April 10
Events
Pre-1600
- 428 - Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.
- 837 - Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU.
- 1407 - Deshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama visits the Ming dynasty capital at Nanjing and is awarded the title "Great Treasure Prince of Dharma".
- 1500 - Ludovico Sforza is captured by Swiss troops at Novara and is handed over to the French.
- 1545 - The settlement of Villa Imperial de Carlos V in Bolivia is founded after the discovery of huge silver deposits in the area.
1601–1900
- 1606 - The Virginia Company of London is established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.
- 1710 - The Statute of Anne, the first law regulating copyright, comes into force in Great Britain.
- 1717 - Robert Walpole resigns from the British government, commencing the Whig Split which lasts until 1720.
- 1724 - Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen, BWV 66, his first cantata composed for Easter in Leipzig.
- 1741 - War of the Austrian Succession: Prussia gains control of Silesia at the Battle of Mollwitz.
- 1796 - War of the First Coalition: A surprise Austrian attack at the Battle of Voltri marks the beginning of the Italian Campaign of 1796-1797, the decisive campaign under Napoleon Bonaparte that will end the war a year later.
- 1809 - Napoleonic Wars: The War of the Fifth Coalition begins when forces of the Austrian Empire invade Bavaria.
- 1815 - The Mount Tambora volcano begins a three-month-long eruption, lasting until July 15. The eruption ultimately kills 71,000 people and affects Earth's climate for the next two years.
- 1816 - The Federal government of the United States approves the creation of the Second Bank of the United States.
- 1821 - Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople is hanged by the Ottoman government from the main gate of the Patriarchate and his body is thrown into the Bosphorus.
- 1821 - Greek War of Independence: the island of Psara joins the Greek struggle for independence.
- 1826 - The 10,500 inhabitants of the Greek town of Missolonghi begin leaving the town after a year's siege by Turkish forces. Very few of them survive.
- 1858 - After the original Big Ben, a bell for the Palace of Westminster, had cracked during testing, it is recast into the current bell by Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
- 1864 - Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg is proclaimed emperor of Mexico during the French intervention in Mexico.
- 1865 - American Civil War: A day after his surrender to Union forces, Confederate General Robert E. Lee addresses his troops for the last time.
- 1866 - The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh.
- 1868 - At Arogee in Abyssinia, British and Indian forces defeat an army of Emperor Tewodros II. While 700 Ethiopians are killed and many more injured, only two British/Indian troops die.
- 1872 - The first Arbor Day is celebrated in Nebraska.
- 1887 - On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XIII authorizes the establishment of the Catholic University of America.
- 1896 - 1896 Summer Olympics: The Olympic marathon is run ending with the victory of Greek athlete Spyridon Louis.
- 1900 - British suffer a sharp defeat by the Boers south of Brandfort. 600 British troops are killed and wounded and 800 taken prisoner.
1901–present
- 1912 - RMS Titanic sets sail from Southampton, UK, on her maiden and only voyage.
- 1919 - Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos.
- 1919 - The Third Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Huliaipole.
- 1925 - The Russian city of Tsaritsyn was renamed Stalingrad to honor the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Soviet Communist Party General Secretary, who had guided the defense of Tsaritsyn during the Russian Civil War in 1920.
- 1941 - World War II: The Axis powers establish the Independent State of Croatia.
- 1944 - Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler escape from Birkenau death camp.
- 1963 - One hundred twenty-nine American sailors die when the submarine sinks at sea.
- 1968 - The TEV Wahine, a New Zealand ferry sinks in Wellington harbour due to a fierce storm – the strongest winds ever in Wellington. Out of the 734 people on board, fifty-three died.
- 1970 - Paul McCartney announces that he is leaving The Beatles for personal and professional reasons.
- 1972 - Tombs containing bamboo slips, among them Sun Tzu's Art of War and Sun Bin's lost military treatise, are discovered by construction workers in Shandong.
