History of Today in India – 12 April

Explore the history of today 12 April in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 12 April 2026, 04:21 AM

📜 Important Events on 12 April in World History

12 Apr 2014: The Great Fire of Valparaíso ravages the Chilean city of Valparaíso, killing 16 people, displacing nearly 10,000, and destroying over 2,000 homes. Read more
12 Apr 2013: Two suicide bombers kill three Chadian soldiers and injure dozens of civilians at a market in Kidal, Mali. Read more
12 Apr 2010: Merano derailment: A rail accident in South Tyrol kills nine people and injures a further 28. Read more
12 Apr 2009: Zimbabwe officially abandons the Zimbabwean dollar as its official currency. Read more
12 Apr 2007: A suicide bomber penetrates the Green Zone and detonates in a cafeteria within a parliament building, killing Iraqi MP Mohammed Awad and wounding more than twenty other people. Read more
12 Apr 2002: A suicide bomber blows herself up at the entrance to Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market, killing seven people and wounding 104. Read more
12 Apr 1999: United States President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a civil lawsuit; he is later fined and disbarred. Read more
12 Apr 1999: During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, an American McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle shoots a passenger train, killing between 20 and 60 people. Read more
12 Apr 1992: The Euro Disney Resort officially opens with its theme park Euro Disneyland; the resort and its park's name are subsequently changed to Disneyland Resort Paris. Read more
12 Apr 1990: Jim Gary's "Twentieth Century Dinosaurs" exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He is the only sculptor ever invited to present a solo exhibition there. Read more
12 Apr 1990: Widerøe Flight 839 crashes after takeoff from Værøy Airport in Norway, killing five people. Read more
12 Apr 1985: Space Shuttle Discovery launches on STS-51D to deploy two communications satellites. Read more
12 Apr 1983: Harold Washington is elected as the first black mayor of Chicago. Read more
12 Apr 1981: The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place: The STS-1 mission. Read more
12 Apr 1980: The Americo-Liberian government of Liberia is violently deposed. Read more
12 Apr 1980: Transbrasil Flight 303, a Boeing 727, crashes on approach to Hercílio Luz International Airport in Florianópolis, Brazil. Fifty-five out of the 58 people on board are killed. Read more
12 Apr 1980: Canadian runner and athlete, Terry Fox begins his Marathon of Hope Run in St. John's, NF Read more
12 Apr 1970: Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board. Read more
12 Apr 1963: The Soviet nuclear-powered submarine K-33 collides with the Finnish merchant vessel M/S Finnclipper in the Danish straits.[citation needed] Read more
12 Apr 1961: Space Race: The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first crewed orbital flight, Vostok 1. Read more
12 Apr 1955: The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective. Read more
12 Apr 1945: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office; Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes President upon Roosevelt's death. Read more
12 Apr 1945: World War II: The U.S. Ninth Army under General William H. Simpson crosses the Elbe River astride Magdeburg, and reaches Tangermünde—only 80 kilometres from Berlin. Read more
12 Apr 1937: Sir Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft, at Rugby, England. Read more
12 Apr 1934: The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed. Read more
12 Apr 1934: The U.S. Auto-Lite strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.[citation needed] Read more
12 Apr 1928: The Bremen, a German Junkers W 33 type aircraft, takes off for the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west. Read more
12 Apr 1927: Shanghai massacre of 1927: Chiang Kai-shek orders the Chinese Communist Party members executed in Shanghai, ending the First United Front.[citation needed] Read more
12 Apr 1927: Rocksprings, Texas is hit by an F5 tornado that destroys 235 of the 247 buildings in the town, kills 72 townspeople, and injures 205; third deadliest tornado in Texas history. Read more
12 Apr 1917: World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans. Read more
12 Apr 1910: SMS Zrínyi, one of the last pre-dreadnought battleships built by the Austro-Hungarian Navy, is launched. Read more
12 Apr 1900: One day after its enactment by the Congress, President William McKinley signs the Foraker Act into law, giving Puerto Rico limited self-rule. Read more
12 Apr 1877: The United Kingdom annexes the Transvaal. Read more
12 Apr 1865: American Civil War: Mobile, Alabama, falls to the Union Army. Read more
12 Apr 1864: American Civil War: The Battle of Fort Pillow: Confederate forces kill most of the African American soldiers that surrendered at Fort Pillow, Tennessee. Read more
12 Apr 1862: American Civil War: The Andrews Raid (the Great Locomotive Chase) occurs, starting from Big Shanty, Georgia (now Kennesaw). Read more
12 Apr 1861: American Civil War: Battle of Fort Sumter. The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. Read more
12 Apr 1831: Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England, cause it to collapse. Read more
12 Apr 1820: Alexander Ypsilantis is declared leader of Filiki Eteria, a secret organization to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece. Read more
12 Apr 1807: The Froberg mutiny on Malta ends when the remaining mutineers blow up the magazine of Fort Ricasoli. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 12 April in World History

12 Apr 1996: Jan Bednarek, Polish footballer Jan Kacper Bednarek is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Primeira Liga club Porto and the Poland national team. Read more
12 Apr 1996: Matteo Berrettini, Italian tennis player Matteo Berrettini is an Italian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 6 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he achieved in January 2022, and world No. 105 in doubles, attained in July 2019. Berrettini has won ten ATP Tour singles titles and two doubles titles, and produced his best major performance by reaching the singles final of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. He is the first man born in the 1990s and first Italian man to reach the quarterfinals or better at all four majors. Read more
12 Apr 1995: Pedro Cachin, Argentine tennis player Pedro Cachin, also known as Pedro Cachín, is an Argentine former professional tennis player. Cachin had a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 48, achieved on 7 August 2023 and a doubles ranking of No. 219, achieved on 9 May 2022. He won one ATP Tour singles title, at the 2023 Swiss Open Gstaad. Read more
12 Apr 1994: Eric Bailly, Ivorian professional footballer Eric Bertrand Bailly is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays for La Liga club Real Oviedo and the Ivory Coast national team. Although he mainly plays as a centre-back, he can also play as a right-back. Read more
12 Apr 1994: Isabelle Drummond, Brazilian actress and singer Isabelle Christine Lourenço Gomes Drummond is a Brazilian actress. She became known as a child when she played the rag doll Emília in the children's series Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, joining the cast for six consecutive years. Still on TV Globo, she continued to gain notoriety by starring in several prominent characters in telenovelas such as Bianca in Caras & Bocas, Cida in Cheias de Charme, Giane in Sangue Bom and Manuzita in Verão 90. Read more
12 Apr 1994: Guido Rodríguez, Argentine footballer Guido Rodríguez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for La Liga club Valencia. Read more
12 Apr 1994: Saoirse Ronan, American-born Irish actress Saoirse Una Ronan is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Scottish BAFTA, with nominations for four Academy Awards and seven British Academy Film Awards. Read more
12 Apr 1994: Sehun, South Korean musician Oh Se-hun, known mononymously as Sehun, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and dancer. He is a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy band Exo and its sub-unit Exo-SC. Apart from his group's activities, Sehun has also starred in various films and television dramas such as Dokgo Rewind (2018), Secret Queen Makers (2018), The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (2022), and All That We Loved (2023). Read more
12 Apr 1993: Robin Anderson, American tennis player Robin Kimberly Anderson is an American tennis player. Read more
12 Apr 1993: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Canadian ice hockey player Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a forward and alternate captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Nuge" by Oilers fans, Nugent-Hopkins was selected first overall by the Oilers in the 2011 NHL entry draft. Read more
12 Apr 1992: Chad le Clos, South African swimmer Chad Guy Bertrand le Clos, OIS is a South African competitive swimmer who is an Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games champion. He is the African record, Commonwealth record, and South African record holder in the short course and long course 200-metre butterfly and the short course 100-metre butterfly. He also holds African and South African records in the long course 200-metre freestyle and 100-metre butterfly, as well as the short course 100-metre freestyle. Formerly, he was a world record holder in the short course 100-metre butterfly and 200-metre butterfly. Read more
12 Apr 1991: Lionel Carole, French professional footballer Lionel Jules Carole is a French professional footballer who plays as a left back for Turkish club Kayserispor. He is a French youth international, having earned caps at under-17, under-20, and under-21 level. Read more
12 Apr 1991: Oliver Norwood, English-born Northern Irish international footballer Oliver James Norwood is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for EFL League One club Stockport County. Read more
12 Apr 1991: Magnus Pääjärvi, Swedish ice hockey player Karl Magnus Svensson Pääjärvi, surname also known as Pääjärvi-Svensson, is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger, currently playing for Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). During his NHL career, Pääjärvi played for the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators. He was drafted 10th overall in the 2009 NHL entry draft by the Edmonton Oilers. Read more
12 Apr 1991: Jazz Richards, Welsh international footballer Ashley Darel Jazz Richards is a Welsh footballer who plays as a full-back. His most recent club was Haverfordwest County in the Cymru Premier. Read more
12 Apr 1990: Hiroki Sakai, Japanese footballer Hiroki Sakai is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a right back and the inaugural captain for A-League club Auckland FC. Read more
12 Apr 1989: Bethan Dainton, Welsh rugby union player Bethan Dainton is a Welsh rugby league player who plays as Loose forward for Wigan Warriors in the RFL Women's Super League.
She formerly played rugby union as back row for the Wales women's national rugby union team and Harlequins Women in the Allianz's Premier 15s. She made her debut for the Wales national squad in 2016, and represented them at the 2021 Women's Six Nations Championship. Read more
12 Apr 1989: Ádám Hanga, Hungarian basketball player Ádám Hanga is a Hungarian professional basketball player for Joventut Badalona of the Spanish Liga ACB. He was drafted 59th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2011 NBA draft. Hanga won the EuroLeague Best Defender award in 2017. Read more
12 Apr 1989: Miguel Ángel Ponce, American-Mexican footballer Miguel Ángel Ponce Briseño, also known as Pocho, is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Born in the United States, he played for the Mexico national team. He is an Olympic gold medalist. Read more
12 Apr 1989: Valentin Stocker, Swiss footballer Valentin Stocker is a Swiss former professional footballer who played as a left midfielder, and as an attacking midfielder. He also played for the Switzerland national team. Read more
12 Apr 1989: Kaitlyn Weaver, Canadian-American ice dancer Kaitlyn Elizabeth Weaver is a retired American-Canadian ice dancer. With partner Andrew Poje, she was a three-time World medalist, a two-time Four Continents champion, a two-time Grand Prix Final champion, and a three-time Canadian national champion. Read more
12 Apr 1988: Ricky Álvarez, Argentinian footballer Ricardo "Ricky" Gabriel Álvarez is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Álvarez retired from football at the end of 2021. Read more
12 Apr 1988: Stephen Brogan, English footballer Stephen Patrick Brogan is an English semi-professional footballer who plays for Hallam FC. He has previously played in the Football League for Rotherham United. Read more
12 Apr 1988: Amedeo Calliari, Italian footballer Amedeo Calliari is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Read more
12 Apr 1988: Jessie James Decker, American singer-songwriter Jessica Rose James Decker is an American country pop singer. At age 15, after auditioning for and being rejected by most of the country labels in Nashville, Tennessee, Decker began working with Carla Wallace of Big Yellow Dog Music. One of her songs attracted the attention of Mercury Records, which offered her a recording contract. She released her debut album, Jessie James, in 2009. A few years later in 2013, she starred with her husband Eric Decker, a wide receiver in the National Football League, in the E! reality show Eric & Jessie: Game On.
