What Happened in April 2018

August 31, 2024

Historical Events

Apr 1 37th NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Notre Dame beats Mississippi State, 61-58; Fighting Irish forward Jessica Shepard, 19 points
Apr 2 80th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Villanova defeats Michigan, 79–62; Wildcats guard Donte DiVincenzo 31 points

Golf Major

Apr 2 ANA Inspiration Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Pernilla Lindberg of Sweden gains her first pro win in a sudden-death playoff against Inbee Park and Jennifer Song that extends to 8 holes

Sports History

Apr 3 Alex Puccio ascends Penrose Step V14 (8B+) in Leavenworth, USA

Apr 4 21st Commonwealth Games open in the Gold Coast, Australia
Apr 6 Canadian Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team involved in a bus crash outside Tisdale, Saskatchewan that kills 16
Apr 7 Suspected gas attack on Douma by Syrian government airforce kills more than 40 people and injuries more than 500
Apr 7 Vegas Golden Knights suffer a 7-1 end of regular season defeat at Calgary but finish with an NHL expansion team record 51 victories; previous record 33 by Anaheim Ducks & Florida Panthers 1993-94
Apr 8 82nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Patrick Reed wins his first major title, 1 stroke ahead of fellow American Rickie Fowler

Election of Interest

Apr 8 Hungarian parliamentary election won by right-wing Fidesz–KDNP alliance with Viktor Orbán remaining Prime Minister

WrestleMania

Apr 8 WrestleMania XXXIV, Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA: Ronda Rousey makes WWE debut, teaming with Kurt Angle to beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match

Music History

Apr 9 Fleetwood Mac announce new members Neil Finn and Mike Campbell after firing long-standing member Lindsey Buckingham

Event of Interest

Apr 9 US Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois becomes the first senator to give birth while in office

Event of Interest

Apr 10 Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg begins testifying before US Congress about data use and security

Apr 14 171st Grand National: Davey Russell wins aboard 10/1 Tiger Roll in a photo finish from Pleasant Company

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Apr 14 33rd Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Nina Simone; Sister Rosetta Tharpe; Bon Jovi; The Cars; Dire Straits; and Moody Blues

Music Concert

Apr 14 Beyoncé is the first black woman to headline the Coachella Music Festival, her performance on this day the most-watched performance ever on YouTube

Apr 14 National Gardening Day, since 2018 and according to the National Day Calendar
Apr 14 US, UK and French forces carry out airstrikes on sites associated with Syria's chemical weapons program, in response to Douma gas attack
Apr 15 126.2 cm (49.69") of rainfall in a day, Waipā Garden (Kauai). Hawaii (state record, breaking previous record of 1956)
Apr 16 122nd Boston Marathon: Yuki Kawauchi of Japan wins men's race in 2:15:58; Desiree Linden (2:39:54) first American to win women's title since 1985

Music History

Apr 16 Kendrick Lamar is the first rapper and non-classical or jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music with his album "Damn"

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

Apr 17 Former F.B.I. director James Comey publishes his political autobiography “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership”

Apr 17 Protests across India at the rape and murder of an 8-year old Muslim girl in Kathua, Bengalu
Apr 18 Protests begin in Managua, Nicaragua, over proposed changes to social security, protesters beaten by suspected pro-government gangs
Apr 18 “Black Panther” is the first film shown at a commercial cinema in 35 years in Saudi Arabia as cinemas are reopened
Apr 19 King Mswati III of Swaziland changes the name of Swaziland to Eswatini, which translates as the “Land of the Swati”

Election of Interest

Apr 19 Miguel Diaz-Canel is elected Cuba's new president, after former president Raúl Castro steps down

Apr 19 US Senator Tammy Duckworth (Illinois-D) is the first parent to bring a baby into the Senate chambers, a day after the Senate votes to allow babies on the chamber's floor
Apr 20 Actress Allison Mack arrested on charges of sex trafficking in relation to sex cult NXIVM in New York
Apr 20 Arsène Wenger announces he will leave London EPL club Arsenal after 22 years as manager

Charles to Succeed Elizabeth

Apr 20 Commonwealth countries decide Prince Charles will succeed Queen Elizabeth as the next head of the Commonwealth

Frida Kahlo Barbie Banned

Apr 20 Mexican court bars sales of controversial Frida Kahlo Barbie doll

Apr 21 Oakland A's left hander Sean Manaea no-hits the Boston Red Sox
Apr 22 Bus crash in North Korea kills 36, with most Chinese tourists
Apr 22 Gunman opens fire at a Waffle House in Nashville, Tennessee, killing four before James Shaw Jr. wrestled the rifle from the gunman's hands

