- Guilherme Cossoul, Portuguese composer, born in Lisbon, Portugal (d. 1880)
- Alphonse Bertillon, French police officer and anthropologist (devised crime ID system), born in Paris (d. 1914)
- Armas Launis, Finnish composer, born in Hämeenlinna, Finland (d. 1959)
- Hymie Shertzer, American jazz and session saxophonist (Benny Goodman; NBC's Tonight Show), born in New York City (d. 1977)
- Yehudi Menuhin, American-British violinist, conductor and teacher (Bartok's Sonata), born in NYC, New York (d. 1999)
- Jos de Haes, Flemish philological and poet (Misery of the Word), born in Leuven, Belgium (d. 1974)
- Pascal Bentoiu, Romanian composer, born in Bucharest, Romania (d. 2016)
- Peter Zezel, Canadian ice hockey player

From 1950 to 1999 the month of April had the highest average number of tornado-related deaths. During the last half of the 20th century an average of 27 people died annually from tornadoes in April. However, tornadoes can occur at any time of the year. In the southern states, peak tornado occurrence is in March through May, while peak months in the northern states are during the summer. Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 and 9 p.m. but have been known to occur at all hours of the day or night.

- King Charles II sits in on English parliament
- English steamship "Sirius" docks in NYC after crossing the Atlantic, first transatlantic steam passenger service
- American Power Boat Association forms
- Hague Chambers of Commerce forms
- RAF shoots down 14 German transport planes over Mediterranean Sea
- Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela tosses his 3rd shutout in 4 starts
- [Marie] Louise Hens, Flemish actress (Two Orphans) (d. 1939)
- Archduchess Marie Valerie of Austria, 4th and last child of Franz Joseph I of Austria and Elisabeth of Bavaria, born in Ofen (Buda), Austria-Hungary (d. 1924)
- Norman Steenrod, American mathematician (algebraic topology), born in Dayton, Ohio (d. 1971)
- Robert Key, British Conservative Party politician (MP for Salisbury), born in Plymouth, Devon, England