She is no relation to the famous American outlaw Jesse James. Read more
12 Apr 1988: Moamen Zakaria, Egyptian footballer Moamen Zakaria Abbas Eldawy is an Egyptian former professional footballer who plays as a winger. In 2020, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Read more
12 Apr 1987: Luiz Adriano, Brazilian professional footballer Luiz Adriano de Souza da Silva, or simply Luiz Adriano, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. Read more
12 Apr 1987: Brooklyn Decker, American model and actress Brooklyn Danielle Decker is an American model and actress, perhaps best known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, including the cover of the 2010 issue. In addition to working for Victoria's Secret for the 2010 "Swim" collection, she has ventured into television with guest appearances on Chuck, Ugly Betty, The League, and Royal Pains. She made her feature film debut in Just Go with It (2011), and later starred in Battleship (2012) and What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012). In 2015, she was cast as a series regular, portraying Mallory Hanson, on Netflix's Grace and Frankie. Read more
12 Apr 1987: Shawn Gore, Canadian football player Shawn Vere Gore, is a retired professional Canadian football wide receiver. Gore spent the majority of his professional career playing for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted tenth overall by the Lions in the 2010 CFL draft, but signed with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League on the day after the draft as a free agent. He played college football for the Bishop's Gaiters, and high school football for the Newtonbrook North Stars. Read more
12 Apr 1987: Brendon Urie, American singer, songwriter, musician and multi-instrumentalist Brendon Boyd Urie is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of Panic! at the Disco, the only constant member throughout the band's 19-year run. Read more
12 Apr 1986: Blerim Džemaili, Swiss footballer Blerim Džemaili is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Read more
12 Apr 1986: Marcel Granollers, Spanish tennis player Marcel Granollers Pujol is a Spanish professional tennis player. He reached a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 1 on 6 May 2024, becoming the second Spanish man to achieve the feat. He is a Grand Slam champion at the 2025 French Open and at the 2025 US Open with Horacio Zeballos. He also has a career-high singles ranking of No. 19 achieved on 23 July 2012. Read more
12 Apr 1986: Jonathan Pitroipa, Burkinabé footballer Beninwende Yann Jonathan Pitroipa is a Burkinabé former professional footballer who played as a winger. Read more
12 Apr 1985: Brennan Boesch, American baseball player Brennan Philip Boesch is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2010 with the Detroit Tigers. After being released from Detroit before the 2013 season, Boesch spent most of his remaining career playing for the Minor League teams of the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, and Cincinnati Reds until retiring before the 2017 season when no team signed him from free agency. Read more
12 Apr 1985: Hitomi Yoshizawa, Japanese singer Hitomi Yoshizawa is a Japanese former singer and actress. In 2000, Yoshizawa debuted as a 4th generation member of the idol girl group Morning Musume and became their leader in 2005 until leaving the group in 2007. Following her departure, Yoshizawa continued to appear in several music projects, including Hangry & Angry, Abcho, and Dream Morning Musume. Read more
12 Apr 1984: Aleksey Dmitrik, Russian high jumper Aleksey Vladimirovich Dmitrik is a Russian high jumper. He won the silver medal at the 2009 European Indoor Championships. Read more
12 Apr 1983: Jelena Dokic, Serbian-Australian tennis player Jelena Dokic is an Australian broadcaster, tennis analyst, former professional player and public speaker. Her highest ranking as a tennis player was world No. 4, in August 2002. She won WTA Tour events on all surfaces during her career. Read more
12 Apr 1983: Luke Kibet, Kenyan runner Luke Kibet Bowen is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. He won the marathon race at the 2007 World Championships. Read more
12 Apr 1981: Yuriy Borzakovskiy, Russian runner Yuriy Mikhailovich Borzakovskiy is a Russian middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 metres. Read more
12 Apr 1981: Nicolás Burdisso, Argentinian footballer Nicolás Andrés Burdisso is an Argentine football manager and former professional player who played as a centre-back. Read more
12 Apr 1981: Tulsi Gabbard, American politician Tulsi Gabbard is an American politician and U.S. military officer serving as the eighth director of national intelligence (DNI) since 2025. She previously served as U.S. representative for Hawaii's 2nd congressional district from 2013 to 2021 and in the Hawaii House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. Gabbard was a member of the Democratic Party until 2022, after which she became independent until joining the Republican Party in 2024. Read more
12 Apr 1981: Grant Holt, English footballer and professional wrestler Grant Holt is an English professional footballer who plays for Dereham Town. Read more
12 Apr 1981: Hisashi Iwakuma, Japanese baseball pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes from 2000 to 2004, Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles from 2005 to 2011, and Yomiuri Giants in 2019, and all of his time in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners from 2012 to 2017. Iwakuma retired in 2020 due to lingering shoulder issues that had prevented him from playing that year. Read more
12 Apr 1980: Sara Head, Welsh Paralympic table tennis champion Sara Head is a Welsh Paralympic table tennis player. Head has represented Wales at two Commonwealth Games and was selected for the 2012 Paralympic Games, where she took the bronze medal in the women's team class 1–3 event with team-mate Jane Campbell. Read more
12 Apr 1980: Brian McFadden, Irish singer-songwriter Brian Nicholas McFadden is an Irish pop singer and television presenter. He rose to fame in 1998 as a member of the Irish boy band Westlife. Following his departure from the group in 2004, McFadden released his debut solo album, Irish Son. He has since released four studio albums: Set in Stone (2008), Wall of Soundz (2010), The Irish Connection (2013), and Otis (2019). McFadden has also released two albums, Strings Attached (2020) and Old School (2022), in collaboration with Keith Duffy of Boyzone. Read more
12 Apr 1979: Claire Danes, American actress Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress. Prolific in film and television since her teens, she is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2012, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Read more
12 Apr 1979: Elena Grosheva, Russian gymnast Yelena Nikolayevna Grosheva is a Russian former competitive gymnast. She won silver in the team event at the 1996 Summer Olympics and two team medals at the World Championships. Read more
12 Apr 1979: Mateja Kežman, Serbian footballer Mateja Kežman is a Serbian sports agent and former professional footballer who played as a striker. Read more
12 Apr 1979: Jennifer Morrison, American actress Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress and director. She is most known for her roles as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama series House (2004–2012) and Emma Swan in the ABC adventure-fantasy series Once Upon a Time (2011–2018). She has also portrayed Zoey Pierson, one of Ted Mosby's love interests, on the comedy series How I Met Your Mother; Winona Kirk, mother of James T. Kirk in the 2009 science-fiction film Star Trek; and Tess Conlon in the 2011 sports drama film Warrior. She made her feature-film directorial debut with Sun Dogs (2017). Read more
12 Apr 1979: Sergio Pellissier, Italian footballer Sergio Pellissier is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is currently working as owner and chairman of AC ChievoVerona, after FC Clivense was reestablished as the previously defunct ChievoVerona. Read more
12 Apr 1979: Cristian Ranalli, Italian footballer Cristian Ranalli is a former Italian footballer. Read more
12 Apr 1979: Lee Soo-young, South Korean singer Lee Soo-young is a South Korean ballad singer. She debuted in 1999 with the hit album, I Believe, and quickly gained popularity due to her strong singing skills. During the mid-2000s, Lee was one of South Korea's best-selling singers, selling more than 700,000 albums in 2004 alone despite a recession in the music industry at the time. Read more
12 Apr 1978: Guy Berryman, Scottish bassist (Coldplay) Guy Rupert Berryman is a Scottish musician, songwriter, producer, businessman and designer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. Raised in Kirkcaldy, he started to play bass at an early age, drawing inspiration from James Brown, the Funk Brothers and Kool & the Gang. His projects beyond music include The Road Rat magazine and Amsterdam-based fashion brand Applied Art Forms. Read more
12 Apr 1978: Scott Crary, American director, producer, and screenwriter Scott Crary is an American film director, producer and writer, best known for having directed, produced, filmed and edited the film Kill Your Idols, a documentary examining three decades of New York art punk bands. Read more
12 Apr 1978: Svetlana Lapina, Russian high jumper Svetlana Mikhailovna Lapina ; born 12 April 1978) is a Russian high jumper. Read more
12 Apr 1978: Robin Walker, English businessman and politician Robin Caspar Walker is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Worcester from 2010 to 2024. He chaired the House of Commons Education Select Committee from 2022 to 2024. He served as the Minister of State for School Standards from 2021 to 2022 and as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at both the Scotland Office and Northern Ireland Office under Prime Minister Boris Johnson from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Conservative Party, he identifies as a one-nation Conservative. Read more
12 Apr 1977: Giovanny Espinoza, Ecuadorian footballer Giovanny Patricio Espinoza Pabón is an Ecuadorian football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He is the current assistant manager of Leones. Read more
12 Apr 1977: Sarah Monahan, Australian actress Sarah Monahan is an Australian former child actress. Best known for her role as Jenny Kelly on Hey Dad..!, she also appeared in Sons and Daughters and Home and Away. Read more
12 Apr 1977: Jason Price, Welsh footballer Jason Jeffrey Price is a Welsh former footballer who played as a right sided midfielder or as a forward. Read more
12 Apr 1977: Glenn Rogers, Australian-Scottish cricketer Glenn Alan Rogers is an Australian-born former cricketer who played international cricket for Scotland. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, his ODI debut was in Chittagong against Bangladesh in December 2006. Read more
12 Apr 1976: Olga Kotlyarova, Russian runner Olga Kotlyarova is a Russian runner. She used to compete mainly in 400 metres, and has an Olympic bronze medal from 2000 in relay. She is also a world champion in this event. Read more
12 Apr 1976: Brad Miller, American basketball player Bradley Alan Miller is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for six National Basketball Association (NBA) teams. Miller played college basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers. Read more
12 Apr 1974: Belinda Emmett, Australian actress (died 2006) Belinda Jane Emmett was an Australian actress and singer. She was best known for her roles in the TV drama series Home and Away and All Saints as well as the sitcom Hey Dad..!. She was married to Australian television host, comedian and media personality Rove McManus. Read more
12 Apr 1974: Bryan Fletcher, Australian rugby league player and sportscaster Bryan Fletcher is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A New South Wales State of Origin and Australian international representative second-row-forward, he played his club football in Australia with the Sydney Roosters and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, before a stint in England with Wigan. Read more
12 Apr 1974: Roman Hamrlík, Czech ice hockey player Roman Hamrlík is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally selected first overall in the 1992 NHL entry draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the first-ever selection by the expansion franchise, beginning his career with the team and later playing for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers. In total, he played 1,395 games during his NHL career and participated in three NHL All-Star Games, in 1996, 1999, and 2003. Read more
12 Apr 1974: Marley Shelton, American actress Marley Eve Shelton is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Wendy Peffercorn in The Sandlot (1993), the Customer in Sin City (2005), Dr. Dakota Block in Grindhouse (2007), and Judy Hicks in two installments of the Scream franchise (2011–2022). Read more
12 Apr 1974: Sylvinho, Brazilian footballer and manager Sylvio Mendes Campos Júnior, commonly known as Sylvinho, is a Brazilian football manager and former player, who coaches the Albania national football team. Read more
12 Apr 1973: J. Scott Campbell, American author and illustrator Jeffery Scott Campbell is an American comic book artist. He was initially known professionally as Jeffery Scott, but is best known as J. Scott Campbell. He rose to fame as an artist for Wildstorm Comics, though he has since done work for Marvel Comics, and the video game industry. Read more
12 Apr 1973: Ryan Kisor, American trumpet player and composer Ryan Kisor is an American jazz trumpeter. Read more
12 Apr 1973: Antonio Osuna, Mexican-American baseball player Antonio Pedro Osuna is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played parts of 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, and Washington Nationals. Read more
12 Apr 1973: Christian Panucci, Italian footballer and manager Christian Panucci is an Italian former footballer and manager. In his playing career he played as a defender. A versatile footballer, he began his career as a right-back, but was also capable of playing on the left; as he lost his pace in his later career, he was usually deployed as a centre back, due to his strength in the air. Read more
12 Apr 1972: Paul Lo Duca, American baseball player and sportscaster Paul Anthony Lo Duca is an American former professional baseball player and television personality. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998–2004), Florida Marlins, New York Mets (2006–2007), and Washington Nationals (2008). He later became a horse racing analyst for the TVG Network and New York Racing Association. In November 2019, he agreed to a contract to work for Barstool Sports as a horse racing and gambling analyst. Read more
12 Apr 1971: Nicholas Brendon, American actor (died 2026) Nicholas Brendon Schultz was an American actor, artist, and writer. He is best known for playing Xander Harris in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997–2003) and Kevin Lynch in Criminal Minds (2007–2014). Read more
12 Apr 1971: Shannen Doherty, American actress, director, and producer (died 2024) Shannen Maria Doherty was an American actress. During her career in film and television, Doherty played a number of notable characters, including Jenny Wilder in Little House on the Prairie (1982–1983); Maggie Malene in Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985); Kris Witherspoon in Our House (1986–1988); Heather Duke in Heathers (1989); Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–1994), 90210 (2008–2009), and BH90210 (2019); Rene Mosier in Mallrats (1995); and Prue Halliwell in Charmed (1998–2001). Read more
12 Apr 1970: Sylvain Bouchard, Canadian speed skater Sylvain Bouchard is a Canadian long track speed skater. He won the 1000m event at the 1998 World Single Distance Championships. He competed at the 1994 Winter Olympics, finishing 4th at the 500m event and 5th at the 1000m event. He also competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics, finishing 4th on 500m and 5th on 1000m. He earned the world record time in the 1000m event in 1995 and 1998. He retired from competition the same year. Read more
12 Apr 1969: Michael Jackson, American football player and politician (died 2017) Michael Dywane Jackson Dyson was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL) from 1991 to 1998. He played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. Jackson was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 1991 NFL draft. He played in the NFL for the Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks to play the 1999 season, but was cut at the end of the preseason. Read more
12 Apr 1969: Jörn Lenz, German footballer and manager Jörn Lenz is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. Lenz had four different spells with BFC Dynamo during his professional playing career and has continued to serve as part of the club's backroom staff since retiring in 2008. Lenz played a total of 374 matches for BFC Dynamo between 1988 and 2008. He made two appearances for BFC Dynamo in the 1989-90 European Cup Winners' Cup. Read more
12 Apr 1969: Lucas Radebe, South African footballer and sportscaster Lucas Valeriu Ntuba Radebe OIS is a South African former professional footballer who played as a centre back. Read more
12 Apr 1968: Alicia Coppola, American actress Alicia Coppola is an American actress. She became known for playing Lorna Devon in the soap opera Another World from 1991 to 1994. Afterwards, she made regular and guest star appearances in various television series, notably Jericho and Blood & Treasure, and appeared in films such as National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Read more
12 Apr 1968: Toby Gad, German songwriter and producer Tobias "Toby" Gad is a German music producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. He is known for co-writing songs including John Legend's biggest hit, "All of Me", the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and producing "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie and "If I Were a Boy" by Beyoncé. Other notable works include "Skyscraper" for Demi Lovato, "Who You Are" for Jessie J, "Untouched" for The Veronicas, "A Year Without Rain" for Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Don't Hold Your Breath" for Nicole Scherzinger, "Love You More" for JLS, and "I Do" for Colbie Caillat. Read more
12 Apr 1968: Adam Graves, Canadian ice hockey player Adam Scott Graves is a Canadian former professional hockey player. He played 10 seasons with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks in a career that spanned from 1987 to 2003. He finished his career with 329 goals, 287 assists and 1,224 penalty minutes. Read more
12 Apr 1967: Sarah Cracknell, English singer-songwriter Sarah Jane Cracknell is an English singer-songwriter and lead singer of the electronic music band Saint Etienne. Read more
12 Apr 1966: Nils-Olav Johansen, Norwegian guitarist and singer Nils-Olav Johansen is a major Norwegian entertainer and jazz musician, known from several recordings and as orchestra leader. He is with Jarle Vespestad (drums) and Stian Carstensen, central members of the Balkan-jazz orchestra Farmers Market. Read more
12 Apr 1966: Lorenzo White, American football player Lorenzo Maurice White is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers (1988–1994) and Cleveland Browns (1995). He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1992, recording his best season with 1,226 rushing yards and 1,867 yards from scrimmage. Read more
12 Apr 1965: Kim Bodnia, Danish actor and director Kim Bodnia is a Danish actor. He became widely known for his role as police detective Martin Rohde in the Scandinavian crime drama series The Bridge (2011-2014). He is also known internationally for his lead role as drug dealer Frank in Nicolas Winding Refn's 1996 directorial debut Pusher, and as Konstantin in the spy thriller TV series Killing Eve (2018–2022). Read more
12 Apr 1965: Chi Onwurah, English politician Dame Chinyelu Susan "Chi" Onwurah is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West since 2024, and previously for Newcastle upon Tyne Central from 2010 to 2024, when the constituency was abolished. She is a member of the Labour Party. Read more
12 Apr 1965: Gervais Rufyikiri, Burundian politician Gervais Rufyikiri is a Burundian politician who was Second Vice President of Burundi from 2010 to 2015. Read more
12 Apr 1965: Mihai Stoica, Romanian footballer and manager Mihai "Meme" Stoica is a former president of Oțelul Galați and former general manager of Unirea Urziceni. Since November 2010 until September 2011, Mihai Stoica was the manager of Steaua Bucureşti. He was for a while the permanent co-host of some TV shows at DigiSport TV Channel. In 2012, he returned to Steaua as general manager.