Footballer of the Year

Apr 22 Liverpool's Egyptian soccer forward Mohamed Salah is named Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year

Tennis Open Record

Apr 22 Monte Carlo Tennis Masters: Rafael Nadal beats Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2 to extend his Open-era record for most wins at the same event (11)

Apr 22 Saudi-led coalition airstrike kills more than 20 at a wedding in northwestern Yemen
Apr 23 Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan resigns after 10 years in office after mass protests against him beginning an unconstitutional third term
Apr 23 Mario Abdo Benítez is elected President of Paraguay

Apr 23 Van deliberately driven into pedestrians in Toronto, Canada, killing 10 and injuring 13

Music History

Apr 24 Ed Sheeran's "÷" is the best-selling album of 2017, selling 6.1 million copies, according to IFPI

Apr 24 Golden State Killer suspect Joseph DeAngelo arrested and charged with eight murders after being identified through genealogy websites
Apr 24 Streaming music services overtake worldwide sales of CDs and vinyl for the first time according to IFPI
Apr 24 Suffragist Millicent Fawcett is the first woman to have a statue erected in Parliament Square, London, England

Apr 25 Danish inventor Peter Madsen found guilty of killing and desecrating body of journalist Kim Wall aboard submarine, sentenced to life imprisonment
Apr 25 Indian religious leader Asaram Bapu is sentenced to life for raping a 16-year old girl

Film & TV History

Apr 26 Comedian Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault in Pennsylvania

Apr 26 NFL Draft: Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield first pick by Cleveland Browns; 4 QBs taken in top 10 selections for first time in history
Apr 26 Serial killer "Golden State Killer" identified after 40 years as a former police officer, responsible for 12 killings, 50 rapes in California

Summit of Interest

Apr 27 Historic Korean summit, the North's Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in of South Korea agree to officially end Korean war and rid peninsula of nuclear weapons

Apr 27 Mass protests across Spain after 5 men convicted of sexual abuse but not rape of teenage girl during Running of the Bulls festival in Pamplona
Apr 27 More than 40 Tuareg killed over two days by suspected jihadists in Menaka region, Mali

Music History

Apr 27 Swedish band ABBA announce they have recorded new songs for the first time since 1982

Film & TV History

Apr 28 Danny DeVito Day declared in Jersey for 17th November by Mayor John Moor of Asbury Park

Apr 28 Indian government announces electricity has now reached every Indian village
Apr 28 Shaquem Griffin is the first one-handed person to be drafted into the NFL; selected by Seattle Seahawks
Apr 28 World's largest child sacrifice, 140 remains uncovered by archaeologists near Trujillo, Peru, dating back 550 years to Chimú civilisation

Film & TV History

Apr 29 Animated series "The Simpsons" surpasses 635-episode count of "Gunsmoke"'; highest number of episodes of any series on TV

Apr 29 Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal equals his Open-era record for most wins at the same event (11 Monte Carlo) with his 11th Barcelona ATP title
Apr 29 Sweden's official Twitter account confirms Swedish meatballs actually originated in Turkey
Apr 29 UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd resigns amid immigration scandal involving the Windrush generation
Apr 30 Coordinated double suicide attack kills 36 in Kabul, Afghanistan, including nine journalists
Apr 30 Etienne Terrus art museum in Elne, France, reveals half of its collection are fakes

Film & TV History

Apr 30 New species of water beetle from Malaysian Borneo’s Maliau Basin named after actor Leonardo DiCaprio

Apr 30 Pakistani city of Nawabshah sets global record for an April temperature, recording high of 50.2C
Apr 30 Sajid Javid is named UK Home Secretary by Prime Minister Teresa May

Film & TV History

Apr 30 Superhero film "Avengers: Infinity War" sets new record for an opening weekend earning $250 million in the US, $630 million worldwide

Apr 30 World's oldest known spider, a female trapdoor, dies after being killed by a wasp sting in Western Australia, aged 43

Famous Birthdays

Apr 23 Prince Louis of Cambridge, second son of Prince William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, 4th in line to the English throne, born in London

Famous Deaths

Apr 1 Edward Digby, 12th Baron Digby, British Army (Coldstream Guards) officer, dies at 93