- 1972 - Vietnam War: For the first time since November 1967, American B-52 bombers reportedly begin bombing North Vietnam.
- 1973 - Invicta International Airlines Flight 435 crashes in a snowstorm on approach to Basel, Switzerland, killing 108 people.
- 1979 - Red River Valley tornado outbreak: A tornado lands in Wichita Falls, Texas killing 42 people.
- 1981 - Imprisoned IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands was elected to Westminster as the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He died twenty-six days later.
- 1988 - The Ojhri Camp explosion kills or injures more than 1,000 people in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.
- 1991 - Italian ferry collides with an oil tanker in dense fog off Livorno, Italy, killing 140.
- 1991 - A rare tropical storm develops in the South Atlantic Ocean near Angola; the first to be documented by satellites.
- 1998 - The Good Friday Agreement is signed in Northern Ireland.
- 2009 - President of Fiji Ratu Josefa Iloilo announces the abrogation of the constitution and assumes all governance in the country, creating a constitutional crisis.
- 2010 - Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing 96 people, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and dozens of other senior officials and dignitaries.
- 2016 - The Paravur temple accident in which a devastating fire caused by the explosion of firecrackers stored for Vishu, kills more than one hundred people out of the thousands gathered for seventh day of Bhadrakali worship.
- 2016 - An earthquake of 6.6 magnitude strikes 39 km west-southwest of Ashkasham, impacting India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Srinagar and Pakistan.
- 2023 - A mass shooting occurs at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky that leaves five victims dead and eight wounded.
Births
Pre-1600
- 401 - Theodosius II, Roman emperor
- 1018 - Nizam al-Mulk, Persian scholar and vizier
- 1472 - Margaret of York, English princess
- 1480 - Philibert II, duke of Savoy
- 1487 - William I, count of Nassau-Siegen
- 1512 - James V, king of Scotland
- 1583 - Hugo Grotius, Dutch philosopher and jurist
1601–1900
- 1651 - Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, German mathematician, physicist, and physician
- 1656 - René Lepage de Sainte-Claire, French-Canadian settler, founded Rimouski
- 1704 - Benjamin Heath, English scholar and author
- 1707 - Michel Corrette, French organist, composer, and author
- 1713 - John Whitehurst, English geologist and clockmaker
- 1755 - Samuel Hahnemann, German-French physician and academic
- 1762 - Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist and academic
- 1769 - Jean Lannes, French marshal
- 1778 - William Hazlitt, English essayist and critic
- 1794 - Matthew C. Perry, English-Scottish American commander
- 1806 - Juliette Drouet, French actress
- 1806 - Leonidas Polk, Scottish-American general and bishop
- 1827 - Lew Wallace, American general, lawyer, and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory
- 1829 - William Booth, English minister, founded The Salvation Army
- 1847 - Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian-American journalist, publisher, and politician, founded Pulitzer, Inc.
