April 8

Template:This date in recent years/validate

Events

Pre-1600

• 217 – Roman emperor Caracalla is assassinated and is succeeded by his Praetorian Guard prefect, Marcus Opellius Macrinus.
• 876 – The Battle of Dayr al-'Aqul saves Baghdad from the Saffarids.
• 1139 – Roger II of Sicily is excommunicated by Innocent II for supporting Anacletus II as pope for seven years, even though Roger had already publicly recognized Innocent's claim to the papacy.
• 1232 – Mongol–Jin War: The Mongols begin their siege on Kaifeng, the capital of the Jin dynasty.
• 1250 – Seventh Crusade: Ayyubids of Egypt capture King Louis IX of France in the Battle of Fariskur.
• 1271 – In Syria, sultan Baibars conquers the Krak des Chevaliers.

1601–1900

• 1605 – The city of Oulu, Finland, is founded by Charles IX of Sweden.
• 1730 – Shearith Israel, the first synagogue in continental North America, is dedicated.
• 1812 – Czar Alexander I, the Russian Emperor and the Grand Duke of Finland, officially announces the transfer of the status of the Finnish capital from Turku to Helsinki.
• 1820 – The Venus de Milo is discovered on the Aegean island of Milos.
• 1832 – Black Hawk War: Around 300 United States 6th Infantry troops leave St. Louis, Missouri to fight the Sauk Native Americans.
• 1866 – Austro-Prussian War: Italy and Prussia sign a secret alliance against the Austrian Empire.
• 1886 – William Ewart Gladstone introduces the first Irish Home Rule Bill into the British House of Commons.
• 1895 – In Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. the Supreme Court of the United States declares unapportioned income tax to be unconstitutional.

1901–present

• 1904 – The French Third Republic and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland sign the Entente cordiale.
• 1940 – The Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party elects Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal as General Secretary, marking the beginning of his 44-year-long tenure as de facto leader of Mongolia.
• 1954 – A Royal Canadian Air Force Canadair Harvard collides with a Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair North Star over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 37 people.
• 1954 – South African Airways Flight 201: A de Havilland DH.106 Comet 1 crashes into the sea during night killing 21 people.
• 1959 – A team of computer manufacturers, users, and university people led by Grace Hopper meets to discuss the creation of a new programming language that would be called COBOL.
• 1959 – The Organization of American States drafts an agreement to create the Inter-American Development Bank.
• 1960 – The Netherlands and West Germany sign an agreement to negotiate the return of German land annexed by the Dutch in return for 280 million German marks as Wiedergutmachung.
• 1968 – BOAC Flight 712 catches fire shortly after takeoff. As a result of her actions in the accident, Barbara Jane Harrison is awarded a posthumous George Cross, the only GC awarded to a woman in peacetime.
• 1970 – Bahr El-Baqar primary school bombing: Israeli bombers strike an Egyptian school. Forty-six children are killed.
• 1974 – Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth as the all-time leader in career home runs by hitting his 715th home run off of Al Downing at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
• 1990 – The conservative New Democracy party of Constantine Mitsotakis is elected in the Greek parliamentary election.
• 1993 – The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on mission STS-56.
• 2002 – The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched on mission STS-110, carrying the S0 truss to the International Space Station. Astronaut Jerry L. Ross also becomes the first person to fly on seven spaceflights.
• 2005 – A solar eclipse occurs, visible over areas of the Pacific Ocean and Latin American countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela.
• 2010 – U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sign the New START Treaty.
• 2014 – Windows XP reaches its standard End Of Life and is no longer supported.
• 2020 – Bernie Sanders ends his presidential campaign, leaving Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's nominee.
• 2024 – Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024: A total solar eclipse takes place at the Moon's ascending node, visible across North America.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1320 – Peter I of Portugal (died 1367)
• 1408 – Jadwiga of Lithuania, Polish princess (died 1431)
• 1435 – John Clifford, 9th Baron de Clifford, English noble (died 1461)
• 1533 – Claudio Merulo, Italian organist and composer (died 1604)
• 1536 – Barbara of Hesse (died 1597)
• 1541 – Michele Mercati, Italian physician and archaeologist (died 1593)
• 1580 – William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, English noble, courtier and patron of the arts (died 1630)
• 1596 – Juan van der Hamen, Spanish artist (died 1631)

