April 6 is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 269 days remaining until the end of the year. [edit] Events - 46 BC – Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Younger) in the battle of Thapsus.
- 402 – Stilicho stymies the Visigoths under Alaric in the Battle of Pollentia.
- 1199 – King Richard I of England dies from an infection following the removal of an arrow from his shoulder.
- 1320 – The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
- 1327 – The poet Petrarch first sees his idealized love, Laura, in the church of Saint Clare in Avignon.
- 1385 – John, Master of the Order of Aviz, is made king John I of Portugal.
- 1652 – At the Cape of Good Hope, Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp that eventually becomes Cape Town .
- 1667 – An earthquake devastates Dubrovnik, then an independent city-state.
- 1782 – Rama I succeeds King Taksin of Siam (modern day Thailand), who is overthrown in a coup d'état.
- 1793 – During the French Revolution, the Committee of Public Safety becomes the executive organ of the republic, and the period known as the Reign of Terror begins.
- 1808 – John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company.
- 1812 – British forces assault the fortress of Badajoz under the command of the Duke of Wellington. This would be the turning point in the Peninsular War against Napoleon led France.
- 1814 – Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba.
- 1830 – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. and others at Fayette, New York.
- 1832 – Indian Wars: The Black Hawk War begins – the Sauk warrior Black Hawk enters into war with the United States.
- 1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Shiloh begins – in Tennessee, forces under Union General Ulysses S. Grant meet Confederate troops led by General Albert Sidney Johnston.
- 1865 – American Civil War: The Battle of Sayler's Creek – Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia fights its last major battle while in retreat from Richmond, Virginia.
- 1866 – The Grand Army of the Republic, an American patriotic organization composed of Union veterans of the American Civil War, is founded. It lasts until 1956.
- 1869 – Celluloid is patented.
- 1893 – Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is dedicated by Wilford Woodruff.
- 1895 – Oscar Wilde is arrested in the Cadogan Hotel, London after losing a libel case against the John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry.
- 1896 – In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated, 1,500 years after the original games are banned by Roman Emperor Theodosius I.
- 1903 – The Kishinev pogrom in Kishinev (Bessarabia) begins, forcing tens of thousands of Jews to later seek refuge in Israel and the Western world.
- 1909 – Robert Peary and Matthew Henson allegedly reach the North Pole.
- 1911 – Dedë Gjon Luli Dedvukaj, Leader of the Malësori Albanians, raises the Albanian flag in the town of Tuzi, Montenegro, for the first time after Gjergj Kastrioti (Skenderbeg).
- 1917 – World War I: The United States declares war on Germany (see President Woodrow Wilson's address to Congress).
- 1919 – Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi orders a General Strike.
- 1923 – The first Prefects Board in Southeast Asia is formed in Victoria Institution, Malaysia.
- 1926 – Walter Varney Airlines makes its first commercial flight (Varney is the root company of United Airlines).
- 1929 – Huey P. Long Governor of Louisiana is impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives.
- 1930 – Gandhi raises a lump of mud and salt and declares, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." Thus he starts the Salt Satyagraha.
- 1936 – Tupelo-Gainesville tornado outbreak: Another tornado from the same storm system as the Tupelo tornado hits Gainesville, Georgia, killing 203.
- 1941 – World War II: Nazi Germany launches Operation 25 (the invasion of Yugoslavia) and Operation Marita (the invasion of Greece).
- 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented for theatrical achievements.
- 1957 – Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis buys the Hellenic National Airlines (TAE) and founds Olympic Airlines.
- 1965 – Launch of Early Bird, the first communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit.
- 1968 – In Richmond, Indiana's downtown district, a double explosion kills 41 and injures 150.
- 1970 – Newhall Incident: Four California Highway Patrol officers are killed.
- 1972 – Vietnam War: Easter Offensive – American forces begin sustained air strikes and naval bombardments.
- 1973 – Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft.
- 1973 – The American League of Major League Baseball begin using the Designated Hitter
- 1982 – Estonian Communist Party bureau declared "fight against bourgeois TV" — meaning Finnish TV — a top priority of the propagandists of Estonian SSR
- 1984 – Members of Cameroon's Republican Guard unsuccessfully attempt to overthrow the government headed by Paul Biya.
- 1994 – The Rwandan Genocide begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down.
- 1998 – Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of hitting India.
- 1998 – Travelers Group announced an agreement to undertake the $76 billion merger between Travelers and Citicorp, and the merger is completed on October 8, of that year, forming Citibank.
- 2004 – Rolandas Paksas becomes the first president of Lithuania to be peacefully removed from office by impeachment.
