Tuesday 9 April 2024 Calendar with holidays, observances and special days

Holidays and observances

• Anniversary of the German Invasion of Denmark
• Baghdad Liberation Day in Iraqi Kurdistan
• Be Kind to Lawyers Day (Second Tuesday of April)
• Cherish An Antique Day
• Colombia National Day of Remembrance and Solidarity with the Victims of the Armed Conflict
• Constitution Day in Bolivia
• Constitution Day in Kosovo
• Eid al-Fitr (also called the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan)
• Finnish Language Day or Mikael Agricola Day in Finland (Mikael Agricola - April 1510 - April 9, 1557 - Bishop, Finnish leader of the Reformation, “A Man of a New Era.” No other book has had such a profound and significant impact on the development of Finnish culture, thinking and system values, like the Bible. "The Bible 350. The Finnish Bible and culture")
• Guatemala Frost Sealing Day (Mayan tradition to protect crops from frost)
• Hari Raya Aidil Fitri End of Ramadan in Brunei Darussalam (three-day holiday)
• Name Yourself Day
• National Chinese Almond Cookie Day in USA
• National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day (United States)
• National Library Workers Day in USA
• Royal Thai Air Force Day in Thailand
• Ruza Khayit or Ramazan hayit or Eid al-Fitr in Uzbekistan (Date for 2024)
• Valor Day or Bataan Day or Araw ng Kagitingan in the Philippines
• Vimy Ridge Day or Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (Canada)
• Winston Churchill Day

Events

• 2003 – Iraq War: Baghdad falls to American forces; Iraqis turn on symbols of their former leader Saddam Hussein, pulling down a grand statue of him and tearing it to pieces.
• 1975 – The first game of the Philippine Basketball Association, the second oldest professional basketball league in the world.
• 1969 – The first British-built Concorde 002 makes its maiden flight from Filton to RAF Fairford.
• 1967 – The first Boeing 737 (a 100 series) makes its maiden flight.
• 1965 – Astrodome opens. First indoor baseball game is played.
• 1959 – Project Mercury: NASA announces the selection of the United States' first seven astronauts, whom the news media quickly dub the "Mercury Seven".
• 1947 – The Journey of Reconciliation, the first interracial Freedom Ride begins through the upper South in violation of Jim Crow laws. The riders wanted enforcement of the United States Supreme Court's 1946 Irene Morgan decision that banned racial segregation in interstate travel.
• 1945 – The United States Atomic Energy Commission is formed.
• 1942 – World War II: The Battle of Bataan/Bataan Death March: United States forces surrender on the Bataan Peninsula. The Japanese Navy launches an air raid on Trincomalee in Ceylon (Sri Lanka); Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and Royal Australian Navy Destroyer HMAS Vampire are sunk off the island's east coast.
• 1939 – Marian Anderson sings at the Lincoln Memorial, after being denied the right to sing at the Daughters of the American Revolution's Constitution Hall.
• 1937 – The Kamikaze arrives at Croydon Airport in London. It is the first Japanese-built aircraft to fly to Europe.
• 1914 – Mexican Revolution: One of the world's first naval/air skirmishes takes place off the coast of western Mexico.
• 1865 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee surrenders the Army of Northern Virginia (26,765 troops) to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, effectively ending the war.
• 1782 – American War of Independence: Battle of the Saintes begins.
• 1682 – Robert Cavelier de La Salle discovers the mouth of the Mississippi River, claims it for France and names it Louisiana.
• 1511 – St John's College, Cambridge, England, founded by Lady Margaret Beaufort, receives its charter.

Births

• 2000 – Jackie Evancho, American singer. Jacqueline Marie "Jackie" Evancho (/iːˈvæŋkoʊ/ ee-VANG-koh; born April 9, 2000) is an American classical crossover singer who gained wide recognition at an early age.
• 1998 – Elle Fanning, American actress. She is best known for her recent works in a number of independent films, and her portrayal as Aurora in the Maleficent film series.
• 1996 – Emerson Hyndman, American soccer player. Emerson Schellas Hyndman (born April 9, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays for Atlanta United FC of Major League Soccer.
• 1994 – Joey Pollari, American actor. Joey Pollari (born April 9, 1994) is an American actor who became well known for his role as Tyler in the Disney XD first original movie Skyrunners, which premiered in 2009.
