History of Today in India – 11 April

Explore the history of today 11 April in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 11 April 2026, 04:23 AM

📜 Important Events on 11 April in World History

11 Apr 2023: During the Pazigyi massacre, an airstrike conducted by the Myanmar Air Force kills at least 100 villagers in Pazigyi, Sagaing Region. Read more
11 Apr 2021: Twenty year old Daunte Wright is shot and killed in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota by officer Kimberly Potter, sparking protests in the city, when the officer mistakes her pistol for her taser. Read more
11 Apr 2018: An Ilyushin Il-76 which was owned and operated by the Algerian Air Force crashes near Boufarik, Algeria, killing 257. Read more
11 Apr 2017: The tour bus of the German football team Borussia Dortmund was attacked with roadside bombs in Dortmund, Germany. Three bombs exploded as the bus ferried the team to the Westfalenstadion for the first leg of their quarter-final against Monaco. Read more
11 Apr 2012: A pair of great earthquakes occur in the Wharton Basin west of Sumatra in Indonesia. The maximum Mercalli intensity of this strike-slip doublet earthquake is VII (Very strong). Ten are killed, twelve are injured, and a non-destructive tsunami is observed on the island of Nias. Read more
11 Apr 2011: An explosion in the Minsk Metro, Belarus kills 15 people and injures 204 others. Read more
11 Apr 2008: Kata Air Transport Flight 007 crashes while attempting an emergency landing at Chișinău International Airport, killing eight. Read more
11 Apr 2007: Algiers bombings: Two bombings in Algiers kill 33 people and wound a further 222 others. Read more
11 Apr 2006: Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces Iran's claim to have successfully enriched uranium. Read more
11 Apr 2002: The Ghriba synagogue bombing by al-Qaeda kills 21 in Tunisia. Read more
11 Apr 2002: Over two hundred thousand people march in Caracas towards the presidential palace to demand the resignation of President Hugo Chávez. Nineteen protesters are killed. Read more
11 Apr 2001: The detained crew of a United States EP-3E aircraft that landed in Hainan, China after a collision with a J-8 fighter, is released. Read more
11 Apr 2001: The Australia national men's soccer team sets a world record for the largest victory in an international association football match, winning the game 31–0 against American Samoa at the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for OFC. Australia's Archie Thompson also breaks the record for most goals scored by a player in an international match by scoring 13 goals. Read more
11 Apr 1993: Four hundred fifty prisoners rioted at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Ohio, and continued to do so for ten days, citing grievances related to prison conditions, as well as the forced vaccination of Nation of Islam prisoners (for tuberculosis) against their religious beliefs. Read more
11 Apr 1993: Guillem Agulló, pro-Catalan independence and anti-fascist Valencian young activist is assassinated by a group of Spanish nationalists and neo-nazis in Montanejos. Read more
11 Apr 1990: Customs officers in Middlesbrough, England, seize what they believe to be the barrel of a massive gun on a ship bound for Iraq. Read more
11 Apr 1987: The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan. Read more
11 Apr 1986: FBI Miami Shootout: A gun battle in broad daylight in Dade County, Florida between two bank/armored car robbers and pursuing FBI agents. During the firefight, FBI agents Jerry L. Dove and Benjamin P. Grogan were killed, while five other agents were wounded. As a result, the popular .40 S&W cartridge was developed. Read more
11 Apr 1982: American-Israeli reservist Alan Harry Goodman carried out a mass shooting at the Dome of the Rock, killing two Palestinians and injured at least seven others. Read more
11 Apr 1981: A massive riot in Brixton, south London results in almost 300 police injuries and 65 serious civilian injuries. Read more
11 Apr 1979: Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed. Read more
11 Apr 1977: London Transport's Silver Jubilee AEC Routemaster buses are launched. Read more
11 Apr 1976: The Apple I is created. Read more
11 Apr 1970: Apollo Program: Apollo 13 is launched. Read more
11 Apr 1968: US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. Read more
11 Apr 1968: A failed assassination attempt on Rudi Dutschke, leader of the German student movement, leaves Dutschke suffering from brain damage. Read more
11 Apr 1965: The Palm Sunday tornado outbreak of 1965: Fifty-five tornadoes hit in six Midwestern states of the United States, killing 266 people. Read more
11 Apr 1964: Brazilian Marshal Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco is elected president by the National Congress. Read more
11 Apr 1963: Pope John XXIII issues Pacem in terris, the first encyclical addressed to all Christians instead of only Catholics, and which described the conditions for world peace in human terms. Read more
11 Apr 1961: The trial of Adolf Eichmann begins in Jerusalem. Read more
11 Apr 1957: United Kingdom agrees to Singaporean self-rule. Read more
11 Apr 1955: The Air India Kashmir Princess is bombed and crashes in a failed assassination attempt on Zhou Enlai by the Kuomintang. Read more
11 Apr 1952: Bolivian National Revolution: Rebels take over Palacio Quemado. Read more
11 Apr 1952: Pan Am Flight 526A ditches near San Juan-Isla Grande Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after experiencing an engine failure, killing 52 people. Read more
11 Apr 1951: Korean War: President Truman relieves Douglas MacArthur of the command of American forces in Korea and Japan. Read more
11 Apr 1951: The Stone of Scone, the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned, is found on the site of the altar of Arbroath Abbey. It had been taken by Scottish nationalist students from its place in Westminster Abbey. Read more
11 Apr 1945: World War II: American forces liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp. Read more
11 Apr 1935: Stresa Front: opening of the conference between the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, the Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini and the French Minister for Foreign Affairs Pierre Laval to condemn the German violations of the Treaty of Versailles. Read more
11 Apr 1921: Emir Abdullah establishes the first centralised government in the newly created British protectorate of Transjordan. Read more
11 Apr 1909: The city of Tel Aviv is founded. Read more
11 Apr 1908: SMS Blücher, the last armored cruiser to be built by the Imperial German Navy, is launched. Read more
11 Apr 1885: Luton Town F.C. is founded. Read more
11 Apr 1881: Spelman College is founded in Atlanta, Georgia as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, an institute of higher education for African-American women. Read more
11 Apr 1876: The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized. Read more
11 Apr 1868: Former shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu surrenders Edo Castle to Imperial forces, marking the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. Read more
11 Apr 1856: Second Battle of Rivas: Juan Santamaría burns down the hostel where William Walker's filibusters are holed up. Read more
11 Apr 1814: The Treaty of Fontainebleau ends the War of the Sixth Coalition against Napoleon Bonaparte, and forces him to abdicate unconditionally for the first time. Read more
11 Apr 1809: Battle of the Basque Roads: Admiral Lord Gambier fails to support Captain Lord Cochrane, leading to an incomplete British victory over the French fleet. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 11 April in World History

11 Apr 2005: Jack Hinshelwood, English footballer Jack Luca Hinshelwood is an English professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion and the England under-21 national team. Read more
11 Apr 2005: Danielle Marsh, South Korean-Australian singer Danielle June Marsh, known mononymously as Danielle (Korean: 다니엘), is an Australian and South Korean singer. She is known to be a former member of the South Korean girl group NewJeans. Read more
11 Apr 2002: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Australian cricketer Jake Matthew Fraser-McGurk is an Australian international cricketer who has represented the Australia national cricket team in ODI and T20I cricket. McGurk is a right-handed batsman who plays for South Australia, Melbourne Renegades, Delhi Capitals and the San Francisco Unicorns. Read more
11 Apr 2001: Manuel Ugarte, Uruguayan footballer Manuel Ugarte Ribeiro is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United and the Uruguay national team. Primarily a defensive midfielder, he can also be played as a central midfielder. Read more
11 Apr 2000: Calen Addison, Canadian ice hockey player Calen Addison is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the second round, 53rd overall, of the in the 2018 NHL entry draft. He has previously played for the Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks. Read more
11 Apr 2000: Milly Alcock, Australian actress Amelia May Alcock is an Australian actress. She received an AACTA Award nomination for her performance in the Foxtel comedy-drama Upright (2019–2022). She gained wider recognition for starring as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series House of the Dragon (2022–2024), for which she was nominated for a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Read more
11 Apr 2000: Loïc Badé, French footballer Loïc Séri Badé is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen and the France national team. Read more
11 Apr 2000: Ken Carson, American rapper and record producer Kenyatta Lee Bettis Frazier Jr., known professionally as Ken Carson, is an American rapper and record producer from Atlanta, Georgia. Carson initially gained attention for his SoundCloud releases and collaborations with fellow Atlanta rapper Destroy Lonely. In 2019, Carson signed with Playboi Carti's record label Opium, an imprint of Interscope Records, to release his debut studio album, Project X (2021). Read more
11 Apr 2000: Karina, South Korean singer Yu Ji-min, known professionally as Karina (카리나), is a South Korean singer, rapper and dancer. She is a member and leader of the South Korean girl group Aespa, formed by SM Entertainment in November 2020. She is also a member of the supergroup Got the Beat, which debuted in January 2022. Read more
11 Apr 1996: Dele Alli, English international footballer Bamidele Jermaine "Dele" Alli is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and is currently a free agent. Read more
11 Apr 1996: Summer Walker, American singer-songwriter Summer Marjani Walker is an American singer and songwriter. She signed with the Atlanta-based record label Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records, in late 2017 to release her debut commercial mixtape, Last Day of Summer (2018). Its lead single, "Girls Need Love", spawned a remix featuring Canadian rapper Drake, which became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut studio album, Over It (2019), was met with critical praise, peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart—briefly breaking the record for the biggest debut streaming week for a female R&B artist—and received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Read more
11 Apr 1994: Brandon Montour, Canadian ice hockey player Brandon Montour is a Haudenosaunee-Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Montour was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round, 55th overall, of the 2014 NHL entry draft. Montour won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2024. Read more
11 Apr 1993: Florin Andone, Romanian footballer Florin Andone is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Segunda Federación club Atlético Baleares. Read more
11 Apr 1992: Sinem Dybvad Demir, Danish politician Sinem Dybvad Demir is a Danish politician and Member of the Folketing. A member of the Red–Green Alliance, she has represented North Zealand since March 2026. Read more
11 Apr 1991: Thiago Alcântara, Spanish footballer Thiago Alcântara do Nascimento, known as Thiago Alcântara or mononymously as Thiago, is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is currently the assistant manager of La Liga club Barcelona. Born in Italy, he played for the Spain national team. Read more
11 Apr 1991: Cédric Bakambu, Congolese footballer Cédric Bakambu is a professional footballer who plays as a forward or a winger for La Liga club Real Betis and the DR Congo national team. Read more
11 Apr 1991: Brennan Poole, American racing driver Brennan Cole Poole is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Alpha Prime Racing. He was formerly a development driver for Venturini Motorsports from 2011 to 2014 as well as for Chip Ganassi Racing from 2015 to 2017. Read more
11 Apr 1990: Dimitrios Anastasopoulos, Greek footballer Dimitrios Anastasopoulos is a Greek professional footballer who plays for Fostiras Ilioupoli as a midfielder. Read more
11 Apr 1990: Thulani Serero, South African footballer Thulani Caleb Serero is a South African soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Cape Town City and the South African national team. Read more
11 Apr 1989: Torrin Lawrence, American sprinter (died 2014) Torrin Lawrence was an American sprinter who competed in the 400 meters. He ran for the University of Georgia. Read more
11 Apr 1988: Milton Casco, Argentine footballer Milton Óscar Casco is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as left-back for Atlético Nacional. Read more
11 Apr 1988: Leland Irving, Canadian ice hockey player Leland Bruce Irving is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for HC Lugano in the National League (NL). He was a first-round selection of the Calgary Flames, 26th overall at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and played parts of two National Hockey League (NHL) seasons with the team. He made his NHL debut on December 16, 2011, in a shootout loss to the Florida Panthers and won his first NHL game one week later in his second start, against the Vancouver Canucks. Read more
11 Apr 1987: Joss Stone, English singer-songwriter and actress Joscelyn Eve Stoker, known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her second album, Mind Body & Soul (2004), topped the UK Albums Chart and spawned the top-ten single "You Had Me", Stone's most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to date. Both the album and single received one nomination at the 2005 Grammy Awards, while Stone herself was nominated for Best New Artist, and in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2004, was ranked fifth as a predicted breakthrough act of 2004. She became the youngest British female singer to top the UK Albums Chart. Stone's third album, Introducing Joss Stone, released in March 2007, achieved gold record status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and yielded the second-ever highest debut for a British female solo artist on the Billboard 200, and became Stone's first top-five album in the US. Read more
