April 20th – On This Day
1981 - Steve Davis became the world snooker champion at 23 years of age, beating Doug Mountjoy at Sheffield. On 17th April 2016 he announced his retirement, aged 58.
April 19th – On This Day
2020 - Captain Sir Tom Moore, a veteran of the British Army, became the oldest person to score a UK No.1 with “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a collaboration with singer Michael Ball. Recorded amid Covid-19 to raise funds for the UK’s NHS Charities Together, the single topped the charts on Moore’s 100th birthday.
April 18th – On This Day
1912 - The Cunard liner RMS Carpathia brought 705 survivors to New York from the RMS Titanic that had sunk on the 15th April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton.
April 17th – On This Day
1951 - The Peak District (which covers Derbyshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester) was officially confirmed as the United Kingdom’s first National Park.
April 16th – On This Day
1997 - A DNA database for birds, particularly raptors, was been launched in the UK to combat the illegal trade of wild birds and to deter thieves from stealing eggs and young birds, using DNA analysis to identify the source of stolen birds and eggs.
April 15th – On This Day
2019 - The historic Notre-Dame de Paris caught fire during a restoration campaign. The blaze destroyed most of the cathedral's roof and the 19th-century spire.
April 14th – On This Day
2010 - Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland sent ash plumes into the skies that spread and disrupted air traffic across northern and central Europe. Over 95,000 flights had been cancelled all across Europe during the six-day airspace ban.
April 13th – On This Day
1986 - The Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez saw Ayrton Senna win by a mere 0.014 seconds over Nigel Mansell, one of Formula One's closest finishes.
April 12th – On This Day
1989 - Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 'Cats' was performed for the 3,358th time at the New London Theatre, Drury Lane, making it Britain’s longest running musical.