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On This Day in History — April 7
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Highlights of April 7
- 2017 — A hijacker deliberately drove a truck into crowds along Drottninggatan in Stockholm, Sweden, killing five people. Read more
- 2001 — NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey (artist's conception pictured), the longest-surviving continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth, launched from Cape Canaveral. Read more
- 1995 — First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops began a massacre of hundreds of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya. Read more
- 1994 — Rwandan Civil War: The Rwandan genocide began a few hours after the assassination of President Juvénal Habyarimana, with hundreds of thousands killed in the following 100 days. Read more
- 1994 — A FedEx employee tried to hijack Federal Express Flight 705 in a failed suicide attempt. Read more
- 1979 — Uganda–Tanzania War: Tanzanian forces defeated Ugandan troops and their Libyan allies at the Battle of Entebbe, opening the way for an advance on the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Read more
- 1972 — Communist forces overran the South Vietnamese town of Lộc Ninh. Read more
- 1964 — American Presbyterian minister Bruce W. Klunder was killed by a bulldozer while protesting the construction of a segregated school in Cleveland, Ohio. Read more
- 1949 — The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, based on Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener, opened on Broadway. Read more
- 1948 — The United Nations established the World Health Organization to act as a coordinating authority on international public health. Read more
- 1945 — World War II: U.S. forces sank the Japanese battleship Yamato during Operation Kikusui I in the East China Sea. Read more
- 1926 — Italian dictator Benito Mussolini survived an assassination attempt by Irishwoman Violet Gibson. Read more
- 1896 — An Arctic expedition led by Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen (pictured) reached 86°13.6′N, almost three degrees beyond the previous Farthest North latitude. Read more
- 1862 — American Civil War: Union forces defeated Confederate troops at the Battle of Shiloh, at the time the bloodiest battle in U.S. history, in Hardin County, Tennessee. Read more
- 1831 — Pedro II became emperor of the Empire of Brazil. Read more
- 1655 — After a conclave lasting eighty days, the College of Cardinals elected Fabio Chigi as Pope Alexander VII. Read more
Events
- 2022 — Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed for the Supreme Court of the United States, becoming the first black female justice. Read more
- 2021 — COVID-19 pandemic: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces that the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant has become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States. Read more
- 2020 — COVID-19 pandemic: China ends its lockdown in Wuhan. Read more
- 2020 — COVID-19 pandemic: Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly resigns for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic on USS Theodore Roosevelt and the dismissal of Brett Crozier. Read more
- 2018 — Former Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is arrested for corruption by determination of Judge Sérgio Moro, from the "Car-Wash Operation". Lula stayed imprisoned for 580 days, before being released by the Brazilian Supreme Court. Read more
- 2018 — Syria launches the Douma chemical attack during the Eastern Ghouta offensive of the Syrian Civil War. Read more
- 2017 — A man deliberately drives a hijacked truck into a crowd of people in Stockholm, Sweden, killing five people and injuring fifteen others. Read more
- 2017 — U.S. President Donald Trump orders the 2017 Shayrat missile strike against Syria in retaliation for the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack. Read more
- 2011 — The Israel Defense Forces use their Iron Dome missile system to successfully intercept a BM-21 Grad launched from Gaza, marking the first short-range missile intercept ever. Read more
- 2011 — A gunman opens fire at an elementary school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing twelve children and injuring 22 others before committing suicide. Read more
