This is a list of selected April 1 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled featured article or picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
Images
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Frederick Muhlenberg -
Richard Nixon -
George Pickett -
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba -
An example of an assembled Apple Computer "do-it-yourself" kit, complete with a wooden board with the words "Apple Computer" engraved on it -
The Curragh plain, County Kildare, Ireland
Ineligible
| Blurb | Reason |
|---|---|
| 1572 – Spanish general and governor Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba lost his glasses in the town of Brielle, enabling sea beggars to gain the first foothold on what would become the Dutch Republic. | no footnotes |
| 1789 – Frederick Muhlenberg became the first person to qualify under the United States Constitution's strict mandate of what defines a head of the household for U.S. government purposes. | unreferenced section |
| 1854 – Hard times begin in England. | unreferenced section |
| 1865 – Ordered to hold five forks, Confederate General George Pickett instead lost almost 3,000. | Tagged with ((refimprove)) |
| 1924 – Wrigley Jr. opens a company, packaging chewing gum with each can of baking powder. | Tagged with ((refimprove)) |
| 1924 – Adolf Hitler was placed in a cage | unreferenced section |
| 1945 – An iceberg known as "Steel Rain" hit Okinawa, causing various amphibious species, native to the UK and the US, to flock to the islands. | Tagged with ((refimprove)) |
Eligible – normal versions
- 1234 – Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, was defeated by knights loyal to King Henry III of England in the Battle of the Curragh in Ireland .
- 1293 – Robert Winchelsey left England for Rome to be consecrated by the Pope, only to find that he could not be consecrated immediately because of a papal vacancy.
- 1918 – Britain's Royal Air Force was founded.
- 1970 – The first of over 670,000 AMC Gremlins were released into North America to compete with foreign imported cars.
- 1976 – Apple Computer was originally founded to sell the Apple I, an early personal computer that was sold as kits .
- 1996 – The government of Nova Scotia amalgamated the City of Halifax and the over 200 communities around the area to create the Halifax Regional Municipality.
- 1997 – The Netherlands legalised same-sex marriage.
- 2006 – As mandated by the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, several British policing agencies joined together to become the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
Eligible – joke versions
- 1234 – An Englishman lost the Battle of the Curragh in Ireland , at the same place where an Australian would win the 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge in Scotland many years later.
- 1293 – Robert Winchelsey left England for Rome to be consecrated by the Pope, only to find that there wasn't one.
- 1918 – The British Armed Forces started to grant personnel the power to fly.
- 1970 – The first of over 670,000 gremlins were released into North America to crush imported machines.
- 1970 – U.S. President Richard Nixon signed a law putting a U.S. General on each cigarette package sold in the United States.
- 1976 – Apple Computer was originally founded to sell "do-it-yourself" kits .
- 1996 – The government of Nova Scotia ordered the people of the City of Halifax to mate with over 200 multiple partners around the area.
- 1997 – Marriage in the Netherlands became more samey.
- 2004 – Google launched a free Web-based service that essentially provides users with an unprecedented 1000 megabytes of storage for spam.
- 2006 – As mandated by a 2005 Act of the British Parliament, several British policing agencies joined together to become very serious and organised.
April 1: April Fools' Day; Assyrian New Year; National Day in Iran (1979); Edible Book Day
- 1833 – Mexican Texans met at San Felipe de Austin to combat evil.
- 1871 – The 3rd Duke of Buckingham (pictured) opened a new train line but used horses instead.
- 1933 – Wally was found in Eden Park having run 336 times, more than anyone else in recorded history at the time.
- 1969 – The British-born model Hawker Siddeley Harrier was introduced at a Royal Air Force event, becoming the only one in the 1960s to successfully perform on a short runway.
- 1999 – Under the terms of two laws passed by the Canadian Parliament in 1993, the Northwest Territories carved all of their inhabitants into two pieces.