- 1908 Henry Bird, English Chess player and author (b. 1829)
- 1918 Arthur Ochse, cricketer (WW I played for South Africa in 1889 aged 19), dies
- 1953 Kid Nichols, American baseball player, dies at 83
- 1985 Bunny Ahearne, British ice hockey promoter (b. 1900)
- 1990 Harold Ballard, Canadian ice hockey club owner and executive (b. 1903)
- 2005 Lucien Laurent, French footballer (scored the first ever FIFA World Cup goal), dies at 97
- 2013 Grady Hatton, American baseball player and manager, dies from natural causes at 90
- 2014 Bill Henry, American baseball player (Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds), dies from a heart attack at 86
April in History
The Man Who Sold His Wife
Most modern readers believe Thomas Hardy was plunging into deep fiction when he wrote about a man selling his wife in, The Mayor of Casterbridge. He wasn't.
April 7, 1832
Step Aboard the Titanic – Las Vegas Style
Even by Las Vegas standards it was controversial, a $1.2 billion recreation of the doomed Titanic, along with the iceberg that caused its destruction.
April 8, 1999
Yes, We Have Some Bananas
A strange fruit went on sale in London on this day, the like of which nobody had seen before. Known to scientists as the Plantaine fruit, it is now unremarkable.
April 10, 1633
Hallelujah! Music That Moved a King
Few can fail to be moved by Handel's Messiah oratorio, culminating in the Hallelujah Chorus. It was even said to have brought a king to his feet.
April 13, 1742