April 6 facts for kids

April 6 is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 269 days remain until the end of the year. April 6th is a day filled with many important events throughout history. From ancient battles to modern discoveries, this date has seen moments that changed the world. Many famous people were also born or passed away on this day. Let's explore some of the key events and notable figures connected to April 6th!

Events

Important Moments in History

Ancient Times

• 46 BC – The famous Roman general Julius Caesar won a big victory at the Battle of Thapsus. This battle was against his rivals, Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Cato the Younger.
• 402 – The Roman general Stilicho defeated the Visigoths, led by Alaric, in the Battle of Pollentia.
• 1320 – The people of Scotland officially declared their independence. They did this by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
• 1453 – Mehmed II began his attack on the city of Constantinople. The city was eventually captured and later renamed Istanbul.
• 1580 – One of the biggest earthquakes ever recorded in England, Flanders, or Northern France happened.

A New Era (1600s-1800s)

• 1652 – Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck set up a camp at the Cape of Good Hope. This camp eventually grew into the city of Cape Town.
• 1712 – The New York Slave Revolt of 1712 started near Broadway in New York.
• 1782 – King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) of Siam, now known as Thailand, started the Chakri dynasty. This is a very important royal family in Thailand.
• 1793 – During the French Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety became the main governing body of France.
• 1800 – The Treaty of Constantinople created the Septinsular Republic. This was the first self-governing Greek state since the Byzantine Empire fell.
• 1808 – John Jacob Astor started the American Fur Company. This company helped him become one of America's first millionaires.
• 1812 – British forces, led by the Duke of Wellington, attacked the fortress of Badajoz. This was a key moment in the Peninsular War against Napoleon's France.
• 1814 – Napoleon gave up his power and was sent away to the island of Elba. This marked the start of the Bourbon Restoration in France.
• 1830 – The original Church of Christ, part of the Latter Day Saint movement, was formed by Joseph Smith and others.
• 1841 – John Tyler became the U.S. President. He took office two days after President William Henry Harrison passed away.
• 1860 – The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was organized by Joseph Smith III and others.
• 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Shiloh began in Tennessee. Union General Ulysses S. Grant fought against Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston.
• 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Sailor's Creek was fought. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army lost its last major battle while retreating from Richmond, Virginia.
• 1866 – The Grand Army of the Republic was founded. This was an American group for Union veterans of the Civil War.
• 1896 – The first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece. This happened 1,500 years after the original games were stopped by Roman emperor Theodosius I.

Modern History (1900s-Today)

• 1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson claimed to be the first people to reach the North Pole. However, Peary's claim has been debated.
• 1917 – World War I: The United States officially declared war on Germany.
• 1926 – Varney Airlines made its first commercial flight. This company later became part of United Airlines.
• 1930 – At the end of the Salt March, Gandhi picked up a lump of mud and salt. He declared, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire."
• 1936 – The Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak occurred. A tornado hit Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203 people.
• 1941 – World War II: Nazi Germany launched invasions of Yugoslavia and Greece.
• 1945 – World War II: The city of Sarajevo was freed from German and Croatian forces by the Yugoslav Partisans.
• 1947 – The first Tony Awards were given out for achievements in theater.
• 1957 – Olympic Airways, Greece's main airline, was founded by Aristotle Onassis.
• 1965 – Early Bird, the first commercial communications satellite, was launched into space. It was placed in a geosynchronous orbit, meaning it stayed in the same spot above Earth.
• 1968 – A double explosion in Richmond, Indiana, killed 41 people and injured 150.
• 1972 – Vietnam War: American forces began strong air and naval attacks as part of the Easter Offensive.
• 1973 – The Pioneer 11 spacecraft was launched.
• 1973 – The American League of Major League Baseball started using the designated hitter rule.
• 1974 – In Brighton, UK, the music group ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo".
• 1985 – Sudanese President Gaafar Nimeiry was removed from power in a coup d'état.
• 1992 – The Bosnian War began.
• 1994 – The Rwandan genocide started. The plane carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down.
• 1998 – Pakistan tested medium-range missiles. These missiles were capable of reaching India.
• 2004 – Rolandas Paksas became the first president of Lithuania to be removed from office peacefully through impeachment.
• 2005 – Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani became Iraq's president.
• 2009 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near L'Aquila, Italy, killing 307 people.
• 2012 – Azawad declared itself independent from the Republic of Mali.
• 2017 – The U.S. military launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at an air base in Syria.
• 2018 – A bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team collided with a semi-truck in Saskatchewan, Canada. This tragic accident killed 16 people.

Famous Birthdays

People Born Long Ago

• 1135 – Maimonides, a very important Jewish philosopher, doctor, and astronomer.
• 1528 – Albrecht Dürer, a famous German painter and engraver.
• 1660 – Johann Kuhnau, a German organist and composer.
• 1725 – Pasquale Paoli, a French soldier and politician.
• 1773 – James Mill, a Scottish historian, economist, and philosopher.
• 1812 – Alexander Herzen, a Russian philosopher and writer.
• 1820 – Nadar, a French photographer and journalist.
• 1826 – Gustave Moreau, a French painter.
• 1860 – René Lalique, a French sculptor and jewelry designer.
• 1890 – Anthony Fokker, a Dutch engineer who founded Fokker Aircraft Manufacturer.
• 1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., an American businessman who founded the Douglas Aircraft Company.
• 1892 – Lowell Thomas, an American journalist and author.