Currently, Mihai Stoica takes on the role of a sports analyst on the Prima Sport broadcast. Read more
12 Apr 1964: Chris Fairclough, English footballer and coach Courtney Huw Fairclough, commonly known as Chris Fairclough, is an English football coach and former professional footballer. Read more
12 Apr 1964: Amy Ray, American folk-rock singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer Amy Elizabeth Ray is an American singer-songwriter and member of the contemporary folk duo Indigo Girls with Emily Saliers. She also pursues a solo career, releasing ten albums under her own name, and founded the independent label Daemon Records in 1989. Ray is known for her alto and tenor range, and plays both electric and acoustic guitar, as well as mandolin and harmonica. Read more
12 Apr 1963: Lydia Cacho, Mexican journalist and author Lydia María Cacho Ribeiro is a Mexican journalist, feminist, and human rights activist. Described by Amnesty International as "perhaps Mexico's most famous investigative journalist and women's rights advocate", Cacho's reporting focuses on violence against and sexual abuse of women and children. Read more
12 Apr 1962: Art Alexakis, American singer-songwriter and musician Arthur Paul Alexakis is an American musician best known as the singer-songwriter and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several other bands in addition to his own work as a songwriter for other artists. Alexakis has founded several record labels throughout his career and worked as an A&R representative for major record labels between and during his own musical projects. Later he became a political activist and lobbied for special concerns which include drug awareness policies and support for the families of the military. Read more
12 Apr 1962: Carlos Sainz, Spanish racing driver Carlos Sainz Cenamor is a Spanish rally driver. He won the World Rally Championship drivers' title with Toyota in 1990 and 1992, and finished runner-up four times. Constructors' world champions to have benefited from Sainz are Subaru (1995), Toyota (1999) and Citroën. In the 2018 season, he was one of the official drivers of the Team Peugeot Total. He received the Princess of Asturias Sports Award in 2020. Sainz founded the Acciona | Sainz XE Team to join Extreme E and competed in the first two seasons alongside Laia Sanz. Read more
12 Apr 1962: Nobuhiko Takada, Japanese mixed martial artist and wrestler, founded Hustle Nobuhiko Takada is a Japanese former mixed martial artist, retired professional wrestler, actor, and writer. He competed in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) and the Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFI) in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming one of the highest figures of the "shoot-style" movement. Read more
12 Apr 1961: Corrado Fabi, Italian racing driver Corrado Fabi is a former racing driver from Italy. He participated in 18 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 13 March 1983, scoring no championship points. He is the younger brother of Teo Fabi, also a racing driver. Read more
12 Apr 1961: Charles Mann, American football player and sportscaster Charles Andre Mann is an American businessman and former professional football player. He played as a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers. Mann made the Pro Bowl four times in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991. Read more
12 Apr 1961: Magda Szubanski, English-Australian actress, comedian and writer Magdalene Mary Therese Szubanski is an Australian comedian, actor, author, and LGBT rights advocate. She performed in Fast Forward, Kath & Kim as Sharon Strzelecki, and in the films Babe (1995) and Babe: Pig in the City (1998), Happy Feet (2006) and Happy Feet Two (2011). In 2003 and 2004 surveys, she polled as the most recognised and well-liked Australian television personality. Read more
12 Apr 1960: David Thirdkill, American basketball player David Thirdkill is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the NBA, and was the 1993 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP. Read more
12 Apr 1958: Will Sergeant, English guitarist William Alfred Sergeant is an English guitarist, best known for being a member of Echo & the Bunnymen. He is the group's only constant member. Read more
12 Apr 1958: Klaus Tafelmeier, German javelin thrower Klaus-Dieter Tafelmeier is a retired German javelin thrower. He represented Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Read more
12 Apr 1958: Ginka Zagorcheva, Bulgarian hurdler Ginka Zagorcheva-Boycheva, Bulgarian: Гинка Загорчева-Бойчева is a former hurdling athlete from Bulgaria. She was born in Plovdiv, and is most notable for winning the 100 metres hurdles at the 1987 World Championships. She held the world record for a year with a time of 12.25 sec, until it was beaten by Yordanka Donkova in August 1988. She also competed in the women's 100 metres hurdles at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Read more
12 Apr 1957: Greg Child, Australian mountaineer and author

Greg Child is an Australian-born rock climber, mountaineer and author. Read more
12 Apr 1957: Vince Gill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist Vincent Grant Gill is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after taking over as lead singer of the soft rock band Pure Prairie League. Gill sang lead on their hit single "Let Me Love You Tonight" in addition to writing several of their songs. After leaving Pure Prairie League, Gill briefly played guitar in Rodney Crowell's backing band the Cherry Bombs before beginning a solo career in country music in 1984. Gill recorded for RCA Records Nashville from then until 1988 with minimal success. A year later he signed with MCA Nashville and has recorded for them since. Read more
12 Apr 1957: Tama Janowitz, American novelist and short story writer Tama Janowitz is an American novelist and a short story writer. She is especially known for her novel-in-stories Slaves of New York (1986), which was adapted into the movie of the same name by Merchant Ivory in 1989. She is often referenced as one of the main "brat pack" authors, along with Bret Easton Ellis and Jay McInerney. Read more
12 Apr 1956: Andy Garcia, Cuban-American actor, director, and producer Andrés Arturo García Menéndez is an American actor, director, producer, and musician. He first rose to prominence acting in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables (1987) alongside Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and Robert De Niro. He continued to act in films such as Stand and Deliver (1988), and Internal Affairs (1990). He then co-starred in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part III (1990) as Vincent Mancini, earning nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and becoming the first Cuban to be nominated for an acting Oscar. Read more
12 Apr 1956: Herbert Grönemeyer, German singer-songwriter and actor Herbert Arthur Wiglev Clamor Grönemeyer is a German singer, musician, producer, composer and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Read more
12 Apr 1955: Fabian Hamilton, English graphic designer, engineer, and politician Fabian Uziell-Hamilton is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds North East since 1997. He served as Shadow Minister for Peace and Disarmament from November 2016 to September 2023. Read more
12 Apr 1954: John Faulkner, Australian educator and politician, 52nd Australian Minister for Defence John Philip Faulkner is an Australian former Labor Party politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1989 to 2015. He was a Cabinet Minister in the Keating, Rudd and Gillard governments. Read more
12 Apr 1954: Steve Stevaert, Belgian businessman and politician (died 2015) Steve Stevaert was a Belgian politician of the Flemish Socialist Party: the SP.A. Read more
12 Apr 1954: Pat Travers, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist Patrick Henry Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who began his recording career in the mid-1970s. Read more
12 Apr 1953: Tanino Liberatore, Italian author and illustrator Gaetano Liberatore, better known as Tanino Liberatore, is an Italian comics author and illustrator. His best known fictional character is RanXerox. Read more
12 Apr 1952: Reuben Gant, American football player Reuben Charles Gant is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Oklahoma State University. He is regarded as a draft "bust" as he never lived up to the billing after Buffalo used a first-round pick on him in the 1974 NFL Draft. His best season came in 1977 when he recorded 41 catches for 646 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He became the team's full-time starter at tight end the following season. Read more
12 Apr 1952: Leicester Rutledge, New Zealand rugby player Leicester Malcolm Rutledge is a New Zealand former rugby union player. As a flanker, Rutledge represented Southland at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, from 1978 to 1980. He played 31 matches for the All Blacks, including 13 internationals, and captained the side in one match against Combined Services on the 1978 tour of Britain and Ireland. Read more
12 Apr 1952: Gary Soto, American poet, novelist, and memoirist Gary Anthony Soto is an American poet, novelist, and memoirist. Read more
12 Apr 1952: Ralph Wiley, American journalist (died 2004) Ralph Heygood Wiley Jr. was an American sports journalist who wrote for Sports Illustrated and ESPN's Page 2. He was well known for his distinctive literary tone and his writings on race in America. Read more
12 Apr 1951: Tom Noonan, American actor (died 2026) Thomas Patrick Noonan was an American actor, director and screenwriter, best known for his roles as Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter (1986), Frankenstein's Monster in The Monster Squad (1987), Cain in RoboCop 2 (1990), The Ripper in Last Action Hero (1993), Kelso in Heat (1995), Sammy Barnathan in Synecdoche, New York (2008), Mr. Ulman in The House of the Devil (2009), Reverend Nathaniel in Hell on Wheels (2011–2014), the Pallid Man in 12 Monkeys (2015–2018), and as the voice of everyone but Michael and Lisa in Anomalisa (2015). Read more
12 Apr 1950: Joyce Banda, Malawian politician, 4th president of Malawi Joyce Hilda Banda is a Malawian politician, educator, and activist who served as the fourth president of Malawi from 2012 to 2014. She became president after the death of Bingu wa Mutharika, under whom she served as the fourth vice president from 2009 to 2012. A member of the People's Party, Banda has led the party since its creation in 2011, and was the first female president of Malawi and the second head of state, after Elizabeth II, and the second in Africa, after Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Read more
12 Apr 1950: Flavio Briatore, Italian businessman Flavio Briatore is an Italian businessman, who serves as executive adviser and de facto team principal of Alpine in Formula One. As the longtime team principal of the colloquially known "Team Enstone", Briatore led the team to three World Constructors' Championship and four World Drivers' Championship victories. However, he was dogged by allegations of cheating, including the 1994 "Launch Control" controversy and the 2007 "Spygate" affair, although in both cases his teams escaped penalties. He was forced out of Renault and received a lifetime ban from F1 after the 2008 "Crashgate" scandal, although a French court subsequently overturned the ban. Fifteen years later, he returned to the Enstone team, which currently operates as Alpine F1. In late 2025, his name was also released in the Epstein files, however, his connection with Epstein seems to be weak. Read more
12 Apr 1950: David Cassidy, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2017) David Bruce Cassidy was an American actor and musician. While he was best known in the United States for his role as Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical-sitcom The Partridge Family, he was an international success in his solo career as a singer. For a period, he was the highest-paid entertainer in the world. Read more
12 Apr 1950: Nicholas Sackman, English composer and educator
Nicholas Sackman is an English classical composer. Read more
12 Apr 1949: Scott Turow, American lawyer and author Scott Frederick Turow is an American writer and lawyer. Turow worked as a lawyer for a decade before writing full-time, and has written 13 fiction and three nonfiction books, which have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 30 million copies. Turow’s novels are set primarily among the legal community in the fictional Kindle County. Films have been based on several of his books. Read more
12 Apr 1949: Pravin Gordhan, South African politician (died 2024) Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist who held various ministerial posts in the Cabinet of South Africa. He served as Minister of Finance from 2009 until 2014, and again from 2015 until 2017, as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 until 2015, and as Minister of Public Enterprises from February 2018 until June 2024, when the entire Department of Public Enterprises and its ministry were abolished following the 2024 general elections. Read more
12 Apr 1948: Jeremy Beadle, English television host and producer (died 2008) Jeremy James Anthony Gibson-Beadle MBE was an English television and radio presenter, writer and producer. From the 1980s to the late 1990s he maintained a constant presence both on British television and radio, hosting various programmes in particular the hidden-camera show Beadle's About and home-movie clip show You've Been Framed!. Read more
12 Apr 1948: Joschka Fischer, German academic and politician Joseph Martin "Joschka" Fischer is a German former politician of the Alliance 90/The Greens party. He served as the foreign minister and as the vice chancellor of Germany in the cabinet of Gerhard Schröder from 1998 to 2005. Fischer has been a leading figure in the German Greens since the 1970s, and according to opinion polls, he was the most popular politician in Germany for most of the Schröder government's duration. Following the September 2005 election, in which the Schröder government was defeated, he left office on 22 November 2005. In September 2010, he supported the creation of the Spinelli Group, a Europarliamentarian initiative founded with a view to reinvigorate efforts to federalise the European Union. Read more
12 Apr 1948: Christos Iakovou, Greek weightlifter Christos Iakovou is a Greek weightlifter. He competed at the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. He was named the 1975 Greek Male Athlete of the Year. Read more
12 Apr 1948: Marcello Lippi, Italian footballer, manager, and coach Marcello Romeo Lippi is an Italian former professional football player and former manager, who led the Italy national team to victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Read more
