Major Events
- 1483 Edward V (aged 12) succeeds his father Edward IV as king of England. He is never crowned, and disappears presumed murdered, after incarceration in the Tower of London with his younger brother Richard (the "Princes in the Tower")
- 1731 British mariner Robert Jenkins' ear is cut off by Spanish Guarde Costa in the Caribbean, catalyst for a later war between Britain and Spain
- 1768 John Hancock refuses to allow two British customs agents to go below deck of his ship, considered by some to be the first act of physical resistance to British authority in the colonies
- 1865 Confederate General Robert E. Lee and 26,765 troops surrender at Appomattox Court House to US Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant ending the Civil War in North Virginia
- 1869 Hudson Bay Company cedes its territory to Canada
- 1992 John Major elected Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after his Conservative Party wins the most votes in British electoral history
- 2003 Baghdad falls to US forces, ending the invasion of Iraq, resulting in widespread looting
- More April 9 Events
Apr 9 in Film & TV
- 1976 "All the President's Men", directed by Alan J. Pakula, based on the non-fiction book by journalists Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward detailing their Watergate investigation, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, is released
Apr 9 in Music
- 2012 "The Lion King" becomes highest grossing Broadway show, overtaking "The Phantom of the Opera"
Apr 9 in Sport
- 1959 13th NBA Championship: Boston Celtics sweep Minnesota Lakers in 4 games, first of Boston Celtics record 8 straight titles
Did You Know?
Tamerlane
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Leopold II of Belgium
Erich Ludendorff
Faisal of Saudi Arabia
Hugh Hefner
Paul Robeson
Jean-Paul Belmondo
Dennis Quaid
Cynthia Nixon
Kristen Stewart
Elle Fanning
Florence Price
Carl Perkins
Gerard Way
Lil Nas X
Curly Lambeau
Paul Arizin
Seve Ballesteros
Fun Fact About April 9
San Diego Padres owner Ray Kroc, addresses fans "Ladies & gentlemen, I suffer with you I've never seen such stupid baseball playing in my life"
Famous Weddings
- 1836 Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later known as King Dom Fernando II upon the birth of their son, Pedro V of Portugal
- 1912 Detective writer Erle Stanley Gardner (22) weds Natalie Talbert
- 1913 US Admiral Chester Nimitz (28) weds Catherine Freeman (21) in Wollaston, Massachusetts
Famous Divorces
- 2012 Salsa artist Marc Anthony (42) files for divorce from pop star and actress Jennifer Lopez (43) due to irreconcilable differences after 7 years of marriage; finalized in 2014
More April 9 Weddings
Edward IV
Francis Bacon
Frank Lloyd Wright
Willie Stargell
DMX
Prince PhilipArticles, Photos and Quiz
America’s Civil War Comes Home To Roost
On this day a surrender agreement ending the American Civil War was signed in the house of a man who had been driven out of his first home by the hostilities.
April 9, 1865
SS Libau Sets Sail
The Libau, disguised as the Aud, to avoid British detection
April 9, 1916