1601–1900

• 1605 – Philip IV of Spain (died 1665)
• 1605 – Mary Stuart, English-Scottish princess (died 1607)
• 1641 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English general and politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (died 1704)
• 1692 – Giuseppe Tartini, Italian violinist and composer (died 1770)
• 1726 – Lewis Morris, American judge and politician (died 1798)
• 1732 – David Rittenhouse, American astronomer and mathematician (died 1796)
• 1761 – William Joseph Chaminade, French priest, founded the Society of Mary (died 1850)
• 1770 – John Thomas Campbell, Irish-Australian banker and politician (died 1830)
• 1798 – Dionysios Solomos, Greek poet and author (died 1857)
• 1818 – Christian IX of Denmark (died 1906)
• 1818 – August Wilhelm von Hofmann, German chemist and academic (died 1892)
• 1826 – Pancha Carrasco, Costa Rican soldier (died 1890)
• 1827 – Ramón Emeterio Betances, Puerto Rican ophthalmologist, journalist, and politician (died 1898)
• 1842 – Elizabeth Bacon Custer, American author and educator (died 1933)
• 1859 – Edmund Husserl, German Jewish-Austrian mathematician and philosopher (died 1938)
• 1864 – Carlos Deltour, French rower and rugby player (died 1920)
• 1867 – Allen Butler Talcott, American painter and educator (died 1908)
• 1869 – Harvey Cushing, American surgeon and academic (died 1939)
• 1871 – Clarence Hudson White, American photographer and educator (died 1925)
• 1874 – Manuel Díaz, Cuban fencer (died 1929)
• 1874 – Stanisław Taczak, Polish general (died 1960)
• 1875 – Albert I of Belgium (died 1934)
• 1882 (O.S. 27 March) – Dmytro Doroshenko, Lithuanian-Ukrainian historian and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Ukraine (died 1951)
• 1883 – R. P. Keigwin, English cricketer and academic (died 1972)
• 1883 – Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (died 1936)
• 1885 – Dimitrios Levidis, Greek-French soldier, composer, and educator (died 1951)
• 1886 – Margaret Ayer Barnes, American author and playwright (died 1967)
• 1888 – Dennis Chávez, American journalist and politician (died 1962)
• 1889 – Adrian Boult, English conductor (died 1983)
• 1892 – Richard Neutra, Austrian-American architect, designer of the Los Angeles County Hall of Records (died 1970)
• 1892 – Mary Pickford, Canadian-American actress, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of United Artists (died 1979)
• 1896 – Yip Harburg, American composer (died 1981)
• 1900 – Marie Byles, Australian solicitor (died 1979)