12 Apr 1947: Roy M. Anderson, English epidemiologist, zoologist, and academic Sir Roy Malcolm Anderson is a leading international authority on the epidemiology and control of infectious diseases. He is the author, with Robert May, of the most highly cited book in this field, entitled Infectious Diseases of Humans: Dynamics and Control. His early work was on the population ecology of infectious agents before focusing on the epidemiology and control of human infections. His published research includes studies of the major viral, bacterial and parasitic infections of humans, wildlife and livestock. This has included major studies on HIV, SARS, foot and mouth disease, bovine tuberculosis, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), influenza A, antibiotic resistant bacteria, the neglected tropical diseases and most recently COVID-19. Anderson is the author of over 650 peer-reviewed scientific articles with an h-index of 125. Read more
12 Apr 1947: Martin Brasier, English palaeontologist, biologist, and academic (died 2014) Martin David Brasier FGS, FLS was an English palaeobiologist and astrobiologist known for his conceptual analysis of microfossils and evolution in the Precambrian and Cambrian. Read more
12 Apr 1947: Tom Clancy, American historian and author (died 2013) Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have been bestsellers and more than 100 million copies of his books have been sold. His name has also been used on screenplays written by ghostwriters, nonfiction books on military subjects occasionally with co-authors, and video games. He was a part-owner of his hometown Major League Baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles, and vice-chairman of their community activities and public affairs committees. Read more
12 Apr 1947: David Letterman, American comedian and talk show host David Michael Letterman is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC and ending with the May 20, 2015, broadcast of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes of Late Night and Late Show, surpassing his friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late-night talk show host in American television history. Read more
12 Apr 1947: Wayne Northrop, American actor (died 2024) Wayne Alan Northrop was an American actor known for his parts in soap operas such as Dynasty and Days of Our Lives. Wayne Northrop died on November 29th, 2024 in Los Angeles, California of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 77 years old. Read more
12 Apr 1946: John Dunsworth, Canadian actor and comedian (died 2017) John Francis Dunsworth was a Canadian actor and filmmaker. He was best known for playing trailer park supervisor Jim Lahey, the antagonist on the comedy series Trailer Park Boys (2001–2018). His other roles included the mysterious reporter Dave Teagues on the supernatural drama series Haven (2010–2015) and Officer McNabb in the CBC film Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion (2003). He also had extensive experience in regional theater. Read more
12 Apr 1946: Ed O'Neill, American actor and comedian Edward Leonard O'Neill is an American actor, comedian, and former football player. Over his career, he has earned four Screen Actors Guild Awards as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Read more
12 Apr 1946: George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, Scottish politician and diplomat, 10th Secretary General of NATO George Islay MacNeill Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen is a British politician who served as the 10th Secretary General of NATO from 1999 to 2003. A member of the Labour Party, he previously served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1997 to 1999 and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland from 1993 to 1997. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Hamilton South from 1978 to 1999 and was appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer in 2000. Read more
12 Apr 1945: Lee Jong-wook, South Korean physician and diplomat (died 2006) Lee Jong-wook was a South Korean physician. He was the director-general of the World Health Organization for three years. Lee joined the WHO in 1983, working on a variety of projects including the Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunizations and Stop Tuberculosis. He began his term as director-general in 2004, and was the first figure from Korea to lead an international agency. Read more
12 Apr 1944: Lisa Jardine, English historian, author, and academic (died 2015) Lisa Anne Jardine was a British historian of the early modern period. Read more
12 Apr 1944: John Kay, German-Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer John Kay is an American rock singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the frontman of Steppenwolf. Read more
12 Apr 1943: Sumitra Mahajan, Indian politician, 16th Speaker of the Lok Sabha Sumitra "Tai" Mahajan is an Indian politician who was the Speaker of Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament from 2014 to 2019. She belongs to Bharatiya Janata Party. She represented the Indore constituency of Madhya Pradesh from 1989 to 2019 as the longest serving Woman Member of Parliament. Read more
12 Apr 1942: Bill Bryden, Scottish actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2022) William Campbell Rough Bryden was a Scottish stage and film director and screenwriter. Read more
12 Apr 1942: Carlos Reutemann, Argentinian race car driver and politician (died 2021) Carlos Alberto "Lole" Reutemann was an Argentine racing driver and politician, who competed in Formula One from 1972 to 1982 and served as the Governor of Santa Fe from 1999 to 2003. Reutemann was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 1981 with Williams and—at the time of his retirement—held the record for most podium finishes (45); he won 12 Grands Prix across 11 seasons. A member of the Justicialist Party, he was a National Senator for Santa Fe from 2003 until his death in 2021. Read more
12 Apr 1942: Jacob Zuma, South African politician, 4th President of South Africa Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is a South African politician who served as the president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a former anti-apartheid activist, member of uMkhonto weSizwe, and president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 2007 to 2017. He is also the father-in-law of Eswatini king Mswati III. Read more
12 Apr 1941: Bobby Moore, English footballer and manager (died 1993) Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore was an English professional footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders in the history of football, and was cited by Pelé as the greatest defender he had ever played against. Moore is considered one of the greatest players of all time. Read more
12 Apr 1940: Woodie Fryman, American baseball player (died 2011) Woodrow Thompson Fryman was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams, across 18 seasons (1966–1983). A two-time National League (NL) All-Star, he helped the Detroit Tigers reach the 1972 American League Championship Series and the Montreal Expos reach the 1981 National League Championship Series. Read more
12 Apr 1940: Herbie Hancock, American pianist, composer, and bandleader Herbert Jeffrey Hancock is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the post-bop sound. In the 1970s, he experimented with jazz fusion, funk, and electro styles using a wide array of synthesizers and electronics. It was during this time that he released one of his best-known and most influential albums, Head Hunters. Read more
12 Apr 1939: Alan Ayckbourn, English director and playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 91 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, where all but four of his plays have received their first performance. More than 40 have subsequently been produced in the West End, at the Royal National Theatre or by the Royal Shakespeare Company since his first hit Relatively Speaking opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1967. Read more
12 Apr 1939: Johnny Raper, Australian rugby league player and coach (died 2022) John William Raper was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. Nicknamed "Chook", he was a lock-forward who earned a then-record of 33 Test caps in the Australia national team between 1959 and 1968. He also played six World Cup games between 1960 and 1968. Raper captained Australia on eight occasions from 1967 to 68 and played in eight consecutive NSWRFL first-grade grand final victories for the St. George Dragons club. He was named as one of the nation's finest footballers of the 20th century. Read more
12 Apr 1937: Dennis Banks, American author and activist (died 2017) Dennis J. Banks was a Native American activist, teacher, and author. He was a longtime leader of the American Indian Movement, which he co-founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1968 to represent urban Indians. He was a pre-eminent spokesman for Native Americans. His protests won government concessions and created national attention and sympathy for the oppression and endemic social and economic conditions for Native Americans. Read more
12 Apr 1937: Igor Volk, Ukrainian-Russian colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 2017) Igor Petrovich Volk was a Soviet test pilot and cosmonaut in the Buran programme. Read more
12 Apr 1936: Tony Earl, American politician, 40th Governor of Wisconsin (died 2023) Anthony Scully Earl was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the 41st governor of Wisconsin from 1983 until 1987. Prior to his election as governor, he served as secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration and secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in the administration of Governor Patrick Lucey. He also served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Marathon County. Read more
12 Apr 1936: Charles Napier, American actor (died 2011) Charles Lewis Napier was an American actor who was known for playing supporting and occasional leading roles in television and films. He was frequently cast as police officers, soldiers, or authority figures, many of them villainous or corrupt. After leaving his Kentucky hometown to serve in the Army, he graduated from college and worked as a sports coach and art teacher before settling on acting as a career. His first prominent role in a film was in Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1969), which was the first of four films he would do with director Russ Meyer. Napier established himself in character roles and worked steadily for the next 35 years. He made numerous collaborations with director Jonathan Demme, including roles in Something Wild (1986), Married to the Mob (1988), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), Beloved (1998), and The Manchurian Candidate (2004). Read more
12 Apr 1936: Kennedy Simmonds, Kittitian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis Sir Kennedy Alphonse Simmonds, KCMG, is a Saint Kittitian and Nevisian politician who served as the first prime minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1983 to 1995. Read more
12 Apr 1935: Jimmy Makulis, Greek singer (died 2007) Dimitrios Makulis, known as Jimmy Makulis, was a Greek singer who had a successful career in German-speaking markets in the 1950s and 1960s, and is known for his participation on behalf of Austria in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest. Read more
12 Apr 1934: Heinz Schneiter, Swiss footballer and manager (died 2017) Heinz Schneiter was a Swiss football player and manager. Read more
12 Apr 1933: Montserrat Caballé, Spanish soprano and actress (died 2018) María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc, simply known as Montserrat Caballé, was a Spanish operatic soprano. Widely considered to be one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century, she won a variety of musical awards throughout her six-decade career, including three Grammy Awards. Read more
12 Apr 1932: Lakshman Kadirgamar, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 5th Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs (died 2005) Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar, PC was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka from 1994 to 2001 and again from April 2004 until his assassination in August 2005. Lakshman Kadirgamar served as the President of Oxford Union in 1958–59. Read more
12 Apr 1932: Herbert Butros Khaury, American singer and ukulele player (died 1996) Herbert Butros Khaury, also known as Herbert Buckingham Khaury, and known professionally as Tiny Tim, was an American musician, songwriter and musical archivist. He is especially known for his 1968 hit recording of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips", a cover of the popular song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips with Me" from the 1929 musical Gold Diggers of Broadway. Tiny Tim was renowned for his wide vocal range, in particular his far-reaching falsetto. Read more
12 Apr 1932: Jean-Pierre Marielle, French actor (died 2019) Jean-Pierre Marielle was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen, to a World War II hero, to a compromised spy, to a has-been actor, to his portrayal of Jacques Saunière in The Da Vinci Code. He was well known for his distinctive cavernous voice, which is often imitated by French humorists who considered him to be archetypical of the French gentleman. Read more
12 Apr 1931: Leonid Derbenyov, Russian poet and songwriter (died 1995) Leonid Petrovich Derbenyov was a Russian poet and lyricist widely regarded as one of the stalwarts of the 20th century Soviet and Russian pop music. Read more
12 Apr 1930: John Landy, Australian runner and politician, 26th Governor of Victoria (died 2022) John Michael Landy was an Australian middle-distance runner and state governor. He was the second man to break the four-minute mile barrier in the mile run and held the world records for the 1500-metre run and the mile race. He was also the 26th Governor of Victoria from 2001 to 2006. Read more
12 Apr 1930: Bryan Magee, English philosopher and politician (died 2019) Bryan Edgar Magee was a British philosopher, broadcaster, politician, and author, known for bringing philosophy to a popular audience. Read more
12 Apr 1930: Manuel Neri, American sculptor and painter (died 2021) Manuel John Neri Jr. was an American sculptor who is recognized for his life-size figurative sculptures in plaster, bronze, and marble. In Neri's work with the figure, he conveys an emotional inner state that is revealed through body language and gesture. Since 1965 his studio was in Benicia, California; in 1981 he purchased a studio in Carrara, Italy, for working in marble. Over four decades, beginning in the early 1970s, Neri worked primarily with the same model, Mary Julia Klimenko, creating drawings and sculptures that merge contemporary concerns with Modernist sculptural forms. Read more