11 Apr 1987: Lights, Canadian singer-songwriter Lights Valerie Anne Poxleitner-Bokan, known mononymously as Lights, is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. Her debut album, The Listening (2009), included the singles "Drive My Soul" and "Saviour". Her second album, Siberia, which featured the single "Toes", was released in 2011. Her work has earned multiple Canadian Independent Music Awards, and Juno Awards including Pop Album of the Year for her third album Little Machines, which included the single "Up We Go", and fourth album Skin & Earth, in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Lights's fifth studio album, Pep, was released in 2022. Her newest record A6 was released May 2, 2025. Read more
11 Apr 1986: Sarodj Bertin, Haitian model and human rights lawyer Sarodj Bertin Durocher is a Haitian lawyer and beauty pageant titleholder. Read more
11 Apr 1986: Lena Schöneborn, German pentathlete Lena Schöneborn is a German pentathlete, who won the gold medal in the Modern Pentathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She is living in Berlin and besides Pentathlon she is studying marketing. She won gold at the Women's Final of the Modern Pentathlon European Championships 2011, held in Medway. Read more
11 Apr 1985: Pablo Hernández Domínguez, Spanish footballer Pablo Hernández Domínguez is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger. He is the manager of Segunda División club Castellón. Read more
11 Apr 1985: Will Minson, Australian footballer William Gerald Minson is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Read more
11 Apr 1984: Kelli Garner, American actress Kelli Brianne Garner is an American actress who has appeared in a variety of independent and mainstream films, television, and theater. Read more
11 Apr 1984: Nikola Karabatić, French handball player Nikola Karabatić is a French former professional handball player who was named IHF World Player of the Year a male record-tying three times, in 2007, 2014, and 2016. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in handball history. Read more
11 Apr 1983: Jennifer Heil, Canadian skier Jennifer Heil is a Canadian freestyle skier from Spruce Grove, Alberta. Heil started skiing at age two. Jennifer Heil won the first gold medal for Canada in the 2006 Winter Olympics games in Turin, Italy and a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which was also Canada's first medal in those games. Jennifer held the Guinness World Record for most gold medals won at a World Championship. She has four world championship titles in total and two silver medals from the Worlds as well. Over her career, Heil became the first mogul skier to complete the "Grand Slam" winning all major titles in the sport including a record-tying five overall FIS World Cup Crystal Globe titles. Jennifer is a member of the Canadian Order of Sport, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and Pantheon des Sports du Québec, inducted as the winningest female skier in Canadian history. Read more
11 Apr 1983: Rubén Palazuelos, Spanish footballer Rubén Palazuelos García is a Spanish footballer who plays for Tercera Federación club Vimenor as a defensive midfielder. Read more
11 Apr 1983: Nicky Pastorelli, Dutch race car driver Nicky Pastorelli is a Dutch professional racing driver. Read more
11 Apr 1982: Ian Bell, English cricketer Ian Ronald Bell is an English former cricketer who played international cricket in all formats for the England cricket team and county cricket for Warwickshire County Cricket Club. A right-handed higher/middle order batsman, described in The Times as an "exquisite rapier," with a strong cover drive, Bell was also an occasional right-arm medium pace bowler and a slip fielder. He was also noted for his sharp reflexes and often fielded in close catching positions. He scored twenty-two Test centuries and four One Day International (ODI) 100s. Read more
11 Apr 1982: Peeter Kümmel, Estonian skier Peeter Kümmel is an Estonian cross-country skier who has competed since 2001. Read more
11 Apr 1981: Alessandra Ambrosio, Brazilian model Alessandra Corine Ambrósio is a Brazilian model. She is known for her work with Victoria's Secret and was chosen as the first spokesmodel for the company's PINK line. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2004 to 2017 and has modeled for fashion houses such as Christian Dior, Armani, Ralph Lauren, and Next. Read more
11 Apr 1981: Alexandre Burrows, Canadian ice hockey player Alexandre Ménard-Burrows is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is currently working as a player development consultant for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing as a left winger, he spent the majority of his career in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks and was known as an agitator, before developing into a skilled, top line fixture. Burrows is also regarded for his remarkable ascension to the NHL from being an undrafted player in the ECHL. Read more
11 Apr 1981: Luis Flores, Dominican basketball player Luis Alberto Flores is a Dominican former professional basketball player. He is a 6 ft 2 in tall point guard-shooting guard. He grew up in the United States, in the predominantly Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights, in New York City, and attended Norman Thomas High School. Flores is a member of the senior Dominican Republic national basketball team. He was the 2009 top scorer in the Israel Basketball Premier League. Read more
11 Apr 1981: Veronica Pyke, Australian cricketer Veronica Pyke is an Australian former cricketer who played for Tasmanian Roar and Hobart Hurricanes. Read more
11 Apr 1980: Keiji Tamada, Japanese footballer Keiji Tamada is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a forward. As of 2024, he is the manager of Shohei High School's football team, who plays in the Prince Takamado JFA U-18 Premier League. Read more
11 Apr 1980: Mark Teixeira, American baseball player Mark Charles Teixeira, nicknamed "Tex", is an American politician and former professional baseball first baseman who played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and New York Yankees. Before his professional career, he played college baseball at Georgia Tech, where in 2000 he won the Dick Howser Trophy as the national collegiate baseball player of the year. One of the most prolific switch hitters in MLB history, Teixeira was a member of the Yankees' 27th World Series championship team in 2009, leading the American League (AL) in home runs and runs batted in (RBI) while finishing second in the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) balloting. Teixeira was a three-time All-Star, won five Gold Glove Awards and three Silver Slugger Awards, and holds the major-league record for most games with a home run from both sides of the plate, with 14. He was the fifth switch hitter in MLB history to reach 400 home runs. Read more
11 Apr 1979: Malcolm Christie, English footballer Malcolm Neil Christie is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. Read more
11 Apr 1979: Sebastien Grainger, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Sebastien Alexandre Grainger is a Canadian musician, singer-songwriter, multi instrumentalist, and music producer based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the lead vocalist, drummer and songwriter of the alternative rock duo Death from Above 1979. Read more
11 Apr 1979: Michel Riesen, Swiss ice hockey player Michel Riesen is a Swiss former professional ice hockey winger. Most of his career, which lasted from 1994 to 2014, was spent in the Swiss Nationalliga A, though he also played 12 games in the National Hockey League with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2000–01 season. Internationally Riesen played for the Swiss national team in several junior tournaments and three World Championships. After retiring he turned to coaching and has worked at the junior level in Switzerland since 2015. Read more
11 Apr 1979: Josh Server, American actor Joshua Aaron Server is an American actor best known for being the only All That cast member to remain through all six original seasons. Read more
11 Apr 1978: Josh Hancock, American baseball player (died 2007) Joshua Morgan Hancock was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals. He was killed in an auto accident on April 29, 2007, at the age of 29. Read more
11 Apr 1977: Ivonne Teichmann, German runner Ivonne Teichmann is a retired German athlete who specialised in the 800 metres. Read more
11 Apr 1976: Marta Breen, Norwegian journalist, non-fiction writer, and organizational leader Marta Breen is a Norwegian non-fiction writer, journalist, and organizational leader. Her books often center on women's history and feminism. Read more
11 Apr 1976: Kelvim Escobar, Venezuelan baseball player Kelvim José Escobar Bolívar is a Venezuelan former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1997–2003) and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He won 101 games, but his career was cut short by shoulder injuries. Read more
11 Apr 1976: Kotomitsuki Keiji, Japanese sumo wrestler Kotomitsuki Keiji is a Japanese former professional sumo wrestler from Okazaki City. A former amateur champion, he turned professional in 1999. He reached the top makuuchi division in November 2000 and won one yūshō or tournament championship, in September 2001. He was a runner-up in eight other tournaments, and earned thirteen sanshō or special prizes. He is one of six wrestlers in the history of sumo to receive all three sanshō in the same tournament, accomplishing the feat in the November 2000 honbasho. After a record 22 tournaments at sekiwake, he achieved promotion to sumo's second highest rank of ōzeki in July 2007 upon winning 35 out of 45 bouts in three consecutive tournaments. This made him at 31 the oldest man to reach ōzeki in the modern era. He wrestled for Sadogatake stable. On July 4, 2010, he was expelled from professional sumo by the Japan Sumo Association for his involvement in an illegal gambling ring. Read more
11 Apr 1974: Àlex Corretja, Spanish tennis player and coach Àlex Corretja Verdegay is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 2 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1999. Corretja won 17 ATP Tour singles titles, including the 1998 ATP World Tour Championships, and Masters titles at the 1997 Italian Open and 2000 Indian Wells Masters. He was twice a major runner-up at the French Open, in 1998 and 2001. Corretja played a key role in helping Spain win its first Davis Cup title in 2000. Corretja is one of only two players who are undefeated against Rafael Nadal after playing more than one match with him, holding a 2–0 head-to-head record. Read more
11 Apr 1974: Ashot Danielyan, Armenian weightlifter Ashot Danielyan is a retired Armenian weightlifter. Read more
11 Apr 1974: David Jassy, Swedish singer-songwriter and producer David Moses Jassy, is a Swedish musician, songwriter and music producer. With Andrés Avellán, he was part of a Swedish R&B hip hop duo, Navigators. After split up of the group, Jassy went on to writing music and producing a number of international acts such as Akon, Keith Sweat, Ayra Starr, Wale, odumodublvck, Oxlade, Alkaline, French Montana, YG Marley, Chloe Bailey, Ashley Tisdale, Britney Spears, Mariana Froes, Sean Kingston,Davido, Afro B, Snoh Aalegra, Arash, Eve, No Angels, Mohombi, Djodje, David Carreira,Darin, Navigators, Charice, Heidi Montag, Bayanni, singah, AV, Jizzle, Loreen, Petter, 1.cuz, Ant Wan and many more. He is the founder of Jassy World Entertainment, a music production and publishing company. Read more
11 Apr 1974: Tom Thacker, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Thomas William Arnold Thacker, known by his stage name Brown Tom, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, singer, and record producer. He is the lead guitarist, lead singer and co-founder of the punk rock group Gob, as well as the former co-lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist for Sum 41. Thacker formed Gob with Theo Goutzinakis in 1993. Following Dave Baksh's departure from Sum 41 on May 11, 2006, Thacker was recruited as their touring guitarist, and then became an official member in 2009. He had remained with Sum 41 ever since, up until the group's disbandment in 2025. Read more
11 Apr 1974: Trot Nixon, American baseball player and sportscaster Christopher Trotman "Trot" Nixon, nicknamed "Dirt Dog" is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1996 through 2008, primarily with the Boston Red Sox from 1996 through 2006, where he was a fan favorite for his scrappy play. With the Red Sox, he won the 2004 World Series. His career wound down with limited appearances for the Cleveland Indians in 2007 and the New York Mets in 2008. He currently serves as co-host/analyst for "The 5th Quarter," a high school football highlight show on WWAY-TV in his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina. Read more
11 Apr 1973: Olivier Magne, French rugby player Olivier Claude C. Magne is a French former rugby union footballer and a current coach. Read more
11 Apr 1973: Jennifer Esposito, American actress and writer Jennifer Esposito is an American actress and director. She is known for her roles in the feature films Summer of Sam (1999), Don't Say a Word (2001), The Master of Disguise (2002), Welcome to Collinwood (2002), Crash (2004), Taxi (2004), and Mob Town (2019). She has also appeared in several television series, most notably The Looney Tunes Show, Spin City, Related, Samantha Who?, Blue Bloods, and Mistresses. From 2016 to 2017, she played Special Agent Alexandra Quinn on the CBS series NCIS, while from 2019 to 2020, she played CIA Deputy Director Susan Raynor in the Amazon series The Boys. Read more
11 Apr 1972: Balls Mahoney, American wrestler (died 2016) Jonathan Rechner, better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney, was an American professional wrestler best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Read more
11 Apr 1972: Allan Théo, French singer Allan Théo is a French singer, particularly well known for his 1998 single "Emmène-moi", which peaked at No. 6. Read more
11 Apr 1972: Jason Varitek, American baseball player and manager Jason Andrew Varitek, nicknamed "Tek", is an American professional baseball coach and former catcher. He is the game planning coordinator, a uniformed coaching position, for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek played his entire 15-year career for the Red Sox. A three-time All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner at catcher, as well as a Silver Slugger Award winner, Varitek was part of the 2004 World Series and 2007 World Series Championship teams, and widely viewed as one of the team's leaders. In December 2004 he was named the captain of the Red Sox, only their fourth captain since 1923. He was a switch-hitter. Read more
11 Apr 1971: Oliver Riedel, German bass player Oliver "Ollie" Riedel is a German musician, best known as one of the founders and the bassist of Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. Read more
11 Apr 1970: Trevor Linden, Canadian ice hockey player and manager Trevor John Linden is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former president of hockey operations and alternate governor of the Vancouver Canucks. He spent 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing centre and right wing with four teams: the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitals. Before joining the NHL in 1988, Linden helped the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL) win consecutive Memorial Cup championships. In addition to appearing in two NHL All-Star Games, Linden was a member of the 1998 Canadian Olympic team and participated in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey. Read more
