On This Day

April 1947 in History

Events in History

  • Apr 1 1st Jewish immigrants to Israel disembark at Port of Eilat
  • Apr 2 Carlo Terron's "Il diamente del profeta" premieres in Rome
  • Apr 4 Convention on International Civil Aviation goes into effect
  • Apr 4 Largest group of sunspots on record
  • Apr 4 UN's International Civil Aviation Organization forms

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Apr 6 1st Tony Awards: Arthur Miller, David Wayne & Patricia Neal win for theatrical achievements

Playwright Arthur Miller
Playwright
Arthur Miller
  • Apr 8 Largest recorded sunspot ever observed at 40 times the diameter of Earth
  • Apr 9 Atomic Energy Commission confirmed
  • Apr 9 Tornadoes striking West Texas & Oklahoma kill 169, injuring 1,300
  • Apr 10 King Frederik IX of Denmark crowned
  • Apr 15 Operations begin at Radio Netherlands World radio
  • Apr 16 -17] Explosions & fire on French ship Grandcamp
  • Apr 16 Lens to provide zoom effects demonstrated (NYC)
  • Apr 16 Massive explosion & fire kills 522 in Texas City, Tx
  • Apr 19 AAU record for a 25-foot rope climb is set in 4.7 seconds
  • Apr 19 French ship explodes in Texas City harbor, kills about 522
  • Apr 20 Frederik IX becomes King of Denmark
  • Apr 25 Trial against WW II mayor of Amsterdam Edward Voete begins

Event of interestEvent of Interest

Apr 28 Thor Heyerdahl and the crew of the "Kon-Tiki" sail from Peru to Polynesia

Ethnographer, Archaeologist and Explorer Thor Heyerdahl
Ethnographer, Archaeologist and Explorer
Thor Heyerdahl
  • Apr 30 Boulder Dam renamed in honor of Herbert Hoover

Birthdays in History

  • Apr 1 Alain Connes, French mathematician
  • Apr 2 Camille Paglia, American author and social critic, born in Endicott, New York
  • Apr 4 Wiranto, Indonesian army general (Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces), born in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Person of interestGloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Apr 5 Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Philippines (2001-2010), born in San Juan

14th President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
14th President of the Philippines
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
  • Apr 6 Jan-Kees Wiebenga, Dutch politician (VVD), born in Haarlem, Netherlands
  • Apr 7 Eliseo Soriano, Filipino televangelist, born in Pasay, Philippines
  • Apr 8 Hsiao-hsien Hou, Taiwanese director (Cheerful Wind, City of Sadness, The Puppetmaster), born in Mei County, China
  • Apr 8 Tom DeLay, American politician (Rep-R-Texas, 1985-2006), born in Laredo, Texas
  • Apr 8 Robert Kiyosaki, American investor (Rich Dad Company), born in Hilo, Hawaii
  • Apr 11 Michael Hindley, British politician, Member of the European Parliament, born in Blackburn, England
  • Apr 11 Michael Wright, British academic, Vice-Chancellor of Aston University
  • Apr 11 Lev Bulat, Russian physicist, born in Chernovtsy, Ukraine
  • Apr 12 Tom Clancy, American author (Rainbow Six, The Hunt for Red October), born in Baltimore, Maryland (d. 2013)
  • Apr 12 Antonin Kratochvil, Czech-American photojournalist (VII Photo Agency), born in Litoměřice, Czechoslovakia
  • Apr 15 Cristina Husmark Pehrsson, Swedish politician, born in Uddevalla, Sweden
  • Apr 18 Kathy Acker, American experimental novelist (Blood and Guts in High School), born in NYC, New York (d. 1997)
  • Apr 18 Herbert Mullin, American serial killer (killed thirteen people in California in the early 1970s), born in Salinas, California
  • Apr 19 Frits Castricum, Dutch journalist and politician (PvdA), born in Boxtel, Netherlands (d. 2011)
  • Apr 20 Andrew Tobias, American journalist and author (The Best Little Boy in the World), born in NYC, New York
  • Apr 21 Alan Warner, rocker (Foundations)
  • Apr 23 Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Irish political activist, born in Cookstown, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
  • Apr 24 Josep Borrell, 22nd President of the European Parliament (2004-07), born in La Pobla de Segur, Lérida, Spain
  • Apr 24 Roger D. Kornberg, American biochemist (Nobel 2006), born in St. Louis, Missouri
  • Apr 26 Gervase Jackson-Stops, British architectural adviser to the National Trust (d. 1995)
  • Apr 27 George Kenneth Butterfield, American politician, U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina, born in Wilson, North Carolina
  • Apr 29 Olavo de Carvalho, Brazilian philosopher
  • Apr 30 Robert Scott, American politician, Rep-D-Virginia (1993-), born in Washington D.C.
  • Apr 30 Tom Køhlert, Danish former player and Brondby IF coach

Deaths in History

  • Apr 1 George II, King of Greece (1922-1924, and 1935-1947), dies of arteriosclerosis at 56
  • Apr 4 William O'Donnell, Irish politician (b. ?)
  • Apr 6 Herbert Backe, German Nazi politician (Reich Minister for Food and Agriculture), dies at 50

Person of interestHenry Ford

Apr 7 Henry Ford, American industrialist & auto maker (Ford Model T), dies at 83

Ford Motor Company Founder Henry Ford
Ford Motor Company Founder
Henry Ford
  • Apr 11 Louise Peete, American convicted serial killer, dies at 66
  • Apr 12 Christian F L Leipoldt, South African writer (Die Moormansgat), dies
  • Apr 16 Rudolf Höss, German commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, dies at 45
  • Apr 18 Jozef Tiso, Slovak politician (President of the First Slovak Republic), dies at 59
  • Apr 20 Christian X, King of Denmark (1912-47), dies at 76
  • Apr 24 Willa Cather, American writer (My Ántonia), dies at 73
  • Apr 29 Irving Fisher, US economist, dies at 80