12 Apr 1930: Pythagoras Papastamatiou, Greek lyricist and playwright (died 1979) Pythagoras Papastamatiou, mainly known by the mononym Pythagoras, was a Greek lyricist and playwright. Read more
12 Apr 1930: Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician and educator (died 2006) Michał Życzkowski was a Polish mechanical engineer. Read more
12 Apr 1929: Elspet Gray, Scottish actress (died 2013) Elspet Jean Gray, Baroness Rix was a Scottish actress, who first became known for her partnership with her husband, Brian Rix, and later was cast in many television roles in the 1970s and 1980s. She played Lady Collingford in the television series Catweazle and Mrs. Palmer in the television series Solo, alongside Felicity Kendal. Read more
12 Apr 1929: Mukhran Machavariani, Georgian poet and educator (died 2010) Mukhran Machavariani was a Georgian poet, a member of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Georgia from 1990 until 1992, and a recipient of the Shota Rustaveli Prize of Georgia. From 1988 until 1990 he was the Chairman of the Union of Georgian Writers. He died during a performance at Rustaveli Theatre in Tbilisi. Read more
12 Apr 1928: Hardy Krüger, German actor (died 2022) Hardy Krüger was a German actor and author who appeared in more than 60 films from 1944 onwards. After becoming a film star in Germany in the 1950s, Krüger increasingly turned to roles in international films such as The One That Got Away (1957), Hatari!, Sundays and Cybèle, The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), Battle of Neretva, The Secret of Santa Vittoria, The Red Tent, Barry Lyndon (1975), A Bridge Too Far (1977), and The Wild Geese (1978). Read more
12 Apr 1928: Jean-François Paillard, French conductor (died 2013) Jean-François Paillard was a French conductor. Read more
12 Apr 1927: Thomas Hemsley, English baritone (died 2013)

Thomas Jeffrey Hemsley, CBE was an English baritone. Read more
12 Apr 1927: Alvin Sargent, American screenwriter (died 2019) Alvin Sargent was an American screenwriter. He won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, for Julia (1977) and Ordinary People (1980). Sargent's other works include screenplays of the films The Sterile Cuckoo (1969), The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds (1970), Paper Moon (1973), Nuts (1987), White Palace (1990), What About Bob? (1991), Unfaithful (2002), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Spider-Man 3 (2007), and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Read more
12 Apr 1926: Jane Withers, American actress (died 2021) Jane Withers was an American actress and children's radio show hostess. She became one of the most popular child stars in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s, with her films ranking in the top ten list for box-office gross in 1937 and 1938. Read more
12 Apr 1925: Evelyn Berezin, American computer scientist and engineer (died 2018) Evelyn Berezin was an American computer designer responsible for the creation of the first airline reservation systems and the original word processor. Read more
12 Apr 1925: Ned Miller, American country music singer and songwriter (died 2016) Henry Ned Miller was an American country music singer-songwriter. Active as a recording artist from 1956 to 1970, he is known primarily for his hit single "From a Jack to a King", a crossover hit in 1962 which reached the Top 10 on the country music, adult contemporary, and Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 1 for five weeks in Canada, as well as reaching No. 2 in the UK singles chart. He had several more chart singles in his career, although none matched the success of "From a Jack to a King". He also composed and recorded "Invisible Tears". Read more
12 Apr 1925: Oliver Postgate, English animator, puppeteer, and screenwriter (died 2008) Richard Oliver Postgate was an English animator, puppeteer, and writer. He was the creator and writer of several popular British children's television programmes. Bagpuss, Pingwings, Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, Clangers and Pogles' Wood, were all made by Smallfilms, the company he set up with collaborator, artist and puppet maker Peter Firmin. The programmes were originally broadcast by the BBC from the 1950s to the 1980s. In a 1999 BBC poll Bagpuss was voted the most popular children's television programme of all time. Read more
12 Apr 1924: Raymond Barre, French economist and politician, Prime Minister of France (died 2007) Raymond Octave Joseph Barre was a French politician and economist. He was a Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three presidents. He later served as Prime Minister under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing from 1976 until 1981. As a candidate for the presidency in 1988, he came in third and was eliminated in the first round. He was born in Saint-Denis, on the French island of Réunion, and then still a colony. Read more
12 Apr 1924: Peter Safar, Austrian physician and academic (died 2003) Peter Safar was an Austrian anesthesiologist of Czech Jewish descent. He is credited with pioneering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Read more
12 Apr 1924: Curtis Turner, American race car driver (died 1970) Curtis Morton Turner was an American stock car racer who won 17 NASCAR Grand National Division races and 38 NASCAR Convertible Division races. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. He also fought to form a drivers union, which got him banned by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. for four years. Read more
12 Apr 1923: Ann Miller, American actress, singer, and dancer (died 2004) Ann Miller was an American actress and dancer. She is best remembered for her work in the classical Hollywood cinema musicals of the 1940s and 1950s. Her early film work included roles in Room Service with the Marx Brothers and Frank Capra's You Can't Take It with You, both released in 1938. She later starred in the musical classics Easter Parade (1948), On the Town (1949) and Kiss Me Kate (1953). Her final film role was in Mulholland Drive (2001). Read more
12 Apr 1922: Simon Kapwepwe, Zambian politician, 2nd Vice President of Zambia (died 1980) Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe was a prominent Zambian politician, anti-colonialist, and author, born on April 12, 1922. Kapwepwe made significant contributions towards Zambia's struggle for independence, working tirelessly towards achieving the country's liberation from colonial rule. Read more
12 Apr 1921: Robert Cliche, Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician (died 1978) Robert Cliche was a Canadian lawyer, politician and judge. Read more
12 Apr 1919: István Anhalt, Hungarian-Canadian composer and educator (died 2012) István Anhalt (1919-2012) was a Hungarian-Canadian composer and teacher. Read more
12 Apr 1919: Billy Vaughn, American musician and bandleader (died 1991) William Vaughn, popularly known as Billy Vaughn was an American musician, singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records. Read more
12 Apr 1917: Helen Forrest, American singer and actress (died 1999) Helen Forrest was an American singer of traditional pop and swing music. She served as the "girl singer" for three of the most popular big bands of the Swing Era, thereby earning a reputation as "the voice of the name bands." Read more
12 Apr 1917: Vinoo Mankad, Indian cricketer (died 1978) Mulvantrai Himmatlal "Vinoo" Mankad was a former Captain of Indian cricket team and appeared in 44 Test matches for India between 1946 and 1959. He was best known for his world record setting opening partnership of 413 runs with Pankaj Roy in 1956, a record that stood for 52 years, and for running out a batsman "backing up" at the non-striker's end. Mankading in cricket is named after him. In June 2021, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. Read more
12 Apr 1917: Robert Manzon, French racing driver (died 2015) Robert Jean Joseph Manzon was a French racing driver, who competed in Formula One from 1950 to 1956. Read more
12 Apr 1916: Beverly Cleary, American author (died 2021) Beverly Atlee Cleary was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse. Read more
12 Apr 1916: Russell Garcia, American-New Zealand composer and conductor (died 2011) Russell Garcia, QSM was an American composer and arranger who wrote a wide variety of music for screen, stage and broadcast. Read more
12 Apr 1916: Benjamin Libet, American neuropsychologist and academic (died 2007) Benjamin Libet was an American neuroscientist who was a pioneer in the field of human consciousness. Libet was a researcher in the physiology department of the University of California, San Francisco. In 2003, he was the first recipient of the Virtual Nobel Prize in Psychology from the University of Klagenfurt "for his pioneering achievements in the experimental investigation of consciousness, initiation of action, and free will". Read more
12 Apr 1914: Armen Alchian, American economist and academic (died 2013) Armen Albert Alchian was an American economist who made major contributions to microeconomic theory and the theory of the firm. He spent almost his entire career at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and is credited with turning its economics department into one of the country's best. He is also known as one of the founders of new institutional economics, and widely acknowledged for his work on property rights. Read more
12 Apr 1913: Keiko Fukuda, Japanese-American martial artist (died 2013) Keiko Fukuda was a Japanese-American martial artist. She was the highest-ranked female judoka in history, holding the rank of 9th dan from the Kodokan (2006), and 10th dan from USA Judo and from the United States Judo Federation (USJF), and was the last surviving student of Kanō Jigorō, founder of judo. She was a renowned pioneer of women's judo, and in 1972 together with her senpai Masako Noritomi (1913–1982) was one of the first two women promoted to 6th dan. In 2006, the Kodokan promoted Fukuda to 9th dan, making her the first woman to hold this rank from any recognized judo organization. She is also the first and, so far, only woman to have been promoted to 10th dan in judo, which occurred in 2011. After completing her formal education in Japan, Fukuda visited the United States to teach in the 1950s and 1960s, and eventually settled there. She continued to teach her art in the San Francisco Bay Area until her death in 2013. Read more
12 Apr 1912: Frank Dilio, Canadian businessman (died 1997)
Francis Paul Dilio was a Canadian ice hockey administrator in Quebec and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He served as the registrar and secretary of the Hockey Québec. The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League named one of its divisions after him, along with Robert Lebel. Read more
12 Apr 1912: Hamengkubuwono IX, Indonesian politician, 2nd Vice President of Indonesia (died 1988) Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, often abbreviated as HB IX, was an Indonesian politician and Javanese royal who was the second vice president of Indonesia, the ninth sultan of Yogyakarta, and the first governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Hamengkubuwono IX was also the chairman of the first National Scout Movement Quarter and was known as the Father of the Indonesian Scouts. Read more
12 Apr 1912: Hound Dog Taylor, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1975) Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor was an American Chicago blues guitarist and singer. Read more
12 Apr 1911: Mahmoud Younis, Egyptian engineer (died 1976) Mahmoud Younis was an engineer of the Suez Canal nationalization on July 26, 1956. He served as Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority. He also served as the head of engineers' syndicate during the rule of Gamal Abdel Nasser. Read more
12 Apr 1910: Gillo Dorfles, Italian art critic, painter and philosopher (died 2018) Angelo Eugenio "Gillo" Dorfles was an Italian art critic, painter, and philosopher. Read more
12 Apr 1910: Irma Rapuzzi, French politician (died 2018) Irma Rapuzzi was a French politician. Read more
12 Apr 1908: Ida Pollock, English author and painter (died 2013) Ida Julia Pollock was a British writer of several short-stories and over 125 romance novels that were published under her married name, Ida Pollock, and under a number of different pseudonyms: Joan M. Allen; Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Averil Ives, Anita Charles, Barbara Rowan, Jane Beaufort, Rose Burghley, Mary Whistler and Marguerite Bell. She sold millions of copies over her 90-year career. She has been referred to as the "world's oldest novelist", who was still active at 105 and continued writing until her death. On the occasion of her 105th birthday, Pollock was appointed honorary vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association, having been one of its founding members. Read more
12 Apr 1908: Robert Lee Scott, Jr., American pilot and general (died 2006) Robert Lee Scott Jr. was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force and a flying ace of World War II, credited with shooting down 13 Japanese aircraft. Read more
12 Apr 1907: Felix de Weldon, Austrian-American sculptor, designed the Marine Corps War Memorial (died 2003) Felix Weihs de Weldon was an Austrian sculptor. His most famous pieces include the United States Marine Corps War Memorial in the Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, US, and the Malaysian National Monument (1966) in Kuala Lumpur. Read more
12 Apr 1907: Zawgyi, Burmese poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic (died 1990) Saya Zawgyi was a distinguished and leading Burmese poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic. He is regarded as the greatest of Myanmar's poets. His name, Zawgyi, refers to a mythical wizard from Burmese mythology. He was one of the leaders of the Hkit san movement in Burmese literature searching for a new style and content before the Second World War, along with Theippan Maung Wa, Nwe Soe and Min Thu Wun. His first hkit san poetry, Padauk pan, was published in Hantha Kyemon pamphlet. Read more
12 Apr 1903: Jan Tinbergen, Dutch economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1994) Jan Tinbergen was a Dutch economist who was awarded the first Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1969, which he shared with Ragnar Frisch for having developed and applied dynamic models for the analysis of economic processes. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential economists of the 20th century and one of the founding fathers of econometrics. Read more
12 Apr 1902: Louis Beel, Dutch academic and politician, 36th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (died 1977) Louis Joseph Maria Beel was a Dutch politician of the Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP) and later co-founder of the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and jurist who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 3 July 1946 until 7 August 1948 and from 22 December 1958 until 19 May 1959. Read more
