Calendar date · April

What happened on April 1

On April 1, 285: Roman emperor Diocletian names Maximian his co-emperor ("Augustus").

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Notable deaths

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Featured moment · 285

Roman emperor Diocletian names Maximian his co-emperor ("Augustus").

The Roman emperor was the ruler and monarchical head of state of the Roman Empire, starting with the granting of the title augustus to Octavian in 27 BC. The title of imperator, originally a military honorific, was usually used alongside caesar, originally a cognomen. When a given Roman is described as becoming emperor in English, it generally reflects his accession as augustus, and later as basileus.

People

Born on April 1

Rhian Brewster 2000– English footballer (born 2000)
Gabe Davis 1999– American football player (born 1999)
King Combs 1998– American rapper (born 1998)
Mitchell Robinson 1998– American basketball player (born 1998)
Asa Butterfield 1997– English actor (born 1997)
Álex Palou 1997– Spanish racing driver (born 1997)
Sophia Hutchins 1996– American socialite (1996–2025)
Jofra Archer 1995– Barbadian and English cricketer (born 1995)
Logan Paul 1995– American influencer and professional wrestler (born 1995)
Show 9 more — notable births on April 1
Deng Linlin 1992– Chinese artistic gymnast
Duván Zapata 1991– Colombian footballer (born 1991)
Julia Fischer 1990– German discus thrower
Jan Blokhuijsen 1989– Dutch speed skater
David Ngog 1989– French footballer (born 1989)
Christian Vietoris 1989– German racing driver (born 1989)
Brook Lopez 1988– American basketball player (born 1988)
Robin Lopez 1988– American basketball player (born 1988)
Vitorino Antunes 1987– Portuguese footballer

People

Died on April 1

Val Kilmer American actor (1959–2025)
Johnny Tillotson American singer-songwriter (1938–2025)
Lou Conter American Navy lieutenant commander (1921–2024)
Vontae Davis American football player (1988–2024)
Joe Flaherty American actor (1941–2024)
Sami Michael Iraqi-born Israeli author and human rights activist (1926–2024)
Ed Piskor American alternative comics artist (1982–2024)
Mohammad Reza Zahedi Iranian military officer (1960–2024)
Vonda N. McIntyre American science fiction writer (1948–2019)
Show 9 more — notable deaths on April 1
Steven Bochco American television writer and producer (1943–2018)
Lonnie Brooks American blues singer and guitarist (1933–2017)
Yevgeny Yevtushenko Soviet and Russian poet (1933–2017)
Nicolae Rainea Romanian football referee (1933–2015)
King Fleming American jazz musician (1922–2014)
Jacques Le Goff French historian
Rolf Rendtorff German Old Testament scholar and theologian (1925–2014)
Moses Blah President of Liberia in 2003
Karen Muir South African swimmer

Timeline

Every April 1 on record

  1. 285 Roman emperor Diocletian names Maximian his co-emperor ("Augustus").

    Ruler of the Roman Empire

    The Roman emperor was the ruler and monarchical head of state of the Roman Empire, starting with the granting of the title augustus to Octavian in 27 BC. The title of imperator, originally a military honorific, was usually used alongside caesar, originally a cognomen. When a given Roman is described as becoming emperor in English, it generally reflects his accession as augustus, and later as basileus.

  2. 527 Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.

    The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Byzantine Empire, which fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised sovereign authority are included, to the exclusion of junior co-emperors who never attained the status of sole or senior ruler, as well as of the various usurpers or rebels who claimed the imperial title.

  3. 1081 Alexios 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.

    Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118

    Alexios I Komnenos, Latinized as Alexius I Comnenus, was Byzantine emperor from 1081 to 1118. After usurping the throne he was faced with a collapsing empire and constant warfare throughout his reign. Alexios was able to curb the Byzantine decline and begin the military, financial, and territorial recovery known as the Komnenian restoration.

  4. 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.

    c. 1566/1568–1648 war in Habsburg Netherlands

    The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, excessive taxation, and the rights and privileges of the Dutch nobility and cities.

  5. 1725 J. S. Bach's later Easter Oratorio in its first version is performed at the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig on Easter Sunday.

    German composer (1685–1750)

    Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the orchestral Brandenburg Concertos; solo instrumental works such as the Cello Suites and Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin; keyboard works such as the Goldberg Variations and The Well-Tempered Clavier; organ works such as the Schübler Chorales and the Toccata and Fugue in D minor; and choral works such as the St. Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor.

  6. 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.
  7. 1833 The 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 1867 Singapore becomes a British crown colony.
  10. 1873 The White Star steamer SS Atlantic sinks off Nova Scotia, killing 547 in one of the worst marine disasters of the 19th century.
  11. 1900 Prince George becomes absolute monarch of the Cretan State.
  12. 1908 The Territorial Force (renamed Territorial Army in 1920) is formed as a volunteer reserve component of the British Army.
  13. 1918 The Royal Air Force is created by the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.
  14. 1922 In newly formed Northern Ireland, six Catholics are murdered in the Arnon Street killings, one week after six others were killed in the McMahon killings.
  15. 1924 Adolf Hitler is sentenced to five years fortress confinement for his participation in the "Beer Hall Putsch" but spends only nine months in jail.
Show 15 earlier entries from April 1
  1. 1924 The Royal Canadian Air Force is formed.
  2. 1933 The 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.
  3. 1935 India's central banking institution, the Reserve Bank of India, is formed.
  4. 1937 Aden becomes a British crown colony.
  5. 1937 The Royal New Zealand Air Force is formed as an independent service.
  6. 1939 Spanish 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.
  7. 1941 Fântâna Albă massacre: Between two hundred and two thousand Romanian civilians are killed by Soviet Border Troops.
  8. 1941 A military coup in Iraq overthrows the regime of 'Abd al-Ilah and installs Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister.
  9. 1944 World War II: Navigation errors lead to an accidental American bombing of the Swiss city of Schaffhausen.
  10. 1945 World War II: The Tenth United States Army attacks the Thirty-Second Japanese Army on Okinawa.
  11. 1946 The 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.
  12. 1946 The Malayan Union is established. Protests from locals led to the establishment of the Federation of Malaya two years later.
  13. 1947 The only mutiny in the history of the Royal New Zealand Navy begins.
  14. 1948 Cold War: Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin.
  15. 1948 Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark.

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