On this day in history

April 1

9 births · 3 deaths · 2 events

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Anniversary highlights

Event anniversary

Battle of Okinawa

81 years ago

Born this day

1815

Otto von Bismarck

Would be 211

Oldest record

448th

William Harvey

birth anniversary

Famous births9

1578 · 448 yrs

William Harvey

William Harvey (1 April 1578 – 3 June 1657) was an English physician who made influential contributions to anatomy and physiology.

ScienceWould be 448

Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain

1815 · 211 yrs

Otto von Bismarck

Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), was a German statesman and diplomat who oversaw the unification of Germany and served as its first chancellor from 1871 to 1890.

PoliticsWould be 211

Photo: Jacques Pilartz · Public domain

1908 · 118 yrs

Abraham Maslow

Abraham Harold Maslow ( MAZ-loh; April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970) was an American psychologist who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization.

Notable PeopleWould be 118

Photo: William Carter · Public domain

1920 · 106 yrs

Toshirō Mifune

Toshiro Mifune (三船敏郎, Mifune Toshirō; 1 April 1920 – 24 December 1997) was a Japanese actor and producer. The recipient of numerous awards and accolades over a lengthy career, he is widely considered one of the greatest actors of all time.

FilmWould be 106

Photo: 映画世界社 (Eiga Sekai Publications, Inc.) · Public domain

1927 · 99 yrs

Ferenc Puskás

Ferenc Puskás (né Purczeld; 1 April 1927 – 17 November 2006) was a Hungarian professional footballer and manager. Nicknamed the "Galloping Major", Puskás is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, the greatest Hungarian footballer of all time, and the sport's first international superstar.

SportsWould be 99

Photo: UnknownUnknown · Public domain

1929 · 97 yrs

Milan Kundera

Milan Kundera (UK: KU(U)N-dər-ə; Czech:; 1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981.

LiteratureWould be 97

Photo: Elisa Cabot · CC BY-SA 3.0

1932 · 94 yrs

Debbie Reynolds

Mary Frances "Debbie" Reynolds (April 1, 1932 – December 28, 2016) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer with her portrayal of Helen Kane in the 1950 film Three Little Words.

MusicWould be 94

Photo: Studio photographer · Public domain

1940 · 86 yrs

Wangari Muta Maathai

Wangarĩ Maathai (1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist who founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on planting trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights.

PoliticsWould be 86

Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

1961 · 65 yrs

Susan Boyle

Susan Magdalane Boyle (born 1 April 1961) is a Scottish singer. She rose to fame in 2009 as a contestant on the third series of the television talent competition Britain's Got Talent, where she finished as runner-up.

MusicAge 65

Photo: Deborah Wilbanks · CC BY-SA 3.0

Famous deaths3

1968 · 58 yrs

Lev Landau

Lev Davidovich Landau (Russian: Лев Дави́дович Ланда́у; 22 January 1908 – 1 April 1968) was a Soviet physicist who made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics.

ScienceWould be 118

Photo: Nobel foundation · Public domain

1984 · 42 yrs

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (né Gay; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer.

MusicWould be 87

Photo: Photograph by Jim Britt, whose other (copyrighted) photos of Gaye from the same session—many of them in full color—can b · Public domain

2025 · 1 yrs

Val Kilmer

Val Edward Kilmer (December 31, 1959 – April 1, 2025) was an American actor. Initially a stage actor, he later found fame as a leading man in films in a wide variety of genres, including comedies, dramas, action adventures, westerns, historical films, crime dramas, science fiction films, and fantasy films.

FilmWould be 66

Photo: Georges Biard · CC BY-SA 3.0

Events2

1945 · 81 yrs

Battle of Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa (Japanese: 沖縄戦, Hepburn: Okinawa-sen), codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by the United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army.

War

2010 · 16 yrs

2010 United States Census

The 2010 United States census was the 23rd United States census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010.

History

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