendary Hungarian footballer and manager.
• 1929 – Milan Kundera, a Czech-French novelist and playwright.
• 1932 – Debbie Reynolds, a beloved American actress, singer, and dancer.
• 1933 – Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, a French physicist and Nobel Prize winner.
• 1940 – Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmentalist and politician who won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1950 – Samuel Alito, an American lawyer and current Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
• 1952 – Annette O'Toole, an American actress.
• 1957 – David Gower, a famous English cricketer.
• 1961 – Susan Boyle, a Scottish singer who became famous after appearing on a talent show.
• 1973 – Rachel Maddow, an American journalist and author.
• 1976 – Clarence Seedorf, a Dutch-Brazilian footballer.
• 1995 – Logan Paul, an American Youtuber and actor.
• 1997 – Asa Butterfield, an English actor.

Notable Deaths on April 1

Passed Away Before 1900

• 996 – John XV, a pope of the Catholic Church.
• 1204 – Eleanor of Aquitaine, a powerful queen of France and England.
• 1282 – Abaqa Khan, a ruler of the Mongol Ilkhanate.
• 1548 – Sigismund I, the king of Poland.
• 1580 – Alonso Mudarra, a Spanish guitarist and composer.
• 1865 – Giuditta Pasta, a famous Italian opera singer.
• 1872 – Frederick Denison Maurice, an English theologian.

Passed Away After 1900

• 1914 – Scott Joplin, an American pianist and composer known as the "King of Ragtime."
• 1922 – Charles I, the last emperor of Austria.
• 1947 – George II, the king of Greece.
• 1950 – Charles R. Drew, an American physician and surgeon who revolutionized blood storage.
• 1965 – Helena Rubinstein, a Polish-American businesswoman who founded a cosmetics empire.
• 1968 – Lev Landau, an Azerbaijani-Russian physicist and Nobel Prize winner.
• 1984 – Marvin Gaye, a famous American singer-songwriter.
• 1991 – Martha Graham, an American dancer and choreographer who greatly influenced modern dance.
• 1993 – Alan Kulwicki, an American race car driver.
• 1994 – Robert Doisneau, a French photographer known for his iconic images of Parisian life.
• 2002 – Simo Häyhä, a Finnish soldier and sniper known for his incredible accuracy.
• 2003 – Leslie Cheung, a popular Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor.
• 2010 – John Forsythe, an American actor.
• 2012 – Miguel de la Madrid, the 52nd President of Mexico.

Holidays and Observances

• 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)

See also

In Spanish: 1 de abril para niños