- Apr 1 Failed assassination attempt on Iraqi vice-premier Tariq Aziz
- Apr 1 France performs nuclear test, underground at the Moruroa Atoll in French Polynesia
- Apr 1 New York City's Transit Worker Union 100 begins a strike lasting 11 days
Sports History
Apr 2 In his first full season in the NHL, Wayne Gretzky scores for Edmonton in a 1-1 tie with Minnesota North Stars to become the youngest player to reach 50 goals at 19 years and 2 months of age
Sports History
Apr 2 Montreal right wing Guy Lafleur scores twice to become the first player in NHL history to record 6 straight 50-goal seasons, as the Canadiens beat the Red Wings, 7-2 at Detroit
NHL Record
Apr 6 Gordie Howe completes a record 26th NHL season
- Apr 6 Post It Notes introduced
Event of Interest
Apr 7 US President Jimmy Carter breaks relations with Iran during hostage crisis
- Apr 8 Islander Potvin's 2 shorthanded goals tie NHL record vs Kings & set NHL rec of 2 shorthanded playoff goals in 1 period
- Apr 9 Belgium's Marten's government resigns
- Apr 9 Los Angeles Kings tie NHL record with two shorthanded playoff goals (vs NY Islanders)
- Apr 9 Soyuz 35 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 6
- Apr 11 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulates sexual harassment
Coming Up
Apr 11 Paul McCartney releases single "Coming Up"
- Apr 12 BCMA, Black Consciousness Movement of Azania, forms
- Apr 12 Milwaukee beats Boston Red Sox, 18-1 (Cooper & Money hit grand slams)
- Apr 12 Samuel Doe takes control of Liberia in a coup d'etat, killing President William Talbert and 27 others, ending over 130 years of national democratic presidential succession
- Apr 12 US Olympic Committee endorses a boycott of the Moscow Olympic games
US Masters Golf
Apr 13 44th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: 23-year-old Spaniard Seve Ballesteros wins his first Masters, 4 strokes ahead of Jack Newton and Gibby Gilbert
- Apr 13 Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey's musical "Grease" closes at Majestic Theatre, NYC, after 3,388 performances (including Broadhurst and Royale Theatre runs)
- Apr 13 Musical "Reggae", starring Philip Michael Thomas, closes at Biltmore Theater, NYC, after 21 performances
- Apr 13 US and its allies boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow in protest against Russia's invasion of Afghanistan
- Apr 14 1st Cubans of the Mariel boatlift sail to Florida
Academy Awards
Apr 14 52nd Academy Awards: Best Picture "Kramer vs Kramer", Dustin Hoffman & Sally Field win
Event of Interest
Apr 14 Pulitzer prize awarded to Norman Mailer (Executioner's Song)
Sports History
Apr 16 Arthur Ashe retires from professional tennis
- Apr 16 Delhi beat Bombay by 240 runs to win Ranji Trophy final
- Apr 16 US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Apr 18 Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia) declares independence from the United Kingdom
- Apr 19 25th Eurovision Song Contest: Johnny Logan for Ireland wins singing "What's Another Year" in The Hague
- Apr 20 Climax of the Berber Spring in Algeria sees hundreds of Berber political activists arrested
Event of Interest
Apr 20 Cuban President Fidel Castro announces he is opening the Mariel Port for Cubans to leave, about 125,000 leave in next 5-6 months
- Apr 20 Cubans begin to arrive in US from Mariel boatlift
Boston Marathon
Apr 21 84th Boston Marathon: Bill Rodgers wins 3rd straight event and 4th overall title in 2:12:11; Jacqueline Gareau of Canada women's winner in 2:34:28; Rosie Ruiz disqualified for not running the entire course
- Apr 21 Howard Stern begins broadcasting on WWWW Detroit Mich
- Apr 23 Soviet sub catches fire off Japan, 9 die
- Apr 24 US military operation to save 52 hostages in Iran, fails, 8 die
- Apr 25 Announcement of US hostage rescue bungle in Iran
- Apr 25 Firestone World Bowling Tournament of Champions won by Wayne Webb
Baseball History
Apr 25 Oakland Athletics' manager Billy Martin is restrained by umpires from attacking a fan
- Apr 25 USSR performs nuclear test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site in northeast Kazakhstan
- Apr 26 Gerard Nijboer runs Dutch record marathon (2:09:01)
- Apr 26 Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site
- Apr 26 Iran begins scattering US hostages from US Embassy
- Apr 26 Longest jump by a jet boat is set at 120 feet
Baseball Record
Apr 26 MLB Philadelphia Phillies Steve Carlton pitches his 6th 1-hitter, in 7-0 win over St. Louis Cardinals, at Veterans Stadium; 1st National League to record 6 1-hitters
- Apr 28 Cyrus Vance, Carter's US Secretary of State, resigns
- Apr 28 Reunion Arena in Dallas opens
- Apr 28 US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigns in protest over the Iran hostage rescue attempt
- Apr 29 Corazones Unidos Siempre Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority Inc. is founded
- Apr 29 NFL Draft: Oklahoma running back Billy Sims first pick by Detroit Lions
- Apr 30 "Barnum" opens at St James Theater NYC for 854 performances
Queen Abdicates
Apr 30 Juliana, Queen of the Netherlands, abdicates; Princess Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard (42) becomes Queen Beatrix
- Apr 30 Ronald Harwood's play "The Dresser" premieres in London with Freddie Jones and Tom Courtenay
- Apr 30 Terrorists seize Iranian Embassy in London
Admirals
Aviators
Gangsters
Generals
Industrialists
Suffragists