1901–present

• 1902 – Andrew Irvine, English mountaineer and explorer (died 1924)
• 1902 – Maria Maksakova Sr., Russian soprano (died 1974)
• 1904 – John Hicks, English economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1989)
• 1904 – Hirsch Jacobs, American horse trainer (died 1970)
• 1905 – Joachim Büchner, German sprinter and graphic designer (died 1978)
• 1905 – Helen Joseph, English-South African activist (died 1992)
• 1905 – Erwin Keller, German field hockey player (died 1971)
• 1906 – Raoul Jobin, Canadian tenor and educator (died 1974)
• 1908 – Hugo Fregonese, Argentinian director and screenwriter (died 1987)
• 1909 – John Fante, American author and screenwriter (died 1983)
• 1910 – George Musso, American football player and police officer (died 2000)
• 1911 – Melvin Calvin, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1997)
• 1911 – Emil Cioran, Romanian-French philosopher and academic (died 1995)
• 1912 – Alois Brunner, Austrian-German SS officer (died 2001 or 2010)
• 1912 – Sonja Henie, Norwegian-American figure skater and actress (died 1969)
• 1914 – María Félix, Yaqui/Basque-Mexican actress (died 2002)
• 1915 – Ivan Supek, Croatian physicist, philosopher and writer (died 2007)
• 1917 – Winifred Asprey, American mathematician and computer scientist (died 2007)
• 1917 – Lloyd Bott, Australian public servant (died 2004)
• 1917 – Hubertus Ernst, Dutch bishop (died 2017)
• 1917 – Grigori Kuzmin, Russian-Estonian astronomer (died 1988)
• 1918 – Betty Ford, American wife of Gerald Ford, 40th First Lady of the United States (died 2011)
• 1918 – Glendon Swarthout, American author and academic (died 1992)
• 1919 – Ian Smith, Zimbabwean lieutenant and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Rhodesia (died 2007)
• 1921 – Franco Corelli, Italian tenor and actor (died 2003)
• 1920 – Carmen McRae, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress (died 1994)
• 1921 – Jan Novák, Czech composer (died 1984)
• 1921 – Herman van Raalte, Dutch footballer (died 2013)
• 1923 – George Fisher, American cartoonist (died 2003)
• 1923 – Edward Mulhare, Irish-American actor (died 1997)
• 1924 – Frédéric Back, German-Canadian animator, director, and screenwriter (died 2013)
• 1924 – Anthony Farrar-Hockley, English general and historian (died 2006)
• 1924 – Kumar Gandharva, Hindustani classical singer (died 1992)
• 1924 – Sara Northrup Hollister, American occultist (died 1997)
• 1926 – Henry N. Cobb, American architect and academic, co-founded Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (died 2020)
• 1926 – Shecky Greene, American comedian (died 2023)
• 1926 – Jürgen Moltmann, German theologian and academic (died 2024)
• 1927 – Tilly Armstrong, English author (died 2010)
• 1927 – Ollie Mitchell, American trumpet player and bandleader (died 2013)
• 1928 – Fred Ebb, American lyricist (died 2004)
• 1929 – Jacques Brel, Belgian singer-songwriter and actor (died 1978)
• 1929 – Renzo De Felice, Italian historian and author (died 1996)
• 1930 – Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma (died 2010)
• 1931 – John Gavin, American actor and diplomat, United States Ambassador to Mexico (died 2018)
• 1931 – Jack Le Goff, French equestrian (died 2009)
• 1932 – Iskandar of Johor (died 2010)
• 1933 – James Lockhart, American scholar of colonial Latin America, especially Nahua peoples (died 2014)
• 1934 – Kisho Kurokawa, Japanese architect, designed the Nakagin Capsule Tower and Singapore Flyer (died 2007)
• 1935 – Oscar Zeta Acosta, American lawyer and politician (died 1974)
• 1935 – Albert Bustamante, American soldier, educator, and politician (died 2021)
• 1936 – Ghassan Kanafani, Palestinian author and politician (died 1972)
• 1937 – Tony Barton, English footballer and manager (died 1993)
• 1937 – Seymour Hersh, American journalist and author
• 1937 – Momo Kapor, Serbian author and painter (died 2010)
• 1938 – Kofi Annan, Ghanaian economist and diplomat, 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations (died 2018)
• 1938 – John Hamm, Canadian physician and politician, 25th Premier of Nova Scotia
• 1938 – Mary W. Gray, American mathematician, statistician, and lawyer
• 1939 – Manolis Angelopoulos, Greek singer, composer and songwriter (died 1989)