- 2005 – Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani becomes Iraqi president; Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari is named premier the next day.
- 2009 – A 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes near L'Aquila, Italy, killing at least 253.
[edit] Births - 1483 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (d. 1520)
- 1613 – Stjepan Gradić, Croatian philosopher and scientist (d. 1683)
- 1632 – Maria Leopoldine of Austria, Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1649)
- 1651 – André Dacier, French classical scholar (d. 1722)
- 1664 – Arvid Horn, Swedish statesman (d. 1742)
- 1671 – Jean-Baptiste Rousseau, French poet (d. 1741)
- 1725 – Pasquale Paoli, Corsican patriot and military leader (d. 1807)
- 1741 – Nicolas Chamfort, French writer (d. 1794)
- 1766 – Wilhelm von Kobell, German painter and printmaker (d. 1853)
- 1773 – James Mill, Scottish philosopher and historian (d. 1836)
- 1810 – Philip Henry Gosse, English naturalist (d. 1888)
- 1812 – Alexander Herzen, Russian writer (d. 1870)
- 1815 – Robert Volkmann, German composer (d. 1883)
- 1818 – Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Norwegian poet (d. 1870)
- 1820 – Nadar, French photographer (d. 1910)
- 1823 – Joseph Medill, journalist and mayor of Chicago (d. 1899)
- 1826 – Gustave Moreau, French painter (d. 1898)
- 1841 – Karl Binding, German jurist (d. 1920)
- 1849 – John William Waterhouse, British painter (d. 1917)
- 1851 – Guillaume Bigourdan, French astronomer (d. 1932)
- 1861 – Stanislas de Guaita, French occultist (d. 1897)
- 1871 – Prince Alexander John of Wales (d. 1871)
- 1878 – Erich Mühsam, German author (d. 1934)
- 1884 – Walter Huston, Canadian-born actor (d. 1950)
- 1886 – Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, The Last Nizam of Hyderabad state (d. 1967)
- 1888 – Hans Richter, Swiss painter, film maker, graphic artist and avant-gardist (d. 1976)
- 1890 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch designer of aircraft (d. 1939)
- 1892 – Donald Wills Douglas, Sr., American industrialist (d. 1981)
- 1892 – Lowell Thomas, American travel writer (d. 1981)
- 1894 – Gertrude Baines, American supercentenarian (d. 2009)
- 1895 – Dudley Nichols, American screenwriter (d. 1960)
- 1901 – Pier Giorgio Frassati, Italian Catholic (d. 1925)
- 1902 – Veniamin Kaverin, Russian writer (d. 1989)
- 1902 – Julien Torma, French writer, playwright and poet (d. 1933)
- 1903 – Mickey Cochrane, American baseball player (d. 1962)
- 1903 – Harold Edgerton, American electrical engineer (d. 1990)
- 1909 – Hermann Lang, German race car driver (d. 1987)
- 1909 – William M. Branham, American evangelist (d. 1965)
- 1911 – Feodor Felix Konrad Lynen, German biochemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1979)
- 1915 – Tadeusz Kantor, Polish painter, set designer and theater director (d. 1990)
- 1917 – Leonora Carrington, British-born surrealist painter
- 1918 – Alfredo Ovando Candía, Bolivian president (d. 1982)
- 1920 – Edmond H. Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist, Nobel laureate
- 1926 – Sergio Franchi, Italian-born singer and actor (d. 1990)
- 1926 – Gil Kane, Latvian-born cartoonist (d. 2000)
- 1926 – Ian Paisley, Northern Irish politician
- 1927 – Gerry Mulligan, American musician (d. 1996)
- 1928 – James D. Watson, American geneticist, Nobel laureate
- 1929 – Joi Lansing, American model and actress (d. 1972)
- 1929 – Willis Hall, English playwright and radio and television writer (d. 2005)
- 1929 – André Previn, German-born composer and conductor
- 1931 – Ivan Dixon, American actor and director (d. 2008)
- 1931 – Baba Ram Dass, American Hindu spiritual teacher
- 1932 – Helmut Griem, German actor (d. 2004)
- 1933 – Roy Goode, British lawyer
- 1933 – Eduardo Malapit, American Democratic politician (d. 2007)
- 1934 – Anton Geesink, Dutch judoka
- 1934 – Enrique Álvarez Félix, Mexican actor (d. 1996)