12 Apr 1901: Lowell Stockman, American farmer and politician (died 1962) Lowell Stockman was a representative from Oregon to the United States House of Representatives from 1943 to 1953. Read more
12 Apr 1898: Lily Pons, French-American soprano and actress (died 1976) Alice Joséphine Pons, known professionally as Lily Pons, was a French-American operatic lyric coloratura soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an opera singer, she specialized in the coloratura soprano repertoire and was particularly associated with the title roles in Lakmé and Lucia di Lammermoor. In addition to appearing as a guest artist with many opera houses internationally, Pons enjoyed a long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where she performed nearly 300 times between 1931 and 1960. Read more
12 Apr 1894: Dorothy Cumming, Australian-American actress (died 1983) Dorothy Greville Cumming was an Australian-born actress of the silent film era. She appeared in 39 American, English, and Australian films between 1915 and 1929, notably appearing as the Virgin Mary in Cecil B. DeMille's 1927 film The King of Kings and the jealous wife in Victor Sjöström's 1928 The Wind. She also appeared in stage productions in those same countries. Read more
12 Apr 1894: Francisco Craveiro Lopes, Portuguese field marshal and politician, 13th President of Portugal (died 1964) Francisco Higino Craveiro Lopes was a Portuguese Air Force officer and politician who served as the president of Portugal from 1951 to 1958. Read more
12 Apr 1892: Henry Darger, American writer and artist (died 1973) Henry Joseph Darger Jr. was an American janitor and hospital worker who became known after his death for his immense body of art and literature. Read more
12 Apr 1888: Dan Ahearn, Irish-American long jumper and police officer (died 1942) Dan Ahearn was an Irish and later American track and field athlete and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. He competed for the U.S. Olympic team in the 1920 Summer Olympics. Read more
12 Apr 1888: Cecil Kimber, English automobile engineer (died 1945) Cecil Kimber was a self-taught British businessman, engineer, inventor, race-car driver and the creative motor-car designer best known for having been the driving force behind The M.G. Car Company. Kimber's automotive design philosophy was simple: "A sports car should look fast even when it is standing still". Read more
12 Apr 1887: Harold Lockwood, American actor and director (died 1918) Harold A. Lockwood was an American silent film actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most popular matinée idols of the early film period during the 1910s. Read more
12 Apr 1885: Robert Delaunay, French painter (died 1941) Robert Delaunay was a French artist of the School of Paris movement; who, with his wife Sonia Delaunay and others, co-founded the Orphism art movement, noted for its use of strong colours and geometric shapes. His later works were more abstract. His key influence related to the bold use of colour and a clear love of experimentation with both depth and tone. Read more
12 Apr 1884: Tenby Davies, Welsh runner (died 1932) Frederick Charles "Tenby" Davies was a Welsh athlete who became the half-mile world professional champion in 1909 after a race against Irishman Beauchamp Day. Read more
12 Apr 1884: Otto Meyerhof, German physician and biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1951) Otto Fritz Meyerhof was a German physician and biochemist who won the 1922 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Read more
12 Apr 1883: Imogen Cunningham, American photographer and educator (died 1976) Imogen Cunningham was an American photographer known for her botanical photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes. Cunningham was a member of the California-based Group f/64, known for its dedication to the sharp-focus rendition of simple subjects. Read more
12 Apr 1883: Dally Messenger, Australian rugby player, cricketer, and sailor (died 1959) Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger, was an Australian rugby league and rugby union footballer. One of Australia's first professional rugby footballers, he is recognised as one of the greatest-ever players in either code. He played for New South Wales in the first match run by the newly-created New South Wales Rugby Football League, which had just split away from the established New South Wales Rugby Football Union. Read more
12 Apr 1880: Addie Joss, American baseball player and journalist (died 1911) Adrian "Addie" Joss, nicknamed "the Human Hairpin", was an American professional baseball pitcher. He pitched for the Cleveland Bronchos of Major League Baseball, later known as the Naps, between 1902 and 1910. Joss, who was 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and weighed 185 pounds (84 kg), pitched the fourth perfect game in baseball history. His 1.89 career earned run average (ERA) is the second-lowest in MLB history, behind Ed Walsh, while his career WHIP of 0.968 is the lowest of all-time. Read more
12 Apr 1874: William B. Bankhead, American lawyer and politician, 47th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (died 1940) William Brockman Bankhead was an American politician who served as the 42nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1936 to 1940, representing Alabama's 10th and later 7th congressional districts as a Democrat from 1917 to 1940. Bankhead was a strong liberal and a prominent supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal of pro-labor union legislation, thus clashing with most other Southern Democrats in Congress at the time. Bankhead described himself as proud to be a politician, by which he meant that he did not neglect matters that concerned his district or reelection. He was the father of actress Tallulah Bankhead. Read more
12 Apr 1871: Ioannis Metaxas, Greek general and politician, 130th Prime Minister of Greece (died 1941) Ioannis Metaxas was a Greek military officer and politician who was the dictator of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941. He governed constitutionally for the first four months of his tenure, and thereafter as the strongman leader of the 4th of August Regime following his appointment by King George II. Read more
12 Apr 1869: Henri Désiré Landru, French serial killer (died 1922) Henri Désiré Landru was a French serial killer, nicknamed the Bluebeard of Gambais and a prolific marriage fraudster. He is confirmed to have murdered at least ten women and the teenage son of his first victim, primarily targeting lonely war widows whom he met through newspaper advertisements, seduced, defrauded of their assets, and then killed, disposing of their bodies by burning them in his stove. He committed these crimes between December 1914 and January 1919, first at a house in Vernouillet and later at an isolated villa in Gambais, near Paris. The true number of Landru's victims remains unknown, as police traced correspondence with 283 women, 72 of whom were never found. He is considered one of France's most famous and notorious murderers, whose investigation and trial became a media sensation in the aftermath of World War I. His case served as the inspiration for Charlie Chaplin's film Monsieur Verdoux. Read more
12 Apr 1868: Akiyama Saneyuki, Japanese admiral (died 1918) Akiyama Saneyuki was a Japanese navy officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Meiji era. He was a planner of Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War. General Akiyama Yoshifuru was his elder brother and politician Hisako Ōishi was his granddaughter. Read more
12 Apr 1863: Raul Pompeia, Brazilian writer (died 1895) Raul d'Ávila Pompeia was a Brazilian novelist, short story writer and chronicler. He is famous for the Impressionist romance O Ateneu. He was the original patron of the 33rd chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Read more
12 Apr 1856: Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington, English mountaineer, cartographer, and politician (died 1937) William Martin Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Allington,, known between 1895 and 1931 as Sir Martin Conway, was an English art critic, politician, cartographer and mountaineer, who made expeditions in Europe as well as in South America and Asia. Read more
12 Apr 1852: Ferdinand von Lindemann, German mathematician and academic (died 1939) Carl Louis Ferdinand von Lindemann was a German mathematician who proved in 1882 that π (pi) is a transcendental number, meaning it is not a root of any nonzero polynomial with rational coefficients. Read more
12 Apr 1851: José Gautier Benítez, Puerto Rican soldier and poet (died 1880) José Martín Antonio Gautier Benítez was a Puerto Rican poet of the Romantic Era. Read more
12 Apr 1851: Edward Walter Maunder, English astronomer and author (died 1928) Edward Walter Maunder was a British astronomer. His study of sunspots and the solar magnetic cycle led to his identification of the period from 1645 to 1715 that is now known as the Maunder Minimum. Read more
12 Apr 1845: Gustaf Cederström, Swedish painter (died 1933) Gustaf Olof Cederström (1845-1933) was a Swedish painter who specialized in historical scenes and portraits. Read more
12 Apr 1839: Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russian geographer and explorer (died 1888) Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky was a Russian geographer and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia. Although he never reached his ultimate goal, the city of Lhasa in Tibet, he still travelled through regions then unknown to Westerners, such as northern Tibet, Amdo and Dzungaria. He contributed substantially to European knowledge of Central Asian geography. Read more
12 Apr 1823: Alexander Ostrovsky, Russian playwright and translator (died 1886) Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 original plays, Ostrovsky "almost single-handedly created a Russian national repertoire." His dramas are among the most widely read and frequently performed stage pieces in Russia. Read more
12 Apr 1816: Charles Gavan Duffy, Irish-Australian politician, 8th Premier of Victoria (died 1903) Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, KCMG, PC, was an Irish poet, politician and journalist, Young Irelander and tenant-rights activist. After emigrating to Australia in 1856 he entered the politics of Victoria on a platform of land reform, and in 1871–1872 served as the colony's 8th Premier. Read more
12 Apr 1801: Joseph Lanner, Austrian composer and conductor (died 1843) Joseph Lanner was an Austrian dance music composer and dance orchestra conductor. He is best remembered as one of the earliest Viennese composers to reform the waltz from a simple peasant dance to something that even the highest society could enjoy, either as an accompaniment to the dance, or for the music's own sake. He was just as famous as his friend and musical rival Johann Strauss I, who was better known outside of Austria in their day because of his concert tours abroad, in particular to France and England. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 12 April in World History

12 Apr 2025: Pilita Corrales, Filipino singer-songwriter and actress (born 1939) Pilar "Pilita" Garrido Corrales was a Filipino singer, actress and comedian. She was known for her distinctive backbend when singing and was popularly referred to as the "Greatest singer in the Philippines" and "Asia's Queen of Songs" for her vocal style and longevity. Read more
12 Apr 2024: Roberto Cavalli, Italian fashion designer and inventor (born 1940) Roberto Cavalli was an Italian fashion designer and inventor. He was known for exotic prints and for creating the sand-blasted look for jeans. The Roberto Cavalli fashion house sells luxury clothing, perfume, and leather accessories. Read more
12 Apr 2024: Eleanor Coppola, American filmmaker (born 1936) Eleanor Jessie Coppola was an American documentary film director, screenwriter, and artist. A member of the Coppola family, she was married to director Francis Ford Coppola from 1963 until her death. She was best known for her 1991 documentary film Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse as well as other documentaries chronicling the films of her husband and children. Read more
12 Apr 2024: Robert MacNeil, Canadian-American journalist and author (born 1931) Robert Breckenridge Ware MacNeil, often known as Robin MacNeil, was a Canadian-American journalist, writer and television news anchor. He partnered with Jim Lehrer to create the landmark public television news program The Robert MacNeil Report in 1975. MacNeil co-anchored the program until 1995. The show eventually became the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour and is today PBS News Hour. Read more
12 Apr 2022: Gilbert Gottfried, American comedian, actor, and singer (born 1955) Gilbert Jeremy Gottfried was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was best known for his exaggerated shrill voice, strong New York dialect, his squint, and his edgy, often controversial sense of humor. His numerous roles in film and television included voicing Iago in The Walt Disney Company's Aladdin franchise until his death in 2022, Mister Mxyzptlk in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Action, Digit LeBoid in PBS Kids' Cyberchase until his death, Kraang Subprime in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the Aflac duck mascot before he was replaced by Daniel McKeague in 2011. He also played Mr. Peabody in the Problem Child franchise, the only actor in the series to reprise his role in all three films as well as the animated television series. Read more
12 Apr 2021: Joseph Siravo, American actor and producer (born 1955) Joseph Siravo was an American actor. He acted on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning productions of Oslo and The Light in the Piazza. His roles in film and television included Johnny Soprano in The Sopranos and Fred Goldman in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Read more
12 Apr 2020: Tarvaris Jackson, American football player (born 1983) Tarvaris D'Andre Jackson was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). Jackson played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Alabama State Hornets. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. Read more
12 Apr 2017: Charlie Murphy, American actor and comedian (born 1959) Charles Quinton Murphy was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was best known as a writer and cast member of the Comedy Central sketch-comedy series Chappelle's Show, and a co-star of the sitcom Black Jesus. He was the older brother of actor and comedian Eddie Murphy. Read more
12 Apr 2016: Mohammad Al Gaz, Emirati politician & diplomat (born 1930) Mohamed Abdallah AlGaz, was a financier, developer, diplomat, central banker and philanthropist in the early years of the United Arab Emirates. AlGaz became a member of Dubai’s first generation of market-making investors and developers in the 1950s through his famous partnership with Juma al Majid. Read more