11 Apr 1970: Whigfield, Danish singer and songwriter Sannie Charlotte Carlson, also known as Whigfield, Sannie, or Naan, is an Italian-Danish singer, former model, songwriter, and record producer. She is best known for her 1993 single "Saturday Night", which became an international hit the following year. Read more
11 Apr 1969: Cerys Matthews, Welsh singer-songwriter Cerys Elizabeth Matthews is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the "Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Read more
11 Apr 1969: Dustin Rhodes, American wrestler Dustin Patrick Runnels is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes and is a former AEW TNT Champion. He also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where is a member of the Sons of Texas stable. In ROH, Rhodes is a former ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions alongside Sons of Texas stablemates Marshall and Ross Von Erich. Read more
11 Apr 1969: Michael von Grünigen, Swiss skier Michael von Grünigen is a Swiss former alpine skier. He is considered to be the most successful Giant slalom skier of his era: In 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2003, he won the World Cup in Giant slalom. In 1997 and 2001, he was World Champion in giant slalom. He took a total of 23 World Cup wins during his career. Having originally announced his retirement at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, after failing to medal at the Games he elected to delay his retirement for a year, ending his competitive career in 2003. Read more
11 Apr 1968: Sergei Lukyanenko, Kazakh-Russian journalist and author Sergei Vasilyevich Lukyanenko is a Russian science fiction and fantasy author, writing in Russian. His works often feature intense action-packed plots, interwoven with the moral dilemma of keeping one's humanity while being strong. Some of his works have been adapted into film productions, for which he wrote the screenplays. Read more
11 Apr 1966: Steve Scarsone, American baseball player and manager Steven Wayne Scarsone is an American former professional baseball infielder and former minor league manager. He serves on the Oakland Athletics' Player Development staff as travelling minor league instructor. He played all or parts of seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1992 and 1999 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals. Read more
11 Apr 1966: Shin Seung-hun, South Korean singer-songwriter Shin Seung-hun is a South Korean singer-songwriter who was known in the 1990s as the "Emperor of Ballads". He debuted in 1990 with the hit song, "Reflection of You in Your Smile", and has since released 12 studio albums. Before 2020, he held the record for the most albums sold by one artist in South Korea with 17 million albums sold over his career. Read more
11 Apr 1966: Lisa Stansfield, English singer-songwriter and actress Lisa Jane Stansfield is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition Search for a Star. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first singles, Stansfield, along with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, formed Blue Zone in 1983. The band released several singles and one album, but after the success of Coldcut's "People Hold On" in 1989, on which Stansfield was featured, the focus was placed on her solo career. Read more
11 Apr 1964: Steve Azar, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Stephen Thomas Azar is an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and philanthropist. Active since 1996, he has released a total of seven studio albums: one on the former River North Records, one on Mercury Nashville, and five independently. Azar has charted nine times on Billboard Hot Country Songs, most successfully with his late 2001-early 2002 hit "I Don't Have to Be Me ", which reached the number two position there. After leaving Mercury in 2005, Azar began recording independently; Slide On Over Here, his second independently-released album, charted the top-40 country singles "Moo La Moo" and "Sunshine " in 2009. Read more
11 Apr 1964: John Cryer, English journalist and politician John Robert Cryer, Baron Cryer, is a British politician. A member of the Labour Party, he was previously the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornchurch from 1997 to 2005 and the MP for Leyton and Wanstead from 2010 to 2024. Cryer was Chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party from 2015 to 2024, and was a lord-in-waiting in the House of Lords from 2024 until 2025. Read more
11 Apr 1964: Johann Sebastian Paetsch, American cellist Johann Sebastian Paetsch is an American cellist and musician. Read more
11 Apr 1964: Bret Saberhagen, American baseball player and coach Bret William Saberhagen is an American former professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox from 1984 through 1999, and a comeback in 2001. Read more
11 Apr 1964: Patrick Sang, Kenyan runner Patrick Sang is a Kenyan running coach and retired steeplechase runner. Read more
11 Apr 1963: Billy Bowden, New Zealand cricketer and umpire Brent Fraser "Billy" Bowden is a New Zealand cricket umpire and former cricketer. He was a player until rheumatoid arthritis forced him to retire. He is well known for his dramatic signalling style which includes the famous "crooked finger of doom" out signal. On 6 February 2016, Bowden stood in his 200th One Day International match in the game between New Zealand and Australia in Wellington. Read more
11 Apr 1963: Waldemar Fornalik, Polish footballer and manager Waldemar Fornalik is a Polish professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of I liga club Ruch Chorzów. A one-club man, he spent his entire playing career with Ruch. From July 2012 to October 2013, he managed the Poland national team. Read more
11 Apr 1963: Elizabeth Smylie, Australian tennis player Elizabeth Smylie, sometimes known as Liz Smylie, is an Australian sports broadcaster and retired professional tennis player. During her career, she won four Grand Slam titles, one in women's doubles and three in mixed doubles. She also won three singles titles and 36 doubles titles on the tour. Liz also taught junior tennis players at Smith's Tennis Center, North Curl Curl. Sydney in the early 1990s. Read more
11 Apr 1963: Eleni Tsaligopoulou, Greek singer Eleni Tsaligopoulou is a Greek singer of popular music who, in the course of a 30-year career, has maintained a position as one of her country's best-selling recording artists. Read more
11 Apr 1962: Franck Ducheix, French fencer Franck Ducheix is a French fencer. He won a silver medal in the team sabre at the 1984 Summer Olympics and a bronze in the same event at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Read more
11 Apr 1962: Mark Lawson, English journalist and author Mark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster and author. Specialising in culture and the arts, he is best known for presenting the flagship BBC Radio 4 arts programme Front Row between 1998 and 2014. He is also a Guardian columnist, and presented Mark Lawson Talks To… on BBC Four from 2006 to 2015. Read more
11 Apr 1961: Vincent Gallo, American actor, director, producer, and musician Vincent Gallo is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician. He has won several accolades, including a Volpi Cup for Best Actor, and has been nominated for the Palme d'Or, the Golden Lion, and the Bronze Horse. Read more
11 Apr 1961: Doug Hopkins, American guitarist and songwriter (died 1993) Douglas Owen Hopkins was an American musician and songwriter. He co-founded Gin Blossoms, a popular modern rock band of the early 1990s. He was the band's lead guitarist and principal songwriter. Hopkins' writing credits included the hits "Hey Jealousy" and "Found Out About You". Read more
11 Apr 1961: Nobuaki Kakuda, Japanese martial artist Nobuaki Kakuda is a retired karateka and kickboxer and former K-1 Head referee. Read more
11 Apr 1960: Jeremy Clarkson, English journalist and television presenter Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English television presenter, journalist, farmer, and author who specialises in motoring. He is best known for hosting the motoring television programmes Top Gear (2002–2015) and The Grand Tour (2016–2024) alongside Richard Hammond and James May. He also currently writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun. Clarkson hosts the ITV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (2018–present), and stars in the farming documentary show Clarkson's Farm (2021–present). Read more
11 Apr 1959: Pierre Lacroix, Canadian ice hockey player Pierre Lacroix is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 274 National Hockey League games for the Quebec Nordiques and the Hartford Whalers. He is the father of Maxime Lacroix. As a youth, he played in the 1971 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Sainte-Foy. Read more
11 Apr 1959: Ana María Polo, Cuban-American lawyer and judge Ana María Polo González is a Cuban-American lawyer and television personality, best known as an arbitrator on the Spanish-language court show Caso Cerrado and the Anglophone spin-off counterpart Ana Polo Rules. Read more
11 Apr 1959: Zahid Maleque, Bangladeshi politician Zahid Maleque is a Bangladesh Awami League politician and a former minister of health and family welfare. He is a former Jatiya Sangsad member representing the Manikganj-3 constituency during 2009–2024. Read more
11 Apr 1958: Stuart Adamson, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2001) William Stuart Adamson was a Scottish rock guitarist and singer. Adamson began his career in the late 1970s as a founding member and performer with the punk rock band Skids. After leaving Skids in 1981, he formed Big Country and was the band's lead singer and guitarist. The group's commercial heyday was in the 1980s. In the 1990s, he was a member of the alternative country band the Raphaels. In the late 1970s the British music journalist John Peel referred to his musical virtuosity as a guitarist as "a new Jimi Hendrix". Read more
11 Apr 1958: Lyudmila Kondratyeva, Russian sprinter Lyudmila Andreyevna Kondratyeva is a Russian former track and field athlete, who competed for the Soviet Union and is the 1980 Olympic 100 m champion. Read more
11 Apr 1958: Wayne Wigham, Australian rugby league player Wayne Wigham is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and 1980s. He played most of his career at the Balmain Tigers, but he also played for the North Sydney Bears and Western Suburbs Magpies. He mostly played as a centre, but also played the occasional game on the wing. Read more
11 Apr 1955: Kevin Brady, American lawyer and politician Kevin Patrick Brady is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 8th congressional district from 1997 to 2023. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes northern Houston, including The Woodlands. He retired after the 2022 election cycle. Read more
11 Apr 1955: Michael Callen, American singer-songwriter and AIDS activist (died 1993) Michael Callen was an American singer, songwriter, composer, author, and AIDS activist. Callen was diagnosed with AIDS in 1982 and became a pioneer of AIDS activism in New York City, working closely with his doctor, Dr. Joseph Sonnabend, and Richard Berkowitz. Together, they published articles and pamphlets to raise awareness about the correlation between risky sexual behaviors and AIDS. Read more
11 Apr 1955: Micheal Ray Richardson, American basketball player and coach (died 2025) Michael Ray Richardson, known by the nickname "Sugar", was an American professional basketball player and head coach. He played college basketball for the Montana Grizzlies. The fourth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Richardson played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight years with the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and New Jersey Nets. He was a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection who led the league in steals in three seasons. Read more
11 Apr 1954: Abdullah Atalar, Turkish engineer and academic Abdullah Atalar is a Turkish scientist and academic. Atalar was the rector of İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, and a professor at Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. He received B.S. degree from Middle East Technical University, in 1974, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University in 1976 and 1978, respectively, all in Electrical Engineering. His thesis work was on reflection acoustic microscopy. Read more
11 Apr 1954: Aleksandr Averin, Azerbaijani cyclist and coach Aleksandr Dmitriyevich Averin is a retired Soviet cyclist. He competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics in the road race and finished in 17th place. He won the multistage Peace Race individually in 1978 and with the Soviet team in 1977–1979. Read more
11 Apr 1954: Francis Lickerish, English guitarist and composer John Francis Lickerish, known professionally as Francis Lickerish, is a British composer, guitarist and lutenist, and founding member of British art-rock band The Enid. Read more
11 Apr 1954: David Perrett, Scottish psychologist and academic David Ian Perrett is a professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where he leads the Perception Lab. The main focus in his team's research is on face perception, including facial cues to health, effects of physiological conditions on facial appearance, and facial preferences in social settings such as trust games and mate choice. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles, many of which appearing in leading scientific journals such as the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B—Biological Sciences, Psychological Science, and Nature. Read more
11 Apr 1954: Ian Redmond, English biologist and conservationist Ian Michael Redmond OBE FZS FLS is a tropical field biologist and conservationist. Renowned for his work with mountain gorillas and elephants, Redmond has been involved in more than 50 documentaries on the subject for, among others, the BBC, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel. Redmond was also involved in the 1988 film Gorillas in the Mist, spending some time with Sigourney Weaver so she could better understand her character. Read more
11 Apr 1954: Willie Royster, American baseball player (died 2015) Willie Arthur Royster was an American professional baseball player. The catcher spent eleven seasons in minor league baseball, with a brief, four-game Major League trial for the 1981 Baltimore Orioles. He threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 180 pounds (82 kg). Read more
11 Apr 1953: Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian politician, 47th Prime Minister of Belgium Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt is a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. He was a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium from 2009 until 2024. Verhofstadt was a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives from 1985 to 2009. He served as deputy prime minister of Belgium and minister of Budget from 1985 to 1992. He was the prime minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008. During this period, he gradually moved away from neoliberalism and became more of a centrist figure. Read more
