Vintage News · Odd history for April 1

What Happened On April 1

Q: What happened on April 1?

1990: The longest prison riot in British penal history began at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, lasting 25 days. 1871: The Duke of Buckingham opened the first section of the Brill Tramway, a short railway line to transport goods between his lands and the national rail network. 1865: American Civil War: Union troops led by Philip Sheridan decisively defeat Confederate troops led by George Pickett, cutting the Army of Northern Virginia's last supply line during the Siege of Petersburg. 1789: In New York City, the United States House of Representatives achieves its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker. 1725: J. S. Bach's later Easter Oratorio in its first version is performed at the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig on Easter Sunday. 1572: In the Eighty Years' War, the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Seventeen Provinces, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic. 1976: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer, Inc. (first logo pictured). 1974: A man ignited tires in the crater of Mount Edgecumbe, prompting a false eruption scare later revealed as an April Fools' hoax. 1970: The American Motors Corporation introduced its Gremlin, promoted as America's first subcompact car. 1969: The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with V/STOL capabilities, entered service with the Royal Air Force.

57 events and 217 births, refreshed daily. OddlyTrue's own archive for 1 April →

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10 odd things that happened on April 1

1990 Weird
The longest prison riot in British penal history began at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, lasting 25 days.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1871 First ever
The Duke of Buckingham opened the first section of the Brill Tramway, a short railway line to transport goods between his lands and the national rail network.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1865 Oddly true
American Civil War: Union troops led by Philip Sheridan decisively defeat Confederate troops led by George Pickett, cutting the Army of Northern Virginia's last supply line during the Siege of Petersburg.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1789 First ever
In New York City, the United States House of Representatives achieves its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1725 First ever
J. S. Bach's later Easter Oratorio in its first version is performed at the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig on Easter Sunday.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1572 First ever
In the Eighty Years' War, the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Seventeen Provinces, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1976 First ever
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computer, Inc. (first logo pictured).
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1974 Weird
A man ignited tires in the crater of Mount Edgecumbe, prompting a false eruption scare later revealed as an April Fools' hoax.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1970 First ever
The American Motors Corporation introduced its Gremlin, promoted as America's first subcompact car.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1969 First ever
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with V/STOL capabilities, entered service with the Royal Air Force.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2026The Artemis II lunar flyby mission launches, marking the first crewed flight above low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. Wikipedia →
2016The 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict begins along the Nagorno-Karabakh Line of Contact. Wikipedia →
2011After protests against the burning of the Quran turn violent, a mob attacks a United Nations compound in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of fourteen people, including seven UN workers. Wikipedia →
2006Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) of the Government of the United Kingdom is enforced, but later merged into National Crime Agency on 7 October 2013. Wikipedia →
2004Google launches its Email service Gmail. Wikipedia →
2001An EP-3E United States Navy surveillance aircraft collides with a Chinese People's Liberation Army Shenyang J-8 fighter jet. The Chinese pilot ejected but is subsequently lost. The Navy crew makes an emergency landing in Hainan, China and is detained. Wikipedia →
2001Former President of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milošević surrenders to police special forces, to be tried on war crimes charges. Wikipedia →
2001Same-sex marriage becomes legal in the Netherlands, the first contemporary country to allow it. Wikipedia →
1999Nunavut is established as a Canadian territory carved out of the eastern part of the Northwest Territories. Wikipedia →
1997Comet Hale–Bopp is seen passing at perihelion. Wikipedia →
1993NASCAR champion Alan Kulwicki is killed in a plane crash near the Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, Tennessee. Wikipedia →
1989Margaret Thatcher's new local government tax, the Community Charge (commonly known as the "poll tax"), is introduced in Scotland. Wikipedia →
1986Communist Party of Nepal (Mashal) cadres attack a number of police stations in Kathmandu, seeking to incite a popular rebellion. Wikipedia →
1984Singer Marvin Gaye is shot to death by his father in his home in Arlington Heights, Los Angeles, California. Wikipedia →
1979Iran becomes an Islamic republic by a 99% vote, officially overthrowing the Shah. Wikipedia →
1976Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak found Apple Computer, Inc. Wikipedia →