• 1939 – John Arbuthnott, Scottish microbiologist and academic (died 2023)
• 1939 – Trina Schart Hyman, American author and illustrator (died 2004)
• 1939 – Martin J. Schreiber, American politician, 39th Governor of Wisconsin
• 1940 – John Havlicek, American basketball player (died 2019)
• 1941 – Vivienne Westwood, English fashion designer (died 2022)
• 1942 – Tony Banks, Baron Stratford, Northern Irish politician, Minister for Sport and the Olympics (died 2006)
• 1942 – Roger Chapman, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1942 – Douglas Trumbull, American director, producer, and special effects artist (died 2022)
• 1943 – Michael Bennett, American dancer, choreographer, and director (died 1987)
• 1943 – Miller Farr, American football player (died 2023)
• 1943 – James Herbert, English author and illustrator (died 2013)
• 1943 – Chris Orr, English painter and illustrator
• 1944 – Hywel Bennett, Welsh actor (died 2017)
• 1944 – Odd Nerdrum, Swedish-Norwegian painter and illustrator
• 1945 – Derrick Walker, Scottish businessman
• 1945 – Jang Yong, South Korean actor
• 1946 – Catfish Hunter, American baseball player (died 1999)
• 1946 – Tim Thomerson, American actor and producer
• 1947 – Tom DeLay, American lawyer and politician
• 1947 – Steve Howe, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
• 1947 – Pascal Lamy, French businessman and politician, European Commissioner for Trade
• 1947 – Larry Norman, American singer-songwriter, and producer (died 2008)
• 1948 – Barbara Young, Baroness Young of Old Scone, Scottish academic and politician
• 1949 – K. C. Kamalasabayson, Sri Lankan lawyer and politician, 39th Attorney General of Sri Lanka (died 2007)
• 1949 – John Madden, English director and producer
• 1949 – Brenda Russell, African-American-Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1949 – John Scott, English sociologist and academic
• 1950 – Grzegorz Lato, Polish footballer and coach
• 1951 – Gerd Andres, German politician
• 1951 – Geir Haarde, Icelandic economist, journalist, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Iceland
• 1951 – Mel Schacher, American bass player
• 1951 – Joan Sebastian, Mexican singer-songwriter and actor (died 2015)
• 1951 – Phil Schaap, American jazz disc jockey and historian (died 2021)
• 1952 – Ahmet Piriştina, Turkish politician (died 2004)
• 1954 – Gary Carter, American baseball player and coach (died 2012)
• 1954 – Princess Lalla Amina of Morocco (died 2012)
• 1954 – G.V. Loganathan, Indian-American engineer and academic (died 2007)
• 1955 – Gerrie Coetzee, South African boxer (died 2023)
• 1955 – Ron Johnson, American businessman and politician
• 1955 – Barbara Kingsolver, American novelist, essayist and poet
• 1955 – David Wu, Taiwanese-American lawyer and politician
• 1956 – Michael Benton, Scottish-English paleontologist and academic
• 1956 – Christine Boisson, French actress
• 1956 – Roman Dragoun, Czech singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1958 – Detlef Bruckhoff, German footballer
• 1958 – Tom Petranoff, American javelin thrower and coach
• 1959 – Alain Bondue, French cyclist
• 1960 – John Schneider, American actor and country singer
• 1961 – Richard Hatch, American reality contestant
• 1961 – Brian McDermott, English footballer and manager
• 1962 – Paddy Lowe, English engineer
• 1962 – Izzy Stradlin, American guitarist and songwriter
• 1963 – Tine Asmundsen, Norwegian bassist
• 1963 – Julian Lennon, English singer-songwriter
• 1963 – Dean Norris, American actor
• 1963 – Terry Porter, American basketball player and coach
• 1963 – Donita Sparks, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1963 – Alec Stewart, English cricketer
• 1964 – Biz Markie, American rapper, producer, and actor (died 2021)
• 1964 – John McGinlay, Scottish footballer and manager
• 1965 – Steven Blaney, Canadian businessman and politician, 5th Canadian Minister of Public Safety
• 1965 – Michael Jones, New Zealand rugby player and coach
• 1966 – Iveta Bartošová, Czech singer and actress (died 2014)
• 1966 – Mark Blundell, English race car driver
• 1966 – Andy Currier, English rugby league player
• 1966 – Charlotte Dawson, New Zealand-Australian television host (died 2014)