12 Apr 2016: Anne Jackson, American actress (born 1925) Anne Jackson was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was the wife of actor Eli Wallach, with whom she often co-starred. In 1956, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Paddy Chayefsky's Middle of the Night. In 1963, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress for her performance in two Off-Broadway plays, The Typists and The Tiger. Read more
12 Apr 2015: Paulo Brossard, Brazilian jurist and politician (born 1924) Paulo Brossard de Souza Pinto was a Brazilian jurist and politician. Born in Bagé, Rio Grande do Sul, he graduated in Law and served several terms as a parliamentarian in his state and in the National Congress as well. He also was a member of the Supreme Federal Court and the Superior Electoral Court of Brazil. Read more
12 Apr 2015: Patrice Dominguez, Algerian-French tennis player and trainer (born 1950) Patrice Dominguez was a French tennis player born in Algeria. He reached a career high ranking of No. 36 in 1973. He represented France in the Davis Cup between 1971 and 1979. Read more
12 Apr 2015: Alfred Eick, German commander (born 1916) The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across all ranks, from a senior commander for skilled leadership of his troops in battle to a low-ranking soldier for a single act of extreme gallantry. A total of 7,321 awards were made between its first presentation on 30 September 1939 and its last bestowal on 17 June 1945. This number is based on the analysis and acceptance of the order commission of the Association of Knight's Cross Recipients (AKCR). Presentations were made to members of the three military branches of the Wehrmacht—the Heer (Army), Kriegsmarine (Navy) and Luftwaffe —as well as the Waffen-SS, the Reichsarbeitsdienst and the Volkssturm. There were also 43 recipients in the military forces of allies of the Third Reich. Read more
12 Apr 2015: André Mba Obame, Gabonese politician (born 1957) André Mba Obame was a Gabonese politician. After serving as an adviser to President Omar Bongo in the 1980s, he was a minister in the government of Gabon from 1990 to 1991 and again from 1997 to 2009; during that time, he was identified with the reformist wing of the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG). He held the key post of Minister of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 and then briefly served as Minister of the Coordination and Follow-up of Government Action in mid-2009. He was an independent candidate in the 30 August 2009 presidential election and placed third with 25.33% of the vote, according to official results, but he claimed victory and alleged that the PDG candidate, Ali Bongo, won through fraud. Read more
12 Apr 2014: Pierre Autin-Grenier, French author and poet (born 1947) Pierre Autin-Grenier was a French author. The catalogue of the Bibliothèque nationale de France gives his date of birth as 1947, though later dates ranging through to 1953 are quoted on various web pages including at least one contributed by the author. All sources agree, however, that he was born in Lyon, France, and the only day quoted is 4 April. He is associated with the movement sometimes referred to as the extrême contemporain, and his work is experimental rather than conventional. Radicalised by the events of May 1968 in France, his political position is close to anarchism and much of his writing is anti-capitalist and anti-bourgeois. His recent work, Friterie-bar Brunetti, is a collection of pieces about the habitués of the former Lyons bar of that name, with an undercurrent of opposition to the multinational chain cafés that are replacing such indigenous establishments, and the increasing atmosphere of regulation that undermines their atmosphere. Read more
12 Apr 2014: Pierre-Henri Menthéour, French cyclist (born 1960) Pierre-Henri Menthéour was a French professional road bicycle racer. Read more
12 Apr 2014: Maurício Alves Peruchi, Brazilian footballer (born 1990) Maurício Alves Peruchi or simply Maurício, was a Brazilian football striker. He started his career in Fluminense FC and last played for US Boulogne in Championnat National. Read more
12 Apr 2014: Hal Smith, American baseball player and coach (born 1931) Harold Raymond Smith was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals (1956–61) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1965). Born in Barling, Arkansas, Smith batted and threw right-handed; he stood 5 feet 10+1⁄2 inches tall and weighed 186 pounds (84 kg). After Smith's playing career was curtailed by a heart ailment during the 1961 season, he became a longtime employee of the Cardinals' organization as Major League coach, minor league manager and scout. He also served as a coach for the Pirates (1965–67), Cincinnati Reds (1968–69) and Milwaukee Brewers (1976–77). Read more
12 Apr 2014: Billy Standridge, American race car driver (born 1953) William Gerald Standridge was an American stock car racing driver. He was a competitor in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and Busch Series. Read more
12 Apr 2013: Robert Byrne, American chess player and author (born 1928) Robert Eugene Byrne was an American chess player and chess author who held the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM). He won the U.S. Championship in 1972, and was a World Chess Championship Candidate in 1974. Byrne represented the United States nine times in Chess Olympiads from 1952 to 1976 and won seven medals. He was the chess columnist from 1972 to 2006 for The New York Times, which ran his final column on November 12, 2006. Byrne worked as a university professor for many years, before becoming a chess professional in the early 1970s. Read more
12 Apr 2013: Johnny du Plooy, South African boxer (born 1964) Johnny du Plooy was a South African former heavyweight boxer best known for his win over former WBA World Heavyweight champion Mike Weaver. He challenged once for the WBO World Heavyweight title in 1989. Read more
12 Apr 2013: Michael France, American screenwriter (born 1962) Michael France was an American screenwriter. He is best remembered for writing the screenplays for Cliffhanger (1993), the James Bond film GoldenEye (1995), and the comic book films Hulk (2003), The Punisher (2004), and Fantastic Four (2005). Read more
12 Apr 2013: Brennan Manning, American priest and author (born 1934) Richard Francis Xavier Manning, known as Brennan Manning, was an American author, laicized Catholic priest, and public speaker. He is best known for his bestselling book The Ragamuffin Gospel. Read more
12 Apr 2013: Annamária Szalai, Hungarian journalist and politician (born 1961) Annamária Szalai was a Hungarian journalist, politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Zala County, Fidesz (1998–2004). She became a member of the National Radio and Television Commission (ORTT) in 2004, and as a result resigned from her parliamentary seat. Szalai served as President of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) from 2010 until her death. Read more
12 Apr 2013: Ya'akov Yosef, Israeli rabbi and politician (born 1946) Ya'akov Yosef was an Israeli rabbi and politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Shas between 1984 and 1988. Read more
12 Apr 2012: Mohit Chattopadhyay, Indian poet and playwright (born 1934) Mohit Chattopadhyaya was a Bengali Indian playwright, screenwriter, dramatist and poet. He was a leading figure in modern Indian drama. Mohit Chottopadhya died on 12 April 2012 due to throat cancer. Read more
12 Apr 2012: Rodgers Grant, American pianist and composer (born 1935) Rodgers Lee Grant was an American jazz pianist, composer, and lyricist. After working with saxophonist Hugo Dickens in the 1950s, he became pianist for Mongo Santamaría in the 1960s. In 1963, Grant wrote the hit "Yeh! Yeh!" with Pat Patrick. Jon Hendricks wrote lyrics for the song and recorded it with Lambert and Bavan at the Newport Jazz Festival of 1963. Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames had a hit with the song in 1965. Read more
12 Apr 2011: Karim Fakhrawi, Bahraini journalist, co-founded Al-Wasat (born 1962) Karim Fakhrawi, also known as Abdulkarim Ali Ahmed Fakhrawi, was a Bahraini publisher who was the co-founder of Al-Wasat, considered one of the more popular newspapers in Bahrain by winning numerous awards. He died while in custody due to severe torture, according to the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry. He was the second professional media worker to be killed during the Bahraini uprising, and one of three journalists killed in total. Read more
12 Apr 2010: Michel Chartrand, Canadian trade union leader (born 1916) Michel Chartrand was a Canadian trade union leader from Quebec. Read more
12 Apr 2010: Werner Schroeter, German director and screenwriter (born 1945) Werner Schroeter was a German film director, screenwriter, and opera director known for his stylistic excess. Schroeter was cited by Rainer Werner Fassbinder as an influence both on his own work and on German cinema at large. Read more
12 Apr 2009: Marilyn Chambers, American actress Marilyn Ann Taylor, known professionally as Marilyn Chambers, was an American pornographic actress, exotic dancer, model, actress, singer, and vice-presidential candidate. She was known for her 1972 hardcore film debut, Behind the Green Door, and her 1980 pornographic film Insatiable. She ranked at No. 6 on the list of Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time by AVN, and ranked as one of Playboy's Top 100 Sex Stars of the Century in 1999. Although she was primarily known for her adult film work, she made a successful transition to mainstream projects and has been called "porn's most famous crossover". Read more
12 Apr 2008: Cecilia Colledge, English-American figure skater and coach (born 1920) Magdalena Cecilia Colledge was a British figure skater. She was the 1936 Olympic silver medalist, the 1937 World Champion, the 1937–1939 European Champion, and a six-time British national champion. Read more
12 Apr 2008: Patrick Hillery, Irish physician and politician, 6th President of Ireland (born 1923) Patrick John Hillery was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1976 to December 1990. He also served as vice-president of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Social Affairs from 1973 to 1976, Minister for External Affairs from 1969 to 1973, Minister for Labour from 1966 to 1969, Minister for Industry and Commerce from 1965 to 1969 and Minister for Education from 1959 to 1965. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Clare constituency from 1951 to 1973. Read more
12 Apr 2008: Jerry Zucker, Israeli-American businessman and philanthropist (born 1949) Jerry Zucker was an Israeli-born American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. Read more
12 Apr 2007: Kevin Crease, Australian journalist (born 1936) Kevin John Crease was a South Australian television presenter and news presenter. He was most noted for presenting South Australian edition of the Nine Network's National Nine News with Rob Kelvin between 1987 and 2007. Read more
12 Apr 2006: William Sloane Coffin, American minister and activist (born 1924) William Sloane Coffin Jr. was an American Christian clergyman and peace activist. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. In his younger days he was an athlete, a talented pianist, a CIA officer, and later chaplain of Yale University, where the influence of H. Richard Niebuhr's social philosophy led him to become a leader in the civil rights movement and peace movements of the 1960s and 1970s. He also was a member of the secret society Skull and Bones. He went on to serve as senior minister at Riverside Church in New York City and President of SANE/Freeze, the nation's largest peace and social justice group, and prominently opposed United States military interventions in conflicts, from the Vietnam War to the Iraq War. He was also an ardent supporter of gay rights. Read more
12 Apr 2004: Moran Campbell, Canadian physician and academic, invented the venturi mask (born 1925) Edward James Moran Campbell, was a Canadian physician. He was the founding Chair of the Department of Medicine at McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences from 1968 to 1975. He was also the inventor of the Venturi mask. Read more
12 Apr 2002: George Shevelov, Ukrainian-American linguist and philologist (born 1908) George Shevelov was a Ukrainian-American professor, linguist, philologist, essayist, literary historian, and literary critic. A longtime professor of Slavic philology at Columbia University, he challenged the prevailing notion of a unified East Slavic language from which Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian later developed, instead proposing that these languages emerged independently from one another. Read more
12 Apr 2001: Harvey Ball, American illustrator, created the smiley (born 1921) Harvey Ross Ball was an American commercial artist. He played a major role in the adoption and design of the modern day smiley face, which became an enduring and notable international icon. Ball was approached by marketing director Joy Young of State Mutual Life Assurance Company in 1963, with the instructions to design “a little smile”. Read more
12 Apr 1999: Boxcar Willie, American singer-songwriter (born 1931) Lecil Travis Martin, whose stage name was Boxcar Willie, was an American country music singer-songwriter, who sang in the "old-time hobo" music style, complete with overalls and a floppy hat. "Boxcar Willie" was originally a character in a ballad he wrote, but he later adopted it as his own stage name. His early musical career was parallel to service as an enlisted flight engineer in the United States Air Force. Read more
12 Apr 1998: Robert Ford, Canadian poet and diplomat (born 1915) Robert Arthur Douglas Ford, was a Canadian poet, translator and diplomat. Read more
12 Apr 1997: George Wald, American neurologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1906) George Wald was an American scientist and activist who studied pigments in the retina. He won a share of the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Haldan Keffer Hartline and Ragnar Granit. Read more
12 Apr 1992: Ilario Bandini, Italian racing driver and businessman (born 1911) Ilario Bandini was an Italian businessman, racing driver, and racing car manufacturer. Read more
12 Apr 1989: Abbie Hoffman, American activist, co-founded Youth International Party (born 1936) Abbot Howard Hoffman was an American political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies") and was a member of the Chicago Seven. He was also a leading proponent of the Flower Power movement. Read more
12 Apr 1989: Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer (born 1921) Walker Smith Jr., better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regarded as the greatest boxer of all time, pound-for-pound, and is ranked as such by BoxRec as of April 2025. Read more
