Dashed left edge = started before April 1947 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond April 1947
Events in April 1947 16
1863 – 1947Henry Ford (1863-1947)Died 7 April 1947, aged 83Henry Ford was an American industrialist who founded the Ford Motor Company. He introduced the Model T and the moving assembly line. His methods of mass production transformed manufacturing around the world.
1867 – 1947Irving Fisher (1867-1947)Died 29 April 1947, aged 80Irving Fisher was an American economist who made foundational contributions to monetary theory, including the quantity theory of money and the Fisher equation. He was also a pioneer of index numbers. His reputation was damaged by his optimistic forecasts just before the 1929 crash.
1870 – 1947Christian X of Denmark (1870-1947)Died 20 April 1947, aged 76Christian X was King of Denmark from 1912 and King of Iceland until 1944. During the German occupation he became a symbol of Danish resistance through his daily rides through Copenhagen. His son Frederick IX succeeded him.
1870 – 1947Christian XThe Resistance KingBecame a symbol of national unity during the Nazi occupation by riding his horse through Copenhagen daily.
1873 – 1947Willa Cather (1873-1947)Died 24 April 1947, aged 73Willa Cather was an American novelist known for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, including O Pioneers! and My Ántonia. She won the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours in 1923. Death Comes for the Archbishop is among her best-known works.
1887 – 1947Jozef Tiso (1887-1947)Died 18 April 1947, aged 59Jozef Tiso was a Slovak Catholic priest and politician who was president of the Nazi-allied Slovak Republic from 1939 to 1945. His government deported tens of thousands of Jews. He was convicted of treason and war crimes and hanged in Bratislava.
1947First Tony AwardsThe American Theatre Wing honours Broadway achievementThe first Antoinette Perry Awards for theatre excellence were given at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on 6 April 1947. The awards are named after actress and director Antoinette Perry, who died in 1946. They became Broadway's leading honours.
1947 – 2013Tom Clancy (1947-2013)Died 1 October 2013, aged 66Tom Clancy was an American author of best-selling techno-thriller novels including The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games, many of which were adapted into films. He died in Baltimore after a brief illness.
1947Jackie Robinson breaks the baseball colour lineRobinson debuts for the Brooklyn DodgersOn 15 April 1947, Jackie Robinson played first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers and became the first Black player in Major League Baseball in the modern era. He won the first Rookie of the Year award that season. Every MLB team now retires his number 42 on the anniversary.
1947 – presentKareem Abdul-JabbarThe Captain6-time NBA MVP and champion; famous for his unstoppable "Skyhook" shot.
1947 – presentKareem Abdul-JabbarBasketball player, activist, author, b. 1947Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (b. Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr., 1947) — the NBA all-time leading scorer for 39 years (38,387 points), six NBA championships, a record six MVP awards, three consecutive NCAA titles at UCLA, and a second life as a bestselling author, activist and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient.
1947Kareem Abdul-Jabbar born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is born as Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. in Harlem, New York City, to Ferdinand Sr. (a transit police officer and jazz musician) and Cora Lillian.
1947Texas City disasterAmmonium nitrate ship explodes in the port of Texas CityOn 16 April 1947, the French-registered ship SS Grandcamp exploded while loaded with about 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate in Texas City harbour. The blast and the fires that followed, including a second ship explosion, killed at least 581 people. It is the deadliest industrial accident in US history.
1947 – 1972Frederik IXKing of DenmarkFrederik IX modernized the Danish monarchy after World War II.
1947 – 2016Johan CruyffTotal Football ArchitectRevolutionized the sport as the star of the Dutch "Total Football" era and a 3-time Ballon d'Or winner.
1947Kon-Tiki expeditionThor Heyerdahl sails a balsa raft from Peru to PolynesiaNorwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl and five crewmates left Callao, Peru on the balsa raft Kon-Tiki on 28 April 1947. After 101 days they ran aground on Raroia reef in the Tuamotu Islands on 7 August. The voyage was meant to show that pre-Columbian South Americans could have settled Polynesia.