THURSDAY APRIL 6 1896 First modern Olympic Games opened in Athens. 1917 The United States entered First World War. 1997 BBC correspondent Martin Bell decided to stand for Parliament. Birthdays: The Rev Ian Paisley, N Ireland politician, 80; Andre Previn,

THURSDAY APRIL 6 1896 First modern Olympic Games opened in Athens. 1917 The United States entered First World War. 1997 BBC correspondent Martin Bell decided to stand for Parliament. Birthdays: The Rev Ian Paisley, N Ireland politician, 80; Andre Previn, musician and conductor, 77; Paul Daniels, magician, 68; Max Clifford, media guru, 63; Rory Bremner, comedian and impressionist, 45. FRIDAY APRIL 7 1948 The UN set up the World Health Organisation. 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific opened in New York. Birthdays: James Garner, actor, 78; Ian Richardson, actor, 72; Francis Ford Coppola, director, 67; Sir David Frost, television presenter, 67; Russell Crowe, actor, 42. SATURDAY APRIL 8 1967 Sandie Shaw won the Eurovision Song Contest with Puppet on a String. 1991 The FA announced proposals for the Premiership. Birthdays: Kofi Annan, UN general-secretary, 68; Vivienne Westwood, designer, 65; Alec Stewart, ex-England Test cricket batsman, 43; Patricia Arquette, actress, 38. SUNDAY APRIL 9 1838 The National Gallery opened in London. 1865 The American Civil War came to an end. 1969 First test flight of Concorde. 1973 First demonstration of Teletext. Birthdays; Valerie Singleton, ex-Blue Peter presenter, 69; Dennis Quaid, actor, 52; Iain Duncan Smith, ex-Conservative Party leader, 52; Severiano Ballesteros, golfer, 49; Cynthia Nixon, from Sex and the City, 40. MONDAY APRIL10 1912 The Titanic embarked on its maiden voyage. 1925 Publication of F Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. 1970 Paul McCartney announced he was quitting The Beatles. Birthdays: Omar Sharif, actor, 74; Gloria Hunniford, television presenter, 66; Paul Therous, writer and novelist, 65; Lesley Garrett, opera singer, 51. TUESDAY APRIL 11 1945 Allied troops liberated the Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald. 1959 Billy Wright won his 100th England international soccer cap. Birthdays: Bob Harris, broadcaster, 60; Jeremy Clarkson, television presenter, 46; Lisa Stansfield, singer, 40; Ian Bell, England Test cricket batsman, 24. WEDNESDAY APRIL 12 1861 Start of the American Civil War. 1945 Harry Truman became US President after the death of Franklin Roosevelt. 1981 First US space shuttle launched from Cape Canaveral. 1992 Euro Disney opened at Marne-la-Vallee in France. Birthdays: Alan Ayckbourn, playwright, 67; Herbie Hancock, jazz musician, 66; George Robertson, Nato secretary-general, 60; David Letterman, US talk show host, 59; Tom Clancy, author of The Hunt for Red October, 59; David Cassidy, singer-songwriter, 56