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AmericaOn This Day

Month

April

30 dates, 240 cited events. Every entry links to the day’s full story.

  1. 1Apr

    United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the…

    8 moments from the American record, 1789 to 2026 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 92nd day of the year.

    Edward Clark, b. 1815★ Cyprus National Day

  2. 2Apr

    On the third attempt, Union forces captured Petersburg, Virginia,…

    8 moments from the American record, 1792 to 2025 · 5 births. The 93rd day of the year.

    Erastus Brigham Bigelow, b. 1814

  3. 3Apr

    Union forces capture Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the…

    8 moments from the American record, 1860 to 2009 · 5 births. The 94th day of the year.

    Alexander Macomb, b. 1782

  4. 4Apr

    A day after Union forces capture Richmond

    8 moments from the American record, 1818 to 1975 · 5 births. The 95th day of the year.

    Edward Hicks, b. 1780

  5. 5Apr

    United States President George Washington exercises his authority…

    8 moments from the American record, 1792 to 2018 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 96th day of the year.

    Elihu Yale, b. 1649★ International Day of Conscience

  6. 6Apr

    The Battle of Sailor's Creek

    8 moments from the American record, 1776 to 2026 · 5 births · 3 observances. The 97th day of the year.

    Joseph Medill, b. 1823★ International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

  7. 7Apr

    Union forces defeated Confederate troops at the Battle of Shiloh

    8 moments from the American record, 1805 to 2017 · 5 births. The 98th day of the year.

    William Ellery Channing, b. 1780

  8. 8Apr

    Late-arriving reinforcements helped Confederate forces rout the…

    8 moments from the American record, 1832 to 2024 · 5 births. The 99th day of the year.

    Lewis Morris, b. 1726

  9. 9Apr

    Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (26

    8 moments from the American record, 1784 to 1981 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 100th day of the year.

    Charles Proteus Steinmetz, b. 1865★ National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day

  10. 10Apr

    The Federal government of the United States approves the creation…

    8 moments from the American record, 1606 to 2010 · 5 births. The 101st day of the year.

    Leonidas Polk, b. 1806

  11. 11Apr

    US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1968

    8 moments from the American record, 1881 to 2001 · 5 births. The 102nd day of the year.

    David Zeisberger, b. 1721

  12. 12Apr

    U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office

    8 moments from the American record, 1776 to 1999 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 103rd day of the year.

    Lyman Hall, b. 1724★ Commemoration of first human in space by Yuri Gagarin:

  13. 13Apr

    Union forces surrender Fort Sumter to Confederate forces

    8 moments from the American record, 1777 to 2017 · 5 births. The 104th day of the year.

    Isaac Low, b. 1735

  14. 14Apr

    Actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth fatally shot…

    8 moments from the American record, 1775 to 2003 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 105th day of the year.

    David G. Burnet, b. 1788★ Pan American Day

  15. 15Apr

    President Abraham Lincoln calls for 75

    8 moments from the American record, 1861 to 1986 · 5 births · 3 observances. The 106th day of the year.

    Charles Willson Peale, b. 1741★ Jackie Robinson Day

  16. 16Apr

    U.S. civil rights campaigner Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes…

    8 moments from the American record, 1862 to 2008 · 5 births · 3 observances. The 107th day of the year.

    Caleb Blood Smith, b. 1808★ Birthday of José de Diego

  17. 17Apr

    The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York

    8 moments from the American record, 1861 to 2014 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 108th day of the year.

    Samuel Chase, b. 1741★ Flag Day

  18. 18Apr

    The United States Department of Justice released a redacted…

    8 moments from the American record, 1775 to 2023 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 109th day of the year.

    James McCune Smith, b. 1813★ International Day For Monuments and Sites

  19. 19Apr

    The first bloodshed of the American Civil War took place when…

    8 moments from the American record, 1775 to 2015 · 5 births. The 110th day of the year.

    Roger Sherman, b. 1721

  20. 20Apr

    Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army in…

    8 moments from the American record, 1789 to 2008 · 5 births. The 111th day of the year.

    David Brainerd, b. 1718

  21. 21Apr

    The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports. When the…

    8 moments from the American record, 1789 to 2014 · 5 births. The 112th day of the year.

    Alexander Anderson, b. 1775

  22. 22Apr

    The U.S. Congress passes the Coinage Act of 1864 that permitted…

    8 moments from the American record, 1864 to 2022 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 113th day of the year.

    James Sullivan, b. 1744★ From 2018 onwards, a national day of commemoration for the murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence

  23. 23Apr

    Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed into law the controversial…

    8 moments from the American record, 1635 to 2010 · 5 births. The 114th day of the year.

    James Buchanan, b. 1791

  24. 24Apr

    The Library of Congress, the de facto national library of the…

    8 moments from the American record, 1704 to 2011 · 5 births. The 115th day of the year.

    Peter Vivian Daniel, b. 1784

  25. 25Apr

    Forces under U.S. Admiral David Farragut demand the surrender of…

    8 moments from the American record, 1862 to 2026 · 5 births. The 116th day of the year.

    Charles Sumner Tainter, b. 1854

  26. 26Apr

    Final run of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Royal Blue from…

    8 moments from the American record, 1777 to 1991 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 117th day of the year.

    Esek Hopkins, b. 1718★ Confederate Memorial Day

  27. 27Apr

    John Ehrlichman, a former aide to U.S. President Richard Nixon,…

    8 moments from the American record, 1777 to 2011 · 5 births. The 118th day of the year.

    Samuel Morse, b. 1791

  28. 28Apr

    Dwight D. Eisenhower resigns as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO…

    8 moments from the American record, 1788 to 1991 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 119th day of the year.

    James Monroe, b. 1758★ Workers' Memorial Day and World Day for Safety and Health at Work

  29. 29Apr

    Watergate scandal

    8 moments from the American record, 1781 to 1974 · 5 births. The 120th day of the year.

    Oliver Ellsworth, b. 1745

  30. 30Apr

    Watergate scandal

    8 moments from the American record, 1789 to 2004 · 5 births · 1 observance. The 121st day of the year.

    Joseph Dart, b. 1799★ Honesty Day