- 2009 — Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering killings and kidnappings by security forces. Read more
- 2009 — Mass protests begin across Moldova under the belief that results from the parliamentary election are fraudulent. Read more
- 2005 — First release of Git distributed version control system. Read more
- 2003 — Iraq War: U.S. troops capture Baghdad; Saddam Hussein's Ba'athist regime falls two days later. Read more
- 2003 — Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide demands reparations of $21 billion from France for the Haitian independence debt. Read more
- 2001 — NASA launches the 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. Read more
- 1999 — Turkish Airlines Flight 5904 crashes near Ceyhan in southern Turkey, killing six people. Read more
- 1995 — First Chechen War: Russian paramilitary troops begin a massacre of civilians in Samashki, Chechnya. Read more
- 1994 — Rwandan genocide: Massacres of Tutsis begin in Kigali, Rwanda, and soldiers kill the civilian Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana. Read more
- 1994 — Auburn Calloway attempts to destroy Federal Express Flight 705 in order to allow his family to benefit from his life insurance policy. Read more
- 1990 — A fire breaks out on the passenger ferry Scandinavian Star, killing 159 people. Read more
- 1990 — John Poindexter is convicted for his role in the Iran–Contra affair. In 1991 the convictions are reversed on appeal. Read more
- 1989 — Soviet submarine Komsomolets sinks in the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway, killing 42 sailors. Read more
- 1988 — Soviet Defense Minister Dmitry Yazov orders the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Read more
- 1983 — During STS-6, astronauts Story Musgrave and Don Peterson perform the first Space Shuttle spacewalk. Read more
- 1982 — Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Sadegh Ghotbzadeh is arrested. Read more
- 1980 — During the Iran hostage crisis, the United States severs relations with Iran. Read more
- 1978 — Development of the neutron bomb is canceled by President Jimmy Carter. Read more
- 1977 — German Federal prosecutor Siegfried Buback and his driver are shot by two Red Army Faction members while waiting at a red light. Read more
- 1976 — Member of Parliament and suspected spy John Stonehouse resigns from the Labour Party after being arrested for faking his own death. Read more
- 1972 — Vietnam War: Communist forces overrun the South Vietnamese town of Loc Ninh. Read more
- 1971 — Vietnam War: President Richard Nixon announces his decision to quicken the pace of Vietnamization. Read more
- 1969 — The Internet's symbolic birth date: Publication of RFC 1. Read more
- 1968 — Two-time Formula One British World Champion Jim Clark dies in an accident during a Formula Two race in Hockenheim. Read more
- 1965 — Representatives of the National Congress of American Indians testify before members of the US Senate in Washington, D.C., against the termination of the Colville tribe. Read more
- 1964 — IBM announces the System/360. Read more
- 1956 — Francoist Spain agrees to surrender its protectorate in Morocco. Read more
- 1954 — United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower gives his "domino theory" speech during a news conference. Read more
- 1948 — The World Health Organization is established by the United Nations. Read more
- 1946 — The Soviet Union annexes East Prussia as the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. Read more
- 1945 — World War II: The Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Yamato, one of the two largest ever constructed, is sunk by United States Navy aircraft during Operation Ten-Go. Read more
- 1944 — In the Fragheto massacre, soldiers belonging to the German 356th Infantry Division kill 30 Italian civilians and 15 partisans near Casteldelci in central-northern Italy. Read more
- 1943 — The Holocaust in Ukraine: In Terebovlia, Germans order 1,100 Jews to undress and march through the city to the nearby village of Plebanivka, where they are shot and buried in ditches. Read more
- 1943 — Ioannis Rallis becomes collaborationist Prime Minister of Greece during the Axis Occupation. Read more