People Born More Recently

• 1903 – Harold Eugene Edgerton, an American engineer known for high-speed photography.
• 1911 – Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, a German biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1917 – Leonora Carrington, an English-Mexican painter and author.
• 1920 – Jack Cover, an American physicist who invented the Taser gun.
• 1920 – Edmond H. Fischer, a Swiss-American biochemist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1926 – Ian Paisley, a Northern Irish minister and politician.
• 1928 – James Watson, an American biologist and geneticist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1929 – André Previn, an American pianist, composer, and conductor.
• 1937 – Merle Haggard, a famous American country singer-songwriter.
• 1937 – Billy Dee Williams, an American actor.
• 1938 – Paul Daniels, an English magician and TV host.
• 1939 – John Sculley, an American businessman, former CEO of Apple.
• 1942 – Barry Levinson, an American film director and screenwriter.
• 1947 – John Ratzenberger, an American actor, known for his voice work in Pixar films.
• 1949 – Horst Ludwig Störmer, a German physicist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1951 – Bert Blyleven, a Dutch-American baseball player.
• 1952 – Marilu Henner, an American actress and author.
• 1955 – Michael Rooker, an American actor.
• 1963 – Rafael Correa, a former President of Ecuador.
• 1969 – Paul Rudd, a popular American actor.
• 1975 – Zach Braff, an American actor and director.
• 1976 – Candace Cameron Bure, an American actress and talk show host.
• 1978 – Myleene Klass, an English singer and TV presenter.
• 1998 – Peyton List, an American actress.
• 2001 – Oscar Piastri, an Australian racing driver.
• 2002 – Andrea Botez, a Canadian-American chess player and streamer.
• 2009 – Shaylee Mansfield, a deaf American actress and YouTuber.
• 2009 – Valentina Tronel, a French child singer.

Notable People Who Died

Historical Figures

• 885 – Saint Methodius, a Byzantine missionary and saint.
• 1199 – Richard I, also known as Richard the Lionheart, King of England.
• 1250 – Guillaume de Sonnac, a Grand Master of the Knights Templar.
• 1490 – Matthias Corvinus, a powerful King of Hungary and Croatia.
• 1520 – Raphael, a very famous Italian painter and architect.
• 1528 – Albrecht Dürer, a German painter and engraver.
• 1590 – Francis Walsingham, an English politician and spy master.
• 1605 – John Stow, an English historian.
• 1641 – Domenico Zampieri (Domenichino), an Italian painter.
• 1676 – John Winthrop the Younger, the first Governor of Connecticut.
• 1707 – Willem van de Velde the Younger, a Dutch-English painter.
• 1829 – Niels Henrik Abel, a brilliant Norwegian mathematician.
• 1833 – Adamantios Korais, a Greek philosopher and scholar.
• 1862 – Albert Sidney Johnston, an American general during the Civil War.

Modern Figures

• 1935 – Edwin Arlington Robinson, an American poet.
• 1944 – Rose O'Neill, an American cartoonist and artist, creator of the Kewpies.
• 1961 – Jules Bordet, a Belgian microbiologist who won a Nobel Prize.
• 1971 – Igor Stravinsky, a famous Russian-American composer.
• 1992 – Isaac Asimov, a very well-known American science fiction writer.
• 1994 – Juvénal Habyarimana, the President of Rwanda, and Cyprien Ntaryamira, the President of Burundi, both died in a plane crash.
• 1996 – Greer Garson, an English-American actress.
• 1998 – Tammy Wynette, a famous American country singer.
• 2000 – Habib Bourguiba, the first President of Tunisia.
• 2005 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco.
• 2012 – Thomas Kinkade, an American painter.
• 2014 – Mickey Rooney, a famous American actor and dancer.
• 2015 – James Best, an American actor.
• 2016 – Merle Haggard, the American singer-songwriter, also passed away on his birthday.
• 2017 – Don Rickles, an American actor and comedian.
• 2020 – Al Kaline, an American baseball player.
• 2021 – Hans Küng, a Swiss Catholic priest and theologian.
• 2022 – Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a Russian politician.

Special Days and Holidays

• Chakri Day, celebrating the start of the Chakri dynasty in Thailand.
• Christian feast day:
  • Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach (Lutheran Church).
  • Brychan
  • Eutychius of Constantinople (Eastern Orthodox Church)
  • Marcellinus of Carthage
  • Pope Sixtus I
  • April 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
• National Fisherman Day (Indonesia)
• New Beer's Eve (United States)
• Tartan Day (United States & Canada)
• Waltzing Matilda Day (Australia)
• International Asexuality Day

Other Interesting Facts

• April 6 Youth Movement
• The fiscal year in the United Kingdom starts on April 6th.

See also

In Spanish: 6 de abril para niños