• 1992 – Joshua Ledet, American singer. He is known for his "soaring, church-bred brand of old school soul music." In 2017, he released a self-titled EP.
• 1991 – Mary Killman, American synchronized swimmer. After switching to synchronized swimming from race swimming, Killman was a member of the teams that won silver medals in the duet and team competitions at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico and 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• 1990 – Kristen Stewart, American actress. She was the highest-paid actress in the world in 2010 and 2012.
• 1989 – Danielle Kahle, American figure skater. She won one senior international medal, silver, at the 2006 Karl Schäfer Memorial.
• 1987 – Craig Mabbitt, American singer. He was formerly the lead vocalist for the bands Blessthefall and The Word Alive.
• 1987 – Graham Gano, American football player. Graham Clark Gano (born April 9, 1987) is a Scottish-born American football placekicker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL).
• 1987 – Jazmine Sullivan, American singer-songwriter. It is certified gold in the US.
• 1987 – Jesse McCartney, American singer-songwriter and actor. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career.
• 1986 – Leighton Meester, American actress. She has also appeared in films such as Killer Movie (2008), Country Strong (2010), The Roommate (2011), Monte Carlo (2011), The Oranges (2011) and The Judge (2014).
• 1982 – Kathleen Munroe, Canadian-American actress. Kathleen Munroe (born April 9, 1982) is a Canadian actress.
• 1981 – A. J. Ellis, American baseball player. Andrew James Ellis (born April 9, 1981), is an American former professional baseball catcher who is currently a Special Assistant to the General Manager in the front office of the San Diego Padres.
• 1981 – Dennis Sarfate, American baseball player. Dennis Scott Sarfate (born April 9, 1981) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
• 1979 – Albert Hammond, Jr., American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A prolific songwriter, he collaborated most notably with the songwriters Mike Hazlewood, John Bettis, Diane Warren, Holly Knight and Carole Bayer Sager.
• 1977 – Gerard Way, American singer-songwriter and comic book writer. In 2014, he released his debut solo album, Hesitant Alien.
• 1976 – Kyle Peterson, American baseball player and sportscaster. Kyle Johnathan Peterson (born April 9, 1976) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers.
• 1975 – David Gordon Green, American director and screenwriter. He directed the dramas George Washington (2000), All the Real Girls (2003), and Snow Angels (2007), as well as the thriller Undertow (2004), all of which he wrote or co-wrote.
• 1971 – Austin Peck, American actor. He is best known for his work in daytime soap operas.
• 1968 – Jay Chandrasekhar, American actor, comedian, writer and director. Since 2001 he has also worked frequently as a television director, directing many episodes of Community and The Goldbergs, among dozens of other comedy series.
• 1967 – Sam Harris, American author, philosopher, and neuroscientist. Harris came to prominence for his criticism of religion, and Islam in particular, and is described as one of the "Four Horsemen of Atheism", along with Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett.
• 1966 – Cynthia Nixon, American actress. She reprised the role in the films Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010).
• 1965 – Jeff Zucker, American businessman. Jeffrey Adam Zucker (born April 9, 1965) is an American media executive.
• 1965 – Paulina Porizkova, Czech-born Swedish-American model and actress. Born in Czechoslovakia, she now holds dual U.S. and Swedish citizenship.
• 1964 – Margaret Peterson Haddix, American author. Margaret Peterson Haddix (born April 9, 1964) is an American writer known best for the two children's series, Shadow Children (1998–2006) and The Missing (2008-2015).
• 1964 – Rick Tocchet, Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach. Playing as a right winger, he played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Phoenix Coyotes.
• 1964 – Rob Awalt, German-American football player. Robert Mitchell Awalt (born April 9, 1964) is former American football tight end in the National Football League for the Phoenix Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, and Buffalo Bills.
• 1963 – Joe Scarborough, American journalist, lawyer, and politician. Charles Joseph Scarborough (/ˈskɑːrbʌroʊ/; born April 9, 1963) is an American cable news host, musician, and former congressman from Florida.
• 1963 – Marc Jacobs, American-French fashion designer. At one point there were over 200 retail stores in 80 countries.
