Events in History
Spain Declares War Against the United States
Apr 11 President McKinley asks for Spanish–American War declaration
- Apr 12 US Army transfers Yerba Buena Island in San Francisco Bay to Navy
- Apr 20 US Assay Office in Deadwood, South Dakota opens
- Apr 21 Spanish–American War: The U.S. Congress, on April 25, recognizes that a state of war exists between the United States and Spain
- Apr 22 1st Spanish–American War action sees the USS Nashville capture a Spanish ship
- Apr 22 Congress passes Volunteer Army Act calling for a Volunteer Cavalry
- Apr 22 US President McKinley orders blockade of Cuban harbors
- Apr 24 Spanish–American War: Spain declares war after rejecting US ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba
Dewey Sails to the Philippines
Apr 24 US fleet under commodore George Dewey sails from Hong Kong to Philippines
Birthdays in History
- Apr 1 Pola Gojawiczynska, Polish writer (Stolica), born in Warsaw, Poland (d. 1963)
- Apr 1 Roger Bastide, French sociologist (study of Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean religions), born in Nimes, France (d. 1974)
- Apr 1 William James Sidis, American genius (d. 1944)
- Apr 3 Henry Luce, American magazine publisher (Time, Fortune, Life), born in Tengchow, China (d. 1967)
- Apr 8 Achiel H. Acker, Belgian premier (1945-46, 1954-58), born in Bruges, Belgium (d. 1975)
- Apr 8 Maurice Bowra, British classics scholar (Greek experience), born in Jiujiang, China (d. 1971)
- Apr 18 Charles Leatherland, Baron Leatherland, British journalist and Labour Party politician, born in Aston, Birmingham (d. 1992)
- Apr 19 Sybil Andrews, English-Canadian painter, born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England (d. 1992)
- Apr 23 Edwin Erich Dwinger, German writer (General Vlassov), born in Kiel, Germany (d. 1981)
- Apr 26 Vicente Aleixandre, Spanish writer (Ambito, Bird of Paper, Nobel 1977), born in Seville, Spain (d. 1984)
- Apr 28 Grantley Herbert Adams, Premier of Barbados (1953-58) and Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation (1958-62), born in St. Michael, British Windward Islands (d. 1971)
Deaths in History
- Apr 8 William Polk Hardeman, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 81
- Apr 9 James Ronald Chalmers, American Brigadier General (Confederate Army), dies at 67
- Apr 12 Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Roman catholic archbishop of Quebec (b. 1820)
- Apr 15 Kepa Te Rangihiwinui, Maori military leader, dies in his 70s
- Apr 18 Gustave Moureau, French Symbolist artist, dies at 72
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