11 Apr 1953: Andrew Wiles, English mathematician and academic Sir Andrew John Wiles is an English mathematician and a Royal Society Research Professor at the University of Oxford, specialising in number theory. He is best known for proving Fermat's Last Theorem, for which he was awarded the 2016 Abel Prize and the 2017 Copley Medal and for which he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2000. In 2018, Wiles was appointed the first Regius Professor of Mathematics at Oxford. Wiles is also a 1997 MacArthur Fellow. Read more
11 Apr 1952: Nancy Honeytree, American singer and guitarist Nancy Honeytree is an American Christian musician and one of the leaders in what was known as Jesus music. Read more
11 Apr 1952: Indira Samarasekera, Sri Lankan engineer and academic Indira Vasanti Samarasekera is the former president and former vice-chancellor of the University of Alberta. She has been a member of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, which advises on appointments to the Senate of Canada, since 2016. Read more
11 Apr 1952: Peter Windsor, English-Australian journalist and sportscaster Peter David Windsor is a Formula One journalist, and former Formula One team and sponsorship manager. Read more
11 Apr 1951: Paul Fox, English singer and guitarist (died 2007) Paul Richard Fox was a British singer and guitarist, best known from his work with the UK punk band, The Ruts. The Ruts' style combined punk with dub reggae, a sound that owed much to Fox's guitar skills and earned him respect and admiration. The Guardian noted in his obituary: "Fox played a pivotal songwriting role, and quickly became a model punk guitarist at a time when the three-chord thrash was the height of many of his contemporaries' ambitions". Unlike many of his peers, Fox had been playing guitar since the mid-1960s, citing Hendrix as an influence. Read more
11 Apr 1950: Bill Irwin, American actor and clown William Mills Irwin is an American actor, choreographer, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He has made a number of appearances on film and television, and he won a Tony Award for his role in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He also worked as a choreographer on Broadway and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography in 1989 for Largely New York. He is also known as Mr. Noodle on the Sesame Street segment Elmo's World, and he appeared in the Sesame Street film short Does Air Move Things? He has regularly appeared as Dr. Peter Lindstrom on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and had a recurring role as "The Dick & Jane Killer" on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. From 2017 to 2019, he appeared as Cary Loudermilk on the FX television series Legion. Read more
11 Apr 1949: Dorothy Allison, American writer (died 2024) Dorothy Earlene Allison was an American writer whose writing focused on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism, and lesbianism. She was a self-identified femme lesbian. Allison won several Lambda Literary Awards. In 2014, Allison was elected to membership in the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Read more
11 Apr 1949: Bernd Eichinger, German director and producer (died 2011) Bernd Eichinger was a German film producer, screenwriter, and director. Read more
11 Apr 1947: Lev Bulat, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic (died 2016) Lev Petrovich Bulat was a Russian physicist. Read more
11 Apr 1947: Uli Edel, German director and screenwriter Ulrich "Uli" Edel is a German film and television director, best known for his work on films such as Christiane F., Last Exit to Brooklyn, Body of Evidence and The Baader Meinhof Complex. He also directed Episode 14, Season 2 “Double Play” from the 1990’s show Twin Peaks. Read more
11 Apr 1947: Frank Mantooth, American pianist and composer (died 2004) Frank Mantooth was an American jazz pianist and arranger. Read more
11 Apr 1947: Peter Riegert, American actor, screenwriter and film director Peter Riegert is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Donald "Boon" Schoenstein in Animal House (1978), oil company executive "Mac" MacIntyre in Local Hero (1983), pickle store owner Sam Posner in Crossing Delancey (1988) and Lt. Mitch Kellaway in The Mask (1994). He directed the short film By Courier (2000), for which he was nominated along with producer Ericka Frederick for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Read more
11 Apr 1947: Michael T. Wright, English engineer and academic (died 2015) Michael Thomas Wright was a British academic who was the Vice-Chancellor of Aston University between 1996 and 2006. Read more
11 Apr 1946: Chris Burden, American sculptor, illustrator, and academic (died 2015) Christopher Lee Burden was an American artist working in performance art, sculpture, and installation art. Burden became known in the 1970s for his performance art works, including Shoot (1971), where he arranged for a friend to shoot him in the arm with a small-caliber rifle. A prolific artist, Burden created many well-known installations, public artworks, and sculptures before his death in 2015. Read more
11 Apr 1946: Bob Harris, English journalist and radio host Robert Brinley Joseph Harris, popularly known as "Whispering Bob" Harris, is an English broadcaster. He was a host of the BBC2 music programme The Old Grey Whistle Test from 1972 to 1979, and was a co-founder of the listings magazine Time Out, co-editing until the early part of 1969. He has presented The Country Show on BBC Radio 2 on Thursday nights since April 1999, and Sounds of the 70s on Sunday afternoons since November 2024, replacing Johnnie Walker. Read more
11 Apr 1945: John Krebs, Baron Krebs, English zoologist and academic John Richard Krebs, Baron Krebs, FRS is an English zoologist researching in the field of behavioural ecology of birds. He was the principal of Jesus College, Oxford, from 2005 until 2015. Krebs was President of the British Science Association from 2012 to 2013. Read more
11 Apr 1944: Peter Barfuß, German footballer Peter Barfuß is a German former footballer. Read more
11 Apr 1944: John Milius, American director, producer, and screenwriter John Frederick Milius is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is considered a member of the New Hollywood generation of filmmakers. Read more
11 Apr 1943: John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, English businessman and politician John Edward Hollister Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich was a British businessman and politician. He was a crossbench member of the House of Lords from 1995 to 2024. Read more
11 Apr 1943: Harley Race, American wrestler and trainer (died 2019) Harley Leland Race was an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, and trainer. Read more
11 Apr 1942: Anatoly Berezovoy, Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 2014) Anatoly Nikolayevich Berezovoy was a Soviet and later Russian cosmonaut. Read more
11 Apr 1942: Hattie Gossett, American writer Hattie Gossett is an African-American feminist playwright, poet, and magazine editor. Her work focuses on bolstering the self-esteem of young black women. Read more
11 Apr 1942: James Underwood, English pathologist and academic Sir James Cresseé Elphinstone Underwood FMedSci is a British pathologist who was awarded a knighthood for services to medicine in the 2005 New Year honours list. Read more
11 Apr 1941: Ellen Goodman, American journalist and author Ellen Goodman is an American journalist and syndicated columnist. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980. She is also a speaker and commentator. Read more
11 Apr 1941: Shirley Stelfox, English actress (died 2015) Shirley Rosemary Stelfox was a British actress, known for her portrayal of the character Edna Birch, a moralising busybody in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, and as Rose, the vampy sister of the snobby and overbearing Hyacinth Bucket in the first series of the comedy series Keeping Up Appearances. Read more
11 Apr 1940: Col Firmin, Australian politician (died 2013)

Colin Charles "Col" Firmin was a former Australian politician. Read more
11 Apr 1940: Władysław Komar, Polish shot putter and actor (died 1998) Władysław Stefan Komar was a Lithuanian-born Polish shot putter, actor and cabaretist. Competing in three Summer Olympics between 1964 and 1972, he won the gold medal at the Munich Games in 1972 with a throw of 21.18 metres. His nickname was "King Kong" Komar as attributed to a Sports Illustrated article. Read more
11 Apr 1939: Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, American singer and guitarist (died 2022) Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson was an American blues singer and guitarist. Read more
11 Apr 1939: Louise Lasser, American actress Louise Lasser is an American actress, television writer, and performing arts teacher and director. She is known for her portrayal of the title character on the soap opera satire Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, for which she was Primetime Emmy Award nominated. Read more
11 Apr 1938: Gerry Baker, American soccer player and manager (died 2013) Gerard Austin Baker was an American soccer player. From 1955 until 1970, he played 16 seasons in either the Scottish or English first division. He earned seven caps with the US national team in 1968 and 1969, scoring two goals. His younger brother was the footballer Joe Baker. Read more
11 Apr 1938: Michael Deaver, American politician, Deputy White House Chief of Staff (died 2007) Michael Keith Deaver was a member of President Ronald Reagan's White House staff who served as White House Deputy Chief of Staff under James Baker III and Donald Regan from January 1981 to May 1985. Read more
11 Apr 1938: Reatha King, American chemist and businesswoman Reatha Belle Clark King is an American chemist, the former vice president of the General Mills Corporation; and the former president, executive director, and chairman of the board of trustees of the General Mills Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of General Mills, Inc. Read more
11 Apr 1937: Jill Gascoine, English actress and author (died 2020) Jill Viola Gascoine was an English actress and novelist. Her credits include The Pure Hell of St Trinian's (1960), Z-Cars (1973), General Hospital (1974), Rooms (1974), Dixon of Dock Green (1974), Softly, Softly: Taskforce (1975), Within These Walls (1975), Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975), Peter Pan (1976), The Onedin Line (1976–1979),Home to Roost (1989–1990), King of the Wind (1990), Taggart (1990), and Boon (1991). Read more
11 Apr 1936: Brian Noble, English bishop (died 2019) Brian Michael Noble was an English prelate who served in the Roman Catholic Church as the Bishop of Shrewsbury from 1995 to 2010. Read more
11 Apr 1935: Richard Berry, American singer-songwriter (died 1997) Richard Berry Jr. was an American singer, songwriter and musician, who performed with many Los Angeles doo-wop and close harmony groups in the 1950s, including the Flairs and the Robins. Read more
11 Apr 1934: Mark Strand, Canadian-born American poet, essayist, and translator (died 2014) Mark Strand was a Canadian-born American poet, essayist and translator. He was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1990 and received the Wallace Stevens Award in 2004. Strand was a professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University from 2005 until his death in 2014. Read more
11 Apr 1934: Ron Pember, English actor, director and playwright (died 2022) Ronald Henry Pember was an English actor, stage director and dramatist. In a career stretching over thirty years, he was a character actor in British television productions in the 1970s and 1980s, usually in smaller parts or as a support playing a worldly-wise everyman. Read more
11 Apr 1933: Tony Brown, American journalist and academic William Anthony Brown is an American journalist, academic and businessman. He is best known as the commentator of the long-running syndicated television show Tony Brown's Journal. Read more
11 Apr 1932: Joel Grey, American actor, singer, and dancer Joel Grey is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer, and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical Cabaret on Broadway and in Bob Fosse's 1972 film adaptation. He has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award for his performances in the Cabaret stage musical and film. He was presented a Lifetime Achievement Tony Award at the 76th Tony Awards in 2023. Read more
11 Apr 1931: Lewis Jones, Welsh rugby player and coach (died 2024) Benjamin Lewis Jones was a Welsh rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1950s and 1960s. A dual-code rugby international, he won ten caps for Wales and three for the British Lions in rugby union, and two for Wales and 15 for Great Britain in rugby league. Read more
11 Apr 1930: Nicholas F. Brady, American businessman and politician, 68th United States Secretary of the Treasury Nicholas Frederick Brady is an American banker and politician from New Jersey who briefly served in the United States Senate for eight months in 1982 and served as the 68th United States Secretary of the Treasury under U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush from 1988 to 1993. He is a member of the Republican Party. Read more
11 Apr 1930: Walter Krüger, German javelin thrower (died 2018) Walter Krüger was an East German athlete who competed mainly in the javelin throw. He was born in Altenpleen, Pomerania. He competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics held in Rome, Italy in the javelin throw where he won the silver medal. Read more
11 Apr 1930: Anton LaVey, American occultist, founded the Church of Satan (died 1997) Anton Szandor LaVey was an American writer, musician, and Satanist. He was the founder of the Church of Satan, and the philosophy of LaVeyan Satanism. He authored several books, including The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Witch, The Satanic Rituals, The Devil's Notebook, and Satan Speaks!. In addition, he released three albums, including The Satanic Mass, Satan Takes a Holiday, and Strange Music. He played a minor on-screen role and served as technical advisor for the 1975 film The Devil's Rain and served as host and narrator for Nick Bougas' 1989 mondo film Death Scenes. Read more
11 Apr 1928: Ethel Kennedy, American philanthropist (died 2024) Ethel Kennedy was an American human rights advocate. She was the widow of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, a sister-in-law of U.S. president John F. Kennedy, and a daughter of businessman George Skakel. Read more
11 Apr 1928: Edwin Pope, American journalist and author (died 2017) John Edwin Pope was an American journalist known for his sportswriting at the Miami Herald, where his work appeared from 1956 until his death in 2017. He covered Super Bowl I through Super Bowl XLVII. Some referred to him as "the best writer of sports in America." Read more