- 1864 - Eugen d'Albert, Scottish-German pianist and composer
- 1865 - Jack Miner, American-Canadian farmer, hunter, and environmentalist
- 1867 - George William Russell, Irish author, poet, and painter
- 1868 - George Arliss, English actor and playwright
- 1868 - Asriel Günzig, Moravian rabbi
- 1873 - Kyösti Kallio, Finnish farmer, banker, and politician, 4th President of Finland
- 1875 - George Clawley, English footballer
- 1877 - Alfred Kubin, Austrian author and illustrator
- 1879 - Coenraad Hiebendaal, Dutch rower and physician
- 1880 - Frances Perkins, American sociologist, academic, and politician, United States Secretary of Labor
- 1880 - Montague Summers, English clergyman and author
- 1886 - Johnny Hayes, American runner and trainer
- 1887 - Bernardo Houssay, Argentinian physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1889 - Louis Rougier, French philosopher from the Vienna Circle
- 1891 - Frank Barson, English footballer and coach
- 1893 - Otto Steinböck, Austrian zoologist
- 1894 - Ben Nicholson, British painter
- 1897 - Prafulla Chandra Sen, Indian accountant and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of West Bengal
- 1900 - Arnold Orville Beckman, American chemist, inventor, and philanthropist
1901–present
- 1901 - Dhananjay Ramchandra Gadgil, Indian economist
- 1903 - Patroklos Karantinos, Greek architect
- 1903 - Clare Turlay Newberry, American author and illustrator
- 1906 - Steve Anderson, American hurdler
- 1910 - Margaret Clapp, American scholar and academic
- 1910 - Helenio Herrera, Argentinian footballer and manager
- 1911 - Martin Denny, American pianist and composer
- 1911 - Maurice Schumann, French journalist and politician, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs for France
- 1912 - Boris Kidrič, Austrian-Slovenian politician, 1st Prime Minister of Slovenia
- 1913 - Stefan Heym, German-American soldier and author
- 1914 - Jack Badcock, Australian cricketer
- 1915 - Harry Morgan, American actor and director
- 1915 - Leo Vroman, Dutch-American hematologist, poet, and illustrator
- 1916 - Lee Jung-seob, Korean painter
- 1917 - Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician
- 1917 - Robert Burns Woodward, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1919 - John Houbolt, American engineer and academic
- 1921 - Chuck Connors, American baseball player and actor
- 1921 - Jake Warren, Canadian soldier and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
- 1921 - Sheb Wooley, American singer-songwriter and actor
- 1923 - Roger Gaillard, Haitian historian and author
- 1923 - Jane Kean, American actress and singer
- 1923 - Floyd Simmons, American decathlete and actor
- 1923 - Sid Tickridge, English footballer
- 1923 - John Watkins, South African cricketer
- 1924 - Kenneth Noland, American soldier and painter
- 1925 - Angelo Poffo, American wrestler and promoter
- 1926 - Jacques Castérède, French pianist and composer
- 1926 - Junior Samples, American comedian
- 1927 - Norma Candal, Puerto Rican actress
- 1927 - Marshall Warren Nirenberg, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1929 - Mike Hawthorn, English racing driver
- 1929 - Liz Sheridan, American actress
- 1929 - Max von Sydow, Swedish-French actor
- 1930 - Claude Bolling, French pianist, composer, and actor
- 1930 - Dolores Huerta, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers
- 1930 - Spede Pasanen, Finnish film director and producer, comedian, and inventor
- 1932 - Delphine Seyrig, Swiss/Alsatian French actress
- 1932 - Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor and screenwriter
- 1933 - Rokusuke Ei, Japanese composer and author
- 1933 - Helen McElhone, Scottish politician
- 1934 - David Halberstam, American journalist and author
- 1935 - Patrick Garland, English actor and director
- 1935 - Peter Hollingworth, Australian bishop, 23rd Governor General of Australia
- 1935 - Christos Yannaras, Greek philosopher, theologian and author
- 1936 - John A. Bennett, American soldier