• 1966 – Dalton Grant, English high jumper
• 1966 – Mazinho, Brazilian footballer, coach, and manager
• 1966 – Harri Rovanperä, Finnish race car driver
• 1966 – Evripidis Stylianidis, Greek lawyer and politician, Greek Minister for the Interior
• 1966 – Robin Wright, American actress, director, producer
• 1967 – Kenny Benjamin, Antiguan cricketer
• 1968 – Patricia Arquette, American actress and director
• 1968 – Patricia Girard, French runner and hurdler
• 1968 – Tracy Grammer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1971 – Darren Jessee, American singer-songwriter and drummer
• 1972 – Paul Gray, American bass player and songwriter (died 2010)
• 1972 – Sergei Magnitsky, Russian lawyer and accountant (died 2009)
• 1973 – Khaled Badra, Tunisian footballer
• 1973 – Emma Caulfield, American actress
• 1973 – Christof May, German theologian
• 1974 – Toutai Kefu, Tongan-Australian rugby player
• 1974 – Chris Kyle, American sniper and memoirist (died 2013)
• 1974 – Nnedi Okorafor, Nigerian-American author and educator
• 1974 – Nayden Todorov, Bulgarian conductor and culture minister
• 1975 – Anouk, Dutch singer
• 1975 – Francesco Flachi, Italian footballer
• 1975 – Timo Pérez, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1975 – Funda Arar, Turkish singer
• 1977 – Ana de la Reguera, Mexican actress
• 1977 – Mehran Ghassemi, Iranian journalist and author (died 2008)
• 1977 – Mark Spencer, American computer programmer and engineer
• 1978 – Daigo, Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, and voice actor
• 1978 – Bernt Haas, Austrian-Swiss footballer
• 1978 – Rachel Roberts, Canadian model and actress
• 1978 – Jocelyn Robichaud, Canadian tennis player and coach
• 1978 – Evans Rutto, Kenyan runner
• 1979 – Alexi Laiho, Finnish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2020)
• 1979 – Amit Trivedi, Indian singer-songwriter
• 1980 – Manuel Ortega, Austrian singer
• 1980 – Katee Sackhoff, American actress
• 1980 – Mariko Seyama, Japanese announcer, photographer, and model
• 1981 – Frédérick Bousquet, French swimmer
• 1981 – Taylor Kitsch, Canadian actor and model
• 1981 – Ofer Shechter, Israeli model, actor, and screenwriter
• 1982 – Gennady Golovkin, Kazakhstani boxer
• 1982 – Brett White, Australian rugby league player
• 1982 – Allu Arjun, Indian actor
• 1983 – Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova, Russian runner
• 1984 – Michelle Donelan, British politician
• 1984 – Ezra Koenig, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1984 – Pablo Portillo, Mexican singer and actor
• 1984 – Taran Noah Smith, American actor
• 1985 – Patrick Schliwa, German rugby player
• 1985 – Yemane Tsegay, Ethiopian runner
• 1986 – Igor Akinfeev, Russian footballer
• 1986 – Félix Hernández, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1986 – Carlos Santana, Dominican baseball player
• 1987 – Royston Drenthe, Dutch footballer
• 1987 – Jeremy Hellickson, American baseball player
• 1987 – Elton John, Trinidadian footballer
• 1987 – Sam Rapira, New Zealand rugby league player
• 1988 – Jenni Asserholt, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1989 – Matty Healy, English singer-songwriter and producer
• 1990 – Kim Jong-hyun, South Korean singer (died 2017)
• 1992 – Jeff McNeil, American baseball player
• 1993 – Viktor Arvidsson, Swedish ice hockey player
• 1993 – TBJZL, English YouTuber
• 1994 – Josh Chudleigh, Australian rugby league player
• 1995 – Forrest Frank, American singer-songwriter
• 1995 – Cedi Osman, Turkish professional basketball player
• 1996 – Anna Korakaki, Greek Olympic shooter
• 1997 – Kim Woo-jin, South Korean singer
• 1997 – Saygrace, Australian singer and songwriter
• 1997 – Roquan Smith, American football player
• 1997 – Arno Verschueren, Belgian footballer
• 1998 – Lavinia Valbonesi, Ecuadorian nutritionist, businesswoman and First Lady of Ecuador
• 1999 – CeeDee Lamb, American football player
• 2002 – Jamie Drysdale, Canadian ice hockey player
• 2002 – Viktória Forster, Slovak track and field athlete
• 2002 – Skai Jackson, American actress
• 2005 – Zaccharie Risacher, French basketball player
• 2013 – Big Justice, American social media personality