11 Apr 1928: Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-Australian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 2013) Thomas Tycho AM MBE DMus was a Hungarian-born Australian pianist, conductor, composer and arranger. He was active in both classical music and pop. Read more
11 Apr 1927: Lokesh Chandra, Indian historian Lokesh Chandra is a prominent scholar of the Vedic period, Buddhism and the Indian arts. Between 1942 and 2004, he published 576 books and 286 articles. Read more
11 Apr 1926: David Manker Abshire, American commander and diplomat, United States Permanent Representative to NATO (died 2014) David Manker Abshire was an American politician who served as a Special Counselor to President Ronald Reagan and was the United States Permanent Representative to NATO from 1983 to 1987. Abshire presided over the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. Read more
11 Apr 1926: Victor Bouchard, Canadian pianist and composer (died 2011) Victor Bouchard OC CQ was a Canadian pianist and composer. Read more
11 Apr 1926: Karl Rebane, Estonian physicist and academic (died 2007) Karl Rebane was a Soviet and Estonian physicist. Read more
11 Apr 1925: Yuriy Lituyev, Russian hurdler and commander (died 2000) Yuriy Nikolaevich Lituyev was a Soviet athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metre hurdles. He trained in Leningrad and later in Moscow at the Armed Forces sports society. Read more
11 Apr 1925: Viola Liuzzo, American civil rights activist (died 1965) Viola Fauver Liuzzo was an American civil rights activist. In March 1965 she drove from her home in Detroit, Michigan to Alabama to support the Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights. On March 25 she was shot dead by three Klan members while driving activists between the cities. Read more
11 Apr 1925: Viktor Masing, Estonian botanist and ecologist (died 2001) Viktor Masing was an Estonian botanist and ecologist. He was born in Tartu. He became a member of the Estonian Academy of Sciences in 1993. Read more
11 Apr 1925: Pierre Péladeau, Canadian businessman, founded Quebecor (died 1997) Pierre Péladeau was a Canadian businessman. He was the founder of Quebecor Inc., a Canadian media and telecommunications conglomerate in Quebec, Canada. Read more
11 Apr 1924: Mohammad Naseem, Pakistani-English activist and politician (died 2014) Mohammad Naseem was a British Muslim leader and political activist. Nassem worked as a GP before later becoming chairman of the Birmingham Mosque Trust, one of the largest and most prominent Islamic places of worship in the United Kingdom. Read more
11 Apr 1923: George J. Maloof, Sr., American businessman (died 1980) George Joseph Maloof Sr. was an American heir and businessman of Lebanese descent. Read more
11 Apr 1922: Arved Viirlaid, Estonian-Canadian soldier and author (died 2015) Arved Viirlaid was an Estonian-Canadian writer. Read more
11 Apr 1921: Jim Hearn, American baseball player (died 1998) James Tolbert Hearn was an American professional baseball player who was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for 13 seasons (1947–1959). The right-hander was listed as 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and 205 pounds (93 kg). Read more
11 Apr 1921: Jack Rayner, Australian rugby league player and coach (died 2008) Rupert John Rayner was an Australian state and national representative rugby league player and NSWRFL coach. His club playing career was with the South Sydney Rabbitohs from 1946 to 1957 and he also represented New South Wales on eleven occasions and played in five Test matches for the Australian national side. Read more
11 Apr 1920: Emilio Colombo, Italian lawyer and politician, 40th Prime Minister of Italy (died 2013) Emilio Colombo was an Italian politician. A member of the Christian Democracy party, he served as Prime Minister of Italy from August 1970 to February 1972. In 2003, he was appointed senator for life, a seat he held until his death. Read more
11 Apr 1920: William Royer, American soldier and politician (died 2013) William Howard Royer was an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He served as a U.S. Representative from the 11th Congressional District of California from 1979 until 1981. Read more
11 Apr 1919: Raymond Carr, English historian and academic (died 2015) Sir Albert Raymond Maillard Carr was an English historian specialising in the history of Spain, Latin America, and Sweden. From 1968 to 1987, he was Warden of St Antony's College, Oxford. Read more
11 Apr 1918: Richard Wainwright, English soldier and politician (died 2003) Richard Scurrah Wainwright was a British politician of the Liberal Party. He was the MP for Colne Valley from 1966 to 1970, and again from 1974 to 1987. Read more
11 Apr 1917: David Westheimer, American soldier, journalist, and author (died 2005)[better source needed] David Westheimer, was an American novelist best known for writing the 1964 novel Von Ryan's Express, which was adapted into a 1965 film starring Frank Sinatra and Trevor Howard. Read more
11 Apr 1916: Alberto Ginastera, Argentinian pianist and composer (died 1983) Alberto Evaristo Ginastera was an Argentine composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Read more
11 Apr 1916: Howard W. Koch, American director and producer (died 2001) Howard Winchel Koch was an American film producer and director. He served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and as head of film production at Paramount Pictures, and directed and produced numerous films, including The Manchurian Candidate (1962), The Odd Couple (1968), Airplane! (1980) and its 1982 sequel, and Ghost (1990). At the 62nd Academy Awards, he was honored the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his "outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes". He also received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations, three of which were for producing Academy Awards ceremonies. Read more
11 Apr 1914: Norman McLaren, Scottish-Canadian animator, director, and producer (died 1987) William Norman McLaren, was a Scottish-Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). He was a pioneer in a number of areas of animation and filmmaking, including hand-drawn animation, drawn-on-film animation, visual music, abstract film, pixilation and graphical sound. McLaren was also an artist and printmaker, and explored his interest in dance in his films. Read more
11 Apr 1914: Robert Stanfield, Canadian economist, lawyer, and politician, 17th Premier of Nova Scotia (died 2003) Robert Lorne Stanfield was a Canadian politician who served as the 17th premier of Nova Scotia from 1956 to 1967 and the leader of the Official Opposition and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1967 to 1976. Read more
11 Apr 1914: Dorothy Lewis Bernstein, American mathematician (died 1988) Dorothy Lewis Bernstein was an American mathematician known for her work in applied mathematics, statistics, computer programming, and her research on the Laplace transform. She was the first woman to be elected president of the Mathematics Association of America. Read more
11 Apr 1913: Oleg Cassini, French-American fashion designer (died 2006) Oleg Cassini was a fashion designer born to an aristocratic Russian family with maternal Italian ancestry. He came to the United States as a young man after launching his career as a designer in Rome, and quickly secured a position with Paramount Pictures. Cassini established his reputation by designing for films. Read more
11 Apr 1912: John Levy, American bassist and businessman (died 2012) John Levy was an American jazz double-bassist and businessman. Read more
11 Apr 1910: António de Spínola, Portuguese general and politician, 14th President of Portugal (died 1996) António Sebastião Ribeiro de Spínola was a Portuguese military officer, author and conservative politician. During the Estado Novo regime he became one of Portugal's most senior military commanders, leading military operations against independence movements. After the Carnation Revolution, partially organised by under-ranked military captains, he was invited to be the president of Portugal. His role in Portugal's transition to democracy remains highly controversial, particularly regarding his role in leading the 11 March 1975 attempted coup as well as the anticommunist terrorist organisation Movimento Democrático de Libertação de Portugal. He was noted for wearing a monocle on his right eye. Read more
11 Apr 1908: Jane Bolin, American lawyer and judge (died 2007) Jane Matilda Bolin was an American attorney and judge. She was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, the first to join the New York City Bar Association, and the first to join the New York City Law Department. Bolin became the first black woman to serve as a judge in the United States when she was sworn into the bench of the New York City Domestic Relations Court in 1939. Read more
11 Apr 1908: Masaru Ibuka, Japanese businessman, co-founded Sony (died 1997) Masaru Ibuka was a Japanese electronics industrialist and co-founder of Sony, along with Akio Morita. Read more
11 Apr 1908: Dan Maskell, English tennis player and sportscaster (died 1992) Daniel Maskell was an English tennis professional who later became a radio and television commentator on the sport. He was described as the BBC's "voice of tennis", and the "voice of Wimbledon". Read more
11 Apr 1908: Leo Rosten, Polish-American author and academic (died 1997) Leo Calvin Rosten was an American writer and humorist in the fields of scriptwriting, storywriting, journalism, and Yiddish lexicography. Read more
11 Apr 1907: Paul Douglas, American actor (died 1959) Paul Douglas Fleischer, known professionally as Paul Douglas, was an American actor. Read more
11 Apr 1906: Dale Messick, American author and illustrator (died 2005) Dalia Messick was an American comic strip artist who used the pseudonym Dale Messick. She was the creator of Brenda Starr, Reporter, which at its peak during the 1950s ran in 250 newspapers. Read more
11 Apr 1905: Attila József, Hungarian poet and educator (died 1937) Attila József was one of the most famous Hungarian poets of the 20th century. Generally not recognized during his lifetime, József was hailed during the communist era of the 1950s as Hungary's great "proletarian poet" and he has become the best known of the modern Hungarian poets internationally. Read more
11 Apr 1904: K. L. Saigal, Indian singer and actor (died 1947) Kundan Lal Saigal, often abbreviated as K. L. Saigal, was an Indian singer and actor who worked in Hindi cinema, which was centred in Calcutta (Kolkata) during his time, but is currently based in Bombay (Mumbai).
Saigal's unique voice, a blend of baritone and soft tenor, set the benchmark for many singers who followed him. Even today, it remains the gold standard, shining through despite the limitations of early and relatively primitive recording technology. Unlike other singers, he did not record songs for actors to lip-sync on screen. It was only in the final years of his career, from 1945 to 1947, that he recorded songs for studio release; these recordings were for his own performances as an on-screen actor. Thus, while most singers in Hindi cinema became playback singers, Saigal was not. Read more
11 Apr 1903: Misuzu Kaneko, Japanese poet (died 1930) Misuzu Kaneko was a Japanese poet, known for her poetry for children. She was born Teru Kaneko in the fishing village of Senzaki, now part of Nagato, Yamaguchi prefecture. Motifs of fishing and the sea often make appearances in her poems. Celebrated during her lifetime, her works fell into obscurity after her death, until being rediscovered in the 1980s. Since then, she has been regarded as one of Japan's most beloved children's poets. Read more
11 Apr 1900: Sándor Márai, Hungarian journalist and author (died 1989) Sándor Márai was a Hungarian writer, poet, and journalist. Read more
11 Apr 1899: Percy Lavon Julian, African-American chemist and academic (died 1975) Percy Lavon Julian was an American research chemist and a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants. Julian was the first person to synthesize the natural product physostigmine, and a pioneer in industrial large-scale chemical synthesis of the human hormones progesterone and testosterone from plant sterols such as stigmasterol and sitosterol. His work laid the foundation for the steroid drug industry's production of cortisone, other corticosteroids, and artificial hormones that led to birth control pills. Read more
11 Apr 1896: Léo-Paul Desrosiers, Canadian journalist and author (died 1967) Léo-Paul Desrosiers was a Quebec writer and journalist well known for his historical novels. He was influenced by the nationalism of Henri Bourassa and Lionel-Adolphe Groulx. Read more
11 Apr 1893: Dean Acheson, American lawyer and politician, 51st United States Secretary of State (died 1971) Dean Gooderham Acheson was an American politician and lawyer. As the 51st U.S. secretary of state, he set the foreign policy of the Harry S. Truman administration from 1949 to 1953. He was also Truman's main foreign policy advisor from 1945 to 1947 during early years of the Cold War. Acheson helped design the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He was in private law practice from July 1947 to December 1948. Read more
11 Apr 1887: Jamini Roy, Indian painter (died 1972) Jamini Roy was an Indian painter. He was honoured by the Government of India the award of Padma Bhushan in 1954. He remains one of the most famous pupils of Abanindranath Tagore, another praised Indian artist and instructor. Roy's highly simplified, flattened-out style, and reminiscent of European modern art was influenced by the “bazaar” paintings sold at Indian temples as talismans. Read more
11 Apr 1879: Bernhard Schmidt, Estonian-German astronomer and optician (died 1935) Bernhard Woldemar Schmidt was an Estonian optician. In 1930 he invented the Schmidt telescope, which corrected for the optical errors of spherical aberration, coma, and astigmatism, making possible for the first time the construction of very large, wide-angled reflective cameras of short exposure time for astronomical research. Read more
11 Apr 1878: Percy Lane Oliver, British pioneer of volunteer blood donation (died 1944) Percy Lane Oliver was a British civil servant, who is credited with founding the first volunteer blood donation service. A layman, Oliver was working for the Camberwell division of the Red Cross in 1921 when he responded to a call from a local hospital requesting an urgent blood donation. This experience led him to organise a panel of donors whose blood types were known and who were available to donate on request. The donors, unusually for the time, were not paid. Oliver's blood donation service, which he ran out of his London home, would grow from 20 volunteers at its inception to approximately 2700 in 1938. His model of voluntary blood donation was adopted throughout Britain and in other countries. Read more
11 Apr 1876: Paul Henry, Irish painter (died 1958) Paul Henry was an Irish artist noted for depicting the West of Ireland landscape in a spare Post-Impressionist style. Read more
11 Apr 1876: Ivane Javakhishvili, Georgian historian and academic (died 1940) Ivane Alexandres dze Javakhishvili was a Georgian historian and linguist whose works heavily influenced the modern scholarship of the history and culture of Georgia. He was one of the founding fathers of the Tbilisi State University (1918) and its rector from 1919 to 1926. Read more