12 Apr 1988: Colette Deréal, French singer and actress (born 1927) Colette Deréal was a French actress and singer. She is best known for representing Monaco in the Eurovision Song Contest 1961. Read more
12 Apr 1988: Alan Paton, South African historian and author (born 1903) Alan Stewart Paton was a South African writer and anti-apartheid activist. His works include the novels Cry, the Beloved Country (1948), Too Late the Phalarope (1953), and the short story The Waste Land. Read more
12 Apr 1986: Valentin Kataev, Russian author and playwright (born 1897) Valentin Petrovich Kataev was a Soviet writer and editor who managed to create penetrating works discussing post-revolutionary social conditions without running afoul of the demands of official Soviet style. Kataev is credited with suggesting the idea for The Twelve Chairs to his brother Yevgeny Petrov and Ilya Ilf. In return, Kataev insisted that the novel be dedicated to him, in all editions and translations. Kataev's relentless imagination, sensitivity, and originality made him one of the most distinguished Soviet writers. Read more
12 Apr 1984: Edwin T. Layton, American admiral and cryptanalyst (born 1903) Edwin Thomas Layton was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. Layton is most noted for his work as an intelligence officer before and during World War II. He was the father of the historian Edwin T. Layton, Jr. Read more
12 Apr 1983: Jørgen Juve, Norwegian football player and journalist (born 1906) Jørgen Juve was a Norwegian football player, jurist, journalist, and non-fiction writer. For most of his career, he played as a striker for Lyn. He also played for a season at Basel in Switzerland before retiring and earned a total of 45 caps for the Norway national team. He is the second highest-scoring player ever for Norway, with 33 goals in just 45 games, holding the record for most international goals in Norway from 1932 until 2024, when Erling Haaland surpassed his record. He was captain of the Norway team which won Olympic bronze medals in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He also had a career as a journalist for Dagbladet and Tidens Tegn, and wrote several books. Read more
12 Apr 1983: Carl Morton, American baseball player (born 1944) Carl Wendle Morton was an American professional baseball pitcher who played eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Montreal Expos and the Atlanta Braves. Morton was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 1970 and posted a career record of 87–92 with 650 strikeouts and a 3.73 ERA in 1648.2 innings. Read more
12 Apr 1981: Prince Yasuhiko Asaka of Japan (born 1887) Prince Yasuhiko Asaka was the founder of a collateral branch of the Japanese Imperial Family and served as a general in the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese invasion of China and the Second World War. He was the son-in-law of Emperor Meiji and uncle by marriage of Emperor Hirohito. He is most notable for being the commander of Japanese forces outside Nanjing in December 1937, when he presided over the mass murder and rape of hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians during the Nanjing Massacre. Read more
12 Apr 1981: Joe Louis, American boxer and wrestler (born 1914) Joseph Louis Barrow was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 until his temporary retirement in 1949. He was victorious in 25 consecutive title defenses, a record for all weight classes. Louis has the longest single reign as champion of any boxer in history. Read more
12 Apr 1980: William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (born 1913) William Richard Tolbert Jr. was a Liberian politician who served as the 20th president of Liberia from 1971 until his assassination in 1980. Read more
12 Apr 1977: Philip K. Wrigley, American businessman, co-founded Lincoln Park Gun Club (born 1894) Philip Knight Wrigley was an American chewing gum manufacturer and a Major League Baseball executive, inheriting both of those roles as the son of William Wrigley Jr. Read more
12 Apr 1976: Christos Kakkalos, Greek mountain guide (born 1882) Christos Kakkalos was a Greek mountain guide. He led the 1913 expedition of the Swiss Daniel Baud-Bovy and Frédéric Boissonnas and is considered the first climber to have ascended Mytikas, the highest peak of Mount Olympus in Greece. Read more
12 Apr 1975: Josephine Baker, French actress, activist, and humanitarian (born 1906) Freda Josephine Baker, also spelled Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture, the 1927 French silent film Siren of the Tropics, directed by Mario Nalpas and Henri Étiévant. Read more
12 Apr 1973: Arthur Freed, American songwriter and producer (born 1894) Arthur Freed was an American lyricist and a Hollywood film producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, in 1951 for An American in Paris and in 1958 for Gigi. Both films were musicals, and both were directed by Vincente Minnelli. In addition, he produced the film Singin' in the Rain, the soundtrack for which primarily consisted of songs he co-wrote earlier in his career. In the decades following his death, Freed has become the subject of several sexual assault allegations, most notably from child actress Shirley Temple and actress and dancer Barrie Chase. Read more
12 Apr 1971: Ed Lafitte, American baseball player and dentist (born 1886) Edward Francis Lafitte was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball who played with the Detroit Tigers (1909–12), Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1914–15), and Buffalo Blues (1915). Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, at his family's home located at 319 Bourbon Street, he batted and threw right-handed. Read more
12 Apr 1968: Heinrich Nordhoff, German engineer (born 1899) Heinz Heinrich Nordhoff was a German engineer who led the rebuilding of Volkswagen (VW) after World War II. He was featured on the cover of Time magazine on Feb. 15, 1954. Read more
12 Apr 1966: Sydney Allard, English racing driver and founder of the Allard car company (born 1910) Sydney Herbert Allard was a British businessman and rally and hillclimb driver. He was the founder of the Allard car company and competed in cars of his own manufacture. Read more
12 Apr 1962: Ron Flockhart, Scottish racing driver (born 1923) William Ronald Flockhart was a British racing driver. He participated in 14 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, achieving one podium finish and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans sportscar race twice. Read more
12 Apr 1953: Lionel Logue, Australian actor and therapist (born 1880) Lionel George Logue was an Australian speech and language therapist and amateur stage actor who helped King George VI manage his stammer. Read more
12 Apr 1945: Franklin D. Roosevelt, American lawyer and politician, 32nd President of the United States (born 1882) Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president and the only one to have served more than two terms. His first two terms were centered on combating the Great Depression, while his third and fourth focused on US involvement in World War II. A member of the Democratic Party, Roosevelt served in the New York State Senate from 1911 to 1913 and as the 44th governor of New York from 1929 to 1932. Read more
12 Apr 1943: Viktor Puskar, Estonian colonel (born 1889) Viktor Puskar VR I/1 was an Estonian military commander (Colonel) during the Estonian War of Independence. Read more
12 Apr 1938: Feodor Chaliapin, Russian opera singer (born 1873) Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer. Possessing a deep and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form. Read more
12 Apr 1937: Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan, Turkish playwright and poet (born 1852) Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan was an early 20th-century Ottoman playwright and poet. He was one of the leading lights of the Turkish Romantic period. He is known in Turkish literature as "Şair-i Azam" and "Dahi-i Azam". Read more
12 Apr 1933: Adelbert Ames, American general and politician, 30th Governor of Mississippi (born 1835) Adelbert Ames was an American sailor, soldier, businessman and politician who served with distinction as a Union Army general during the American Civil War. A Radical Republican, he was a military governor, U.S. Senator, and civilian governor in Reconstruction-era Mississippi. In 1898, he served as a United States Army general during the Spanish–American War. He was the last Republican to serve as the state governor of Mississippi until the election of Kirk Fordice, who took office in January 1992, 116 years after Ames vacated the office. Read more
12 Apr 1920: Vlasis Gavriilidis, Greek jourtnalist (born 1848) Vlasis Gavriilidis was a prominent Greek journalist who in 1883 founded the progressive newspaper Akropolis in Athens. He played a significant role in the politics of the day, often supporting the demoticist movement in the Greek language question; at one stage, "It was said that a critical article by Gavriilidis could topple a Greek government." Read more
12 Apr 1912: Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founded the American Red Cross (born 1821) Clarissa Harlow "Clara" Barton was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and a patent clerk. Since nursing education was not very formalized, and she did not attend nursing school, she provided self-taught nursing care. Barton is noteworthy for doing humanitarian work and civil rights advocacy at a time before women had the right to vote. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973. Read more
12 Apr 1906: Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, Indian scholar, academic, and philanthropist (born 1836) Mahamahopadhyaya Pandit Mahesh Chandra Nyayratna Bhattacharyya, was an Indian Sanskrit scholar during the Bengal Renaissance. He served as the principal of the Sanskrit College from 1876 to 1895 and was a colleague of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Read more
12 Apr 1902: Marie Alfred Cornu, French physicist and academic (born 1842) Marie Alfred Cornu was a French physicist and professor of École polytechnique. The Cornu spiral, a graphical device for the computation of light intensities in Augustin-Jean Fresnel's model of near-field diffraction, is named after him. The spiral is also used in geometric design of roads. The Cornu depolarizer is also named after him. Read more
12 Apr 1898: Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Canadian cardinal (born 1820) Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau was a Canadian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Quebec from 1871 until his death in 1898. The first Canadian cardinal, he was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. Read more
12 Apr 1885: William Crowther, Dutch-Australian politician, 14th Premier of Tasmania (born 1817) William Lodewyk Crowther FRCS was a Tasmanian politician, who was Premier of Tasmania from 20 December 1878 to 29 October 1879. Read more
12 Apr 1879: Richard Taylor, Confederate general (born 1826) Richard "Dick" Taylor was an American planter, politician, military historian, and Confederate general. Following the outbreak of the American Civil War, Taylor joined the Confederate States Army, serving first as a brigade commander in Virginia and later as an army commander in the trans-Mississippi Theater. Taylor commanded the District of West Louisiana and opposed United States troops advancing through upper northwest Louisiana during the Red River Campaign of 1864. He was the only son of Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States. After the war and Reconstruction, Taylor published a memoir about his experiences. Read more
12 Apr 1878: William M. Tweed, American lawyer and politician (born 1823) William Magear "Boss" Tweed" was an American politician most notable for being the political boss of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party's political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th-century New York City and State. Read more
12 Apr 1872: Nikolaos Mantzaros, Greek composer and theorist (born 1795) Nikolaos Chalikiopoulos Mantzaros was a Greek-Italian composer, born in Corfu. He was a major representative and founder of the so-called Ionian school of music. Read more
12 Apr 1866: Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, English politician, founded Fleetwood (born 1801) Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, 1st Baronet, was an English landowner, developer and Member of Parliament who founded the town of Fleetwood, in Lancashire, England. Born Peter Hesketh, he changed his name by Royal assent to Hesketh-Fleetwood, incorporating the name of his ancestors, and was later created Baronet Fleetwood. Predeceased by an older brother, he inherited estates in west Lancashire in 1824. Inspired by the transport developments of the early 19th century, he decided to bring the railway to the Lancashire coast and develop a holiday resort and port. He hired architect Decimus Burton to design his new town, which he named Fleetwood; construction began in 1836. Hesketh-Fleetwood was instrumental in the formation of the Preston and Wyre Railway Company and with his financial support, a railway line was built between Preston and Fleetwood which opened in 1840. Read more
12 Apr 1850: Adoniram Judson, American lexicographer and missionary (born 1788) Adoniram Judson was an American Particular Baptist missionary who worked in Burma for almost 40 years. At the age of 25, Judson was sent from North America to preach in Burma. His mission and work with Luther Rice led to the establishment of the Triennial Convention, the first national Baptist ecclesiastical organization, now called American Baptist Churches USA. Read more
12 Apr 1817: Charles Messier, French astronomer and academic (born 1730) Charles Messier was a French astronomer. He published an astronomical catalogue consisting of 110 nebulae and star clusters, which came to be known as the Messier objects, referred to with the letter M and their number between 1 and 110. Messier's purpose for the catalogue was to help astronomical observers distinguish between permanent and transient visually diffuse objects in the sky. Read more
12 Apr 1814: Charles Burney, English composer and historian (born 1726) Charles Burney was an English music historian, composer and musician. He was the father of the writers Frances Burney and Sarah Burney, of the explorer James Burney, and of Charles Burney, a classicist and book donor to the British Museum. He was a close friend and supporter of Joseph Haydn and other composers. Read more

Why is 12 April Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 12 April, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

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What happened on 12 April in World history?

On 12 April, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

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