- 1936 - David A. Hardy, British artist
- 1936 - John Howell, English long jumper
- 1936 - John Madden, American football player, coach, and sportscaster
- 1936 - Bobby Smith, American singer
- 1937 - Bella Akhmadulina, Soviet and Russian poet, short story writer, and translator
- 1938 - Don Meredith, American football player and sportscaster
- 1939 - Claudio Magris, Italian scholar, author, and translator
- 1940 - Gloria Hunniford, British radio and television host
- 1941 - Chrysostomos II of Cyprus,
- 1941 - Harold Long, Canadian politician
- 1941 - Paul Theroux, American novelist, short story writer, and travel writer
- 1942 - Nick Auf der Maur, Canadian journalist and politician
- 1942 - Ian Callaghan, English footballer
- 1942 - Stuart Dybek, American novelist, short story writer, and poet
- 1943 - Andrzej Badeński, Polish-German sprinter
- 1943 - Margaret Pemberton, English author
- 1945 - Kevin Berry, Australian swimmer
- 1946 - David Angell, American screenwriter and producer
- 1946 - Bob Watson, American baseball player and manager
- 1946 - Adolf Winkelmann, German director, producer, and screenwriter
- 1947 - David A. Adler, American author and educator
- 1947 - Bunny Wailer, Jamaican singer-songwriter and drummer
- 1948 - Mel Blount, American football player
- 1948 - Jim Burns, Welsh artist
- 1949 - Daniel Mangeas, French banker and sportscaster
- 1950 - Ken Griffey, Sr., American baseball player and manager
- 1950 - Eddie Hazel, American guitarist
- 1951 - David Helvarg, American journalist and activist
- 1952 - Narayan Rane, Indian politician, 16th Chief Minister of Maharashtra
- 1952 - Masashi Sada, Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, novelist, actor, and producer
- 1952 - Steven Seagal, American actor, producer, and martial artist
- 1953 - David Moorcroft, English runner and businessman
- 1953 - Pamela Wallin, Swedish-Canadian journalist, academic, and politician
- 1954 - Paul Bearer, American wrestler and manager
- 1954 - Anne Lamott, American author and educator
- 1954 - Peter MacNicol, American actor
- 1954 - Juan Williams, Panamanian-American journalist and author
- 1955 - Marit Breivik, Norwegian handball player and coach
- 1955 - Lesley Garrett, English soprano and actress
- 1955 - Mike Rinder, Australian-American former Scientologist, critic
- 1956 - Carol V. Robinson, English chemist and academic
- 1957 - Aliko Dangote, Nigerian businessman, founded Dangote Group
- 1957 - John M. Ford, American author and poet
- 1957 - Steve Gustafson, Spanish-American bass player
- 1957 - Rosemary Hill, English historian and author
- 1958 - Bob Bell, Northern Irish engineer
- 1958 - Yefim Bronfman, Uzbek-American pianist
- 1958 - Brigitte Holzapfel, German high jumper
- 1959 - Babyface, American singer-songwriter and producer
- 1959 - Yvan Loubier, Canadian economist and politician
- 1959 - Brian Setzer, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 - Steve Bisciotti, American businessman, co-founded Allegis Group
- 1960 - Katrina Leskanich, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1960 - Terry Teagle, American basketball player
- 1961 - Nicky Campbell, Scottish broadcaster and journalist
- 1961 - Carole Goble, English computer scientist and academic
- 1961 - Mark Jones, American basketball player
- 1962 - Steve Tasker, American football player and sportscaster
- 1963 - Warren DeMartini, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1963 - Jeff Gray, American baseball player and coach
- 1963 - Doris Leuthard, Swiss lawyer and politician, 162nd President of the Swiss Confederation
- 1965 - Tim Alexander, American drummer and songwriter
- 1965 - Anna-Leena Härkönen, Finnish author
- 1967 - Donald Dufresne, Canadian ice hockey player and coach
- 1967 - David Rovics, American singer-songwriter
- 1968 - Metin Göktepe, Turkish photographer and journalist
- 1968 - Orlando Jones, American actor, producer, and screenwriter
- 1969 - Steve Glasson, Australian lawn bowler
- 1969 - Ekaterini Koffa, Greek sprinter