11 Apr 1873: Edward Lawson, English soldier, Victoria Cross recipient (died 1955) Edward Lawson VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Read more
11 Apr 1872: Aleksandër Stavre Drenova, Albanian poet, rilindas and author of national anthem of Albania (died 1947) Aleksandër Stavre Drenova, commonly known by the pen name Asdreni, was an Albanian poet, rilindas, translator, writer and the author of the poem which later became the national anthem of Albania. He is regarded as one of the most influential Albanian writers of the 20th century and composed most of his Albanian Renaissance-inspired known works during that period. Read more
11 Apr 1871: Gyula Kellner, Hungarian runner (died 1940) Gyula Richárd Kellner was a Hungarian athlete. He competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Read more
11 Apr 1869: Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor, designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal (died 1943) Gustav Vigeland, born as Adolf Gustav Thorsen, was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his productivity. He is most associated with the Vigeland installation (Vigelandsanlegget) in Frogner Park, Oslo. The Vigeland installation made Frogner Park into Norway's most popular tourist attraction, and the park also contains Frogner Manor with the Oslo Museum and the Henriette Wegner Pavilion. Vigeland was also the designer of the Nobel Peace Prize medal. Read more
11 Apr 1867: Mark Keppel, American educator (died 1928) Mark Keppel served as County Superintendent of Schools of Los Angeles County from 1902 to 1928. Read more
11 Apr 1866: Bernard O'Dowd, Australian journalist, author, and poet (died 1953) Bernard Patrick O'Dowd was an Australian poet, activist, lawyer, and journalist. He worked for the Victorian colonial and state governments for almost 50 years, first as an assistant librarian at the Supreme Court in Melbourne, and later as a parliamentary draughtsman. Read more
11 Apr 1864: Johanna Elberskirchen, German author and activist (died 1943) Johanna Elberskirchen was a feminist writer and activist for the rights of women, gays and lesbians as well as blue-collar workers. She published books on women's sexuality and health among other topics. Her last known public appearance was in 1930 in Vienna, where she gave a talk at a conference organised by the World League for Sexual Reform. She was open about her own homosexuality which made her a somewhat exceptional figure in the feminist movement of her time. Her career as an activist was ended in 1933, when the Nazi Party rose to power. There is no public record of a funeral but witnesses report that Elberskirchen's urn was secretly put into the grave of Hildegard Moniac, who had been her life partner. Read more
11 Apr 1862: William Wallace Campbell, American astronomer and academic (died 1938) William Wallace Campbell was an American astronomer, and director of Lick Observatory from 1901 to 1930. He specialized in spectroscopy. He was the tenth president of the University of California from 1923 to 1930. Read more
11 Apr 1862: Charles Evans Hughes, American lawyer and politician, 44th United States Secretary of State (died 1948) Charles Evans Hughes was an American politician, academic, and jurist who served as the 11th chief justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the 36th governor of New York (1907–1910), an associate justice of the Supreme Court (1910–1916), and 44th U.S. secretary of state (1921–1925). He was the Republican nominee in the 1916 presidential election, narrowly losing to incumbent president Woodrow Wilson. Read more
11 Apr 1859: Stefanos Thomopoulos, Greek historian and author (died 1939) Stefanos Thomopoulos was a Greek writer and historian, who wrote especially on the history of Patras and its surrounding region. Read more
11 Apr 1856: Arthur Shrewsbury, English cricketer and rugby player (died 1903) Arthur Shrewsbury was an English cricketer and rugby football administrator. He was widely rated as competing with W. G. Grace for the accolade of best batsman of the 1880s; Grace himself, when asked whom he would most like in his side, replied simply, "Give me Arthur". An opening batsman, Shrewsbury played his cricket for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and played 23 Test matches for England, captaining them in 7 games, with a record of won 5, lost 2. He was the last professional to be England captain until Len Hutton was chosen in 1952. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1890. He also organised the first British Isles rugby tour to Australasia in 1888. Read more
11 Apr 1854: Hugh Massie, Australian cricketer (died 1938) Hugh Hamon Massie was a cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia. Read more
11 Apr 1837: Elmer E. Ellsworth, American army officer and law clerk (died 1861) Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth was a United States Army officer, close personal friend of the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, and law clerk who was the first conspicuous casualty and the first Union officer to die in the American Civil War. He was killed while removing a Confederate flag from the roof of the Marshall House in Alexandria, Virginia. He was later buried in his hometown of Mechanicville, New York on May 27, 1861 in Hudson View Cemetery in a family plot. Read more
11 Apr 1830: John Douglas, English architect (died 1911) John Douglas was an English architect who designed over 500 buildings in Cheshire, North Wales, and northwest England, particularly on the Eaton Hall estate. He was trained in Lancaster and practised throughout his career from an office in Chester. Initially he ran the practice on his own, but from 1884 until two years before his death he worked in partnerships with two of his former assistants. Read more
11 Apr 1827: Jyotirao Phule, Indian scholar, philosopher, and activist (died 1890) Jyotirao Phule, also known as Jyotiba Phule, was an Indian social activist, businessman, anti-caste social reformer and writer from Maharashtra. Read more
11 Apr 1825: Ferdinand Lassalle, German philosopher and jurist (died 1864) Ferdinand Johann Gottlieb Lassalle was a German jurist, philosopher, and socialist activist. Best remembered as an initiator of the social democratic movement in Germany, in 1863 he founded the General German Workers' Association (ADAV), the first independent German workers' party. His political theories, a form of state socialism, are known as Lassalleanism. Read more
11 Apr 1819: Charles Hallé, German-English pianist and conductor (died 1895) Sir Charles Hallé was a Prussian and later British pianist and conductor, best known for founding the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 11 April in World History

11 Apr 2025: Mike Berry, British singer and actor (born 1942) Michael Hubert Bourne, known professionally as Mike Berry, was an English singer and actor, known for the top ten hits "Don't You Think It's Time" (1963) and "The Sunshine of Your Smile" (1980) and for portraying Mr. Spooner in Are You Being Served? Read more
11 Apr 2024: Park Bo-ram, South Korean singer (born 1994) Park Bo-ram was a South Korean singer. She took part in Mnet's SuperStar K2 and finished in eighth place. Park made her debut with release digital single "Beautiful" featuring Zico on August 7, 2014. That year, she won Artist of the Year for August at the Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards and was nominated for Best New Artist at the Mnet Asian Music Awards, Golden Disc Awards, and Melon Music Awards. She died at age 30 from acute alcohol poisoning after collapsing at her friend's home. Read more
11 Apr 2020: John Horton Conway, English mathematician (born 1937) John Horton Conway was an English mathematician. He was active in the theory of finite groups, knot theory, number theory, combinatorial game theory and coding theory. He also made contributions to many branches of recreational mathematics, most notably the invention of the cellular automaton called the Game of Life. Read more
11 Apr 2017: J. Geils, American singer and guitarist (born 1946) John Warren Geils Jr., was an American guitarist. He was known as the leader of the J. Geils Band. Read more
11 Apr 2017: Mark Wainberg, Canadian researcher and HIV/AIDS activist (born 1945) Mark Arnold Wainberg, was a Canadian HIV/AIDS researcher and HIV/AIDS activist. He was the director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology at McGill University. His laboratory primarily studies HIV reverse transcriptase, the molecular basis for drug resistance, and gene therapy. He received a B.Sc. from McGill University in 1966, a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1972, and did his post-doctoral research at Hadassah Medical School of the Hebrew University. Read more
11 Apr 2015: Jimmy Gunn, American football player (born 1948) Jimmy Gunn was an American professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was born in Augusta, Arkansas. He prepped at Lincoln High School in San Diego. Read more
11 Apr 2015: Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Bangladeshi journalist and politician (born 1952) Muhammad Kamaruzzaman was a Bangladeshi politician and journalist who served as the senior assistant secretary general of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and was convicted of war crimes during the 1971 independence war of Bangladesh. He was executed by hanging at Dhaka Central Jail at 22:01 on 11 April 2015. Read more
11 Apr 2015: François Maspero, French journalist and author (born 1932) François Maspero was a French author and journalist, best known as a publisher of leftist books in the 1970s. He also worked as a translator, translating the works of Joseph Conrad, Mehdi Ben Barka, and John Reed, author of Ten Days that Shook the World, among others. He was awarded the Prix Décembre in 1990 for Les Passagers du Roissy-Express. Read more
11 Apr 2015: Hanut Singh, Indian general (born 1933) Lieutenant General Hanut Singh Rathore, PVSM MVC(6 July 1933 – 10 April 2015) was an Indian General Officer. He was a recipient of India's second highest military decoration, the Maha Vir Chakra, for his role in the Battle of Basantar during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Read more
11 Apr 2015: Tekena Tamuno, Nigerian historian and academic (born 1932) Tekena Nitonye Tamuno was a Nigerian historian and Vice-chancellor of the University of Ibadan. He was the President of the Board of Trustees of Bells University of Technology. Read more
11 Apr 2014: Rolf Brem, Swiss sculptor and illustrator (born 1926) Rolf Brem was a Swiss sculptor, illustrator and graphic artist. He worked in Meggen close to Lake Lucerne. Read more
11 Apr 2014: Edna Doré, English actress (born 1921) Edna Lillian Doré was a British actress. She was known for her bit-part roles in sitcoms and for playing the character of Mo Butcher in EastEnders from 1988 to 1990. Read more
11 Apr 2014: Bill Henry, American baseball player (born 1927) William Rodman Henry was an American professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, he appeared in Major League Baseball between 1952 and 1969 for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Houston Astros. Henry was nicknamed "Gabby" by teammates for his quiet nature. While with the Cincinnati Reds, he pitched in an All-Star Game and two World Series games, and in 1964 had an 0.87 earned run average. His 1964 season has been described as being "on the short list of the great relief seasons of all time". Read more
11 Apr 2014: Lou Hudson, American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1944) Louis Clyde Hudson was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) player, who was an All-American at the University of Minnesota and a six-time NBA All-Star, scoring 17,940 total points in 13 NBA seasons. Read more
11 Apr 2014: Myer S. Kripke, American rabbi and scholar (born 1914) Myer Samuel Kripke was an American rabbi, scholar, and philanthropist. He was based in Omaha, Nebraska. Read more
11 Apr 2014: Sergey Nepobedimy, Russian engineer (born 1921) Sergey Pavlovich Nepobedimy was a Soviet designer of rocket weaponry. He was the Head and Chief Designer of the Kolomna Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau (1965-1989). Born in Ryazan, USSR, he graduated from Bauman Moscow State Technical University in 1945 and was directed to the work at SKB-101 of Boris Shavyrin. Read more
11 Apr 2014: Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1944) James Ridout "Jesse" Winchester Jr. was an American-Canadian musician and songwriter. He was born and raised in the southern United States. Opposed to the Vietnam War, he moved to Canada in 1967 to avoid the draft. During that time, he began his career as a solo artist. His highest-charting recordings were "Yankee Lady" in 1970 and "Say What" in 1981. He became a Canadian citizen in 1973, gained amnesty in the U.S. in 1977 and settled in Memphis, Tennessee in 2002. Read more
11 Apr 2013: Don Blackman, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer (born 1953) Don (Donald) Blackman was an American jazz-funk pianist, singer, and songwriter. He performed with Parliament-Funkadelic, Lenny White, Marcus Miller, Sting, Mary J. Blige, Earth, Wind and Fire and Louis Hayes. Read more
11 Apr 2013: Sue Draheim, American fiddler (born1949) Sue Draheim was an American fiddler, boasting a more than forty year musical career in the US and the UK. Growing up in North Oakland, Draheim began her first private violin lessons at age eleven, having started public school violin instruction at age eight while attending North Oakland's Peralta Elementary School. She also attended Claremont Jr. High, and graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1967. Read more
11 Apr 2013: Grady Hatton, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1922) Grady Edgebert Hatton Jr. was an American professional baseball second baseman, third baseman, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds / Redlegs, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs. Hatton is most identified with his native Texas: he was born in Beaumont, attended the University of Texas at Austin, managed minor league teams in Houston and San Antonio, and was an important contributor to the early years of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. Read more
11 Apr 2013: Thomas Hemsley, English actor and singer (born 1927)

Thomas Jeffrey Hemsley, CBE was an English baritone. Read more
11 Apr 2013: Hilary Koprowski, Polish-American virologist and immunologist (born 1916) Hilary Koprowski was a Polish virologist and immunologist active in the United States who demonstrated the world's first effective live polio vaccine. He authored or co-authored over 875 scientific papers and co-edited several scientific journals. Read more
11 Apr 2013: Gilles Marchal, French singer-songwriter (born 1944) Gilles Marchal, born Gilles Pastre, was a French songwriter and singer who reached the height of his career during the 1970s. Read more
11 Apr 2013: Maria Tallchief, American ballerina (born 1925) Maria Tallchief, born Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief, was an Osage ballerina. She was America's first major prima ballerina and the first Native American to hold the rank. Together with Georgian-American choreographer George Balanchine, she is widely considered to have revolutionized American ballet. Read more