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 217 – Caracalla, Roman emperor (born 188)
• 622 – Shōtoku, Japanese prince (born 572)
• 632 – Charibert II, Frankish king (born 607)
• 894 – Adalelm, Frankish nobleman
• 944 – Wang Yanxi, Chinese emperor
• 956 – Gilbert, Frankish nobleman
• 967 – Mu'izz al-Dawla, Buyid emir (born 915)
• 1143 – John II Komnenos, Byzantine emperor (born 1087)
• 1150 – Gertrude of Babenberg, duchess of Bohemia (born 1118)
• 1321 – Thomas of Tolentino, Italian-Franciscan missionary (born c. 1255)
• 1338 – Stephen Gravesend, bishop of London
• 1364 – John II, French king (born 1319)
• 1450 – Sejong the Great, Korean king (born 1397)
• 1461 – Georg von Peuerbach, German mathematician and astronomer (born 1423)
• 1492 – Lorenzo de' Medici, Italian ruler (born 1449)
• 1551 – Oda Nobuhide, Japanese warlord (born 1510)
• 1586 – Martin Chemnitz, Lutheran theologian and reformer (born 1522)

1601–1900

• 1608 – Magdalen Dacre, English noble (born 1538)
• 1612 – Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (born 1575)
• 1691 – Carlo Rainaldi, Italian architect, designed the Santa Maria dei Miracoli and Santa Maria in Montesanto (born 1611)
• 1697 – Niels Juel, Norwegian-Danish admiral (born 1629)
• 1704 – Hiob Ludolf, German orientalist and philologist (born 1624)
• 1704 – Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney, English colonel and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (born 1641)
• 1709 – Wolfgang Dietrich of Castell-Remlingen, German nobleman (born 1641)
• 1725 – John Wise, American minister (born 1652)
• 1735 – Francis II Rákóczi, Hungarian prince (born 1676)
• 1848 – Gaetano Donizetti, Italian composer (born 1797)
• 1860 – István Széchenyi, Hungarian statesman and reformer (born 1791)
• 1861 – Elisha Otis, American businessman, founded the Otis Elevator Company (born 1811)
• 1870 – Charles Auguste de Bériot, Belgian violinist and composer (born 1802)
• 1877 – Bernardino António Gomes, Portuguese physician and naturalist (born 1806)
• 1894 – Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Indian journalist, author, and poet (born 1838)

