April 1 in History: Apple Founded, First Weather Satellite Launched, and Okinawa Invasion Begins

Discover what happened on April 1 in history, along with notable events that shaped technology, science, and global conflict.

What Happened on April 1 in History?

Important events on this day include the founding of Apple, the launch of the first weather satellite, and the U.S. invasion of Okinawa during World War II.

APRIL 1 – TODAY IN HISTORY:

1578 – William Harvey of England discovered blood circulation.

1778 – Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, created the “$” symbol.

1789 – The U.S. House of Representatives held its first full meeting in New York, NY. Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania was elected the first House Speaker.

1826 – Samuel Morey patented the internal combustion engine.

1853 – Cincinnati became the first U.S. city to pay fire fighters a regular salary.

1864 – The first travel accident policy was issued to James Batterson by the Travelers Insurance Company.

1889 – In Chicago, IL, the first dishwashing machine was introduced.

1891 – The William Wrigley Jr. Company was founded in Chicago, IL. The company is best known for chewing gum.

1906 – The state of Michigan’s first yellow pages directory was issued by the Michigan State Telephone Company.

1916 – The first U.S. national women’s swimming championships were held.

1927 – The first automatic record changer was introduced by His Master’s Voice.

1929 – Louie Marx introduced the Yo-Yo.

1930 – Leo Hartnett of the Chicago Cubs broke the altitude record for a catch by catching a baseball dropped from a blimp 800 feet over Los Angeles, CA.

1931 – Jackie Mitchell became the first female in professional baseball when she signed with the Chattanooga Baseball Club.

1931 – Production began in Grand Rapids, MI on a locally manufactured automobile –- The DeVaux 6-75. It sold for between $600 and $800. The DeVaux-Hall company filed for bankruptcy in February 1932. About 4,800 cars were made. A restored 6-75 is in the Grand Rapids Public Museum.

1935 – The first radio tube to be made of metal was announced.

1938 – The first commercially successful fluorescent lamps were introduced.

1938 – The Baseball Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown, NY.

1941 – The first contract for advertising on a commercial FM radio station began on W71NY in New York, NY.

1945 – U.S. forces invaded Okinawa during World War II. It was the last campaign of World War II.

1946 – Weight Watchers was formed.

1946 – A tidal wave (tsunami) struck the Hawaiian Islands killing more than 170 people.

1952 – The Big Bang theory was proposed in “Physical Review” by Alpher, Bethe & Gamow.

1953 – Congress created the Department of Health Education and Welfare.

1954 – President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized the creation of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.

1960 – The U.S. launched TIROS-1, the first weather satellite.

1961 – Burglars forced open the safes (8 of them) at the H.R. Terryberry Co. specialty jewelers and stole nearly $200,000 in sheet gold…the biggest single haul in the history of Grand Rapids, MI thievery to that time. No trace of the gold was ever found and no arrests were ever made.

1963 – Workers of the International Typographical Union ended their strike that had closed nine newspapers in New York City, NY. The strike ended 114 days after it began on December 8, 1962.

1963 – Michigan voters said yes to a new version of the State Constitution (one thing it did was start a state income tax).

1963 – The soap operas “General Hospital” and “The Doctors” premiered on television.

1967 – The U.S. Department of Transportation began operation.

1970 – President Richard Nixon signed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law which required the Surgeon General’s warnings on tobacco products and banning cigarette advertisements on television and radio in the United States, starting January 1, 1971.

1976 – Conrail took over operations from six bankrupt railroads in the Northeastern U.S.

1976 – Apple Inc. was formed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.

1978 – The American Museum of Magic in Marshall, MI, was opened to the public.

1983 – New York Islander Mike Bossy became the first National Hockey League (NHL) player to score 60 goals in 3 consecutive seasons.

1985 – David Lee Roth left the band Van Halen to pursue a solo career.

1985 – World oil prices dropped below $10 a barrel.

1986 – The U.S. submarine Nathaniel Green ran aground in the Irish Sea.

1987 – Steve Newman became the first man to walk around the world. The walk was 22,000 miles and took 4 years.

1987 – President Ronald Reagan told doctors in Philadelphia, “We’ve declared AIDS public health enemy No. 1.”

1991 – Iran released British hostage Roger Cooper after 5 years.

1991 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that jurors could not be barred from serving due to their race.

1992 – Players began the first strike in the 75-year history of the National Hockey League.

1997 – David Carradine received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1998 – U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright dismissed the Paula Jones’ sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton saying that the claims fell “far short” of being worthy of a trial.

2001 – China began holding 24 crew members of a U.S. surveillance plane. The EP-3E U.S. Navy crew had made an emergency landing after an in-flight collision with a Chinese fighter jet. The U.S. crew was released ten days later, on April 11, 2001.

2004 – Gateway Inc. announced that it would be closing all of its 188 stores on April 9.

2004 – Google introduced Gmail to the public.

2010 – Congress cut Medicare reimbursements to physicians by 21%.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS ON APRIL 1:

Vladimir Posner – 92 years old (1934) – French-American journalist and radio host

Jordan Charney – 89 years old (1937) – Actor

Ali MacGraw – 87 years old (1939) – Model and actress

Samuel R. Delany – 84 years old (1942) – Author and critic

Richard D. Wolff – 84 years old (1942) – Economist and academic

Paul Manafort – 77 years old (1949) – Lobbyist, political consultant, and convicted felon

Samuel Alito – 76 years old (1950) – Lawyer and jurist, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

John Abizaid – 75 years old (1951) – General

Annette O'Toole – 74 years old (1952) – Actress

Barry Sonnenfeld – 73 years old (1953) – Cinematographer, director, and producer

Don Hasselbeck – 71 years old (1955) – Football player and sportscaster

Mark Shulman – 64 years old (1962) – Author

Aprille Ericsson-Jackson – 63 years old (1963) – Aerospace engineer

Jane Adams – 61 years old (1965) – Film, television, and stage actress

Mark Jackson – 61 years old (1965) – Basketball player and coach

Brad Meltzer – 56 years old (1970) – Author, screenwriter, and producer

Jesse Tobias – 54 years old (1972) – Guitarist and songwriter

Christian Finnegan – 53 years old (1973) – Comedian and actor

Rachel Maddow – 53 years old (1973) – Journalist and author

John Butler – 51 years old (1975) – American-Australian singer-songwriter and producer

David Gilliland – 50 years old (1976) – Race car driver

Vitor Belfort – 49 years old (1977) – Brazilian-American boxer and mixed martial artist

Etan Thomas – 48 years old (1978) – Basketball player

Randy Orton – 46 years old (1980) – Wrestler

Bijou Phillips – 46 years old (1980) – Actress and model

Taran Killam – 44 years old (1982) – Actor, voice artist, comedian, and writer

Daniel Murphy – 41 years old (1985) – Baseball player

Hillary Scott – 40 years old (1986) – Country singer-songwriter

Brook Lopez – 38 years old (1988) – Basketball player

Robin Lopez – 38 years old (1988) – Basketball player

Logan Paul – 31 years old (1995) – YouTuber, actor and wrestler

Sophia Hutchins – 30 years old (1996) – Socialite

King Combs – 28 years old (1998) – Rapper

Mitchell Robinson – 28 years old (1998) – Basketball player

Gabe Davis – 27 years old (1999) – Football player

DAYS OF THE YEAR FOR APRIL 1:

For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, and www.daysoftheyear.com.