On this day in American historyApril
30 dates, 240 cited events. Every entry links to the day’s full story.
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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:
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 29Apr
Watergate scandal
8 moments from the American record, 1781 to 1974 · 5 births. The 120th day of the year.
Oliver Ellsworth, b. 1745
- 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