- 1934 – Guy Peellaert, Belgian visual artist (d. 2008)
- 1935 – Douglas Hill, Canadian-born science fiction writer (d.2007)
- 1936 – Helen Berman, Dutch-Israeli visual artist
- 1937 – Merle Haggard, American musician
- 1937 – Peter Maivia, Samoan professional wrestler (d. 1982)
- 1937 – Billy Dee Williams, American actor
- 1938 – Paul Daniels, English magician
- 1938 – Roy Thinnes, American actor
- 1939 – André Ouellet, French Canadian politician
- 1940 – Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Mexican actor
- 1940 – Homero Aridjis, Mexican writer and diplomat
- 1941 – Phil Austin, American comedian
- 1941 – Don "The Snake" Prudhomme, American drag racer
- 1941 – Gheorghe Zamfir, Romanian musician
- 1942 – Barry Levinson, American film producer/director
- 1944 – Felicity Palmer, English soprano
- 1945 – Neal Boortz, American talk radio personality
- 1947 – John Ratzenberger, American actor
- 1948 – Patrika Darbo, American actress
- 1949 – Horst Ludwig Störmer, German-born physicist, Nobel laureate
- 1950 – Cleo Odzer, American writer
- 1951 – Bert Blyleven, Dutch-born baseball player
- 1952 – Udo Dirkschneider, German singer
- 1952 – Marilu Henner, American actress
- 1952 – Michel Larocque, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1992)
- 1953 – Christopher Franke, German musician and composer
- 1955 – Blind Mississippi Morris, American delta blues musician
- 1955 – Rob Epstein, American filmmaker and journalist
- 1955 – Keith Hunter Jesperson, Canadian serial killer
- 1955 – Michael Rooker, American actor
- 1955 – Cathy Jones, Canadian comedian
- 1956 – Dilip Vengsarkar, Indian cricketer and administrator
- 1956 – Sebastian Spreng, Argentinean visual artist
- 1957 – Paolo Nespoli, Italian astronaut
- 1960 – Batem, French comic book artist
- 1960 – Warren Haynes, American guitarist and song writer
- 1960 – John Pizzarelli, American jazz guitarist, song writer, singer and bandleader
- 1961 – Rory Bremner, English comedian and impressionist
- 1962 – Iris Häussler, German-born installation artist
- 1963 – Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador
- 1964 – Phil Gayle, English news presenter
- 1965 – Frank Black, American singer/songwriter
- 1965 – Lieve Slegers, Belgian athlete
- 1965 – Sterling Sharpe, American football player
- 1966 – Young Man Kang, South Korean film director
- 1967 – Mika Koivuniemi, Finnish ten-pin bowler
- 1967 – Jonathan Firth, British actor
- 1968 – Vanessa Lann, American composer
- 1968 – Affonso Giaffone, Brazilian racing driver
- 1969 – Jack Canfora, American playwright
- 1969 – Bison Dele, American basketball player (disappeared 2002)
- 1969 – Ari Meyers, Puerto Rican-born American actress
- 1969 – Philipp Peter, Austrian racing driver
- 1969 – Paul Rudd, American actor
- 1969 – Bret Boone, American baseball player
- 1970 – Olaf Kölzig, South African–born ice hockey player
- 1970 – Huang Xiaomin, Chinese swimmer
- 1971 – Lou Merloni, American baseball player
- 1972 – Ami James, Israeli-born American tattoo artist
- 1972 – Jason Hervey, American actor
- 1972 – Jo Van Daele, Belgian discus thrower
- 1973 – Donnie Edwards, American football player
- 1973 – Joe Machine, English artist, poet and writer
- 1973 – Rie Miyazawa, Japanese actress/singer
- 1973 – Sun Wen, Chinese footballer
- 1973 – Gina Yashere, English comedian
- 1974 – Robert Kovač, Croatian footballer
- 1975 – Zach Braff, American actor
- 1975 – Hal Gill, Ice Hockey player
- 1976 – Candace Cameron, American actress
- 1976 – Georg Hólm, Icelandic musician (Sigur Rós)
- 1976 – Hirotada Ototake, Japanese sports writer
- 1977 – Andy Phillips, American baseball player
- 1978 – Tim Hasselbeck, American football player
- 1978 – Myleene Klass, British singer
- 1978 – Martin Mendez, Uruguayan-born Bassist (Opeth)
- 1978 – Blaine Neal, American baseball player
- 1981 – Robert Earnshaw, Zambian born, Welsh international footballer
- 1982 – Michael Guy Chislett, Australian-American guitarist (The Academy Is...)