• 1962 – Jeff Turner, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster. He ended his NBA career with 3,697 career points.
• 1962 – John Eaves, American production designer and illustrator. John Eaves (born April 9, 1962) is a designer and illustrator best known for his work on the Star Trek franchise, starting with Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
• 1954 – Dennis Quaid, American actor. Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor known for a wide variety of dramatic and comedic roles.
• 1954 – Ken Kalfus, American journalist and author. Three of his books have been named New York Times Notable Books of the Year.
• 1953 – Hal Ketchum, American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Hal Michael Ketchum (born April 9, 1953) is an American country music artist.
• 1946 – Nate Colbert, American baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman for the Houston Astros (1966, 1968), San Diego Padres (1969–74), Detroit Tigers (1975), Montreal Expos (1975–76), and Oakland Athletics (1976).
• 1945 – Peter Gammons, American journalist. G.
• 1945 – Steve Gadd, American drummer and percussionist. Gadd's performances on Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover", "Late in the Evening", and Steely Dan's "Aja" are examples of his style.
• 1944 – Joe Brinkman, American baseball player and umpire. Joseph Norbert Brinkman (born April 9, 1944) is an American former umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB) who worked in the American League (AL) from 1972 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000 until his retirement during the 2006 season.
• 1943 – Terry Knight, American singer-songwriter and producer (d. 2004), was an American rock and roll music producer, promoter, singer, songwriter and radio personality, who enjoyed some success in radio, modest success as a singer, but phenomenal success as the original manager-producer for Grand Funk Railroad and the producer for Bloodrock.
• 1942 – Brandon deWilde, American actor (d. 1972), was an American theater, film, and television actor. Born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn, he debuted on Broadway at the age of seven and became a national phenomenon by the time he completed his 492 performances for The Member of the Wedding.
• 1942 – Margo Smith, American singer-songwriter. Margo Smith (born Betty Lou Miller; April 9, 1942, Dayton, Ohio) is an American country music singer.
• 1939 – Michael Learned, American actress. Michael Learned (born April 9, 1939) is an American actress, known for her role as Olivia Walton in the long-running CBS drama series The Waltons (1972–1981).
• 1936 – Valerie Solanas, American radical feminist author, attempted murderer (d. 1988), was an American radical feminist and author best known for writing the SCUM Manifesto, which she self-published in 1967, and attempting to murder Andy Warhol in 1968.
• 1935 – Avery Schreiber, American actor and comedian (d. 2002), was an American comedian and actor. He was a veteran of stage, television, and film who came to prominence in the 1960s in a comedy duo with Jack Burns.
• 1933 – Fern Michaels, American author. Fern Michaels (born Mary Ruth Kuczkir; April 9, 1933) is an American author of romance and thriller novels, including nearly 150 best selling books with nearly 200 million copies in print.
• 1932 – Carl Perkins, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1998), was an American singer-songwriter who recorded most notably at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, beginning in 1954. Amongst his best-known songs are "Blue Suede Shoes", "Matchbox" and "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby".
• 1932 – Jim Fowler, American zoologist and television host, was an American professional zoologist and host of the acclaimed wildlife documentary television show Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.
• 1930 – F. Albert Cotton, American chemist and academic (d. 2007). Frank Albert Cotton (known as "Al" Cotton, or "F Albert" on publications) was born on April 9, 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 1930 – Nathaniel Branden, Canadian-American psychotherapist and author (d. 2014), was a Canadian–American psychotherapist and writer known for his work in the psychology of self-esteem. A former associate and romantic partner of Ayn Rand, Branden also played a prominent role in the 1960s in promoting Rand's philosophy, Objectivism.
• 1930 – Wallace McCain, Canadian businessman, founded McCain Foods (d. 2011). Born in Florenceville, New Brunswick to father and owner of seed potato exporting business Andrew Davis McCain (1878-1953) and mother Laura Blanche (Perley) McCain (1891-1982), he received a Bachelor of Arts from Mount Allison University in 1951.
• 1929 – Paule Marshall, American author and academic, was an American writer, best known for her 1959 debut novel Brown Girl, Brownstones. In 1992, at the age of 63, Marshall was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship grant.