- 1943 — The National Football League makes helmets mandatory. Read more
- 1940 — Booker T. Washington becomes the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp. Read more
- 1939 — Benito Mussolini declares an Italian protectorate over Albania and forces King Zog I into exile. Read more
- 1939 — Italy invades Albania. Read more
- 1933 — Prohibition in the United States is repealed for beer of no more than 3.2% alcohol by weight, eight months before the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution. (Now celebrated as National Beer Day in the United States.) Read more
- 1933 — Nazi Germany issues the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service banning Jews and political dissidents from civil service posts. Read more
- 1926 — Violet Gibson attempts to assassinate Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. Read more
- 1922 — Teapot Dome scandal: United States Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leases federal petroleum reserves to private oil companies on excessively generous terms. Read more
- 1906 — Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples. Read more
- 1906 — The Algeciras Conference gives France and Spain control over Morocco. Read more
- 1868 — Thomas D'Arcy McGee, one of the Canadian Fathers of Confederation, is assassinated by a Fenian activist. Read more
- 1862 — American Civil War: The Union's Army of the Tennessee and the Army of the Ohio defeat the Confederate Army of Mississippi near Shiloh, Tennessee. Read more
- 1831 — Pedro II becomes emperor of the Empire of Brazil. Read more
- 1824 — The Mechanics' Institution is established in Manchester, England at the Bridgewater Arms hotel, as part of a national movement for the education of working men. The institute is the precursor to three Universities in the city: the University of Manchester, UMIST and the Metropolitan University of Manchester (MMU). Read more
- 1805 — Lewis and Clark Expedition: The Corps of Discovery breaks camp among the Mandan tribe and resumes its journey West along the Missouri River. Read more
- 1805 — German composer Ludwig van Beethoven premieres his Third Symphony, at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. Read more
Born on April 7
- 1997 — Rafaela Gómez, Ecuadorian tennis player Read more
- 1996 — Emerson Hyndman, American international soccer player Read more
- 1994 — Johanna Allik, Estonian figure skater Read more
- 1994 — Aaron Gray, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1994 — Josh Hader, American baseball player Read more
- 1993 — Ichinojō Takashi, Mongolian sumo wrestler Read more
- 1992 — Andreea Acatrinei, Romanian gymnast Read more
- 1992 — Guilherme Negueba, Brazilian footballer Read more
- 1991 — Luka Milivojević, Serbian footballer Read more
- 1991 — Anne-Marie, English singer-songwriter Read more
- 1990 — Nickel Ashmeade, Jamaican sprinter Read more
- 1990 — Anna Bogomazova, Russian-American kick-boxer, martial artist, and wrestler Read more
- 1990 — Sorana Cîrstea, Romanian tennis player Read more
- 1990 — Trent Cotchin, Australian footballer Read more
- 1989 — Franco Di Santo, Argentinian footballer Read more
- 1989 — Mitchell Pearce, Australian rugby league player Read more
- 1989 — Teddy Riner, French judoka Read more
- 1988 — Antonio Piccolo, Italian footballer Read more
- 1988 — Ed Speleers, English actor and producer Read more
- 1987 — Martín Cáceres, Uruguayan footballer Read more
- 1987 — Eelco Sintnicolaas, Dutch decathlete Read more
- 1987 — Jamar Smith, American football player Read more
- 1986 — Brooke Brodack, American comedian Read more
- 1986 — Jack Duarte, Mexican actor, singer, and guitarist Read more
- 1986 — Andi Fraggs, English singer-songwriter and producer Read more
- 1986 — Christian Fuchs, Austrian footballer Read more
- 1986 — Choi Si-won, South Korean singer and actor Read more
- 1985 — KC Concepcion, Filipino actress and singer Read more
- 1985 — Humza Yousaf, Scottish politician Read more
- 1984 — Hiroko Shimabukuro, Japanese singer Read more
- 1983 — Hamish Davidson, Australian musician Read more
- 1983 — Franck Ribéry, French footballer Read more
- 1983 — Jon Stead, English footballer Read more
- 1983 — Jakub Smrž, Czech motorcycle rider Read more
