43 BC – Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Caesar’s assassin Decimus Brutus in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, but is then immediately defeated by the army of the other consul, Hirtius.
1759 – George Frideric Handel, Baroque composer and organist (Water Music), dies at 74
1775 – The first abolition society in North America is established. The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage is organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush.
1846 – The Donner Party of pioneers departs Springfield, Illinois, for California, on what will become a year-long journey of hardship, cannibalism, and survival.
1860 – The first Pony Express rider reaches Sacramento, California.
1865 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln is shot in Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth (died April 15th).
1865 – U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward and his family are attacked in his home by Lewis Powell.
1881 – The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight is fought in El Paso, Texas.
1890 – The Pan-American Union is founded by the First International Conference of American States in Washington, D.C.
1894 – The first ever commercial motion picture house opened in New York City using ten Kinetoscopes, a device for peep-show viewing of films.
1912 – The British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 23:40 (sinks morning of April 15th).
1935 – Loretta Lynn, Butcher’s Hollow Ky, singer (Coal Miner’s Daughter) Born
1936 – Frank Serpico, American policeman Born
1939 – The Grapes of Wrath, by American author John Steinbeck is first published by the Viking Press.
1940 – World War II: Royal Marines land in Namsos, Norway in preparation for a larger force to arrive two days later.
1941 – Julie Christie, Assam India, actress (Dr Zhivago)Born
1941 – Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds, Charlie hustle (most hits in majors)Born
1944 – Bombay Explosion: A massive explosion in Bombay harbor kills 300 and causes economic damage valued then at 20 million pounds.
1945 – Ritchie Blackmore, England, guitarist (Rainbow-Stone Cold, Deep Purple)Born
1956 – In Chicago, Illinois, videotape is first demonstrated.
1958 – Peter Capaldi, Scottish actor and director (13th and current Doctor Who) was born.
1958 – The Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 falls from orbit after a mission duration of 162 days.
1975 – Lita, American wrestler and singer (The Luchagors) was born.
1983 – Pete Farndon, rock bassist (Pretenders), dies
1986 – In retaliation for the April 5 bombing in West Berlin that killed two U.S. servicemen, U.S. president Ronald Reagan orders major bombing raids against Libya, killing 60 people.
1988 – In a United Nations ceremony in Geneva, Switzerland, the Soviet Union signs an agreement pledging to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
1991 – The Republic of Georgia introduces the post of President after its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union.
1994 – In a U.S. friendly fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, two United States Air Force aircraft mistakenly shoot-down two United States Army helicopters, killing 26 people.
1995 – Burl Ives, American actor and singer (b. 1909) died.
1999 – NATO mistakenly bombs a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees – Yugoslav officials say 75 people were killed.
2002 – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country’s military.
2003 – The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.
2003 – U.S. troops in Baghdad capture Abu Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner the MS Achille Lauro in 1985.
2005 – The Oregon Supreme Court nullifies marriage licenses issued to gay couples a year earlier by Multnomah County.
2010 – Peter Steele, American musician. (b. 1968)Dies
Peter Thomas Ratajczyk, better known by his stage name Peter Steele, was the lead singer, bassist, and composer for the gothic metal band Type O Negative