- 1970 - Enrico Ciccone, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1970 - Leonard Doroftei, Romanian-Canadian boxer
- 1970 - Kenny Lattimore, American singer-songwriter
- 1970 - Q-Tip, American rapper, producer, and actor
- 1971 - Indro Olumets, Estonian footballer and coach
- 1971 - Al Reyes, Dominican-American baseball player
- 1972 - Ian Harvey, Australian cricketer
- 1972 - Priit Kasesalu, Estonian computer programmer, co-created Skype
- 1973 - Guillaume Canet, French actor and director
- 1973 - Roberto Carlos, Brazilian footballer and manager
- 1973 - Aidan Moffat, Scottish singer-songwriter
- 1973 - Christopher Simmons, Canadian-American graphic designer, author, and academic
- 1974 - Eric Greitens, American soldier, author and politician
- 1974 - Petros Passalis, Greek footballer
- 1975 - Chris Carrabba, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1975 - Terrence Lewis, Indian dancer and choreographer
- 1976 - Clare Buckfield, English actress
- 1976 - Yoshino Kimura, Japanese actress and singer
- 1976 - Sara Renner, Canadian skier
- 1977 - Stephanie Sheh, Taiwanese-American voice actress, director, and producer
- 1978 - Sir Christus, Finnish guitarist
- 1979 - Iván Alonso, Uruguayan footballer
- 1979 - Kenyon Coleman, American football player
- 1979 - Rachel Corrie, American author and activist
- 1979 - Tsuyoshi Domoto, Japanese singer-songwriter and actor
- 1979 - Sophie Ellis-Bextor, English singer-songwriter
- 1979 - Pavlos Fyssas, Greek rapper
- 1979 - Peter Kopteff, Finnish footballer
- 1980 - Sean Avery, Canadian ice hockey player and model
- 1980 - Charlie Hunnam, English actor
- 1980 - Shao Jiayi, Chinese footballer
- 1980 - Kasey Kahne, American race car driver
- 1980 - Andy Ram, Israeli tennis player
- 1980 - Bryce Soderberg, American singer-songwriter and bass player
- 1981 - Laura Bell Bundy, American actress and singer
- 1981 - Liz McClarnon, English singer and dancer
- 1981 - Michael Pitt, American actor, model and musician
- 1981 - Alexei Semenov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1982 - Andre Ethier, American baseball player
- 1983 - Jamie Chung, American actress
- 1983 - Andrew Dost, American guitarist and songwriter
- 1983 - Ryan Merriman, American actor
- 1983 - Hannes Sigurðsson, Icelandic footballer
- 1984 - Faustina Agolley, Australian television host
- 1984 - Jeremy Barrett, American figure skater
- 1984 - Mandy Moore, American singer-songwriter and actress
- 1984 - David Obua, Ugandan footballer
- 1984 - Damien Perquis, French-Polish footballer
- 1984 - Gonzalo Javier Rodríguez, Argentinian footballer
- 1985 - Barkhad Abdi, Somali-American actor and director
- 1985 - Willo Flood, Irish footballer
- 1985 - Jesús Gámez, Spanish footballer
- 1985 - Dion Phaneuf, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1986 - Olivia Borlée, Belgian sprinter
- 1986 - Fernando Gago, Argentine footballer and manager
- 1986 - Corey Kluber, American baseball pitcher
- 1986 - Vincent Kompany, Belgian footballer and manager
- 1986 - Tore Reginiussen, Norwegian footballer
- 1987 - Ahmed Adel Abdel Moneam, Egyptian footballer
- 1987 - Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano
- 1988 - Chris Heston, American baseball pitcher
- 1988 - Kareem Jackson, American football player
- 1988 - Haley Joel Osment, American actor
- 1988 - Jan-Phillip Tadsen, German politician
- 1989 - Charlie Culberson, American baseball player
- 1990 - Ben Amos, English footballer
- 1990 - Andile Jali, South African footballer
- 1990 - Alex Pettyfer, English actor
- 1992 - Jack Buchanan, Australian rugby league player
- 1992 - Chaz Mostert, Australian racing driver
- 1992 - Daisy Ridley, English actress
- 1994 - Siobhan Hunter, Scottish footballer
- 1996 - Andreas Christensen, Danish footballer
- 1997 - Claire Wineland, American activist and author
- 2000 - Fidias Panayiotou, Cypriot internet celebrity and politician
- 2004 - Ismaël Gharbi, French-Spanish footballer
- 2004 - Savinho, Brazilian footballer