- 1982 – Ilan Hall, Israeli-American chef
- 1982 – Bret Harrison, American actor
- 1982 – Travis Moen, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1983 – Diora Baird, American actress
- 1983 – Jade Seah, Singaporean model, host and actress
- 1983 – Dash Shaw, American comic book writer and artist
- 1983 – James Wade, English darts player
- 1984 – Max Bemis, American musician/songwriter
- 1985 – Clarke MacArthur, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 – Aaron Curry, American football player
- 1987 – Levi Porter, English footballer
- 1988 – Leigh Adams, Australian rules footballer
- 1988 – Mike Bailey, English actor
- 1988 – Fabrice Muamba, Anglo-Congolese footballer
- 1995 – Ryutaro Morimoto, Japanese actor and singer
- 2007 – Princess Haalah bint Hashim, Princess of Jordan
[edit] Deaths - 885 – Saint Methodius (b. c. 815)
- 1147 – Frederick II, Duke of Swabia (b. 1090)
- 1199 – King Richard I of England (b. 1157)
- 1199 – Pierre Basile, French soldier
- 1362 – James I, Count of La Marche, French soldier (b. 1319)
- 1490 – King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary (b. 1443)
- 1520 – Raphael, Italian painter and architect (b. 1483)
- 1528 – Albrecht Dürer, German artist (b. 1471)
- 1551 – Joachim Vadian, Swiss humanist (b. 1484)
- 1571 – John Hamilton, Scottish prelate and politician
- 1590 – Francis Walsingham, English spymaster
- 1605 – John Stow, English historian
- 1655 – David Blondel, French Protestant clergyman (b. 1591)
- 1686 – Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, English royalist statesman (b. 1614)
- 1707 – Willem van de Velde, the younger, Dutch painter (b. 1633)
- 1755 – Richard Rawlinson, English minister and antiquarian (b. 1690)
- 1825 – Vladimir Borovikovsky, Russian painter (b. 1757)
- 1829 – Niels Henrik Abel, Norwegian mathematician (b. 1802)
- 1833 – Adamantios Korais, Greek humanist scholar (b. 1748)
- 1838 – José Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva, Brazilian statesman and geologist (b. 1763)
- 1862 – Albert Sidney Johnston, American Confederate general (b. 1803)
- 1883 – Benjamin Wright Raymond, American politician (b. 1801)
- 1899 – Alvan Wentworth Chapman, American physician and botanist (b. 1809)
- 1906 – Alexander Kielland, Norwegian author (b. 1849)
- 1933 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, wife of George Armstrong Custer (b. 1842)
- 1935 – Edwin Arlington Robinson, American poet (b. 1869)
- 1947 – Herbert Backe, German Nazi politician (b. 1896)
- 1953 – Idris Davies, Welsh poet (b. 1905)
- 1961 – Jules Bordet, Belgian immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1870)
- 1963 – Otto Struve, Russian-born astronomer (b. 1897)
- 1970 – Sam Sheppard, American accused murderer (b. 1923)
- 1970 – Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (b. 1933)
- 1971 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (b. 1882)
- 1974 – Willem Marinus Dudok, Dutch architect (b. 1884)
- 1974 – Hudson Fysh, Australian aviator and businessman (b. 1895)
- 1976 – Sidney Franklin, American bullfighter (b. 1903)
- 1992 – Isaac Asimov, Russian-born author (b. 1920)
- 1994 – Juvénal Habyarimana, Rwandan politician (b. 1937)
- 1994 – Cyprien Ntaryamira, Burundian politician (b. 1956)
- 1996 – Greer Garson, Irish actress (b. 1904)
- 1998 – Wendy O. Williams, American singer (Plasmatics) (b. 1949)
- 1998 – Tammy Wynette, American singer (b. 1942)
- 1999 – Red Norvo, American jazz vibraphonist (b. 1908)
- 2000 – Habib Bourguiba, Tunisian politician (b. 1903)
- 2000 – Robert Powell, American Cab Driver (b.1963)
- 2001 – Charles Pettigrew, American singer (b. 1963)
- 2003 – David Bloom, American reporter (b. 1963)
- 2003 – Babatunde Olatunji, Nigerian drummer (b. 1927)
- 2003 – Gerald Emmett Cardinal Carter, Canadian religious figure (b. 1912)
- 2004 – Larisa Bogoraz, Soviet dissident (b. 1929)
- 2004 – Niki Sullivan, American guitarist (The Crickets) (b. 1937)
- 2005 – Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (b. 1923)
- 2006 – Maggie Dixon, American college basketball coach (b. 1977)
- 2006 – Francis L. Kellogg, U.S. diplomat and prominent socialite (b. 1917)
- 2007 – Luigi Comencini, Italian film director (b. 1916)
- 2009 – Shawn Mackay, Brumbies rugby player (b. 1982)
[edit] Holidays and observances in the Roman Catholic Church [edit] External links
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