• 1928 – Paul Arizin, American basketball player (d. 2006), was an American basketball player who spent his entire National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Philadelphia Warriors from 1950 to 1962. He retired with the third highest career point total (16,266) in NBA history, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History upon its 50th anniversary in 1996.
• 1928 – Tom Lehrer, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and mathematician. He is best known for the pithy and humorous songs that he recorded in the 1950s and 1960s.
• 1926 – Hugh Hefner, American publisher, founded Playboy Enterprises (d. 2017), was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obscenity.
• 1925 – Art Kane, American photographer (d. 1995), was an American fashion and music photographer active from the 1950s through the early 1990s. He created many portraits of contemporary musicians, including Bob Dylan, Sonny and Cher, Aretha Franklin, Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones, and The Who.
• 1925 – Virginia Gibson, American actress, singer, and dancer (d. 2013), was an American dancer, singer and actress of film, television and musical theatre.
• 1923 – Leonard Levy, American historian and author (d. 2006), was an American historian, the Andrew W. Mellon All-Claremont Professor of Humanities and Chairman of the Graduate Faculty of History at Claremont Graduate School, California, who specialized in the history of basic American Constitutional freedoms.
• 1921 – Frankie Thomas, American actor (d. 2006), was an American actor, author and bridge-strategy expert who played both lead and supporting roles on Broadway, in films, in post-World War II radio, and in early television. He was best known for his starring role in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.
• 1919 – J. Presper Eckert, American engineer, invented the ENIAC (d. 1995), was an American electrical engineer and computer pioneer. With John Mauchly, he designed the first general-purpose electronic digital computer (ENIAC), presented the first course in computing topics (the Moore School Lectures), founded the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation, and designed the first commercial computer in the U.S., the UNIVAC, which incorporated Eckert's invention of the mercury delay line memory.
• 1918 – Jørn Utzon, Danish architect, designed the Sydney Opera House (d. 2008). Jørn Oberg Utzon, AC, Hon.
• 1917 – Brad Dexter, American actor (d. 2002), was an American actor and film producer. He is known for tough-guy and western roles including the 1960 film The Magnificent Seven (1960) and producing several films for Sidney J.
• 1916 – Julian Dash, American swing music jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1974), was an American swing music jazz tenor saxophonist born in Charleston, South Carolina, probably better known for his work with Erskine Hawkins and Buck Clayton.
• 1910 – Abraham A. Ribicoff, American lawyer and politician, 4th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (d. 1998), was an American Democratic Party politician. He served as a United States Senator, as the 80th Governor of Connecticut and as President John F.
• 1908 – Joseph Krumgold, American author and screenwriter (d. 1980), was an American writer of books and screenplays. He was the first person to win two annual Newbery Medals for the most distinguished new American children's book.
• 1906 – Antal Doráti, Hungarian-American conductor and composer (d. 1988), was a Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became a naturalized American citizen in 1943.
• 1905 – J. William Fulbright, American lawyer and politician (d. 1995), was a United States Senator representing Arkansas from January 1945 until his resignation in December 1974. Fulbright is the longest serving chairman in the history of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
• 1904 – Sharkey Bonano, American singer, trumpet player, and bandleader (d. 1972), was a jazz trumpeter, band leader, and vocalist. His musical abilities were sometimes overlooked because of his love of being an entertainer; he would often sing silly lyrics in a high raspy voice and break into dance on stage.
• 1903 – Ward Bond, American actor (d. 1960), was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and the NBC television series Wagon Train from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are Bert, the cop, in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Captain Clayton in John Ford's The Searchers (1956).
• 1901 – Paul Willis, American actor and director (d. 1960). Paul Willis (born 1945) is a British social scientist known for his work in sociology and cultural studies.
• 1900 – Allen Jenkins, American actor and singer (d. 1974), was an American character actor and singer who worked on stage, film, and television.
• 1898 – Curly Lambeau, American football player and coach (d. 1965), was a professional American football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin native George Whitney Calhoun, founded the Green Bay Packers in 1919.
• 1898 – Paul Robeson, American singer, actor, and activist (d. 1976), was an American bass baritone concert artist and stage and film actor who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political activism. Educated at Rutgers College and Columbia University, he was also a star athlete in his youth.