Apr 1 Steven Bochco, American TV producer and co-creator of Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue, dies at 74
Apr 2 Susan Anspach, American actress (Grace-Yellow Rose, Hair, Five Easy Pieces, Play It Again Sam), dies at 75

Apr 3 David Edgerton, American entrepreneur and founder of Burger King, dies of complications of surgery at 90
Apr 3 Lill-Babs [Barbro Margareta Svensson], Swedish pop singer, (Eurovision, 1961) actress, and television presenter, dies of heart failure while battling cancer at 80
Apr 4 Gertrude Jeannette, African American taxi driver, playwright and film and stage actress (Shaft, Cotton Comes to Harlem), dies at 103
Apr 4 Ray Wilkins, English soccer midfielder (84 caps; Chelsea, Manchester Utd, AC Milan, Rangers, QPR) and manager (QPR, Fulham, Jordan), dies of cardiac arrest, resulting in a fall at 61
Apr 5 Cecil Taylor, American pianist, poet, and one of the pioneers of free jazz, dies at 89
Apr 5 Eric Bristow ['The Crafty Cockney'], English darts player (BDO World Champion 1980-81, 84-86), dies of a heart attack at 60
Apr 5 Isao Takahata, Japanese anime film director, screenwriter and producer (Grave of the Fireflies, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya), dies of lung cancer at 82
Apr 6 Daniel Akaka, American educator and politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii), dies at 93
Apr 6 Julien Van Remoortere [Piet Mortelman], Flemish writer (Fist), dies at 87
Apr 8 Richard Moryl, American composer, pedagogue, and visual artist, dies at 89
Apr 10 Yvonne Staples, American R&B singer (The Staple Sisters), dies at 80
Apr 11 Gillian Ayres, British abstract painter and printmaker, dies at 88
Apr 11 Mitzi Shore [Lillian Saidel], American owner of The Comedy Store and founder of The Comedy Channel, dies at 87
Apr 12 John Melcher, American politician (Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana), dies at 93
Apr 13 Miloš Forman, Czech-American award-winning director (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Amadeus; The Firemen's Ball), dies at 86
Apr 14 Colin Bland, South African cricket batsman (21 Tests, 3 x 100, HS 144no; Eastern Province, Orange Free State), dies from colon cancer at 80
Apr 15 R. Lee Ermey, American actor (Full Metal Jacket- Gunnery Sergeant Hartman), dies at 74
Apr 16 Harry Anderson, American comic, magician, and actor (Night Court - "Judge Harry Stone"; Daves's World), dies at 65
Apr 16 Henri Landwirth, Belgian-American hotel owner and philanthropist (Give Kids the World), dies at 91

Apr 19 Graciela Agudelo, Mexican pianist and avant garde composer (Celebration of Wine), dies at 72
Apr 20 Allan B. Swift, American broadcast journalist and politician (US Representative for Washington (D), 1979-95), dies at 82

Apr 21 Nabi Tajima, Japanese supercentenarian and the last living person certified to have been born in the 19th century, dies at 117
Apr 21 Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Brazilian movie director (Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês, Vidas Secas), dies at 89
Apr 21 Verne Troyer, American actor (Mini-Me in Austin Powers movies), dies at 49
Apr 22 Dave Nelson, American baseball infielder (MLB All Star 1973 Washington Senators/Texas Rangers) and broadcaster (Milwaukee Brewers Fox Sports Wisconsin), dies of liver cancer at 73
Apr 23 Béla Magyari, Hungarian pilot and cosmonaut, dies at 68
Apr 23 Bob Dorough, American jazz vocalist, pianist, composer, songwriter, arranger, and producer (Schoolhouse Rock!; Too Much Coffee Man), dies at 94
Apr 23 Sachio Kinugasa, Japanese baseman nicknamed Tetsujin, meaning "Iron Man", dies of colon cancer at 71
Apr 26 Charles Neville, American vocalist & saxophonist (Neville Brothers), dies of pancreatic cancer at 79
Apr 27 Paul Junger Witt, American TV and film producer (Brian's Song; Soap; The Golden Girls; Dead Poets Society), dies of cancer at 77
Apr 29 Luis García Meza Tejada, Bolivian general and dictator, dies at 88
Apr 29 Michael Martin, British politician and Speaker of the House of Commons (2000-09), dies at 72
Apr 29 Robert Mandan, American actor best known for his role as Chester Tate in US sitcom "Soap", dies at 86
Apr 30 Naresh Sohal, Indian-British composer (Gautama Buddha; The Cosmic Dance; The Divine Song), dies at 78

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