April 6

April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). There are 269 days remaining.

Events

• 648 BC - Earliest Greek-chronicled solar eclipse.
• 1320 - The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
• 1652 - Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp at the Cape of Good Hope, which will eventually develop into Cape Town.
• 1782 - Rama I succeeds King Taksin of Thailand, who was overthrown in a coup d'etat.
• 1808 - John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company[?].
• 1830 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is formed by Joseph Smith, Jr. at Fayette Township, New York[?].
• 1832 - The Black Hawk War begins.
• 1841 - John Tyler is inaugurated as the 10th President of the United States.
• 1862 - American Civil War: In Tennessee. the Battle of Shiloh begins.
• 1895 - Oscar Wilde is arrested after losing a libel case against the John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry.
• 1896 - Opening of the first modern Olympic Games.
• 1909 - Robert Peary allegedly reaches the North Pole.
• 1917 - World War I: United States declares war on Germany.
• 1930 - Hostess Twinkies are invented.
• 1931 - Little Orphan Annie debuts on the Blue Network of NBC.
• 1941 - World War II: Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece.
• 1973 - Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft.
• 1979 - President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto[?] of Pakistan is executed.
• 1987 - Sugar Ray Leonard takes the middleweight boxing title from Marvin Hagler.
• 1993 - Russian nuclear accident[?] at Tomsk 7[?].
• 1998 - Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of hitting India.

Births

• 1483 - Rafael, Italian painter and architect (+ 1520)
• 1866 - Butch Cassidy, outlaw (+ 1909)
• 1878 - Erich Mühsam[?], German author (+ 1934)
• 1884 - Walter Huston, Academy Award winning actor (+ 1950)
• 1890 - Anthony Fokker, Dutch designer of aircraft (+ 1939)
• 1892 - Donald Wills Douglas[?], American industrialist (+ 1981)
• 1892 - Lowell Thomas[?], travel writer (+ 1981)
• 1926 - Gil Kane[?], cartoonist (+ 2000)
• 1926 - Ian Paisley, United Kingdom politician
• 1926 - Sergio Franchi[?], singer, actor (+ 1990)
• 1927 - Gerry Mulligan[?], musician (+ 1996)
• 1928 - James Watson, geneticist
• 1929 - André Previn, composer, conductor
• 1937 - Merle Haggard, country musician
• 1937 - Billy Dee Williams[?], actor
• 1941 - Hans W. Geissendörfer[?], German film director
• 1942 - Barry Levinson[?], producer, director

Deaths

• 1199 - King Richard I of England
• 1520 - Rafael, Italian painter and architect
• 1528 - Albrecht Durer, artist
• 1963 - Otto Struve[?], astronomer (+ 1897)
• 1971 - Igor Stravinsky, composer
• 1992 - Isaac Asimov, author (+ 1920)
• 1992 - Molly Picon[?], actress
• 1996 - Greer Garson, actress
• 1998 - Tammy Wynette, country musician
• 2000 - Habib Bourguiba[?], president of Tunisia

Holidays and Observances

• The start of the tax year in the United Kingdom (arising from the 11 day correction to March 25 at the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1752).

April 5 - April 7 - March 6 - May 6 - more historical anniversaries