• 1897 – John B. Gambling, American radio host (d. 1974), was an American radio personality. He was a member of The Gambling family, 3 generations of whom - John B., John A. and John R. - were hosts of WOR Radio's (New York City, 710 AM) morning show Rambling with Gambling (now known as The John Gambling Show) over the course of over 75 years (1925–2000 and 2008–present).
• 1895 – Mance Lipscomb, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1976), was an American blues singer, guitarist and songster. He was born Beau De Glen Lipscomb near Navasota, Texas.
• 1893 – Charles E. Burchfield, American painter (d.1967), was an American painter and visionary artist, known for his passionate watercolors of nature scenes and townscapes. The largest collection of Burchfield's paintings, archives and journals are in the collection of the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo.
• 1893 – Victor Gollancz, English publisher, founded Victor Gollancz Ltd (d. 1967), was a British publisher and humanitarian.
• 1888 – Sol Hurok, Ukrainian-American talent manager (d. 1974), was a 20th-century American impresario.
• 1875 – Jacques Futrelle, American journalist and author (d. 1912), was an American journalist and mystery writer. He is best known for writing short detective stories featuring Professor Augustus S.
• 1865 – Charles Proteus Steinmetz, Polish-American mathematician and engineer (d. 1923), was a German-born American mathematician and electrical engineer and professor at Union College. He fostered the development of alternating current that made possible the expansion of the electric power industry in the United States, formulating mathematical theories for engineers.
• 1806 – Isambard Kingdom Brunel, English engineer, designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge (d. 1859), was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history", "one of the 19th-century engineering giants", and "one of the greatest figures of the Industrial Revolution, changed the face of the English landscape with his groundbreaking designs and ingenious constructions". Brunel built dockyards, the Great Western Railway, a series of steamships including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship, and numerous important bridges and tunnels.

Deaths

• 2016 – Duane Clarridge, American spy (b. 1932)
• 2015 – Ivan Doig, American journalist and author (b. 1939)
• 2015 – Paul Almond, Canadian-American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1931)
• 2015 – Tsien Tsuen-hsuin, Chinese-American academic (b. 1909)
• 2014 – Gil Askey, American trumpet player, composer, and producer (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Rory Ellinger, American lawyer and politician (b. 1941)
• 2013 – Greg McCrary, American football player (b. 1952)
• 2013 – McCandlish Phillips, American journalist and author (b. 1927)
• 2013 – Paolo Soleri, Italian-American architect, designed the Cosanti (b. 1919)
• 2011 – Sidney Lumet, American director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1924)
• 2009 – Nick Adenhart, American baseball player (b. 1986)
• 2007 – Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer and academic (b. 1907)
• 2006 – Billy Hitchcock, American baseball player, coach, manager (b. 1916)
• 2003 – Jerry Bittle, American cartoonist (b. 1949)
• 2001 – Willie Stargell, American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)
• 1998 – Tom Cora, American cellist and composer (b. 1953)
• 1997 – Helene Hanff, American author and screenwriter (b. 1916)
• 1997 – Mae Boren Axton, American singer-songwriter (b. 1914)
• 1996 – Richard Condon, American author and publicist (b. 1915)
• 1993 – Joseph B. Soloveitchik, American rabbi and philosopher (b. 1903)
• 1991 – Forrest Towns, American hurdler and coach (b. 1914)
• 1988 – Brook Benton, American singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1931)
• 1988 – Dave Prater, American singer (b. 1937)
• 1978 – Clough Williams-Ellis, English-Welsh architect, designed Portmeirion (b. 1883)
• 1976 – Dagmar Nordstrom, American singer-songwriter and pianist (b. 1903)
• 1976 – Phil Ochs, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1940)
• 1970 – Gustaf Tenggren, Swedish-American illustrator and animator (b. 1896)
• 1963 – Eddie Edwards, American trombonist (b. 1891)
• 1959 – Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect, designed the Price Tower and Fallingwater (b. 1867)
• 1953 – Eddie Cochems, American football player and coach (b. 1877)
• 1926 – Zip the Pinhead, American freak show performer (b. 1857)
• 1909 – Helena Modjeska, Polish-American actress (b. 1840)
• 1872 – Erastus Corning, American businessman and politician (b. 1794)
• 585 BC – Emperor Jimmu, the first Emperor of Japan (b. 711 BC)