4 April in Indian and World History is celebrated, observed, and remembered for various reasons. 4 April is the birth anniversary of Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi, Bapu Nadkarni, Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty, Pandit Kumar Bose, and Parveen Babi.
4 April is also observed as the death anniversary of Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan.
Birth Anniversary
4 April in Indian history is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the following personalities:
Pandit Makhanlal Chaturvedi (4 April 1889 – 30 January 1968) was an Indian poet, writer, essayist, playwright and journalist. He actively participated in India’s national struggle. He contributed immensely to Chhayavaad, the Neo-romanticism movement of Hindi literature. He was awarded the first Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi for his work Him Taringini in 1955. In 1963, Padma Bhushan was conferred upon him. Pandit Ji was born on 4 April 1889 in Central Provinces, British India.
Bapu Nadkarni (4 April 1933 – 17 January 2020) was an Indian international cricketer, mainly known for being an economical bowler. He was born on 4 April 1933 in Bombay Presidency, British India.
Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty (4 April 1938 – 10 Jul 2020) was an Indian American microbiologist, scientist, and researcher, most notable for his work in directed evolution and his role in developing a genetically engineered organism. He was born on 4 April 1938 in West Bengal, British India.
Pandit Kumar Bose is an Indian tabla maestro and composer of Indian classical music. Bose belongs to the Benaras Gharana style of tabla playing. Having honed his skills under the tutelage of the legendary Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Pandit Bose rose to prominence with his flamboyant performances with Pandit Ravi Shankar. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2007. He was born on 4 April 1953 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian film actress and model. She was active during 1970 – 80. She was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time. She was born on 4 April 1954 in Junagadh, Saurashtra, India.
Read More: 3 April in Indian and World History
Death Anniversary
4 April in Indian history is observed as the death anniversary of the following personalities:
Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan (7 March 191 – 4 April 1987) was an Indian writer, poet, novelist, literary critic, and journalist. He did numerous experiments in Hindi literature and considered as the pioneer of the Prayogavaad (experimentalism) movements in modern Hindi literature. He was popularly known as Agyeya. He was honoured with the Sahitya Akademi Award (1964), Jnanpith Award (1978), and the internationally reputed Golden Wreath Award for poetry. He died on 4 April 1987 in New Delhi, India.
Read More: 2 April in Indian and World History
Notable events on 4 April in Indian and World History
4 April 1851 – Dr Ogino Ginko, the first licensed female physician practicing Western medicine in Japan, was born.
4 April 1905 – A devastating earthquake measuring 7.8 on Richter Scale occurred in Mcleodganj, Dharamshala and Kangra. It killed more than 20,000 people.
4 April 1923 – John Venn – an English mathematician, logician and philosopher noted for introducing Venn diagrams – died.
4 April 1928 – Dr. Maya Angelou, an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist, was born.
4 April 1932 – Wilhelm Ostwald, a German chemist and philosopher, and Nobel Prize Laureate, died.
4 April 1939 – Chu Ming Silveira, a Brazilian architect, and designer, and creator of the Orelhão telephone booth, was born.
4 April 1939 – Hugh Masekela, a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as “the father of South African jazz”, was born.
4 April 1944 – The Battle of Kohima, a turning point in the Second World War that halted Japan’s advance into Asia, started on 4 April 1944. Sometimes called the “Stalingrad of the East”, it ended on 22 June 1944 with the defeat and retreat of Japanese forces. The twin victories of British and Indian forces in Imphal-Kohima over the Japanese in Northeast India were voted in 2013 as “Britain’s Greatest Battle”.
4 April 1944 – First bombardment of oil refineries in Bucharest by Anglo-American forces kills 3000 civilians.
4 April 1945 – American troops liberate Ohrdruf forced labour camp in Germany.
4 April 1945 – American troops capture Kassel.
4 April 1945 – Soviet troops liberate Hungary from German occupation and occupy the country themselves.
4 April 1958 – Cazuza, a Brazilian singer and songwriter, was born.
4 April 1960 – Senegal became an independent nation.
4 April 1968 – Martin Luther King, Jr., a leader of the American civil rights movement who was in Memphis, Tennessee, to support a strike by the city’s sanitation workers, was assassinated by James Earl Ray.
4 April 1975 – Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft, which became the world’s largest personal-computer software company.
Important Days
April 4th marks several important observances and events:
- International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action: A day designated by the United Nations to raise awareness about landmines and the efforts to eliminate them.
- Memorial Day for Cholm and Sevastopol (Russia): Commemorates the defenders of Cholm (1942) and Sevastopol (1944) during World War II.
- Independence Day (Senegal): Marks the independence of Senegal from France on April 4, 1960.