11 Apr 2013: Clorindo Testa, Italian-Argentinian architect (born 1923) Clorindo Manuel José Testa was an Italian-Argentine architect and artist. Read more
11 Apr 2013: Jonathan Winters, American comedian, actor and screenwriter (born 1925) Jonathan Harshman Winters III was an American comedian, actor, author, television host, and artist. He started performing as a stand-up comedian before transitioning his career to acting in film and television. Winters received numerous accolades including two Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, the American Academy of Achievement in 1973, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1999. Read more
11 Apr 2012: Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (born 1916) Ahmed Ben Bella was an Algerian politician, soldier and revolutionary who served as the head of government of Algeria from 27 September 1962 to 15 September 1963 and then the first president of Algeria from 15 September 1963 until his overthrow on 19 June 1965. Read more
11 Apr 2012: Roger Caron, Canadian criminal and author (born 1938) Roger "Mad Dog" Caron was a Canadian robber and the author of the influential prison memoir Go-Boy! Memories of a Life Behind Bars (1978). At the time of publishing, Caron was 39 years old and had spent 23 years in prison. Read more
11 Apr 2012: Tippy Dye, American basketball player and coach (born 1915) William Henry Harrison "Tippy" Dye was an American college athlete, coach, and athletic director. As a basketball head coach, Dye led the University of Washington to its only NCAA Final Four appearance in 1953. As an athletic director, Dye helped build the University of Nebraska football dynasty in the 1960s. Read more
11 Apr 2012: Hal McKusick, American saxophonist, clarinet player, and flute player (born 1924) Hal McKusick was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist who worked with Boyd Raeburn from 1944 to 1945 and Claude Thornhill from 1948 to 1949. Read more
11 Apr 2012: Agustin Roman, American bishop (born 1928) Agustín Aleido Román Rodríguez was a Cuban-born prelate of the Román Catholic Church in the United States. He served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami in Florida from 1979 to 2003. Read more
11 Apr 2011: Larry Sweeney, American wrestler and manager (born 1981) Alexander K. Whybrow was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by his ring name Larry Sweeney. He performed primarily on the American independent circuit, but also competed in Canada, Mexico, Japan and Europe. Read more
11 Apr 2010: Julia Tsenova, Bulgarian pianist and composer (born 1948) Julia Tsenova was a Bulgarian composer, pianist and musical pedagogue. Read more
11 Apr 2009: Gerda Gilboe, Danish actress and singer (born 1914) Gerda Gilboe was a Danish actress and singer. She appeared in 18 films between 1943 and 2003. Read more
11 Apr 2009: Vishnu Prabhakar, Indian author and playwright (born 1912) Vishnu Prabhakar was a Hindi writer. He had several short stories, novels, plays and travelogues to his credit. Prabhakar's works have elements of patriotism, nationalism and messages of social upliftment. He was the First Sahitya Academy Award winner from Haryana. Read more
11 Apr 2009: Corín Tellado, Spanish author (born 1927) María del Socorro Tellado López, known as Corín Tellado, was a Spanish writer of romantic novels and photonovels that were best-sellers in several Spanish-language countries. She published more than 4,000 titles and sold more than 400 million books which have been translated into several languages. She was listed in the 1994 Guinness World Records as having sold the most books written in Spanish, and earlier in 1962 UNESCO declared her the most read Spanish writer after Miguel de Cervantes. Read more
11 Apr 2008: Merlin German, American sergeant (born 1985) Merlin German was a United States Marine sergeant stationed in Iraq who survived a roadside bomb blast in 2005. He became a symbol of recovery throughout the United States, soon known as the "Miracle Marine," during the 17 months he spent hospitalized following the blast. German eventually regained the ability to walk, and set up a charity for child burn victims. Just over three years after the blast, he died following a minor skin graft surgery. Read more
11 Apr 2007: Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (born 1922) Roscoe Lee Browne was an American actor and director. He is perhaps best known for his many guest appearances on TV series from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as movies like The Cowboys (1972) with John Wayne, and The World's Greatest Athlete (1973) with John Amos and Jan-Michael Vincent, but his biggest roles were as narrator in Babe and Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties, which grossed $400 million combined. Read more
11 Apr 2007: Loïc Leferme, French diver (born 1970) Loïc Leferme was a French diver who was the world free diving record holder until 2 October 2005, when he was surpassed by Herbert Nitsch. Loic was also a founder of AIDA in 1990 with Roland Specker and Claude Chapuis in Nice. In 2002 he set the world free diving record without any breathing apparatus at 162 meters (531 ft). His first world record was 137 meters (449 ft), set in 1999. On 30 October 2004, he extended his own world record to 171 meters (561 ft) in the no-limits free-diving category. The premier advocate of this type of freediving which has come to be known as Chapuis Style Freediving. Read more
11 Apr 2007: Janet McDonald, American lawyer and author (born 1954) Janet McDonald was an American writer of young adult novels as well as the author of Project Girl, a memoir about her early life in Brooklyn's Farragut Houses and struggle to achieve an Ivy League education. Her best known children's book is Spellbound, which tells the story of a teenaged mother who wins a spelling competition and a college scholarship. The book was named as one of the American Library Association's eighty-four Best Books for Young Adults in 2002. In 2003, her novel Chill Wind won her the John Steptoe Award for New Talent. Read more
11 Apr 2007: Ronald Speirs, Scottish-American colonel (born 1920) Ronald Charles Speirs was a United States Army officer who served in the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. He was initially assigned as a platoon leader in B Company of the 1st Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Speirs was reassigned to D Company of the 2nd Battalion before the invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and later assigned as commander of E Company during an assault on Foy, Belgium, after the siege of Bastogne was broken during the Battle of the Bulge. He finished the war in the European Theater as a captain. Speirs served in the Korean War, as a major commanding a rifle company and as a staff officer. He later became the American governor for Spandau Prison in Berlin. He retired as a lieutenant colonel. Read more
11 Apr 2007: Kurt Vonnegut, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright (born 1922) Kurt Vonnegut was an American author known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfiction works over fifty years; further works have been published since his death. Read more
11 Apr 2006: June Pointer, American singer (born 1953) June Antoinette Pointer was an American singer, best known as the youngest of the founding members of the vocal group the Pointer Sisters. Read more
11 Apr 2006: DeShaun Holton, American rapper and actor (born 1973) DeShaun Dupree Holton, known professionally as Proof, was an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. During his career, he was a member of the groups 5 Elementz, Funky Cowboys, Promatic, Goon Sqwad, and D12. He was a close childhood friend of rapper Eminem, who also lived in Detroit. Proof was often a hype man at Eminem's concerts. Read more
11 Apr 2005: André François, Romanian-French cartoonist, painter, and sculptor (born 1915) André François, born André Farkas, was a Hungarian-born French cartoonist. He was one of the most influential graphic artists of his generation. Since the 1960s he had worked primarily as a painter, sculptor, cartoonist, poster artist, and as an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books. Read more
11 Apr 2005: Lucien Laurent, French footballer and coach (born 1907) Lucien Laurent was a French footballer who played as a forward. Playing for France, at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, he scored the first ever FIFA World Cup goal against Mexico. Read more
11 Apr 2003: Cecil Howard Green, English-American geophysicist and businessman, founded Texas Instruments (born 1900) Cecil Howard Green was a British-born American geophysicist, electrical engineer, and electronics manufacturing executive, who trained at the University of British Columbia and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Read more
11 Apr 2001: Harry Secombe, Welsh-English actor (born 1921) Sir Harry Donald Secombe was a Welsh actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme The Goon Show (1951–1960), playing many characters, most notably Neddie Seagoon. An accomplished tenor, he also appeared in musicals and films – notably as Mr Bumble in Oliver! (1968) – and, in his later years, was a presenter of television shows incorporating hymns and other devotional songs. Read more
11 Apr 2000: Diana Darvey, English actress, singer and dancer (born 1945) Diana Magdalene Roloff, known professionally as Diana Darvey, was a British actress, singer and dancer, best known for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show. Read more
11 Apr 1999: William H. Armstrong, American author and educator (born 1911) William Howard Armstrong was an American writer of children's literature and educator, best known for his 1969 novel Sounder, which won the Newbery Medal. Read more
11 Apr 1997: Muriel McQueen Fergusson, Canadian lawyer and politician, Canadian Speaker of the Senate (born 1899) Muriel McQueen Fergusson, was a Canadian activist, judge and politician. Fergusson served in the Senate of Canada and the first woman Speaker of the Senate. She is known for a long career of advocating for the less privileged, most often women. Read more
11 Apr 1997: Wang Xiaobo, contemporary Chinese novelist and essayist (born 1952) Wang Xiaobo was a Chinese writer known for his sharp irony and critical spirit, through which he portrayed the absurdity and suffering of everyday life. Born in Beijing to an intellectual family, Wang was sent to rural areas in Yunnan in 1968 during the Cultural Revolution. He returned to Beijing in 1972 and worked as a factory worker before enrolling at Renmin University of China in 1978. In 1984 he went to the United States to study at the University of Pittsburgh under historian Cho-yun Hsu, and after returning to China in 1988 he briefly taught at Peking University and Renmin University before becoming a freelance writer in 1992. Wang rose to prominence with his novel The Golden Age, which later became part of his “Age” trilogy together with The Silver Age and The Bronze Age. In the 1990s, he gained particular popularity among Chinese college students and achieved posthumous status as a cultural icon associated with liberal and independent thought in China. Read more
11 Apr 1996: Jessica Dubroff, American pilot (born 1988) Jessica Whitney Dubroff was a seven-year-old American student pilot who died while attempting to become the youngest person to fly a light aircraft across the United States. On the second day of her attempt, the Cessna 177B Cardinal single-engine aircraft, piloted by her flight instructor, Joe Reid, crashed during a rainstorm immediately after takeoff from Cheyenne Regional Airport in Cheyenne, Wyoming, killing Dubroff, her 57-year-old father Lloyd Dubroff, and Reid. Read more
11 Apr 1992: James Brown, American actor and singer (born 1920) James Edward Brown was an American film and television actor. He was perhaps best known for playing Lt. Ripley Masters in the American western television series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. Read more
11 Apr 1992: Eve Merriam, American author and poet (born 1916) Eve Merriam was an American poet and writer. Read more
11 Apr 1992: Alejandro Obregón, Colombian painter, sculptor, and engraver (born 1920) Alejandro Jesús Obregón Rosės was a Colombian painter, muralist, sculptor and engraver. Read more
11 Apr 1991: Walker Cooper, American baseball player and manager (born 1915) William Walker Cooper was an American professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher from 1940 to 1957, most notably as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals with whom he won two World Series championships. An eight-time All-Star, Cooper was known as one of the top catchers in baseball during the 1940s and early 1950s. His elder brother Mort Cooper, also played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher. Read more
11 Apr 1991: Bruno Hoffmann. German glass harp player (born 1913) Bruno Hoffmann was a German glass harpist. Hoffmann is widely acknowledged as the virtuoso who reanimated contemporary interest in the glass harp and glass harmonica. Read more
11 Apr 1990: Harold Ballard, Canadian businessman (born 1903) Harold Edwin Ballard was a Canadian businessman and sportsman. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) as well as their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. A member of the Leafs organization from 1940 and a senior executive from 1957, he became part-owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February 1972 until his death. He won Stanley Cups in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967, all as part-owner. He was also the owner of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for 10 years from 1978 to 1988, winning a Grey Cup championship in 1986. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1977) and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (1987). His is one of seven names to be on both the Stanley Cup and Grey Cup. Read more
11 Apr 1987: Erskine Caldwell, American novelist and short story writer (born 1903) Erskine Preston Caldwell was an American novelist and short story writer. His writings about poverty, racism and social problems in his native Southern United States, in novels such as Tobacco Road (1932) and God's Little Acre (1933), won him critical acclaim. Read more
11 Apr 1987: Primo Levi, Italian chemist and author (born 1919) Primo Michele Levi was a Jewish Italian chemist, partisan, Holocaust survivor and writer. He was the author of several books, collections of short stories, essays, poems and one novel. His best-known works include: If This Is a Man, his account of the year he spent as a prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland; and The Periodic Table (1975), a collection of mostly autobiographical short stories, each named after a chemical element which plays a role in each story, which the Royal Institution named the best science book ever written. Read more
