1147 ~ Moscow was first made mention of in historical records on the 4th April 1147, when Yuri Dolgorukiy called upon the prince of the Novgorod-Severski to “come to me, brother, to Moscow.” The city is named after the river гра́д Моско́в, literally “the city by the Moskva River“ YouTube video shows some marvelous Moscow footage in this great 1980 hit by Genghis Khan…
1581 – Francis Drake was knighted for completing a circumnavigation of the world on the 4th April 1581.
1814 – Napoleon abdicated for the first time on the 4th April 1814.
1841 – William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia on the 4th April 1841, becoming the 1st President of the United States to die in office, and the one with the shortest term served.
1850 – Los Angeles, California was incorporated as a city on the 4th April 1850.
1873 – The Kennel Club was founded on the 4th April 1873. It is the oldest and first official registry of purebred dogs in the world.
1911 – Max Dupain the Australian photographer was born on the 4th April 1911 (died 1992).
1957 – Graeme Kelling the Scottish guitarist from Deacon Blue was born on the 4th April 1957 (died 2004).
1958 – The CND peace symbol was displayed in public for the first time in London on the 4th April 1958.
1960 – Hugo Weaving the Nigerian-Australian actor was born on the 4th April 1960.
1963 – Graham Norton the Irish-English actor and talk show host was born on the 4th April 1963.
1964 – The Beatles occupied the top 5 positions on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart on the 4th April 1964.
1965 – Robert Downey, Jr. the American actor, singer, screenwriter, and producer was born on the 4th April 1965.
1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee on the 4th April 1968.
1968 – Apollo 6 was launcehed by NASA on the 4th April 1968.
1969 – Dr. Denton Cooley implanted the 1st temporary artificial heart on the 4th April 1969.
1973 – The World Trade Center in New York was officially dedicated on the 4th April 1973.
1975 – Microsoft was founded as a partnership between Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico on the 4th April 1975.
1975 ~ The Tan Son Nhut C-5 accident occurrred on the 4th April 1975, with the crash of Lockheed C-5A Galaxy during Operation Babylift. The C-5 crashed on approach during an emergency landing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam. The accident marked the 1st fatal crash for the C-5 Galaxy fleet, and the deadliest accident involving a U.S. military aircraft. Out of 313 people on board, the death toll included 78 children, 35 Defence Attaché Office employees and 11 U.S. Air Force personnel. 175 people survived, with all of the surviving orphans flown to the United States.
1978 – Sam Moran the Australian singer and guitarist from The Wiggles was born on the 4th April 1978.
1979 – Heath Ledger the Australian actor and director was born on the 4th April 1979 (died 2008).
1983 – Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-6) made its maiden voyage into space on the 4th April 1983.
1984 – President Ronald Reagan called for an international ban on chemical weapons on the 4th April 1984.
1989 ~ Round the Twist the Logie Award winning Australian television series was 1st broadcast on the 4th April 1989, until the 2nd May 2001. Round the Twist is about 3 children and their father living in a lighthouse and involved in many bizarre magical adventures. The first 2 series were based on the Round the Twist books written by author Paul Jennings. Several locations were used for the filming, including the Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet, Williamstown, Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff, all in the sate of Victoria. Round the Twist official website: www.RoundTheTwist.com
YouTube video: Round The Twist Theme intro 1989…
1996 – Comet Hyakutake was imaged by the USA Asteroid Orbiter Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous on the 4th April 1996.
2002 – The Society Murders in Melbourne occurred on the 4th April in 2002.
2005 ~ International Day for Landmine Awareness was declared and started on the 4th April 2005, by the General Assembly. This video explains the Lend Your Leg campaign, which calls for civilians to roll up their pant leg as a symbolic act to support victims of landmines…
2012 ~ GRUMPY CAT the Internet celebrity was born on the 4th April 2012. Grumpy Cat’s real name is Tardar Sauce, and she is well known for her grumpy facial expression. Her owner Tabatha Bundesen said Grumpy Cat’s permanently grumpy-looking face is due to feline dwarfism. Grumpy Cat’s popularity originated from a picture of her posted on the social news website reddit by Tabatha’s brother Bryan on the 22nd September 2012. The photo was made into an image macro with grumpy captions. The Official Grumpy Cat on Facebook has had over 1.2 million Likes. Grumpy Cat was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal on the 30th May 2013. Grumpy Cat’s recognitions have included: MSNBC Most influential cat of 2012, BuzzFeed Meme of the Year Award at the 2013 Webby Awards, and 1st prize at the 2nd annual Internet Cat Video Film Festival. Grumpy Cat has made TV appearances Today, Good Morning America, CBS Evening News and other shows. Visit the official Grumpy Cat website: www.GrumpyCats.com, watch Grumpy Cat on YouTube and follow on Twitter.com/RealGrumpyCat.