1901–present

• 1906 – Auguste Deter, German woman, first person diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (born 1850)
• 1919 – Loránd Eötvös, Hungarian physicist, academic, and politician, Hungarian Minister of Education (born 1848)
• 1920 – Charles Griffes, American pianist and composer (born 1884)
• 1931 – Erik Axel Karlfeldt, Swedish poet Nobel Prize laureate (born 1864)
• 1936 – Róbert Bárány, Austrian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1876)
• 1936 – Božena Benešová, Czech poet and novelist (born 1873)
• 1941 – Marcel Prévost, French novelist and playwright (born 1862)
• 1942 – Kostas Skarvelis, Greek guitarist and composer (born 1880)
• 1947 – Olaf Frydenlund, Norwegian target shooter (born 1862)
• 1950 – Vaslav Nijinsky, Polish dancer and choreographer (born 1890)
• 1959 – Marios Makrionitis, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Athens (born 1913)
• 1961 – Joseph Carrodus, Australian public servant (born 1885)
• 1962 – Juan Belmonte, Spanish bullfighter (born 1892)
• 1965 – Lars Hanson, Swedish actor (born 1886)
• 1969 – Zinaida Aksentyeva, Ukrainian astronomer (born 1900)
• 1973 – Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor (born 1881)
• 1974 – James Charles McGuigan, Canadian cardinal (born 1894)
• 1979 – Breece D'J Pancake, American short story writer (born 1952)
• 1981 – Omar Bradley, American general (born 1893)
• 1983 – Isamu Kosugi, Japanese actor and director (born 1904)
• 1984 – Pyotr Kapitsa, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1894)
• 1985 – John Frederick Coots, American pianist and composer (born 1897)
• 1990 – Ryan White, American activist, inspired the Ryan White Care Act (born 1971)
• 1991 – Per Ohlin, Swedish musician (born 1969)
• 1992 – Daniel Bovet, Swiss-Italian pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1907)
• 1993 – Marian Anderson, American operatic singer (born 1897)
• 1994 – François Rozet, French-Canadian actor (born 1899)
• 1996 – Ben Johnson, American actor and stuntman (born 1918)
• 1996 – León Klimovsky, Argentinian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1906)
• 1996 – Mick Young, Australian politician (born 1936)
• 1997 – Laura Nyro, American singer-songwriter and pianist (born 1947)
• 2000 – František Šťastný, Czech motorcycle racer (born 1927)
• 2000 – Claire Trevor, American actress (born 1910)
• 2002 – María Félix, Mexican actress (born 1914)
• 2002 – Harvey Quaytman, American painter (born 1937)
• 2004 – Werner Schumacher, German actor (born 1921)
• 2005 – Onna White, Canadian choreographer and dancer (born 1922)
• 2006 – Gerard Reve, Dutch author and poet (born 1923)
• 2007 – Sol LeWitt, American painter and sculptor (born 1928)
• 2008 – Kazuo Shiraga, Japanese painter (born 1924)
• 2009 – Richard de Mille, American Scientologist, author, investigative journalist, and psychologist (born 1922)
• 2009 – Piotr Morawski, Polish mountaineer (born 1976)
• 2010 – Antony Flew, English philosopher and academic (born 1923)
• 2010 – Malcolm McLaren, English singer-songwriter (born 1946)
• 2010 – Teddy Scholten, Dutch singer (born 1926)
• 2011 – Hedda Sterne, Romanian-American painter and photographer (born 1910)
• 2012 – Blair Kiel, American football player and coach (born 1961)
• 2012 – Jack Tramiel, Polish-American businessman, founded Commodore International (born 1928)
• 2012 – Janusz K. Zawodny, Polish-American soldier, historian, and political scientist (born 1921)
• 2013 – Mikhail Beketov, Russian journalist (born 1958)
• 2013 – Annette Funicello, American actress and singer (born 1942)
• 2013 – Sara Montiel, Spanish-Mexican actress and singer (born 1928)
• 2013 – José Luis Sampedro, Spanish economist and author (born 1917)
• 2013 – Margaret Thatcher, English politician, first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (born 1925)
• 2014 – Emmanuel III Delly, Iraqi patriarch (born 1927)
• 2014 – Karlheinz Deschner, German author and activist (born 1924)
• 2014 – Ivan Mercep, New Zealand architect, designed the Te Papa Tongarewa Museum (born 1930)
• 2015 – Jayakanthan, Indian journalist and author (born 1934)
• 2015 – Rayson Huang, Hong Kong chemist and academic (born 1920)
• 2015 – Sergei Lashchenko, Ukrainian kick-boxer (born 1987)
• 2015 – David Laventhol, American journalist and publisher (born 1933)
• 2015 – Jean-Claude Turcotte, Canadian cardinal (born 1936)
• 2019 – Josine Ianco-Starrels, Romanian-born American art curator (born 1926)
• 2020 – Rick May, American-Canadian voice actor (born 1940)
• 2020 – Abdul Momin Imambari, Bangladeshi Islamic scholar (born 1930)
• 2022 – Mimi Reinhardt, Jewish Austrian secretary (born 1915)
• 2024 – Keith Barnes, Welsh-Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1934)
• 2024 – Peter Higgs, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1929)
• 2024 – Ralph Puckett, American Army officer, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1926)
• 2025 – Nelsy Cruz, Dominican politician, governor of Monte Cristi (born 1982)

Holidays and observances

• Buddha's Birthday, also known as Hana Matsuri, "Flower Festival" (Japan)
• Christian feast day:
  • Anne Ayres (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Constantina
  • Julie Billiart of Namur
  • Perpetuus
  • Walter of Pontoise
  • William Augustus Muhlenberg (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • April 8 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Earliest day on which Fast and Prayer Day can fall, while April 14 is the latest; celebrated on the second Friday in April (Liberia)
• International Romani Day

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• Template:NYT On this day
• Historical Events on April 8