11 Apr 1985: Bunny Ahearne, Irish-born English businessman (born 1900) John Francis "Bunny" Ahearne was a British ice hockey administrator and businessman. He served rotating terms as president and vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) from 1951 to 1975, and was the secretary of the British Ice Hockey Association from 1934 to 1971, and later its president until 1982. He began in hockey by managing the last Great Britain team to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games, before moving to the international stage. He implemented business reforms at the IIHF, oversaw the growth of ice hockey to new countries, and expanded the Ice Hockey World Championships. He was inducted into both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame during his lifetime and was posthumously inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame. Read more
11 Apr 1985: John Gilroy, English artist and illustrator (born 1898) John Thomas Young Gilroy was an English artist and illustrator, best known for his advertising posters for Guinness, the Irish stout. He signed many of his works, simply, "Gilroy". Read more
11 Apr 1985: Enver Hoxha, Albanian educator and politician, 21st Prime Minister of Albania (born 1908) Enver Halil Hoxha was an Albanian communist revolutionary, statesman, Marxist–Leninist political theorist, and dictator who was the leader of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania from 1941 until his death, a member of its Politburo, chairman of the Democratic Front of Albania, and commander-in-chief of the Albanian People's Army. He was the twenty-second prime minister of Albania from 1944 to 1954 and at various times served as his own foreign minister and defence minister. Read more
11 Apr 1984: Edgar V. Saks, Estonian historian and politician, Estonian Minister of Education (born 1910) Edgar Valter Saks was an Estonian amateur historian and author. He was the Estonian exile government's minister of education in exile from 1971 until his death. Read more
11 Apr 1983: Dolores del Río, Mexican actress (born 1904) María de los Dolores Asúnsolo y López Negrete, known professionally as Dolores del Río, was a Mexican actress. With a career spanning more than 50 years, she is regarded as the first major female Latin American crossover star in Hollywood. Along with a notable career in American cinema during the 1920s and 1930s, she was also considered one of the most important female figures in the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, and one of the most beautiful actresses of her era. Read more
11 Apr 1981: Caroline Gordon, American author and critic (born 1895) Caroline Ferguson Gordon was an American novelist and literary critic who, while still in her thirties, received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1932 and an O. Henry Award in 1934. Her early fiction was influenced by her association with the Southern Agrarians. Read more
11 Apr 1980: Ümit Kaftancıoğlu, Turkish journalist and producer (born 1935) Ümit Kaftancıoğlu was a Turkish TV producer, writer and columnist of the newspaper Cumhuriyet. Read more
11 Apr 1977: Jacques Prévert, French poet and screenwriter (born 1900) Jacques Prévert was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the poetic realist movement, and include Les Enfants du Paradis (1945). He published his first book in 1946. Read more
11 Apr 1977: Phanishwar Nath 'Renu', Indian author and activist (born 1921) Phanishwar Nath Mandal 'Renu' was one of the most successful and influential writers of modern Hindi literature in the post-Premchand era. He is the author of Maila Anchal, which after Premchand's Godaan, is regarded as the most significant Hindi novel. Phanishwar Nath (Mandal) Renu was born on 4 March 1921 in a small village Aurahi Hingna near Simraha railway station in Bihar. The mandal community of Bihar to which Renu belonged constitutes an under-privileged social group in India. Renu's family, however, enjoyed the benefits of land, education, and social prestige. Renu's father, Shilanath Mandal, had been active in the Indian National Movement and was an extremely enlightened individual, taking a keen interest in modern ideas, culture and art. Read more
11 Apr 1974: Ernst Ziegler, German actor (born 1894) Ernst Ziegler was a German film and television actor. Read more
11 Apr 1970: Cathy O'Donnell, American actress (born 1923) Cathy O'Donnell was an American actress who appeared in The Best Years of Our Lives, Ben-Hur, and films noir such as Detective Story and They Live by Night. Read more
11 Apr 1970: John O'Hara, American novelist and short story writer (born 1905) John Henry O'Hara was an American writer. He was one of America's most prolific writers of short stories, credited with helping to invent The New Yorker magazine short story style. He became a best-selling novelist before the age of 30 with Appointment in Samarra and BUtterfield 8. While O'Hara's legacy as a writer is debated, his work was praised by such contemporaries as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and his champions rank him highly among the major under-appreciated American writers of the 20th century. Few college students educated after O'Hara's death in 1970 have discovered him, chiefly because he refused to allow his work to be reprinted in anthologies used to teach literature at the college level. Read more
11 Apr 1967: Thomas Farrell, American general (born 1891) Major General Thomas Francis Farrell was the Deputy Commanding General and Chief of Field Operations of the Manhattan Project, acting as executive officer to Major General Leslie R. Groves Jr. Read more
11 Apr 1967: Donald Sangster, Jamaican lawyer and politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Jamaica (born 1911) Sir Donald Burns Sangster ON GCVO
(26 October 1911 – 11 April 1967) was a Jamaican solicitor and politician, and the second Prime Minister of Jamaica. Read more
11 Apr 1962: Ukichiro Nakaya, Japanese physicist and academic (born 1900) Ukichiro Nakaya was a Japanese physicist and science essayist known for his work in glaciology and low-temperature sciences. He is credited with making the first artificial snowflakes. Read more
11 Apr 1962: George Poage, American hurdler and educator (born 1880) George Coleman Poage was an American track and field athlete. He was the first black and the first African-American athlete to win a medal in the Olympic Games, winning two bronze medals at the 1904 games in St. Louis. Read more
11 Apr 1962: Axel Revold, Norwegian painter (born 1887) Axel Revold was a Norwegian painter, illustrator, and art professor at the Norwegian National Academy of Fine Arts for twenty years. He was highly decorated for his merits. Read more
11 Apr 1960: Rosa Grünberg, Swedish actress (born 1878) Rosalie "Rosa" Grünberg was a Swedish actress and opera soprano singer. She was considered one of the Swedish opera scene's prima donnas. Read more
11 Apr 1958: Konstantin Yuon, Russian painter and educator (born 1875) Konstantin Fyodorovich Yuon or Juon was a Russian painter and theatre designer associated with Mir Iskusstva. Later, he co-founded the Union of Russian Artists and the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia. Read more
11 Apr 1954: Paul Specht, American violinist and bandleader (born 1895) Paul Specht was an American dance bandleader popular in the 1920s. Read more
11 Apr 1953: Kid Nichols, American baseball player and manager (born 1869) Charles Augustus "Kid" Nichols was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the Boston Beaneaters, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies from 1890 to 1906. A switch hitter who threw right-handed, he was listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and 175 pounds (79 kg). He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Read more
11 Apr 1939: Kurtdereli Mehmet, Turkish wrestler (born 1864) Kurtdereli Mehmet Pehlivan was a Turkish wrestler. He lived most of his life in the village of Kurtdere, 40 km from Balıkesir. He stood 6'5 (196 cm) tall and weighed 326 lb (148 kg). Read more
11 Apr 1926: Luther Burbank, American botanist and academic (born 1849) Luther Burbank was an American botanist, horticulturist, and pioneer in agricultural science who developed more than 800 strains and varieties of plants over his 55-year career. Burbank primarily worked with fruits, flowers, grains, grasses, and vegetables. He developed a spineless cactus and the plumcot. Read more
11 Apr 1918: Otto Wagner, Austrian architect and urban planner (born 1841) Otto Koloman Wagner was an Austrian architect, furniture designer and urban planner. He was a leading member of the Vienna Secession movement of architecture, founded in 1897, and the broader Art Nouveau movement. Many of his works are found in his native city of Vienna, and illustrate the rapid evolution of architecture during the period. His early works were inspired by classical architecture. By mid-1890s, he had already designed several buildings in what became known as the Vienna Secession style. Beginning in 1898, with his designs of Vienna Metro stations, his style became floral and Art Nouveau, with decoration by Koloman Moser. His later works, 1906 until his death in 1918, had geometric forms and minimal ornament, more clearly expressing their modern structure and materials. Although they are considered predecessors to modern architecture they remain within the larger classical tradition of the Schinkel School in Germany and Central Europe. Read more
11 Apr 1916: Richard Harding Davis, American journalist and author (born 1864) Richard Harding Davis was an American journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish–American War, the Second Boer War, and World War I. His writing greatly assisted the political career of Theodore Roosevelt. He also played a major role in the evolution of the American magazine. His influence extended to the world of fashion, and he is credited with making the clean-shaven look popular among men at the turn of the 20th century. Read more
11 Apr 1908: Henry Bird, English chess player and author (born 1829) Henry Edward Bird was an English chess player, author and accountant. He wrote the books Chess History and Reminiscences and An Analysis of Railways in the United Kingdom. Read more
11 Apr 1906: James Anthony Bailey, American businessman, co-founded Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (born 1847) James Anthony Bailey, was an American owner and manager of several 19th-century circuses, including the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Read more
11 Apr 1906: Francis Pharcellus Church, American journalist and publisher, co-founded Armed Forces Journal and The Galaxy Magazine (born 1839) Francis Pharcellus Church was an American publisher and editor. In 1897, Church wrote the editorial "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus". Produced in response to eight-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon's letter asking whether Santa Claus was real, the widely republished editorial has become one of the most famous ever written. Read more
11 Apr 1903: Gemma Galgani, Italian mystic and saint (born 1878) Gemma Umberta Maria Galgani, also known as Gemma of Lucca, was an Italian mystic, canonized as a saint in the Catholic Church in 1940. She has been called the "daughter of the Passion" because of her profound imitation of the Passion of Christ. She is especially venerated in the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus (Passionists). Read more
11 Apr 1902: Wade Hampton III, Confederate general and politician, 77th Governor of South Carolina (born 1818) Wade Hampton III was an American politician from South Carolina. He was a prominent member of one of the richest families in the antebellum Southern United States, owning thousands of acres of cotton land in South Carolina and Mississippi, as well as thousands of slaves. He became a senior general in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War. He also had a career as a leading Democratic Party politician in state and national affairs. Read more
11 Apr 1895: Julius Lothar Meyer, German chemist (born 1830) Julius Lothar Meyer was a German chemist. He was one of the pioneers in developing the earliest versions of the periodic table of the chemical elements. The Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev and he both had worked with Robert Bunsen. Meyer never used his first given name and was simply known as Lothar Meyer throughout his life. Read more
11 Apr 1894: Constantin Lipsius, German architect and theorist (born 1832) Johannes Wilhelm Constantin Lipsius was a German architect and architectural theorist, best known for his controversial design of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Exhibition Building (1883–1894) on the Brühl Terrace in Dresden, today known as the Lipsius-Bau. Read more
11 Apr 1890: David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo, Dutch Talmudist (born 1808) David de Jahacob Lopez Cardozo was a Dutch Talmudist and communal worker. He was sent at an early age to the bet ha-midrash 'Etz Chayyim, studied under Rabbi Berenstein at The Hague, and received his diploma of "Morenu" in 1839. Read more
11 Apr 1890: Joseph Merrick, English man with severe deformities (born 1862) Joseph Carey Merrick was an English man known for his severe physical deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "The Elephant Man", and then went to live at the London Hospital, in Whitechapel, after meeting the surgeon Sir Frederick Treves. Despite his challenges, Merrick created detailed artistic works, such as intricate models of buildings, and became well known in London society. Read more
11 Apr 1873: Edward Canby, American general (born 1817) Edward Richard Sprigg Canby was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. He served as a military governor after the war. Read more
11 Apr 1870: Justo José de Urquiza, Argentine general, politician and first constitutional president of Argentina (born 1801) Justo José de Urquiza y García was an Argentine general and politician who served as president of the Argentine Confederation from 1854 to 1860. Read more
11 Apr 1861: Francisco González Bocanegra, Mexican poet and composer (born 1824) Francisco González Bocanegra was a Mexican poet who wrote the lyrics of the Mexican National Anthem in 1853. Read more
11 Apr 1856: Juan Santamaría, Costa Rican soldier (born 1831) Juan Santamaría Rodríguez was a drummer in the Costa Rican army, officially recognized as the national hero of his country for his actions in the 1856 Second Battle of Rivas, in the Filibuster War. He died in the battle carrying a torch he used to light the enemy stronghold on fire, securing a victory for Costa Rica against American mercenary William Walker and his forces. Thirty five years after his death, he began to be idolized and was used as a propaganda tool to inspire Costa Rican nationalism. A national holiday in Costa Rica, Juan Santamaría Day, is held annually on April 11 to commemorate his death. Read more

Why is 11 April Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 11 April, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

👉 View complete History of Today archive

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on 11 April in World history?

On 11 April, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

Is History of Today important for competitive exams?

Yes, History of Today is frequently asked in UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, and State PSC exams as part of static GK and current awareness sections.