- 1983 — Janar Talts, Estonian basketball player Read more
- 1982 — Silvana Arias, Peruvian actress Read more
- 1982 — Sonjay Dutt, American wrestler Read more
- 1982 — Kelli Young, English singer Read more
- 1981 — Hitoe Arakaki, Japanese singer Read more
- 1981 — Kazuki Watanabe, Japanese songwriter and guitarist (died 2000) Read more
Died on April 7
- 2026 — Mircea Lucescu, Romanian football player and manager (born 1945) Read more
- 2025 — William Finn, American composer and lyricist (born 1952) Read more
- 2025 — Greg Millen, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster (born 1957) Read more
- 2024 — Jerry Grote, American baseball player (born 1942) Read more
- 2024 — Joe Kinnear, Irish football player and manager (born 1946) Read more
- 2023 — Ben Ferencz, American lawyer (born 1920) Read more
- 2023 — Philippe Bouvatier, French cyclist (born 1964) Read more
- 2021 — Tommy Raudonikis, Australian rugby league player and coach (born 1950) Read more
- 2020 — John Prine, American country folk singer-songwriter (born 1946) Read more
- 2020 — Herb Stempel, American television personality (born 1926) Read more
- 2019 — Seymour Cassel, American actor (born 1935) Read more
- 2017 — Nicolae Șerban Tanașoca, Romanian historian and philologist (born 1941) Read more
- 2015 — Tim Babcock, American soldier and politician, 16th Governor of Montana (born 1919) Read more
- 2015 — José Capellán, Dominican-American baseball player (born 1981) Read more
- 2015 — Stan Freberg, American puppeteer, voice actor, and singer (born 1926) Read more
- 2015 — Richard Henyekane, South African footballer (born 1983) Read more
- 2015 — Geoffrey Lewis, American actor (born 1935) Read more
- 2014 — George Dureau, American painter and photographer (born 1930) Read more
- 2014 — James Alexander Green, American-English mathematician and academic (born 1926) Read more
- 2014 — V. K. Murthy, Indian cinematographer (born 1923) Read more
- 2014 — Zeituni Onyango, Kenyan-American computer programmer (born 1952) Read more
- 2014 — John Shirley-Quirk, English opera singer (born 1931) Read more
- 2014 — George Shuffler, American guitarist (born 1925) Read more
- 2014 — Josep Maria Subirachs, Spanish sculptor and painter (born 1927) Read more
- 2014 — Royce Waltman, American basketball player and coach (born 1942) Read more
- 2013 — Marty Blake, American businessman (born 1927) Read more
- 2013 — Les Blank, American director and producer (born 1935) Read more
- 2013 — Andy Johns, English-American record producer (born 1950) Read more
- 2013 — Lilly Pulitzer, American fashion designer (born 1931) Read more
- 2013 — Irma Ravinale, Italian composer and educator (born 1937) Read more
- 2013 — Mickey Rose, American screenwriter (born 1935) Read more
- 2013 — Carl Williams, American boxer (born 1959) Read more
- 2012 — Steven Kanumba, Tanzanian actor and director (born 1984) Read more
- 2012 — Satsue Mito, Japanese zoologist and academic (born 1914) Read more
- 2012 — Ignatius Moses I Daoud, Syrian cardinal (born 1930) Read more
- 2012 — David E. Pergrin, American colonel and engineer (born 1917) Read more
- 2012 — Bashir Ahmed Qureshi, Pakistani politician (born 1959) Read more
- 2012 — Mike Wallace, American television news journalist (born 1918) Read more
- 2011 — Pierre Gauvreau, Canadian painter (born 1922) Read more
- 2009 — Dave Arneson, American game designer, co-created Dungeons & Dragons (born 1947) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast days:
Aibert of Crespin; Christian feast days:
Blessed Alexander Rawlins; Christian feast days:
Blessed Edward Oldcorne and Blessed Ralph Ashley; Christian feast days:
Brynach; Christian feast days:
Hegesippus; Christian feast days:
Henry Walpole; Christian feast days:
Hermann Joseph; Christian feast days:
Jean-Baptiste de La Salle; Christian feast days:
Blessed Maria Assunta Pallotta; Christian feast days:
Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow (Eastern Orthodox Church, Episcopal Church (USA)); Christian feast days:
April 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Flag Day (Slovenia); Women's Day (Mozambique); World Health Day (International observance)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “April 7”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.