1974The Local Government Act 1972 of England and Wales comes into effect. Wikipedia →
1973Project Tiger, a tiger conservation project, is launched in the Jim Corbett National Park, India. Wikipedia →
1971Bangladesh Liberation War: The Pakistan Army massacre more than a thousand people in Keraniganj Upazila, Bangladesh. Wikipedia →
1970President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law. Wikipedia →
1970A Royal Air Maroc Sud Aviation Caravelle crashes near Berrechid, Morocco, killing 61. Wikipedia →
1969The Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the first operational fighter aircraft with Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing capabilities, enters service with the Royal Air Force. Wikipedia →
1964The British Admiralty, War Office and Air Ministry are replaced by a unified Defence Council of the United Kingdom. Wikipedia →
1960The TIROS-1 satellite transmits the first television picture from space. Wikipedia →
1955The EOKA rebellion against the British Empire begins in Cyprus, with the goal of unifying with Greece. Wikipedia →
1954United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Wikipedia →
1949The Government of Canada repeals Japanese-Canadian internment after seven years. Wikipedia →
1948Cold War: Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin. Wikipedia →
1948Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark. Wikipedia →
1947The only mutiny in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy begins. Wikipedia →
1946The 8.6 Mw Aleutian Islands earthquake shakes the Aleutian Islands with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). A destructive tsunami reaches the Hawaiian Islands resulting in dozens of deaths, mostly in Hilo, Hawaii. Wikipedia →
1946The Malayan Union is established. Protests from locals led to the establishment of the Federation of Malaya two years later. Wikipedia →
1945World War II: The Tenth United States Army attacks the Thirty-Second Japanese Army on Okinawa. Wikipedia →
1944World War II: Navigation errors lead to an accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen. Wikipedia →
1941Fântâna Albă massacre: Between two hundred and two thousand Romanian civilians are killed by Soviet Border Troops. Wikipedia →
1941A military coup in Iraq overthrows the regime of 'Abd al-Ilah and installs Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister. Wikipedia →
1939Spanish Civil War: Generalísimo Francisco Franco of the Spanish State announces the end of the Spanish Civil War, when the last of the Republican forces surrender. Wikipedia →
1937Aden becomes a British crown colony. Wikipedia →
1937The Royal New Zealand Air Force is formed as an independent service. Wikipedia →
1935India's central banking institution, the Reserve Bank of India, is formed. Wikipedia →
1933The recently elected Nazis under Julius Streicher organize a one-day boycott of all Jewish-owned businesses in Germany, ushering in a series of anti-Semitic acts. Wikipedia →
1924Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years fortress confinement for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch" but spends only nine months in jail. Wikipedia →
1924The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed. Wikipedia →
1922In newly formed Northern Ireland, six Catholics are murdered in the Arnon Street killings, one week after six others were killed in the McMahon killings. Wikipedia →
1918The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Wikipedia →
1908The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army. Wikipedia →
1900Prince George becomes absolute monarch of the Cretan State. Wikipedia →
1873The White Star steamer SS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century. Wikipedia →
1867Singapore becomes a British crown colony. Wikipedia →
1865American Civil War: Union troops led by Philip Sheridan decisively defeat Confederate troops led by George Pickett, cutting the Army of Northern Virginia's last supply line during the Siege of Petersburg. Wikipedia →
1833The Convention of 1833, a political gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas to help draft a series of petitions to the Mexican government, begins in San Felipe de Austin. Wikipedia →
1789In New York City, the United States House of Representatives achieves its first quorum and elects Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania as its first Speaker. Wikipedia →
1725J. S. Bach's later Easter Oratorio in its first version is performed at the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig on Easter Sunday. Wikipedia →
1572In the Eighty Years' War, the Watergeuzen capture Brielle from the Seventeen Provinces, gaining the first foothold on land for what would become the Dutch Republic. Wikipedia →
1081Alexios I Komnenos overthrows the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros III Botaneiates, and, after his troops spend three days extensively looting Constantinople, is formally crowned on April 4. Wikipedia →
527Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne. Wikipedia →
285Roman emperor Diocletian names Maximian his co-emperor ("Augustus"). Wikipedia →

From The Guardian Archives — On This Day

2025The Guardian
Australian exporters brace for immediate US tariffs on Trump’s ‘liberation day’
Government ministers still in the dark on tariffs as White House dangles hope of ‘good negotiation’ with president
Read on The Guardian →
2022The Guardian
Secondhand bong smoke worse than that from tobacco, study finds
The fine particulate matter in cannabis smoke from bongs is at least four times greater and more dangerous, experts said
Read on The Guardian →
1939The New York Times
90, Never Asked War Pension
Retires as Mass State employe at 90; has never asked Civil War pension
Read on NYTimes.com →

Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.